Speaking at his annual end-of-the-year press conference, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, said pressure on Ukraine by Donald Trump was 'made up' by the Democrats in order to impeach the US president
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Nancy Pelosi silences applause after impeachment vote – video
The House speaker sternly shut down House Democrats who began to clap as she announced the results of a vote on the first of two articles of impeachment against Donald Trump.
Pelosi said the vote, on Wednesday, was a 'sad' occasion and that it was 'tragic' the president’s reckless actions had made it necessary.
- 'A sad day': Nancy Pelosi shuts down applause after impeachment vote
- Dry procedures and impassioned speeches preceded historic impeachment vote
Trump reacts to his impeachment: ‘It’s a political suicide march for the Democratic party’ – video
As members of Congress moved to make him the third US president in history to be impeached, Donald Trump spoke at a campaign rally in Michigan. He shrugged off the historic vote at Washington, saying: 'It doesn’t really feel like we’re being impeached.'
The House voted 230-197 to approve the first article of impeachment, charging Trump with abuse of power, and 229-190 for the second article, charging Trump with obstruction of Congress.
But Trump was not fazed by the vote, instead remarking that it had only made him politically stronger. 'This lawless, partisan impeachment is a political suicide march for the Democratic party – have you seen my polls in the last four weeks?' The crowd roared in response
Impeachment debate drama: six hours distilled into three minutes – video
Members of the House of Representatives debate the two articles of impeachment against Donald Trump, with both parties accusing each other variously of defending the indefensible, tearing families apart and even being nastier to the president than Pontius Pilate was to Jesus. After a day-long debate, Trump became the third president in US history to be impeached.
A divided America: the moment Trump was impeached – in pictures
Donald Trump became the third president in US history to be impeached on Wednesday 18 December. The moment offered a surreal split screen. In the House of Representatives, lawmakers voted solemnly, mostly along party lines, in favor of two articles of impeachment. Meanwhile in Michigan, Trump railed against the Democrats at a defiant rally. ‘They’re the ones that should be impeached, every one of them’, he told the crowd
Continue reading...US officials remove Black Panther’s Wakanda from list of trading partners
Agriculture department says fictional country from Marvel movies was used to test systems and was not meant to remain visible
Trade talks between Captain America and Black Panther didn’t quite pan out, it seems. Wakanda, the fictional home of the Marvel superhero, is no longer listed as a free trade partner of the US.
Until Wednesday, the made-up east African country was listed on the drop-down menu for the agriculture department’s foreign agricultural service’s tariff tracker along with Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and Peru.
Continue reading...Trump’s impeachment may be just another battle in the US’s civil war
Trump will be wounded, seething, hellbent on revenge – and turn the weight of impeachment against his foes in 2020
After Donald Trump’s inaugural address, George W Bush turned to Hillary Clinton and said: “Well, that was some weird shit,” the former secretary of state confirmed earlier this month.
For nearly three years since that chilly day here at the US Capitol in Washington, Democrats (and many others) have accused of Trump using and abusing the United States like his personal punchbag. On Wednesday, that slice of America finally punched back via impeachment.
Continue reading...Republican congressman Mike Kelly compares impeachment inquiry to Pearl Harbor – video
During the impeachment debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Mike Kelly compared the impeachment vote to Pearl Harbor, predicting 18 December would be 'another date that will live in infamy,' referring to Roosevelt's famous quote about 7 December 1941. The debate will be followed by a vote on two articles of impeachment against Trump which, if approved, will send the matter to the Republican-led Senate to hold a trial on whether to remove him from office. The Senate is unlikely to vote to convict the president
Continue reading...Republican congressman compares impeachment inquiry to trial of Jesus – video
Barry Loudermilk made a comparison between the Trump impeachment inquiry and the trial of Jesus in the Bible during the impeachment debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday. The Republican congressman argued that Pontius Pilate was fairer to Jesus than Democrats had been to the president. The debate will be followed by a vote on the articles of impeachment against Donald Trump
Continue reading...Pelosi says Democrats have ‘no choice’ but to impeach Trump as she opens impeachment debate – video
Nancy Pelosi has said Donald Trump gave Democrats 'no choice' but to impeach him. Opening the debate on the impeachment of the US president in the House of Representatives, the House Speaker said if politicians did not act now, they would be 'derelict in their duty'. The debate will be followed by a vote on two articles of impeachment against Trump which, if approved, will send the matter to the Republican-led Senate to hold a trial on whether to remove him from office. The Senate is unlikely to vote to convict the president
Continue reading...Trump faces impeachment as House convenes to debate historic vote – live
Outcome of today’s vote is all but certain as Trump lashes against Democrats and acknowledges likely impeachment
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Democratic congressman Joe Kennedy used his floor speech to explain to his children why he intended to vote in favor of impeaching the president. “Dear Ellie and James: This is a moment that you’ll read about in your history books,” the Massachusetts lawmaker said.
Dem. Rep. Joe Kennedy addresses his children in remarks on impeachment: "Dear Ellie and James: This is a moment that you'll read about in your history books. Today, I will vote to impeach the president of the United States. And I want you to know why." https://t.co/YXG96ICVqo pic.twitter.com/S3Sd39n5uV
As the president lashes out against Nancy Pelosi, some commentators have started recirculating this 2008 video, in which Trump commends Pelosi and suggests she should have tried to impeach George W. Bush.
Continue reading...Impeachment: Trump faces up to history as House prepares to vote
As the president rages, Democrats in the House get ready to vote against him
No volume of howling by Donald Trump could prevent the shadow of history from falling over his White House on Wednesday, as the House of Representatives prepared to approve articles of impeachment against a president for only the third time.
Related: More than 700 historians call for Trump to be impeached as key vote looms
Continue reading...Ilhan Omar writes to US Syria envoy over Turkish white phosphorus allegations
Congresswoman calls on US Syria envoy to give full briefing on October incident in border town
Four US congressional Democrats have written to Donald Trump’s Syria envoy asking him to spell out what information the US has about the alleged use of white phosphorus by Turkey against Syrian Kurdish civilians in October.
Ilhan Omar and three of her colleagues in the House of Representatives called on Jim Jeffrey to provide a full briefing – in private if necessary – into whether it believes the incident during the Turkish invasion two months ago amounts to a war crime.
Continue reading...Trump impeachment: protesters gather in Times Square on eve of vote – video
Demonstrators gather in New York, Colorado and California to call for US president Donald Trump's removal from office on the eve of the House of Representatives' expected vote to impeach him. Demonstrators who were gathered in Times Square chanted slogans like 'impeach Trump' and held signs that read: 'Impeach & Remove' and 'Traitor Criminal Lock Him Up!' The House will vote on Wednesday on two articles of impeachment against the president, which if approved, will send the matter to the Senate to hold a trial on whether to remove him from office. The Republican-led Senate is unlikely to vote to convict the president
US teens may be barred from buying vape pens and cigarettes
Anti-smoking advocates say industry support for legislation is a calculated effort to head off even harder-hitting restrictions
Congress is moving to pass the biggest new sales restrictions on tobacco products in more than a decade, with support from two unlikely backers: the Marlboro cigarette maker, Altria, and the vaping giant Juul.
The legislation would raise the minimum age to purchase all tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes, from 18 to 21 nationwide, a step long sought by health advocates. But in the past year Juul and Altria have emerged as the biggest supporters of the measure, blanketing Capitol Hill with lobbyists and advertisements touting their support for the “Tobacco 21” law.
Continue reading...Trump accuses Democrats of ‘open war on American democracy’ in stinging impeachment letter – live
President sends six-page letter to House speaker Nancy Pelosi condemning inquiry as ‘unprecedented and unconstitutional abuse of power’
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A message from the Guardian US editor-in-chief:
This year, readers across all 50 states supported our journalism, allowing us to thrive in a challenging climate for publishers. Thank you.
Here’s a recap of today:
Related: Trump impeachment inquiry: a timeline of key events so far
Continue reading...Trump: I take zero responsibility for impeachment – video
Speaking to reporters at the White House during an Oval Office meeting with Guatemalan president Jimmy Morales, US president Donald Trump said he's not planning on watching tomorrow's impeachment vote in the House of Representatives. He reiterated his claim that the process is a hoax and said he accepts 'zero' responsibility for the fact that he is undergoing the impeachment process, insisting that impeaching the president of the United States for a 'perfect' phone call was a 'disgrace'
Continue reading...Five highlights from Trump’s angry, bizarre letter to Nancy Pelosi
Trump claims in his missive – which he says historians will study one day – he’s been treated worse than those accused of witchcraft
On Tuesday, Donald Trump showed that it is not only through the spoken word or his Twitter account that he is able to raise eyebrows, when he sent an angry and frequently bizarre letter to House speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The six-page missive was remarkable for a number of reasons, not least for Trump’s claim he has been subjected to worse treatment than that endured by people accused of witchcraft in the 17th century.
Continue reading...Trump writes blistering letter to House accusing leaders of ‘war on democracy’
Letter is a thinly veiled attempt to redirect back impeachment inquiry’s findings he abused power and obstructed Congress
Donald Trump has accused Democratic leaders in the House of declaring “open war on American democracy”, on the eve of a historic vote that is likely to make him only the third president in US history to be impeached.
Trump issued the incendiary accusation in an intemperately-worded letter sent to the speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, on Tuesday.
Continue reading...Mike Pompeo backs Mesut Özil in criticism of China’s Uighur persecution
- US secretary of state posts statement in support of Arsenal star
- Özil posted message about China’s treatment of Uighur Muslims
US secretary of state Mike Pompeo on Tuesday came out in support of Arsenal player Mesut Özil for his criticism of China’s treatment of ethnic Uighur Muslims, saying Beijing can censor the team’s football games but cannot hide human rights violations.
The Arsenal midfielder, a German Muslim of Turkish origin, last week in social media posts called Uighurs “warriors who resist persecution” and criticized both China’s crackdown and the silence of Muslims in response.
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