Trump impeachment news: President accused of turning 'America first' into 'Donald Trump first' as Senate trial resumes
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Donald Trump has reacted angrily after House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff laid out the case against him in the first opening statement of the impeachment trial on Wednesday, accusing the president of orchestrating a “corrupt scheme” to extort a domestic political favour from Ukraine.
While Mr Schiff’s speech was praised by Democrats, Republicans in the chamber made a point of looking visibly bored by his extensive presentation of the evidence, prompting CNN anchor Chris Cuomo to remind them they should be “doing their damn job” and focusing on principle, not party, and MSNBC’s Chris Hayes invited them to resign.
After sending out a record-breaking 142 tweets yesterday, President Trump has continued to fight the messaging war on Thursday and revived his attack on 2020 Democratic candidate Michael Bloomberg, branding him a “clown” and saying his campaign is a “hopeless” waste of money.
Mr Bloomberg's response: "Obsessed much? It shouldn't be this easy to distract the President of the United States."
During Thursday's proceedings in the president's impeachment trial, now on its fourth day, Texas Senator Ted Cruz made a sort of impeachment drinking game — with milk. Mr Cruz said that every time the prosecution says "drug deal" or "get over it", "drink a shot of milk!"
All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment
Show all 6
The normal milk drinking followed Mr Schiff's derisive opening comments about Senate Republicans who appeared to have difficulty being silent for hours.
House Judiciary chairman Jerrold Nadler made the case that the president abused the power of the executive office with a "Donald Trump first" agenda that placed "his own personal political interests first."
Meanwhile, the White House is imposing new rules on pregnant women travelling to the country as the administration rails against "birth tourism", or giving birth in the US so that the child can obtain US citizenship.
The State Department did not make it clear how one would know a person is pregnant. The rules would deny visa applications when the traveller's "primary purpose" is to obtain American citizenship for their child by giving birth in the country.
Follow live coverage as it happened:
Ivanka Trump criticises Greta Thunberg for 'purely pessimistic outlook' on climate change
The first daughter was in Davos with her father and gave an interview to The New York Times in which she expressed admiration for climate change activist and icon Greta Thunberg but said she believes a "purely pessimistic outlook" will not solve the problem.
She wasn't the only member of the administration to have a go at the Swedish teen, who was also speaking at the summit and looked bored sideways at Trump's speech on Tuesday:
Here's Greg Evans for Indy100.
Trump administration approves permit to allow building of Keystone oil pipeline
Here's Clark Mindock with news of the latest assault on the American landscape from this president and his cronies.
Mike Pompeo 'to visit Ukraine' amid Trump impeachment trial
Well this is going to be awkward.
Trump's secretary of state is scheduled to meet with Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev, right when the impeachment trial of his boss for pressuring the same man is really starting to get juicy.
Clark Mindock reports.
Space Force strikes back at uniform critics on Twitter
You will recall that Trump's ludicrous Space Force initiative (surely just a ploy to shift merchandise to the easily-impressed) were ridiculed over the weekend for unveiling jungle camoflauge uniforms to help them evade enemy fire in darkest deep space.
Even more absurdly, they've begun hitting out at their critics on Twitter, even deploying Robert Downey Jr GIFs to make their point.
Here's more from Greg Evans.
'Trump's Davos speech exposed how US isolationism is reaching its final narcissistic chapter'
For Indy Voices, Robert Fisk reflects on the geopolitical ramifications of a US government that believes it ought to be reimbursed for military intervention overseas in the interests of peacekeeping and then paid to leave when the battle is won.
Steve Mnuchin says climate change is not a 'doom and gloom' issue that will impact people in 10 years
Trump's Treasury secretary is still in Davos and, like his boss, is working hard to downplay the significance of global warming.
Michael Bloomberg fires back after Trump brands him a 'clown' in latest attack
Trump's latest broadside is aimed at Mike Bloomberg, whom he calls a "clown" and accuses of wasting money on his "hopeless" pursuit of the Democratic nomination.
The president has been particularly dogged about attacking the ex-New York mayor in recent weeks - and determined to make that nickname stick - going after him with much greater frequency than Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg or the rest of the field.
The fact has not gone unnoticed by the candidate.
Fox legal expert says evidence for Trump's conviction 'ample'
Writing in an op-ed on the Fox News website, the networks's senior judicial analyst Andrew Napolitano has broken ranks to say there is "ample" evidence at the Senate impeachment trial with which to convict Donald Trump.
“It is deadly serious business based on well-established constitutional norms,” says the former New Jersey Superior Court judge, reminding his readers of the gravity of what is unfolding on Capitol Hill right now.
After breaking down the events that led the Trump administration to this sorry pass, Napolitano concludes: “[This] leaves us with valid, lawful, constitutional arguments for Trump’s impeachment that he ought to take seriously.”
“What is required for removal of the president?” he asks. “A demonstration of presidential commission of high crimes and misdemeanors, of which in Trump’s case the evidence is ample and uncontradicted.”
Prince Charles 'snubs' Mike Pence at Holocaust memorial
Representing Britain at a memorial event in Jerusalem to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, Prince Charles has been spotted gliding passed the US vice president, avoiding his eye and making a beeline for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu instead.
So much for the special relationship.
Team Trump shilling Adam Schiff T-shirts off the back of Senate impeachment trial
If you had any glimmer of doubt left that this administration is more interested in turning a quick buck than good governance or justice, let me present Exhibit A.
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