Trump impeachment: President 'brags' about obstructing Congress as Senate hears he used power to 'cheat' election
Trial begins with opening statements from House prosecutors summarising mountain of evidence from Congress
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House impeachment managers delivered opening remarks during the US Senate trial into Donald Trump and his dealings with Ukraine, as Democrats blasted White House attorneys for presenting Fox News-style “histrionics" at the hearings.
Democratic impeachment manager Adam Schiff argued in his opening remarks the president's "misconduct cannot be decided at the ballot box" and suggested that Americans "cannot be assured that the vote will be fairly won" in 2020 after Mr Trump encouraged Ukraine to launch political investigations into one of his Democratic rivals, Joe Biden.
House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler, another impeachment manager, also accused Republicans of “voting for a cover-up”, observing: “Only guilty people hide the evidence.”
The prosecution's marathon opening statements included clips from witness testimonies and, most damning, from the president himself, including his admission that he would accept politically damaging information on a rival candidate from a foreign country and would ask China to investigate the Bidens.
House impeachment managers, acting as the prosecution, each handled a different aspect of the charges against the president and the players involved, from Rudy Giuliani's influence and direction under the president to pressure Ukraine into an investigation, to the on-the-ground consequences of withholding military aid to Ukraine while it was in the middle of a ground war with Russia.
Looking on from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the president fired out dozens of retweets in support of his cause while insisting he was “making great progress” at the global summit, as a new poll makes bleak reading for his supporters ahead of 2020.
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The president appeared to acknowledge his administrations' participation in the obstruction charges against him by telling reporters: "Honestly, we have all the material. They don't have the material."
He also falsely claimed that Democrats leading his impeachment "don't talk about my conversation" with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenksky and that "they don't talk about my transcripts" that the president believes exonerate him.
Follow live coverage as it happened:
Fox host claims Trump is a 'civil rights leader'
I really have no words for the idiocy of this argument from Geraldo Rivera, guesting on Fox and Friends.
Fortunately, Conrad Duncan is on the case.
Mike Pence speaks alongside Memphis bishop who says 'demonic spirit' inspires homosexuality
As part of the Trump administration's ongoing efforts to court the Christian vote this election year, the White House livestreamed vice president Mike Pence's speech at the Holy City Church of God In Christ in Memphis Tennessee on YouTube on Sunday.
But Pence wasn't the only person to speak.
Enter Bishop Jerry Wayne Taylor, who also took to the pulpit to say homosexuality is inspired by a "demonic spirit".
“We have to encourage young men and women to get married,” Taylor said. “It’s a demonic spirit that causes a woman to want to lie with another woman. It’s a demonic spirit that causes a man to be attracted to another man.”
“God didn’t make us for that. He made a man to be a man,” he continued, adding: “You never see two male animals coming together.”
“We’ve got to expose what the devil is doing,” he said.
Here's Greg Evans for Indy100 with more.
Clip of president bragging about obstructing Congress at Davos goes viral
Here's a moment from Trump's madcap Davos Q&A earlier that perhaps didn't get the attention it deserved amid the deluge of wild answers he was giving. It's now doing the rounds on social media and deserves a closer.
During his session with journalists, the president appeared to openly boast about obstructing Congress through stonewalling - i.e. the second article the House of Representatives voted to impeach him with.
It's hard to find a more perfect illustration of precisely why the Democrats are so exasperated by Senate Republicans blocking their attempts to subpoena new evidence and summon additional witnesses to testify at his trial.
President sued over inaugural committee's DC hotel payments
Donald Trump is being sued by the attorney general of Washington, DC, in a civil lawsuit alleging his inauguration committee abused its non-profit status by spending $175,000 (£133,000) per day to rent the resort’s ballroom in January 2017, “grossly overpaying” to line the incoming president’s pockets.
Chris Riotta has the latest.
George Conway on Trump's lawyers: 'They're treating the Senate, like they're morons. It's just outrageous'
Kellaynne's husband has been talking to Jake Tapper and once again places his happy home life on the line to hold the president to account. Good show!
Is Trump a modern day Andrew Johnson?
Graig Graziosi compares Trump - the third American president to be impeached - with the first, who succeeded Abraham Lincoln after he was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth on 15 April 1865 and was himself charged by Congress with violating the Tenure of Office Act three years later.
Senate impeachment trial to reconvene for opening statements
With the Senate impeachment set to reconvene shortly for opening statements, Florida Republican Rick Scott has told CNN's Dana Bash that he would like to hear from new witnesses - despite yesterday's vote to block Democratic subpoenas - but says now is not the right time. Hmmmm.
Donald Trump returns to Washington amid impeachment trial
The president tweeted that he was returning to the US after a “very successful” trip to Davos, while also tweeting out a video that showed him shaking the hands of numerous world leaders.
Tulsi Gabbard sues Hillary Clinton for calling her a “Russian asset”
Tulsi Gabbard, the Hawaii Democrat and 2020 hopeful, has filed a lawsuit against Hillary Clinton claiming the former 2016 Democratic nominee defamed her by insinuating on a podcast that she was a “favourite of Russians”.
The Independent’s Clark Mindock has more on the $50 million lawsuit filed on Wednesday in the Southern District of New York.
Trump inaugural committee sued for 'grossly overpaying' president's Washington hotel
The attorney general of Washington D.C. has filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump’s inaugural committee, alleging an abuse of non-profit funds that ultimately benefited the first family’s private business.
Attorney General Karl Racine said in the lawsuit that the committee was made to “grossly overpay for event space” at the Trump International Hotel in Washington during the president’s inauguration, while failing to seek out cheaper options.
Mr Trump’s inaugural committee funding has been steeped in controversy ever since it was reported to have spent over $100m (£76m) on lavish events — far more than past inaugural budgets — and more than $1m (£761,300) at the Trump hotel.
"District law requires non-profits to use their funds for their stated public purpose, not to benefit private individuals or companies,” the attorney general said when announcing the lawsuit on Wednesday. “In this case, we are seeking to recover the nonprofit funds that were improperly funnelled directly to the Trump family business.”
Here's my latest:
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