Trump news: House fails to override president's veto, as impeachment vote numbers are under 'consideration'
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Donald Trump will use the supposedly favourable outcome of the Mueller report to go after his enemies in Washington with a “political bludgeon”, an aide has warned.
The FBI special counsel’s 22-month investigation found no evidence of his having colluded with Russia during the 2016 presidential election, according to attorney-general William Barr, who reviewed the filing over the weekend after being appointed by the president in February.
“In terms of political payback, the people that I’ve talked to in the White House over the last 24 hours talk about what this means for 2020 and where we go from here. And I think you are going to see [Trump] use this as a political bludgeon,” ex-White House staffer Cliff Sims told CNN.
The FBI is meanwhile poised to brief the leaders of the House and Senate and the chairmen of the two chambers’ intelligence committees on Robert Mueller’s findings as to whether the president or anyone close to him is under the influence of a foreign power. Senior Democrats are meanwhile weighing up their options with regard to possible impeachment proceedings against the president.
Radiating a sense of vindication, Mr Trump strode into the Senate Republicans' lunch on Tuesday flanked by party leaders. GOP senators applauded.
Mueller investigation: The key figures
Show all 12“It could not have been better,” he said of the summary of the Mueller report by Mr Barr, which did not find the president colluded with Russia over the 2016 elections.
He told senators he was given a “clean bill of health,” according to those in the room.
But Mr Trump cut short the celebration by quickly turning senators focus on the challenges ahead, claiming, “The Republican Party will soon be known as the party of health care. You watch!”
Inside the meeting, he urged Republicans to figure out a way to repeal Barack Obama's signature health care law and replace it with a GOP version, a major goal that has eluded the party during the first years of his presidency.
Mr Trump's trip to Capitol Hill came right after his administration said late Monday it would not defend the Affordable Care Act in a court challenge - and as the House Democrats, led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, were unveiling a sweeping measure to rescue the program.
Additional reporting by AP. Read live updates from The Independent below.
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Some perspective on Donald Trump's Golan Heights proclamation signing yesterday.
Syria's criticism has been especially colourful, its foreign minister Walid Muallem branding the US president "a pirate" over the decision.
Here's Richard Hall.
US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has announced the expansion of a Trump administration ban on US aid being given to foreign groups that promote or provide abortions.
"This is decent, this is right and I’m proud to serve in an administration that protects the least amongst us,” Mr Pompeo said.
"This administration has shown that we can continue to meet our critical global health goals, including providing health care for women, while refusing to subsidize the killing of unborn babies."
Known as the Mexico City Policy, it was first established by Republican president Ronald Reagan in 1984 and is typically rescinded when Democratic presidents take office, then reinstated by Republicans.
Donald Trump did so after his inauguration in 2017 to apply to more global health assistance programmes, like those for HIV, maternal and child health and malaria.
To qualify for US funding, groups have to certify they won't perform or promote abortion as a method of family planning, even with funds from other non-US sources.
Donald Trump attempted to reverse penalties imposed on two Chinese shipping companies for violating US sanctions on North Korea last week before aides were forced to talk him down, Bloomberg reports.
The president had tweeted on Friday, somewhat vaguely:
This sent White House staffers, with no prior warning of "additional large scale Sanctions", scrambling to explain his words.
They turned out to refer to financial penalties handed down to Dalian Haibo International Freight and Lianoning Danxing after both traded with Pyongyang in defiance of the sanctions.
"President Trump likes Chairman Kim and he doesn’t think these sanctions will be necessary," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement after the tweet, by which point it already had caused consternation at the Treasury who worried it undermined the US stance on the rogue nuclear state.
With the news that all charges have been dropped against Jussie Smollett - the Empire actor who was accused of staging a racist and homophobic assault on the streets of Chicago at the hands of two brothers (one of whom made reference to "MAGA") in order to advance his career - one wonders whether Donald Trump will row back on this tweet...
Here's Clemence Michallon on the Smollett saga.
Chuck Schumer has hit out at the Republican-run Senate over its assault on the Affordable Care Act.
A discussion of the matter is currently underway in the House of Representatives before the vote to overturn the president's national emergency resolution veto takes place.
Here's Chris Riotta on Democratic efforts to save Obamacare as President Trump attempts to kill it off entirely.
Democratic congresswoman Barbara Lee absolutely toasting Trump's education secretary Betsy DeVos on the rescinding of school civil rights protections.
A reminder that we still haven't had a chance to read the Mueller report for ourselves yet.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez appears to have backed down on calls for impeaching Donald Trump, bringing her more in to line with the view of House speaker Nancy Pelosi.
“I think what's tough is, impeachment in principle is something that I openly support,” she told reporters after a House Democratic caucus meeting.
“But it's also just the reality of having the votes in the Senate to pursue that. And so that's something that we have to take into consideration.”
Donald Trump has tweeted, “The Republican Party will become the Party of Healthcare” — one day after new court filings revealed his administration is now seeking to completely eliminate the Affordable Care Act from existence.
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