Trump news: Leading ally of president lashes out over impeachment as accuser claims to have documents corroborating sexual assault

Russian state TV is mocking yesterday's farcical display by the Republicans in fine style. 

Donald Trump has suggested he was just kidding when he claimed the US was building a border wall in Colorado, despite the landlocked state sitting hundreds of miles from either of the nation’s foreign borders. 

The president posted a tweet on Wednesday night to seemingly walk back comments he made at a speech in Pennsylvania earlier in the day. He incorrectly said in the speech that his administration was building his campaign promise of a border wall in the state of Colorado, which borders New Mexico and Oklahoma.

“We're building a wall in Colorado," he said to the crowd in the city of Pittsburgh. “We're building a beautiful wall. A big one that really works that you can't get over, you can't get under."

Later that night, Mr Trump wrote on Twitter: “(Kiddingly) We’re building a Wall in Colorado’ (then stated, ‘we’re not building a Wall in Kansas but they get the benefit of the Wall we’re building on the Border’)”.

Full story to come...

Several critics of the president have spoken out about his supposed “joke” about building a border wall in the landlocked state of Colorado.

Justin Amash, a congressman who switched his political affiliation from Republican to Independent under Mr Trump, replied to the president’s tweet: “Totally makes sense.” 

Colorado Governor Jared Polis also took a swipe at the president, writing in a tweet: “Well this is awkward…”

“Good thing Colorado now offers free full day kindergarten so our kids can learn basic geography,” the Democratic governor added. 

The Independent's Chris Stevenson has this new analysis on how political polarisation is not just impacting the United States under Donald Trump. Rather, it's become a global phenomenon:

Tim Ryan has officially dropped out of the race for the White House, leaving Tulsi Gabbard as the only sitting House member still vying for a shot to take on Donald Trump in the 2020 elections: 

Donald Trump is praising a conversation he had with a Syrian Kurdish military leader:

A federal appeals court panel appears likely to reject claims made by attorneys from President Donald Trump that the president doesn't need to turn his tax records over to a state grand jury.

Mr Trump's attorneys suggested that Mr Trump is immune from local authorities pursuing a criminal indictment while he's in office, even if he had shot someone, echoing Mr Trump's campaign trail claim that he could "stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and wouldn't lose any voters."

Mr Trump's attorney William Consovoy said Mr Trump would have to be impeached first before he faces those charges.

Here's my story on Donald Trump attempting to take back his seemingly very serious statement that he was building a border wall in the landlocked state of Colorado:

New reporting indicates the White House decision to cancel its subscriptions to the New York Times and Washington Post has now shaped into calls for federal agencies to cancel their subscriptions as well: 

Senators Lindsey Graham and Mitch McConnell are scheduled to announce a resolution this afternoon condemning the impeachment investigation, which Mr Graham has called a "sham", a day after Republicans stormed into a hearing.

Mr Graham walked back his comment calling the yesterday's stunt "nuts" and tweeted that it was a "peaceful protest".

"I understand their frustration and they have good reason to be upset", he said.