Republicans, who now hold the majority in the House after the midterm elections in November, removed Democrat Ilhan Omar from the US House Foreign Affairs Committee over her anti-Semitic comments.&nbsp;

This came in a Thursday vote on the resolution to remove her from the committee seat over her controversial remarks about Israel. Republicans had been vying to make a move against Omar since 2021. The House voted on the resolution to remove Omar with 218 to 211.&nbsp;

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/brazilian-navy-to-sink-ghost-aircraft-carrier-why-is-it-controversial-558389">Brazilian Navy to sink 'ghost' aircraft carrier. Why is it controversial?</a>

Her tweets and comments in 2019 were critical of pro-Israel politicians and she also drew comparisons between US and Israel to Hamas and the Taliban. Omar at the time apologised for her remarks where she said that Jewish money was behind Washington's support of Israel. Her comments sparked a widespread condemnation and allegations that she is anti-semitic.&nbsp;

Ahead of the vote to oust her from the Foreign Affairs Committee, Omar said, "I will continue to speak for the families who are seeking justice around the world— whether they are displaced in refugee camps or hiding under their bed somewhere like I was. I didn’t come to Congress to be silent. I came to Congress to be their voice."

The newly-elected House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said,&nbsp;"I'm not saying she can't have committees." "But to sit on Foreign Affairs, I worry about … what the rest of the world looks at, every single word that is said there. I'm worried about predetermining what she believes in that situation. She admitted herself, she didn't even know referring to financial money, dollars, was a trope for those who happen to be Jewish," McCarthy added.&nbsp;

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/eu-parliament-lifts-waives-immunity-from-prosecution-of-two-lawmakers-in-graft-probe-558350">EU Parliament waives immunity from prosecution of two lawmakers in bribery scam probe</a>

Omar, who represents parts of Minnesota, arrived in the United States in the 1990s as a Somali refugee. In 2018, she became one of the first Muslim women elected to the US Congress.

Watch |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/will-operation-miracle-save-the-oceans-rarest-marine-mammal-wion-climate-tracker-558397">Will 'Operation Miracle' save the ocean's rarest marine mammal? | WION Climate Tracker</a>

Last year, US Congressman Ilhan Omar also faced strong rebuke for her visit to Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, a region for which New Delhi has held a long-standing position that it is an integral part of India.&nbsp;

In a hard-hitting statement on Omar's visit to the region, Ministry of External Affairs Arindam Bagchi said, “We have noted that US Representative Ilhan Omar has visited a part of the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir that is currently illegally occupied by Pakistan. If such a politician wishes to practice her narrow-minded politics at home, that may be her business. But violating our territorial integrity and sovereignty in its pursuit makes it ours. This visit is condemnable.”

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Republicans, who now hold the majority in the House after the midterm elections in November, removed Democrat Ilhan Omar from the US House Foreign Affairs Committee over her anti-Semitic comments.

Republicans, who now hold the majority in the House after the midterm elections in November, removed Democrat Ilhan Omar from the US House Foreign Affairs Committee over her anti-Semitic comments. This came in a Thursday vote on the resolution to remove her from the committee seat over her controversial remarks about Israel. Republicans had been vying to make a move against Omar since 2021. The House voted on the resolution to remove Omar with 218 to 211. Also Read | Brazilian Navy to sink 'ghost' aircraft carrier. Why is it controversial? Her tweets and comments in 2019 were critical of pro-Israel politicians and she also drew comparisons between US and Israel to Hamas and the Taliban. Omar at the time apologised for her remarks where she said that Jewish money was behind Washington's support of Israel. Her comments sparked a widespread condemnation and allegations that she is anti-semitic. Ahead of the vote to oust her from the Foreign Affairs Committee, Omar said, "I will continue to speak for the families who are seeking justice around the world— whether they are displaced in refugee camps or hiding under their bed somewhere like I was. I didn’t come to Congress to be silent. I came to Congress to be their voice." The newly-elected House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said, "I'm not saying she can't have committees." "But to sit on Foreign Affairs, I worry about … what the rest of the world looks at, every single word that is said there. I'm worried about predetermining what she believes in that situation. She admitted herself, she didn't even know referring to financial money, dollars, was a trope for those who happen to be Jewish," McCarthy added. Also Read | EU Parliament waives immunity from prosecution of two lawmakers in bribery scam probe Omar, who represents parts of Minnesota, arrived in the United States in the 1990s as a Somali refugee. In 2018, she became one of the first Muslim women elected to the US Congress. Watch | Will 'Operation Miracle' save the ocean's rarest marine mammal? | WION Climate Tracker Last year, US Congressman Ilhan Omar also faced strong rebuke for her visit to Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, a region for which New Delhi has held a long-standing position that it is an integral part of India. In a hard-hitting statement on Omar's visit to the region, Ministry of External Affairs Arindam Bagchi said, “We have noted that US Representative Ilhan Omar has visited a part of the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir that is currently illegally occupied by Pakistan. If such a politician wishes to practice her narrow-minded politics at home, that may be her business. But violating our territorial integrity and sovereignty in its pursuit makes it ours. This visit is condemnable.” WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Democrat Ilhan Omar ousted from House Foreign Affairs Committee for her anti-Semitic comments

US Representative Katie Porter has announced run for the 2024 US Senate elections from California. The seat is currently being held by Senator Dianne Feinstein, a fellow Democrat. Though Feinstein has not said anything about whether she will complete her senator's complete term of office, which is of six years, or not, Porter made the announcement on her social media accounts about her future plans. Despite being 89 years old, Fienstein has waived off any questions over her ability to serve in the office. Meanwhile, Porter who is 49-years-old, in her announcement, said Californians deserve a warrior who can fight for them in Washington.&nbsp;

<h2>Opposed earmarks,&nbsp;corporate campaign funding&nbsp;</h2>

Porter is a single mom of three. She is mostly known for using whiteboards in the US House of Representatives. In her announcement, she said that she is running for the US Senate because Californians deserve a warrior fighting for them in Washington. She also added that in the House, she has stoop up to leaders of both parties. Porter said that she has worked not only in her capacity as a Democrat to oppose earmarks, funds provided by the Congress for projects or programs, but also as one of just a dozen Members of Congress to reject lobbyist and corporate political action committee (which was created for campaign finances in US) money.&nbsp;

Katie Porter said that there should be greater safeguards in place to thwart corruption emanating from earmarking, including disclosing any connections an earmark could have to a member of the legislator's family. Porter was chosen to serve in Congress for the first time in 2018. She represents a sizable portion of Orange County. Porter barely won re-election in November after last year's redistricting by around three percentage points.

<h2>Feinstein over Porter throwing her hat in the ring&nbsp;</h2>

Senator Dianne Feinstein said that everyone is welcome to throw their hat in the ring. She also commented that she will make an announcement concerning her plans for 2024 at the appropriate time. In a statement, Feinstein said Tuesday that right now she is focused on ensuring California has all the resources it needs to cope with the devastating storms slamming the state and leaving more than a dozen dead.

<h2>Who all are in the race?&nbsp;</h2>

Several Democratic candidates from California are reportedly considering running for the Senate, including US Representatives Ro Khanna and Adam B. Schiff, who has stated he would seriously explore a run if Feinstein decided to retire.

US Representative Katie Porter has announced run for the 2024 US Senate elections from California. The seat is currently being held by Senator Dianne Feinstein, a fellow Democrat.

US Representative Katie Porter has announced run for the 2024 US Senate elections from California. The seat is currently being held by Senator Dianne Feinstein, a fellow Democrat. Though Feinstein has not said anything about whether she will complete her senator's complete term of office, which is of six years, or not, Porter made the announcement on her social media accounts about her future plans. Despite being 89 years old, Fienstein has waived off any questions over her ability to serve in the office. Meanwhile, Porter who is 49-years-old, in her announcement, said Californians deserve a warrior who can fight for them in Washington. Opposed earmarks, corporate campaign funding Porter is a single mom of three. She is mostly known for using whiteboards in the US House of Representatives. In her announcement, she said that she is running for the US Senate because Californians deserve a warrior fighting for them in Washington. She also added that in the House, she has stoop up to leaders of both parties. Porter said that she has worked not only in her capacity as a Democrat to oppose earmarks, funds provided by the Congress for projects or programs, but also as one of just a dozen Members of Congress to reject lobbyist and corporate political action committee (which was created for campaign finances in US) money. Katie Porter said that there should be greater safeguards in place to thwart corruption emanating from earmarking, including disclosing any connections an earmark could have to a member of the legislator's family. Porter was chosen to serve in Congress for the first time in 2018. She represents a sizable portion of Orange County. Porter barely won re-election in November after last year's redistricting by around three percentage points. Feinstein over Porter throwing her hat in the ring Senator Dianne Feinstein said that everyone is welcome to throw their hat in the ring. She also commented that she will make an announcement concerning her plans for 2024 at the appropriate time. In a statement, Feinstein said Tuesday that right now she is focused on ensuring California has all the resources it needs to cope with the devastating storms slamming the state and leaving more than a dozen dead. Who all are in the race? Several Democratic candidates from California are reportedly considering running for the Senate, including US Representatives Ro Khanna and Adam B. Schiff, who has stated he would seriously explore a run if Feinstein decided to retire.

Who is Katie Porter, the Democrat who announced run for US Senate from California?

This is the first significant announcement leading up to the 2024 Senate elections, which caught the Democrats off guard. This was followed by a frantic search for a new candidate to fill the vacant Michigan Senate seat. In a statement, Michigan Democrat Debbie Stabenow said that she has been inspired by a new generation of leaders to pass the torch in the US Senate. However, she also added that she will complete her six-year term which will end on 3 January 3, 2025.

<h2>Who is Debbie Stabenow?&nbsp;</h2>

Stabenow, 72, was the first woman from Michigan who was elected to the US Senate. She pointed to history and remarked that she had always thought that being the first was insufficient; there needed to be a "second" and a "third."&nbsp;Stabenow began her tenure in the Senate in 2001. She earlier also served in the House in 1997. She had held positions in the state House and Senate before being elected to Congress. She now chairs the Senate Democratic Policy Committee and the Agriculture Committee, among other leadership positions in the Democratic Party. Since Senator Gary Peters and D-Mich entered Congress in 2015, they have worked together. The tenure of 21 Senate Democrats will end in 2025.&nbsp;

<h2>What is on the plate after retirement?&nbsp;</h2>

After her retirement from US Congress, Stabenow looks forward to spending time with her mom and family. However, Debbie will continue to serve the state outside of the elected office. Stabenow said when her term ends, she intends to begin a new chapter in her life that includes continuing to serve her state outside of the elected office while spending precious time with her amazing 96-year-old mom and her wonderful family.

<h2>Who is in Michigan Senate race?&nbsp;</h2>

In November, Democrats were re-elected to a number of statewide positions, including governor Gretchen Whitmer. Others whose names will be on the list include the lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, and state senator Mallory McMorrow. McMorrow received national attention last year after going viral with her criticism of anti-LGBTQ sentiments. Democratic US. Representatives Haley Stevens and Elissa Slotkin may possibly be interested in promotions. A source quoted by a media outlet said Rep. Debbie Dingell will not run for the seat during the 2024 Senate elections. Meanwhile, on the Republican side, John James is seen as a prospect. It will be difficult for Democrats to maintain their majority in the upcoming election.

This is the first significant announcement leading up to the 2024 Senate elections, which caught the Democrats off guard. This was followed by a frantic search for a new candidate to fill the vacant Michigan Senate seat.

This is the first significant announcement leading up to the 2024 Senate elections, which caught the Democrats off guard. This was followed by a frantic search for a new candidate to fill the vacant Michigan Senate seat. In a statement, Michigan Democrat Debbie Stabenow said that she has been inspired by a new generation of leaders to pass the torch in the US Senate. However, she also added that she will complete her six-year term which will end on 3 January 3, 2025. Who is Debbie Stabenow? Stabenow, 72, was the first woman from Michigan who was elected to the US Senate. She pointed to history and remarked that she had always thought that being the first was insufficient; there needed to be a "second" and a "third." Stabenow began her tenure in the Senate in 2001. She earlier also served in the House in 1997. She had held positions in the state House and Senate before being elected to Congress. She now chairs the Senate Democratic Policy Committee and the Agriculture Committee, among other leadership positions in the Democratic Party. Since Senator Gary Peters and D-Mich entered Congress in 2015, they have worked together. The tenure of 21 Senate Democrats will end in 2025. What is on the plate after retirement? After her retirement from US Congress, Stabenow looks forward to spending time with her mom and family. However, Debbie will continue to serve the state outside of the elected office. Stabenow said when her term ends, she intends to begin a new chapter in her life that includes continuing to serve her state outside of the elected office while spending precious time with her amazing 96-year-old mom and her wonderful family. Who is in Michigan Senate race? In November, Democrats were re-elected to a number of statewide positions, including governor Gretchen Whitmer. Others whose names will be on the list include the lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, and state senator Mallory McMorrow. McMorrow received national attention last year after going viral with her criticism of anti-LGBTQ sentiments. Democratic US. Representatives Haley Stevens and Elissa Slotkin may possibly be interested in promotions. A source quoted by a media outlet said Rep. Debbie Dingell will not run for the seat during the 2024 Senate elections. Meanwhile, on the Republican side, John James is seen as a prospect. It will be difficult for Democrats to maintain their majority in the upcoming election.

Who is Debbie Stabenow, Michigan Democrat who decided to not re-run for 2024 Senate elections?

The result of the Massachusetts state house of representatives election was flipped by one vote from Republican to Democrat in a recount.

Earlier this week, Democrat Kristin Kassner defeated her Republican opponent Lenny Mirra after votes were recounted, which shrunk the narrow vote deficit of the candidate to one.

All the candidates were aiming to clinch a seat in the North Shore area, which lies between New Hampshire and Boston. Before the recount took place, Mirra was leading Kassner by 10 votes out of 23,000 votes which were cast during the midterm election on November 8.&nbsp;

The deficit of 10 votes was within the legal outlines of conducting a recount. On November 30, hand recounts were ordered by Massachusetts secretary of state Bill Galvin in a general area where there was a slim advantage of Mirra.&nbsp;

ALSO READ|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/high-level-us-delegation-to-visit-china-next-week-541943">High-level US delegation to visit China next week to prepare ground for Blinken’s trip</a>

After the votes in question were recounted by officials on Thursday, the election results came out as 11,763 to 11,762 with Kassner leading with the slightest of margins.

Responding to the recount, Mirra said that the result will be challenged by him, as reported by the Boston Globe.

“Some (ballots) were filled out in pencil, some were filled out with different coloured ink, some had stray marks. Some had a name written in the write-in and then an oval filled out,” Mirra was quoted as saying by the outlet.&nbsp; 
However, Kassner said that he believes that the voting process did not involve any foul play, adding that “I feel the process unfolded like it should. We’ll see what comes when it comes,” reported the Boston Globe.

WATCH|&nbsp;

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“We are not suspicious of anything that ever happened. (The recount) was just really just to ensure that, between humans and machines, we really caught every vote that was counted,” said Kassner.

“We thank the tremendous outpouring of people that really got involved and mobilised to go through this process this weekend. It’s really a true test of democracy,” he added.&nbsp;

The new results will be sent to the gubernatorial council and governor Charlie Baker for review.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

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The result of the Massachusetts state house of representatives election was flipped by one vote from Republican to Democrat in a recount. Earlier this week, Democrat Kristin Kassner defeated her Republican opponent Lenny Mirra after votes were recounted, which shrunk the narrow vote deficit of the candidate to one.

The result of the Massachusetts state house of representatives election was flipped by one vote from Republican to Democrat in a recount. Earlier this week, Democrat Kristin Kassner defeated her Republican opponent Lenny Mirra after votes were recounted, which shrunk the narrow vote deficit of the candidate to one. All the candidates were aiming to clinch a seat in the North Shore area, which lies between New Hampshire and Boston. Before the recount took place, Mirra was leading Kassner by 10 votes out of 23,000 votes which were cast during the midterm election on November 8. The deficit of 10 votes was within the legal outlines of conducting a recount. On November 30, hand recounts were ordered by Massachusetts secretary of state Bill Galvin in a general area where there was a slim advantage of Mirra. ALSO READ| High-level US delegation to visit China next week to prepare ground for Blinken’s trip After the votes in question were recounted by officials on Thursday, the election results came out as 11,763 to 11,762 with Kassner leading with the slightest of margins. Responding to the recount, Mirra said that the result will be challenged by him, as reported by the Boston Globe. “Some (ballots) were filled out in pencil, some were filled out with different coloured ink, some had stray marks. Some had a name written in the write-in and then an oval filled out,” Mirra was quoted as saying by the outlet. However, Kassner said that he believes that the voting process did not involve any foul play, adding that “I feel the process unfolded like it should. We’ll see what comes when it comes,” reported the Boston Globe. WATCH| “We are not suspicious of anything that ever happened. (The recount) was just really just to ensure that, between humans and machines, we really caught every vote that was counted,” said Kassner. “We thank the tremendous outpouring of people that really got involved and mobilised to go through this process this weekend. It’s really a true test of democracy,” he added. The new results will be sent to the gubernatorial council and governor Charlie Baker for review. (With inputs from agencies)

Democrat wins by one vote in Massachusetts state house election recount

Former Republican US vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin failed in her bid to make a political comeback, losing the House of Representatives seat in Alaska to Democrat Mary Peltola, for a second time.

Peltola, who had earlier defeated Palin in a special election in August-- necessitated by the death of sitting Representative Dan Young-- secured her full term in Congress.

She is the first Native Alaskan in the House of Representatives.&nbsp;

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WE DID IT!!! <a href="https://t.co/4fmBst6zGA">pic.twitter.com/4fmBst6zGA</a>
— Mary Peltola (@MaryPeltola) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryPeltola/status/1595589374636441602?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2022</a></blockquote>
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It’s a good day to be pro-Alaska😎 <a href="https://t.co/j2S7c1ZK01">pic.twitter.com/j2S7c1ZK01</a>
— Mary Peltola (@MaryPeltola) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryPeltola/status/1595605474023731200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The 49-year-old Democrat had defeated Palin, the former governor of the state, and Nick Begich III in the August election too.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/alaskas-house-special-election-democrat-mary-peltola-defeats-republican-sarah-palin-511946">Also read |&nbsp;Alaska’s House special election: Democrat Mary Peltola defeats Republican Sarah Palin</a>

Peltola secured 136,893 votes or 54.9 per cent of the votes, while Palin secured 112,255 or&nbsp;45.1 per cent.&nbsp;Begich on the other hand was ousted in the second round after securing 64,392 votes, the New York Times reported.

Palin had quit politics in 2009 after an unsuccessful vice presidential bid 2009. However, the former mayor of Alaska's Wasilla announced her return in a statement released in August

"Public service is a calling, and I would be honoured to represent the men and women of Alaska in Congress, just as Rep. Young did for 49 years," she had said at the time.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/republicans-mount-pressure-on-tiktok-ahead-of-taking-over-the-house-536687">Also read |&nbsp;Republicans target TikTok for sharing users’ data with China, likely to unleash probe</a>

&nbsp;

With her victory in August, Peltola was able to serve the remaining term of Young who was the state governor since 1973.

Petola's win this year made her the first Democrat ever to win the position in 50 years and also the first woman and first Native Alaskan ever elected to the position.

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Chants of “Mary Mary Mary Mary” <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryPeltola?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MaryPeltola</a> <a href="https://t.co/GRNWMTvkP6">pic.twitter.com/GRNWMTvkP6</a>
— Rebecca Palsha (@RebeccaPalsha) <a href="https://twitter.com/RebeccaPalsha/status/1595586843894239232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2022</a></blockquote>
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(With inputs from agencies)

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&nbsp;

Former Republican US vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin failed in her bid to make a political comeback, losing the House of Representatives seat in Alaska to Democrat Mary Peltola, for a second time.

Former Republican US vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin failed in her bid to make a political comeback, losing the House of Representatives seat in Alaska to Democrat Mary Peltola, for a second time. Peltola, who had earlier defeated Palin in a special election in August-- necessitated by the death of sitting Representative Dan Young-- secured her full term in Congress. She is the first Native Alaskan in the House of Representatives. WE DID IT!!! pic.twitter.com/4fmBst6zGA — Mary Peltola (@MaryPeltola) November 24, 2022 × It’s a good day to be pro-Alaska😎 pic.twitter.com/j2S7c1ZK01 — Mary Peltola (@MaryPeltola) November 24, 2022 × The 49-year-old Democrat had defeated Palin, the former governor of the state, and Nick Begich III in the August election too. Also read | Alaska’s House special election: Democrat Mary Peltola defeats Republican Sarah Palin Peltola secured 136,893 votes or 54.9 per cent of the votes, while Palin secured 112,255 or 45.1 per cent. Begich on the other hand was ousted in the second round after securing 64,392 votes, the New York Times reported. Palin had quit politics in 2009 after an unsuccessful vice presidential bid 2009. However, the former mayor of Alaska's Wasilla announced her return in a statement released in August "Public service is a calling, and I would be honoured to represent the men and women of Alaska in Congress, just as Rep. Young did for 49 years," she had said at the time. Also read | Republicans target TikTok for sharing users’ data with China, likely to unleash probe With her victory in August, Peltola was able to serve the remaining term of Young who was the state governor since 1973. Petola's win this year made her the first Democrat ever to win the position in 50 years and also the first woman and first Native Alaskan ever elected to the position. Chants of “Mary Mary Mary Mary” @MaryPeltola pic.twitter.com/GRNWMTvkP6 — Rebecca Palsha (@RebeccaPalsha) November 24, 2022 × (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Sarah Palin defeated by Mary Peltola, the first Native Alaskan in US House of Representatives

US House speaker Nancy Pelosi, a trailblazer and one of the longest-serving politicians in the US has decided to step down from the House leadership role. Pelosi, who has served two terms as the speaker said that she will remain in the Congress but will not seek any leadership role.

US: Nancy Pelosi announces she will not run for leadership role

In Pics | US midterms 2022: Leaders react as results start to come in

Hours after appealing American voters to vote 'Republican Congress' in midterm elections due today (Tuesday), Twitter boss Elon Musk has released a clarification.&nbsp;

"To be clear, my historical party affiliation has been Independent, with an actual voting history of entirely Democrat until this year," tweeted Musk before adding, "And I’m open to the idea of voting Democrat again in the future."

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To be clear, my historical party affiliation has been Independent, with an actual voting history of entirely Democrat until this year
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1589722050998210561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Musk was attempting to counterbalance after his earlier statement about preferring Republicans in the polls created a furore.

As reported by WION, the tweet by the billionaire, addressed to 'independent-minded voters' fell just short of an explicit endorsement&nbsp;to the Republican Party.&nbsp;

"To independent-minded voters: Shared power curbs the worst excesses of both parties, therefore I recommend voting for a Republican Congress, given that the Presidency is Democratic," said Musk in his tweet.

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To independent-minded voters: 
 
Shared power curbs the worst excesses of both parties, therefore I recommend voting for a Republican Congress, given that the Presidency is Democratic.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1589639376186724354?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/twitter-boss-elon-musk-asks-us-voters-to-vote-for-republican-congress-531962">Read more:&nbsp;US midterms: Twitter boss Elon Musk asks Americans to vote for 'Republican Congress'</a>

Musk shortly followed up the tweet above with another one attempting to explain his logic and stressing that he was speaking to 'independent voters'.

"Hardcore Democrats or Republicans never vote for the other side, so independent voters are the ones who actually decide who’s in charge!" he said in the follow-up tweet.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-midterm-elections-the-final-countdown-begins-532064">WATCH |&nbsp;US Midterm Elections: The final countdown begins</a>

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The US midterm election is crucial for both parties. With the opinion polls suggesting that Republicans hold the edge over Democrats in both Senate and House, an explicit endorsement from Musk can further change the tide.&nbsp;

The liberal faction of Twitter, which has been up in arms ever since Musk took over Twitter has been accusing the billionaire of turning the microblogging platform into his propaganda machine.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) 
 
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Hours after appealing American voters to vote 'Republican Congress' in midterm elections due today (Tuesday), Twitter boss Elon Musk has released a clarification.

Hours after appealing American voters to vote 'Republican Congress' in midterm elections due today (Tuesday), Twitter boss Elon Musk has released a clarification. "To be clear, my historical party affiliation has been Independent, with an actual voting history of entirely Democrat until this year," tweeted Musk before adding, "And I’m open to the idea of voting Democrat again in the future." To be clear, my historical party affiliation has been Independent, with an actual voting history of entirely Democrat until this year — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 7, 2022 × Musk was attempting to counterbalance after his earlier statement about preferring Republicans in the polls created a furore. As reported by WION, the tweet by the billionaire, addressed to 'independent-minded voters' fell just short of an explicit endorsement to the Republican Party. "To independent-minded voters: Shared power curbs the worst excesses of both parties, therefore I recommend voting for a Republican Congress, given that the Presidency is Democratic," said Musk in his tweet. To independent-minded voters: Shared power curbs the worst excesses of both parties, therefore I recommend voting for a Republican Congress, given that the Presidency is Democratic. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 7, 2022 × Read more: US midterms: Twitter boss Elon Musk asks Americans to vote for 'Republican Congress' Musk shortly followed up the tweet above with another one attempting to explain his logic and stressing that he was speaking to 'independent voters'. "Hardcore Democrats or Republicans never vote for the other side, so independent voters are the ones who actually decide who’s in charge!" he said in the follow-up tweet. WATCH | US Midterm Elections: The final countdown begins × The US midterm election is crucial for both parties. With the opinion polls suggesting that Republicans hold the edge over Democrats in both Senate and House, an explicit endorsement from Musk can further change the tide. The liberal faction of Twitter, which has been up in arms ever since Musk took over Twitter has been accusing the billionaire of turning the microblogging platform into his propaganda machine. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Hours after appealing to vote 'Republican' in midterm, Elon Musk releases a clarification

US President Joe Biden on Friday said his government was going to shut down all coal plants across America. Reportedly, Biden gave the rather bold call in his speech at an event in California&nbsp;while addressing a gathering.&nbsp;President Biden said that coal plants are too expensive to operate, and hence "we're going to be shutting these plants down all across America" in order to shift to wind power.

"I was in Massachusetts about a month ago on the site of the largest old coal plant in America. Guess what? It cost them too much money. They can't count. No one is building new coal plants because they can’t rely on it. Even if they have all the coal guaranteed for the rest of the existence of the plant," said Biden.&nbsp;

The Democrat leader added that his government was going to focus on wind and solar energy which will be using the same infrastructure set up as the one used for the coal-fired electricity&nbsp;transmission.&nbsp;

"So it's going to become a wind generation. And all they're doing is it’s going to save them a hell of a lot of money and using the same transmission line that they transmitted the coal-fired electric on, we're going to be shutting these plants down all across America and having wind and solar power."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-midterm-elections-us-president-joe-biden-takes-defensive-stance-in-campaigns-closing-days-531076">WATCH |&nbsp;US Midterm elections: US President Joe Biden takes defensive stance in campaign's closing days</a>

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Biden further said that his government will provide all the necessary help to families to weather the change in technology.&nbsp;

"Also providing tax credits to help families buy energy efficient appliances, whether it's your refrigerator or your coffee maker, for solar panels on your home, weatherise your home, things that save an average, experts say, a minimum of $500 a year for the average family."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/joe-biden-says-his-wife-wants-him-to-run-for-president-again-527575">Read more:&nbsp;Joe Biden intends to run for president again, says wife Jill doesn’t want him to 'walk away'</a>

Notably, this is not the first time that Biden has come down on the coal industry. In the lead-up to the US Presidential race, Biden had said that coal miners should learn to code.&nbsp;

“Anybody who can go down 300 to 3,000 feet in a mine can sure as hell learn to program as well…Give me a break! Anybody who can throw coal into a furnace can learn how to program, for god’s sake!”

With the midterm elections just three days away, the Republicans may attempt to drum up Biden's statement. The Republican National Committee has already remarked that Biden is celebrating coal workers losing their jobs. The hits are only&nbsp;likely to increase in the coming days.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ahead-of-us-midterms-biden-makes-another-gaffe-says-there-are-54-states-529576">Read more: Ahead of midterms, Biden makes another gaffe, says there are ‘54 states’ in the US</a>

(With inputs from agencies) 
 
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US President Joe Biden on Friday said his government was going to shut down all coal plants across America. Reportedly, Biden gave the rather bold call in his speech at an event in California while addressing a gathering.

US President Joe Biden on Friday said his government was going to shut down all coal plants across America. Reportedly, Biden gave the rather bold call in his speech at an event in California while addressing a gathering. President Biden said that coal plants are too expensive to operate, and hence "we're going to be shutting these plants down all across America" in order to shift to wind power. "I was in Massachusetts about a month ago on the site of the largest old coal plant in America. Guess what? It cost them too much money. They can't count. No one is building new coal plants because they can’t rely on it. Even if they have all the coal guaranteed for the rest of the existence of the plant," said Biden. The Democrat leader added that his government was going to focus on wind and solar energy which will be using the same infrastructure set up as the one used for the coal-fired electricity transmission. "So it's going to become a wind generation. And all they're doing is it’s going to save them a hell of a lot of money and using the same transmission line that they transmitted the coal-fired electric on, we're going to be shutting these plants down all across America and having wind and solar power." WATCH | US Midterm elections: US President Joe Biden takes defensive stance in campaign's closing days × Biden further said that his government will provide all the necessary help to families to weather the change in technology. "Also providing tax credits to help families buy energy efficient appliances, whether it's your refrigerator or your coffee maker, for solar panels on your home, weatherise your home, things that save an average, experts say, a minimum of $500 a year for the average family." Read more: Joe Biden intends to run for president again, says wife Jill doesn’t want him to 'walk away' Notably, this is not the first time that Biden has come down on the coal industry. In the lead-up to the US Presidential race, Biden had said that coal miners should learn to code. “Anybody who can go down 300 to 3,000 feet in a mine can sure as hell learn to program as well…Give me a break! Anybody who can throw coal into a furnace can learn how to program, for god’s sake!” With the midterm elections just three days away, the Republicans may attempt to drum up Biden's statement. The Republican National Committee has already remarked that Biden is celebrating coal workers losing their jobs. The hits are only likely to increase in the coming days. Read more: Ahead of midterms, Biden makes another gaffe, says there are ‘54 states’ in the US (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

'We're going to shut all coal plants in America, replace with wind and solar power,' says Biden

Republican governor candidate for New York Lee Zeldin said two strangers were shot outside his home on Sunday. Reportedly, the shooting took place around 2:18 PM local time when Zeldin's&nbsp;two 16-year-old daughters were inside the home.

Zeldin took to Twitter to inform that the bullets had landed just 30 feet from his daughters while he, along with his wife, was in a car en route to Morris Park.&nbsp;

"Thank you to all who reached out with your concern regarding the 2 people shot this afternoon outside my home. Mikayla and Arianna were at the kitchen table doing homework. One of the bullets landed just 30 feet from them. They acted very swiftly and smartly in response," tweeted Zeldin.

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Thank you to all who reached out with your concern regarding the 2 people shot this afternoon outside my home. Mikayla and Arianna were at the kitchen table doing homework. One of the bullets landed just 30 feet from them. They acted very swiftly and smartly in response. <a href="https://t.co/PMw3u5ic17">pic.twitter.com/PMw3u5ic17</a>
— Lee Zeldin (@leezeldin) <a href="https://twitter.com/leezeldin/status/1579236446501998592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2022</a></blockquote>
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In a statement released by Zeldin's office, the GOP-endorsed candidate said his teenage daughters shouted after hearing the gunshots and instantly locked themselves in the bathroom. They later called 911.&nbsp;

"My daughters are shaken, but ok. Like so many New Yorkers, crime has literally made its way to our front door. My family is grateful to all who have reached out and we will provide another update when we can," read the statement.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-gun-violence-shooting-at-california-school-campus-leaves-six-injured-520747">WATCH |&nbsp;US gun violence: Shooting at California school campus leaves six injured</a>

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Zeldin added that the two strangers shot were found under the porch in front of his home and that his family was working with the investigators to get to the end of the issue. However, Zeldin did not know the identity of the two shot individuals.&nbsp;

"Law enforcement is currently at our house. My entire family is at home working with the investigators and providing the security footage from our home cameras."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-gun-terror-since-2009-274-shootings-1536-killed-says-us-group-481963">Read more:&nbsp;US gun terror: 'Since 2009… 274 shootings, 1,536 killed,' says US group</a>

The Suffolk County Police Department investigating the matter said they did not have information to release about who fired the shots or who first found the two people shot.&nbsp;

This is not the first time that Zeldin has come perilously close to harm's way. Earlier this year in July, during a campaign stop in Perinton, the Republican leader was attacked by an individual with what allegedly was a sharp object.&nbsp;

Notably,&nbsp;Zeldin has made the 'rising crime rate' in the city a poll plank for his campaign. He is up against&nbsp;Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and has called for a hardened stance on the bail laws among other measures.

(With inputs from agencies) 
 
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Republican governor candidate for New York Lee Zeldin said two strangers were shot outside his home on Sunday. Reportedly, the shooting took place around 2:18 PM local time when Zeldin's two 16-year-old daughters were inside the home.

Republican governor candidate for New York Lee Zeldin said two strangers were shot outside his home on Sunday. Reportedly, the shooting took place around 2:18 PM local time when Zeldin's two 16-year-old daughters were inside the home. Zeldin took to Twitter to inform that the bullets had landed just 30 feet from his daughters while he, along with his wife, was in a car en route to Morris Park. "Thank you to all who reached out with your concern regarding the 2 people shot this afternoon outside my home. Mikayla and Arianna were at the kitchen table doing homework. One of the bullets landed just 30 feet from them. They acted very swiftly and smartly in response," tweeted Zeldin. Thank you to all who reached out with your concern regarding the 2 people shot this afternoon outside my home. Mikayla and Arianna were at the kitchen table doing homework. One of the bullets landed just 30 feet from them. They acted very swiftly and smartly in response. pic.twitter.com/PMw3u5ic17 — Lee Zeldin (@leezeldin) October 9, 2022 × In a statement released by Zeldin's office, the GOP-endorsed candidate said his teenage daughters shouted after hearing the gunshots and instantly locked themselves in the bathroom. They later called 911. "My daughters are shaken, but ok. Like so many New Yorkers, crime has literally made its way to our front door. My family is grateful to all who have reached out and we will provide another update when we can," read the statement. WATCH | US gun violence: Shooting at California school campus leaves six injured × Zeldin added that the two strangers shot were found under the porch in front of his home and that his family was working with the investigators to get to the end of the issue. However, Zeldin did not know the identity of the two shot individuals. "Law enforcement is currently at our house. My entire family is at home working with the investigators and providing the security footage from our home cameras." Read more: US gun terror: 'Since 2009… 274 shootings, 1,536 killed,' says US group The Suffolk County Police Department investigating the matter said they did not have information to release about who fired the shots or who first found the two people shot. This is not the first time that Zeldin has come perilously close to harm's way. Earlier this year in July, during a campaign stop in Perinton, the Republican leader was attacked by an individual with what allegedly was a sharp object. Notably, Zeldin has made the 'rising crime rate' in the city a poll plank for his campaign. He is up against Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and has called for a hardened stance on the bail laws among other measures. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Two unidentified men shot outside Republican leader's home with teenage daughters inside

US President Joe Biden has reportedly filed for&nbsp;re-election&nbsp;with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on Tuesday, according to data available on the Commission's website.&nbsp;

The entry on website reveals that Biden started the filing process with FEC on Friday (August 26). This is perhaps the strongest indication that the democrat leader has given in recent times of running for a second, consecutive term.

<img alt="Joe Biden's filing" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a3743596-3099-4600-a288-b11f9da023d6" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Screenshot%202022-08-30%20214332.png" />

Biden's filing for re-election comes in the backdrop of several democrat leaders vocing concerns about the President's low approval ratings.

As reported extensively by WION, in July, Biden's approval ratings fared lower than what his infamous predecessor, Donald Trump, ever managed to achieve during his four tumultuous years in the office.

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-president-joe-bidens-approval-ratings-take-a-tumble-dips-below-donald-trumps-498797">US President Joe Biden's approval ratings take a tumble, dip below Donald Trump's</a>

According to CNN,&nbsp;&nbsp;Biden's approval rating stood at 38 per cent while 62 per cent disapproved of his presidentship. On the economic front, Biden has an approval rating of only 30 per cent.

Moreover,&nbsp;the President's approval rating for the handling of the economy dwindled from 71 per cent, earlier this year to 62 per cent amongst the Democrats in the recent survey.&nbsp;

However, since then, Biden has brought the highly ambitious Inflation reduction Act as well as a student loan forgiveness scheme. He has also flexed muscles on the foreign front by announcing the assassination of&nbsp;al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri.&nbsp;

Read more:<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/biden-signs-the-inflation-reduction-act-a-toned-down-version-of-his-build-back-better-plan-507583">&nbsp;Biden signs the Inflation Reduction Act, a toned down version of his Build Back Better plan</a>

Moreover, by filing for re-election, Biden may be attempting to send a message to voters ahead of the crucial November midterm elections.&nbsp;

(This is a developing story. More updates to follow) 
 
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&nbsp;

US President Joe Biden has reportedly filed for re-election with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on Tuesday, according to data available on the Commission's website.

US President Joe Biden has reportedly filed for re-election with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on Tuesday, according to data available on the Commission's website. The entry on website reveals that Biden started the filing process with FEC on Friday (August 26). This is perhaps the strongest indication that the democrat leader has given in recent times of running for a second, consecutive term. Biden's filing for re-election comes in the backdrop of several democrat leaders vocing concerns about the President's low approval ratings. As reported extensively by WION, in July, Biden's approval ratings fared lower than what his infamous predecessor, Donald Trump, ever managed to achieve during his four tumultuous years in the office. Read more: US President Joe Biden's approval ratings take a tumble, dip below Donald Trump's According to CNN, Biden's approval rating stood at 38 per cent while 62 per cent disapproved of his presidentship. On the economic front, Biden has an approval rating of only 30 per cent. Moreover, the President's approval rating for the handling of the economy dwindled from 71 per cent, earlier this year to 62 per cent amongst the Democrats in the recent survey. However, since then, Biden has brought the highly ambitious Inflation reduction Act as well as a student loan forgiveness scheme. He has also flexed muscles on the foreign front by announcing the assassination of al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri. Read more: Biden signs the Inflation Reduction Act, a toned down version of his Build Back Better plan Moreover, by filing for re-election, Biden may be attempting to send a message to voters ahead of the crucial November midterm elections. (This is a developing story. More updates to follow) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

US President Joe Biden officially files to run for president re-election

Senate Democrats on Tuesday will propose a pared-down voting rights bill that has the backing of both progressives and centrists in an effort to present a united front against deep Republican resistance to new legislation setting nationwide election standards.

<article>
The measure is the result of weeks of intraparty negotiations overseen by Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY, the majority leader, and was built on principles put forward by Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, the lone Democratic holdout against an earlier, much more sweeping piece of legislation called the For the People Act. Still, like that measure, it faces steep odds in the Senate, where it is unlikely to persuade Republicans to drop their opposition to legislation they have argued is an egregious overreach and an existential threat to their party.

The new bill, called the Freedom to Vote Act, drops some contentious elements of that initial bill such as restructuring the Federal Election Commission. It focuses heavily on guaranteeing access to the ballot following new voting restrictions being enacted around the country by Republican legislatures since the 2020 election. And it would set a national voter identification standard — something that many Democrats have vehemently opposed — but one that would be far less onerous than some states have attempted to impose, allowing voters to meet the requirement with a variety of identification cards and documents in paper and digital form.

The revised measure would also require that states allow at minimum 15 consecutive days of early voting, including two weekends; ensure that all voters can request to vote by mail; establish new automatic voter registration programs, and make Election Day a national holiday. The legislation would mandate that states follow specific criteria when drawing new congressional districting lines and would force disclosure of donors to so-called dark money groups.

“Following the 2020 elections in which more Americans voted than ever before, we have seen unprecedented attacks on our democracy in states across the country,” said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who leads the Rules Committee, which is responsible for election oversight. “These attacks demand an immediate federal response.”

Manchin had balked at the original legislation and offered elements of a voting bill he would back, prompting the negotiations between him, Klobuchar and fellow Democratic Sens. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Tim Kaine of Virginia, Jon Tester of Montana, Alex Padilla of California and Raphael Warnock of Georgia. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, also participated.

While Democrats cheered the agreement, they also recognized that they were unlikely to attract sufficient Republican support to break a filibuster against any voting bill, meaning that they would have to unite to force a change to Senate rules governing the filibuster if the legislation was to have any chance of passage. Republicans have already blocked debate on a voting rights measure twice before.

“We must be honest about the facts,” Schumer said Monday as he said he would try to break the impasse again next week. “The Republican-led war on democracy has only worsened in the last few weeks.”

Despite his support for the legislation, Manchin has reiterated multiple times his refusal to abolish the filibuster, although he has also indicated a willingness to entertain some changes. Schumer noted Monday that Manchin had been reaching out to Republicans to persuade them to back the new version of the voting rights bill.

Democrats hope continuing Republican opposition to a measure Manchin is now invested in as one of the chief authors will soften his opposition to weakening the filibuster, allowing his party to advance a measure they see as crucial to countering new voting restrictions in Republican-led states.

Manchin did not mention the filibuster in a statement strongly endorsing the new proposal.

“The right to vote is fundamental to our democracy and the Freedom to Vote Act is a step in the right direction towards protecting that right for every American,” Manchin said. “As elected officials, we also have an obligation to restore peoples’ faith in our democracy, and I believe that the common sense provisions in this bill — like flexible voter ID requirements — will do just that.”
</article>

Senate Democrats on Tuesday will propose a pared-down voting rights bill that has the backing of both progressives and centrists in an effort to present a united front against deep Republican resistance to new legislation setting nationwide election standards.

Senate Democrats on Tuesday will propose a pared-down voting rights bill that has the backing of both progressives and centrists in an effort to present a united front against deep Republican resistance to new legislation setting nationwide election standards. The measure is the result of weeks of intraparty negotiations overseen by Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY, the majority leader, and was built on principles put forward by Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, the lone Democratic holdout against an earlier, much more sweeping piece of legislation called the For the People Act. Still, like that measure, it faces steep odds in the Senate, where it is unlikely to persuade Republicans to drop their opposition to legislation they have argued is an egregious overreach and an existential threat to their party. The new bill, called the Freedom to Vote Act, drops some contentious elements of that initial bill such as restructuring the Federal Election Commission. It focuses heavily on guaranteeing access to the ballot following new voting restrictions being enacted around the country by Republican legislatures since the 2020 election. And it would set a national voter identification standard — something that many Democrats have vehemently opposed — but one that would be far less onerous than some states have attempted to impose, allowing voters to meet the requirement with a variety of identification cards and documents in paper and digital form. The revised measure would also require that states allow at minimum 15 consecutive days of early voting, including two weekends; ensure that all voters can request to vote by mail; establish new automatic voter registration programs, and make Election Day a national holiday. The legislation would mandate that states follow specific criteria when drawing new congressional districting lines and would force disclosure of donors to so-called dark money groups. “Following the 2020 elections in which more Americans voted than ever before, we have seen unprecedented attacks on our democracy in states across the country,” said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who leads the Rules Committee, which is responsible for election oversight. “These attacks demand an immediate federal response.” Manchin had balked at the original legislation and offered elements of a voting bill he would back, prompting the negotiations between him, Klobuchar and fellow Democratic Sens. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Tim Kaine of Virginia, Jon Tester of Montana, Alex Padilla of California and Raphael Warnock of Georgia. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, also participated. While Democrats cheered the agreement, they also recognized that they were unlikely to attract sufficient Republican support to break a filibuster against any voting bill, meaning that they would have to unite to force a change to Senate rules governing the filibuster if the legislation was to have any chance of passage. Republicans have already blocked debate on a voting rights measure twice before. “We must be honest about the facts,” Schumer said Monday as he said he would try to break the impasse again next week. “The Republican-led war on democracy has only worsened in the last few weeks.” Despite his support for the legislation, Manchin has reiterated multiple times his refusal to abolish the filibuster, although he has also indicated a willingness to entertain some changes. Schumer noted Monday that Manchin had been reaching out to Republicans to persuade them to back the new version of the voting rights bill. Democrats hope continuing Republican opposition to a measure Manchin is now invested in as one of the chief authors will soften his opposition to weakening the filibuster, allowing his party to advance a measure they see as crucial to countering new voting restrictions in Republican-led states. Manchin did not mention the filibuster in a statement strongly endorsing the new proposal. “The right to vote is fundamental to our democracy and the Freedom to Vote Act is a step in the right direction towards protecting that right for every American,” Manchin said. “As elected officials, we also have an obligation to restore peoples’ faith in our democracy, and I believe that the common sense provisions in this bill — like flexible voter ID requirements — will do just that.”

Democrats to propose compromise voting rights bill

Democrat lawmaker Mikie Sherrill said on Tuesday that she saw colleagues escorting people through the Capitol on Jan 05, what she described as "reconnaissance" ahead of the next day's violent rebellion that left five dead.

Startling claim by Democrat Mikie Sherrill, "Mob given 'recon' tours day before Capitol riots"

Democrat Raphael Warnock has won one of Georgia’s two Senate runoffs -- becoming the first Black senator in his state’s history and putting the Senate majority within the Democrats’ reach.

Warnock defeated Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler. It was a stinging rebuke of outgoing President Donald Trump, who made one of his final trips in office to Georgia to rally his loyal base behind Loeffler and the Republican running for the other seat, David Perdue.

The focus now shifts to the second race between Perdue and Democrat Jon Ossoff.

If Ossoff wins, Democrats will have complete control of Congress, strengthening President-elect Joe Biden’s standing as he prepares to take office on January 20.

The showdown on the two seats will decide whether President-elect Joe Biden enjoys control of Congress or faces stiff Republican opposition to his reform plans.

"Georgia, I am honoured by the faith that you have shown in me," Warnock, a Black pastor, said in a televised address shortly after midnight as he claimed victory.

"And I promise you this tonight, I am going to the Senate to work for all of Georgia."

An Edison exit poll of more than 5,200 voters found half had voted for Trump in November and half for Biden.&nbsp;

The voters were also evenly split on whether Democrats or Republicans should control the Senate.

The survey included both early voters and voters who cast ballots on Tuesday.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/polls-close-in-georgias-critical-senate-runoffs-candidates-in-close-call-354707">Also read |&nbsp;Polls close in Georgia's critical Senate runoffs, candidates in close call</a>

Democrats must win both contests in Georgia to take control of the Senate. A double Democratic win would create a 50-50 split in the Senate and give Vice President-elect Kamala Harris the tie-breaking vote after she and Biden take office on January 20. The party already has a narrow majority in the House of Representatives.

If Republicans hold even one of the two seats, they would effectively wield veto power over Biden`s political and judicial appointees as well as many of his legislative initiatives in areas such as economic relief, climate change, healthcare and criminal justice.

(with inputs)

Democrat Raphael Warnock has won one of Georgia’s two Senate runoffs -- becoming the first Black senator in his state’s history and putting the Senate majority within the Democrats’ reach.

Democrat Raphael Warnock has won one of Georgia’s two Senate runoffs -- becoming the first Black senator in his state’s history and putting the Senate majority within the Democrats’ reach. Warnock defeated Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler. It was a stinging rebuke of outgoing President Donald Trump, who made one of his final trips in office to Georgia to rally his loyal base behind Loeffler and the Republican running for the other seat, David Perdue. The focus now shifts to the second race between Perdue and Democrat Jon Ossoff. If Ossoff wins, Democrats will have complete control of Congress, strengthening President-elect Joe Biden’s standing as he prepares to take office on January 20. The showdown on the two seats will decide whether President-elect Joe Biden enjoys control of Congress or faces stiff Republican opposition to his reform plans. "Georgia, I am honoured by the faith that you have shown in me," Warnock, a Black pastor, said in a televised address shortly after midnight as he claimed victory. "And I promise you this tonight, I am going to the Senate to work for all of Georgia." An Edison exit poll of more than 5,200 voters found half had voted for Trump in November and half for Biden. The voters were also evenly split on whether Democrats or Republicans should control the Senate. The survey included both early voters and voters who cast ballots on Tuesday. Also read | Polls close in Georgia's critical Senate runoffs, candidates in close call Democrats must win both contests in Georgia to take control of the Senate. A double Democratic win would create a 50-50 split in the Senate and give Vice President-elect Kamala Harris the tie-breaking vote after she and Biden take office on January 20. The party already has a narrow majority in the House of Representatives. If Republicans hold even one of the two seats, they would effectively wield veto power over Biden`s political and judicial appointees as well as many of his legislative initiatives in areas such as economic relief, climate change, healthcare and criminal justice. (with inputs)

Democrat Raphael Warnock wins one of two crunch US Senate runoffs

US President Donald Trump campaigned on Thursday in Iowa - the state that kicks off the presidential nominating race next week - basking in the support of his base while the US Senate trial considering his impeachment continued in Washington.

Reviving some of the most polarizing speech lines from his 2016 campaign and mocking his potential Democratic opponents, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-top-court-sides-with-trump-on-immigrant-welfare-benefits-276959">Trump regaled the crowd</a> with a series of campaign promises, including revamping the US healthcare system and continuing to build a wall along the country's southern border with Mexico.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/democratic-debate-in-iowa-274401">Democratic contenders</a> for their party's nomination to challenge Trump in the November election face their first electoral test in the Iowa caucuses on Monday. Trump, who is seeking a second term, is expected to easily win the Republican caucus.

<img alt="Trump" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="c628d394-3e03-449a-b53b-89fba6cfa78e" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%2818%29_5.jpg" /> 
[&nbsp;U.S. President Donald Trump mocks House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff&nbsp;as he rallies with supporters (Courtesy: Reuters) ]

His campaign, regardless, is making a show of force in the state and several of his supporters, including both of his adult sons, will be in the state on Monday. Trump's speech on Thursday was squarely focused on the general election. He won Iowa in 2016 and Democrats are not expected to invest many resources trying to flip it back to their column this year.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/three-swing-district-democrats-back-joe-bidens-presidential-bid-272511">Three swing-state Democrats back for Joe Biden's presidential bid</a>

But Democrats have dominated the airwaves in Iowa for the past year, making Trump the focus of their appeals to the state's Democratic voters. 
Trump repeated his criticism of his potential Democratic opponents, denigrating former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg for his height and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg for his last name, and repeating his reference to US Senator Elizabeth Warren as “Pocahontas.”

"Democrats stand for crime, corruption and chaos, Republicans stand for law, order and justice," Trump said. Trump renewed a 2016 campaign promise to make Mexico pay for a wall along the US-Mexico border, a vow he made daily while campaigning the first time but has rarely mentioned since taking office.

"Illegal aliens from Mexico are going to pay for the wall ... through remittance, 100 per cent," Trump said. He also revisited a line from his 2016 campaign, maligning some migrants trying to enter the United States as criminals.

Fresh from signing a new trade agreement with Mexico and Canada on Wednesday and a separate pact with China earlier this month, the president said the Democrats would be bad for Iowa’s farmers - warning they would "kill your cows." "If we don't win, your farms are going to hell," he said. 
&nbsp;

US President Donald Trump campaigned on Thursday in Iowa - the state that kicks off the presidential nominating race next week - basking in the support of his base while the US Senate trial considering his impeachment continued in Washington.

US President Donald Trump campaigned on Thursday in Iowa - the state that kicks off the presidential nominating race next week - basking in the support of his base while the US Senate trial considering his impeachment continued in Washington. Reviving some of the most polarizing speech lines from his 2016 campaign and mocking his potential Democratic opponents, Trump regaled the crowd with a series of campaign promises, including revamping the US healthcare system and continuing to build a wall along the country's southern border with Mexico. Democratic contenders for their party's nomination to challenge Trump in the November election face their first electoral test in the Iowa caucuses on Monday. Trump, who is seeking a second term, is expected to easily win the Republican caucus. [ U.S. President Donald Trump mocks House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff as he rallies with supporters (Courtesy: Reuters) ] His campaign, regardless, is making a show of force in the state and several of his supporters, including both of his adult sons, will be in the state on Monday. Trump's speech on Thursday was squarely focused on the general election. He won Iowa in 2016 and Democrats are not expected to invest many resources trying to flip it back to their column this year. Also Read: Three swing-state Democrats back for Joe Biden's presidential bid But Democrats have dominated the airwaves in Iowa for the past year, making Trump the focus of their appeals to the state's Democratic voters. Trump repeated his criticism of his potential Democratic opponents, denigrating former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg for his height and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg for his last name, and repeating his reference to US Senator Elizabeth Warren as “Pocahontas.” "Democrats stand for crime, corruption and chaos, Republicans stand for law, order and justice," Trump said. Trump renewed a 2016 campaign promise to make Mexico pay for a wall along the US-Mexico border, a vow he made daily while campaigning the first time but has rarely mentioned since taking office. "Illegal aliens from Mexico are going to pay for the wall ... through remittance, 100 per cent," Trump said. He also revisited a line from his 2016 campaign, maligning some migrants trying to enter the United States as criminals. Fresh from signing a new trade agreement with Mexico and Canada on Wednesday and a separate pact with China earlier this month, the president said the Democrats would be bad for Iowa’s farmers - warning they would "kill your cows." "If we don't win, your farms are going to hell," he said.

Donald Trump revives border wall promise in Iowa campaign speech, mocks Democrats

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/.../india-to-tweak-proposed-content-regulations-to- ease-burden-on-some-sources-272997">Facebook</a>&nbsp;Inc said on Thursday it was making&nbsp;some&nbsp;changes to its approach to&nbsp;political&nbsp;ads, including allowing&nbsp;users&nbsp;to turn off certain ad-targeting tools, but the updates stop far short of critics' demands and what rival companies have pledged to do.

The world's biggest social network has vowed to curb&nbsp;political&nbsp;manipulation of its platform, after failing to counter alleged Russian interference and the misuse of user data by defunct&nbsp;political&nbsp;consulting firm <a href="https://www.wionews.com/.../brazil-fines-facebook-16-million-for-improper- sharing-of-user-data-271120">Cambridge Analytica</a> in 2016.

But&nbsp;ahead&nbsp;of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/.../three-swing-district-democrats-back-joe-bidens- presidential-bid-272511">US&nbsp;presidential&nbsp;election</a>&nbsp;in November 2020,&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;is struggling to quell criticism of its relatively hands-off&nbsp;ads&nbsp;policies. In particular, it has come under fire after it exempted politicians'&nbsp;ads&nbsp;from fact-checking standards applied to other content on its network.

Facebook&nbsp;said that in addition to rolling out a tool enabling individual&nbsp;users&nbsp;to choose to&nbsp;see&nbsp;fewer&nbsp;political&nbsp;and social issue&nbsp;ads&nbsp;on&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;and its photo-sharing app Instagram, it will also make more ad audience data publicly available.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-executive-says-it-helped-put-trump-in-white-house-272838">Facebook executive says it helped put Trump in White House</a>

In contrast, Twitter Inc banned&nbsp;political&nbsp;ads&nbsp;in October, while Alphabet Inc's Google said it would stop letting advertisers target&nbsp;election&nbsp;ads&nbsp;using data such as public voter records and general&nbsp;political&nbsp;affiliations.

Other online platforms like Spotify, Pinterest and TikTok have also issued bans.

In a blog post,&nbsp;Facebook's director of product management Rob Leathern said the company considered imposing limits like Google's but decided against them as internal data indicated most&nbsp;ads&nbsp;run by&nbsp;US&nbsp;presidential candidates are broadly targeted, at audiences larger than 250,000 people.

"We have based (our policies) on the principle that people should be able to hear from those who wish to lead them, warts and all," Leathern wrote.

The expanded ad audience data features will be rolled out in the first quarter of this year and&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;plans to deploy the&nbsp;political&nbsp;ads&nbsp;control&nbsp;starting in the United States early this summer, eventually expanding this preference to more locations.

Another change will be to allow&nbsp;users&nbsp;to choose to stop&nbsp;seeing&nbsp;ads&nbsp;based on an advertiser's "Custom Audience" and that will apply to all types of advertising, not only&nbsp;political&nbsp;ads.

The "Custom Audiences" feature lets advertisers upload lists of personal data they maintain, like email addresses and phone numbers.&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;then matches that information to user accounts and shows the advertiser's content to those people.

However,&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;will not give&nbsp;users&nbsp;a blanket option to turn off the feature, meaning they will have to opt-out of&nbsp;seeing&nbsp;ads&nbsp;for each advertiser one by one, a spokesman told Reuters.

The change will also not affect ad targeting via&nbsp;Facebook's Lookalike Audiences tool, which uses the same uploads&nbsp;of personal data to direct&nbsp;ads&nbsp;at people with similar characteristics to those on the lists, the spokesman said.

Leathern said in the post the company would make new information publicly available about the audience size of&nbsp;political&nbsp;ads&nbsp;in the company's Ad Library, showing approximately&nbsp;how&nbsp;many people the advertisers aimed to reach.

The changes follow a New York Times report this week of an internal memo by senior&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;executive Andrew Bosworth, who told employees the company had a duty not to tilt the scales against&nbsp;US&nbsp;President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/.../could-iran-us-tensions-mean-troubled-waters- ahead-in-the-strait-of-hormuz-273207">Donald Trump</a>'s re-election&nbsp;campaign.

Bosworth, a close confidant of Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg who subsequently made his post public, wrote that he believed&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;was responsible for Trump's&nbsp;election&nbsp;in 2016, but not because of misinformation or Trump's work with Cambridge Analytica.

Rather, he said, the Trump campaign used&nbsp;Facebook's advertising tools most effectively.

&nbsp;

Facebook Inc said on Thursday it was making some changes to its approach to political ads, including allowing users to turn off certain ad-targeting tools, but the updates stop far short of critics' demands and what rival companies have pledged to do.

Facebook Inc said on Thursday it was making some changes to its approach to political ads, including allowing users to turn off certain ad-targeting tools, but the updates stop far short of critics' demands and what rival companies have pledged to do. The world's biggest social network has vowed to curb political manipulation of its platform, after failing to counter alleged Russian interference and the misuse of user data by defunct political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica in 2016. But ahead of the US presidential election in November 2020, Facebook is struggling to quell criticism of its relatively hands-off ads policies. In particular, it has come under fire after it exempted politicians' ads from fact-checking standards applied to other content on its network. Facebook said that in addition to rolling out a tool enabling individual users to choose to see fewer political and social issue ads on Facebook and its photo-sharing app Instagram, it will also make more ad audience data publicly available. Also Read: Facebook executive says it helped put Trump in White House In contrast, Twitter Inc banned political ads in October, while Alphabet Inc's Google said it would stop letting advertisers target election ads using data such as public voter records and general political affiliations. Other online platforms like Spotify, Pinterest and TikTok have also issued bans. In a blog post, Facebook's director of product management Rob Leathern said the company considered imposing limits like Google's but decided against them as internal data indicated most ads run by US presidential candidates are broadly targeted, at audiences larger than 250,000 people. "We have based (our policies) on the principle that people should be able to hear from those who wish to lead them, warts and all," Leathern wrote. The expanded ad audience data features will be rolled out in the first quarter of this year and Facebook plans to deploy the political ads control starting in the United States early this summer, eventually expanding this preference to more locations. Another change will be to allow users to choose to stop seeing ads based on an advertiser's "Custom Audience" and that will apply to all types of advertising, not only political ads. The "Custom Audiences" feature lets advertisers upload lists of personal data they maintain, like email addresses and phone numbers. Facebook then matches that information to user accounts and shows the advertiser's content to those people. However, Facebook will not give users a blanket option to turn off the feature, meaning they will have to opt-out of seeing ads for each advertiser one by one, a spokesman told Reuters. The change will also not affect ad targeting via Facebook's Lookalike Audiences tool, which uses the same uploads of personal data to direct ads at people with similar characteristics to those on the lists, the spokesman said. Leathern said in the post the company would make new information publicly available about the audience size of political ads in the company's Ad Library, showing approximately how many people the advertisers aimed to reach. The changes follow a New York Times report this week of an internal memo by senior Facebook executive Andrew Bosworth, who told employees the company had a duty not to tilt the scales against US President Donald Trump's re-election campaign. Bosworth, a close confidant of Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg who subsequently made his post public, wrote that he believed Facebook was responsible for Trump's election in 2016, but not because of misinformation or Trump's work with Cambridge Analytica. Rather, he said, the Trump campaign used Facebook's advertising tools most effectively.

Ahead of US election, Facebook gives users some control over how they see political ads

US Democrats presented a&nbsp;forceful&nbsp;case&nbsp;for <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/witnesses-named-for-trump-impeachment-hearing-in-united-states-house-265830">impeaching and removing President Donald&nbsp;Trump</a>&nbsp;from office Tuesday in a&nbsp;report&nbsp;detailing "overwhelming evidence" of misconduct in office and obstruction.

Immediately dismissed by the White House as the product of a "one-sided sham process," the House Intelligence Committee&nbsp;report&nbsp;accused&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;of subverting national security as he pressured Ukraine for dirt on a Democratic election rival.

Behind closed doors late Tuesday, the Democratic-led panel voted 13 to 9, along strict party lines as expected, to officially adopt and issue the&nbsp;report&nbsp;to the House Judiciary Committee, which is tasked with drafting articles of&nbsp;impeachment&nbsp;against&nbsp;the president.

The 300-page document, meant to serve as the basis for the charges&nbsp;against&nbsp;Trump, also mapped out in detail what it called an unparalleled effort of obstruction, including witness intimidation, to stifle the investigation into&nbsp;Trump's Ukraine scheme.

"The president placed his personal political interests above the national interests of the United States, sought to undermine the integrity of the US presidential election process, and endangered US national security," said the final&nbsp;report&nbsp;on the Intelligence Committee's investigation.

"President&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;and his senior officials may see nothing wrong with using the power of the office of the president to pressure a foreign country to help the president's reelection campaign," it said.

"However, the Founding Fathers prescribed a remedy for a chief executive who places his personal interests above those of the country:&nbsp;impeachment."

Watch: Donald Trump impeachment hearings set for December 4

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/donald-trump-impeachment-hearings-set-for-dec-4-265791/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

'The president's dirty work'&nbsp;

The&nbsp;report, the product of a rapid-fire probe sparked by a whistleblower's complaint in August, mapped out a months-long scheme by&nbsp;Trump, his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and senior diplomats to pressure Ukraine's president into investigating Joe Biden, the current favourite to win the Democratic 2020 White House nomination.

Trump&nbsp;also pressured President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate a "conspiracy theory" that it was Ukraine, and not Russia, that interfered in the 2016 US election, to benefit the Democrats.

In both cases, the&nbsp;report&nbsp;said,&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;conditioned nearly $400 million in US military aid and a high-profile summit with Zelensky on Kiev opening the investigations.

Democrat&nbsp;Adam Schiff, the head of the House Intelligence Committee, said the White House demands left Ukraine, which is under constant threat from Russia-backed rebels, vulnerable as&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;sought help for his 2020 reelection.

"This&nbsp;report&nbsp;chronicles a scheme by the president of the United States to coerce an ally, Ukraine, that is at war with an adversary, Russia, into doing the president's dirty work," he told reporters.

'Ramblings of a basement blogger'

Secondly, the&nbsp;report&nbsp;said,&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;actively sought to obstruct the congressional probe, refusing to provide documents to investigators, preventing witnesses from appearing, and threatening some of those who did appear.

"Donald&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;is the first president in the history of the United States to seek to completely obstruct an&nbsp;impeachment&nbsp;inquiry undertaken by the House of Representatives," it said.

"President&nbsp;Trump's ongoing effort to thwart Congress'&nbsp;impeachment&nbsp;power risks doing grave harm to the institution of Congress."

In London for a NATO summit,&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;again accused the Democrats of playing a political game.

"The&nbsp;impeachment&nbsp;is a hoax. It's turned out to be a hoax. It's done for purely political gain," he said.

His spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham doubled down in dismissing both the&nbsp;report&nbsp;and Schiff's investigation.&nbsp;

"At the end of a one-sided sham process, Chairman Schiff and the Democrats utterly failed to produce any evidence of wrongdoing by President&nbsp;Trump," she said in a statement.

The&nbsp;report&nbsp;"reads like the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-democrats-set-the-stage-for-trump-impeachment-with-key-hearing-265798">ramblings of a basement blogger</a> straining to prove something when there is evidence of nothing."

Impeachment&nbsp;before Christmas?

The&nbsp;report&nbsp;is expected to form the basis for the Judiciary Committee to draw up formal charges, or <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/how-does-the-impeachment-of-a-us-president-work-265766">articles of&nbsp;impeachment</a>, in the coming weeks.

If, as expected, the articles are passed by the Democratic-led House, the&nbsp;case&nbsp;will go to the Republican-controlled Senate for trial in January.

The Judiciary panel, which begins meeting Wednesday, has set no formal timeframe.

But Democrats aim to hold a full House&nbsp;impeachment&nbsp;vote before the body goes on break for Christmas, December 25.&nbsp;

Schiff said that while the Judiciary Committee meets, his panel could continue investigating other angles of the Ukraine scheme, including whether&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;actually began much earlier to pressure Zelensky's predecessor Petro Poroshenko for the investigations, and whether some members of Congress were involved.

But he stressed the need to move quickly, accusing&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;of seeking election help not only from Ukraine but Russia and China.

"There is I think grave risk to the country with waiting until we have every last fact when we already know enough about the president's misconduct to make a responsible judgement," Schiff said.

US Democrats presented a forceful case for impeaching and removing President Donald Trump from office Tuesday in a report detailing "overwhelming evidence" of misconduct in office and obstruction.

US Democrats presented a forceful case for impeaching and removing President Donald Trump from office Tuesday in a report detailing "overwhelming evidence" of misconduct in office and obstruction. Immediately dismissed by the White House as the product of a "one-sided sham process," the House Intelligence Committee report accused Trump of subverting national security as he pressured Ukraine for dirt on a Democratic election rival. Behind closed doors late Tuesday, the Democratic-led panel voted 13 to 9, along strict party lines as expected, to officially adopt and issue the report to the House Judiciary Committee, which is tasked with drafting articles of impeachment against the president. The 300-page document, meant to serve as the basis for the charges against Trump, also mapped out in detail what it called an unparalleled effort of obstruction, including witness intimidation, to stifle the investigation into Trump's Ukraine scheme. "The president placed his personal political interests above the national interests of the United States, sought to undermine the integrity of the US presidential election process, and endangered US national security," said the final report on the Intelligence Committee's investigation. "President Trump and his senior officials may see nothing wrong with using the power of the office of the president to pressure a foreign country to help the president's reelection campaign," it said. "However, the Founding Fathers prescribed a remedy for a chief executive who places his personal interests above those of the country: impeachment." Watch: Donald Trump impeachment hearings set for December 4 'The president's dirty work' The report, the product of a rapid-fire probe sparked by a whistleblower's complaint in August, mapped out a months-long scheme by Trump, his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and senior diplomats to pressure Ukraine's president into investigating Joe Biden, the current favourite to win the Democratic 2020 White House nomination. Trump also pressured President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate a "conspiracy theory" that it was Ukraine, and not Russia, that interfered in the 2016 US election, to benefit the Democrats. In both cases, the report said, Trump conditioned nearly $400 million in US military aid and a high-profile summit with Zelensky on Kiev opening the investigations. Democrat Adam Schiff, the head of the House Intelligence Committee, said the White House demands left Ukraine, which is under constant threat from Russia-backed rebels, vulnerable as Trump sought help for his 2020 reelection. "This report chronicles a scheme by the president of the United States to coerce an ally, Ukraine, that is at war with an adversary, Russia, into doing the president's dirty work," he told reporters. 'Ramblings of a basement blogger' Secondly, the report said, Trump actively sought to obstruct the congressional probe, refusing to provide documents to investigators, preventing witnesses from appearing, and threatening some of those who did appear. "Donald Trump is the first president in the history of the United States to seek to completely obstruct an impeachment inquiry undertaken by the House of Representatives," it said. "President Trump's ongoing effort to thwart Congress' impeachment power risks doing grave harm to the institution of Congress." In London for a NATO summit, Trump again accused the Democrats of playing a political game. "The impeachment is a hoax. It's turned out to be a hoax. It's done for purely political gain," he said. His spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham doubled down in dismissing both the report and Schiff's investigation. "At the end of a one-sided sham process, Chairman Schiff and the Democrats utterly failed to produce any evidence of wrongdoing by President Trump," she said in a statement. The report "reads like the ramblings of a basement blogger straining to prove something when there is evidence of nothing." Impeachment before Christmas? The report is expected to form the basis for the Judiciary Committee to draw up formal charges, or articles of impeachment, in the coming weeks. If, as expected, the articles are passed by the Democratic-led House, the case will go to the Republican-controlled Senate for trial in January. The Judiciary panel, which begins meeting Wednesday, has set no formal timeframe. But Democrats aim to hold a full House impeachment vote before the body goes on break for Christmas, December 25. Schiff said that while the Judiciary Committee meets, his panel could continue investigating other angles of the Ukraine scheme, including whether Trump actually began much earlier to pressure Zelensky's predecessor Petro Poroshenko for the investigations, and whether some members of Congress were involved. But he stressed the need to move quickly, accusing Trump of seeking election help not only from Ukraine but Russia and China. "There is I think grave risk to the country with waiting until we have every last fact when we already know enough about the president's misconduct to make a responsible judgement," Schiff said.

Democrat report makes forceful impeachment case against Trump

Facing the tough task of&nbsp;selling&nbsp;voters on an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-asked-ukraine-leader-to-investigate-biden-cal-transcript-confirms-252046">impeachment&nbsp;inquiry against</a> President Donald Trump, Democrats struggled on Wednesday to craft a unified message explaining why he might deserve to be removed from office.

In the halls of the Congress, on the campaign trail and on social media, many Democrats said Trump's pressure on Ukraine's president to investigate Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden was a clear-cut argument for an&nbsp;impeachment&nbsp;inquiry.

"This is about the future. This is about protecting America's election and America's national security. It is a matter I think that is not difficult to understand," House of Representatives Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters.

Democrats with military and intelligence backgrounds described the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-calls-democratic-impeachment-enquiry-a-joke-252097">impeachment&nbsp;investigation</a> as a duty, not a political fight they relished.

"In a district like mine, everything's risky," said US representative&nbsp;Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer who flipped a Republican district in Virginia last year that had voted for Trump in 2016.

The allegations against Trump are "a significant threat to our national security," she told constituents in a letter. "We should want to know definitively if they are true, or if they are false."

Others Democrats from Trump-voting districts were concerned that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's decision to launch an&nbsp;impeachment enquiry was not fully explained and could backfire, hurting Democrats in the 2020 elections.

U SRepresentative Jeff Van Drew, a New Jersey Democrat, said he did not mind an investigation but was not ready to back&nbsp;impeachment. Drew said he had faced some pressure from colleagues to change his mind and get on board.

"It's not pressure like someone putting you in a headlock, but it is pressure like 'Gee, we are all doing this together, we all have the same message.' And that's not true," he told reporters.

A House Democratic lawmaker who requested anonymity to discuss the handling of the inquiry said there was nervousness among more moderate members about whether Pelosi would hold a floor vote on&nbsp;impeachment, forcing them to go on the record.

"The party's really operating on different tracks right now, and that can be confusing for the public," said Colin Strother, a spokesman for Representative Henry Cuellar's re-election campaign in Texas.

"There's definitely a gulf between the people that are 'Impeach, no matter what,' and the people that are 'Follow the evidence.'"

Pelosi, who had resisted demands for an&nbsp;impeachment&nbsp;inquiry for months out of fear of the political repercussions, changed her mind after reports that Trump pressured <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ukraine-president-zelensky-calls-controversial-donald-trump-call-normal-252078">Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy</a> in a July 25 telephone call to investigate Biden and his son Hunter, who had worked for a company drilling for gas in Ukraine.

A defiant Trump, whose administration released on Wednesday a summary of the call, denied any impropriety and said Democrats launched the&nbsp;impeachment&nbsp;inquiry "because they can't beat us at the ballot."

Public opinion polls indicate voters might not be ready for the&nbsp;impeachment&nbsp;of Trump.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday, before Pelosi made the case for&nbsp;impeachment, found 37 per cent of Americans thought Trump should be impeached, down from 41 per cent&nbsp;in September.

In public, Democrats largely brushed off concerns about the risks and said the issue was bigger than everyday politics.

"History will remember those who put politics aside at this time of crisis and treated it like the moral moment that it is," said Democratic presidential candidate Cory Booker.

Most Democratic presidential contenders for the nomination to take on Trump in next year's election support an&nbsp;impeachment&nbsp;inquiry, including Biden and US&nbsp;Senators Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris and Amy Klobuchar.

"It is the constitutional responsibility of Congress to hold this man accountable," Warren told reporters in Keene, New Hampshire.

Even some congressional Democrats facing tough re-election battles weighed in. In a tweet on Tuesday night, US&nbsp;Senator Doug Jones, who faces a difficult path to re-election in conservative Alabama, backed a congressional investigation of Trump and Ukraine.

'Winning on messaging?'

"I'm not certain that the Democrats are winning yet in terms of the messaging game. In the presidential Democratic primary, there's a lack of a clear message – obviously anti-Trump, but not much more," said Scot Schraufnagel, a political scientist at Northern Illinois University.

Pelosi's change of heart followed announcements of support for an&nbsp;impeachment&nbsp;inquiry from several more moderate Democratic lawmakers, including a Washington Post column earlier this week by seven first-term House Democrats with military and national security backgrounds, including Spanberger.

US&nbsp;Representative Elissa Slotkin, one of the seven, said she had been urging Democrats to communicate clearly what they are investigating. She did not deny earlier reports she told a closed-door meeting of Democrats on Tuesday that "if you are asking us to stay on message, give us a goddamn message to stay on."

"I am doing everything I can to explain to people how I came to the decision. Because my hope is, even if they disagree with the decision, they give me the benefit of the doubt," Slotkin said.

Absent any other unified message, Dan Kildee, the Democrats’ chief deputy whip in the House, described the Post column as "sort of our manifesto at this point."

Democrats were heartened by what they saw as possible cracks in the usually monolithic Republican ranks of Trump supporters.

On Tuesday, not a single Senate Republican spoke out against a resolution urging the White House to hand over the whistleblower complaint on Ukraine to the intelligence committees in Congress.

Some Democrats said the more straightforward details of the Ukraine call made the issues easier for voters to understand than previous controversies that engulfed Trump, including the lengthy investigation into possible Russian interference and collusion in the 2016 election.

"This is a much easier case to make than some of the Russia stuff," said Jim Manley, a Democratic strategist and former aide to Senators Harry Reid and Edward Kennedy.

But he said Democrats would need a point person to deliver a "clear and coherent message" on the need for&nbsp;impeachment. He suggested one of the House committee chairmen leading investigations such as Adam Schiff, who heads the House Intelligence Committee.

Schiff agreed the Ukraine flap would be easier to explain to voters, saying Trump's conversation with the Ukrainian leader read "like a classic mob shakedown."

Facing the tough task of selling voters on an impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump, Democrats struggled on Wednesday to craft a unified message explaining why he might deserve to be removed from office.

Facing the tough task of selling voters on an impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump, Democrats struggled on Wednesday to craft a unified message explaining why he might deserve to be removed from office. In the halls of the Congress, on the campaign trail and on social media, many Democrats said Trump's pressure on Ukraine's president to investigate Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden was a clear-cut argument for an impeachment inquiry. "This is about the future. This is about protecting America's election and America's national security. It is a matter I think that is not difficult to understand," House of Representatives Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters. Democrats with military and intelligence backgrounds described the impeachment investigation as a duty, not a political fight they relished. "In a district like mine, everything's risky," said US representative Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer who flipped a Republican district in Virginia last year that had voted for Trump in 2016. The allegations against Trump are "a significant threat to our national security," she told constituents in a letter. "We should want to know definitively if they are true, or if they are false." Others Democrats from Trump-voting districts were concerned that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's decision to launch an impeachment enquiry was not fully explained and could backfire, hurting Democrats in the 2020 elections. U SRepresentative Jeff Van Drew, a New Jersey Democrat, said he did not mind an investigation but was not ready to back impeachment. Drew said he had faced some pressure from colleagues to change his mind and get on board. "It's not pressure like someone putting you in a headlock, but it is pressure like 'Gee, we are all doing this together, we all have the same message.' And that's not true," he told reporters. A House Democratic lawmaker who requested anonymity to discuss the handling of the inquiry said there was nervousness among more moderate members about whether Pelosi would hold a floor vote on impeachment, forcing them to go on the record. "The party's really operating on different tracks right now, and that can be confusing for the public," said Colin Strother, a spokesman for Representative Henry Cuellar's re-election campaign in Texas. "There's definitely a gulf between the people that are 'Impeach, no matter what,' and the people that are 'Follow the evidence.'" Pelosi, who had resisted demands for an impeachment inquiry for months out of fear of the political repercussions, changed her mind after reports that Trump pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a July 25 telephone call to investigate Biden and his son Hunter, who had worked for a company drilling for gas in Ukraine. A defiant Trump, whose administration released on Wednesday a summary of the call, denied any impropriety and said Democrats launched the impeachment inquiry "because they can't beat us at the ballot." Public opinion polls indicate voters might not be ready for the impeachment of Trump. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday, before Pelosi made the case for impeachment, found 37 per cent of Americans thought Trump should be impeached, down from 41 per cent in September. In public, Democrats largely brushed off concerns about the risks and said the issue was bigger than everyday politics. "History will remember those who put politics aside at this time of crisis and treated it like the moral moment that it is," said Democratic presidential candidate Cory Booker. Most Democratic presidential contenders for the nomination to take on Trump in next year's election support an impeachment inquiry, including Biden and US Senators Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris and Amy Klobuchar. "It is the constitutional responsibility of Congress to hold this man accountable," Warren told reporters in Keene, New Hampshire. Even some congressional Democrats facing tough re-election battles weighed in. In a tweet on Tuesday night, US Senator Doug Jones, who faces a difficult path to re-election in conservative Alabama, backed a congressional investigation of Trump and Ukraine. 'Winning on messaging?' "I'm not certain that the Democrats are winning yet in terms of the messaging game. In the presidential Democratic primary, there's a lack of a clear message – obviously anti-Trump, but not much more," said Scot Schraufnagel, a political scientist at Northern Illinois University. Pelosi's change of heart followed announcements of support for an impeachment inquiry from several more moderate Democratic lawmakers, including a Washington Post column earlier this week by seven first-term House Democrats with military and national security backgrounds, including Spanberger. US Representative Elissa Slotkin, one of the seven, said she had been urging Democrats to communicate clearly what they are investigating. She did not deny earlier reports she told a closed-door meeting of Democrats on Tuesday that "if you are asking us to stay on message, give us a goddamn message to stay on." "I am doing everything I can to explain to people how I came to the decision. Because my hope is, even if they disagree with the decision, they give me the benefit of the doubt," Slotkin said. Absent any other unified message, Dan Kildee, the Democrats’ chief deputy whip in the House, described the Post column as "sort of our manifesto at this point." Democrats were heartened by what they saw as possible cracks in the usually monolithic Republican ranks of Trump supporters. On Tuesday, not a single Senate Republican spoke out against a resolution urging the White House to hand over the whistleblower complaint on Ukraine to the intelligence committees in Congress. Some Democrats said the more straightforward details of the Ukraine call made the issues easier for voters to understand than previous controversies that engulfed Trump, including the lengthy investigation into possible Russian interference and collusion in the 2016 election. "This is a much easier case to make than some of the Russia stuff," said Jim Manley, a Democratic strategist and former aide to Senators Harry Reid and Edward Kennedy. But he said Democrats would need a point person to deliver a "clear and coherent message" on the need for impeachment. He suggested one of the House committee chairmen leading investigations such as Adam Schiff, who heads the House Intelligence Committee. Schiff agreed the Ukraine flap would be easier to explain to voters, saying Trump's conversation with the Ukrainian leader read "like a classic mob shakedown."

Selling impeachment: Democrats search for common message against Trump

Britain's Liberal Democrats party leader Jo Swinson said on Sunday there was no Brexit deal that her party would vote for in parliament, saying her priority was to stop <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/cautiously-optimistic-on-brexit-deal-says-pm-boris-johnson-ahead-of-eu-meeting-249472">Britain</a> leaving the European Union.

"I am very clear I don't think there is a good Brexit deal. I think every Brexit, whether you have a blue rosette or a red rosette on it, is bad for our country, and I'm not going to support Brexit," she told the BBC when asked if her party would reject any deal put before parliament.

Britain's Liberal Democrats party leader Jo Swinson said on Sunday there was no Brexit deal that her party would vote for in parliament, saying her priority was to stop Britain leaving the European Union.

Britain's Liberal Democrats party leader Jo Swinson said on Sunday there was no Brexit deal that her party would vote for in parliament, saying her priority was to stop Britain leaving the European Union. "I am very clear I don't think there is a good Brexit deal. I think every Brexit, whether you have a blue rosette or a red rosette on it, is bad for our country, and I'm not going to support Brexit," she told the BBC when asked if her party would reject any deal put before parliament.

UK Liberal Democrat leader says her party will not support any Brexit deal

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-wants-to-make-a-deal-so-badly-and-may-want-a-democrat-to-beat-him-donald-trump-242090">China 'badly' wants to make deal with US and may want a Democrat to beat me: Donald Trump</a>

After the International Monetary Fund (IMF) report of China's economic slowdown due to trade tariff imposed by the Trump administration, US President Donald Trump on Saturday took a swipe at China saying it wants to "badly" chalk out an agreement with his country.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/trump-retweets-conspiracy-theory-about-bill-clinton-amid-outcry-on-jeffrey-epsteins-death-242088">Trump retweets conspiracy theory about Bill Clinton, amid outcry on Jeffrey Epstein's death</a>

US financier Jeffrey Epstein, awaiting trial on charges he trafficked underage girls for sex, was found dead in jail Saturday of an apparent suicide, triggering outcry over how the high-profile detainee could die in custody.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/if-it-comes-to-a-hard-brexit-british-would-be-the-big-losers-european-unions-jean-claude-juncker-tells-britain-242089">If it comes to hard Brexit, British would be the big losers: European Union's Jean-Claude Juncker tells UK</a>

A no-deal Brexit would hurt Britain more than the rest of Europe no matter how much Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government pretends otherwise, outgoing European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said in remarks published on Saturday.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/clashes-kill-70-combatants-in-northwest-syria-report-242094">Clashes kill 70 combatants in northwest Syria: Report</a>

Clashes between regime loyalists and insurgents in northwest Syria killed 70 combatants on Saturday, as government forces continued to nibble away at territory held by its opponents, a war monitor said. &nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/huawei-launches-first-product-with-own-operating-system-242084">Huawei launches first product with own operating system</a>

Chinese telecom giant Huawei, which has been caught in the crossfires of the Washington-Beijing trade war, on Saturday unveiled a new smart television, the first product to use its own operating system.

&nbsp;

China 'badly' wants to make deal with US and may want a Democrat to beat me: Donald Trump After the International Monetary Fund (IMF) report of China's economic slowdown due to trade tariff imposed by the Trump administration, US President Donald Trump on Saturday took a swipe at China saying it wants to "badly" chalk out an agreement with his country.

China 'badly' wants to make deal with US and may want a Democrat to beat me: Donald Trump After the International Monetary Fund (IMF) report of China's economic slowdown due to trade tariff imposed by the Trump administration, US President Donald Trump on Saturday took a swipe at China saying it wants to "badly" chalk out an agreement with his country. Trump retweets conspiracy theory about Bill Clinton, amid outcry on Jeffrey Epstein's death US financier Jeffrey Epstein, awaiting trial on charges he trafficked underage girls for sex, was found dead in jail Saturday of an apparent suicide, triggering outcry over how the high-profile detainee could die in custody. If it comes to hard Brexit, British would be the big losers: European Union's Jean-Claude Juncker tells UK A no-deal Brexit would hurt Britain more than the rest of Europe no matter how much Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government pretends otherwise, outgoing European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said in remarks published on Saturday. Clashes kill 70 combatants in northwest Syria: Report Clashes between regime loyalists and insurgents in northwest Syria killed 70 combatants on Saturday, as government forces continued to nibble away at territory held by its opponents, a war monitor said. Huawei launches first product with own operating system Chinese telecom giant Huawei, which has been caught in the crossfires of the Washington-Beijing trade war, on Saturday unveiled a new smart television, the first product to use its own operating system.

News brief: Big stories of the day

After the International Monetary Fund (IMF) report of China's economic slowdown due to trade tariff imposed by the Trump administration, US President Donald Trump on Saturday took a swipe at China saying it wants to "badly" chalk out an agreement with his country.

He also claimed that Beijing "maybe" hoping for a Democrat to win the next year`s presidential election."China wants to make a deal so badly. Thousands of companies are leaving because of the Tariffs, they must stem the flow. At the same time China may be hoping for a Democrat to win so they could continue the great ripoff of America, &amp; the theft of hundreds of Billions of $'s!" Trump wrote on Twitter.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
China wants to make a deal so badly. Thousands of companies are leaving because of the Tariffs, they must stem the flow. At the same time China may be hoping for a Democrat to win so they could continue the great ripoff of America, &amp; the theft of hundreds of Billions of $’s!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1160309383701680129?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 10, 2019</a></blockquote>
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His tweet came a day after Trump said that the US was talking to China but asserted that Washington was not ready to strike an agreement with the Asian nation, ruling out an immediate breakthrough to end the trade war.

"We are talking to China. We are not ready to make a deal, but we will see what happens. They want to make a deal. I'm not ready to make a deal," he was quoted by The Hill as saying.

On August 1, Trump had announced that he would impose a 10 per cent tariff on the remaining $300 billion worth of untaxed imports from China, which came after trade talks between the two sides were held in Shanghai.

This means everything that China sells to the US, including clothes and iPhones to chemicals and construction equipment, will have levies of between 10 and 25 per cent on them starting from September 1, escalating the trade tensions between the world`s two largest economies.

The US had already slapped a 25 per cent tariff on a separate $250 billion of Chinese imports. China retaliated by lowering the value of the yuan and suspended purchases of US agricultural products.

Calling the US's decision a "serious violation" of the consensus reached by the two sides at the G20 summit in Osaka, Beijing said the move deviated from the right course and will in no way help to end the trade war.

(With inputs from ANI)

After the International Monetary Fund (IMF) report of China's economic slowdown due to trade tariff imposed by the Trump administration, US President Donald Trump on Saturday took a swipe at China saying it wants to "badly" chalk out an agreement with his country.

After the International Monetary Fund (IMF) report of China's economic slowdown due to trade tariff imposed by the Trump administration, US President Donald Trump on Saturday took a swipe at China saying it wants to "badly" chalk out an agreement with his country. He also claimed that Beijing "maybe" hoping for a Democrat to win the next year`s presidential election."China wants to make a deal so badly. Thousands of companies are leaving because of the Tariffs, they must stem the flow. At the same time China may be hoping for a Democrat to win so they could continue the great ripoff of America, & the theft of hundreds of Billions of $'s!" Trump wrote on Twitter. China wants to make a deal so badly. Thousands of companies are leaving because of the Tariffs, they must stem the flow. At the same time China may be hoping for a Democrat to win so they could continue the great ripoff of America, & the theft of hundreds of Billions of $’s! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 10, 2019 × His tweet came a day after Trump said that the US was talking to China but asserted that Washington was not ready to strike an agreement with the Asian nation, ruling out an immediate breakthrough to end the trade war. "We are talking to China. We are not ready to make a deal, but we will see what happens. They want to make a deal. I'm not ready to make a deal," he was quoted by The Hill as saying. On August 1, Trump had announced that he would impose a 10 per cent tariff on the remaining $300 billion worth of untaxed imports from China, which came after trade talks between the two sides were held in Shanghai. This means everything that China sells to the US, including clothes and iPhones to chemicals and construction equipment, will have levies of between 10 and 25 per cent on them starting from September 1, escalating the trade tensions between the world`s two largest economies. The US had already slapped a 25 per cent tariff on a separate $250 billion of Chinese imports. China retaliated by lowering the value of the yuan and suspended purchases of US agricultural products. Calling the US's decision a "serious violation" of the consensus reached by the two sides at the G20 summit in Osaka, Beijing said the move deviated from the right course and will in no way help to end the trade war. (With inputs from ANI)

China 'badly' wants to make deal with US and may want a Democrat to beat me: Donald Trump

New York state on Monday cleared the way for Democrats in the US Congress to obtain <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-president-donald-trump-seeks-to-override-supreme-court-ruling-on-census-233448">President Donald Trump's state tax</a> returns, raising the possibility of fresh avenues of inquiry for lawmakers investigating his finances.

Governor Andrew Cuomo signed an amendment to a tax law that would require the commissioner of the Department of Taxation and Finance to share state income tax returns and reports when certain congressional committees request them.

"This bill gives Congress the ability to fulfil its constitutional responsibilities, strengthen our democratic system and ensure that no one is above the law," said Cuomo, a Democrat.&nbsp;

Trump's attorney Jay Sekulow responded to the law by calling it an example of "more presidential harassment."

"We will respond to this as appropriate," he said in a statement.

The law, effective immediately, opens a new avenue for the Democratic majority in Congress to investigate <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/at-rally-trump-says-russia-probe-backers-tried-to-steal-power-illegally-206396">Trump's business affairs</a>.

New York's state legislature has had a Democratic majority in both the House and the Senate since Democrats won control of the Senate in 2018.

US congressional Democrats have pushed for the release of Trump's tax returns since he took office.

In May, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin denied the House Ways and Means committee's request that the Internal Revenue Service turn over six years of Trump's federal tax returns, citing his belief that the committee did not have a legitimate legislative reason for the request.

The committee sued Mnuchin and the Treasury Department last week to appeal to Mnuchin's decision.

New York state on Monday cleared the way for Democrats in the US Congress to obtain President Donald Trump's state tax returns, raising the possibility of fresh avenues of inquiry for lawmakers investigating his finances.

New York state on Monday cleared the way for Democrats in the US Congress to obtain President Donald Trump's state tax returns, raising the possibility of fresh avenues of inquiry for lawmakers investigating his finances. Governor Andrew Cuomo signed an amendment to a tax law that would require the commissioner of the Department of Taxation and Finance to share state income tax returns and reports when certain congressional committees request them. "This bill gives Congress the ability to fulfil its constitutional responsibilities, strengthen our democratic system and ensure that no one is above the law," said Cuomo, a Democrat. Trump's attorney Jay Sekulow responded to the law by calling it an example of "more presidential harassment." "We will respond to this as appropriate," he said in a statement. The law, effective immediately, opens a new avenue for the Democratic majority in Congress to investigate Trump's business affairs. New York's state legislature has had a Democratic majority in both the House and the Senate since Democrats won control of the Senate in 2018. US congressional Democrats have pushed for the release of Trump's tax returns since he took office. In May, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin denied the House Ways and Means committee's request that the Internal Revenue Service turn over six years of Trump's federal tax returns, citing his belief that the committee did not have a legitimate legislative reason for the request. The committee sued Mnuchin and the Treasury Department last week to appeal to Mnuchin's decision.

New York clears way for release of Donald Trump's state tax returns

Democratic <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/american-dream-under-attack-kamala-harris-formally-launches-bid-for-us-presidency-193280">US Senator Kamala Harris</a> released on Sunday 15 years of tax returns through 2018, offering the most complete look to date at a presidential candidate's finances.

Harris held public office during the years 2004 through 2018. With her husband, Douglas Emhoff, an attorney, she had a combined adjusted gross income in 2018 of about $1.89 million, and paid total taxes of about $697,000, according to the returns.

Harris and Emhoff, who have filed joint tax returns since marrying in 2014, have paid more than $2.2 million in federal taxes over the past five years at an average effective tax rate of 32.6 per cent, according to her campaign.

Harris' release of her tax filings follows that of fellow White House contenders like Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Elizabeth Warren. Senator Bernie Sanders has said he will release his tax filings this week. Tax day is April 15 in the United States.

Democrats in the 2020 race have released their tax returns as Republican President Donald Trump resists moves by congressional investigators to review his tax filings in probes related to his businesses and Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Trump is the first modern US president not to release his tax returns to the public.

After taking control of the House of Representatives in the 2018 elections, Democrats passed a bill that would require presidential candidates to release their tax returns. It has not been voted on by the Senate, which is controlled by Republicans, but Harris supports such legislation.

Harris has also called for the repeal of the Republican tax law approved in 2016 that delivered major tax cuts to the wealthy and businesses.

In 2018, about $157,000 of Harris and Emhoff's $1.89 million in income came from Harris' salary as a US senator, with the bulk of the rest reported as partnership income from Emhoff's work at a law firm.

Before her marriage to Emhoff, most of the income Harris reported each year was from the salary she earned as California's attorney general and, before that, as San Francisco's district attorney.

Democratic US Senator Kamala Harris released on Sunday 15 years of tax returns through 2018, offering the most complete look to date at a presidential candidate's finances.

Democratic US Senator Kamala Harris released on Sunday 15 years of tax returns through 2018, offering the most complete look to date at a presidential candidate's finances. Harris held public office during the years 2004 through 2018. With her husband, Douglas Emhoff, an attorney, she had a combined adjusted gross income in 2018 of about $1.89 million, and paid total taxes of about $697,000, according to the returns. Harris and Emhoff, who have filed joint tax returns since marrying in 2014, have paid more than $2.2 million in federal taxes over the past five years at an average effective tax rate of 32.6 per cent, according to her campaign. Harris' release of her tax filings follows that of fellow White House contenders like Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Elizabeth Warren. Senator Bernie Sanders has said he will release his tax filings this week. Tax day is April 15 in the United States. Democrats in the 2020 race have released their tax returns as Republican President Donald Trump resists moves by congressional investigators to review his tax filings in probes related to his businesses and Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Trump is the first modern US president not to release his tax returns to the public. After taking control of the House of Representatives in the 2018 elections, Democrats passed a bill that would require presidential candidates to release their tax returns. It has not been voted on by the Senate, which is controlled by Republicans, but Harris supports such legislation. Harris has also called for the repeal of the Republican tax law approved in 2016 that delivered major tax cuts to the wealthy and businesses. In 2018, about $157,000 of Harris and Emhoff's $1.89 million in income came from Harris' salary as a US senator, with the bulk of the rest reported as partnership income from Emhoff's work at a law firm. Before her marriage to Emhoff, most of the income Harris reported each year was from the salary she earned as California's attorney general and, before that, as San Francisco's district attorney.

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris releases 15 years of tax returns

Joe Biden's 2020 campaign-in-waiting pushed back Monday on "smears" it said he faces <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/second-woman-says-former-us-vice-president-biden-touched-her-inappropriately-207340">regarding his physical contact with women</a>, as a new accuser emerged to say the former vice president crossed the line into indecency.

Biden's spokesman pointed to doctored or misleading photographs that have circulated on the internet for years spotlighting what the 76-year-old Democrat himself describes as a "tactile" campaign style.

With two women in the past week going public to recount how Biden inappropriately touched them years ago, scrutiny on his history of unwanted contact has surged as he considers a presidential campaign.

"These smears and forgeries have existed in the dark recesses of the internet for a while," the spokesman, Bill Russo, said in a statement, referring to images that show Biden being overly familiar with women and children.

"And to this day, right-wing trolls and others continue to exploit them," he added.

The push-back comes as a Connecticut woman said Biden inappropriately touched her at a 2009 political fundraiser when he was vice president.

"It wasn't sexual, but he did grab me by the head," Amy Lappos told Connecticut's Hartford Courant newspaper.&nbsp;

"He put his hand around my neck and pulled me in to rub noses with me. When he was pulling me in, I thought he was going to kiss me on the mouth."

Lappos, 43, said she never filed a complaint because she believed it would go nowhere, but she was aware of the line of decency and respect that should have been honoured.

"Crossing that line is not grandfatherly," she said. "It's not cultural. It's not affection. It's sexism or misogyny."

Biden has yet to declare his candidacy, but he is already the early favourite to win the Democratic nomination and challenge Donald Trump in next year's election.

Biden was hit last week with an accusation by former Nevada state lawmaker Lucy Flores, who recalled being "mortified" when he planted a "big, slow kiss" on the back of her head as she waited to take the stage at a campaign rally five years ago.&nbsp;

He issued a statement Sunday saying he would respectfully listen to women who accused him of misconduct, but that in his decades of public life, "not once -- never -- did I believe I acted inappropriately."

Biden has had a reputation for awkwardly touching the wives, mothers or daughters of senators during swearing-in ceremonies.&nbsp;

He came under criticism for massaging the shoulders of Ash Carter's wife in 2015 as her husband was sworn in as secretary of defence.

Photographs of that incident have circulated online so frequently that Stephanie Carter posted a column Sunday saying Biden was mere "a close friend helping someone get through a big day, for which I will always be grateful."

Joe Biden's 2020 campaign-in-waiting pushed back Monday on "smears" it said he faces regarding his physical contact with women, as a new accuser emerged to say the former vice president crossed the line into indecency.

Joe Biden's 2020 campaign-in-waiting pushed back Monday on "smears" it said he faces regarding his physical contact with women, as a new accuser emerged to say the former vice president crossed the line into indecency. Biden's spokesman pointed to doctored or misleading photographs that have circulated on the internet for years spotlighting what the 76-year-old Democrat himself describes as a "tactile" campaign style. With two women in the past week going public to recount how Biden inappropriately touched them years ago, scrutiny on his history of unwanted contact has surged as he considers a presidential campaign. "These smears and forgeries have existed in the dark recesses of the internet for a while," the spokesman, Bill Russo, said in a statement, referring to images that show Biden being overly familiar with women and children. "And to this day, right-wing trolls and others continue to exploit them," he added. The push-back comes as a Connecticut woman said Biden inappropriately touched her at a 2009 political fundraiser when he was vice president. "It wasn't sexual, but he did grab me by the head," Amy Lappos told Connecticut's Hartford Courant newspaper. "He put his hand around my neck and pulled me in to rub noses with me. When he was pulling me in, I thought he was going to kiss me on the mouth." Lappos, 43, said she never filed a complaint because she believed it would go nowhere, but she was aware of the line of decency and respect that should have been honoured. "Crossing that line is not grandfatherly," she said. "It's not cultural. It's not affection. It's sexism or misogyny." Biden has yet to declare his candidacy, but he is already the early favourite to win the Democratic nomination and challenge Donald Trump in next year's election. Biden was hit last week with an accusation by former Nevada state lawmaker Lucy Flores, who recalled being "mortified" when he planted a "big, slow kiss" on the back of her head as she waited to take the stage at a campaign rally five years ago. He issued a statement Sunday saying he would respectfully listen to women who accused him of misconduct, but that in his decades of public life, "not once -- never -- did I believe I acted inappropriately." Biden has had a reputation for awkwardly touching the wives, mothers or daughters of senators during swearing-in ceremonies. He came under criticism for massaging the shoulders of Ash Carter's wife in 2015 as her husband was sworn in as secretary of defence. Photographs of that incident have circulated online so frequently that Stephanie Carter posted a column Sunday saying Biden was mere "a close friend helping someone get through a big day, for which I will always be grateful."

Former US vice president Biden's camp rejects 'smears' about his physicality with women

Democratic US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand delivered a fiery first speech as an official presidential candidate in New York City on Sunday, calling <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mueller-found-no-trump-campaign-collusion-with-russia-justice-department-205400">US President Donald Trump</a> a "coward" at the doorstep of one of his most famous properties.

The location in front of Trump International Hotel is intended to show voters that Gillibrand will attack Trump directly, in contrast to some Democratic rivals who have hesitated to focus on the Republican president early in the 2020 campaign.

"President Trump is tearing apart the moral fabric of our country," she told supporters adding "he demonizes the vulnerable and he punches down...Our President is a coward."

While some candidates, most notably Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, have harshly criticized Trump, others have largely avoided using his name, as Democrats try out different tactics for confronting the divisive president.

Though Gillibrand launched her formal campaign for the Democratic nomination only a week ago, she announced she was exploring a candidacy in January and spent the last two months visiting states such as Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina that will hold early nominating contests next year.

She has struggled to build momentum among a group of more than 15 announced and potential candidates, including five other sitting senators and former Vice President Joe Biden, who has not yet decided but is expected to join the race.

In recent surveys, Gillibrand has remained stubbornly mired in the 1-per cent range, while other first-time presidential candidates like Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren, both US senators, have shown more competitiveness.&nbsp;

The race remains in its infancy, however, with the first nominating contest in Iowa still 10 months away.

Gillibrand, known as a moderate when she served as a congresswoman from upstate New York, has refashioned herself into a staunch progressive, calling for strict gun laws and supporting the environmental agenda known as the Green New Deal. Some liberal activists have viewed that shift with scepticism.

Democratic US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand delivered a fiery first speech as an official presidential candidate in New York City on Sunday, calling US President Donald Trump a "coward" at the doorstep of one of his most famous properties.

Democratic US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand delivered a fiery first speech as an official presidential candidate in New York City on Sunday, calling US President Donald Trump a "coward" at the doorstep of one of his most famous properties. The location in front of Trump International Hotel is intended to show voters that Gillibrand will attack Trump directly, in contrast to some Democratic rivals who have hesitated to focus on the Republican president early in the 2020 campaign. "President Trump is tearing apart the moral fabric of our country," she told supporters adding "he demonizes the vulnerable and he punches down...Our President is a coward." While some candidates, most notably Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, have harshly criticized Trump, others have largely avoided using his name, as Democrats try out different tactics for confronting the divisive president. Though Gillibrand launched her formal campaign for the Democratic nomination only a week ago, she announced she was exploring a candidacy in January and spent the last two months visiting states such as Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina that will hold early nominating contests next year. She has struggled to build momentum among a group of more than 15 announced and potential candidates, including five other sitting senators and former Vice President Joe Biden, who has not yet decided but is expected to join the race. In recent surveys, Gillibrand has remained stubbornly mired in the 1-per cent range, while other first-time presidential candidates like Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren, both US senators, have shown more competitiveness. The race remains in its infancy, however, with the first nominating contest in Iowa still 10 months away. Gillibrand, known as a moderate when she served as a congresswoman from upstate New York, has refashioned herself into a staunch progressive, calling for strict gun laws and supporting the environmental agenda known as the Green New Deal. Some liberal activists have viewed that shift with scepticism.

Democrat Gillibrand delivers 2020 White House launch speech outside New York Trump hotel

Beto O’Rourke, the youthful Texan who gained a national following with his long-shot election battle against US Senator Ted Cruz last year, on Thursday launched a bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

The 46-year-old O'Rourke, a former three-term US congressman and a punk rocker in his youth, pledged to tackle "the interconnected crises in our economy, our democracy and our climate."

"This moment of peril produces, perhaps, the greatest moment of promise for this country," he said in an online video.

O'Rourke followed his announcement with a trip to Iowa, the Midwestern farm state that will hold the first Democratic nominating contest in February 2020.

Greeted by cheers at his first stop in Keokuk, Iowa, he told his audience, "It is a huge, huge honour to be here with you."

O'Rourke outlined challenges facing the United States, from immigration to climate change, saying, "The foundational challenge to get all of this done, is to fix our democracy."

In running for president, O'Rourke is hoping to leverage the fame he gained with his Senate race in Texas. He was an underdog when he challenged Cruz, a Republican in the mostly conservative state, but he quickly demonstrated an ability to draw capacity crowds and raise money from voters nationwide.

His long-shot bid drew widespread media attention and excited voters in a party desperate for fresh political faces. O'Rourke lost the race by less than 3 percentage points, the tightest US Senate contest in the state in four decades.

Early opinion polls on the 2020 race have consistently ranked O’Rourke in the top tier of contenders, behind former Vice President Joe Biden, who has not yet announced whether he is running, and US Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

Since his Senate bid ended, O'Rourke has worked to keep himself in the public eye, regularly staying in touch with supporters and sitting for an interview with Oprah Winfrey.

He took a well-publicized road trip across the American Southwest, stopping at colleges and diners. He visited with students in the key swing state of Wisconsin.

In February, he held a rally in his hometown of El Paso, Texas, on the same night as one staged there by Republican President Donald Trump. Both rallies drew thousands, and put the two men's divergent positions on the border wall on sharp display.

In El Paso, Trump ridiculed O'Rourke as "a young man who’s got very little going for himself, except he’s got a great first name."

TESTING THE CORNFIELDS

The Iowa trip will be the first test of whether O'Rourke can take the pop-star appeal he showed in Texas last year to the national stage.

Beyond a previously announced event in Waterloo, Iowa, on Saturday, O'Rourke is expected to visit other towns in eastern Iowa, traditionally a Democratic stronghold.

Starting with the Iowa caucuses next year, the Democrat who amasses the majority of delegates nationwide in a series of contests will be nominated at the party’s convention in Milwaukee in the summer, and will likely face Trump in November's general election.

Like progressives such as Sanders, O’Rourke premised much of his appeal in the Senate race on his refusal to accept money from political action committees and instead raised $80 million from small-dollar donors - a national record for a Senate bid. He also ran a campaign staffed by volunteers instead of political professionals.

Building a national presidential operation, however, is a different matter. O’Rourke will need those same donors to flock to him in a way that makes him competitive with other well-funded candidates, including other grassroots stars such as Sanders and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.

He also will have to convince some party liberals that he will promote their agenda. They have zeroed in on his refusal while in the House of Representatives to co-sponsor legislation providing "Medicare-for-all" and free college tuition, although during his Senate campaign O’Rourke promoted the idea of universal health care.

In his six years in Congress representing a region of West Texas along the border with Mexico, O’Rourke largely did not ally himself with progressives, instead joining the centrist "New Democrat" coalition.

"I’m not big on labels," O’Rourke told reporters in December when asked whether he could be considered a progressive.

Last month, he appeared to attempt to separate himself further from that wing of the party when he pointedly called himself a capitalist. "I don't see how we're able to meet any of the fundamental challenges that we have as a country without, in part, harnessing the power of the market," O'Rourke said.

Trump and his Republican allies have tried to demonize the current presidential field as socialists.

Since losing the White House in 2016, Democrats have grappled with how to best take on Trump in 2020. Some in the party believe an establishment figure who can appeal to centrist voters is the way to victory. Others argue a fresh face is needed to energize the party’s increasingly left-leaning base.

O’Rourke, whose given name is Robert Francis, acquired his nickname while growing up in El Paso. After studying at Columbia University and working briefly in New York, he returned to his hometown and started a software company.

In 2005, he was elected to El Paso's city council. Seven years later, he ran against the incumbent Democratic congressman, Silvestre Reyes, and won, a notable feat in a Latino-majority district. He was re-elected twice.

A former bassist in a punk band, O’Rourke was arrested for driving while intoxicated in 1998. That has been an issue in every campaign he has run and will undoubtedly resurface during his presidential bid.

Beto O’Rourke, the youthful Texan who gained a national following with his long-shot election battle against US Senator Ted Cruz last year, on Thursday launched a bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

Beto O’Rourke, the youthful Texan who gained a national following with his long-shot election battle against US Senator Ted Cruz last year, on Thursday launched a bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. The 46-year-old O'Rourke, a former three-term US congressman and a punk rocker in his youth, pledged to tackle "the interconnected crises in our economy, our democracy and our climate." "This moment of peril produces, perhaps, the greatest moment of promise for this country," he said in an online video. O'Rourke followed his announcement with a trip to Iowa, the Midwestern farm state that will hold the first Democratic nominating contest in February 2020. Greeted by cheers at his first stop in Keokuk, Iowa, he told his audience, "It is a huge, huge honour to be here with you." O'Rourke outlined challenges facing the United States, from immigration to climate change, saying, "The foundational challenge to get all of this done, is to fix our democracy." In running for president, O'Rourke is hoping to leverage the fame he gained with his Senate race in Texas. He was an underdog when he challenged Cruz, a Republican in the mostly conservative state, but he quickly demonstrated an ability to draw capacity crowds and raise money from voters nationwide. His long-shot bid drew widespread media attention and excited voters in a party desperate for fresh political faces. O'Rourke lost the race by less than 3 percentage points, the tightest US Senate contest in the state in four decades. Early opinion polls on the 2020 race have consistently ranked O’Rourke in the top tier of contenders, behind former Vice President Joe Biden, who has not yet announced whether he is running, and US Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Since his Senate bid ended, O'Rourke has worked to keep himself in the public eye, regularly staying in touch with supporters and sitting for an interview with Oprah Winfrey. He took a well-publicized road trip across the American Southwest, stopping at colleges and diners. He visited with students in the key swing state of Wisconsin. In February, he held a rally in his hometown of El Paso, Texas, on the same night as one staged there by Republican President Donald Trump. Both rallies drew thousands, and put the two men's divergent positions on the border wall on sharp display. In El Paso, Trump ridiculed O'Rourke as "a young man who’s got very little going for himself, except he’s got a great first name." TESTING THE CORNFIELDS The Iowa trip will be the first test of whether O'Rourke can take the pop-star appeal he showed in Texas last year to the national stage. Beyond a previously announced event in Waterloo, Iowa, on Saturday, O'Rourke is expected to visit other towns in eastern Iowa, traditionally a Democratic stronghold. Starting with the Iowa caucuses next year, the Democrat who amasses the majority of delegates nationwide in a series of contests will be nominated at the party’s convention in Milwaukee in the summer, and will likely face Trump in November's general election. Like progressives such as Sanders, O’Rourke premised much of his appeal in the Senate race on his refusal to accept money from political action committees and instead raised $80 million from small-dollar donors - a national record for a Senate bid. He also ran a campaign staffed by volunteers instead of political professionals. Building a national presidential operation, however, is a different matter. O’Rourke will need those same donors to flock to him in a way that makes him competitive with other well-funded candidates, including other grassroots stars such as Sanders and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. He also will have to convince some party liberals that he will promote their agenda. They have zeroed in on his refusal while in the House of Representatives to co-sponsor legislation providing "Medicare-for-all" and free college tuition, although during his Senate campaign O’Rourke promoted the idea of universal health care. In his six years in Congress representing a region of West Texas along the border with Mexico, O’Rourke largely did not ally himself with progressives, instead joining the centrist "New Democrat" coalition. "I’m not big on labels," O’Rourke told reporters in December when asked whether he could be considered a progressive. Last month, he appeared to attempt to separate himself further from that wing of the party when he pointedly called himself a capitalist. "I don't see how we're able to meet any of the fundamental challenges that we have as a country without, in part, harnessing the power of the market," O'Rourke said. Trump and his Republican allies have tried to demonize the current presidential field as socialists. Since losing the White House in 2016, Democrats have grappled with how to best take on Trump in 2020. Some in the party believe an establishment figure who can appeal to centrist voters is the way to victory. Others argue a fresh face is needed to energize the party’s increasingly left-leaning base. O’Rourke, whose given name is Robert Francis, acquired his nickname while growing up in El Paso. After studying at Columbia University and working briefly in New York, he returned to his hometown and started a software company. In 2005, he was elected to El Paso's city council. Seven years later, he ran against the incumbent Democratic congressman, Silvestre Reyes, and won, a notable feat in a Latino-majority district. He was re-elected twice. A former bassist in a punk band, O’Rourke was arrested for driving while intoxicated in 1998. That has been an issue in every campaign he has run and will undoubtedly resurface during his presidential bid.

Democrat Beto O'Rourke jumps into 2020 US presidential race

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/democrats-launch-sweeping-probe-targeting-dozens-in-trump-orbit-201205">President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;branded Democratic opponents "crazy" and guilty of overreach Tuesday in a fevered response to a huge new Democratic-led probe of his alleged crimes.

In a searing burst of early morning tweets, the president said the House Judiciary Committee investigation launched Monday was "the greatest overreach in the history of our Country."

"The real crime is what the Dems are doing, and have done!" he said.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
The greatest overreach in the history of our Country. The Dems are obstructing justice and will not get anything done. A big, fat, fishing expedition desperately in search of a crime, when in fact the real crime is what the Dems are doing, and have done!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1102934716607578112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Another tweet labelled Democratic leaders "stone cold CRAZY."

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Now that they realize the only Collusion with Russia was done by Crooked Hillary Clinton &amp; the Democrats, Nadler, Schiff and the Dem heads of the Committees have gone stone cold CRAZY. 81 letter sent to innocent people to harass them. They won’t get ANYTHING done for our Country!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1102920338529288193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2019</a></blockquote>
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"PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT!" said another.

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PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1102934910900363266?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Trump's exclamation mark- and capital letter-laden outbursts indicated rising temperature in a White House under assault from multiple directions.

Democrats, who took control of the House of Representatives last November, suspect Trump of a slew of potentially impeachable offences, including obstruction of justice and abuse of office.

The powerful judiciary committee is demanding information from 81 Trump-connected individuals and entities, including his sons.

The new front opened just as Trump braces for the results of an independent probe into his dealings with Russia by special prosecutor Robert Mueller.

Rumours that Mueller is close to ending his two-year investigation have set Washington on edge.

Debate over whether the prosecutor's findings should be made immediately public is already underway, with Democrats warning that attempts at a cover-up by the White House could lead them to subpoena Mueller to testify.

Republicans waver&nbsp; 
Trump's response to the pressure has been consistent with his longtime playbook: to insult accusers, admit no weakness, and rely on backing from his ultra-loyal political base.

Polls show that the president's support among Republican voters remains strong, even if Democratic voters are just as convinced in opposition.

However, cracks in Republican support at the top echelons of the party have appeared.

When the Democratic majority in the House voted to overturn Trump's controversial use of emergency powers to force funding for US-Mexico border wall construction, that was expected. However, this week four Republican senators have broken ranks to join their Democratic opponents in the upper house, meaning the motion can pass there too.

Trump will likely be able to brush aside that rebuke by using the first veto of his presidency. However, the fact that he has lost the guaranteed backing of his party in the Senate could point to trouble ahead.

2020 election link 
In Trump's combative vision of politics, the looming probes are not all bad news.

Already the White House is framing the Democratic onslaught as symptomatic of leftist radicalism supposedly threatening the country.

Trump has made the spectre of far-left socialism a growing part of his 2020 reelection campaign, even claiming that Democrats want to replicate the violent chaos underway in Venezuela.

"Democrats are harassing the President to distract from their radical agenda of making America a socialist country, killing babies after they're born, and pushing a 'green new deal' that would destroy jobs and bankrupt America," Trump spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said late Monday.

Trump's other main angle of attack has been to dismiss the validity of the Mueller probe, which he has repeatedly dubbed a "witch hunt" and "phony" in hopes of reducing its credibility.

But in an indication that the president's rhetorical bombshells risk misfiring, former Trump White House lawyer Ty Cobb went public Tuesday with a surprising defence of Mueller, calling him an "American hero."

"I don't feel the investigation is a witch hunt," Cobb told ABC News podcast "The Investigation."

President Donald Trump branded Democratic opponents "crazy" and guilty of overreach Tuesday in a fevered response to a huge new Democratic-led probe of his alleged crimes.

President Donald Trump branded Democratic opponents "crazy" and guilty of overreach Tuesday in a fevered response to a huge new Democratic-led probe of his alleged crimes. In a searing burst of early morning tweets, the president said the House Judiciary Committee investigation launched Monday was "the greatest overreach in the history of our Country." "The real crime is what the Dems are doing, and have done!" he said. The greatest overreach in the history of our Country. The Dems are obstructing justice and will not get anything done. A big, fat, fishing expedition desperately in search of a crime, when in fact the real crime is what the Dems are doing, and have done! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 5, 2019 × Another tweet labelled Democratic leaders "stone cold CRAZY." Now that they realize the only Collusion with Russia was done by Crooked Hillary Clinton & the Democrats, Nadler, Schiff and the Dem heads of the Committees have gone stone cold CRAZY. 81 letter sent to innocent people to harass them. They won’t get ANYTHING done for our Country! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 5, 2019 × "PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT!" said another. PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 5, 2019 × Trump's exclamation mark- and capital letter-laden outbursts indicated rising temperature in a White House under assault from multiple directions. Democrats, who took control of the House of Representatives last November, suspect Trump of a slew of potentially impeachable offences, including obstruction of justice and abuse of office. The powerful judiciary committee is demanding information from 81 Trump-connected individuals and entities, including his sons. The new front opened just as Trump braces for the results of an independent probe into his dealings with Russia by special prosecutor Robert Mueller. Rumours that Mueller is close to ending his two-year investigation have set Washington on edge. Debate over whether the prosecutor's findings should be made immediately public is already underway, with Democrats warning that attempts at a cover-up by the White House could lead them to subpoena Mueller to testify. Republicans waver Trump's response to the pressure has been consistent with his longtime playbook: to insult accusers, admit no weakness, and rely on backing from his ultra-loyal political base. Polls show that the president's support among Republican voters remains strong, even if Democratic voters are just as convinced in opposition. However, cracks in Republican support at the top echelons of the party have appeared. When the Democratic majority in the House voted to overturn Trump's controversial use of emergency powers to force funding for US-Mexico border wall construction, that was expected. However, this week four Republican senators have broken ranks to join their Democratic opponents in the upper house, meaning the motion can pass there too. Trump will likely be able to brush aside that rebuke by using the first veto of his presidency. However, the fact that he has lost the guaranteed backing of his party in the Senate could point to trouble ahead. 2020 election link In Trump's combative vision of politics, the looming probes are not all bad news. Already the White House is framing the Democratic onslaught as symptomatic of leftist radicalism supposedly threatening the country. Trump has made the spectre of far-left socialism a growing part of his 2020 reelection campaign, even claiming that Democrats want to replicate the violent chaos underway in Venezuela. "Democrats are harassing the President to distract from their radical agenda of making America a socialist country, killing babies after they're born, and pushing a 'green new deal' that would destroy jobs and bankrupt America," Trump spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said late Monday. Trump's other main angle of attack has been to dismiss the validity of the Mueller probe, which he has repeatedly dubbed a "witch hunt" and "phony" in hopes of reducing its credibility. But in an indication that the president's rhetorical bombshells risk misfiring, former Trump White House lawyer Ty Cobb went public Tuesday with a surprising defence of Mueller, calling him an "American hero." "I don't feel the investigation is a witch hunt," Cobb told ABC News podcast "The Investigation."

As Democrats probe his alleged crimes, Trump says they're 'stone cold CRAZY'

Former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper joined the growing field of Democratic presidential candidates on Monday, hoping to position himself as a centrist and an experienced officeholder who is best poised to defeat Republican President Donald Trump in 2020.

Hickenlooper, 67, will tout his business background and two terms in office, during which Colorado's economy soared and the state expanded healthcare and passed a gun control law.

"I’ve proven again and again I can bring people together to produce the progressive change Washington has failed to deliver," he said in a statement announcing his campaign on Monday, adding "we ... need to get things done."

He is the second governor to enter the Democratic race, following Washington Governor Jay Inslee, and joins a slew of sitting U.S. senators who have already begun campaigns.

The field of Democratic candidates has grown to more than a dozen, with additional contenders still expected to join the field.

Hickenlooper will hold a campaign launch in Denver on Thursday and then travel to Iowa, the state which holds the first nominating contest, for the weekend.

The former governor, who left office in January, refused to air negative ads during his two gubernatorial campaigns, a position his aides insist he will carry into his presidential bid.

"There's no profit margin in making enemies," Hickenlooper says frequently to describe his political philosophy.

But staying positive will be harder to do in a presidential campaign expected to draw a large slate of Democratic hopefuls and against Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee who won in 2016 after a race replete with personal attacks on his opponents.

In announcing his bid, Hickenlooper did poke fun at himself.

"As a skinny kid with Coke-bottle glasses and a funny last name, I've stood up to my fair share of bullies," Hickenlooper said in a video launching his campaign. "Standing tall when it matters is really what drives me."

Hickenlooper is jumping straight into a debate within the Democratic Party about the best path to beating Trump in 2020. He joins those in his party who believe an establishment figure who can appeal to centrist voters is the way to win back the White House. Others believe a fresh face, and particularly a diverse one, is needed to energize the party’s increasingly left-leaning base.

Hickenlooper has so far refused to take corporate money for the political action committee, named Giddy Up PAC, he formed to allow him to raise and spend federal funds helping other candidates - a position he is expected to continue in his presidential bid.

Over the past two years, he has actively sought to bolster his bipartisan credentials.

In 2017, he asked then-Ohio Governor John Kasich, a Republican, to join him in advocating for compromise over the future of the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare. The two held a series of national events touting the ability to reach a bipartisan agreement.

The tour generated speculation that Kasich and Hickenlooper could mount a third-party bid for president and vice president together, rumours both camps denied.

Hickenlooper often speaks of his personal biography. After getting laid off from work as a geologist in the 1980s, he opened a brewery and pub. He frequently talks about the risk of opening his own business - a point he makes to argue he understands the needs of the economy.

He was elected mayor of Denver in 2007 and governor of Colorado in 2010.

In 2012, the state's residents voted to legalize marijuana. At the time, Hickenlooper called legalization a bad idea but agreed to implement the will of the voters. He has since said he believes legalization and the oversight system created in the state worked.

Former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper joined the growing field of Democratic presidential candidates on Monday, hoping to position himself as a centrist and an experienced officeholder who is best poised to defeat Republican President Donald Trump in 2020.

Former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper joined the growing field of Democratic presidential candidates on Monday, hoping to position himself as a centrist and an experienced officeholder who is best poised to defeat Republican President Donald Trump in 2020. Hickenlooper, 67, will tout his business background and two terms in office, during which Colorado's economy soared and the state expanded healthcare and passed a gun control law. "I’ve proven again and again I can bring people together to produce the progressive change Washington has failed to deliver," he said in a statement announcing his campaign on Monday, adding "we ... need to get things done." He is the second governor to enter the Democratic race, following Washington Governor Jay Inslee, and joins a slew of sitting U.S. senators who have already begun campaigns. The field of Democratic candidates has grown to more than a dozen, with additional contenders still expected to join the field. Hickenlooper will hold a campaign launch in Denver on Thursday and then travel to Iowa, the state which holds the first nominating contest, for the weekend. The former governor, who left office in January, refused to air negative ads during his two gubernatorial campaigns, a position his aides insist he will carry into his presidential bid. "There's no profit margin in making enemies," Hickenlooper says frequently to describe his political philosophy. But staying positive will be harder to do in a presidential campaign expected to draw a large slate of Democratic hopefuls and against Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee who won in 2016 after a race replete with personal attacks on his opponents. In announcing his bid, Hickenlooper did poke fun at himself. "As a skinny kid with Coke-bottle glasses and a funny last name, I've stood up to my fair share of bullies," Hickenlooper said in a video launching his campaign. "Standing tall when it matters is really what drives me." Hickenlooper is jumping straight into a debate within the Democratic Party about the best path to beating Trump in 2020. He joins those in his party who believe an establishment figure who can appeal to centrist voters is the way to win back the White House. Others believe a fresh face, and particularly a diverse one, is needed to energize the party’s increasingly left-leaning base. Hickenlooper has so far refused to take corporate money for the political action committee, named Giddy Up PAC, he formed to allow him to raise and spend federal funds helping other candidates - a position he is expected to continue in his presidential bid. Over the past two years, he has actively sought to bolster his bipartisan credentials. In 2017, he asked then-Ohio Governor John Kasich, a Republican, to join him in advocating for compromise over the future of the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare. The two held a series of national events touting the ability to reach a bipartisan agreement. The tour generated speculation that Kasich and Hickenlooper could mount a third-party bid for president and vice president together, rumours both camps denied. Hickenlooper often speaks of his personal biography. After getting laid off from work as a geologist in the 1980s, he opened a brewery and pub. He frequently talks about the risk of opening his own business - a point he makes to argue he understands the needs of the economy. He was elected mayor of Denver in 2007 and governor of Colorado in 2010. In 2012, the state's residents voted to legalize marijuana. At the time, Hickenlooper called legalization a bad idea but agreed to implement the will of the voters. He has since said he believes legalization and the oversight system created in the state worked.

Former Democratic Colorado Governor Hickenlooper joins 2020 presidential race

Democrat Amy Klobuchar on Sunday joined the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-senator-warren-formally-launches-2020-campaign-sounds-note-of-economic-equality-196404">2020 White House race</a>, adding a pragmatic voice from the heartland state of Minnesota to an ever-growing field of contenders hoping to unseat US President Donald Trump.

In a speech that was almost a point-by-point rejection of the president's policies and of the country's toxic divides, she told supporters, "We are tired of the shutdowns and the showdowns, of the gridlock and the grandstanding."

"Enough is enough. Our nation must be governed not from chaos but from opportunity."&nbsp;

Klobuchar, the 58-year-old granddaughter of an iron miner, made the announcement before a heavily bundled-up crowd under gray and snowy skies in a park along the Mississippi River, as volunteers passed out hand warmers.

In a year when many Democrats say their top priority in a candidate is an ability to defeat Trump, Klobuchar's words seemed -- time after time, issue by issue -- to target the president.

She said that if elected she would return to the international climate treaty on "Day One"; she promised more stringent gun laws and set a target of universal health care; and she said America must support its troops, diplomats and intelligence officers.

"They deserve better than foreign policy by tweet," she said. &nbsp;

Klobuchar has been visibly building a national profile. Crucially, she has proven popular even in the more Republican-friendly rural parts of her state. She won re-election in November by a resounding 24-point margin, carrying 1,200 precincts won by Trump in 2016.&nbsp;

A former prosecutor with an unpretentious demeanour, she referred again and again in her speech to her roots in a region that prides itself on an ethic of honesty and hard work. But at odds with that image, her own work ethic has emerged as a focus of criticism in recent days.

Several former aides have been quoted saying she is difficult to work for, with bouts of "explosive rage" leading to exceptionally high staff turnover.&nbsp;

Her defenders say she is simply someone who demands excellence, and that the allegations against her would not be made against a man.

'Minnesota Nice'&nbsp;

Klobuchar, 58, pointedly wore neither hat nor gloves during her speech Sunday in bitterly cold weather, her brown hair and mustard-yellow coat gradually turning white with the accumulating snowfall.&nbsp;

"I don't have a political machine, I don't come from money, but what I do have is this," she said: "I have grit. I have family. I have friends. I have neighbours. I have all of you."

Minnesota Republicans, with a poor record against Klobuchar, have tried nonetheless to blunt her announcement, portraying her as overly cautious and perhaps not up to a nationwide challenge.

"Minnesota Nice is not going to work on a national stage," Jennifer Carnahan, chair of the state's Republican Party, told the Star Tribune newspaper.

While many of the high-profile Democrats already in the race are in the progressive lane -- liberal Senator Elizabeth Warren formally declared her candidacy Saturday -- Klobuchar has quietly gained attention in Washington as a centrist.

She is known for putting partisanship aside to pass legislation, something that has earned her a devoted following in Minnesota, and something American voters regularly tell pollsters they want.

"If you just go in your opposite corner of the boxing ring, you never get anything done," she said on ABC's "The View" late last year. "Courage is whether you're willing to stand next to someone you don't always agree with, for the betterment of this country."

In a historically diverse Democratic field, Klobuchar is the fifth woman to seek the nomination.

Senators Kamala Harris of California, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Warren of Massachusetts have all thrown their hat in the race, as has congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii.

A number of male senators are either running (Cory Booker of New Jersey) or considering a run (Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Jeff Merkley of Oregon).

Former vice president Joe Biden is known to be weighing a candidacy, and former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke has said he will announce his plans this month.

Klobuchar, the daughter of a journalist and a teacher, has a reputation as a fierce defender of the rights of the working class, consumers and women.

Her profile rose last year when she won plaudits for her cool-headed questioning of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh in a hearing focusing on allegations of sexual abuse and drinking.&nbsp;

Democrat Amy Klobuchar on Sunday joined the 2020 White House race, adding a pragmatic voice from the heartland state of Minnesota to an ever-growing field of contenders hoping to unseat US President Donald Trump.

Democrat Amy Klobuchar on Sunday joined the 2020 White House race, adding a pragmatic voice from the heartland state of Minnesota to an ever-growing field of contenders hoping to unseat US President Donald Trump. In a speech that was almost a point-by-point rejection of the president's policies and of the country's toxic divides, she told supporters, "We are tired of the shutdowns and the showdowns, of the gridlock and the grandstanding." "Enough is enough. Our nation must be governed not from chaos but from opportunity." Klobuchar, the 58-year-old granddaughter of an iron miner, made the announcement before a heavily bundled-up crowd under gray and snowy skies in a park along the Mississippi River, as volunteers passed out hand warmers. In a year when many Democrats say their top priority in a candidate is an ability to defeat Trump, Klobuchar's words seemed -- time after time, issue by issue -- to target the president. She said that if elected she would return to the international climate treaty on "Day One"; she promised more stringent gun laws and set a target of universal health care; and she said America must support its troops, diplomats and intelligence officers. "They deserve better than foreign policy by tweet," she said. Klobuchar has been visibly building a national profile. Crucially, she has proven popular even in the more Republican-friendly rural parts of her state. She won re-election in November by a resounding 24-point margin, carrying 1,200 precincts won by Trump in 2016. A former prosecutor with an unpretentious demeanour, she referred again and again in her speech to her roots in a region that prides itself on an ethic of honesty and hard work. But at odds with that image, her own work ethic has emerged as a focus of criticism in recent days. Several former aides have been quoted saying she is difficult to work for, with bouts of "explosive rage" leading to exceptionally high staff turnover. Her defenders say she is simply someone who demands excellence, and that the allegations against her would not be made against a man. 'Minnesota Nice' Klobuchar, 58, pointedly wore neither hat nor gloves during her speech Sunday in bitterly cold weather, her brown hair and mustard-yellow coat gradually turning white with the accumulating snowfall. "I don't have a political machine, I don't come from money, but what I do have is this," she said: "I have grit. I have family. I have friends. I have neighbours. I have all of you." Minnesota Republicans, with a poor record against Klobuchar, have tried nonetheless to blunt her announcement, portraying her as overly cautious and perhaps not up to a nationwide challenge. "Minnesota Nice is not going to work on a national stage," Jennifer Carnahan, chair of the state's Republican Party, told the Star Tribune newspaper. While many of the high-profile Democrats already in the race are in the progressive lane -- liberal Senator Elizabeth Warren formally declared her candidacy Saturday -- Klobuchar has quietly gained attention in Washington as a centrist. She is known for putting partisanship aside to pass legislation, something that has earned her a devoted following in Minnesota, and something American voters regularly tell pollsters they want. "If you just go in your opposite corner of the boxing ring, you never get anything done," she said on ABC's "The View" late last year. "Courage is whether you're willing to stand next to someone you don't always agree with, for the betterment of this country." In a historically diverse Democratic field, Klobuchar is the fifth woman to seek the nomination. Senators Kamala Harris of California, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Warren of Massachusetts have all thrown their hat in the race, as has congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii. A number of male senators are either running (Cory Booker of New Jersey) or considering a run (Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Jeff Merkley of Oregon). Former vice president Joe Biden is known to be weighing a candidacy, and former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke has said he will announce his plans this month. Klobuchar, the daughter of a journalist and a teacher, has a reputation as a fierce defender of the rights of the working class, consumers and women. Her profile rose last year when she won plaudits for her cool-headed questioning of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh in a hearing focusing on allegations of sexual abuse and drinking.

Democrat Amy Klobuchar joins 2020 White House race

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday she was ready to meet with <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/will-do-the-address-when-shutdown-is-over-trump-192426">President Donald Trump</a> any time to discuss an end to the partial government shutdown as lawmakers prepared to vote on various bills to end the standoff.

“He’s the president of the United States. We meet with him any time he wants to meet," Pelosi, the House's top Democrat told reporters at a weekly news conference.

Pelosi also said Democrats were not negotiating any counter-offers behind the scenes and that they were continuing to efforts to reopen the government after finding lapsed December 22.&nbsp;

She said, however, that there would be some border security provisions within legislation Democrats are preparing for funding the Department of Homeland Security.

Pelosi said she was optimistic that Republicans in the Senate will look favourably on a House of Representatives proposal to reopen the government until February 8.&nbsp;

The Senate was to vote on the plan later Thursday. Democrats took control of the House earlier this month following their November election gains.

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday she was ready to meet with President Donald Trump any time to discuss an end to the partial government shutdown as lawmakers prepared to vote on various bills to end the standoff.

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday she was ready to meet with President Donald Trump any time to discuss an end to the partial government shutdown as lawmakers prepared to vote on various bills to end the standoff. “He’s the president of the United States. We meet with him any time he wants to meet," Pelosi, the House's top Democrat told reporters at a weekly news conference. Pelosi also said Democrats were not negotiating any counter-offers behind the scenes and that they were continuing to efforts to reopen the government after finding lapsed December 22. She said, however, that there would be some border security provisions within legislation Democrats are preparing for funding the Department of Homeland Security. Pelosi said she was optimistic that Republicans in the Senate will look favourably on a House of Representatives proposal to reopen the government until February 8. The Senate was to vote on the plan later Thursday. Democrats took control of the House earlier this month following their November election gains.

Ready to meet Trump anytime over government shutdown: Nancy Pelosi

The top Democrat in Congress on Wednesday urged <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/stupid-to-suggest-trump-is-working-for-russia-top-putin-aide-190814">President Donald Trump</a> to postpone his upcoming annual State of the Union address, citing security shortcomings due to the ongoing partial government shutdown.

Trump was due to deliver his speech, in which a president lays out his legislative agenda and provides an economic status report to the nation, on January 29.

"Sadly, given the security concerns and unless government re-opens this week, I suggest that we work together to determine another suitable date after government has re-opened for this address or for you to consider delivering (it) in writing to the Congress on January 29th," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a letter to the president.

The United States is in the grips of its longest-ever government shutdown, with about 25 per cent of federal agencies and offices shuttered.&nbsp;

The US Secret Service, which is charged with the protection of the president, provides security for what are known as national special security events, including the State of the Union.&nbsp;

"However, both the US Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security have not been funded for 26 days now -– with critical departments hamstrung by furloughs," Pelosi noted in her letter.

She also said that "since the start of modern budgeting in Fiscal Year 1977, a State of the Union address has never been delivered during a government shutdown."

The notion that Trump, a billionaire businessman who dramatically boosted his national prominence through his reality television show "The Apprentice," would send in a written version of his address seems quaint in today's screen-dominated digital era.

But Pelosi pointed out that up until Woodrow Wilson's presidency in the early 20th century, "these annual State of the Union messages were delivered to Congress in writing."

The top Democrat in Congress on Wednesday urged President Donald Trump to postpone his upcoming annual State of the Union address, citing security shortcomings due to the ongoing partial government shutdown.

The top Democrat in Congress on Wednesday urged President Donald Trump to postpone his upcoming annual State of the Union address, citing security shortcomings due to the ongoing partial government shutdown. Trump was due to deliver his speech, in which a president lays out his legislative agenda and provides an economic status report to the nation, on January 29. "Sadly, given the security concerns and unless government re-opens this week, I suggest that we work together to determine another suitable date after government has re-opened for this address or for you to consider delivering (it) in writing to the Congress on January 29th," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a letter to the president. The United States is in the grips of its longest-ever government shutdown, with about 25 per cent of federal agencies and offices shuttered. The US Secret Service, which is charged with the protection of the president, provides security for what are known as national special security events, including the State of the Union. "However, both the US Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security have not been funded for 26 days now -– with critical departments hamstrung by furloughs," Pelosi noted in her letter. She also said that "since the start of modern budgeting in Fiscal Year 1977, a State of the Union address has never been delivered during a government shutdown." The notion that Trump, a billionaire businessman who dramatically boosted his national prominence through his reality television show "The Apprentice," would send in a written version of his address seems quaint in today's screen-dominated digital era. But Pelosi pointed out that up until Woodrow Wilson's presidency in the early 20th century, "these annual State of the Union messages were delivered to Congress in writing."

Top Democrat urges Trump to delay State of Union until government reopens

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