theguardian--2020-01-16--'You called me a liar on national TV': audio released of testy Warren-Sanders exchange

CNN has released the audio of the testy exchange between Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders that took place following Tuesday ’ s Democratic debate .
After the debate wrapped , Bernie Sanders outstretched his hand to Elizabeth Warren .
Warren did not take it , and the two progressive candidates , who until recently have avoided criticizing each other publicly , exchanged words – which until now were inaudible .
On Wednesday , CNN ’ s Anderson Cooper released audio of the conversation .
“ I think you called me a liar on national TV , ” Warren said to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do it right now , ” Sanders responded .
“ You called me a liar.
” Meanwhile , Tom Steyer , caught awkwardly between the longtime friends and colleagues , said : “ I don ’ t want to get in the middle ...
I just wanted to say ‘ Hi , ’ Bernie.
” Tuesday ’ s debate , the final one before the Iowa caucuses next month , deepened the schism between the two over a report that Sanders told Warren during a private meeting in 2018 that he did not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election .
Sanders has vehemently denied that he said it , while Warren has released a statement contradicting him .
“ Among the topics that came up was what would happen if Democrats nominated a female candidate , ” Warren said in the statement on Monday evening , recalling the meeting .
“ I thought a woman could win ; he disagreed .
I have no interest in discussing this private meeting any further because Bernie and I have far more in common than our differences on punditry.
” During Tuesday ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked Sanders to respond .
“ Well , as a matter of fact , I didn ’ t say it , ” Sanders said , implying that Warren , who confirmed the report , was lying .
Warren said she “ disagreed ” with Sanders that a woman couldn ’ t win , pointing out that she was the only candidate on stage who had beaten an incumbent Republican in the past 30 years .
“ Look at the men on the stage – collectively they ’ ve lost 10 elections , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ progressive activists worried that escalating tension between Warren and Sanders could divide liberals .
One activist and writer used a Lord of the Rings analogy .
“ Frodo and Samwise are approaching Mt Doom , and instead of finishing the darn mission they ’ re fighting each other when at the end of the day we need to defeat Sauron , ” said Julian Brave NoiseCat , a Guardian contributor and strategist for the thinktank Data for Progress , in an interview with Democracy Now .
Sanders ’ wife , Jane O ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rift .
“ The message is unity , ” she told the Associated Press .
“ We ’ re not going to go into that realm .
We ’ re just not going to play that game.
” Neither Warren ’ s nor Sanders ’ campaign responded immediately to a request for comment on the new audio .

CNN has released the audio of the testy exchange between Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders that took place following Tuesday’s Democratic debate.
After the debate wrapped, Bernie Sanders outstretched his hand to Elizabeth Warren. Warren did not take it, and the two progressive candidates, who until recently have avoided criticizing each other publicly, exchanged words – which until now were inaudible.
On Wednesday, CNN’s Anderson Cooper released audio of the conversation.
“I think you called me a liar on national TV,” Warren said to Sanders.
“Let’s not do it right now,” Sanders responded. “You called me a liar.”
Meanwhile, Tom Steyer, caught awkwardly between the longtime friends and colleagues, said: “I don’t want to get in the middle ... I just wanted to say hi, Bernie.”
“Yeah, OK. Good,” Sanders said.
Tuesday’s debate, the final one before the Iowa caucuses next month, deepened the schism between the two over a report that claimed Sanders told Warren during a private meeting in 2018 he did not think a woman could win the 2020 election.
Sanders has vehemently denied that he said it. Warren released a statement that contradicted him.
In a statement on Monday evening, Warren, recalling the meeting, said: “Among the topics that came up was what would happen if Democrats nominated a female candidate. I thought a woman could win; he disagreed. I have no interest in discussing this private meeting any further because Bernie and I have far more in common than our differences on punditry.”
During Tuesday’s debate, the CNN moderator Abby Phillip asked Sanders to respond.
“Well, as a matter of fact, I didn’t say it,” Sanders said.
Warren said she “disagreed” with Sanders that a woman couldn’t win, pointing out that she was the only candidate on stage who had beaten an incumbent Republican in the past 30 years. “Look at the men on the stage – collectively they’ve lost 10 elections,” she added.
Following the debate, progressive activists worried that escalating tension between Warren and Sanders could divide liberals. One activist and writer used a Lord of the Rings analogy. “Frodo and Samwise are approaching Mt Doom, and instead of finishing the darn mission they’re fighting each other when at the end of the day we need to defeat Sauron,” said Julian Brave NoiseCat, a Guardian contributor and strategist for the thinktank Data for Progress, in an interview with Democracy Now.
Sanders’ wife, Jane O’Meara Sanders, downplayed lasting repercussions of the rift. “The message is unity,” she told the Associated Press. “We’re not going to go into that realm. We’re just not going to play that game.”
Neither Warren’s nor Sanders’ campaign responded immediately to a request for comment on the new audio.


theguardian--2020-01-16--Trump 'knew exactly what was going on' in Ukraine, says Giuliani associate

Donald Trump “ knew exactly what was going on ” in a scheme to pressure Ukrainian officials to investigate Joe Biden , according to an associate of the president ’ s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani .
Lev Parnas , a businessman and GOP donor who was indicted for campaign finance violations , made the explosive allegations during an interview with MSNBC ’ s Rachel Maddow on Wednesday night .
When Parnas was in Ukraine , attempting to pressure Ukrainian officials to help dig up dirt on Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden , he was doing so on behalf @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , speaking with his lawyer at his side .
“ I was on the ground doing their work , ” Parnas said .
Parnas also said other members of the Trump administration knew about the Ukraine pressure campaign .
William Barr , the attorney general , “ was basically on the team ” , Parnas said .
And the former national security adviser John Bolton , who recently indicated he would testify in the Senate impeachment trial if he was subpoenaed , also “ 100 % ” knew about the scheme , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s involvement in an alleged scheme to pressure Ukrainian officials will be at the heart of the impeachment trial , which will begin next week .
Trump has so far denied misconduct .
On Tuesday , House investigators released a trove of text messages , notes and other documents provided by lawyers for Parnas .
The records include a letter that Giuliani sent requesting a private meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskiy , then Ukraine ’ s president-elect .
The request was made with Trump ’ s “ knowledge and consent ” , Giuliani @ @ @ @ @ @ @ present newly obtained evidence from Parnas over the course of the trial , which could unearth new evidence of misconduct by Trump .
On behalf of Giuliani , Parnas said he told a Ukrainian official that unless the administration announced an intention to investigate the Bidens , Mike Pence would not attend the Zelenskiy ’ s inauguration .
The next day , “ to my awareness ” , said Parnas , Trump called to inform Ukrainian officials that Pence would cancel his trip to Ukraine .
Holding back military aid to Ukraine in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something Trump “ decided to do ” after officials repeatedly resisted announcing investigations into the president ’ s political rival , Parnas said .
Trump has insisted that he didn ’ t know Parnas and Igor Fruman , another Giuliani associate , who was indicted along with Parnas for making illegal campaign donations .
Photos posted by Parnas to Facebook show himself and Fruman with Trump and president ’ s oldest son , Donald Trump Jr. “ It ’ s possible I have a picture with them because I have a picture with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president “ lied ” , Parnas told Maddow .
“ Me and him didn ’ t watch football games together , we didn ’ t eat hot dogs .
But he knew exactly who I was.
” Parnas also said he was with Giuliani when he was on the phone with the president .
At times , Giuliani took the calls on speakerphone .
Other times , the president was speaking so loudly that Parnas could overhear the dialogue even when the speaker function was turned off , he explained to Maddow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ truth out because I feel it ’ s important for the country , ” Parnas said .
“ I think it ’ s important for the world to know what happened.
” Newly released text messages between Parnas and the Trump donor Robert Hyde also imply that Marie Yovanovitch , a widely respected US ambassador to Kyiv whom Trump ordered removed from her post in April , was being surveilled .
In the messages , Hyde hinted he could arrange for Yovanovitch to be removed , for a price .
In light of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrats have asked for an investigation into whether Yovanovitch was indeed being monitored .
Parnas said he didn ’ t believe Hyde was being serious , or that the ambassador was ever in actual danger .
Parnas had met Hyde at the Trump hotel in Washington : “ He was a regular , at the bar , ” he said , describing Hyde as a “ weird individual ” .

Donald Trump “knew exactly what was going on” in a scheme to pressure Ukrainian officials to investigate Joe Biden, according to an associate of the president’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani.
Lev Parnas, a businessman and Republican donor indicted for campaign finance violations, made the explosive allegations during an interview with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow on Wednesday night.
When Parnas was in Ukraine, attempting to pressure Ukrainian officials to help dig up dirt on Joe Biden and his son Hunter, he was doing so on behalf of the president and Giuliani, Parnas said, speaking with his lawyer at his side.
Parnas said: “I was on the ground doing their work.”
Parnas also said other members of the Trump administration knew about the Ukraine pressure campaign. He said William Barr, the attorney general, “was basically on the team”. And the former national security adviser John Bolton, who recently indicated he would testify in the Senate impeachment trial if he was subpoenaed, also “100%” knew about the scheme, Parnas said.
The extent of Trump’s involvement in an alleged scheme to pressure Ukrainian officials will be at the heart of the impeachment trial, which will begin next week. Trump has denied misconduct.
On Tuesday, House investigators released a trove of text messages, notes and other documents obtained from Parnas’s lawyers. The records include a letter Giuliani sent requesting a private meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskiy, then Ukraine’s president-elect. The request was made with Trump’s “knowledge and consent”, Giuliani wrote.
House prosecutors are expected to present newly obtained evidence from Parnas over the course of the trial, which could unearth new evidence of misconduct by Trump.
On behalf of Giuliani, Parnas said he told a Ukrainian official that unless the administration announced an intention to investigate the Bidens, Mike Pence would not attend the Zelenskiy’s inauguration. The next day, “to my awareness”, said Parnas, Trump called to inform Ukrainian officials that Pence would cancel his trip to Ukraine.
Holding back military aid to Ukraine in order to turn up the pressure was something Trump “decided to do” after officials repeatedly resisted announcing investigations into the Bidens, Parnas said.
Trump has insisted he did not know Parnas and Igor Fruman, another Giuliani associate, who was indicted along with Parnas for making illegal campaign donations. Photos posted by Parnas to Facebook show himself and Fruman with Trump and president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr.
Trump said: “It’s possible I have a picture with them because I have a picture with everybody.”
But the president “lied”, Parnas told Maddow. “Me and him didn’t watch football games together; we didn’t eat hot dogs. But he knew exactly who I was.”
Parnas also said he was with Giuliani when he was on the phone with the president. At times, Giuliani took the calls on speakerphone. Other times, Trump was speaking so loudly Parnas could overhear the dialogue even when the speaker function was turned off, he explained to Maddow.
“I want to get the truth out because I feel it’s important for the country,” Parnas said. “I think it’s important for the world to know what happened.”
Newly released text messages between Parnas and the Trump donor Robert Hyde also imply that Marie Yovanovitch, the widely respected US ambassador to Kyiv whom Trump ordered removed from her post in April, was being surveilled. In the messages, Hyde hinted he could arrange for Yovanovitch to be removed, for a price. In light of these revelations, former diplomats and congressional Democrats have asked for an investigation into whether Yovanovitch was being monitored.
Parnas said he did not believe Hyde was being serious, or that the ambassador was ever in actual danger. Parnas had met Hyde at the Trump hotel in Washington. “He was a regular at the bar,” he said, describing Hyde as a “weird individual”.


theguardian--2020-01-16--Trump impeachment: solemn march across Capitol marks historic moment

After a day of routine commotion on Capitol Hill , the hallways quieted and attention turned to the slips of paper inside a pair of blue folders bound for the Senate .
A procession of newly appointed impeachment managers solemnly accompanied the articles of impeachment across the Capitol in a ritual performed only twice before in the nation ’ s 232-year history .
Journalists and onlookers strained to capture every historic step of the highly choreographed proceedings .
Every clack of a heel against the marbled floors of the Capitol inspired another flurry of photos .
The ceremonial hand-off from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the chamber that will prosecute them felt anachronistic in the age of emails , texts and tweets .
But it added a sense of formality and historical heft , nearly one month after the House impeached Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress .
The House clerk , Cheryl Johnson , carried the articles , flanked by the sergeant-at-arms , Paul Irving .
They led the march through Statuary Hall , where luminaries from the 50 states are honored , then under the vaulted dome of the rotunda that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Clock , a looming mahogany timepiece that announces the entrance to the Senate ’ s stately chamber .
Their cadence hardly slowed as they proceeded through the doors of the Senate , literally crossing what Pelosi has symbolically described earlier as a “ very important threshold in American history ” .
Impeachment was now in the Senate ’ s hand .
The procession was met by Laura Dove , secretary for the Republicans , who gestured for the managers to gather in a corner of the chamber .
They stood silently , their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dozen Democrats watched from their desks on the Senate floor .
“ Mr President , a message from the House of Representatives , ” Dove declared .
Johnson read aloud the resolution adopting the two articles and appointing the seven managers .
A Senate official retrieved the articles from the House clerk and delivered them to Senator Chuck Grassley , the Senate ’ s president pro tempore who presided over the chamber from the wooden rostrum .
The Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell , rose to acknowledge the message and offer a series @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trial .
On Thursday , John Roberts , the chief justice of the US supreme court , who will preside over the trial , will be sworn in by Grassley .
Roberts will then administer the same oath , to do “ impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws ” to each of the chamber ’ s 100 senators , who will serve as a jury .
The House ’ s case for removing the president will be presented by a team of seven Democrats , who , for the first time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the nation ’ s all-white , all-male Founding Fathers and more like the rest of the country .
Three of the seven managers are women , two are African American and one is Hispanic .
The lineup includes a former federal prosecutor , a former police chief , an army ranger and the only member of Congress to participate in all three modern impeachments .
The transmission ended a four-week standoff between a self-described “ master legislator ” and the self-described “ grim reaper ” .
The House speaker , Nancy Pelosi , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her unprecedented decision to delay sending the articles to the Republican-held Senate .
In the House , the intermission between Trump ’ s impeachment and the delivery of the articles had only hardened the partisan rancor that has gripped the process .
At midday the chamber convened to debate impeachment one last time on the House floor before approving , in a 228 to 193 vote that fell almost entirely along party lines , a resolution that would transmit the articles to the Senate and appoint the managers , who will function as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ colleagues in the minority would rather talk about anything than try to defend what President Trump actually did because they can ’ t , ” congressman Jerry Nadler , the chair of the judiciary committee and an impeachment manager , said , his voice rising with indignation .
The House Republican leader , Kevin McCarthy , decried the process as the “ fastest , thinnest and weakest impeachment in American history ” , finding consolation in the belief that a Senate trial would finally bring to an end to what he called a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ national nightmare ” .
He accused Pelosi of hypocrisy for withholding the articles after arguing that Trump posed such a serious threat to the rule of law that Congress could not wait to act until the presidential election in November 2020 .
“ Don ’ t talk to me about my timing , ” Pelosi shot back in a speech moments later .
“ For a long time , I resisted the calls from across the country for impeachment of the president … Frankly , I said this president isn ’ t worth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way he did in [ relation ] to withholding funds from Ukraine in return for a benefit to him that was personal and political , he crossed the threshold .
He gave us no choice.
” That afternoon , Pelosi , flanked by her impeachment managers and the committee chairman and under the gaze of a portrait of the nation ’ s first president , signed both articles of impeachment .
Moments later , at 5.34pm , the managers officially handed over the articles , concluding their effective death march to the Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one outcome ” is suited to what he called a “ constitutionally incoherent ” case brought against the president in a “ fit of partisan rage ” .
But there is still plenty of scope for a courtroom drama and unexpected plot twists in the coming days and weeks .
On Tuesday the House handed over a trove of revealing new documents pertaining to Trump ’ s pressure campaign against Ukraine , and the managers signaled on Wednesday that more was to come .
Whatever verdict awaits the president in the Senate , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ duty .
“ He has been impeached forever , ” she said .
“ They can never erase that .
”

After a day of routine commotion on Capitol Hill, the hallways quieted and attention turned to the slips of paper inside a pair of blue folders bound for the Senate.
A procession of newly appointed impeachment managers solemnly accompanied the articles of impeachment across the Capitol in a ritual performed only twice before in the nation’s 232-year history.
Journalists and onlookers strained to capture every historic step of the highly choreographed proceedings. Every clack of a heel against the marbled floors of the Capitol inspired another flurry of photos.
The ceremonial handoff from the chamber that brought the charges to the chamber that will prosecute them felt anachronistic in the age of emails, texts and tweets. But it added a sense of formality and historical heft, nearly one month after the House impeached Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
The House clerk, Cheryl Johnson, carried the articles, flanked by the sergeant-at-arms, Paul Irving. They led the march through Statuary Hall, where luminaries from the 50 states are honored, then under the vaulted dome of the rotunda that divides the Capitol and past the Ohio Clock, a looming mahogany timepiece that announces the entrance to the Senate’s stately chamber.
Their cadence hardly slowed as they proceeded through the doors of the Senate, literally crossing what Pelosi has symbolically described earlier as a “very important threshold in American history”. Impeachment was now in the Senate’s hand.
The procession was met by Laura Dove, secretary for the Republicans, who gestured for the managers to gather in a corner of the chamber. They stood silently, their hands clasped, while more than two dozen Democrats watched from their desks on the Senate floor.
“Mr President, a message from the House of Representatives,” Dove declared. Johnson read aloud the resolution adopting the two articles and appointing the seven managers.
A Senate official retrieved the articles from the House clerk and delivered them to Senator Chuck Grassley, the Senate’s president pro tempore who presided over the chamber from the wooden rostrum.
The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, rose to acknowledge the message and offer a series of resolutions that would shape the ensuing trial.
On Thursday, John Roberts, the chief justice of the US supreme court, who will preside over the trial, will be sworn in by Grassley. Roberts will then administer the same oath, to do “impartial justice according to the constitution and laws” to each of the chamber’s 100 senators, who will serve as a jury.
The House’s case for removing the president will be presented by a team of seven Democrats, who, for the first time in history, will look less like the nation’s all-white, all-male Founding Fathers and more like the rest of the country. Three of the seven managers are women, two are African American and one is Hispanic.
01:22 Pelosi says Trump 'can never erase' impeachment as she names prosecutors – video
The lineup includes a former federal prosecutor, a former police chief, an army ranger and the only member of Congress to participate in all three modern impeachments.
The transmission ended a four-week standoff between a self-described “master legislator” and the self-described “grim reaper”. The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and McConnell had been at odds after her unprecedented decision to delay sending the articles to the Republican-held Senate.
In the House, the intermission between Trump’s impeachment and the delivery of the articles had only hardened the partisan rancor that has gripped the process.
At midday the chamber convened to debate impeachment one last time on the House floor before approving, in a 228 to 193 vote that fell almost entirely along party lines, a resolution that would transmit the articles to the Senate and appoint the managers, who will function as prosecutors in the trial.
“My colleagues in the minority would rather talk about anything than try to defend what President Trump actually did because they can’t,” congressman Jerry Nadler, the chair of the judiciary committee and an impeachment manager, said, his voice rising with indignation.
The House Republican leader, Kevin McCarthy, decried the process as the “fastest, thinnest and weakest impeachment in American history”, finding consolation in the belief that a Senate trial would finally bring to an end to what he called a “sad saga” and a “national nightmare”. He accused Pelosi of hypocrisy for withholding the articles after arguing that Trump posed such a serious threat to the rule of law that Congress could not wait to act until the presidential election in November 2020.
“Don’t talk to me about my timing,” Pelosi shot back in a speech moments later. “For a long time, I resisted the calls from across the country for impeachment of the president … Frankly, I said this president isn’t worth it. But when he acted the way he did in [relation] to withholding funds from Ukraine in return for a benefit to him that was personal and political, he crossed the threshold. He gave us no choice.”
That afternoon, Pelosi, flanked by her impeachment managers and the committee chairman and under the gaze of a portrait of the nation’s first president, signed both articles of impeachment.
Moments later, at 5.34pm, the managers officially handed over the articles, concluding their effective death march to the Senate, where McConnell has said “only one outcome” is suited to what he called a “constitutionally incoherent” case brought against the president in a “fit of partisan rage”.
But there is still plenty of scope for a courtroom drama and unexpected plot twists in the coming days and weeks. On Tuesday the House handed over a trove of revealing new documents pertaining to Trump’s pressure campaign against Ukraine, and the managers signaled on Wednesday that more was to come.
Whatever verdict awaits the president in the Senate, Pelosi believes the House has fulfilled its duty.
“He has been impeached forever,” she said. “They can never erase that.”


theguardian--2020-01-16--Pen-t up anger: Republicans pounce on Pelosi over ceremonial writing tools

Republicans have found a new reason to be furious with Nancy Pelosi : she uses too many pens .
The House speaker sparked the opposing party ’ s ire on Wednesday when she used a remarkable number of writing implements – more than three trays littered with them – to sign her name on the articles of impeachment against Donald Trump .
The pens , engraved with her signature , were intended as souvenirs for Pelosi ’ s allies .
She carefully signed the documents , apparently stroke by stroke , using different pens for each portion of her signature @ @ @ @ @ @ @ managers and committee members .
“ The truth comes out .
This isn ’ t ‘ somber ’ or ‘ serious ’ for @ HouseDemocrats , ” the House Republicans tweeted , referring to Democrats ’ description of the impeachment process .
“ This has been partisan since day one.
” Individual Republicans piled on : “ They claim it ’ s a somber , serious occasion they ’ re heartbroken over ... and then they pass out impeachment-signing pens with special cases .
Folks .
You can ’ t make it up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ representative Mark Meadows .
The House Republican whip , Steve Scalise , called the moment “ unbelievable ” .
And Stephanie Grisham , the White House press secretary , sarcastically suggested Pelosi “ was so somber as she gave them away to people like prizes ” .
But , as many commentators pointed out , Pelosi was only doing what many politicians before her have done – including one Donald J Trump : Barack Obama used 22 pens to sign his landmark healthcare law .
Lyndon Johnson is said to have used 75 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The tradition goes back to at least Franklin Roosevelt , as Time explained in 2010 : “ The pen used to sign legislation itself becomes a historical artifact .
The more pens a president uses , the more thank-you gifts he can offer to those who helped create that piece of history.
” In fact , as Guardian political reporter Lauren Gambino pointed out , commemorative pens were used in a very analogous situation in the late 1990s : the impeachment of Bill Clinton .
In that case , senators who signed a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accidentally dubbed them “ Untied States senators ” .
Alongside Republican anger , Wednesday ’ s episode of Too-Many-Pens-gate sparked much amusement on Twitter : To be fair to Republicans , however , it really was quite a lot of pens .
And it took a long time to close them .

Republicans have found a new reason to be furious with Nancy Pelosi: she uses too many pens.
The House speaker sparked the opposing party’s ire on Wednesday when she used a remarkable number of writing implements – more than three trays littered with them – to sign her name on the articles of impeachment against Donald Trump.
The pens, engraved with her signature, were intended as souvenirs for Pelosi’s allies. She carefully signed the documents, apparently stroke by stroke, using different pens for each portion of her signature. Then she distributed them to impeachment managers and committee members.
“The truth comes out. This isn’t ‘somber’ or ‘serious’ for @HouseDemocrats,” the House Republicans tweeted, referring to Democrats’ description of the impeachment process. “This has been partisan since day one.”
Individual Republicans piled on: “They claim it’s a somber, serious occasion they’re heartbroken over ... and then they pass out impeachment-signing pens with special cases. Folks. You can’t make it up,” wrote the North Carolina Republican representative Mark Meadows. The House Republican whip, Steve Scalise, called the moment “unbelievable”. And Stephanie Grisham, the White House press secretary, sarcastically suggested Pelosi “was so somber as she gave them away to people like prizes”.
But, as many commentators pointed out, Pelosi was only doing what many politicians before her have done – including one Donald J Trump:
Here's @greggutfeld losing his mind over Pelosi giving away pens she used to sign impeachment articles, followed by footage of Trump giving away dozens of pens like candy mere hours ago following his China deal signing ceremony pic.twitter.com/91R27O5nim — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 15, 2020
Barack Obama used 22 pens to sign his landmark healthcare law. Lyndon Johnson is said to have used 75 to sign the Civil Rights Act. The tradition goes back to at least Franklin Roosevelt, as Time explained in 2010: “The pen used to sign legislation itself becomes a historical artifact. The more pens a president uses, the more thank-you gifts he can offer to those who helped create that piece of history.”
In fact, as Guardian political reporter Lauren Gambino pointed out, commemorative pens were used in a very analogous situation in the late 1990s: the impeachment of Bill Clinton. In that case, senators who signed a pledge to be impartial received pens that accidentally dubbed them “Untied States senators”.
Alongside Republican anger, Wednesday’s episode of Too-Many-Pens-gate sparked much amusement on Twitter:
As it turns out the delay in sending over the Articles of Impeachment wasn't politically motivated.@SpeakerPelosi had to wait for her monogrammed pens from Etsy. https://t.co/J1Jy3sgSFK — Kevin Dalton (@NextLAMayor) January 15, 2020
I have never seen so many adults triggered by a photo of some ballpoint pens.
But thank you for speaking out about the horrors of commemorative stationery, Stephanie.
I mean, just remember what happened in the GOP senate during Clinton's impeachment...https://t.co/siCo8kBWFO pic.twitter.com/mmDEC7HrMu — Old Rant Dump (@TrumpinTheShark) January 15, 2020
To be fair to Republicans, however, it really was quite a lot of pens. And it took a long time to close them.


theguardian--2020-01-16--Bernie Sanders' real problem isn't Elizabeth Warren. It's Donald Trump | Geoffrey Kabaservice

Despite my center-right politics , I have a strange liking for Bernie Sanders .
Of all the Democratic presidential jobseekers on stage at this week ’ s Iowa debate , he struck me as the most authentic , the least likely to bend his convictions to pollsters or consultants , and the candidate with the best sense of humor .
Sanders ’ self-proclaimed democratic socialism once would have been an absolute bar to his presidential aspirations , given the historic antipathy of most Americans toward the doctrine .
More than a century ago , the German sociologist Werner Sombart predicted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of socialism in the United States .
As he memorably argued : “ On the shoals of roast beef and apple pie , socialist utopias founder.
” But socialism now strikes many Americans as worth considering , in view of the widening economic inequality since the financial crisis of 2007-08 .
According to a recent Gallup poll , socialism is as popular as capitalism among Americans between the ages of 18 and 39 – and Sanders ’ support is driven by young people .
Sanders has proved to be more politically resilient than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ oldest candidate in the race , at 78 , and having suffered a heart attack in October , he has recovered from his dip in the polls and now stands among the frontrunners in the upcoming contests in Iowa and New Hampshire .
He also raised more money in the last quarter than any other Democratic candidate and has the highest favorability ratings .
The current kerfuffle over whether he told his competitor , Elizabeth Warren , that a woman couldn ’ t win the presidency – she says he did , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unlikely to have a serious impact on his candidacy .
Sanders and Warren compete for many of the same left-leaning voters , so it ’ s unsurprising that tensions between them are rising despite the non-aggression pact they made back in 2018 .
A recent Sanders campaign script instructs volunteers to tell Warren-sympathetic voters that “ people who support her are highly-educated , more affluent people who are going to show up and vote Democratic no matter what , ” and that “ she ’ s bringing no new bases into the Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with predictable outrage , and the Massachusetts senator herself told reporters that she was “ disappointed to hear Bernie is sending his volunteers out to trash me ” .
But Sanders proponents make the case that the Vermont senator is more likely than other candidates ( including Warren ) to win over the working-class voters in swing states who gave Trump his electoral college victory in 2016 .
They can point to a study by two Johns Hopkins University political scientists which found that the 6 million Obama-Trump voters in the last election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ racial resentment , and were attracted to Trump ’ s economic populism and opposition to free-trade agreements .
Sanders , according to this line of thinking , is the only Democratic candidate whose consistent anti-trade , tax-the-rich populism can appeal to such voters .
And , arguably , his call for sweeping economic change can mobilize those voters who don ’ t usually show up at the polls on election day , since they tend to blame both parties for business-as-usual politics .
As the Sanders campaign script tells its volunteers , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – both Democratic and Republican – who has run as the safe bet for the past two decades has lost.
” Nonetheless , Sanders faces serious obstacles to obtaining the Democratic presidential nomination .
The gentle treatment he received in 2016 from the media and the Hillary Clinton campaign ( which ran few negative television or media ads against him ) means that many Democratic voters haven ’ t yet learned about the distinctly non-progressive positions he has taken on certain issues throughout his senatorial career .
Vermont is one of the whitest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as among the most rural , the oldest ( in terms of the age of its population ) , and with the fewest immigrants .
Sanders , to win elections , had to appeal to hunters , older voters and other socially conservative constituencies .
This explains his long opposition to gun safety measures ( he voted repeatedly against the Brady bill and measures to hold gun manufacturers liable for the damage done by their products ) , his comparatively late conversion to the cause of gay marriage ( he opposed it in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and his nativist opposition to certain immigration reforms ( on the grounds that they would undercut wages for American workers ) .
If Sanders wins in Iowa and New Hampshire , it ’ s a safe bet that African American voters in South Carolina will hear quite a lot from his Democratic competitors about his vote for the so-called “ Charleston loophole ” that allowed the white supremacist Dylann Roof to get the gun he used to kill nine African Americans at a South Carolina church .
And although former vice-president Joe Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 1994 crime bill – which , many progressives claim , resulted in mass minority incarceration – Sanders voted for it as well .
Democratic primary voters may also wonder how effective Sanders would be as president .
His pitch to his supporters is that , if he somehow were to be elected , some sort of “ political revolution ” would result in Congress passing multitrillion-dollar plans for a Green New Deal , a top-to-bottom transformation of the healthcare system , a federal job guarantee , free college and student debt elimination @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plans for education , immigration , housing and so forth .
These promises are unrealistic , and Sanders ’ ability to get them past Congress would be approximately nil .
The 2016 Clinton campaign ’ s opposition research file charged that Sanders , largely because of his go-it-alone approach , had a thin record of legislative accomplishment .
“ Sanders only sponsored one substantive bill that became law , ” the document observed , while none of his House amendments had co-sponsors .
And Sanders ranks dead last among all senators in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both the last two Congresses .
The chances of Sanders actually becoming president , however , are also close to nil .
I say this because in 2016 I got a glimpse of the Republican party ’ s opposition research book on Sanders , which was so massive it had to be transported on a cart .
The Newsweek reporter Kurt Eichenwald , who got to see some of its contents , declared that “ it was brutal .
The Republicans would have torn [ Sanders ] apart.
” According to Eichenwald , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fact that Sanders was on unemployment until his mid-30s , that he co-sponsored a bill to ship Vermont ’ s nuclear waste to Texas where it would be dumped in a poor Hispanic community , that he honeymooned in the Soviet Union , and that he appeared at a 1985 rally in Nicaragua at which Sandinista supporters chanted “ Here , there / the Yankee will die.
” And then there ’ s Sanders ’ fictitious essay in which he described a woman enjoying being raped by three men… After the Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this research , the usual conservative charges against Sanders – that his domestic program would cost nearly $ 100tn over the next decade , that he would ban individual health insurance , send taxes into the stratosphere , and sympathize with terrorists and leftwing regimes – would seem almost benign .
The Republican campaign against any Democratic presidential candidate is guaranteed to be ugly , but against Sanders it would be gruesome .
The result most likely would be a Democratic wipeout on the scale of Labour ’ s under Jeremy Corbyn .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ preferred Democratic nominee of Trump and his aides .
It explains otherwise puzzling stories such as Trump coming to Sanders ’ defense against Warren ’ s no-female-president claim , saying sexism is “ not his deal ” .
And while living in Washington has made me cynical in some ways , I would not be in the least surprised if conservative dollars are swelling the coffers of Our Revolution , Sanders ’ dark-money Super Pac which doesn ’ t have to disclose its donors .
Sanders is in many ways an appealing politician @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when both America ’ s economic and political systems face tremendous voter skepticism .
But as a viable candidate to defeat Trump ?
As they say in Sanders ’ Brooklyn birthplace , fuhgeddaboudit .

Despite my center-right politics, I have a strange liking for Bernie Sanders. Of all the Democratic presidential jobseekers on stage at this week’s Iowa debate, he struck me as the most authentic, the least likely to bend his convictions to pollsters or consultants, and the candidate with the best sense of humor.
Sanders’ self-proclaimed democratic socialism once would have been an absolute bar to his presidential aspirations, given the historic antipathy of most Americans toward the doctrine. More than a century ago, the German sociologist Werner Sombart predicted that widespread prosperity would forestall the development of socialism in the United States. As he memorably argued: “On the shoals of roast beef and apple pie, socialist utopias founder.”
But socialism now strikes many Americans as worth considering, in view of the widening economic inequality since the financial crisis of 2007-08. According to a recent Gallup poll, socialism is as popular as capitalism among Americans between the ages of 18 and 39 – and Sanders’ support is driven by young people.
Sanders has proved to be more politically resilient than many critics thought. Despite being the oldest candidate in the race, at 78, and having suffered a heart attack in October, he has recovered from his dip in the polls and now stands among the frontrunners in the upcoming contests in Iowa and New Hampshire. He also raised more money in the last quarter than any other Democratic candidate and has the highest favorability ratings. The current kerfuffle over whether he told his competitor, Elizabeth Warren, that a woman couldn’t win the presidency – she says he did, he says he didn’t – seems unlikely to have a serious impact on his candidacy.
Sanders and Warren compete for many of the same left-leaning voters, so it’s unsurprising that tensions between them are rising despite the non-aggression pact they made back in 2018. A recent Sanders campaign script instructs volunteers to tell Warren-sympathetic voters that “people who support her are highly-educated, more affluent people who are going to show up and vote Democratic no matter what,” and that “she’s bringing no new bases into the Democratic party”.
Warren supporters have reacted with predictable outrage, and the Massachusetts senator herself told reporters that she was “disappointed to hear Bernie is sending his volunteers out to trash me”.
But Sanders proponents make the case that the Vermont senator is more likely than other candidates (including Warren) to win over the working-class voters in swing states who gave Trump his electoral college victory in 2016. They can point to a study by two Johns Hopkins University political scientists which found that the 6 million Obama-Trump voters in the last election were motivated more by economic anxiety than racial resentment, and were attracted to Trump’s economic populism and opposition to free-trade agreements.
Sanders, according to this line of thinking, is the only Democratic candidate whose consistent anti-trade, tax-the-rich populism can appeal to such voters. And, arguably, his call for sweeping economic change can mobilize those voters who don’t usually show up at the polls on election day, since they tend to blame both parties for business-as-usual politics. As the Sanders campaign script tells its volunteers, “Status quo candidates lose. Every candidate – both Democratic and Republican – who has run as the safe bet for the past two decades has lost.”
Nonetheless, Sanders faces serious obstacles to obtaining the Democratic presidential nomination. The gentle treatment he received in 2016 from the media and the Hillary Clinton campaign (which ran few negative television or media ads against him) means that many Democratic voters haven’t yet learned about the distinctly non-progressive positions he has taken on certain issues throughout his senatorial career.
I got a glimpse of the Republican party’s research book on Sanders, which was so massive it had to be transported on a cart
Vermont is one of the whitest states in the nation, as well as among the most rural, the oldest (in terms of the age of its population), and with the fewest immigrants. Sanders, to win elections, had to appeal to hunters, older voters and other socially conservative constituencies. This explains his long opposition to gun safety measures (he voted repeatedly against the Brady bill and measures to hold gun manufacturers liable for the damage done by their products), his comparatively late conversion to the cause of gay marriage (he opposed it in Vermont as late as 2006), and his nativist opposition to certain immigration reforms (on the grounds that they would undercut wages for American workers).
If Sanders wins in Iowa and New Hampshire, it’s a safe bet that African American voters in South Carolina will hear quite a lot from his Democratic competitors about his vote for the so-called “Charleston loophole” that allowed the white supremacist Dylann Roof to get the gun he used to kill nine African Americans at a South Carolina church. And although former vice-president Joe Biden has caught heat for writing what became the 1994 crime bill – which, many progressives claim, resulted in mass minority incarceration – Sanders voted for it as well.
Democratic primary voters may also wonder how effective Sanders would be as president. His pitch to his supporters is that, if he somehow were to be elected, some sort of “political revolution” would result in Congress passing multitrillion-dollar plans for a Green New Deal, a top-to-bottom transformation of the healthcare system, a federal job guarantee, free college and student debt elimination, plus other vastly ambitious and expensive plans for education, immigration, housing and so forth.
These promises are unrealistic, and Sanders’ ability to get them past Congress would be approximately nil. The 2016 Clinton campaign’s opposition research file charged that Sanders, largely because of his go-it-alone approach, had a thin record of legislative accomplishment. “Sanders only sponsored one substantive bill that became law,” the document observed, while none of his House amendments had co-sponsors. And Sanders ranks dead last among all senators in the Lugar Center’s Bipartisanship Index for both the last two Congresses.
The chances of Sanders actually becoming president, however, are also close to nil. I say this because in 2016 I got a glimpse of the Republican party’s opposition research book on Sanders, which was so massive it had to be transported on a cart. The Newsweek reporter Kurt Eichenwald, who got to see some of its contents, declared that “it was brutal. The Republicans would have torn [Sanders] apart.”
According to Eichenwald, the book includes damning material such as the fact that Sanders was on unemployment until his mid-30s, that he co-sponsored a bill to ship Vermont’s nuclear waste to Texas where it would be dumped in a poor Hispanic community, that he honeymooned in the Soviet Union, and that he appeared at a 1985 rally in Nicaragua at which Sandinista supporters chanted “Here, there / the Yankee will die.” And then there’s Sanders’ fictitious essay in which he described a woman enjoying being raped by three men…
After the Trump campaign and Fox News got through weaponizing this research, the usual conservative charges against Sanders – that his domestic program would cost nearly $100tn over the next decade, that he would ban individual health insurance, send taxes into the stratosphere, and sympathize with terrorists and leftwing regimes – would seem almost benign. The Republican campaign against any Democratic presidential candidate is guaranteed to be ugly, but against Sanders it would be gruesome. The result most likely would be a Democratic wipeout on the scale of Labour’s under Jeremy Corbyn.
That’s why Sanders is the preferred Democratic nominee of Trump and his aides. It explains otherwise puzzling stories such as Trump coming to Sanders’ defense against Warren’s no-female-president claim, saying sexism is “not his deal”. And while living in Washington has made me cynical in some ways, I would not be in the least surprised if conservative dollars are swelling the coffers of Our Revolution, Sanders’ dark-money Super Pac which doesn’t have to disclose its donors.
Sanders is in many ways an appealing politician whose message has resounded at a moment when both America’s economic and political systems face tremendous voter skepticism. But as a viable candidate to defeat Trump? As they say in Sanders’ Brooklyn birthplace, fuhgeddaboudit.


theguardian--2020-01-16--Trump impeachment: how the day unfolded as House sends articles to Senate – video

Donald Trump faces a trial after the House of Representatives voted to send articles of impeachment against him to the @ @ @ @ @ how a frantic day on Capitol Hill unfolded • Trump impeachment : House sets up @ @ @ @ @ articles to Senate

Donald Trump faces a trial after the House of Representatives voted to send articles of impeachment against him to the Senate. Here's how a frantic day on Capitol Hill unfolded


theguardian--2020-01-17--Trump impeachment: president's legal team to include Bill Clinton investigator Ken Starr – live

More reports are emerging about what Trump ’ s impeachment legal team will look like .
Former Florida attorney general @ @ @ @ @ a lawyer for Trump in the Mueller investigation , Jane Raskin , are also said @ @ @ @ @ .
The only official announcement about the legal team has come from Alan Dershowitz .
@ @ @ @ @ have come from journalists , citing a source .
Dershowitz is one of the best @ @ @ @ @ after representing high-profile people including OJ Simpson and Jeffrey Epstein .
Axios reported that several @ @ @ @ @ they didn ’ t want Dershowitz on the team because of his ties to Epstein @ @ @ @ @ with the Epstein case , as is noted in this Miami Herald article from Nov @ @

18 Jan 2020 00.47 GMT The House intelligence committee has released new documents this evening relating to Lev Parnas, the close associate of Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. Parnas made headlines this week when he added to evidence that Trump personally directed an effort to pressure Ukraine to investigate a political rival. The new records include contact between Parnas and a top aide to Devin Nunes, the Republican congressman and Trump ally: JUST IN: New evidence filed by House Intel Committee shows frequent contact between Parnas and top Nunes aide Derek Harvey.https://t.co/UqmIzJgWb0 — Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) January 17, 2020 Some more details on the new documents in this thread from a Politico reporter.
18 Jan 2020 00.37 GMT Three more men linked to neo-Nazi group arrested Police have arrested three men linked to a violent white supremacist group called The Base, charging them with conspiring to kill members of an anti-fascist group. The arrests come one day after three other alleged members of the neo-Nazi group were arrested on federal charges in Maryland and Delaware. Authorities have alleged that members had discussed opening fire at a pro-gun rally in Virginia: NEW: Another member of the Base was arrested in Wisconsin after allegedly vandalizing a synagogue, as officials revealed other suspected gang members discussed opening fire at a pro-gun rally in Richmond. @jon_kamp @djfroschWSJ https://t.co/mdzjU3hIdQ — Sadie Gurman (@sgurman) January 17, 2020 More from the AP: A criminal complaint included details of how some of the men built an assault rifle using parts, purchased thousands of rounds of ammunition and traded vests that could carry body armor. They were believed to be planning to attend the pro-gun rally in Richmond, according to a law enforcement official who spoke to the AP. In encrypted chat rooms, members of The Base have discussed committing acts of violence against blacks and Jews, ways to make improvised explosive devices and their desire to create a white “ethno-state”, the FBI has said in court papers. On Friday, police in Georgia confirmed that three other men linked to The Base were arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit murder and participating in a criminal street gang. Authorities said the men planned to kill a married couple who were anti-fascist protesters and believed killing the couple would send a message to enemies of The Base.
18 Jan 2020 00.18 GMT Officials revealed today that 11 US troops were flown out of Iraq for evaluation of concussion-like symptoms after the Iranian missile strike. Trump previously had said that there were no injuries or harm caused to US forces. From the AP: The Pentagon’s chief spokesman, Jonathan Hoffman, said defense secretary Mark Esper did not know of the injuries until he was told Thursday afternoon that the 11 troops had been sent for evaluation at US medical facilities — eight in Germany and three in Kuwait. Hoffman said the notification to Esper was in line with military procedures, which he said do not require notification of service member casualties to the Pentagon unless they involve the loss of life, limb or eyesight. As recently as Tuesday night, Trump said he had been told no American had been harmed in the Iranian missile strike on 8 January. The question of American casualties was especially significant at the time because the missile attack’s results were seen as influencing a US decision on whether to retaliate and risk a broader war with Iran. Earlier on Friday, Iran’s supreme leader delivered a rare sermon describing Trump as a “clown” who pretended to support the Iranian people but would push a poisonous dagger into their backs. Some background on the 11 injuries: Days ago, @leloveluck reported U.S. troops suffered concussions in the Iranian missile attack, with some flung from a guard tower.
The Pentagon didn't announce the severity of injuries, or that 11 troops were evaced, until @DefenseOne reported new details https://t.co/8ySNfp1dw3 — Alex Horton (@AlexHortonTX) January 17, 2020
17 Jan 2020 23.44 GMT Trump has arrived at Mar-a-Lago for his first fundraiser of the new year, 94th as president. First Family arrives at their Mar-a-Lago estate. This evening Pres Trump attends a $10-million event for the Trump Victory fund, which splits contributions between the RNC and the Trump Campaign. Closed to press coverage. It's Trump's 1st fundraiser of the new year, 94th as pres. — Mark Knoller (@markknoller) January 17, 2020 It’s apparently his 344th day at a Trump property as president.
17 Jan 2020 23.25 GMT Former congressman sentenced to 26 months for insider trading Chris Collins, a former congressman and one of Trump’s earliest supporters, has just been sentenced to two years and two months in federal prison in an insider trading case. Collins was previously forced to resign and had admitted he helped his son and others dodge $800,000 in stock market losses when he learned that a drug trial by a small pharmaceutical company had failed. Collins arrives to federal court on Monday. Photograph: Eduardo Muñoz/Reuters From the AP: Collins, 69, was sentenced by US district judge Vernon S Broderick in Manhattan after the Republican pleaded guilty in October to conspiracy to commit securities fraud and lying to law enforcement officials. Collins broke down and apologized to his family and his former constituents and colleagues. “I stand here today as a disgraced former member of Congress,” he said. “My life has been shattered.” The sentence came even after Collins’ lawyers argued he was sorry and should face no prison time in the insider trading case. Prosecutors asked for a five-year sentence.
17 Jan 2020 22.32 GMT There’s new info out on the rules for the next Democratic debate, on 7 February in New Hampshire, which will be the first one after voting has begun. Based on the new rules, the qualifying candidates appear to be Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, Tom Steyer and Elizabeth Warren, according to ABC News, which is hosting the debate. That’s the same (all-white) group that debated earlier this week. NEW: DNC outlines qualifying criteria for the @ABC News debate in New Hampshire, and adds new delegate threshold
The Feb. 7 debate will be the first matchup after voting begins. https://t.co/ymZXPZ2AqY — ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) January 17, 2020


theguardian--2020-01-17--‘Huge amount of ego’: how Bloomberg and Trump ended up fierce rivals

These days Donald Trump and Mike Bloomberg can best be described as mortal enemies .
The former New York mayor ’ s campaign against the president is leveraging Bloomberg ’ s deep pockets to oust his fellow Manhattan billionaire .
Bloomberg has hired hundreds of staffers and organizers across 30 states .
Bloomberg ’ s ads are ubiquitous on TV and his campaign has reserved a 60-second spot during the Super Bowl with an estimated price tag of $ 10m .
The Trump campaign , in an illustration of the arms race a general election matchup between Bloomberg and Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 10m Super Bowl ad reservation after Bloomberg .
On Monday , Bloomberg and Trump squabbled on Twitter , with Trump dinging the former New York mayor on healthcare , calling him “ Mini Mike ” .
In response Bloomberg corrected Trump ’ s false claim that his administration protected the pre-existing conditions provision of Obamacare .
And recently , the financial news website Marketplace published a scathing op-ed by Bloomberg with the headline “ Trump has been great for people like me – but I ’ ll be great for you ” .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ t always like this .
Bloomberg and Trump , both billionaires from New York , for years kept a cordial and even friendly relationship as they repeatedly ran into each other at charity events , parties and even one of former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani ’ s weddings .
Along the way they swapped praise .
At a 2007 charity golf club event , Trump said it was “ my really terrific privilege to introduce a man that I think is one of the great mayors and will go down as one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the greatest , in New York City ” .
In 2013 , Trump was asked if he thought Bloomberg is a good mayor .
He responded : “ Yes !
” At a ribbon-cutting ceremony that same year Trump said Bloomberg had “ been a great mayor ” , adding : “ I mean , this guy is fantastic.
” Trump has even praised Bloomberg ’ s past positions on gun control on Fox News ’ s Fox & Friends .
Bloomberg has also thrown Trump some kind words .
At the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there is anybody who has changed this city , it is Donald Trump.
” In 2004 , Bloomberg appeared on an episode of The Apprentice .
Trump at the time said he invited Bloomberg on to the show because he had “ great respect for him ” .
Yet even back then the identities they each fostered as famous billionaires were radically different .
They ran in different social circles .
Where Trump would go to a dinner party hosted by Jeffrey Epstein , Bloomberg would go to editor Tina Brown ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bloomberg has no gold toilets at his house , ” said Rebecca Katz , a New York-based Democratic strategist .
“ It ’ s a different kind of money with less to prove.
” Congressman Peter King , a New York Republican , recalls Bloomberg once telling him that the only time he really interacted with Trump was at a charity golf tournament .
“ They were in many ways from different worlds , ” King said .
He added that before Trump ascended to national office he had only met him a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very well ” .
Bloomberg and people in his orbit rarely mentioned Trump ’ s name , King said .
“ It wasn ’ t like they were hugging or talking about ‘ Hey , remember the great times we had ’ – it was like two guys who knew each other but didn ’ t seem overly close , they didn ’ t seem overly hostile , ” King recalled .
But those days are long gone , leaving the hostility thoroughly overt and the antagonism is only likely to escalate as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into the 2020 presidential race .
Some think their previous social proximity might even make their rivalry more intense .
King , who Bloomberg has raised money for and who backs Trump , predicted that a head-to-head matchup between the two candidates would involve “ a huge amount of money , a huge amount of ego on both sides ” .
“ Each guy would think he ’ s smarter than the other , ” King said , adding that each billionaire would be acting like he ’ s accomplished more than the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testy because of Bloomberg ’ s unique position within the field of over a dozen Democratic candidates vying to face Trump .
Bloomberg has seen his national poll numbers rise within the Democratic primary as he ’ s poured money into advertising for his campaign .
Bloomberg is the only one who hails from the same state as Trump ( although Vermont senator Bernie Sanders was born in Brooklyn ) and whose background as an outsider billionaire who is still a household name within political circles is similar to Trump ’ s .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ wonder how much money Bloomberg could spend to defeat him .
And Bloomberg is airing ads promising not to copy Trump ’ s tweeting habits if elected president .
Bloomberg has toyed with running for president multiple times but Trump ’ s performance in the White House seems to be the breaking point that has finally tipped him into the race .
Aides to the former New York mayor like to point to recent statements Bloomberg has made lambasting the Republican president .
As he ’ s opened campaign offices across the US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apocalyptic warnings of Trump winning re-election .
At his newly opened campaign office in Tennessee , Bloomberg said : “ Donald Trump is trying to pull this country apart , and if you want a future we just have to pull it together.
” That same day in Philadelphia Bloomberg said pointedly : “ Donald Trump does not know how to manage .
He ’ s never been a businessperson .
He ’ s a real estate developer , promoter.
” Trump has criticized Bloomberg as well .
In early December , Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has instructed his third rate news organization ” to investigate “ President Trump , only ” .
The antagonism goes back through 2016 .
Bloomberg delivered a speech at the Democratic national convention that summer saying he wasn ’ t there as “ a member of any party ” but to urge voters to help elect Hillary Clinton and defeat “ a dangerous demagogue ” .
Trump around that time tweeted : “ Little Michael Michael Bloomberg , who never had the guts to run for president , knows nothing about me .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ disaster !
” At the beginning of 2019 , the Washington Post chronicled the evolution of Trump and Bloomberg ’ s interactions .
At the time Trump told the newspaper that he and Bloomberg used to like each other but the relationship “ went strangely haywire once I ran for office ” .
Bloomberg , Trump said , didn ’ t care about his political positions before he ran for the presidency .
“ I ’ m for guns , he ’ s against guns , ” Trump said .
Though Trump , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s positions on guns .
For the same article , Bloomberg told the paper that his “ objection to Donald Trump is the way he ’ s filling his current role , in terms of representing the country , in terms of representing the public .
There ’ s an attitude , and a style , and a lack of civility that I think is bad for the country and I find offensive .
”

These days Donald Trump and Mike Bloomberg can best be described as mortal enemies.
The former New York mayor’s campaign against the president is leveraging Bloomberg’s deep pockets to oust his fellow Manhattan billionaire. Bloomberg has hired hundreds of staffers and organizers across 30 states. Bloomberg’s ads are ubiquitous on TV and his campaign has reserved a 60-second spot during the Super Bowl with an estimated price tag of $10m.
The Trump campaign, in an illustration of the arms race a general election matchup between Bloomberg and Trump would be, announced its own $10m Super Bowl ad reservation after Bloomberg.
On Monday, Bloomberg and Trump squabbled on Twitter, with Trump dinging the former New York mayor on healthcare, calling him “Mini Mike”. In response Bloomberg corrected Trump’s false claim that his administration protected the pre-existing conditions provision of Obamacare.
And recently, the financial news website Marketplace published a scathing op-ed by Bloomberg with the headline “Trump has been great for people like me – but I’ll be great for you”.
But it wasn’t wasn’t always like this.
Bloomberg and Trump, both billionaires from New York, for years kept a cordial and even friendly relationship as they repeatedly ran into each other at charity events, parties and even one of former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani’s weddings.
Michael Bloomberg and Donald Trump at the Trump National Golf Course in Briarcliff Manor, New York, on 20 July 2007. Photograph: Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
Along the way they swapped praise. At a 2007 charity golf club event, Trump said it was “my really terrific privilege to introduce a man that I think is one of the great mayors and will go down as one of the great mayors, if not the greatest, in New York City”. In 2013, Trump was asked if he thought Bloomberg is a good mayor. He responded: “Yes!” At a ribbon-cutting ceremony that same year Trump said Bloomberg had “been a great mayor”, adding: “I mean, this guy is fantastic.”
Trump has even praised Bloomberg’s past positions on gun control on Fox News’s Fox & Friends.
Bloomberg has also thrown Trump some kind words. At the same ribbon-cutting ceremony Bloomberg said: “If there is anybody who has changed this city, it is Donald Trump.” In 2004, Bloomberg appeared on an episode of The Apprentice. Trump at the time said he invited Bloomberg on to the show because he had “great respect for him”.
Yet even back then the identities they each fostered as famous billionaires were radically different. They ran in different social circles. Where Trump would go to a dinner party hosted by Jeffrey Epstein, Bloomberg would go to editor Tina Brown’s house.
“I’m sure Bloomberg has no gold toilets at his house,” said Rebecca Katz, a New York-based Democratic strategist. “It’s a different kind of money with less to prove.”
Congressman Peter King, a New York Republican, recalls Bloomberg once telling him that the only time he really interacted with Trump was at a charity golf tournament.
“They were in many ways from different worlds,” King said. He added that before Trump ascended to national office he had only met him a few times while he knew Bloomberg “very well”. Bloomberg and people in his orbit rarely mentioned Trump’s name, King said.
“It wasn’t like they were hugging or talking about ‘Hey, remember the great times we had’ – it was like two guys who knew each other but didn’t seem overly close, they didn’t seem overly hostile,” King recalled.
Donald Trump, Mike Bloomberg and Jared Kushner in New York, New York, on 14 March 2013. Photograph: Paul Bruinooge/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
But those days are long gone, leaving the hostility thoroughly overt and the antagonism is only likely to escalate as the two pour more money and time into the 2020 presidential race. Some think their previous social proximity might even make their rivalry more intense.
King, who Bloomberg has raised money for and who backs Trump, predicted that a head-to-head matchup between the two candidates would involve “a huge amount of money, a huge amount of ego on both sides”.
“Each guy would think he’s smarter than the other,” King said, adding that each billionaire would be acting like he’s accomplished more than the other.
The relationship is also extra testy because of Bloomberg’s unique position within the field of over a dozen Democratic candidates vying to face Trump.
Bloomberg has seen his national poll numbers rise within the Democratic primary as he’s poured money into advertising for his campaign. Bloomberg is the only one who hails from the same state as Trump (although Vermont senator Bernie Sanders was born in Brooklyn) and whose background as an outsider billionaire who is still a household name within political circles is similar to Trump’s.
Recently, Trump has reportedly started to wonder how much money Bloomberg could spend to defeat him. And Bloomberg is airing ads promising not to copy Trump’s tweeting habits if elected president.
Bloomberg has toyed with running for president multiple times but Trump’s performance in the White House seems to be the breaking point that has finally tipped him into the race.
Aides to the former New York mayor like to point to recent statements Bloomberg has made lambasting the Republican president. As he’s opened campaign offices across the US Bloomberg has sprinkled his public remarks with apocalyptic warnings of Trump winning re-election.
At his newly opened campaign office in Tennessee, Bloomberg said: “Donald Trump is trying to pull this country apart, and if you want a future we just have to pull it together.” That same day in Philadelphia Bloomberg said pointedly: “Donald Trump does not know how to manage. He’s never been a businessperson. He’s a real estate developer, promoter.”
Trump has criticized Bloomberg as well. In early December, Trump mockingly tweeted that “Mini Mike Bloomberg has instructed his third rate news organization” to investigate “President Trump, only”.
The antagonism goes back through 2016. Bloomberg delivered a speech at the Democratic national convention that summer saying he wasn’t there as “a member of any party” but to urge voters to help elect Hillary Clinton and defeat “a dangerous demagogue”. Trump around that time tweeted: “Little Michael Michael Bloomberg, who never had the guts to run for president, knows nothing about me. His last term as Mayor was a disaster!”
Michael Bloomberg with Donald Trump and Melania Knauss in Washington DC, on 28 April 2001. Photograph: Newscom/Alamy Stock Photo
At the beginning of 2019, the Washington Post chronicled the evolution of Trump and Bloomberg’s interactions. At the time Trump told the newspaper that he and Bloomberg used to like each other but the relationship “went strangely haywire once I ran for office”.
Bloomberg, Trump said, didn’t care about his political positions before he ran for the presidency.
“I’m for guns, he’s against guns,” Trump said. Though Trump, in the past, had praised Bloomberg’s positions on guns.
For the same article, Bloomberg told the paper that his “objection to Donald Trump is the way he’s filling his current role, in terms of representing the country, in terms of representing the public. There’s an attitude, and a style, and a lack of civility that I think is bad for the country and I find offensive.”


theguardian--2020-01-17--Trump impeachment: Chief Justice John Roberts and senators sworn in as trial begins – as it happened

Though today ’ s impeachment events were mostly ceremonial , reporters covering Congress are already having to contend with harsh @ @ @ @ @ reporters , who are normally free to approach senators as they walk through the hallways @ @ @ @ @ allowed to do so during the impeachment trial .
Senators were also given cards with @ @ @ @ @ reporters , with phrases like , “ Please get out of my way ” and @ @ @ @ @ from doing my job.
” According to the AP , at least 10 uniformed Capitol @ @ @ @ @ outside the Senate chamber to enforce the new rules , which journalists , free speech @ @ @ @ @ Democratic lawmakers have criticized as unnecessarily restrictive .

Maanvi Singh in San Francisco (now), Amanda Holpuch (earlier)

17 Jan 2020 00.05 GMT Susan Collins, a moderate Republican senator from Maine, said she’s “likely” to vote to call additional witnesses. Collins, who could be a swing vote in the impeachment trial, has criticized both Senate Leader Mitch McConnell and Elizabeth Warren for prejudging impeachment evidence, suggested that lawmakers should follow the model of the 1999 Clinton impeachment trial. In a statement, she said she had not decided on “any particular witnesses” she’d like to call and would like to hear “both sides” before deciding. “Prior to hearing the statement of the case and the Senators asking questions, I will not support any attempts by either side to subpoena documents or witnesses,” she said.
16 Jan 2020 23.31 GMT Even the oath is controversial Senator Chuck Grassley swears in Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts as the presiding officer for the impeachment trial. Photograph: AP “Do you solemnly swear that in all things appertaining to the trial of the impeachment of Donald John Trump, now pending, you will do impartial justice according to the constitution and laws: so help you God?
Chief Justice John Roberts swore he would. The senators swore they would. But in the lead-up to today, both Democrats and Republicans have been accusing each other of lacking impartiality. The Guardian’s Lauren Gambino reports: Impeachment: even the Senate's oath is controversial in hyperpartisan age Read more
Updated at 23.31 GMT
16 Jan 2020 23.10 GMT Reporters face new restrictions imposed by the Senate ahead of the impeachment trial Though today’s impeachment events were mostly ceremonial, reporters covering Congress are already having to contend with harsh new media restrictions. JUST IN: @CBSNews /@caitlinconant obtain a flashcard being given to U.S. Senators ahead of the #ImpeachmentTrial on tips to avoid reporters. (One thing it doesn’t suggest is calling reporters a “liberal hack.”) pic.twitter.com/mAZpBP9Fv7 — Ed O'Keefe (@edokeefe) January 16, 2020 Congressional reporters, who are normally free to approach senators as they walk through the hallways, won’t be allowed to do so during the impeachment trial. Senators were also given cards with tips on how to avoid reporters, with phrases like, “Please get out of my way” and “You are preventing me from doing my job.” According to the AP, at least 10 uniformed Capitol Police officers manned the corridor outside the Senate chamber to enforce the new rules, which journalists, free speech advocates, and Republican and Democratic lawmakers have criticized as unnecessarily restrictive.
16 Jan 2020 23.04 GMT Report: Federal prosecutors are investigating whether former FBI director Comey leaked information to reporters. The Justice Department is reportedly investigating a years-old leak of classified information about a Russian intelligence document, the New York Times reports, focusing on whether former FBI director James Comey was involved:
The case is the second time the Justice Department has investigated leaks potentially involving Mr. Comey, a frequent target of President Trump, who has repeatedly called him a “leaker.” Mr. Trump recently suggested without evidence that Mr. Comey should be prosecuted for “unlawful conduct” and spend years in prison. The timing of the investigation could raise questions about whether it was motivated at least in part by politics. Prosecutors and F.B.I. agents typically investigate leaks of classified information around the time they appear in the news media, not years later. And the inquiry is the latest politically sensitive matter undertaken by the United States attorney’s office in Washington, which is also conducting an investigation of Mr. Comey’s former deputy, Andrew G. McCabe, that has been plagued by problems. The Guardian has not independently verified the Times’ reporting.
16 Jan 2020 22.20 GMT Mike Pence: Parnas’ allegation is ‘completely false’ The vice-president reportedly said Lev Parnas’ charge that he knew that the White House’ pressure on Ukraine was “about the Bidens” is false. Pence spoke with the LA Times’ Eli Stokols at a campaign event in Florida. PENCE campaigning in Florida, reacts to Parnas comments: “I don’t know the guy.”
He says Parnas’ charge that he “knew” the administration’s pressure on Ukraine was “about the Bidens” is “completely false.” — Eli Stokols (@EliStokols) January 16, 2020 Pence also denied knowing Parnas.
Updated at 22.27 GMT
16 Jan 2020 21.52 GMT Evening summary The impeachment trial has adjourned until 1pm ET on Tuesday, when the US Senate will delve into claims Donald Trump abused the powers of his office.
abused the powers of his office. The trial adjourned after the supreme court chief justice, John Roberts, was sworn in to preside over the trial. He then swore in the senators, who also signed an oath book.
after the supreme court chief justice, John Roberts, was sworn in to preside over the trial. He then swore in the senators, who also signed an oath book. Donald Trump denied knowing Lev Parnas , the businessman who claims the president was aware of his efforts to pressure Ukraine into investigating Joe Biden, the president’s rival in the 2020 election. “Perhaps he’s a fine man, perhaps not,” Trump said.
, the businessman who claims the president was aware of his efforts to pressure Ukraine into investigating Joe Biden, the president’s rival in the 2020 election. “Perhaps he’s a fine man, perhaps not,” Trump said. The Ukrainian government has opened an investigation into the possible illegal surveillance of Marie Yovanovitch when she was the US ambassador to Kyiv, following the publication of messages about her between two associates of Donald Trump’s personal lawyer. US President Donald J Trump reacts during the announcement of the Guidance on Constitutional Prayer in Public Schools in the the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC Photograph: Yuri Gripas/POOL/EPA
16 Jan 2020 21.27 GMT More from Donald Trump’s religious freedom event at the White House this afternoon, where he addressed the Lev Parnas allegations and impeachment trial: At "religious freedom" event in Oval, Trump bashes Adam Schiff as a "corrupt politician", then pauses to touch a young student behind him on the arm and say: "You'll hear about this as you grow older." — David Nakamura (@DavidNakamura) January 16, 2020 Asked about this letter written by Rudy Giuliani to the leader of Ukraine, President Trump says he knew nothing about the letter. "If he wrote a letter, it wouldn't have been a big deal." pic.twitter.com/uh9hBHyYmp — Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) January 16, 2020 Spotted on the resolute desk in the Oval Office during the President’s event on school prayer: a map of 2016 election results by county pic.twitter.com/28mgWtGSyz — Betsy Klein (@betsy_klein) January 16, 2020


theguardian--2020-01-16--Impeachment: even the Senate's oath is controversial in hyperpartisan age

At 2.08pm on Thursday , a pair of pages opened the filigreed doors of the Senate .
A quartet of senators – two Republicans and two Democrats – escorted the US supreme court ’ s chief justice , John Roberts , dressed in a long black robe , into the chamber .
So began the Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump .
Chuck Grassley , the Senate ’ s president pro tempore ( for the time being ) , instructed Roberts , who will preside over the trial , to raise his right hand and place his left hand on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Do you solemnly swear that in all things appertaining to the trial of the impeachment of Donald John Trump , now pending , you will do impartial justice according to the constitution and laws : so help you God ?
” Grassley said , reading from an antiquated script .
Roberts swore that he would .
He then turned to administer the same oath to every senator in the chamber .
Owing to one absence , 99 right hands rose in the air .
When Roberts finished , the senators responded in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new age of political tribalism and partisan warfare will test the resonance – and relevance – of that 232-year-old pledge that set in motion the next phase of a deeply divisive effort to remove the president from office during a presidential election year .
The Senate majority leader , Mitch McConnell , vowed to overcome the cynicism and bitterness that has seeped into every aspect of American political life , gravely compromising the Senate ’ s longstanding claim to be the “ greatest deliberative body in the world ” .
“ This chamber @ @ @ @ @ @ @ past daily dramas and understand how our actions will reverberate for generations , ” he said , before the ceremonial swearing-in .
“ So that we can put aside animal reflexes and animosities , and coolly consider how to best serve our country.
” But few of the president ’ s adversaries will find comfort in McConnell ’ s words .
“ I ’ m not impartial about this at all , ” the majority leader declared last month , arguing that impeachment is an inherently political process .
As such , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the White House over impeachment , he said , an approach that has made even some Republican senators uncomfortable .
The comments ignited a firestorm .
Democrats said it was proof that for McConnell and the entire Republican caucus , the oath they swore would be nothing more than empty words .
Republicans wondered how the Democrats could claim impartiality after three years of denouncing the president and his policies , not to mention that four senators who took the oath are running to replace him in November .
“ .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and @ SenatorBennet are spending millions of dollars to defeat @ realDonaldTrump , and we ’ re supposed to believe they will be impartial during the trial ?
” Senator Marsha Blackburn , a Tennessee Republican , wrote in a tweet shared by the president .
“ They should recuse themselves.
” The senators – Bernie Sanders , Elizabeth Warren , Amy Klobuchar and Michael Bennet – have all said they believe the evidence is strong enough to convict the president and remove him from office .
Before she quit the presidential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was asked about her support for removing Trump from office .
Was that fair to the president ?
“ It ’ s just being observant , ” said Harris , a former California attorney general .
“ Because he has committed crimes in plain sight.
” Likewise , the South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham has said he would “ do everything I can ” to make impeachment “ die quickly ” .
“ I am trying to give a pretty clear signal I have made up my mind , ” he said during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Forum in Qatar last month .
“ I ’ m not trying to pretend to be a fair juror here.
” “ We ’ re going to reach a verdict and the verdict is going to be acquittal , ” the Texas senator Ted Cruz said in an interview on Fox News .
“ The verdict is going to be not guilty.
” Fairness , it would seem , is in the eye of the beholder .
There remains a flicker of hope that at least one critical element of the trial might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether to summon new witnesses and documents .
For weeks , the chambers were at an impasse over precisely how and when to proceed to the trial stage of the impeachment inquiry .
After a month-long delay , the House speaker , Nancy Pelosi , relented and on Wednesday the chamber voted to send two articles of impeachment to the Senate .
“ Time , ” she declared , “ has been our friend.
” As the House signed and delivered articles , new details were emerging about Trump ’ s alleged effort @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which is at the heart of his impeachment trial .
Troves of documents and interviews from Lev Parnas , an associate of the president ’ s personal lawyer , Rudy Giuliani , offered fresh insight into the alleged pressure campaign and Trump ’ s involvement .
And just hours before proceedings got under way on Thursday , a non-partisan federal watchdog agency concluded that the Trump administration had violated the law by withholding congressionally approved military assistance to Ukraine , another matter at the heart of the case against the president .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to allow new documents and evidence during the Senate trial .
A small but influential contingent of Republican senators have said they would like to hear from witnesses , particularly John Bolton , the former White House national security adviser who was present for many key episodes covered by the House ’ s inquiry .
Democrats only need four Republicans to force a vote on whether to subpoena a witness .
But their effort to “ do impartial justice ” faces a new obstacle .
The Kentucky senator Rand Paul has vowed political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any Republican lawmaker helped Democrats call a witness they hoped to hear from , Paul said he would force a retaliatory vote on a controversial witness the senators hoped to avoid .
At the top of the list is Hunter Biden , son of the Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden , who served on the board of a Ukrainian gas company and is at the center of a corruption conspiracy theory promoted by Republicans , and the whistleblower whose complaint launched the impeachment inquiry .
“ If you vote against Hunter Biden , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election , basically , ” Paul told Politico this week .
Opening the door to witnesses could disrupt McConnell ’ s carefully laid plans for the Senate trial that he intended to have “ only one outcome ” .
“ The weight of history sits on [ our ] shoulders , ” Chuck Schumer , the Senate minority leader , said after the swearing-in ceremony concluded , “ and produces , sometimes , results you never know will happen .
”

At 2.08pm on Thursday, a pair of pages opened the filigreed doors of the Senate. A quartet of senators – two Republicans and two Democrats – escorted the US supreme court’s chief justice, John Roberts, dressed in a long black robe, into the chamber. So began the Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump.
Chuck Grassley, the Senate’s president pro tempore (for the time being), instructed Roberts, who will preside over the trial, to raise his right hand and place his left hand on the Bible to be sworn in.
“Do you solemnly swear that in all things appertaining to the trial of the impeachment of Donald John Trump, now pending, you will do impartial justice according to the constitution and laws: so help you God?” Grassley said, reading from an antiquated script.
Roberts swore that he would. He then turned to administer the same oath to every senator in the chamber. Owing to one absence, 99 right hands rose in the air. When Roberts finished, the senators responded in unison: “I do.”
A new age of political tribalism and partisan warfare will test the resonance – and relevance – of that 232-year-old pledge that set in motion the next phase of a deeply divisive effort to remove the president from office during a presidential election year.
01:33 Senators are sworn in as Trump's impeachment trial gets under way – video
The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, vowed to overcome the cynicism and bitterness that has seeped into every aspect of American political life, gravely compromising the Senate’s longstanding claim to be the “greatest deliberative body in the world”.
“This chamber exists precisely so that we can look past daily dramas and understand how our actions will reverberate for generations,” he said, before the ceremonial swearing-in. “So that we can put aside animal reflexes and animosities, and coolly consider how to best serve our country.”
But few of the president’s adversaries will find comfort in McConnell’s words.
“I’m not impartial about this at all,” the majority leader declared last month, arguing that impeachment is an inherently political process. As such, he had worked in “total coordination” with the White House over impeachment, he said, an approach that has made even some Republican senators uncomfortable.
The comments ignited a firestorm. Democrats said it was proof that for McConnell and the entire Republican caucus, the oath they swore would be nothing more than empty words. Republicans wondered how the Democrats could claim impartiality after three years of denouncing the president and his policies, not to mention that four senators who took the oath are running to replace him in November.
“.@SenSanders, @SenWarren, @SenAmyKlobuchar, and @SenatorBennet are spending millions of dollars to defeat @realDonaldTrump, and we’re supposed to believe they will be impartial during the trial?” Senator Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican, wrote in a tweet shared by the president. “They should recuse themselves.”
The senators – Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar and Michael Bennet – have all said they believe the evidence is strong enough to convict the president and remove him from office.
Protesters remind senators of the words of the constitution. Photograph: Michael McCoy/Reuters
Before she quit the presidential race, Senator Kamala Harris of California was asked about her support for removing Trump from office. Was that fair to the president?
“It’s just being observant,” said Harris, a former California attorney general. “Because he has committed crimes in plain sight.”
Likewise, the South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham has said he would “do everything I can” to make impeachment “die quickly”.
“I am trying to give a pretty clear signal I have made up my mind,” he said during an interview with CNN at the Doha Forum in Qatar last month. “I’m not trying to pretend to be a fair juror here.”
“We’re going to reach a verdict and the verdict is going to be acquittal,” the Texas senator Ted Cruz said in an interview on Fox News. “The verdict is going to be not guilty.”
Fairness, it would seem, is in the eye of the beholder.
There remains a flicker of hope that at least one critical element of the trial might be bipartisan: the thorny decision of whether to summon new witnesses and documents.
For weeks, the chambers were at an impasse over precisely how and when to proceed to the trial stage of the impeachment inquiry. After a month-long delay, the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, relented and on Wednesday the chamber voted to send two articles of impeachment to the Senate.
“Time,” she declared, “has been our friend.”
As the House signed and delivered articles, new details were emerging about Trump’s alleged effort to extract a political favor from Ukraine, which is at the heart of his impeachment trial. Troves of documents and interviews from Lev Parnas, an associate of the president’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, offered fresh insight into the alleged pressure campaign and Trump’s involvement.
And just hours before proceedings got under way on Thursday, a non-partisan federal watchdog agency concluded that the Trump administration had violated the law by withholding congressionally approved military assistance to Ukraine, another matter at the heart of the case against the president. Democrats said the report strengthened their argument to allow new documents and evidence during the Senate trial.
A small but influential contingent of Republican senators have said they would like to hear from witnesses, particularly John Bolton, the former White House national security adviser who was present for many key episodes covered by the House’s inquiry. Democrats only need four Republicans to force a vote on whether to subpoena a witness.
Senator Rand Paul has a plan to wreck Democratic hopes of calling witnesses during the trial. Photograph: Joshua Roberts/Reuters
But their effort to “do impartial justice” faces a new obstacle. The Kentucky senator Rand Paul has vowed political retribution for displays of disloyalty. If any Republican lawmaker helped Democrats call a witness they hoped to hear from, Paul said he would force a retaliatory vote on a controversial witness the senators hoped to avoid.
At the top of the list is Hunter Biden, son of the Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, who served on the board of a Ukrainian gas company and is at the center of a corruption conspiracy theory promoted by Republicans, and the whistleblower whose complaint launched the impeachment inquiry.
“If you vote against Hunter Biden, you’re voting to lose your election, basically,” Paul told Politico this week.
Opening the door to witnesses could disrupt McConnell’s carefully laid plans for the Senate trial that he intended to have “only one outcome”.
“The weight of history sits on [our] shoulders,” Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, said after the swearing-in ceremony concluded, “and produces, sometimes, results you never know will happen.”


theguardian--2020-01-16--Ayanna Pressley reveals bald look and alopecia diagnosis in powerful video

The US congresswoman Ayanna Pressley unveiled a bold new look on Thursday .
The 45-year freshman representative from Massachusetts is completely bald , a condition she revealed is caused by alopecia .
The member of the four-strong , so-called “ Squad ” of progressive Democratic party newcomers to Congress disclosed her diagnosis in an exclusive video with the Root .
In the video , Pressley begins by telling the story of her hair journey , going from typically pressed or bunned hair to more Afrocentric styles , most notably her Senegalese twists .
Predicting this would be “ filtered and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that was militant ” , she instead received letters of support from women and girls across the country , she said .
“ Little girls were wearing T-shirts that said ‘ My congresswoman wears braids , ” she reveals in the video .
“ We received letters from all over the globe from women who talk about their own emancipation , that they felt I ’ ve given them permission.
” But then Pressley was increasingly spotted donning lace-front wigs .
That ’ s because during a routine hair appointment to have her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was thinning .
Soon after , it had completely fallen out .
“ It ’ s accelerated very quickly .
I had been waking up every morning to sinks full of hair , ” Pressley said .
“ Every night I was employing all the tools that I had been schooled and trained in throughout my life as a black woman .
I wrapped my hair , I wore a bonnet , I slept on a silk pillowcase.
” Alopecia is the medical term for baldness , and according to the National Alopecia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ autoimmune skin disease , causing hair loss on the scalp , face and sometimes on other areas of the body .
The condition affects as many as 6.8 million people in the US with a lifetime risk of 2 % .
” Pressley said she has concealed her hair loss for much of her first term in Congress .
She lost the final strands the night before Congress voted to impeach Donald Trump in December , she said .
Coincidentally , it was the same night as the anniversary of her mother ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the death of her mentor , the Maryland congressman Elijah Cummings , who died in October from complications from a long-term medical condition .
Pressley told the Root : “ I was missing her .
I was mourning my hair .
I was mourning the state of our democracy .
I was mourning my mentor , Chairman Elijah Cummings.
” Deciding to go public , in the video Pressley goes from a wig to her bald head for the first time .
Thinking of the T-shirts , she felt she “ owed all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Despite others insisting she didn ’ t , as a black woman she says she understands everything about her is seen as political .
“ I think [ many ] might over-intellectualize it and say ‘ it ’ s just hair ’ , ” she says .
“ People who are well-meaning have reminded me of the India.Arie song , I Am Not My Hair .
And that ’ s true , but I still want it .
So I ’ m trying to find my way here and I do believe going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including fellow Squad members , voiced their support , calling her a role model for others experiencing hair loss .
According to a July study from the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology , African Americans experience alopecia areata at a higher rate than other racial groups , particularly traction alopecia – which can happen when hair is pulled at the roots for over long periods of time .

The US congresswoman Ayanna Pressley unveiled a bold new look on Thursday.
The 45-year freshman representative from Massachusetts is completely bald, a condition she revealed is caused by alopecia.
The member of the four-strong, so-called “Squad” of progressive Democratic party newcomers to Congress disclosed her diagnosis in an exclusive video with the Root.
In the video, Pressley begins by telling the story of her hair journey, going from typically pressed or bunned hair to more Afrocentric styles, most notably her Senegalese twists.
Predicting this would be “filtered and interpreted by some as a political statement that was militant”, she instead received letters of support from women and girls across the country, she said.
“Little girls were wearing T-shirts that said ‘My congresswoman wears braids,” she reveals in the video. “We received letters from all over the globe from women who talk about their own emancipation, that they felt I’ve given them permission.”
But then Pressley was increasingly spotted donning lace-front wigs. That’s because during a routine hair appointment to have her hair re-twisted, she noticed her hair was thinning. Soon after, it had completely fallen out.
“It’s accelerated very quickly. I had been waking up every morning to sinks full of hair,” Pressley said. “Every night I was employing all the tools that I had been schooled and trained in throughout my life as a black woman. I wrapped my hair, I wore a bonnet, I slept on a silk pillowcase.”
Alopecia is the medical term for baldness, and according to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, is a “common autoimmune skin disease, causing hair loss on the scalp, face and sometimes on other areas of the body. The condition affects as many as 6.8 million people in the US with a lifetime risk of 2%.”
Pressley said she has concealed her hair loss for much of her first term in Congress.
She lost the final strands the night before Congress voted to impeach Donald Trump in December, she said.
Coincidentally, it was the same night as the anniversary of her mother’s death – and not long after the death of her mentor, the Maryland congressman Elijah Cummings, who died in October from complications from a long-term medical condition.
Pressley told the Root: “I was missing her. I was mourning my hair. I was mourning the state of our democracy. I was mourning my mentor, Chairman Elijah Cummings.”
Deciding to go public, in the video Pressley goes from a wig to her bald head for the first time. Thinking of the T-shirts, she felt she “owed all those little girls an explanation”. Despite others insisting she didn’t, as a black woman she says she understands everything about her is seen as political.
“I think [many] might over-intellectualize it and say ‘it’s just hair’,” she says. “People who are well-meaning have reminded me of the India.Arie song, I Am Not My Hair. And that’s true, but I still want it. So I’m trying to find my way here and I do believe going public will help.”
Many on Twitter, including fellow Squad members, voiced their support, calling her a role model for others experiencing hair loss.
Queen. 👑
Your courage in sharing your story is what makes you so incredibly special @AyannaPressley.
I love you sis. https://t.co/0OtFXsrXlK — Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) January 16, 2020
.@RepPressley reveals her private struggle with alopecia - with a powerful message about black women’s hair, what it represents, and how it serves as both an object of criticism and a symbol of empowerment. https://t.co/1q5YBdN15D — Kimberly Atkins (@KimberlyEAtkins) January 16, 2020
According to a July study from the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, African Americans experience alopecia areata at a higher rate than other racial groups, particularly traction alopecia – which can happen when hair is pulled at the roots for over long periods of time.