cnbc--2020-01-09--Trump moves to overhaul the National Environmental Policy Act

President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce proposed rollbacks to the National Environmental Policy Act regulations in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington , January 9 , 2020 .
The Trump administration on Thursday unveiled significant changes to the nation 's landmark environmental law that would make it easier for federal agencies to approve infrastructure projects without considering climate change .
Many of the White House 's proposed changes to the 50-year-old National Environmental Policy Act have been supported by business groups that contend the law has delayed or blocked projects like laying out oil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ among other things .
Environmentalists said that the rules would endanger wildlife and lead to more carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere , and contend that the regulations should be strengthened not weakened as the world copes with global warming .
If the proposals are enacted , it would be the first overhaul of NEPA in more than 40 years .
The plan , released by the White House Council on Environmental Quality , would no longer require any form of federal environmental review of construction projects that lack substantial government funding .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of projects that will be exempt from NEPA regulations .
`` We want to build new roads , bridges , tunnels , highways , bigger , better fast and we want to build them at less cost , '' President Donald Trump said at the White House on Thursday .

President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce proposed rollbacks to the National Environmental Policy Act regulations in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, January 9, 2020.
The Trump administration on Thursday unveiled significant changes to the nation's landmark environmental law that would make it easier for federal agencies to approve infrastructure projects without considering climate change.
Many of the White House's proposed changes to the 50-year-old National Environmental Policy Act have been supported by business groups that contend the law has delayed or blocked projects like laying out oil pipelines and building dams and mines, among other things.
Environmentalists said that the rules would endanger wildlife and lead to more carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere, and contend that the regulations should be strengthened not weakened as the world copes with global warming.
If the proposals are enacted, it would be the first overhaul of NEPA in more than 40 years.
The plan, released by the White House Council on Environmental Quality, would no longer require any form of federal environmental review of construction projects that lack substantial government funding. The change would also widen the category of projects that will be exempt from NEPA regulations.
"We want to build new roads, bridges, tunnels, highways, bigger, better fast and we want to build them at less cost," President Donald Trump said at the White House on Thursday.


cnbc--2020-01-09--Democratic House chair Adam Smith says he 'misspoke' in saying Pelosi should send Trump impeachment

Democratic House chair Adam Smith says he 'misspoke' in saying Pelosi should send Trump impeachment articles to Senate

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif. , arrives for a meeting of the House Democratic Caucus in the Capitol on Wednesday , December 4 , 2019 .
Smith would have been the highest-ranking Democrat in the House to publicly call for Pelosi to pass the articles along to the Republican-led Senate for a trial that could remove Trump from office .
In a tweet , Republican Sen. Ted Cruz chided Smith 's about face : `` Did somebody get sent to the Principal 's office ? ''
Less than an hour before Pelosi was scheduled to hold a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I misspoke this morning , I do believe we should do everything we can to force the Senate to have a fair trial . ''
If the speaker thinks withholding the articles will `` help force a fair trial in the Senate , '' Smith added , `` then I wholeheartedly support that decision . ''
Other Democrats have called on Pelosi to let the impeachment process to move to the Senate .
She has not done so , trying to gain leverage in setting the rules for the trial .
Smith , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on CNN that `` I think it is time to send the impeachment to the Senate and let Mitch McConnell be responsible for the fairness of the trial . ''
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Smith quickly reversed himself Thursday after saying Speaker Nancy Pelosi should send the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the Senate .
But Smith was n't the only Democrat to ease his pressure on Pelosi in the lead-up to her presser : Sens .
Chris Coons , Dianne Feinstein , Richard Blumenthal and Joe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the decision is Pelosi 's to make , NBC News reported .
The Democrat-led House impeached Trump in December on two articles — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — related to his attempts to have Ukraine announce investigations into his political rival Joe Biden and his son Hunter .
After the articles passed the House , Pelosi said she was in no rush to send them to the Senate until McConnell , the Senate majority leader , shows he will carry out a fair process .
But more than three weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ articles has yet to pay off in concessions from the Kentucky Republican .
Earlier this week , he said he would move forward on Trump 's impeachment trial without any Democratic support .
It 's considered highly unlikely that two-thirds of the Senate will vote to convict and remove Trump from office .
None of the 53 Republicans in the 100-member Senate have said they support convicting Trump .
Democrats have accused McConnell of planning to conduct a `` sham '' trial that will quickly exonerate Trump without a serious consideration of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president 's impeachment in the House .
`` I am concerned that Senator McConnell wo n't have a fair trial and I am with the Speaker that we should do everything we can to ensure he does , '' Smith said in another tweet Thursday .
`` Ultimately , I do want the articles sent to the Senate for the very simple reason that I want the impeachment process to go forward . ''
Still , some Senate Democrats , such as Dianne Feinstein of California , have already said Pelosi should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` The longer it goes on the less urgent it becomes , '' Feinstein said Wednesday .
`` So if it 's serious and urgent , send them over .
If it is n't , do n't send it over . ''
Pelosi 's office did not immediately respond to CNBC 's request to comment on Smith 's remarks .
Pelosi was scheduled to hold a press conference Thursday at 10:45 a.m .
ET .
A spokesman for Smith did not immediately provide more comment .
The chambers have clashed over whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minority Leader Chuck Schumer , D-N.Y. , has called for four witnesses — including former national security advisor John Bolton and Trump 's chief of staff Mick Mulvaney — to testify in the trial .
Bolton said Monday he would testify in Trump 's impeachment trial if he received a subpoena .
But McConnell has rejected Schumer 's demand , saying instead that he wants the trial to closely resemble former President Bill Clinton 's .
In that instance , senators debated whether to call witnesses after the trial started .
`` We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we need more information ... but nonetheless , I 'm ready , '' said Sen. Jon Tester , D- Mont.
, according to Politico .
`` I do n't know what leverage we have .
It looks like the cake is already baked , '' Tester said .
Before his reversal on social media , Smith was asked Thursday morning if it was time for Pelosi to send the articles to the Senate .
`` I think it is , '' he said .
`` I understand what the speaker was trying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leverage of that to work with Democratic and Republican senators , to try to get a reasonable trial — a trial that would actually show evidence , bring out witnesses . ''
`` But at the end of the day , just like we control it in the House , Mitch McConnell controls it in the Senate .
I think it was perfectly advisable for the speaker to try to leverage that to get a better deal , '' he said .
Smith added : `` At this point , it does n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., arrives for a meeting of the House Democratic Caucus in the Capitol on Wednesday, December 4, 2019.
Smith would have been the highest-ranking Democrat in the House to publicly call for Pelosi to pass the articles along to the Republican-led Senate for a trial that could remove Trump from office.
In a tweet, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz chided Smith's about face: "Did somebody get sent to the Principal's office?"
Less than an hour before Pelosi was scheduled to hold a news conference, Smith tweeted: "I misspoke this morning, I do believe we should do everything we can to force the Senate to have a fair trial." If the speaker thinks withholding the articles will "help force a fair trial in the Senate," Smith added, "then I wholeheartedly support that decision."
Other Democrats have called on Pelosi to let the impeachment process to move to the Senate. She has not done so, trying to gain leverage in setting the rules for the trial.
Smith, a Washington state Democrat, had said on CNN that "I think it is time to send the impeachment to the Senate and let Mitch McConnell be responsible for the fairness of the trial."
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Smith quickly reversed himself Thursday after saying Speaker Nancy Pelosi should send the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the Senate.
But Smith wasn't the only Democrat to ease his pressure on Pelosi in the lead-up to her presser: Sens. Chris Coons, Dianne Feinstein, Richard Blumenthal and Joe Manchin all said Thursday that they think the decision is Pelosi's to make, NBC News reported.
The Democrat-led House impeached Trump in December on two articles — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — related to his attempts to have Ukraine announce investigations into his political rival Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
After the articles passed the House, Pelosi said she was in no rush to send them to the Senate until McConnell, the Senate majority leader, shows he will carry out a fair process.
But more than three weeks later, her gamble to withhold the articles has yet to pay off in concessions from the Kentucky Republican. Earlier this week, he said he would move forward on Trump's impeachment trial without any Democratic support.
It's considered highly unlikely that two-thirds of the Senate will vote to convict and remove Trump from office. None of the 53 Republicans in the 100-member Senate have said they support convicting Trump.
Democrats have accused McConnell of planning to conduct a "sham" trial that will quickly exonerate Trump without a serious consideration of the information that continues to be unearthed since the president's impeachment in the House.
"I am concerned that Senator McConnell won't have a fair trial and I am with the Speaker that we should do everything we can to ensure he does," Smith said in another tweet Thursday. "Ultimately, I do want the articles sent to the Senate for the very simple reason that I want the impeachment process to go forward."
Still, some Senate Democrats, such as Dianne Feinstein of California, have already said Pelosi should pass the articles on to the Senate.
"The longer it goes on the less urgent it becomes," Feinstein said Wednesday. "So if it's serious and urgent, send them over. If it isn't, don't send it over."
Pelosi's office did not immediately respond to CNBC's request to comment on Smith's remarks. Pelosi was scheduled to hold a press conference Thursday at 10:45 a.m. ET. A spokesman for Smith did not immediately provide more comment.
The chambers have clashed over whether to guarantee testimony from witnesses.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has called for four witnesses — including former national security advisor John Bolton and Trump's chief of staff Mick Mulvaney — to testify in the trial.
Bolton said Monday he would testify in Trump's impeachment trial if he received a subpoena. But McConnell has rejected Schumer's demand, saying instead that he wants the trial to closely resemble former President Bill Clinton's.
In that instance, senators debated whether to call witnesses after the trial started.
"We need to get folks to testify and we need more information ... but nonetheless, I'm ready," said Sen. Jon Tester, D- Mont., according to Politico.
"I don't know what leverage we have. It looks like the cake is already baked," Tester said.
Before his reversal on social media, Smith was asked Thursday morning if it was time for Pelosi to send the articles to the Senate.
"I think it is," he said. "I understand what the speaker was trying to do, basically trying to use the leverage of that to work with Democratic and Republican senators, to try to get a reasonable trial — a trial that would actually show evidence, bring out witnesses."
"But at the end of the day, just like we control it in the House, Mitch McConnell controls it in the Senate. I think it was perfectly advisable for the speaker to try to leverage that to get a better deal," he said.
Smith added: "At this point, it doesn't look like that's going to happen."


cnbc--2020-01-09--Mnuchin seeks to delay proposed Secret Service report on Trump family travel costs until after the 2

Mnuchin seeks to delay proposed Secret Service report on Trump family travel costs until after the 2020 election

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin speaks about sanctions against Turkey at a news briefing at the White House in Washington , October 11 , 2019 .
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is pushing to delay a proposed disclosure of Secret Service spending on presidential travel until after the 2020 election , a spokesperson for Sen. Dianne Feinstein , D-Calif. , said Thursday .
The Trump administration 's maneuvering to put off providing cost figures related to the agency 's protection of President Donald Trump comes as Mnuchin is in talks with Congress on a bill to move the Secret Service back to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ article Wednesday in The Washington Post , which first reported on Mnuchin 's efforts .
The cost of protecting Trump while he is away from the nation 's capital has come under scrutiny .
According to the Post , Democrats have demanded that the legislation require the Secret Service , which was transferred from Treasury to the Department of Homeland Security in 2003 , report costs related to Trump 's travel within 120 days after it is passed .
The disclosure would also include costs of protecting Trump 's adult children , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spokesperson said in a statement that Mnuchin and Secret Service Director James Murray have been working over `` the past several months '' to return the Secret Service to the Treasury Department .
`` Conversations about the return of the Secret Service to the Treasury Department are ongoing , and we decline to comment on individual aspects of those conversations , '' the spokesperson said .
The Government Accountability Office published a report in January 2019 finding that federal agencies incurred costs of $ 13.6 million in a period of just over a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trips to his Florida club Mar-a-Lago .

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin speaks about sanctions against Turkey at a news briefing at the White House in Washington, October 11, 2019.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is pushing to delay a proposed disclosure of Secret Service spending on presidential travel until after the 2020 election, a spokesperson for Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said Thursday.
The Trump administration's maneuvering to put off providing cost figures related to the agency's protection of President Donald Trump comes as Mnuchin is in talks with Congress on a bill to move the Secret Service back to the Treasury Department, according to an article Wednesday in The Washington Post, which first reported on Mnuchin's efforts.
The cost of protecting Trump while he is away from the nation's capital has come under scrutiny.
According to the Post, Democrats have demanded that the legislation require the Secret Service, which was transferred from Treasury to the Department of Homeland Security in 2003, report costs related to Trump's travel within 120 days after it is passed. The disclosure would also include costs of protecting Trump's adult children, according to the newspaper.
A Treasury Department spokesperson said in a statement that Mnuchin and Secret Service Director James Murray have been working over "the past several months" to return the Secret Service to the Treasury Department.
"Conversations about the return of the Secret Service to the Treasury Department are ongoing, and we decline to comment on individual aspects of those conversations," the spokesperson said.
The Government Accountability Office published a report in January 2019 finding that federal agencies incurred costs of $13.6 million in a period of just over a month in 2017 when Trump took four trips to his Florida club Mar-a-Lago.


cnbc--2020-01-09--Can Iran afford war? These 6 charts shed some light

Iran attacked U.S. targets this week after the killing of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in an American airstrike , leaving some investors questioning if the situation would lead to war .
Officials from both countries have said they 're not seeking an all-out war .
Many geopolitical experts said Iran — more than the U.S. — can not afford to get drawn into war .
That 's partly due to the Islamic Republic 's weakened economy after years of punishing sanctions .
To be clear , updated data on Iran 's economy from official sources is not readily available @ @ @ @ @ @ @ charts that might shed some light on the state of the Iranian economy .
Iran received some sanctions relief when it agreed on a deal with six major powers in 2015 to curb its nuclear work .
But President Donald Trump reinstated U.S. sanctions on Iran in 2018 , which once again sent the economy into a tailspin .
Iran is estimated to have the world 's fourth-largest crude oil reserves , according to the World Bank .
Much of the country 's economic growth and government revenues depend on the sale of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sale of Iranian oil were among the U.S. sanctions that Trump reinstated two years ago .
That 's one of the major reasons why forecasters , including the International Monetary Fund , expect the production and exports of Iranian crude oil to decline .
The fall in Iranian oil exports and international restrictions placed on other sectors — such as banking , mining and maritime — have caused the country 's total trade with the world to shrink .
The Central Bank of Iran has maintained a steady official exchange rate of 42,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the currency is much weaker than that in the unofficial market , weakening to as much as 140,000 rials per dollar this month amid heightened tensions with the U.S. , according to foreign exchange website Bonbast.com .
The weak local currency contributed to high levels of inflation in Iran — which the World Bank said peaked at 52 % in May 2019 .
That raises the costs of living in Iran at a time when job opportunities are lacking .
The lack of employment opportunities could worsen poverty in Iran , the World @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country 's poverty , measured by the proportion of people whose purchasing power is below $ 5.50 per day , had risen from 8.1 % in 2013 to 11.6 % in 2016 .

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei (C) and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Hossein Salami (L2) participate in the Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense University graduation ceremony in Tehran, Iran on October 30, 2019. Iranian Supreme Leader Press Office | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Iran attacked U.S. targets this week after the killing of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in an American airstrike, leaving some investors questioning if the situation would lead to war. Officials from both countries have said they're not seeking an all-out war. Many geopolitical experts said Iran — more than the U.S. — cannot afford to get drawn into war. That's partly due to the Islamic Republic's weakened economy after years of punishing sanctions. To be clear, updated data on Iran's economy from official sources is not readily available. Here's a look at six charts that might shed some light on the state of the Iranian economy.
Economy in recession
International sanctions to rein in Iran's pursuit of a nuclear program have for years crippled the country's economy.
Iran received some sanctions relief when it agreed on a deal with six major powers in 2015 to curb its nuclear work. But President Donald Trump reinstated U.S. sanctions on Iran in 2018, which once again sent the economy into a tailspin.
Oil sector declines
Iran is estimated to have the world's fourth-largest crude oil reserves, according to the World Bank. Much of the country's economic growth and government revenues depend on the sale of crude oil.
But restrictions on the sale of Iranian oil were among the U.S. sanctions that Trump reinstated two years ago. That's one of the major reasons why forecasters, including the International Monetary Fund, expect the production and exports of Iranian crude oil to decline.
Shrinking trade
The fall in Iranian oil exports and international restrictions placed on other sectors — such as banking, mining and maritime — have caused the country's total trade with the world to shrink.
The IMF estimated the country's exports could fall below its imports in 2019 and 2020.
Rising costs of living
The Central Bank of Iran has maintained a steady official exchange rate of 42,000 Iranian rials per U.S. dollar . But the currency is much weaker than that in the unofficial market, weakening to as much as 140,000 rials per dollar this month amid heightened tensions with the U.S., according to foreign exchange website Bonbast.com.
The weak local currency contributed to high levels of inflation in Iran — which the World Bank said peaked at 52% in May 2019. That raises the costs of living in Iran at a time when job opportunities are lacking.
High unemployment rate
One main implication of a stagnant or declining economy is rising unemployment rate, which has been seen in Iran.
The lack of employment opportunities could worsen poverty in Iran, the World Bank said. It noted that the country's poverty, measured by the proportion of people whose purchasing power is below $5.50 per day, had risen from 8.1% in 2013 to 11.6% in 2016.
Widening fiscal deficit
The Iranian government has limited finances to roll out measures in order to lift the country's economy. That has been exacerbated by overall subdued economy activity and restrictions on oil sale overseas, due to the sanctions in place.
Such fiscal constraints would limit Iran's ability to fund a war, although some experts said Tehran could still ramp up its aggression against the U.S. by using its proxy forces across the Middle East, stretching from Syria and Yemen to Afghanistan.


cnbc--2020-01-09--Small rockets hit near Baghdad Green Zone a day after Iran missile attacks on US targets in Iraq

Iraqi counter-terrorism forces stand guard in front of the US embassy in the capital Baghdad on January 2 , 2020 .
Small rockets hit the area in or around the Green Zone in Iraq 's capital of Baghdad late Wednesday , a day after Iran launched missiles at bases housing U.S. and other coalition forces in Iraq , American military officials said .
There was no casualties to U.S. or other coalition forces in the area , and no damage to facilities in the Green Zone , which contains the American embassy and other Western diplomatic posts , officials said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gains following initial reports Wednesday of an explosion in Baghdad just before midnight local time .
It closed 161 points higher but about 80 points lower than it had been just before the news .
Iraq 's military said two Katyusha rockets fell inside the Green Zone .
There were no casualties , according to the statement from Iraq 's military .
The rockets were fired several hours after President Donald Trump declared that Iran appeared to be standing down from military conflict with the U.S. — remarks that sent stock indexes surging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Iran launched missile attacks against two Iraqi bases that house U.S. military and coalition forces .
The barrage was retaliation for the killing on Thursday of Iran 's top military leader , Gen. Qasem Soleimani , in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad .
Trump on Wednesday defended the decision to target Soleimani , who has been blamed for the deaths of hundreds of Americans in the Middle East .

Iraqi counter-terrorism forces stand guard in front of the US embassy in the capital Baghdad on January 2, 2020.
Small rockets hit the area in or around the Green Zone in Iraq's capital of Baghdad late Wednesday, a day after Iran launched missiles at bases housing U.S. and other coalition forces in Iraq, American military officials said.
There was no casualties to U.S. or other coalition forces in the area, and no damage to facilities in the Green Zone, which contains the American embassy and other Western diplomatic posts, officials said.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average pared gains following initial reports Wednesday of an explosion in Baghdad just before midnight local time. It closed 161 points higher but about 80 points lower than it had been just before the news.
Iraq's military said two Katyusha rockets fell inside the Green Zone.
There were no casualties, according to the statement from Iraq's military.
A coalition spokesman later confirmed the attack.
Tweet
The rockets were fired several hours after President Donald Trump declared that Iran appeared to be standing down from military conflict with the U.S. — remarks that sent stock indexes surging higher.
On Tuesday night Eastern time, Iran launched missile attacks against two Iraqi bases that house U.S. military and coalition forces.
The barrage was retaliation for the killing on Thursday of Iran's top military leader, Gen. Qasem Soleimani, in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad.
Trump on Wednesday defended the decision to target Soleimani, who has been blamed for the deaths of hundreds of Americans in the Middle East.


cnbc--2020-01-10--Iran missile shot down Ukraine-bound Boeing airliner, officials say

An Iranian surface-to-air missile brought down a passenger plane bound for Kyiv , Ukraine , shortly after takeoff from Tehran this week , killing all 176 people on board , officials from the U.S. , Canada and the U.K. said Thursday , citing new intelligence .
`` This may well have been unintentional , '' Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a news conference , urging the Iranian government to ensure a `` thorough investigation '' of the crash .
Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 crashed Wednesday morning , after Iran had launched missile attacks on bases in Iraq that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the theory that it was struck by a stray missile , a theory that U.S. and Canadian government officials on Thursday said was likely , based on new information .
Sixty-three Canadians were among the victims in the crash of the flight , which lost contact with air traffic controllers five minutes after takeoff from Tehran on Wednesday morning , officials said .
`` The news will undoubtedly come as a shock to the families who are already grieving in the face of this unspeakable tragedy , '' Trudeau said .
`` We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our allies ' and our own intelligence '' that indicates the plane was shot down by an Iranian missile .
The reports came after President Donald Trump said he did not believe mechanical failure caused the crash .
`` It was flying in a pretty rough neighborhood , '' Trump said .
`` Someone could have made a mistake . ''
Spy satellite imagery suggested the Ukraine-bound Boeing passenger airliner was shot down by an Iranian missile NBC News reported earlier Thursday .
Iran 's head of civil aviation agency dismissed the missile @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iranian officials had originally suggested that the Boeing 737-800 crashed because of a technical problem .
'Need for a thorough investigation' Iran 's civil aviation authority , which did not immediately respond to requests for comment from CNBC , said earlier Thursday that the plane departed Tehran 's Imam Khomeini airport at 6:13 a.m. local time on Wednesday and lost communication with air traffic controllers five minutes later .
Under international law , the country in which the crash occurs controls the investigation , and because the plane was U.S.-made , federal investigators @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , would normally be involved .
Fraught relations between the U.S. and Iran could also complicate the U.S. government 's willingness to send personnel to the country .
The National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday evening said it appointed a designee for the process , but it was n't immediately clear when the person or team would be able to travel .
Some airlines in Europe called off flights to Iran in the wake of the crash .
An Iranian official told local news media on Wednesday that Iran did not plan to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but Iran 's aviation agency said it was conducting its investigation under international law and that it has `` provided all relevant countries with the necessary information since the accident . ''
Iran may send the recovered black boxes , which contain flight data and cockpit voice recordings , abroad for analysis .
Iranian aviation officials said the boxes that were recovered from the crash site were damaged by fire .
Ali Abedzadeh , head of Iran 's aviation authority , said that Iran and Ukraine can download the data from the black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sharing the information with specialists in other nations .
`` This new information reinforces the need for a thorough investigation of this matter , '' Trudeau said .
`` I have a feeling that — it 's just some very terrible , something very terrible happened , very devastating , '' Trump added .
Most of the passengers on the flight were from Iran and Canada .
Other passengers came from countries including Sweden and Ukraine .
Newsweek noted that images that began circulating on Wednesday show what looked to be fragments of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be found in a Tehran suburb .
Sen. Jim Inhofe , R-Okla. , said , `` It sounds pretty convincing that the plane that was shot down ... by Iranians . ''
Asked what the U.S. response should be if true , Inhofe paused and then said , `` I do n't want to interfere with the decisions that are now being made by the president . ''
`` I 'm quite sure I 'll be talking to him because we talk on a regular basis about things like that . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that if Iranian missiles had shot down the plane `` it would be an outrage . ''
`` What I would do if I were the president would be to reach out to the Canadian people and the prime minister and try to rally the world around the idea that we should n't accept 40 more years of state-sponsored terrorism , '' Graham said .
Abedzadeh said in a statement that eyewitnesses had reported that the Kyiv-bound plane was on fire immediately before the crash .
Aviation safety experts , including former government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sudden loss of communication and lack of a distress signal were highly suspicious signs .
The crash occurred hours after Iran launched retaliatory missile strikes on U.S. positions in Iraq for the killing of Gen. Qasem Soleimani .
The timing prompted speculation that a stray Iranian missile may have downed the passenger plane .
Determining the cause of plane crashes can take more than a year .

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An Iranian surface-to-air missile brought down a passenger plane bound for Kyiv, Ukraine, shortly after takeoff from Tehran this week, killing all 176 people on board, officials from the U.S., Canada and the U.K. said Thursday, citing new intelligence. "This may well have been unintentional," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a news conference, urging the Iranian government to ensure a "thorough investigation" of the crash. Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 crashed Wednesday morning, after Iran had launched missile attacks on bases in Iraq that house U.S. and coalition forces, prompting the theory that it was struck by a stray missile, a theory that U.S. and Canadian government officials on Thursday said was likely, based on new information. Sixty-three Canadians were among the victims in the crash of the flight, which lost contact with air traffic controllers five minutes after takeoff from Tehran on Wednesday morning, officials said. "The news will undoubtedly come as a shock to the families who are already grieving in the face of this unspeakable tragedy," Trudeau said. "We have intelligence from multiple sources, including our allies' and our own intelligence" that indicates the plane was shot down by an Iranian missile. The reports came after President Donald Trump said he did not believe mechanical failure caused the crash. "It was flying in a pretty rough neighborhood," Trump said. "Someone could have made a mistake." Spy satellite imagery suggested the Ukraine-bound Boeing passenger airliner was shot down by an Iranian missile NBC News reported earlier Thursday. Iran's head of civil aviation agency dismissed the missile reports as "illogical rumors." Iranian officials had originally suggested that the Boeing 737-800 crashed because of a technical problem.
'Need for a thorough investigation'
Iran's civil aviation authority, which did not immediately respond to requests for comment from CNBC, said earlier Thursday that the plane departed Tehran's Imam Khomeini airport at 6:13 a.m. local time on Wednesday and lost communication with air traffic controllers five minutes later. Under international law, the country in which the crash occurs controls the investigation, and because the plane was U.S.-made, federal investigators and Boeing, the plane's manufacturer, would normally be involved. Fraught relations between the U.S. and Iran could also complicate the U.S. government's willingness to send personnel to the country. The National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday evening said it appointed a designee for the process, but it wasn't immediately clear when the person or team would be able to travel. Some airlines in Europe called off flights to Iran in the wake of the crash. tweet An Iranian official told local news media on Wednesday that Iran did not plan to share the black boxes with the U.S but Iran's aviation agency said it was conducting its investigation under international law and that it has "provided all relevant countries with the necessary information since the accident." Iran may send the recovered black boxes, which contain flight data and cockpit voice recordings, abroad for analysis. Iranian aviation officials said the boxes that were recovered from the crash site were damaged by fire. Ali Abedzadeh, head of Iran's aviation authority, said that Iran and Ukraine can download the data from the black boxes but that it was open to sharing the information with specialists in other nations. "This new information reinforces the need for a thorough investigation of this matter," Trudeau said.
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"I have a feeling that — it's just some very terrible, something very terrible happened, very devastating," Trump added. Most of the passengers on the flight were from Iran and Canada. Other passengers came from countries including Sweden and Ukraine. Newsweek noted that images that began circulating on Wednesday show what looked to be fragments of a Tor M-1 missile that were said to be found in a Tehran suburb. Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., said, "It sounds pretty convincing that the plane that was shot down ... by Iranians." Asked what the U.S. response should be if true, Inhofe paused and then said, "I don't want to interfere with the decisions that are now being made by the president." "I'm quite sure I'll be talking to him because we talk on a regular basis about things like that."
Aircraft parts from the wreckage of a Boeing Co. 737-800 aircraft, operated by Ukraine International Airlines, which crashed shortly after takeoff lie on the ground near Shahedshahr, Iran, on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020. Ali Mohammadi/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said that if Iranian missiles had shot down the plane "it would be an outrage." "What I would do if I were the president would be to reach out to the Canadian people and the prime minister and try to rally the world around the idea that we shouldn't accept 40 more years of state-sponsored terrorism," Graham said. Abedzadeh said in a statement that eyewitnesses had reported that the Kyiv-bound plane was on fire immediately before the crash. Aviation safety experts, including former government crash investigators, told CNBC that the sudden loss of communication and lack of a distress signal were highly suspicious signs. The crash occurred hours after Iran launched retaliatory missile strikes on U.S. positions in Iraq for the killing of Gen. Qasem Soleimani. The timing prompted speculation that a stray Iranian missile may have downed the passenger plane. Determining the cause of plane crashes can take more than a year.
Rescue workers recover bodies from the wreckage of a Boeing Co. 737-800 aircraft, operated by Ukraine International Airlines, which crashed shortly after takeoff near Shahedshahr, Iran, on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020. Ali Mohammadi | Bloomberg | Getty Images


cnbc--2020-01-10--Jeffrey Epstein scandal: MIT professor put on leave, he 'failed to inform' college that sex offender

Jeffrey Epstein scandal: MIT professor put on leave, he 'failed to inform' college that sex offender made donations

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology said Friday that it had placed one of its tenured professors on paid administrative leave after finding that he `` purposefully failed to inform MIT '' that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was the source of two donations in 2012 to support the professor 's research , and that the professor got a $ 60,000 personal gift from Epstein .
A scathing report released by MIT also found that the decision by three administrators to accept donations from Epstein , who pleaded guilty to sex crimes in Florida in 2008 — one of which involved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ result of collective and serious errors in judgment that resulted in serious damage to the MIT community . ''
The report noted that even as its findings have been made public , `` MIT is still without a clear and comprehensive gift policy or a process to properly vet donors . ''
However , the university has begun to develop such a process .
Epstein , a former friend of Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton , donated $ 850,000 to MIT from 2002 through 2017 in 10 separate gifts , the report @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than the amount MIT has previously reported to have received from Epstein .
`` The earliest gift was $ 100,000 given in 2002 to support the research of the late Professor Marvin Minsky , who died in 2016 , '' MIT said as it released the report , which comes after four months of investigation of Epstein 's ties to MIT conducted by the law firm Goodwin Procter .
`` The remaining nine donations , all made after Epstein 's 2008 conviction , included $ 525,000 to the Media Lab and $ 225,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the report said .
The report also found that , `` Unbeknownst to any members of MIT 's senior leadership ... Epstein visited MIT nine times between 2013 and 2017 . ''
`` The fact-finding reveals that these visits and all post-conviction gifts from Epstein were driven by either former Media Lab director Joi Ito or professor of mechanical engineering Seth Lloyd , and not by the MIT administration or the Office of Resource Development . ''
Ito resigned last year after revelations about Epstein 's donations to the Media Lab .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2012 , and the remaining $ 125,000 in 2017 , according to the report .
`` Epstein viewed the 2012 gifts as a trial balloon to test MIT 's willingness to accept donations following his conviction '' in Florida , MIT said .
`` Professor Lloyd knew that donations from Epstein would be controversial and that MIT might reject them , '' MIT said .
`` We conclude that , in concert with Epstein , he purposefully decided not to alert the Institute to Epstein 's criminal record , choosing instead to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without any formal discussion or diligence concerning Epstein . ''

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology said Friday that it had placed one of its tenured professors on paid administrative leave after finding that he "purposefully failed to inform MIT" that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was the source of two donations in 2012 to support the professor's research, and that the professor got a $60,000 personal gift from Epstein.
A scathing report released by MIT also found that the decision by three administrators to accept donations from Epstein, who pleaded guilty to sex crimes in Florida in 2008 — one of which involved a minor girl — "was the result of collective and serious errors in judgment that resulted in serious damage to the MIT community."
The report noted that even as its findings have been made public, "MIT is still without a clear and comprehensive gift policy or a process to properly vet donors." However, the university has begun to develop such a process.
Epstein, a former friend of Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, donated $850,000 to MIT from 2002 through 2017 in 10 separate gifts, the report said.
That was $50,000 more than the amount MIT has previously reported to have received from Epstein.
"The earliest gift was $100,000 given in 2002 to support the research of the late Professor Marvin Minsky, who died in 2016," MIT said as it released the report, which comes after four months of investigation of Epstein's ties to MIT conducted by the law firm Goodwin Procter.
"The remaining nine donations, all made after Epstein's 2008 conviction, included $525,000 to the Media Lab and $225,000 to" mechanical engineering professor Seth Lloyd, the report said.
The report also found that, "Unbeknownst to any members of MIT's senior leadership ... Epstein visited MIT nine times between 2013 and 2017."
"The fact-finding reveals that these visits and all post-conviction gifts from Epstein were driven by either former Media Lab director Joi Ito or professor of mechanical engineering Seth Lloyd, and not by the MIT administration or the Office of Resource Development."
Ito resigned last year after revelations about Epstein's donations to the Media Lab.
Lloyd received two donations of $50,000 in 2012, and the remaining $125,000 in 2017, according to the report.
"Epstein viewed the 2012 gifts as a trial balloon to test MIT's willingness to accept donations following his conviction" in Florida, MIT said.
"Professor Lloyd knew that donations from Epstein would be controversial and that MIT might reject them," MIT said.
"We conclude that, in concert with Epstein, he purposefully decided not to alert the Institute to Epstein's criminal record, choosing instead to allow mid-level administrators to process the donations without any formal discussion or diligence concerning Epstein."


cnbc--2020-01-10--Democratic megadonor Haim Saban will not back a 2020 presidential candidate until after Super Tuesda

Democratic megadonor Haim Saban will not back a 2020 presidential candidate until after Super Tuesday

Haim Saban , chairman and chief executive officer of Saban Capital Group , arrives ahead of the Allen & Co. Media and Technology Conference in Sun Valley , Idaho , U.S. , on Tuesday , July 9 , 2019 .
One of the wealthiest Democratic megadonors has decided to remain uncommitted to any of the presidential candidates until after the pivotal primaries of Super Tuesday .
Haim Saban , the media mogul who helped power Hillary Clinton 's presidential campaign in 2016 , will wait until after Super Tuesday has concluded to decide how he will be involved in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with direct knowledge of the matter who declined to be named as this decision was made in private .
The delegate-rich day is scheduled for March 3 , with contests in 14 states , including his home state of California .
Saban in the meantime will continue backing Democrats running for Congress , these people added .
The declaration means none of the presidential candidates will see assistance from Saban for at least another two months , leaving an influential donor on the sidelines at a time when the contenders need financial resources @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrats running for president combined to raise well over $ 100 million in the fourth quarter .
A spokeswoman for Saban did not return a request for comment .
Saban 's sidelining differs from what some other Hollywood executives are planning .
Film producer Jeffrey Katzenbeg , for instance , has contributed to a variety of candidates and is listed as one of former Vice President Joe Biden 's personal fundraisers , also known as bundlers .
Super Tuesday accounts for about 40 % of the total delegate allocation , which means whoever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will likely be the front-runner to capture the Democratic nomination .
Many of the candidates , including Biden , Sens .
Bernie Sanders , Elizabeth Warren and former mayors Pete Buttigieg and Mike Bloomberg , have opened offices in various Super Tuesday states .
Biden is the current primary leader with 29 % of the vote , according to a Real Clear Politics polling average .
Bloomberg has spent millions of dollars on TV ads in those regions such as Texas , California , Alabama and Massachusetts .
Bloomberg has a net worth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to self-fund his entire campaign .
Saban , an Israeli-American who has a net worth of $ 2.8 billion and is behind the `` Mighty Morphin Power Rangers '' and other popular entertainment franchises , has been quiet about committing to one candidate .
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter , he said he 's a fan of all the candidates except one .
`` We love all 23 candidates , '' he told the publication in July .
`` No , minus one .
I profoundly dislike Bernie Sanders , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't give a hoot .
He 's a communist under the cover of being a socialist .
He thinks that every billionaire is a crook .
He calls us 'the billionaire class . '
And he attacks us indiscriminately .
'It 's the billionaire class , the bad guys . '
This is how communists think .
So , 22 are great .
One is a disaster zone . ''
Although he has n't contributed to candidates for the top of the ballots yet , he has been consistently supported House and Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he and wife gave just over $ 12 million to the pro-Clinton super PAC Priorities USA Action , according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics .
The Saban family foundation has given at least $ 10 million to the Clinton Foundation , the group 's website says .
While the megadonor has not decided whom to support , he has previously sent checks to some of the current crop of contenders when they were running in other elections , including two $ 2,700 checks to Warren 's Senate reelection campaign in 2018 @

Haim Saban, chairman and chief executive officer of Saban Capital Group, arrives ahead of the Allen & Co. Media and Technology Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, U.S., on Tuesday, July 9, 2019.
One of the wealthiest Democratic megadonors has decided to remain uncommitted to any of the presidential candidates until after the pivotal primaries of Super Tuesday.
Haim Saban, the media mogul who helped power Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in 2016, will wait until after Super Tuesday has concluded to decide how he will be involved in the race for president, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter who declined to be named as this decision was made in private. The delegate-rich day is scheduled for March 3, with contests in 14 states, including his home state of California.
Saban in the meantime will continue backing Democrats running for Congress, these people added.
The declaration means none of the presidential candidates will see assistance from Saban for at least another two months, leaving an influential donor on the sidelines at a time when the contenders need financial resources to compete in often expensive states. Democrats running for president combined to raise well over $100 million in the fourth quarter.
A spokeswoman for Saban did not return a request for comment.
Saban's sidelining differs from what some other Hollywood executives are planning. Film producer Jeffrey Katzenbeg, for instance, has contributed to a variety of candidates and is listed as one of former Vice President Joe Biden's personal fundraisers, also known as bundlers.
Super Tuesday accounts for about 40% of the total delegate allocation, which means whoever picks up the most victories that day will likely be the front-runner to capture the Democratic nomination. Many of the candidates, including Biden, Sens. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and former mayors Pete Buttigieg and Mike Bloomberg, have opened offices in various Super Tuesday states. Biden is the current primary leader with 29% of the vote, according to a Real Clear Politics polling average.
Bloomberg has spent millions of dollars on TV ads in those regions such as Texas, California, Alabama and Massachusetts. Bloomberg has a net worth of $56 billion and has decided to self-fund his entire campaign.
Saban, an Israeli-American who has a net worth of $2.8 billion and is behind the "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" and other popular entertainment franchises, has been quiet about committing to one candidate. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he said he's a fan of all the candidates except one.
"We love all 23 candidates," he told the publication in July. "No, minus one. I profoundly dislike Bernie Sanders, and you can write it. I don't give a hoot. He's a communist under the cover of being a socialist. He thinks that every billionaire is a crook. He calls us 'the billionaire class.' And he attacks us indiscriminately. 'It's the billionaire class, the bad guys.' This is how communists think. So, 22 are great. One is a disaster zone."
Although he hasn't contributed to candidates for the top of the ballots yet, he has been consistently supported House and Senate Democrats.
In the 2016 race, he and wife gave just over $12 million to the pro-Clinton super PAC Priorities USA Action, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. The Saban family foundation has given at least $10 million to the Clinton Foundation, the group's website says.
While the megadonor has not decided whom to support, he has previously sent checks to some of the current crop of contenders when they were running in other elections, including two $2,700 checks to Warren's Senate reelection campaign in 2018.


cnbc--2020-01-10--Pelosi will send articles of impeachment to Senate next week

WASHINGTON -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday that she will send articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the Senate next week .
`` I have asked Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler to be prepared to bring to the Floor next week a resolution to appoint managers and transmit articles of impeachment to the Senate , '' Pelosi wrote to House colleagues .
Impeachment managers are House members who essentially act as prosecutors in a Senate trial of the president .
Before the articles can be delivered to the Senate , the managers need to be agreed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ letter sets up the prospect of a multiweek impeachment trial of Trump to begin in the Senate later this month .
It also poses a dilemma for the five senators seeking the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination .
The Iowa caucuses are on Feb. 3 , and spending several weeks in Washington , not Iowa , right before the caucus could put their campaigns at a disadvantage .
Pelosi 's announcement was made amid mounting pressure on her , not only from Republicans , but increasingly from fellow Democrats to deliver the articles .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senate can begin preparations for a trial .
On Thursday , Pelosi told reporters she still needed to see how the Senate would conduct a trial , before she agreed to transfer the articles .
`` We want to see what they 're willing to do , and the manner in which they will do it , '' she said .
By Friday , her calculus appeared to have shifted , although she did not directly explain why in her letter .
`` I am very proud of the courage and patriotism exhibited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support and defend the Constitution , '' she wrote , adding that she would `` be consulting '' with her caucus next week `` on how we proceed further . ''
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer , D-N.Y. , said in a statement later Friday that Democrats in his chamber `` are ready for the trial to begin and will do everything we can to see that the truth comes out . ''
The House voted on Dec. 18 to impeach Trump , but for the past three weeks , Pelosi had refused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The delay was part of a strategy aimed at forcing concessions out of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , R-Ky. , chief among them , the ability to call witnesses .
McConnell has so far said the question of witnesses should be shelved until partway into the trial itself , as was the case in the 1998 impeachment of former President Bill Clinton .
Pelosi rejected that analogy in her letter on Friday .
`` The American people have clearly expressed their view that we should have a fair trial with witnesses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ percent of the public stating that the President should allow his top aides to testify , '' she wrote .
`` Clearly , Leader McConnell does not want to present witnesses and documents to Senators and the American people so they can make an independent judgment about the President 's actions . ''
Trump was impeached on two articles stemming from his monthslong campaign to pressure Ukraine into launching investigations into Joe Biden and other domestic political opponents .
The pressure tactics allegedly included withholding congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine in its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ article of impeachment charges that Trump abused the power of the presidency , and the second alleges that he obstructed Congress by prohibiting top administration officials from testifying about the Ukraine scheme .
Trump has denied any wrongdoing .
Following the articles ' passage , Pelosi said she planned to hold them until McConnell assured her he would conduct what Democrats called `` a fair process . ''
Democrats have insisted that any trial of the president include testimony from witnesses , something in which Republicans have so far shown no interest .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to produce results , and the Senate leader said this week he would move forward on Trump 's impeachment trial without any Democratic support .
Earlier this week several Senate Democrats and at least one Democratic House committee chair publicly said they thought it was time to send the impeachment articles to the Senate .
Within hours , however , they reversed themselves , with Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Smith , D-Wash. , insisting he `` misspoke , '' and Sen. Dianne Feinstein , D-Calif. , saying `` I do n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not mean to say that . ''
It 's considered highly unlikely that two-thirds of the GOP-controlled Senate will vote to convict and remove Trump from office .
No Senate Republicans have said they support impeaching Trump .
Correction : Five senators are seeking the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination .
An earlier version misstated the number .

WASHINGTON -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday that she will send articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the Senate next week.
"I have asked Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler to be prepared to bring to the Floor next week a resolution to appoint managers and transmit articles of impeachment to the Senate," Pelosi wrote to House colleagues.
Impeachment managers are House members who essentially act as prosecutors in a Senate trial of the president. Before the articles can be delivered to the Senate, the managers need to be agreed to by a House vote.
Friday's letter sets up the prospect of a multiweek impeachment trial of Trump to begin in the Senate later this month.
It also poses a dilemma for the five senators seeking the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. The Iowa caucuses are on Feb. 3, and spending several weeks in Washington, not Iowa, right before the caucus could put their campaigns at a disadvantage.
Pelosi's announcement was made amid mounting pressure on her, not only from Republicans, but increasingly from fellow Democrats to deliver the articles. Once they've been received, the Senate can begin preparations for a trial.
On Thursday, Pelosi told reporters she still needed to see how the Senate would conduct a trial, before she agreed to transfer the articles. "We want to see what they're willing to do, and the manner in which they will do it," she said.
By Friday, her calculus appeared to have shifted, although she did not directly explain why in her letter. "I am very proud of the courage and patriotism exhibited by [House Democrats] as we support and defend the Constitution," she wrote, adding that she would "be consulting" with her caucus next week "on how we proceed further."
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement later Friday that Democrats in his chamber "are ready for the trial to begin and will do everything we can to see that the truth comes out."
The House voted on Dec. 18 to impeach Trump, but for the past three weeks, Pelosi had refused to send the articles to the Senate. The delay was part of a strategy aimed at forcing concessions out of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., chief among them, the ability to call witnesses.
McConnell has so far said the question of witnesses should be shelved until partway into the trial itself, as was the case in the 1998 impeachment of former President Bill Clinton. Pelosi rejected that analogy in her letter on Friday.
"The American people have clearly expressed their view that we should have a fair trial with witnesses and documents, with more than 70 percent of the public stating that the President should allow his top aides to testify," she wrote.
"Clearly, Leader McConnell does not want to present witnesses and documents to Senators and the American people so they can make an independent judgment about the President's actions."
Trump was impeached on two articles stemming from his monthslong campaign to pressure Ukraine into launching investigations into Joe Biden and other domestic political opponents. The pressure tactics allegedly included withholding congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine in its war against Russian-backed separatists.
The first article of impeachment charges that Trump abused the power of the presidency, and the second alleges that he obstructed Congress by prohibiting top administration officials from testifying about the Ukraine scheme. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.
Following the articles' passage, Pelosi said she planned to hold them until McConnell assured her he would conduct what Democrats called "a fair process."
Democrats have insisted that any trial of the president include testimony from witnesses, something in which Republicans have so far shown no interest.
But the effort has so far failed to produce results, and the Senate leader said this week he would move forward on Trump's impeachment trial without any Democratic support.
Earlier this week several Senate Democrats and at least one Democratic House committee chair publicly said they thought it was time to send the impeachment articles to the Senate.
Within hours, however, they reversed themselves, with Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., insisting he "misspoke," and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., saying "I don't know what happened there ... I did not mean to say that."
It's considered highly unlikely that two-thirds of the GOP-controlled Senate will vote to convict and remove Trump from office. No Senate Republicans have said they support impeaching Trump.
Correction: Five senators are seeking the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. An earlier version misstated the number.


cnbc--2020-01-10--Author and self-help guru Marianne Williamson is out of the 2020 presidential race

Democratic presidential candidate , author Marianne Williamson addresses the audience at the Environmental Justice Presidential Candidate Forum at South Carolina State University on November 8 , 2019 in Orangeburg , South Carolina .
Author and self-help guru Marianne Williamson is suspending her 2020 presidential campaign , she told supporters in an email Friday .
Williamson , who consistently polled near the bottom of the pack of Democrats vying to defeat President Donald Trump , said she stayed in the race `` to take advantage of every possible opportunity to share our message . ''
`` With caucuses and primaries now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will not be able to garner enough votes in the election to elevate our conversation any more than it is now , '' she said .
`` The primaries might be tightly contested among the top contenders , and I do n't want to get in the way of a progressive candidate winning any of them . ''
`` As of today , therefore , I 'm suspending my campaign , '' Williamson said .
Williamson wrote on Twitter shortly after her announcement that `` A politics of conscience is still yet possible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The best-selling author entered the 2020 Democratic presidential primary race vowing to bring a `` spiritual awakening '' to American politics .
She promised to `` harness love '' to defeat Trump .
She was one of six women vying for the nomination .
By the start of 2020 , Williamson had fired her entire campaign staff , explaining that her campaign coffers had been stretched thin .
But she vowed on Jan. 2 to stay in the race , saying , `` a campaign not having a huge war chest should not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ While some failed to take the quirky candidate seriously , she clinched coveted spots in the first two Democratic debates weeks before career politicians like Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand , D-N.Y. , and others made the cut .
She used the national platform to her advantage , becoming a top trending candidate on Twitter during the second debate , after warning that Trump was bringing `` this dark psychic force of the collectivized hatred '' to the country .
On many issues she dovetailed with progressive Democrats , supporting `` Medicare for All '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proposal .
She was a proponent of reparations for descendants of slaves , calling for spending up to $ 500 billion on a payment plan .
But the Texas native also faced an outcry when she said that the idea of mandatory vaccinations was `` draconian '' and `` Orwellian , '' raising concern she was sympathetic to the anti-vaccine movement .
Though she made inroads , her campaign never caught fire .
She raised just $ 1.5 million in each of the first and second quarters of 2019 .
She doubled that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still badly trailed the front-runners and rarely surpassed 1 % support in the polls .
But she has at times drawn outsize attention along the campaign trail — notably in the first primary debate in June , when she vowed that her first presidential act would be to tell New Zealand 's prime minister that `` Girlfriend , you are so on . ''
Williamson 's unorthodox rhetoric , steeped in more `` spiritual '' language than most of her competitors , quickly set her apart from the rest of the field , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ translated into higher poll numbers .
This is breaking news .
Please check back for updates .

Democratic presidential candidate, author Marianne Williamson addresses the audience at the Environmental Justice Presidential Candidate Forum at South Carolina State University on November 8, 2019 in Orangeburg, South Carolina.
Author and self-help guru Marianne Williamson is suspending her 2020 presidential campaign, she told supporters in an email Friday.
Williamson, who consistently polled near the bottom of the pack of Democrats vying to defeat President Donald Trump, said she stayed in the race "to take advantage of every possible opportunity to share our message."
"With caucuses and primaries now about to begin, however, we will not be able to garner enough votes in the election to elevate our conversation any more than it is now," she said. "The primaries might be tightly contested among the top contenders, and I don't want to get in the way of a progressive candidate winning any of them."
"As of today, therefore, I'm suspending my campaign," Williamson said.
Williamson wrote on Twitter shortly after her announcement that "A politics of conscience is still yet possible. And yes….love will prevail."
Williamson TWEET
The best-selling author entered the 2020 Democratic presidential primary race vowing to bring a "spiritual awakening" to American politics. She promised to "harness love" to defeat Trump. She was one of six women vying for the nomination.
By the start of 2020, Williamson had fired her entire campaign staff, explaining that her campaign coffers had been stretched thin. But she vowed on Jan. 2 to stay in the race, saying, "a campaign not having a huge war chest should not be what determines its fate."
While some failed to take the quirky candidate seriously, she clinched coveted spots in the first two Democratic debates weeks before career politicians like Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and others made the cut.
She used the national platform to her advantage, becoming a top trending candidate on Twitter during the second debate, after warning that Trump was bringing "this dark psychic force of the collectivized hatred" to the country.
On many issues she dovetailed with progressive Democrats, supporting "Medicare for All" and the Green New Deal climate change proposal. She was a proponent of reparations for descendants of slaves, calling for spending up to $500 billion on a payment plan.
But the Texas native also faced an outcry when she said that the idea of mandatory vaccinations was "draconian" and "Orwellian," raising concern she was sympathetic to the anti-vaccine movement.
Though she made inroads, her campaign never caught fire. She raised just $1.5 million in each of the first and second quarters of 2019. She doubled that figure in the third quarter, but still badly trailed the front-runners and rarely surpassed 1% support in the polls.
But she has at times drawn outsize attention along the campaign trail — notably in the first primary debate in June, when she vowed that her first presidential act would be to tell New Zealand's prime minister that "Girlfriend, you are so on."
Williamson's unorthodox rhetoric, steeped in more "spiritual" language than most of her competitors, quickly set her apart from the rest of the field, even if her style points haven't translated into higher poll numbers.
This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.


cnbc--2020-01-10--Trump loses bid to dismiss defamation suit by E. Jean Carroll, writer who accused him of rape

E. Jean Carroll visits 'Tell Me Everything ' with John Fugelsang the SiriusXM Studios on July 11 , 2019 in New York .
President Donald Trump has lost an effort to get a New York judge to dismiss a lawsuit against him by E. Jean Carroll , the writer who alleges that he raped her in the changing room of a Manhattan luxury department store decades earlier .
Carroll sued Trump in November , claiming he defamed her by saying she lied about the rape and that she was motivated by money and a political agenda to make up the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Doris Ling-Cohan to toss out Carroll 's lawsuit , arguing that because he made those statements about her while in Washington , D.C. , and not in New York state , he could not be sued for them in a New York court .
Ling-Cohan , in a ruling released Thursday , rejected that argument , saying Trump 's lawyer Laurence Rosen failed to offer evidence that the president was not subject to the jurisdiction of the New York court .
`` Although defendant Trump , through his counsel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ notably , there is not even a tweet , much less an affidavit , by defendant Trump in support of his motion , '' Ling-Cohan wrote .
Instead , the judge noted , Trump 's attorney merely argued that Ling-Cohan should `` take judicial notice that the President of the United States has resided in the United States for the past three years . ''
In her ruling , Ling-Cohan also rejected Trump 's effort to postpone discovery in the case .
That will allow Carroll to seek evidence from Trump and his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` WE MOVE AHEAD ! ''
Carroll wrote on Twitter , crowing that Ling-Cohan `` DENIES @ realDonaldTrump 's lame effort to get suit tossed . ''
Carroll 's lawyer Robbie Kaplan said , `` We are pleased , yet unsurprised , that the Court refused to tolerate Donald Trump 's latest attempt to avoid discovery in our client 's case . ''
`` We look forward to moving ahead and proving that Donald Trump lied when he told the world that he did not rape our client and had not even met @ @ @ @ @ @

E. Jean Carroll visits 'Tell Me Everything' with John Fugelsang in the SiriusXM Studios on July 11, 2019 in New York.
President Donald Trump has lost an effort to get a New York judge to dismiss a lawsuit against him by E. Jean Carroll, the writer who alleges that he raped her in the changing room of a Manhattan luxury department store decades earlier.
Carroll sued Trump in November, claiming he defamed her by saying she lied about the rape and that she was motivated by money and a political agenda to make up the allegation.
Trump earlier this month asked Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Doris Ling-Cohan to toss out Carroll's lawsuit, arguing that because he made those statements about her while in Washington, D.C., and not in New York state, he could not be sued for them in a New York court.
Ling-Cohan, in a ruling released Thursday, rejected that argument, saying Trump's lawyer Laurence Rosen failed to offer evidence that the president was not subject to the jurisdiction of the New York court.
"Although defendant Trump, through his counsel, claims lack of personal jurisdiction, notably, there is not even a tweet, much less an affidavit, by defendant Trump in support of his motion," Ling-Cohan wrote.
Instead, the judge noted, Trump's attorney merely argued that Ling-Cohan should "take judicial notice that the President of the United States has resided in the United States for the past three years."
In her ruling, Ling-Cohan also rejected Trump's effort to postpone discovery in the case.
That will allow Carroll to seek evidence from Trump and his testimony in response to her suit.
"WE MOVE AHEAD!" Carroll wrote on Twitter, crowing that Ling-Cohan "DENIES @realDonaldTrump's lame effort to get suit tossed."
Carroll's lawyer Robbie Kaplan said, "We are pleased, yet unsurprised, that the Court refused to tolerate Donald Trump's latest attempt to avoid discovery in our client's case."
"We look forward to moving ahead and proving that Donald Trump lied when he told the world that he did not rape our client and had not even met her," Kaplan said.


cnbc--2020-01-10--US slaps new sanctions on Iran following strikes on US targets

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced new sanctions Friday on Iran 's metal exports and eight senior Iranian officials .
The penalties came days after Iran fired missiles at U.S. targets in Iraq in retaliation for an American airstrike in Baghdad that killed Iran 's top military leader , Qasem Soleimani , last week .
After the missile strikes , President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the U.S. will `` immediately impose additional punishing economic sanctions on the Iranian regime . ''
The Iranian officials targeted for the new sanctions `` have advanced the regime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department said in a statement .
The officials include the secretary of Iran 's supreme national security council and the deputy chief of staff of Iranian armed forces .
`` The United States is targeting senior Iranian officials for their involvement and complicity in Tuesday 's ballistic missile strikes , '' Mnuchin said in the release .
Treasury also designated 17 Iranian metals producers and mining companies , along with entities based in China and the Seychelles , for other penalties .
The sanctions are the latest move in aggressive tit-for-tat exchanges between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , when Trump unilaterally withdrew from a 2015 international agreement to limit Iran 's nuclear program , and escalated sharply over the past few weeks .
Trump 's decision to kill Soleimani came after pro-Iran protesters stormed the compound of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad , which was itself borne of rage against a previous round of American strikes that killed members of an Iranian-backed militia .
Those strikes followed a Dec. 27 rocket attack by Iran-supported fighters that killed an American contractor in Iraq .
Soleimani has been blamed for hundreds of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last week that the slain general was `` actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region . ''
The `` imminent '' threat has been a key part of the administration 's justification for killing him .
Defense Secretary Mark Esper claimed that Soleimani `` for sure '' had plans to attack U.S. targets `` days '' before he was killed .
But Pompeo said this week that `` we do n't know precisely when and we do n't know precisely where '' Soleimani had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ maintained , however , that Soleimani was plotting `` a series '' of imminent attacks .
`` Those are completely consistent thoughts , '' Pompeo told reporters at the White House on Friday after Mnuchin announced the new sanctions .
`` This was going to happen , and American lives were at risk , '' Pompeo said .
Trump , meanwhile , claimed in an interview that he thinks attacks on multiple U.S. Embassies had been planned before Soleimani was killed .
`` I can reveal that I believe it would have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News opinion host Laura Ingraham in a video clip that aired Friday afternoon .
The latest sanctions follow a string of attacks last summer in the Persian Gulf on oil tankers , the takedown of an unmanned U.S. surveillance drone and strikes in Saudi Arabia on the world 's largest crude oil processing plant .
At the White House on Friday , Mnuchin pushed back on concerns that the existing sanctions on Tehran were ineffective .
`` The economic sanctions are working , '' Mnuchin said .
`` If we did n't have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would have tens of billions of dollars .
They would be using that for terrorist activities throughout the region . ''
`` There is no question that by cutting off the economics to the regime we are having an impact , '' he added .
In a statement later , Trump repeated his assertion that `` Iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon . ''
`` The United States will continue to counter the Iranian regime 's destructive and destabilizing behavior , '' he said in a statement .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Iranian regime changes its behavior .
The United States is ready to embrace peace with all who seek it . ''
Last month , State Department officials said the pressure on Iran `` will intensify in 2020 , as the U.S. seeks to rein in Tehran 's pursuit of nuclear infrastructure and regional aggression . ''
`` There will be more sanctions to come , and Iran 's economic problems and challenges are going to compound in 2020 , '' a senior State Department official said on a Dec. 30 call with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into a recession , and we are also seeing Iran come under greater diplomatic isolation . ''
Another senior State Department official added that the Trump administration has sanctioned approximately 1,000 individuals and entities with links to Iran 's malign activities .
`` What we are doing is denying the regime the revenue that it needs to run an expansionist foreign policy , and by that policy , Iran has less money to spend today than it did almost three years ago when we came into office , '' said the official , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In December , Pompeo announced another round of fresh sanctions , this time targeting Iran 's largest shipping company and biggest airline , saying the companies were aiding the regime 's alleged proliferation of weapons of mass destruction .
`` As long as its malign behaviors continue , so will our campaign of maximum pressure , '' Pompeo said during a Dec. 11 news conference .
The 2015 nuclear deal lifted sanctions that crippled Iran 's economy and cut its oil exports roughly in half .
In exchange for sanctions relief , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and allowed international inspectors into its facilities .
In 2018 , Trump unilaterally withdrew from the agreement and reintroduced sanctions on Tehran that had been previously lifted in accordance with the nuclear deal .
In response , Iran stopped complying last May with some commitments in the 2015 nuclear deal .
On Sunday , Iran announced it would not abide by any limits established in the nuclear deal on the number of uranium enrichment centrifuges .
That means Iran would have no limit on its enrichment capacity , the level to which uranium @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bomb .
Iranian state-run broadcast said Tehran 's steps could be reversed if Washington lifted its sanctions .

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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced new sanctions Friday on Iran's metal exports and eight senior Iranian officials. The penalties came days after Iran fired missiles at U.S. targets in Iraq in retaliation for an American airstrike in Baghdad that killed Iran's top military leader, Qasem Soleimani, last week. After the missile strikes, President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the U.S. will "immediately impose additional punishing economic sanctions on the Iranian regime." The Iranian officials targeted for the new sanctions "have advanced the regime's destabilizing objectives," the Treasury Department said in a statement. The officials include the secretary of Iran's supreme national security council and the deputy chief of staff of Iranian armed forces. "The United States is targeting senior Iranian officials for their involvement and complicity in Tuesday's ballistic missile strikes," Mnuchin said in the release. Treasury also designated 17 Iranian metals producers and mining companies, along with entities based in China and the Seychelles, for other penalties.
The sanctions are the latest move in aggressive tit-for-tat exchanges between Tehran and Washington that began in 2018, when Trump unilaterally withdrew from a 2015 international agreement to limit Iran's nuclear program, and escalated sharply over the past few weeks. Trump's decision to kill Soleimani came after pro-Iran protesters stormed the compound of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, which was itself borne of rage against a previous round of American strikes that killed members of an Iranian-backed militia. Those strikes followed a Dec. 27 rocket attack by Iran-supported fighters that killed an American contractor in Iraq. Soleimani has been blamed for hundreds of American deaths, and the Pentagon claimed last week that the slain general was "actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region." The "imminent" threat has been a key part of the administration's justification for killing him. Defense Secretary Mark Esper claimed that Soleimani "for sure" had plans to attack U.S. targets "days" before he was killed. But Pompeo said this week that "we don't know precisely when and we don't know precisely where" Soleimani had planned to attack Americans next. He maintained, however, that Soleimani was plotting "a series" of imminent attacks. "Those are completely consistent thoughts," Pompeo told reporters at the White House on Friday after Mnuchin announced the new sanctions. "This was going to happen, and American lives were at risk," Pompeo said. Trump, meanwhile, claimed in an interview that he thinks attacks on multiple U.S. Embassies had been planned before Soleimani was killed. "I can reveal that I believe it would have been four embassies," he told Fox News opinion host Laura Ingraham in a video clip that aired Friday afternoon.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announce new sanctions on Iran in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., January 10, 2020. Kevin Lamarque | Reuters


cnbc--2020-01-10--State Department tells Iraq it will not discuss US troop withdrawal

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Department of State on November 18 , 2019 in Washington , DC .
WASHINGTON — The State Department said in a statement Friday that the U.S. will not hold discussions with Iraq regarding American troop withdrawal from the country .
`` At this time , any delegation sent to Iraq would be dedicated to discussing how to best recommit to our strategic partnership — not to discuss troop withdrawal , but our right , appropriate force posture in the Middle East , '' State Department spokesperson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` There does , however , need to be a conversation between the U.S. and Iraqi governments not just regarding security , but about our financial , economic , and diplomatic partnership .
We want to be a friend and partner to a sovereign , prosperous , and stable Iraq , '' Ortagus added , writing that `` America is a force for good in the Middle East . ''
The latest revelation from the State Department further deepens confusion over plans for U.S. troops in the region .
On Sunday , Iraq @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the removal of American forces and other foreign troops from the country in the wake of a U.S. airstrike in Iraq that killed Iran 's top general , Qasem Soleimani .
A day later , a letter from U.S. Marine Corps Gen. William Seely to Iraq 's Defense Ministry said the withdrawal of U.S. coalition troops was occurring `` in due deference to the sovereignty of the Republic of Iraq , and as requested '' by the nation 's prime minister , Adel Abdul Mahdi , and the Iraqi parliament .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ troops `` will be repositioning forces over the course of the coming days and weeks to prepare for onward movement . ''
`` In order to conduct this task , Coalition Forces are required to take certain measures to ensure the movement out of Iraq is conducted in a safe and efficient manner , '' he added .
In the wake of the letter , the Pentagon acknowledged that the letter informing Iraq 's Defense Ministry that U.S.-led coalition troops would leave Iraq `` was a mistake . ''
`` A draft unsigned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ official has no import .
It has no value whatsoever , '' Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said Tuesday in an interview with CNN .
`` I will say this , the United States is not withdrawing from Iraq .
In fact , in my conversations with my counterpart , the Iraqi defense minister , I conveyed to him that we do want to stay in Iraq and we want to continue the important defeat ISIS mission , '' he added .
`` That letter is a draft , it was a mistake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never have been released , '' Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley told reporters at the Pentagon on Monday .
`` Poorly worded , implies withdrawal , '' Milley said .
`` That is not what 's happening . ''
Alongside Milley , Esper told reporters earlier in the day that the U.S. was `` repositioning forces throughout the region . ''
On Tuesday , Iraq 's prime minister said that the U.S. military sent a letter regarding American troop withdrawal from the country but that the English version did not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said that his country requested clarifications on U.S. plans .

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Department of State on November 18, 2019 in Washington, DC.
WASHINGTON — The State Department said in a statement Friday that the U.S. will not hold discussions with Iraq regarding American troop withdrawal from the country.
"At this time, any delegation sent to Iraq would be dedicated to discussing how to best recommit to our strategic partnership — not to discuss troop withdrawal, but our right, appropriate force posture in the Middle East," State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.
"There does, however, need to be a conversation between the U.S. and Iraqi governments not just regarding security, but about our financial, economic, and diplomatic partnership. We want to be a friend and partner to a sovereign, prosperous, and stable Iraq," Ortagus added, writing that "America is a force for good in the Middle East."
The latest revelation from the State Department further deepens confusion over plans for U.S. troops in the region.
On Sunday, Iraq's parliament passed a nonbinding resolution calling for the removal of American forces and other foreign troops from the country in the wake of a U.S. airstrike in Iraq that killed Iran's top general, Qasem Soleimani.
A day later, a letter from U.S. Marine Corps Gen. William Seely to Iraq's Defense Ministry said the withdrawal of U.S. coalition troops was occurring "in due deference to the sovereignty of the Republic of Iraq, and as requested" by the nation's prime minister, Adel Abdul Mahdi, and the Iraqi parliament.
In the letter, Seely wrote that coalition troops "will be repositioning forces over the course of the coming days and weeks to prepare for onward movement."
"In order to conduct this task, Coalition Forces are required to take certain measures to ensure the movement out of Iraq is conducted in a safe and efficient manner," he added.
In the wake of the letter, the Pentagon acknowledged that the letter informing Iraq's Defense Ministry that U.S.-led coalition troops would leave Iraq "was a mistake."
"A draft unsigned letter that was acquired by an Iraqi official has no import. It has no value whatsoever," Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said Tuesday in an interview with CNN.
"I will say this, the United States is not withdrawing from Iraq. In fact, in my conversations with my counterpart, the Iraqi defense minister, I conveyed to him that we do want to stay in Iraq and we want to continue the important defeat ISIS mission," he added.
"That letter is a draft, it was a mistake, it was unsigned, it should never have been released," Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley told reporters at the Pentagon on Monday.
"Poorly worded, implies withdrawal," Milley said. "That is not what's happening."
Alongside Milley, Esper told reporters earlier in the day that the U.S. was "repositioning forces throughout the region."
On Tuesday, Iraq's prime minister said that the U.S. military sent a letter regarding American troop withdrawal from the country but that the English version did not match the Arabic version.
Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said that his country requested clarifications on U.S. plans.


cnbc--2020-01-10--Mike Pompeo: 'We don't know precisely' when or where Soleimani planned to attack

Defense Secretary Mark Esper claimed that Soleimani `` for sure '' had plans to attack U.S. targets `` days '' before he was killed .
Since confirming last week that Soleimani had been killed by a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad , President Donald Trump 's administration has claimed that the bold move was taken in part because Soleimani was `` actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region . ''
`` There was no doubt that there were a series of imminent attacks that were being plotted by Qasem Soleimani .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we do n't know precisely where , but it was real , '' Pompeo said in an interview that aired Thursday night on Fox News .
The U.S. did not know exactly when slain Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani had planned to attack Americans , Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said while maintaining the Trump administration 's line that such strikes were about to happen .
Neither the White House nor the Pentagon immediately responded to CNBC 's requests for comment on Pompeo 's remarks .
The administration has been circumspect about what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were expected to be carried out .
Some members of Congress , including a few Republicans , have complained that the administration 's classified briefing on Capitol Hill was insufficient .
`` Why last Friday ?
What had happened that provoked this rather startling strike at this particular moment in time ? ''
Sen. Angus King , I-Maine , asked on CNBC 's `` Squawk Box '' on Thursday .
Almost all members of Congress have agreed that Soleimani , who has been blamed for the deaths of hundreds of Americans , had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told Fox it 's `` most unfortunate '' that `` a number of people are using this as a political ax to grind . ''
Despite the lack of specifics , Trump has made a series of claims , without providing evidence about what Soleimani had planned .
At a Thursday night rally in Toledo , Ohio , Trump told an auditorium packed with supporters that `` Soleimani was actively planning new attacks , and he was looking very seriously at our embassies , and not just the embassy in Baghdad . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ our embassy just a handful of days before that , '' Pompeo responded .
`` I do n't think there 's any doubt that Soleimani had intentions not only against our forces , our diplomats in Iraq , but in other countries around the region and world , as well . ''

Since confirming last week that Soleimani had been killed by a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad, President Donald Trump's administration has claimed that the bold move was taken in part because Soleimani was "actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region."
"There was no doubt that there were a series of imminent attacks that were being plotted by Qasem Soleimani. And we don't know precisely when and we don't know precisely where, but it was real," Pompeo said in an interview that aired Thursday night on Fox News.
The U.S. did not know exactly when slain Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani had planned to attack Americans, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said while maintaining the Trump administration's line that such strikes were about to happen.
Neither the White House nor the Pentagon immediately responded to CNBC's requests for comment on Pompeo's remarks.
The administration has been circumspect about what those plans actually entailed and when they were expected to be carried out. Some members of Congress, including a few Republicans, have complained that the administration's classified briefing on Capitol Hill was insufficient.
"Why last Friday? What had happened that provoked this rather startling strike at this particular moment in time?" Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, asked on CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Thursday.
Almost all members of Congress have agreed that Soleimani, who has been blamed for the deaths of hundreds of Americans, had posed a threat to the U.S.
Pompeo told Fox it's "most unfortunate" that "a number of people are using this as a political ax to grind."
Despite the lack of specifics, Trump has made a series of claims, without providing evidence about what Soleimani had planned.
At a Thursday night rally in Toledo, Ohio, Trump told an auditorium packed with supporters that "Soleimani was actively planning new attacks, and he was looking very seriously at our embassies, and not just the embassy in Baghdad."
Fox opinion host Laura Ingraham asked Pompeo about that claim.
"It was his forces that penetrated our embassy just a handful of days before that," Pompeo responded. "I don't think there's any doubt that Soleimani had intentions not only against our forces, our diplomats in Iraq, but in other countries around the region and world, as well."


cnbc--2020-01-10--OpEd: Efforts to rein in Trump's war powers will backfire

The last seven days in world events have created a new political paradigm .
That 's because the attempts by President Donald Trump 's opponents to rein him in after his decision to take down Iranian general Qasem Soleimani are likely to have the opposite effect .
This came to a head Thursday night .
Six days after a successful U.S. strike to take out a major terrorist army leader , and one day after Trump announced his intention to pursue economic sanctions over further military action , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi opted to hold a vote on a War @ @ @ @ @ @ @ military options going forward against Iran .
But just as that vote was in the works , we may have reached peak `` bash Trump '' levels when some of the president 's opponents decided to publicly blame him for Iran 's apparent shooting down of the Ukrainian passenger jet over Tehran Thursday morning .
That included California Democrat Congresswoman Jackie Speier , who said as much during a live interview on CNN , and Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg who at least suggested as much in a tweet last night : Yet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump 's polls still are n't going down across the board .
This brings to mind the moment when Hillary Clinton released a campaign video to her supporters in 2016 she where she asked , `` why are n't I 50 points ahead ? ''
in the polls over Trump .
But her question should have spurred Trump 's opponents to look closer at how the strategy of throwing the kitchen sink at him does n't really work .
Instead , it appears they 've spent the last few years doubling and tripling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same time doing whatever they can not to look inward .
It 's not that Trump 's poll numbers are historically good for an incumbent president .
They 're not .
But it 's extremely telling for a president to suffer no consistent drop in the polls even after being impeached , pilloried in the news media on an hourly basis , and reflexively blamed for just about everything .

The last seven days in world events have created a new political paradigm.
Call it "Trump Unleashed."
That's because the attempts by President Donald Trump's opponents to rein him in after his decision to take down Iranian general Qasem Soleimani are likely to have the opposite effect.
This came to a head Thursday night. Six days after a successful U.S. strike to take out a major terrorist army leader, and one day after Trump announced his intention to pursue economic sanctions over further military action, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi opted to hold a vote on a War Powers Act resolution to restrict Trump's military options going forward against Iran.
But just as that vote was in the works, we may have reached peak "bash Trump" levels when some of the president's opponents decided to publicly blame him for Iran's apparent shooting down of the Ukrainian passenger jet over Tehran Thursday morning. That included California Democrat Congresswoman Jackie Speier, who said as much during a live interview on CNN, and Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg who at least suggested as much in a tweet last night:
Buttigieg tweet
Yet in the midst of these attacks, Trump's polls still aren't going down across the board. This brings to mind the moment when Hillary Clinton released a campaign video to her supporters in 2016 she where she asked, "why aren't I 50 points ahead?" in the polls over Trump. But her question should have spurred Trump's opponents to look closer at how the strategy of throwing the kitchen sink at him doesn't really work. Instead, it appears they've spent the last few years doubling and tripling down on that strategy while at the same time doing whatever they can not to look inward.
It's not that Trump's poll numbers are historically good for an incumbent president. They're not. But it's extremely telling for a president to suffer no consistent drop in the polls even after being impeached, pilloried in the news media on an hourly basis, and reflexively blamed for just about everything.