Trump news: Pelosi says Barr committed ‘crimes’ as house votes to force president to keep US in Paris climate agreement
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Your support makes all the difference.Attorney general William Barr has refused to show up for planned testimony before the House Judiciary Committee after enduring a grilling by Democratic senators on Wednesday, who questioned his handling of the Mueller report and called for his resignation.
On Thursday, Democrats in the House blasted Mr Barr for skipping the hearing, and accused the executive branch of subverting constitutional checks and balances by undermining Congress.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the challenge we face is that the president of the United States wants desperately to prevent Congress, a co-equal branch of government, from providing any check whatsoever to even his most reckless decisions,” said chairman Jerrold Nadler, addressing an empty chair as colleague Steve Cohen chewed on a bucket of fried chicken, a stunt to imply Mr Barr was a coward for failing to attend.
Democrats accused Mr Barr on Wednesday of acting as Donald Trump’s human shield by declining to pursue obstruction of justice charges against the president. And, those same Democats called for the attorney general's resignation after the existence of a letter written to him by Robert Mueller appeared to suggest he had lied to Congress during a previous appearance on 10 April.
That drama playing out in Washington came as unrest in Venezuela has persisted, with the United States supporting regime change.
In response to the US position, representative Ilhan Omar claimed that US use of sanctions to force regime change has led to strife in Central America. Ms Omar went as far as to say that US foreign policy in Central America has exacerbated the immigration problem at the US southern border.
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From one 2020 candidate to another.
Pete Buttigieg has been forced to rowback on comments about vaccine exemptions, saying he only believes in exceptions in certain medical cases, having initially suggested he would back people missing jabs on religious grounds too.
The statement comes after his fellow runners all declared themselves unequivocally in favour of vaccines in response to a report by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, which declared the US is experiencing its largest measles outbreak since the disease was said to have been eliminated in 2000.
President Trump's own stance on vaccines has flip-flopped over the years but he has come out to encourage people to get treated in response to the measles development.
Here's Clark Mindock's report.
The House Judiciary Committee is pressing ahead with its Mueller report hearing despite the absence of William Barr, who is represented by an empty chair.
Tennessee Democrat Steve Cohen brought fried chicken, which he's sharing with colleagues.
I think he's implying Barr is a coward.
Committee chairman Jerry Nadler is speaking.
Nadler says Trump's determination not to comply with Congress is a threat to Democracy and is denouncing Barr for facilitating the president's "worst instincts".
Ranking Republican Doug Collins of Georgia insists today's hearing is a "stunt and a circus".
Collins says Senate Judiciary Committee hearing yesterday was a "travesty".
The committee is adjourning already, having made its point very effectively.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the latest to call for William Barr's resignation.
Here's Adam Forrest again.
Last night, Mr Trump lashed out at Senator Kamala Harris for her questioning of Mr Barr in the Senate.
He accused all of the 2020 Democrats on the panel of attacking Mr Barr for political points, and had the following to say of Ms Harris specifically.
"She was probably very nasty," Ms Trump said on Fox Business.
Representative Steve Cohen is clearly very pleased with his chicken stunt this morning, having retweeted the following from his official account:
But, honestly, who doesn't want fried chicken for breakfast?
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