Trump impeachment news: President considers testifying over Ukraine scandal, as Supreme Court puts hold on release of his tax returns

Court considering release of redacted Mueller report materials to Congress

A federal appeals court in Washington is set to consider whether the Justice Department must immediately release secret grand jury materials from ex-FBI special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation to Congress.

The US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit is due to review a lower-court ruling that requires the disclosure of evidence the House Judiciary Committee says it needs in its "urgent efforts" to determine whether President Trump committed impeachable offences.

Last month, Judge Beryl A Howell, chief of the US District Court for DC, found that the House was legally engaged in a judicial process that exempts Congress from grand jury secrecy rules.

The Justice Department's appeal will be heard today by a three member panel and is just the latest legal battle involving the administration that could go to the Supreme Court. Trump is already seeking to block the release of his tax returns to New York prosecutors and to stop a House subpoena seeking to claw free his personal and business records.

The Judiciary Committee first went to court in July in a bid to obtain the information blacked out from the version of the Mueller report released by attorney general William Barr in April. Barr refused to answer a subpoena demanding the redacted portions on the basis that any impeachment trial they might be used in were not "judicial proceedings".

Robert Mueller (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty)

'Democrats, there are easier ways than wealth tax to reduce financial inequality'

For Indy Premium, Hamish McRae has a warning for the Democratic 2020 contenders on obsessing over taxing the wealthy.

Marie Yovanovitch receives standing ovation at Washington jazz club after impeachment testimony

Q: How do you unwind after a day exposing political skullduggery with the entire world's media watching on and an angry president fighting to discredit you from stage left?

A: If you're Marie Yovanovitch, you hit the Blues Alley jazz club in Georgetown and soak up the applause!

President announces 'very good & cordial' meeting with Fed chair

Trump must be unwell - he's just sent out a postive tweet about Jay Powell of the Federal Reserve, ordinarily a favourite whipping boy. 

New York Times editor says Trump's anti-press rhetroic puts reporters’ lives at risk

Dean Baquet, executive editor of The New York Times has hit out at Trump in an interview with The Guardian for putting his reporters' lives at risk with his semi-regular attacks on them by tweet.

“I think his personal attacks on reporters, including Maggie [Haberman], are pretty awful and pretty unpresidential,” Baquet said. “I think personal attacks on journalists, when he calls them names, I think he puts their lives at risk.

“I think that when he actually calls reporters names, says they’re un-American, says they’re enemies of the people... that phrase has a deep history. I think when he says that, it is an appalling attack on the press.”

Jon Voight to receive National Medal of Arts from Trump

Trump is giving the National Medal of Arts to Oscar-winning actor turned MAGA loon Jon Voight. He will present the film star with the honour at a White House ceremony on Thursday, where acclaimed bluegrass singer Alison Krauss and prolific airport thriller novelist James Patterson will also be recognised.

Voight is best remembered for his magnificent work in New Hollywood classics like Midnight Cowboy and Deliverance, not bizarre Trumpist addresses to camera like this:

'Trump lies a lot. But we need to know the truth about his health'

For Indy Voices, Hannah Selinger says the American people have a right to know the truth about the president's physical wellbeing.

Trump being investigated over whether he lied to Bob Mueller as impeachment pressure mounts

Trump is being investigated by Democrats over whether he lied to special counsel Robert Mueller, a court has been told.

Having vowed he was prepared to testify under oath and in person with Mueller during his two-year investigation into Russia’s alleged interference in the 2916 election and whether there was collusion with the Trump campaign, the president and his lawyers eventually agreed to answer a series of written questions.

Here's Andrew Buncombe with our breaking story.

Hi folks, this in Andrew Buncombe in Seattle, picking up our ongoing coverage of events, as Washington DC becomes increasingly gripped by impeachment fever.

The big news this morning, of course, was a tweet from the president suggesting he'd happily respond to questions from Democrats in writing. Is this an attempt to distract attention? Grab the headlines, or slow things down. Many smart minds in DC think that while Democrats want the impeachment process completed as quickly as possible, it is in the interests of Republicans to slow things up. That way, the whole thing gets in the way of the Democrats' primary process which really kicks off in February