Trump news – live: Support for impeachment rising nationwide as Pompeo vows to block officials from testifying

Among the plethora of issues in danger of being overlooked in light of the impeachment inquiry is the ongoing tension between the US and Iran, reignited on 14 September by the drone and missile strike on Saudi oil refineries that initally knocked out more than 5 per cent of global supply and was claimed by Yemen's Tehran-backed Houthis.

The commander of US Naval Forces Central Command visited Riyadh over the weekend to discuss the ongoing threat in the region posed by Iran with the head of Saudi Arabia's naval forces.

Several countries, including Saudi Arabia, have responded to a US call to form an international maritime coalition to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz after attacks earlier this year on several oil tankers in Gulf waters. Washington and Riyadh have blamed those attacks on Iran too, which it denies.

"This visit was an opportunity to discuss our mutual efforts going forward to co-ordinate defence against provocation and attack," vide admiral James Malloy said in a statement, citing the importance of regional efforts to counter what it called "Iranian aggression".

But talks seem no closer between Washington and the Iranian government, which continues to insist that sanctions against it over its uranium enrichment programme are dropped.

The relationship is so soured that the country's president, Hassan Rouhani, reportedly refused to leave his hotel suite when visiting the UN General Assembly last month rather than attend a secret meeting with Trump organised by their French counterpart Emmanual Macron. 

Democratic presidential hopefuls Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg rushed to release their third-quarter fundraising totals early this morning, boasting hauls that are likely to be among the largest in the crowded field.

All 19 Democratic contenders are required to publish their quarterly fundraising figures by mid-October. Sanders and Buttigieg, who have both placed emphasis on their support from wide networks of small donors, were the first off the mark.

Both campaigns made the numbers public hours after the deadline to complete fundraising for the quarter. Candidates have until 15 October to file reports with the Federal Election Commission.

Sanders, whose status in polls as the number two candidate for the party's nomination behind front-runner Joe Biden has been threatened by a surge of support for fellow progressive Elizabeth Warren, raised $25.3m (£20.7m), more than any candidate's previous single-quarter haul.

Buttigieg, who has struggled to break into the top three candidates in polls, raised $19.1m (£15.6m), less than the $24.8m (£20.3m) he raised in the second quarter when he was the top fundraiser.

Fundraising numbers are closely watched to assess candidates' viability and whether their campaigns are collecting the cash necessary to remain competitive.

Sanders' total came from 1.4m individual donations and surpassed the $18m (£14.7m) he raised in the second quarter. Sanders campaign officials have pointed to the grassroots, small-dollar nature of his fundraising as a sign of the breadth of his support.

Sanders has raised a total of $61.5m (£50.5m) since he launched his bid in February.

The campaign said the final day of the third quarter on Monday was Sanders' second biggest fundraising day of the campaign. The average donation for the quarter was $18.07 (£14.79).

Nearly all of Sanders' donors had not hit their maximum allowed contribution, the campaign said, meaning they can give again as the race rolls on. The first state nominating contest, in Iowa, will be on 3 February 2020.

Buttigieg has raised a total of $51m (£41.7m) since the beginning of the year, his campaign said in a memo sent to reporters. The average donation in the third quarter was $32 (£26).

The South Bend, Indiana mayor's campaign highlighted the ways the strong fundraising haul was being put to use. In the third quarter the campaign hired 400 new staff and opened its first 42 field offices - including 21 in the early primary contest state of Iowa.

Reuters

After promoting his ex-campaign manager Corey Lewandoski's appearance on Fox News tonight, Trump is back to backseat driving the Federal Reserve. 

Here's Chris Riotta on Trump's insistence on uncovering the identity of the Ukraine whistleblower, in spite of lawyers warning doing so would endanger the informant's personal safety and constitute a violation of federal law.

More fuming about Schiff.

Here's the answer to what I assume he intended as a rhetorical question.

Mike Pompeo says in a letter to the House Foreign Affairs Committee that Democrats are trying to "intimidate" and "bully" his State Department employees and that depositions scheduled by the panel are "not feasible."

Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has attacked Republican House minority leader Kevin McCarthy over his dismal performance on 60 Minutes on Sunday night to defend the president, labelling him "a bumbling, sloppy, dishonest mess & his mediocrity is accepted as a matter of course".

Here's Zamira Rahim with a reminder of the moment it all went wrong for him.

Here's our defence correspondent Kim Sengupta on how the Zeleknsky call became Trump's impeachable moment.

The Republican National Committee is being accused of dirty tricks in Montana by putting out surveys attempting to solicit support for Trump's 2020 re-election bid that mimic the appearance of the official census form.

California congressman and Trump ally Devin Nunes is suing a reporter for for $75m (£61.3m) after they alleged he employed undocumented migrant workers on his family's dairy farm.

Here's Chris Riotta's report.