Trump news: President says 'Afghanistan is safe in comparison' to Chicago as key impeachment witness defies subpoena
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Your support makes all the difference.During a speech in Chicago to police brass from across the US, Donald Trump attacked the city's police chief who is boycotting the visit from the president, who used his address to law enforcement to blame so-called "sanctuary" cities for violent crime rates.
Mr Trump accused Chicago Police Chief Eddie Johnson of "not doing his job" in a city that the president has often ridiculed as a "war zone" for its high murder rate. There have been 425 homicides in Chicago so far this year.
He also said Chief Johnson is putting "criminals and illegal aliens before the city of Chicago" and that "sanctuary" cities are knowingly releasing jailed immigrants accused of violent crime.
His appeal to law enforcement arrived that morning after he was roundly booed during Game 5 of baseball’s World Series in DC on Sunday, with fans of the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros chanting “Lock him up!” as “Veterans for Impeachment” signs were held aloft by spectators, prompting the president to leave the stadium early.
His unwelcome appearance at the game followed what should have been a triumphant moment for his administration in the announcement of the death of Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi during a US-led raid that saw the terror group leader cornered in a dead-end tunnel in Syria. The president assured the world the terrorist had died “crying and screaming”.
In a Monday press conference, the president's Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mick Milley said he doesn't know where Mr Trump got that account of the operation.
The president shared a photo on Twitter of an Army Delta force dog that was critical in the operation, according to Mr Trump. The dog's name is still classified. General Milley said it returned to its military unit.
When leading Democrats Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer demanded to know why Congress had not been briefed on the operation in advance at a time when the White House’s approach to foreign policy is already under intense scrutiny, vice president Mike Pence squirmed and struggled to answer the question on Fox News.
Mr Trump later explained that the administration was going to notify Congress but "we decided not to do that because Washington leaks like I’ve never seen before. There’s no country in the world that leaks like we do, and Washington is a leaking machine."
Follow along as it happened below.
In some very good news, the dog involved in the raid that led to the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is reportedly okay after previous reports indicated it was injured in an explosion:
A company linked to Donald Trump‘s brother reportedly received a $33m (£25m) contract from the US Marshals Service, prompting a rival bidder to file an official complaint alleging favouritism in the bidding process.
The government contract was to provide security for federal courthouses and cellblocks and was awarded to CertiPath, which is owned in part by a firm linked to the president‘s younger brother, Robert Trump, The Washington Post reports.
But after the contract was awarded, a rival bidder filed a complaint with the Justice Department’s office of the inspector general.
The complaint alleges CertiPath failed to disclose “one of the president’s closest living relatives stood to benefit financially from the transaction,” according to a copy of the complaint obtained by The Washington Post.
The Pentagon said it could not confirm Donald Trump's claims about the Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi crying and whimpering during his death over the weekend:
At a press conference General Mark Milley, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, suggests video footage and pictures of the raid which killed Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi may be released.
General Milley said footage was being reviewed with a view to what could be declassified.
Mr Trump has said he wants some of the footage of Baghdadi's last moments - which he vividly described at a press conference yesterday - to be released. Asked to confirm the president's description of the Isis leader crying and whimpering in terror as he fled down a dead-end tunnel, General Milley said he was not aware where that had come from, suggesting Mr Trump may have heard it directly from one of the special forces soldiers who took part in the raid.
Two adult males who were taken prisoner during the Syria raid are in US custody, the Pentagon said on Monday during a press briefing.
The general also refused to reveal the name of the special forces dog wounded in the raid, saying it was classified.
At yesterday's press conference, Mr Trump said: "Our K-9, as they call - I call it a dog, a beautiful dog, a talented dog - was injured and brought back."
Here's my story on Democrats demanding to know why they were not briefed on the Syria raid, as in convention, while Donald Trump reportedly let Russia know of the operation beforehand:
Here's The Independent's Andrew Buncombe with what the Syria raid might mean for Donald Trump's embattled presidency and the 2020 election -
An update on the secretive pup who helped US special forces take down one of the most prolific terrorists in human history -
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