Trump news: House to vote on national emergency resolution as new attack launched on abortion access
How yet another shocking week in Washington came to an end
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Your support makes all the difference.House Democrats have filed their “resolution of disapproval” challenging Donald Trump‘s decision to call a national emergency in order to build a wall on the US southern border with Mexico.
While the president has claimed there is a "crisis" of illegal immigration in the United States, Democrats have questioned his motives — and noted that Mr Trump himself has suggested that he did not need to declare the emergency.
The president on Thursday touted the contributions of African Americans during an event to honour Black History Month.
Meanwhile Ahmed Ali Muthana, the father of Alabama Isis bride Hoda Muthana, announced he is suing the administration for its “unlawful attempt” to rescind her citizenship and block a return to the US. Lawyers have told The Independent that an executive effort to revoke citizenship amounts to the act of an "authoritarian".
In Syria, the US has rowed back on its decision for a full withdrawal of troops following the apparent defeat of the Islamist militants and will now leave around 200 soldiers behind to safeguard the region.
Mr Trump on Friday weighed in on several issues, including the charges brought against his friend and billionaire owner of the New England Patriots Robert Kraft over prostitution allegations.
He called those charges "shocking", but noted that Mr Kraft had denied the charges against him.
The president also suggested that he might extend a deadline for trade negotiations with China, saying that the negotiators have been having success.
Next week, Mr Trump is scheduled to travel to Vietnam for a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, where he and his administration say that they hope he can build on the previous summit with Mr Kim last year in Singapore.
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The Trump administration is poised to mount yet another attack on abortion access in the United States, with a policy release from the Department of Health and Human Services indicating the administration would prohibit taxpayer-funded family planning clinics from referring women for abortions.
The policy was quickly criticised. Here's the latest form the Associated Press:
The Trump administration says it will prohibit taxpayer-funded family planning clinics from referring women for abortions, a move certain to be challenged in court by abortion rights supporters. The policy released Friday by the Health and Human Services Department pleased religious conservatives, a key building block of President Donald Trump's political base. The administration plan would also prohibit family planning clinics from being housed in the same location as abortion providers. Planned Parenthood has said the administration appears to be targeting them. The final regulation was published Friday on an HHS website. It's not official until it appears in the Federal Register and the department said there could be "minor editorial changes." Known as Title X, the family-planning program serves about 4 million women annually, costing taxpayers about $260 million.
When the House passes the resolution to end Donald Trump's executive order, the measure will go to the Senate for consideration.
There, the future of the resolution will be laid in the hands of Republicans.
Here's the main math to consider with regard to the resolution: Republicans control the chamber 53-47, meaning four Republicans would need to defect.
Either way, Mr Trump has indicated he would veto the resolution, punting it back to Congress. At that point, there would need to be a two-third vote in favour of the resolution to override Mr Trump's veto. That outcome is a much higher bar to manage.
There are at least two moderate Republican women who Donald Trump my see vote against his national emergency declaration. Others, meanwhile, may defect on constitutional or for concerns with precedent.
Here's a look at the moderates, from to the Associated Press:
Senator Susan Collins of Maine, who is up for re-election in 2020, this week became the first Republican to publicly state that she would support the effort to stop the emergency declaration that Trump says is appropriate to secure the border. "I don't think that is what the law was intended for," Ms Collins said. "It was intended for catastrophic events, such as the attacks on our nation on 9/11 and severe natural disasters." She said the president's action "completely undermines" the role of Congress and is of "dubious constitutionality." Voting to block Trump's declaration would insert some distance from the president after she voted for Justice Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska did not say whether she would vote to disapprove of Trump's emergency declaration. But she said Tuesday that she worries about the precedent that could be set by Trump going around Congress to fund the wall. "I'll be very direct. I don't like this. I don't like this. I think it takes us down a road, and with a precedent, that if it's allowed, that we may come to regret," Ms Murkowski said.
Here are some shots from last night's Black History Month event at the White House, from first lady Melania Trump.
Meanwhile, here is what Donald Trump's adult child, Donald Trump Jr, is thinking about today:
Donald Trump has weighed in on the charges filed against his friend and billionaire owner of the New England Patriots Robert Kraft.
Here is our initial report on the charges:
Donald Trump's apparent disinterest in the charges filed against Robert Kraft as a part of a sex trafficking sting are getting some criticism from those who see a bit of hypocrisy.
Donald Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort could spend the rest of his life in prison, raising the prospect that the president may pardon his former associate for his crimes.
But, if he does, New York State officials have reportedly begun preparing to file charges there against Mr Manafort. The president does not have pardon power for state crimes.
It turns out the Trump administration is paying quite a bit of money out to help farmers as the president pursues his tough-on-trade policies that have yielded heavy tariffs on American farm goods.
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