Trump news: President launches attack on UK ambassador and Theresa May, as connections to Jeffrey Epstein stir controversy
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump will reportedly not invite the US Women’s World Cup team to the White House – even after they beat the Netherlands 2-0 to win the tournament in France on Sunday – seemingly still bitter about his long-running feud with star winger Megan Rapinoe.
The president has meanwhile launched a surprise attack on Fox News, blasting his favourite media ally for its choice of weekend anchors and for “loading up with Democrats & even using Fake unsourced New York Times as ‘source’ of information” in a series of vicious late night tweets. “Fox News is changing fast, but they forgot the people who got them there!” the president wrote on Twitter.
Elsewhere in Washington, outgoing Republican Justin Amash has called on Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi to change her strategy and push for Mr Trump’s impeachment, not ruling out challenging the president with a 2020 run of his own.
Throughout the day on Monday, the White House had been touting a major environmental speech from Mr Trump, and the president delivered on that promise by touting in a long speech in the East Room what he felt was proof of his administration's leadership on the issue.
Environmentalists, meanwhile, called the notion that Mr Trump's administration was leading on the environment or climate change a "fantasy", and pointed to his history of killing regulations aimed at reducing carbon emissions.
And, in 2020 news, representative Eric Swalwell became the first to drop out of contention for the Democratic nomination, citing lackluster fundraising and low polls.
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Foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt has threatened “very serious consequences” for those responsible for leaking explosive details of the UK ambassador in Washington’s views on Donald Trump, as another cabinet minister said he would apologise to the president’s daughter Ivanka for the secret cables becoming public.
As a massive leak inquiry got under way in Whitehall, there was anxiety at the Foreign Office that the publication of Sir Kim Darroch’s candid and highly embarrassing messages will inhibit UK envoys around the world from being frank in their reports to London on the state of politics in the countries to which they have been posted.
International trade secretary Liam Fox branded the leak “malicious, unprofessional, unethical and unpatriotic” and said that “the full force of our internal discipline, or even the law” should be brought to bear on the civil servant or politician responsible.
Here's our live blog on all developments surrounding Donald Trump's former associate Jeffrey Epstein, who is now facing sex crime charges:
In other news from Washington, the basement of the White House is reportedly flooding. Queue terrible puns about Trump administration leaks -
There are some interesting connections between Donald Trump's attorney general and Jeffrey Epstein that could prove to be considered a conflict of interest in William Barr overseeing the billionaire financier's federal prosecution.
Here, the former White House ethics chief under President George W Bush is calling on the attorney general to recuse himself from the case -
A U.S. envoy has asked Germany to consider sending ground troops to Syria, putting Chancellor Angela Merkel's government on the spot.
While German soldiers wouldn't necessarily need to engage in combat, they could ease the burden on U.S. forces by helping with air support, logistics, training and technical assistance, James Jeffrey, the U.S. special representative for engagement in Syria, was quoted as saying by the Welt am Sonntag newspaper and DPA newswire.
Germany, a prime target of President Donald Trump's calls for U.S. allies to increase defence spending, has pledged Tornado surveillance planes to the U.S.-led coalition to defeat Isis fighters in Syria.
These quotes by both Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein have sparked major controversy after the president’s former associate — a well-connected billionaire financier — was arrested over the weekend on charges he operated an underage sex trafficking ring -
Donald Trump has shot a series of Twitter attacks against British Prime Minister Theresa May over her handling of Brexit:
Story to come...
Donald Trump, who once mocked the very idea of global climate change, is set to deliver a speech touting his record on the environment, and the supposed leadership America has had on that issue during his presidency.
The speech comes amid a massive rollback of environmental regulations, with more than 80 protections slashed in the two years since Mr Trump took office.
In addition, the president has installed climate change deniers and oil and gas industry allies in the top echelons of his government. That includes climate change denier William Happer, of the White House’s National Security Council, as well as cabinet members like interior secretary David Bernhardt, whose previous work included lobbying on behalf of fossil fuel companies. Andrew Wheeler, the current chief of the Environmental Protection Agency, also worked for fossil fuel interests before joining the Trump administration.
Donald Trump’s nominee to become the top officer in the US Navy has instead announced his retirement amid allegations of an inappropriate professional relationship with a former public affairs official.
Adm. William Moran, announced the sudden decision on Sunday, likely adding to the perception of turmoil in the Pentagon's senior ranks, less than a month after Pat Shanahan abruptly withdrew from consideration to be defence secretary after serving as the acting secretary for six months.
Story to come...
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