Trump news: President hails disputed Syria 'ceasefire' as White House appears to confirm quid pro quo with Ukraine
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump’s administration announced a ceasefire in northeastern Syria after paving the way for Turkey’s offence to occur in the first place, with the president celebrating the move as a “great day for civilisation”.
The announcement was followed up swiftly by comments from the Turkish government casting doubt on the news, and criticism from those who have suggested that the Trump administration is giving the Turkish government a win by forcing Kurds to leave the region or face an uncertain future.
The breaking news arrives as Mr Trump's ambassador to the EU, Gordon Sondland, a key figure of interest in the impeachment inquiry, is testifying on Capitol Hill behind closed doors, turning on the president in his opening statement by saying he was “disappointed” by the decision to involve Mr Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani in US dealings with Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the president swiftly faced ridicule following the release of a bizarre letter he had written to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan imploring him not to attack the Kurdish fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces, which appears to have been thrown away and ignored by the recipient.
The mockery follows his dismissal of the crisis in Syria as “not our problem” on Wednesday and his falling out with senior Democrats when they urged him to halt the withdrawal of US troops from the region.
Meanwhile, the United States mourns congressman Elijah Cummings, a leading figure in the Trump impeachment probe, who died overnight after suffering through medical concerns.
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As the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Elijah Cummings was kept busy in his final moments of life leading an investigation into Donald Trump before passing away at the age of 68 on Wednesday.
Aides to the Maryland Democrat, who died of longstanding health problems, told reporters he was performing his congressional duties to the very end.
He was signing subpoenas from his hospital bed, one aide told the New York Times, and even helped lead the Democratic caucus conference call on Friday.
The work he produced in his last days was a testament to just how important Mr Cummings had become in national politics, as well as the current impeachment battle between the Democratic-led Congress and Mr Trump’s White House.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi described Mr Cummings as a “north star” who spoke with “unsurpassed clarity and moral integrity” on the House floor.
Story to come...
Donald Trump's Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney is set to hold a press conference with reporters at the White House beginning at 12:30pm. We'll bring you live updates as they come in.
Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney opens with Elijah Cummings, saying he was a "classy guy" who "will be sorely missed".
Mulvaney jokes about it being a slow news week before discussing the G7 summit, which will take place at the Trump National Doral in Florida.
He says the meeting will focus on ending "prosperity killing regulations" and opening up "energy markets".
"The rest of the world is either at or near recession and we really do think we've hit on a formula that not only works here but overseas."
Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney is already defending the decision to host the G7 summit at Donald Trump's private property, saying they started with a list of 12 places before determining the major summit would be held at the president's private business property.
Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney says the Trump property was practically built for the event.
"How is this not an emoluments violation? Is the president going to profit from this? I think the president has been very clear that he does not profit" from the presidency, Mr Mulvaney says.
The meeting will take place from 10-12 June. Mr Mulvaney is now about to take questions.
Reporters are asking Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney how having a major international summit at the president's private property was not a "huge conflict of interest".
He says he was "sceptical" and "gets the criticism" then adds "but no, there's no issue here in terms of profiting."
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