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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Sam Levin in Los Angeles (now) and Adam Gabbatt in New York (earlier)

Trump reportedly pressured Ukrainian president to investigate Biden's son 'about eight times' – as it happened

Joe Biden and his son Hunter in 2009.
Joe Biden and his son Hunter in 2009. Photograph: Charles Dharapak/Associated Press

Summary

We’re closing the blog for the day, thanks for following along. The LGBTQ 2020 forum in Iowa is starting now, featuring Joe Biden, Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Julián Castro, Tulsi Gabbard, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, Joe Sestak, Elizabeth Warren and Marianne Williamson.

Watch live here:

Some links and news from the day:

Ben Carson faces calls for resignation after transphobic comments

Some Democrats are calling on Housing and Urban Development (HUD) secretary Ben Carson to resign one day after reports that he made transphobic comments in San Francisco.

The Washington Post reported Thursday that in front of dozens of HUD staffers in California, Carson expressed concerns about “big, hairy men” trying to infiltrate women’s homeless shelters and lamented that society no longer seemed to know the difference between men and women.

Trans rights groups noted he was using a “heinous insult” to attack trans women, and that Carson has a history of anti-trans remarks and policy efforts:

Some of the calls for resignation:

Carson wrote a note to staff addressing the controversy on Friday night, according to the Post’s latest story. In it, he defended his remarks and repeated the transphobic argument that he was concerned about situations when “men would claim to be women”.

Trans people face disproportionately high levels of violence and discrimination in housing and other areas. More here on the Trump administration’s escalating attacks on LGBTQ rights:

At least a dozen Iranian students scheduled to begin engineering and computer science graduate programs had their visas abruptly canceled and were barred from their flights to the US this month, according to a new New York Times report:

The State Department told the New York Times there was no change in policy. Most of the students were planning to go to University of California schools.

Also from today, a Democracy Now segment on youth climate activist Nasratullah Elham ,of Afghanistan, who was invited to a UN summit, but could not come after the but the US rejected his visa:

Meanwhile, at Trump’s Australia State dinner, Rudy Guiliani apparently laughed off questions about his testy and bizarre interview with CNN last night...

US deploying more troops to Saudi Arabia

US defense secretary Mark Esper just announced that US air forces would be sent to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, calling them “defensive in nature”:

From the AP:

The Pentagon says the US will deploy additional troops and military equipment to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to beef up security, as Trump has at least for now decided against any immediate military strike on Iran in response to the attack on the Saudi oil industry.

Defense secretary Mark Esper says this is a first step, and he is not ruling out additional moves down the road. He says it’s a response to requests from the Saudis and the UAE to help improve their air and missile defenses.

Esper and Gen Joseph Dunford, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, say details of the deployments will be determined over the coming days.

Biden on Trump Ukraine reports: 'This behavior is abhorrent'

Joe Biden has released a statement following reports that Trump pressured Ukraine’s president to investigate the former vice president’s son, saying, “This behavior is particularly abhorrent because it exploits the foreign policy of our country and undermines our national security for political purposes.”

Full statement here:

The 2020 Democratic candidate said “at minimum”, Trump should release the transcript of his call with Ukraine’s president:

Updated

California’s legal action against the Trump administration over vehicle emissions standards marks the 60th time the state has sued the administration, the Guardian’s Vivian Ho notes:

More background from Vivian:

The state has battled Trump on a number of different issues, on everything from immigration to the state’s high-speed rail project. Trump, who rarely visits the state, was in California this week, when he claimed that the EPA was issuing San Francisco an environmental violation notice for its homeless population polluting the ocean with hypodermic needles and waste through the sewer system – an allegation that city officials said was false.

More on Trump’s California attacks this week:

Impeachment calls escalate

Impeachment calls are ramping up again amid the widening scandal surrounding Trump’s alleged effort to pressure Ukraine’s president to investigate Joe Biden’s son. A sample:

The Washington Post is now also confirming earlier reports that Trump pressed the leader of Ukraine to investigate Biden’s son:

White House counsel Pat Cipollone has also “been engaged in the matter since shortly after the whistleblower action surfaced”, according to the Post’s report, which said he identified “legal obstacles to the sharing of information that could be politically damaging to Trump”.

A senior administration official told the paper: “At no time has Pat Cipollone personally directed the [director of national intelligence] to withhold information from Congress.”

DHS adds white supremacy to list of major threats

Sam Levin here, taking over our live coverage on this busy Friday afternoon.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for the first time has added white supremacist violence to its list of major national security threats, officials revealed today while unveiling details of its new counterterrorism strategy. Kevin McAleenan, acting homeland secretary, said in a speech earlier:

The continuing menace of racially based violent extremism, particularly white supremacist extremism, is an abhorrent affront to our nation, the struggle and unity of its diverse population, and the core values of both our society and our department.”

This is a move that experts on far-right threats and domestic terrorism say is long overdue.

More than 175 people were killed worldwide in the last eight years in attacks linked to white nationalists, according to a recent Guardian analysis, which looked at 16 high-profile attacks motivated by white nationalist conspiracy theories.

Concerns about the US government’s failure to take rightwing violence seriously escalated after a gunman killed 22 people in El Paso, Texas last month in an attack against Latinos. A former intelligence officer recently talked to the Guardian about the backlash he faced internally after issuing a briefing on rightwing extremism a decade earlier.

More details on today’s development here:

And a recent overview from the Guardian on the growing white supremacist threats:

Summary

•Donald Trump pressed the president of the Ukraine eight times to investigate Joe Biden’s son, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The president reportedly told President Volodymyr Zelensky that he should work with Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s lawyer, on investigating Biden.

•That revelation came after Trump had dismissed reports that a whistleblower had raised the alarm over Trump’s conversations with a foreign leader. Throughout Friday Trump insisted there was “nothing said wrong” during his phone conversations. Trump said the whistleblower was “partisan”, before confessing he did not actually know who the whistleblower is.

•Even before the WSJ’s reporting, Nancy Pelosi warned the whistleblower’s complaint raised ‘grave, urgent concerns for our national security’. We will continue to follow the facts and explore every possible option to ensure the American people get the truth,” Pelosi said in a statement. We would hope that Republicans would join us in supporting the constitution.”

Not much reaction from Democrats (or Republicans) yet to the latest Trump-whistleblower revelations. Sen Chris Murphy, a Democrat, is one of the few to comment so far:

No word from Trump yet regarding these new whistleblower revelations. Although, four minutes after the Wall Street Journal dropped its story, the president did tweet out this video of him enjoying himself with the Australian prime minister.

Some Democrats seem to think Trump asking the president of Ukraine eight times to investigate his main 2020 rival’s son is the final straw.

Well, one Democrat. (But bear in mind the Wall Street Journal only published that story thirty minutes ago.)

Trump pressed Ukraine president to investigate Biden's son - report

During a July phone call Donald Trump repeatedly pressured the president of the Ukraine to investigated Joe Biden’s son, the Wall Street Journal reports.

According to the Journal, Trump asked Volodymyr Zelensky “about eight times” to work with Rudy Giuliani on an investigation into Hunter Biden.

From the Journal:

“[Trump] told [Zelenzky] that he should work with [Giuliani] on Biden, and that people in Washington wanted to know,” whether allegations were true or not, one of the people said. Trump didn’t mention a provision of foreign aid to Ukraine on the call, said this person, who didn’t believe Trump offered the Ukrainian president any quid-pro-quo for his cooperation on an investigation.

Earlier today Trump said his conversation with the Ukraine president was “totally appropriate”.

Trump also said: “It doesn’t matter what I discussed” in the call. He did, however, tell journalists: “Someone ought to look into Joe Biden.”

Updated

Who among us hasn’t attempted to hide in an elevator when confronted about our support for a bigot?

A woman who is suing Customs and Border Patrol after a federal agent questioned her and a friend for speaking Spanish in a convenience store says the backlash has forced them to leave their small Montana home town.

Ana Suda said today she has been harassed by other residents of Havre, a remote town in northern Montana, in stores and restaurants ever since a video of a Border Patrol agent questioning her and Martha “Mimi” Hernandez was uploaded to YouTube. One version has been viewed more than 123,000 times since February, the Associated Press writes.

Suda is now living in El Paso, Texas, on the US-Mexico border. Attorney Alex Rate says Hernandez is living in the much larger town of Great Falls and commutes to Havre.
The US citizens are asking a judge to block the federal agency from detaining anyone based on race, accent or language alone.

Border patrol officials and the US attorney’s office declined comment.

The women were given an award by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in the summer, given annually to chosen Montanans who are fighting for “racial justice and educational equity,” according to the ACLU of Montana.

Martha “Mimi” Hernandez, left, and Ana Suda in Havre, Montana in January, 2019
Martha “Mimi” Hernandez, left, and Ana Suda in Havre, Montana in January, 2019 Photograph: Brooke Swaney/AP

Updated

Whistleblower complaint raises ‘grave, urgent concerns for our national security’ - Pelosi

“Reports of a reliable whistleblower complaint regarding the President’s communications with a foreign leader raise grave, urgent concerns for our national security,” Nancy Pelosi said in a statement this afternoon.

“We must be sure that the President and his Administration are conducting our national security and foreign policy in the best interest of the American people, not the President’s personal interest.

[...]

We will continue to follow the facts and explore every possible option to ensure the American people get the truth. We would hope that Republicans would join us in supporting the Constitution.”

Updated

Walmart will stop selling all e-cigarettes, the company said on Friday.

“Given the growing federal, state and local regulatory complexity and uncertainty regarding e-cigarettes, we plan to discontinue the sale of electronic nicotine delivery products at all Walmart and Sam’s Club U.S. locations,” Walmart said.

“We will complete our exit after selling through current inventory.”

CNBC was the first to report on Walmart’s move, which comes as the government moved to ban most flavored e-cigarettes.

There have now been eight deaths connected to vaping in the US, and more than 500 cases of lung problems. In about 80% of those cases individuals said they were using liquids that THC.

US to begin sending asylum seekers to El Salvador

The Trump administration is planning to sign an agreement to help make one of Central America’s most violent countries, El Salvador, a haven for migrants seeking asylum, Associated Press is reporting:

The agreement could lead to migrants from third countries obtaining refuge in El Salvador even though many Salvadorans are fleeing their nation and seeking asylum in the United States. A Salvadoran delegation has been in the U.S. this week discussing the matter.

[...]

It’s the latest effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to force asylum-seekers in Central America to seek refuge outside the United States. Immigration officials also are forcing more than 42,000 people to remain in Mexico as their cases play out and have changed policy to deny asylum to anyone who transited through a third country en route to the southern border of the US.

California and 23 other states are suing to stop the Trump administration from revoking the state’s authority to set auto emission standards, Associated Press is reporting.

On Thursday the White House formally moved to revoke California’s ability to set its own vehicle emissions standards.

In that announcement the Environmental Protection Agency administrator, Andrew Wheeler, said the government’s decision would ensure “much-needed regulatory certainty for the automotive industry” and “promote economic growth by reducing the price of new vehicles to help more Americans purchase newer, cleaner, and safer cars and trucks”.

California governor Gavin Newsom had threatened to sue ahead of the Trump administration’s announcement.

The full list of those states, as per New York attorney general Letitia James:

California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia; as well as the cities of Los Angeles and New York.

Updated

Schiff: will get to bottom of whistleblower saga 'come hell or high water'

Top Democrats are calling for the government to release information on the whistleblower complaint regarding a Trump conversation with a foreign leader.

Adam Schiff, chair of the House intelligence committee, told reporters on Friday that he intended to get to the bottom of the complaint “come hell or high water”.

Schiff said the seriousness of the complaint, which the director of national intelligence is refusing to release to Congress, should not be underestimated.

This involves something more sinister, something involving a serious or flagrant abuse or violation of law or misappropriation, and the IG underscored the seriousness of this, and also that this needs to be looked into. And right now, no one is looking into this.

Earlier Nancy Pelosi called on the director of national intelligence to “uphold the law”, during an interview with CNN.

“Well, the law says that the DNI should send the information, shall, not should, shall send that information to Congress,” Pelosi said. “So the law is the law. So, we just have to uphold the law.”

Trump: Trade deal with China not likely before 2020 election

Donald Trump is now giving a press conference with Australian prime minister Scott Morrison.

Asked about the likelihood of a trade deal with China, Trump says it probably won’t be done before November 2020.

We’re pausing our live politics blog now for the US portion of the global climate strike – back at 12.30pm ET.

You can follow our coverage of the strike here:

Trump’s informal press conference at the White House is continuing.

Trump says he has shown restraint over Iran. He says “the easiest thing to do” would be to order a military strike on the country, but warns he could “do it right here in front of [the assembled media]”.

“[I could] knock out 15 different major things in Iran,” Trump says.

“I could do that and [...] it’s all set to go.”

Trump adds: “It would take place in one minute. I could do it right here in front of you. [...] I think it shows much more strength to do it the way we’re doing it.”

Trump is scheduled to hold a press conference at 11.45am, but he’s currently doing his freeform thing from a chair next to the Australian prime minister.

The president is asked if he has read the whistleblower’s complaint.

“No,” Trump says.

Despite not having read it, Trump says of the complaint: “It’s another media disaster.”

“You have been wrong on so many things,” he tells the assembled journalists.

Some other lines from this chat: asked about the nationality of astronauts that might be sent into space in the future, Trump said he personally would not like to go into space. Trump praised Australia’s mineral mining industry, and said the country had eradicated “black lung”.

Updated

'It doesn't matter what I discussed' with Ukraine, Trump says

Typically confusing, and contradictory, statements from Trump just now.

Trump referred to the whistleblower controversy a “ridiculous story”.

And then: asked whether Trump discussed Joe Biden in conversations with Ukraine, Trump said: “It doesn’t matter what I discussed”. He added: “Someone ought to look into Joe Biden.”

Trump also said the whistleblower was “partisan”, before telling the White House reporter he did not know who the whistleblower is.

Updated

Trump imposes sanctions on Iranian national bank

News from the Oval Office, where Trump has announced new sanctions on the Iranian national bank:

According to a White House pool report, Trump said the sanctions are: “[The] highest sanctions ever imposed on a country.”

The sanctiond go “right to the top”, Trump added.

Donald Trump is welcoming Australian prime minister Scott Morrison to the White House today. Morrison will be afforded a full state visit, according to the New York Times – becoming only the second foreign leader to receive such a welcome. (French president Emmanuel Macron was the other.)

Keen Trump followers will remember that the transcript of a rambling, confused phone call Trump had with former Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull was leaked in 2017. The Guardian’s Julian Borger wrote at the time that the transcript exposed Trump’s “ill-informed narcissism”.

Trump and Morrison are holding a joint press conference at 11.45am. It’s very likely that Trump will be asked about Ukraine and whistleblowing.

Donald Trump examines a telephone.
Donald Trump examines a telephone. Photograph: Shawn Thew/EPA

Updated

In a boost for the president, but a blow to anyone who is opposed to a president (allegedly) using the office to enrich himself, a US Marine Corps unit in South Florida is planning to hold its annual ball at ... Mar-a-Lago.

The Miami Herald reports that a Marine reserve unit stationed in South Florida plans to celebrate the 244th anniversary of the Marines’ founding at Trump’s Palm Beach club on November 16.

“It’s a work in progress,” a Marine told tje Herald on Thursday.

We are planning on Mar-a-Lago but nothing is set in stone. We booked it but there were complications involved. ... It’s just money and some other things. We’re doing our best.

In other news we’re following today:

Bill de Blasio – brace yourself – has ended his campaign for president. In an op-ed published by NBC News, de Blasio said: “I have reached the point where I feel I have contributed all I can to this Democratic primary.” Interviewed by MSNBC’s Morning Joe, de Blasio added: “It’s clearly not my time, so I’m going to end my presidential campaign.” de Blasio has been polling at roughly zero percent of the vote for weeks.

“IT’S CLEARLY NOT MY TIME!”
“IT’S CLEARLY NOT MY TIME!” Photograph: Sean Rayford/Getty Images

Housing and urban development secretary Ben Carson is under fire after reportedly making transphobic comments. According to the Washington Post: “Carson expressed concern about ‘big, hairy men’ trying to infiltrate women’s homeless shelters during an internal meeting.” Transgender people seem to be of particular interest to Carson. During his aborted 2016 presidential campaign he said trans people were “abnormal”.

Ben Carson.
Ben Carson. Photograph: Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters

Trump whistleblower controversy deepens as focus switches to Ukraine

Hi, welcome to the Guardian’s coverage of the day’s political news.

The whistleblower row over Donald Trump’s alleged “promise” to a foreign leader is now focussed on the president’s conversations with Ukraine, according to reports from Washington DC, as the president was forced to defend himself on Friday against accusations of impropriety.

Both the Washington Post and the New York Times reported on Thursday night that Ukraine was the subject of the unnamed whistleblower’s alarm. Trump’s conversation with a foreign leader had so troubled an intelligence official that they reported it. The White House is yet to pass the details of the complaint to Congress.

On Thursday night Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s attorney, admitted that he had asked Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden. On CNN Giuliani said: “Of course I did,” when asked whether he had pressed Ukraine to look into Biden. The business dealings of Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, in the country, have become a focus for Republicans. Some of the GOP have suggested there was impropriety in an investigation in Biden Jr, which was dropped.

Trump defended himself against any accusations on Friday morning, tweeting that there was “nothing said wrong” during his conversation with (an unnamed) foreign leader, describing it as “pitch perfect”.

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