Trump news: Ivanka 'turned down' World Bank job offer, as Fox News contributor 'in line' for top Treasury job
Donald Trump and his staff in the White House are preparing for the imminent release of the Mueller report, which has reportedly led to "breakdown-level" anxiety in the West Wing.
That waiting game comes as Mr Trump has doubled down on his demand for better border security, and follows after attorney general William Barr announced new US policy that asylum seekers who cross illegally between ports of entry would no longer have the right to ask a judge to grant them bond for release.
Under the new Justice Department policy, those migrants will have to wait in detention until their case can adjudicated — a process that can take a considerable amount of time given America's backlogged immigration courts.
Mr Trump has also turned on Fox News after the right-wing news channel hosted a town hall debate with Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. Trump tweeted that the event had been "stuffed with Bernie supporters," adding: "What's with @FoxNews?"
Mr Barr is expected to release his report on Thursday morning, when he will hold a press conference to discuss the issue.
Meanwhile, the race for the Democratic nomination to take the president on in 2020 has been heating up just under eight months until the first votes will be cast in that primary season.
Currently leading the pack of candidates are Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and — at least in recent polls — Pete Buttigieg, who has outperformed expectations in the past couple of weeks.
Read The Independent’s updates as they happen in our live blog below.
Check in here for the ongoing coverage of 2020 polls — including our latest addition on whether Americans think the Mueller report will exonerate Mr Trump, as he claims it does.
In a statement, the president said: “This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service members, both today and in the future."
The United Nations estimated last year that 6,872 civilians had been killed and 10,768 wounded, the majority in Saudi-led air strikes, since the military operation against Houthi rebels began in March 2015.
This is only the second time that Trump has used the presidential veto since his term began in January 2017.
Last night, President Trump appeared to turn on his favoured TV channel Fox News, over a town hall meeting they hosted with Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders.
Trump tweeted angrily that the event had been "stuffed with Bernie supporters" - as many of those present in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania had expressed support for Sanders' Medicare for All healthcare plan.
But the president’s claim that his supporters were barred from the event was contradicted by local media, who reported a range of political groups were in the audience, including Trump supporters.
President Trump launched a bizarre attack on Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden late last night on Twitter, saying he was looking forward to facing either of them, should they secure the Democratic nomination for the 2020 presidential election.
The president labelled the pair as 'Crazy Bernie Sanders' and 'Sleepy Joe Biden', saying: "I look forward to facing whoever it may be. May God Rest Their Soul!"
Donald Trump's veto of the resolution to end US military assistance for Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen “will only mean more suffering and death” a charity has said.
The Norwegian Refugee Council said that if Mr Trump “was truly concerned about civilian life,” he would “ensure that the US-supported Saudi-led coalition stop breaking the laws of war and depriving millions of Yemenis of life-saving assistance.”
Saudi Arabia has denied breaking international law during the conflict.
The charity said the United States is “deepening and prolonging” the crisis and “civilians are paying the price.”
The first of those is Mueller, again calling the special counsel's probe a "witch hunt" and talking about FBI payments to the man who helped put together the infamous dossier on Mr Trump, Christopher Steele.
Payments from the FBI to Steele, who is believed to have helped the bureau with other investigations were revealed in redacted documents last year. Although they had no timeframe.
Mr Trump's latest tweets follow a decision by attorney general William Barr that detained asylum seekers who show "credible" fear of what might happen to them if they return to their home countries will no longer be able to ask a judge for bail.
Mr Barr decided that such asylum seekers do not have the right to be released on bond by an immigration court judge while their cases are pending. The attorney general has the authority to overturn prior rulings made by immigration courts, which fall under the Justice Department.
The decision overrules a 2005 precedent set by George W Bush’s justice department, which enshrined asylum seekers’ right to bail, irrespective of how they entered the country.
"There will be many, many people who are not gonna even have the opportunity to apply for release now," Gregory Chen, director of government relations for the American Immigration Lawyers Association has said of Mr Barr's.
Mr Chen told the Associated Press that about 90 per cent of asylum seekers pass their credible fear interview, the first step in seeking asylum.
Yemen's Houthi rebels have claimed that Mr Trump's veto of the resolution ending US support for the conflict is proof that "Trump is behind the war" according to AFP.
It is true that US support is no doubt helping Saudi Arabia and its coalition, but Mr Trump is likely thinking of weapons sales to Riyadh in blocking the Congressional resolution.
With a redacted version of Robert Mueller's report set to be released on Thursday, Democrats are preparing to get the full report.
The House Judiciary Committee is expected to subpoena the Justice Department for the full special counsel complete report as soon as Friday, according to a spokesman, as Democrats prepare to fight the Trump administration for access to the attorney general's anticipated redactions.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump's lawyers are also preparing for a quick response to the release of the redacted Mueller report, with a summary from William Barr the only public document so far.
At least a dozen attorneys and staff members for Mr Trump - both his personal and White House lawyers - will look to distill the document with each being given a particular section.
“We’ll provide analysis throughout the course of the day,” Mr Trump’s personal lawyer Jay Sekulowtold USA Today.
