Donald Trump has raged at his ex-national security adviser John Bolton, saying the Ukraine claims made in his forthcoming new memoir are “nonsense” and declaring he would have started “World War Six” if he had not been removed from office last September as the Republican effort to discredit him continues.
A new poll by Quinnipiac University has meanwhile found that 75 per cent of Americans want to hear from Mr Bolton at the president’s Senate impeachment trial as GOP majority leader Mitch McConnell is forced to admit he does not currently have the votes to stop Democrats calling new witnesses to speak out.
President Trump delivered his latest Keep America Great rally in Wildwood, New Jersey, last night after unveiling his highly controversial two-state solution to bring peace to the Middle East at the White House, which was cheered by Israel but met with angry protests by Palestinians.
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Lev Parnas's surprise visit
Take a look at our write up of Mr Parnas's surprise appearance on Capitol Hill today.
Key Trump impeachment figure unexpectedly arrives at Capitol Hill demanding to testify
Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas has shown up unexpectedly on Capitol Hill, where he is demanding to meet with senators to tell his side of the impeachment scandal story. Mr Parnas was spotted by reporters as he arrived, and asked what he would tell senators if he were able to get an audience with them. "Call the witnesses," Mr Parnas responded. "The president knew'Call the witnesses ... Donald Trump knew everything'
Lev Parnas, the businessman who helped Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani in Ukraine, has arrived on Capitol Hill today, to the surprise of reporters.
"Call the witnesses," he said when asked what he would say to senators if he were able to get a meeting . "The president knew everything that was going on in Ukraine. ... There was many quid pro quos."
Donald Trump signing the USMCA
The signing ceremony is now over, here are some photos from the event:
Donald Trump signing the USMCA
And, with that, the USMCA deal has been signed.
While passing out pens, from the signing as souvenirs, one of them was dropped.
Donald Trump signing the USMCA
Trump has now invited industry leaders to come up to the stage, alongside his cabinet.
"This will be very historic," he said.
"Senators, come on up," he said, before pleading with them: "Please, please come up."
He then said he's going to take care of the senators.
He then said he's going to take care of the senators.
Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump are also up on stage, as is Kevin McCarthy, the House minority leader.
Donald Trump signing the USMCA
Trump now back on, said the most important people on the South Lawn are the workers there, despite all all "the power and wealth and status in front of me".
He then pivots to celebrating the recent China trade deal his administration announced, which has been met with skepticism since it was released.
Donald Trump signing the USMCA
Mike Pence is up at the mic, and he chooses to thank Trump "for simply keeping your word, for fighting on behalf fo the forgotten men and women of America".
"I want to say with a grateful heart that we are here mostly because we have a president who will always put America first. Thank you Mr President, and congratulations," he said.
Donald Trump signing the USMCA
Trump jokes that he only wants to call out people during his address on the South Lawn if they're investing a lot in American jobs.
"Anything over 2 billion you're allowed to stand. Anything over 2 billion you can stand otherwise we don't want you to stand," he joked.
Donald Trump signing the USMCA
Trump jokes that he won't name the cabinet members on the South Lawn today because senator Ted Cruz wants to get back to the Capitol.
Now, Trump is claiming his new deal will alleviate pain in 'devastated' parts of the US he says were hurt by Nafta.
Donald Trump signing the USMCA
From The Independent's Washington DC bureau chief John T Bennett: Mr Trump joked - or did he? - at an event to sign his Nafta-replacing trade pact with Canada and Mexico that he is just nice to Republican lawmakers "because I need your vote."
As he called out GOP member after GOP member, the president said senator Ted Cruz - once a bitter rival - was chomping at the bit to "get back over there and ask those questions," referring to the coming 16 hours of senators questioning both sides in the impeachment trial. "I bet he's got some beauties," he said of Mr Cruz's questions.
Donald Trump signing the USMCA
The president is flanked on one side by Mike Pence, and some gentlemen wearing hard hats and suits.
He's now thanking a list of Republican senators who he views as instrumental in the passage of the USMCA.
Trump's latest tweets
In the past hour, Trump has tweeted a few times to talk about impeachment, Iraq and then impeachment again. According to the White House schedule released publicly, he's gearing up to sign the USMCA trade agreement on the South Lawn (he does not mention that in his tweets).
The first:
The second:
The third:
The fourth:
House Democrats unveil major infrastructure effort
Just as Donald Trump is set to sign the USMCA, Democrats have announced a $760 billion framework to fund infrastructure in the US for five years.
The framework would invest in infrastructure projects like highways, rail, airports and expanding broadcast access across the country.
The effort comes after Democrats attempted to work with the president on a $2 trillion plan last year, in an attempt that failed as lawmakers disagreed on how to pay for the plan, and as the president became frustrated with investigations into his actions.
The unveiled effort likely signals that Democrats hope to make infrastructure a top priority for Democrats running in 2020, and to move on from what sometimes seems like a singular focus on impeachment.
John Bolton in GOP crosshairs after report on his book released
John Bolton has long been an almost revered figure among the war thirsty members of the Republican Party, but a Sunday report by the New York Times on his upcoming book that directly ties the president to an order to withhold #391 million in aid to Ukraine as leverage is straining that relationship.
Bolton has denied coordinating the leak, but has nevertheless been slammed for the passages that have fueled Democrats' calls for new witnesses in the ongoing impeachment trial in the Senate.
"John Bolton, himself, has been reduced to a tool for the radical Dems and the deep state," said Fox Business personality Lou Dobbs on Sunday.
Stephanie Grisham, the press secretary for the White House, likewise attacked her "friend" for the book manuscript: "How much does it cost to sell out potentially national security in your country?"
Jared Kushner on media victory lap over Middle East peace proposal
The president's son-in-law has been on a media blitz since yesterday's announcement, which he played a role in crafting...
...and this morning both he and Netanyahu were on Fox and Friends, championing their "deal" and putting pressure on the Palestinian leadership to accept it.
'You did a good job on her': President praises Mike Pompeo for haranguing female reporter
One of the uglier moments from Trump's press conference with Bibi Netanyahu yesterday came when he mentioned his secretary of state and the latter was given a standing ovation, to the president's obvious envy.
"That reporter couldn't have done too good job on you yesterday. I think you did a good job on her actually," the president joked, alluding to Pompeo screaming obscenities at NPR journalist Mary Louise Kelly over the weekend.
Maya Oppenheim has this.
Trump to sign new North American trade pact at White House today - but key Democrats not invited
Trump will sign a new North American trade agreement on Wednesday in an outdoor ceremony at the White House to be attended by about 400 guests - but not the key Democrats who helped secure congressional passage of the deal.
Guests invited to the South Lawn signing include lawmakers from around the country, workers, farmers, and CEOs, as well as officials from Mexico and Canada, a White House official said.
Not invited were House Ways and Means Committee chairman Richard Neal and other Democrats who negotiated for months to expand the pact's labor, environmental and enforcement provisions and ensure the approval of the Democratically-controlled House.
Trump had made renegotiating the 26-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) a major campaign issue in 2016, and plans to tout its replacement at events in coming weeks as he campaigns for a second term in office.
"Along with members of Congress, state and local leaders, and workers from across the country, including farmers, ranchers, and entrepreneurs, President Trump will celebrate another promise made, promise kept to the American people when he signs the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)," White House spokesman Judd Deere said.
"USMCA rebalances trade in North America, replaces the job-killing NAFTA, ends the outsourcing of American jobs, and invests in the American worker," he said.
The USMCA must still be ratified by Canada before it can take effect. The US Senate this month overwhelmingly approved the legislation, sending the measure to Trump for him to sign into law. The Mexican parliament has already approved the deal.
Congressional aides said it could take several months before the trade accord is implemented, since the three countries must show they are meeting its obligations before the clock starts ticking on an effective date.
The USMCA includes tougher rules on labour and automotive content but leaves $1.2trn (£922bn) in annual US-Mexico-Canada trade flows largely unchanged.
Reuters
Jerry Nadler calls for John Kelly witness testimony as Derschowitz attack on Trump resurfaces
A few more impeachment bits and pieces to round up.
- Democratic trial manager and House Judiciary Committee chairman Jerrold Nadler appeared on MSNBC last night to propose that the president's ex-chief of staff John Kelly might also make a fine impeachment witnesses.
Kelly gave a lecture in Sarasota, Florida, on Monday and responded to a question on the day's events from his audience: "If John Bolton says that in the book, I believe John Bolton.... Every single time I was with him. He always gave the president the unvarnished truth.”
“That would seem to indicate that he has knowledge of what Bolton's testifying to,” Nadler suggested in an interview with Ari Melber.
- In comments to The Clinton Foundation in 2016 during the eleciton campaign, Trump lawyer Alan Derschowitz called his new boss corrupt and warned that such behaviour would continue should he win the White House, according to CNN.
"When you compare that to what Trump has done with Trump University, with so many other things, I think there's no comparison between who has engaged in more corruption and who is more likely to continue that if elected President of the United States," Dershowitz is reported to have said.
"So I think what we're doing is we're comparing, we're saying, look, neither candidate is anywhere close to perfect, let's vote for the less bad candidate."
- Joseph Bondy, a lawyer for indicted Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas, has said that his client is currently unable to attend the Senate trial because of his GPS ankle monitor.
- And finally, Mitt Romney was admonished for bringing his own chocolate milk to yesterday's session in violation of the rules, a moment captured by sketch artist Art Lien.
His communications director Liz Johnson told The New York Times he just loves the stuff.
Michael Bloomberg ridiculed for shaking dog by the nose
Doing rather less well on the campaign trail was the billionaire media tycoon and former mayor of New York, who made a fool of himself in Burlington, Vermont, when he grabbed a canine by the snout.
It wasn't even his first offence.
Chelsea Ritschel is here to explain.
Bernie Sanders pledges to overturn 'every single one' of Trump's immigration policies
Biden's primary opposition has also been speaking out, promising to reverse the president's anti-immigration measures, singling out his "racist and disgusting Muslim ban" as a particularly toxic example.
Chris Riotta has this one.
