Republican senators on Capitol Hill have expressed their dismay at a Donald Trump tweet accusing 75-year-old Black Lives Matter protester Martin Gugino of being an “ANTIFA provocateur” and dismissing the viral video in which he is seen being shoved over by police at a George Floyd demonstration in Buffalo, New York, as “a set up”.
“It’s a serious accusation which should only be made with facts and evidence”, commented John Thune of South Dakota, as Utah’s Mitt Romney branded the speculation from the president “shocking” and Alaska moderate Lisa Murkowski observed: “It just makes no sense that we’re fanning the flames right at this time.”
Floyd’s funeral was finally held in his hometown of Houston, Texas, on Tuesday, with Democratic presidential challenger Joe Biden and the Reverend Al Sharpton among those paying tribute to the man whose death at the hands of Minneapolis cops sparked a global racial justice movement.
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Five key takeaways in Flynn review
The Independent's Griffin Connolly goes into depth on the five key takeaways from the amicus brief filed by retired judge John Gleeson on the Justice Department's motion to drop charges against former national security advisor Michael Flynn.
The Independent's Griffin Connolly goes into depth on the five key takeaways from the amicus brief filed by retired judge John Gleeson on the Justice Department's motion to drop charges against former national security advisor Michael Flynn.
- The DOJ's request to dismiss charges was a "gross abuse of prosecutorial power"
- Mr Flynn's about-face on his guilty plea may hurt his fate at sentencing
- Mr Trump will dismiss the scathing amicus brief as just another swamp hit piece
- The president was his own worst enemy in Flynn case
- Trump's DOJ fumbled the Flynn football a long time ago -- but the president can still take matters into his own hands
Read the full story for a complete picture on what that means for Flynn and the president.
Trump demands retraction and apology from CNN over negative poll
"We stand by our poll," said CNN spokesman Matt Dornic.
"We stand by our poll," said CNN spokesman Matt Dornic.
The poll on Monday showed Trump behind Biden by 14 points, or 55 per cent to 41 per cent, with the president's approval rating at 38 per cent.
The Trump campaign sent a letter saying the poll was "designed to mislead" voters through biased questions and skewed sampling.
It came after he tweeted the survey was "FAKE based on the incredible enthusiasm we are receiving".
"It's a stunt and a phony poll to cause voter suppression, stifle momentum and enthusiasm for the
President, and present a false view generally of the actual support across America for the President," the letter said.
CNN reported that its general counsel, David Vigilante, responded that the demands were rejected in their entirety.
"To my knowledge, this is the first time in its 40-year history that CNN had been threatened with legal action because an American politician or campaign did not like CNN's polling results," Vigilante wrote.
Who is Martin Gugino: Antifa provocateur or Catholic peace activist?
As the White House defended Trump's tweets as "not a baseless conspiracy theory", friends described the computer programmer as a Catholic and graduate of a Jesuit private school with a passion for social justice issues.
"Martin has a passion for social justice," said Mark Colville, who runs Amistad Catholic Worker in New Haven, Connecticut. "When he sees wrong he wants to be involved in making it right."
Mr Gugino is active in Witness Against Torture, an organization formed in 2005 to protest the treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, confirmed group organiser Matt Daloisio.
Tom Casey, coordinator for Pax Christi, a Christian peace movement, said Mr Gugino was opinionated but respectful, while Jericho Road, a community health clinic, featured him its newsletter's donor spotlight.
Mr Gugino was active in BLM, and meet the parents of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old boy shot by police, the news service reported.
Ithaca Catholic worker Mary Anne Grady Flores, said she and Mr Gugino participated in multiple protests against Hancock Air Force Base's use of drones in Afghanistan.
"We are at a loss to understand why the President of the United States would make such dark, dangerous, and untrue accusations against him," lawyer Kelly Zarcone said on Tuesday.
As the White House defended Trump's tweets as "not a baseless conspiracy theory", friends described the computer programmer as a Catholic and graduate of a Jesuit private school with a passion for social justice issues.
"Martin has a passion for social justice," said Mark Colville, who runs Amistad Catholic Worker in New Haven, Connecticut. "When he sees wrong he wants to be involved in making it right."
Mr Gugino is active in Witness Against Torture, an organization formed in 2005 to protest the treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, confirmed group organiser Matt Daloisio.
Tom Casey, coordinator for Pax Christi, a Christian peace movement, said Mr Gugino was opinionated but respectful, while Jericho Road, a community health clinic, featured him its newsletter's donor spotlight.
Mr Gugino was active in BLM, and meet the parents of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old boy shot by police, the news service reported.
Ithaca Catholic worker Mary Anne Grady Flores, said she and Mr Gugino participated in multiple protests against Hancock Air Force Base's use of drones in Afghanistan.
"We are at a loss to understand why the President of the United States would make such dark, dangerous, and untrue accusations against him," lawyer Kelly Zarcone said on Tuesday.
BREAKING: Trump announces surprise campaign rallies in Oklahoma, Florida, Arizona and North Carolina
The first four locations of Trump's 2020 campaign rallies have been revealed across four states.
Follow the story with John T Bennet as it unfolds.
The first four locations of Trump's 2020 campaign rallies have been revealed across four states.
Follow the story with John T Bennet as it unfolds.
Does the Georgia primary meltdown foreshadow November?
Fewer polling locations, a new voting system, machine malfunctions and the pandemic all played a part in the ensuing chaos.
Is that a harbinger for the 2020 presidential race?
Oliver O'Connell looks into the crystal ball.
Fewer polling locations, a new voting system, machine malfunctions and the pandemic all played a part in the ensuing chaos.
Is that a harbinger for the 2020 presidential race?
Oliver O'Connell looks into the crystal ball.
New York to name one street in each of its five boroughs 'Black Lives Matter'
One street in each of New York City's five boroughs will be named and painted with the statement "black lives matter", Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Tuesday.
Following the bright yellow "black lives matter" mural painted on the street leading to the White House, the first of the five street re-namings would be near City Hall in Manhattan, with others to follow on five prominent streets in the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island.
While the Washington DC chapter of activist group Black Lives Matter did not support its mayor's painting of the message across 16th Street, the BLM Brooklyn chapter president played a key role in the New York proposal.
The announcement came after a meeting on Sunday at the mayor's residence, Gracie Mansion, with activists including BLM Brooklyn co-founder Anthony Beckford and Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner, who died in New York police custody.
"It's time to do something officially representing this city to recognise the power of the fundamental idea black lives matter, the idea that so much of American history has wrongly renounced but now must be affirmed," Mr de Blasio said.
"In each borough at a crucial location, one which will be here near City Hall... what will be clear on the street name and the streets of our city is that message that now this city must fully, fully, deeply feel, and this nation must as well, that black lives matter."
One street in each of New York City's five boroughs will be named and painted with the statement "black lives matter", Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Tuesday.
Following the bright yellow "black lives matter" mural painted on the street leading to the White House, the first of the five street re-namings would be near City Hall in Manhattan, with others to follow on five prominent streets in the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island.
While the Washington DC chapter of activist group Black Lives Matter did not support its mayor's painting of the message across 16th Street, the BLM Brooklyn chapter president played a key role in the New York proposal.
The announcement came after a meeting on Sunday at the mayor's residence, Gracie Mansion, with activists including BLM Brooklyn co-founder Anthony Beckford and Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner, who died in New York police custody.
"It's time to do something officially representing this city to recognise the power of the fundamental idea black lives matter, the idea that so much of American history has wrongly renounced but now must be affirmed," Mr de Blasio said.
"In each borough at a crucial location, one which will be here near City Hall... what will be clear on the street name and the streets of our city is that message that now this city must fully, fully, deeply feel, and this nation must as well, that black lives matter."
Detained migrants issue plea for help, alleging forced work and lack of sanitary conditions
From The Independent's Chris Riotta: A group of migrants seeking asylum in the US have issued a plea for help, writing in a letter that they have been forced to work in unsanitary conditions while detained amid the coronavirus pandemic.
In the letter published on Wednesday, the migrants claimed they were made to work without adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) in areas considered hot spots for spreading the novel coronavirus, including the kitchen and medical facilities.
The migrants said there were no social distancing measures in place at the La Palma Correction Centre near Phoenix, Arizona, a detention facility overseen by CoreCivic, the largest private prison corporation in the country.
"We are fleeing the dictatorships in our countries, and came to this country seeking political asylum," the letter began. "What we have received is the deprivation of our freedom and the violation of our rights, which we want to repeat and make public through this document."
Read the full story.
From The Independent's Chris Riotta: A group of migrants seeking asylum in the US have issued a plea for help, writing in a letter that they have been forced to work in unsanitary conditions while detained amid the coronavirus pandemic.
In the letter published on Wednesday, the migrants claimed they were made to work without adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) in areas considered hot spots for spreading the novel coronavirus, including the kitchen and medical facilities.
The migrants said there were no social distancing measures in place at the La Palma Correction Centre near Phoenix, Arizona, a detention facility overseen by CoreCivic, the largest private prison corporation in the country.
"We are fleeing the dictatorships in our countries, and came to this country seeking political asylum," the letter began. "What we have received is the deprivation of our freedom and the violation of our rights, which we want to repeat and make public through this document."
Read the full story.
Should 'Biden Welcome Centre' be renamed due to the ex-VP's alleged segregationist past? White House asks
Following Trump's Twitter announcement, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany today defended the president's commitment to not renaming army bases, asking if buildings named after Joe Biden should be renamed due to his reported past working with segregationists.
"What about people alleged by media to be segregationists?" she asked. "Should we then rename the Biden Welcome Centre?"
Ms McEnany earlier said renaming army bases was a non-starter for Trump, suggesting it won't end there.
"I'm told that no longer can you find on HBO Gone With the Wind because somehow that is now offensive," she said.
"Where do you draw the line? Should George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and James Madison be erased from history? What about FDR and his internment camps, should he be erased from history? Or Lyndon Johnson who has a history of documented racist statements."
Following Trump's Twitter announcement, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany today defended the president's commitment to not renaming army bases, asking if buildings named after Joe Biden should be renamed due to his reported past working with segregationists.
"What about people alleged by media to be segregationists?" she asked. "Should we then rename the Biden Welcome Centre?"
Ms McEnany earlier said renaming army bases was a non-starter for Trump, suggesting it won't end there.
"I'm told that no longer can you find on HBO Gone With the Wind because somehow that is now offensive," she said.
"Where do you draw the line? Should George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and James Madison be erased from history? What about FDR and his internment camps, should he be erased from history? Or Lyndon Johnson who has a history of documented racist statements."
Ilhan Omar comparing cops to cancer will lead to violence, White House suggests
Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said today that Ilhan Omar's comments comparing cops to cancer could result in more violence against police.
"When you have a sitting congresswoman, Ilhan Omar, calling cops cancer, what do you think that leads to?" she said.
"The AP reported on shooting in front of a police department today in California, let's stop vilifying our officers, let's start recognising injustices where we see it, but recognise all of us in here are safe because of our police officers doing their job each and every day."
Here is the Associated Press report she was referring to during today's press briefing.
Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said today that Ilhan Omar's comments comparing cops to cancer could result in more violence against police.
"When you have a sitting congresswoman, Ilhan Omar, calling cops cancer, what do you think that leads to?" she said.
"The AP reported on shooting in front of a police department today in California, let's stop vilifying our officers, let's start recognising injustices where we see it, but recognise all of us in here are safe because of our police officers doing their job each and every day."
Here is the Associated Press report she was referring to during today's press briefing.
A man was found fatally shot near where a sheriff's deputy was wounded Wednesday while responding to a report that a gunman was firing shots at a central California police station, and the two incidents were believed to be connected, authorities said.
The shooter has yet to be found and a search was underway in the downtown area of the city of Paso Robles, said Tony Cipolla, spokesman for the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department. People in the area were urged to shelter in place.
The body of a man who had been shot in the head at close range was found near railroad tracks a few blocks from the police station. Investigators determined it was a homicide believed to be related to the other shootings, Paso Robles police said. The victim was only described as being in his 40s.
The shooter, a man in his 20s or 30s, fired at the Paso Robles Police Department around 3:45 a.m. while officers were inside, he said. Gunfire occurred over a span of some minutes, Cipolla said.
Two sheriff's deputies were fired upon when they arrived on the scene, wounding one. His partner returned fire, Cipolla said.
The wounded deputy was flown to a trauma center in serious but stable condition.
The Paso Robles Police Department tweeted that shooting stopped by 4 a.m. Paso Robles, a city of about 32,000 residents, is set in the hills of California's central coast wine region about 175 miles (280 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles.
It follows two recent deadly shootings targeting officers in California.
Santa Cruz County sheriff's Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller, 348, was killed and another deputy was injured Saturday in the community of Ben Lomond in an attack allegedly carried out by an Air Force sergeant armed with homemade bombs, an AR-15 rifle and other weapons.
Santa Cruz County Sheriff Jim Hart said the suspect, Staff Sgt. Steven Carrillo was intent on killing officers.
Carrillo was wounded at some point and was being treated for a non-life-threatening injury.
The FBI is investigating whether Carrillo, 32, has links to the killing of a federal security officer who was shot outside the U.S. courthouse in Oakland during a protest against police mistreatment of black people on May 29.
White House says president's tweet on 75-year-old Buffalo protestor 'not a baseless conspiracy theory'
Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany defended Trump's tweet questioning the elderly protester injured in a confrontation with Buffalo police.
"The president was asking questions about an interaction in a video clip that he saw and the president has the right to ask those questions," she said.
"The president does not regret standing up for law enforcement, the men and women across this country."
She continued: "We are living in a moment that seems to be reflexively anti-police officer, and it's unacceptable to the president. In this tweet that he sent out was no way condoning violence, he was not passing judgement on these two officers in particular, but what he was saying was this, 'when we see a brief snippet of a video it's incumbent upon reporters and those who are surveying the situation to ask questions'."
Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany defended Trump's tweet questioning the elderly protester injured in a confrontation with Buffalo police.
"The president was asking questions about an interaction in a video clip that he saw and the president has the right to ask those questions," she said.
"The president does not regret standing up for law enforcement, the men and women across this country."
She continued: "We are living in a moment that seems to be reflexively anti-police officer, and it's unacceptable to the president. In this tweet that he sent out was no way condoning violence, he was not passing judgement on these two officers in particular, but what he was saying was this, 'when we see a brief snippet of a video it's incumbent upon reporters and those who are surveying the situation to ask questions'."
Trump will not rename military bases
Trump just announced on Twitter that his administration would not be renaming any military bases.
"It has been suggested that we should rename as many as 10 of our Legendary Military Bases," he said.
"The United States of America trained and deployed our HEROES on these Hallowed Grounds, and won two World Wars. Therefore, my Administration will not even consider the renaming of these Magnificent and Fabled Military Installations..."
Trump just announced on Twitter that his administration would not be renaming any military bases.
"It has been suggested that we should rename as many as 10 of our Legendary Military Bases," he said.
"The United States of America trained and deployed our HEROES on these Hallowed Grounds, and won two World Wars. Therefore, my Administration will not even consider the renaming of these Magnificent and Fabled Military Installations..."
Today in Ludacris: No systemic racism in the US, Trump adviser says
The director of the National Economic Council, Larry Kudlow, told reporters at the White House today that there is no "systemic racism" against African Americans in the US.
"I will say it again. I do not," Mr Kudlow said.
"Most of my adult professional life I not only have fought for equal rights, including civil rights, but I don't believe nowadays we have systemic racism. We do have some bad apples in the police department, and that can be changed."
A certain Mr Ludacris responded as Mr Ludacris is want to respond: "That's the most ludicrous thing I've ever heard."
The director of the National Economic Council, Larry Kudlow, told reporters at the White House today that there is no "systemic racism" against African Americans in the US.
"I will say it again. I do not," Mr Kudlow said.
"Most of my adult professional life I not only have fought for equal rights, including civil rights, but I don't believe nowadays we have systemic racism. We do have some bad apples in the police department, and that can be changed."
A certain Mr Ludacris responded as Mr Ludacris is want to respond: "That's the most ludicrous thing I've ever heard."
Trump's standing with Americans tumbles after his response to George Floyd protests
Turns out firing "pepper balls" and tear gas at Americans isn't viewed particularly favourably.
A new poll shows a noticeable drop in support from religious voters after the now-notorious St John's Church bible photo.
John T Bennett has the story.
Turns out firing "pepper balls" and tear gas at Americans isn't viewed particularly favourably.
A new poll shows a noticeable drop in support from religious voters after the now-notorious St John's Church bible photo.
John T Bennett has the story.
Clinton mocks Trump and is this 2020 or 2016?
Speaking of 2016, Trump's old foe Hillary Clinton is back have a laugh at the president's expense after it was shows that his tweet about an elderly Buffalo protestor being an Antifa provocateur came to Russian website Sputnik.
Speaking of 2016, Trump's old foe Hillary Clinton is back have a laugh at the president's expense after it was shows that his tweet about an elderly Buffalo protestor being an Antifa provocateur came to Russian website Sputnik.
Andrew Naughtie breaks it down.
BREAKING: Dismissing charges against Flynn 'abuse of power'
Follow this breaking news with The Independent's Griffin Connolly as the story unfolds:
A former federal judge appointed to review the Justice Department's request to dismiss charges against former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn said the department's move should be denied because there is "clear evidence of a gross abuse of prosecutorial power," The Associated Press has reported.
Follow this breaking news with The Independent's Griffin Connolly as the story unfolds:
A former federal judge appointed to review the Justice Department's request to dismiss charges against former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn said the department's move should be denied because there is "clear evidence of a gross abuse of prosecutorial power," The Associated Press has reported.
"The Government's ostensible grounds for seeking dismissal are conclusively disproven by its own briefs filed earlier in this very proceeding," former US District Judge John Gleeson wrote in a filing Wednesday, a month after federal prosecuted, influenced by DOJ brass, moved to dismiss the case.
The government's stated grounds for dismissal "contradict and ignore this Court's prior orders, which constitute law of the case. They are riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact. And they depart from positions that the Government has taken in other cases," Mr Gleeson wrote.
Trump to replay greatest hits from 2016 as he prepares for 2020
Trump is getting the band back together.
The president has begun bringing back his 2016 veterans for his 2020 campaign, according to The Associated Press.
Quoting officials, AP says Trump has been taking out his reaction to poll numbers on campaign manager Brad Parscale as he looks to the old guard turn around his fortunes.
According to the report, which is worth a full read, here is who's in and outside the tent so far:
Trump is getting the band back together.
The president has begun bringing back his 2016 veterans for his 2020 campaign, according to The Associated Press.
Quoting officials, AP says Trump has been taking out his reaction to poll numbers on campaign manager Brad Parscale as he looks to the old guard turn around his fortunes.
According to the report, which is worth a full read, here is who's in and outside the tent so far:
- Jason Miller, communications director in 2016, to focus on strategy and coordinate between the campaign and the White House. Miller has co-hosted a pro-Trump podcast with the president's former campaign chief executive, Steve Bannon.
- Boris Epshteyn, who after 2016 became a commentator for the conservative Sinclair Broadcast network, came back to be a strategic adviser for coalitions.
- Bill Stepien, a top adviser in 2016, was recently promoted to deputy campaign manager.
- Justin Clark, another longtime aide, has led the Trump campaign's legal efforts.
- Hope Hicks was Trump's original campaign spokeswoman before becoming one of his most trusted West Wing aides. She left the White House in 2018 only to return two years later, and was reportedly behind THAT Bible photo-op.
- Johnny McEntee, who served as Trump's personal aide before being fired by then-chief of staff John Kelly in 2018, returned in January and has been focusing on staffing the administration with loyalists.
- While Corey Lewandowski, Trump's first campaign manager, and David Bossie, a trusted aide, have both remained officially outside the campaign, they have attended several recent strategy sessions and have been spotted on Air Force One and at the president's golf clubs.
- Some of Trump's 2016 team never left. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, the president's daughter and son-in-law, are senior advisers. Kellyanne Conway, the president's final 2016 campaign manager, remains a senior White House counsellor. Dan Scavino runs the president's social media presence from inside the West Wing. The president's two adult sons, Donald Jr. and Eric Trump, and Eric's wife, Lara, remain popular campaign surrogates.
- But a few members of the old gang have not returned. That includes Bannon, who remains supportive of Trump after a messy exit from the White House, and Keith Schiller, Trump's longtime security man.
Associated Press
Trump would have done better as a black man?
Remember when Trump said in 1989 he'd have done better starting off as a black man because they have the advantage?
Me either, I was in primary school. Thankfully, Mother Jones has a long memory and pulled the NBC clip for the walk down memory lane.
"If I were starting off today I would love to be a well-educated Black because I really believe they do have an actual advantage today," Trump said in the clip below.
Remember when Trump said in 1989 he'd have done better starting off as a black man because they have the advantage?
Me either, I was in primary school. Thankfully, Mother Jones has a long memory and pulled the NBC clip for the walk down memory lane.
"If I were starting off today I would love to be a well-educated Black because I really believe they do have an actual advantage today," Trump said in the clip below.
Grey Man jabs Grey Lady on the Senate floor
Mitch McConnell this week took a swipe at The New York Times over the op-ed by fellow Republican Tom Cotton that ignited a civil war in the venerable masthead's newsroom.
"One of our nation's most storied newspapers just had its intellectual independence challenged by an angry mob and they folded like a house of cards," Mr McConnell said on the Senate floor on Wednesday, via Politico.
Mitch McConnell this week took a swipe at The New York Times over the op-ed by fellow Republican Tom Cotton that ignited a civil war in the venerable masthead's newsroom.
"One of our nation's most storied newspapers just had its intellectual independence challenged by an angry mob and they folded like a house of cards," Mr McConnell said on the Senate floor on Wednesday, via Politico.
"A jury of people on Twitter indicted them as accessories to a thought crime and instead of telling them to
go take a hike, the paper pleaded guilty and begged for mercy."
The editor of the section resigned over the piece calling for Trump to "Send in the Troops" to deal with criminals and left-wing radicals like Antifa that were out for loot and destruction.
It did not go well for all involved.
"Presumably it was understood that pushing the envelope and airing disagreements are necessary in a free market of ideas," Mr McConnell said. "Vladimir Putin? No problem. Iranian propaganda? Sure. But nothing, nothing could have prepared them for 800 words from the junior senator from Arkansas."
"Presumably it was understood that pushing the envelope and airing disagreements are necessary in a free market of ideas," Mr McConnell said. "Vladimir Putin? No problem. Iranian propaganda? Sure. But nothing, nothing could have prepared them for 800 words from the junior senator from Arkansas."
America is a 'homo-empire' ruled by the 'tyrannical LGBT agenda'
At least according to a new White House appointee Merritt Corrigan, whose writings may come back to haunt her.
Trump's deputy liaison at the US Agency for International Development once wrote that "our homo-empire couldn't tolerate even one commercial enterprise not in full submission to the tyrannical LGBT agenda" and that "liberal democracy is little more than a front for the war being waged against us by those who fundamentally despise not only our way of life, but life itself".
Chris Riotta has this report:
At least according to a new White House appointee Merritt Corrigan, whose writings may come back to haunt her.
Trump's deputy liaison at the US Agency for International Development once wrote that "our homo-empire couldn't tolerate even one commercial enterprise not in full submission to the tyrannical LGBT agenda" and that "liberal democracy is little more than a front for the war being waged against us by those who fundamentally despise not only our way of life, but life itself".
Chris Riotta has this report:
BREAKING: Trump buddy Dan Bongino urges Congress not to 'defund the police'
The independent's Griffin Connolly writes:
Radio host Dan Bongino, one of Donald Trump's favourite conservative pundits, urged Congress on Wednesday not to adopt policies to "defund the police" and warned them they must stop such an "abomination before someone gets hurt."
Mr Bongino is a former NYPD officer and Secret Service agent who has also unsuccessfully sought congressional office three times.
At a House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on policing practices and law enforcement accountability on Wednesday, Mr Bongino told several anecdotes about police officers who were injured or killed in the line of duty and lauded the bravery of first responders during the 11 September 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center towers in New York City.
Follow the story as it unfolds:
The independent's Griffin Connolly writes:
Radio host Dan Bongino, one of Donald Trump's favourite conservative pundits, urged Congress on Wednesday not to adopt policies to "defund the police" and warned them they must stop such an "abomination before someone gets hurt."
Mr Bongino is a former NYPD officer and Secret Service agent who has also unsuccessfully sought congressional office three times.
At a House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on policing practices and law enforcement accountability on Wednesday, Mr Bongino told several anecdotes about police officers who were injured or killed in the line of duty and lauded the bravery of first responders during the 11 September 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center towers in New York City.
Follow the story as it unfolds:
