US President Donald Trump speaks during a post-election press conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC. (Jim WATSON/AFP) WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump urged Democrats on Wednesday (Nov 7) to "put partisanship aside" as he bluntly warned them against using their newfound control of the US House of Representatives to tie up his administration in investigations. "It was a big day yesterday, an incredible day," Trump said following Tuesday's midterm election in which Republicans lost the House but increased their hold on the Senate. "I think people like the job I'm doing," Trump told a free-wheeling news conference at the White House which featured several acrimonious exchanges with reporters. Democrats will have around 229 seats in the 435-member House, while Republicans will hold 53 seats in the 100-member Senate, up from 51, according to projections by The New York Times. Trump offered an olive branch to Democrats, praising their leader and likely next … [Read more...] about Trump urges Democrats to join hands, but remains defiant
House democratic leader
Trump fires Sessions, vows to fight Democrats if they launch probes
Trump fires Sessions, vows to fight Democrats if they launch probes U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a swearing-in ceremony for new Attorney General Jeff Sessions (R) at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 9, 2017 – PHOTO: REUTERS WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - President Donald Trump on Wednesday forced out Attorney General Jeff Sessions a day after congressional elections, and vowed to fight if the U.S. House of Representatives’ new Democratic majority launches probes into his administration. Sessions - an early Trump supporter who ran afoul of the president by recusing himself from an investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 White House campaign - said in a letter to Trump that he had submitted his resignation “at your request.” The 71-year-old former U.S. senator was informed on Wednesday morning by White House Chief of Staff John Kelly in a phone call that it was time to go, said an aide who spoke on condition of anonymity. … [Read more...] about Trump fires Sessions, vows to fight Democrats if they launch probes
Democrats capture US House majority in rebuke to Trump
The result would give them the opportunity to block Trump's agenda and open his administration to intense scrutiny. In midterm elections two years after he won the White House, Trump and his fellow Republicans expanded their majority in the U.S. Senate following a divisive campaign marked by fierce clashes over race, immigration and other cultural issues. But Tuesday's results were a bitter outcome for Trump after a campaign that became a referendum on his leadership. NBC News projected Democrats would hold a 229-206 House majority, taking over control from the Republicans for the first time in eight years. Other media outlets also projected that the Democrats would pick up at least the 23 Republican-held seats they needed to win to gain a majority. With a House majority, Democrats will have the power to investigate Trump's tax returns, possible business conflicts of interest and allegations involving his 2016 campaign's links to Russia. They also could force Trump to scale back his … [Read more...] about Democrats capture US House majority in rebuke to Trump
White House says ‘powerful’ sanctions to remain on North Korea
White House says 'powerful' sanctions to remain on North Korea A combination photo shows U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (R) in Washignton, DC, U.S. May 17, 2018 and in Panmunjom, South Korea, April 27, 2018 respectively – PHOTO: REUTERS WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - The White House said on Monday its policy of tough sanctions on North Korea has not changed, days after U.S. President Donald Trump said he no longer wanted to use the phrase “maximum pressure” to describe the campaign to press North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons. After meeting a senior official from Pyongyang at the White House on Friday, Trump said North Korea was being more cooperative and that although sanctions would remain in place, he would hold off on imposing new ones. Trump said he didn’t want to use the term “maximum pressure” any more, because the two sides were “getting along.” Asked at a news briefing on Monday whether … [Read more...] about White House says ‘powerful’ sanctions to remain on North Korea
No evidence of ‘spy’ in Trump camp, Democrats say after intel brief
US intelligence agencies offered no evidence to back President Donald Trump's claim that the FBI planted a "spy" in his campaign, congressional Democrats said Thursday (May 24) after a closed-door briefing. FBI Director Chris Wray was among the intelligence officials who briefed senior members of Congress about the FBI's use of a confidential intelligence source in the Russia investigation. (Photo: AFP/MARK WILSON) The Department of Justice and the FBI held two classified meetings with leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives and the heads of the chambers' intelligence panels, after the president demanded a probe into allegations of infiltration into his team, a potential scandal Trump has branded "SPYGATE." US media have reported that the FBI sent an informant to gather possible evidence that Trump campaign advisors had suspicious contacts with Russia. Democrats have warned that Trump's fixation on the issue - he has tweeted about it repeatedly - suggests he is … [Read more...] about No evidence of ‘spy’ in Trump camp, Democrats say after intel brief