Trump news: Secret impeachment plan revealed as rattled president posts 17 Fox News-related tweets in wake of Mueller hearings

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Trump berates reporters for asking him about being indicted

Donald Trump, clearly rattled by Robert Mueller's testimony to Congress, has attempted to spin the outcome of the Democratic-led hearings with a slew tweets featuring Fox News personalities declaring the "witch hunt" against the president to be over in spite of what some have viewed as damning testimony and a long investigation ahead for House Democrats.

Mr Mueller appeared before two congressional committees on Wednesday to explain his 448-page report into Russian election hacking in 2016, and whether the president obstructed justice by attempting to interfere in his investigation by ordering Mr Mueller's firing and sending his allies to pressure witnesses to deliver positive

Sticking largely to the script, the FBI veteran described “sweeping and systematic” interference by Russia, repeated that his findings were not an exoneration of the president, confirmed that Mr Trump had asked senior aides like counsel Don McGahn to lie on his behalf and said the president could be charged with a crime once he leaves office. The occasion sparked immediate cries among Democrats for impeachment proceedings against the president, which House speaker Nancy Pelosi reportedly called "premature".

Later on Thursday, Mr Trump held a manufacturing event in the White House, where he welcomed business owners and workers who had benefited from his so-called Pledge to America's Workers drive, which began one year ago.

Mr Trump then took his presidential voice to Twitter, where he called for the release of A$AP Rocky, who has been charged with assault in Sweden. The president had demanded his return to the United States earlier in the week after Kanye West called him, but the Swedish government declined.

"Give A$AP Rocky his FREEDOM. We do so much for Sweden but it doesn’t seem to work the other way around. Sweden should focus on its real crime problem!" the president tweeted.

Mr Trump also tweeted about an incident in New York City, where police officers were seen on camera being doused with water. He called the incident a "disgrace".

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Key Points

• Democrats considered drafting impeachment articles after Mueller hearings
• Ex-special counsel paints damning portrait of Trump obstruction
• President gloats, spins and threatens journalists after claiming victory
• Opposition plot next move as Warren demands action
• Jeffrey Epstein found with 'injuries to neck' in jail
• Trump vetoes bill attempting to end Saudi arms sales

[25 July 2019 15:05 · Joe Sommerlad]

A major theme of President Trump's recent Social Media Summit was griping about Twitter and Facebook "silencing conservative voices".

Now it emerges that many of the maladjusted bloggers, conspiracy theorists and Ghostbusters trolls have seen their follower counts soar since taking up the gilded invitation, which suggests that insisting you're being censored by faceless Big Tech is good for business.

[25 July 2019 15:20 · Joe Sommerlad]

The actions of ICE agents in Trump's America are again under scrutiny after a video of a father being aggressively hauled from his car in Kansas, Missouri, to the terror of his children was livestreamed on Facebook by the man's girlfriend.

[25 July 2019 15:35 · Joe Sommerlad]

Elijah Cummings' House Oversight Committee has postponed its plan to vote on holding Kellyanne Conway in contempt of Congress - as they did Bill Barr and Wilbur Ross - in order to allow for more times to "reach an accommodation" with the White House after she dodged a subpoena relating to her apparent violation of the Hatch Act.

[25 July 2019 15:42 · Joe Sommerlad]

The United States will resume capital punishment for the first time in nearly two decades, after attorney general William Barr directed the Federal Bureau of Prisons to schedule the executions of five death-row inmates.

Barr announced in a statement that the death penalty would be re-implemented in order to bring justice to the families of victims and that the five death-row inmates have all been convicted of murder. In some cases, the individuals have also been convicted of the torture or rape of children and the elderly.

"Congress has expressly authorised the death penalty through legislation adopted by the people's representatives in both Houses of Congress and signed by the president," Barr said.

"The Justice Department upholds the rule of law and we owe it to the victims and their families to carry forward the sentence imposed by our justice system."

In 2014, then-president Barack Obama directed the department to conduct a review of capital punishment and issues surrounding lethal injection drugs. That review resulted in what effectively was a freeze on executions. The department says the Bureau of Prisons has now completed the review and the executions can continue.

The Justice Department also announced that a new execution protocol, replacing the three-drug cocktail previously used in federal executions with the single drug, pentobarbital.

Here's Clark Mindock with our story

[25 July 2019 15:55 · Joe Sommerlad]

If you were wondering what The Squad thought of yesterday's Mueller action - a week after Trump told them to go back to the crime-infested countries they came from - their tweets leave little room for doubt.

 

[25 July 2019 16:10 · Joe Sommerlad]

In the key swing state of Ohio, Joe Biden in the only Democratic presidential candidate projected to beat Donald Trump in 2020, according to a new Quinnipiac University Poll. The former vice president would defeat Trump by 50 per cent to 42 per cent.

Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg tie Trump at 44 per cent, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders lose by one per cent 45-46, as would Cory Booker 43-44.

“Former vice president Joseph Biden calls himself a blue-collar guy. With Ohio certainly a blue-collar state, it is no surprise he is the Democrat who runs best against President Donald Trump and is solidly ahead in the Democratic primary in the Buckeye State,” said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.

[25 July 2019 16:25 · Joe Sommerlad]

Here's Chris Stevenson for Indy Voices on why the lack of fireworks from Bob Mueller means impeachment is still some way off.

[25 July 2019 16:40 · Joe Sommerlad]

The Trump administration has been busily scrubbing references to climate change from government websites - as Europe swelters under an unprecedented summer heatwave. 

Chris Baynes has this report.

[25 July 2019 16:55 · Joe Sommerlad]

House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff has been speaking to Meghan McCain on The View.

[25 July 2019 17:05 · Joe Sommerlad]

Trump is taking a break from tweeting Fox segments to attend the full honour ceremony for Mark Esper, his new defence secretary.