President orders 'blind unilateral escalation' in Iran after attack halves Saudi oil production, as he defends Kavanaugh amid impeachment calls
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump has been warned he cannot declare war without congressional support following the bombing of Saudi Arabian oil facilities.
The strikes, which destroyed half of the kingdom’s oil production capacity, were claimed by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
On Sunday night Mr Trump said the US was “locked and loaded” and believed it knew who was truly behind the attack.
But Bernie Sanders, who is gunning for the Democratic nomination for president, tweeted: “Mr. Trump, the Constitution of the United States is perfectly clear. Only Congress—not the president—can declare war.
“And Congress will not give you the authority to start another disastrous war in the Middle East just because the brutal Saudi dictatorship told you to.”
It came hours before Mr Trump was due to hold a rally in New Mexico, a state he lost in 2016 but hopes to flip in the 2020 election.
In other news about his possible 2020 opponents, Elizabeth Warren was endorsed by the Working Families Party, an influential progressive group. She'll hold a rally in New York City this evening.
The president also spent some time defending Brett Kavanaugh amid a confusing new set of allegations concerning his behaviour in college, as well as his confirmation process.
As of now, all Democratic frontrunners are following in Ms Warren's lead to call for the Supreme Court Justice's impeachment - except Joe Biden, who simply requests that the matter is looked into.
Mr Trump, meanwhile, maintains that Mr Kavnaugh should sue his accusers.
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Mexico's tiny asylum agency has been overwhelmed by applicants who are abandoning the American dream because of Donald Trump's immigration policies.
But now the agency - COMAR - fears the burden will increase after the US Supreme Court decided to restore a Trump administration policy banning most asylum applications at the US-Mexico border.
It dictates that migrants crossing another country en route to the US must apply for asylum in that country.
COMAR employees are already working up to 15 hours a day.
Additional reporting by Reuters
Mr Trump has said Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh is “the one who is actually being assaulted” amid new allegations of sexual assault.
A new allegation emerged from a former Yale University classmate of the judge, who claims to have seen his genitals pushed into the hands of a female student at a party.
The allegations were reported in an article in the New York Times and there were calls to impeach Mr Kavanaugh.
However, just hours later, the newspaper updated its article to include the significant details that several of the alleged victim’s friends said she did not remember the alleged sexual assault – and that the woman refused to be interviews and would not make a comment on the alleged incident.
There are crises and problems around the world for the Trump administration at the moment, it seems.
From near-war in the Middle East and faltering talks with North Korea, to the latest in Venezuela's fraught peace talks.
The opposition in the Latin American country said on Sunday that dialogue with the regime, which was being mediated by Norway, had ended, six weeks after president Nicolas Maduro's government suspended participation.
The negotiations to resolve the political crisis brought about by Juan Guaido's failed military uprising in April had mostly taken place in Barbados.
Representatives of Mr Maduro, who is accused of human rights abuses and has overseen an economic collapse which has caused millions to flee his country, walked away in August to protest Mr Trump's tightening of sanctions.
Additional reporting by Reuters
The president appears to have implied that Iran could have had something to do with the Saudi oil attacks, accusing the country of telling a "very big lie" about a drone that was shot down.
He tweeted: “Remember when Iran shot down a drone, saying knowingly that it was in their “airspace” when, in fact, it was nowhere close.
"They stuck strongly to that story knowing that it was a very bi lie. Now they say that they had nothing to do with the attack on Saudi Arabia. We’ll see?”
Kim Jong-un invited Donald Trump to visit Pyongyang in a letter sent in August amid stalled denuclearisation talks, according to diplomatic sources, Hyonhee Shin writes…
Mr Trump said on 9 August that he had received a “very beautiful letter” from Mr Kim.
But US officials have not said anything about a second letter sent in the third week of August.
(Getty)
Initial probes show Iranian weapons were likely used in the attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil installations at the weekend, a Saudi military spokesman has said.
Colonel Turki al-Malki also told reporters in Riyadh that the early morning strikes on Saturday were not launched from Yemen, as claimed by Iranian-allied Yemeni rebels who are at war with Saudi Arabia.
He did not elaborate further and said the results of the investigation would be made public to the media once complete.
AP
While Iran’s specialist military forces seize ships, arrest foreign nationals and mount drone attacks, the president is tweeting out vague threats of reprisal. Based on his previous behaviour, it’s unlikely that he really means it, writes Scott Lucas…
Donald Trump’s hometown plans to ban flavoured e-cigarettes after officialls linked a nationwide spate of deadly lung illnesses to vaping, writes Zamira Rahim.
New York’s governor Andrew Cuomo said that the state’s health commissioner Howard Zucker would recommend a formal ban during an emergency meeting of health officials.
Emergency regulations are likely to go into effect immediately.
It comes after the US president said he planned to ban the products during an appearance at the Oval Office last week, claiming companies were getting rich as people died.
(iStock/Getty)
US and Chinese deputy trade negotiators are expected to meet on Friday, with senior negotiators likely to meet about a week and a half later, the US Chamber of Commerce's chief executive has said.
Speaking at a press conference to urge US congressional approval of the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, Tom Donohue said US trade representative Robert Lighthizer “did indicate that there was some movement in the direction of purchasing of (US) agricultural products and other issues”.
Reuters
Could a written constitution save us from the worst instincts of a gangster government, writes James Moore…
As the double-headed monster that is Dominic Cummings/Boris Johnson torches Britain’s unwritten one, the prospect is being raised seriously by serious people.
It’s nice to see we still have a few of them in a Britain whose prime minister compares himself to a bright green Marvel Comics character.
(Getty)
If you want evidence a codified constitution is not a panacea, take a look across the Atlantic, where another ill-mannered demagogue dedicated to trashing convention holds sway
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