Trump news: Congress files tax return lawsuit as president rages against Robert Mueller and insists military leaders 'thrilled' to take part in 4th of July tank display
Another day of controversy and chaos in Washington
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump has hit out at Robert Mueller on Twitter and insisted the US military is “thrilled” to be taking part in his “Salute to America” celebration for the Fourth of July as the House Ways and Means Committee launches a lawsuit to acquire his tax returns.
In an exclusive interview with Tucker Carlson of Fox News broadcast on Monday night, the president criticised homelessness in American cities, spoke of his optimism that his trade war with China would ultimately be won and benefit farmers and accused the social media giants of “possibly illegally” blocking him from gaining new followers before expressing his desire to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan, which he called, “the Harvard of terrorists”.
A delegation of Democratic congressmen and women have meanwhile visited a number of migrant detention centres at the US-Mexico border in Texas, speaking out against the squalid conditions they found there and the behaviour of some Border Patrol agents overseeing the facilities.
Images released Tuesday by US government inspectors who visited facilities in South Texas where migrant adults and children who crossed the nearby border with Mexico are processed and detained showed overcrowding and seemingly unsanitary conditions.
As public outrage grows over the conditions in which thousands of people — some no more than a few months old — are being held by the US government, the report offered new cause for alarm.
It quotes one senior government manager as calling the situation “a ticking time bomb.”
“Specifically, when detainees observed us, they banged on the cell windows, shouted, pressed notes to the window with their time in custody, and gestured to evidence of their time in custody,” the report says.
BuzzFeed first reported on a draft version of the report, which blurs most faces in the photos.
An autopsy report also released Tuesday confirmed that a 2-year-old child who died in April had multiple intestinal and infectious respiratory diseases, including the flu.
Wilmer Josué Ramírez Vásquez is one of five children to die after being detained by border agents since late last year. Two of the other four also had the flu.
Additional reporting by AP. Please allow a moment for our liveblog to load
Democrats in the US House of Representatives have filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump’s administration demanding six years of the president’s tax returns, amid an escalation in the battle for Congress to review the president’s financial records.
The lawsuit was filed by attorneys representing the House Ways and Means Committee. The lawyers cited failures to comply with the committee’s requests for records by the president’s top appointees and administration officials, including US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Charles Rettig, the commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Story to come...
Here's more on the non-answer coming from the White House about why Mike Pence was rerouted from New Hampshire. Officials are now saying "something came up" but that it has nothing to do with the health of either Donald Trump or the VP:
Here's my story on the US House Ways and Means committee suing Donald Trump's administration in an effort to review the president's tax returns:
Senior members of the House Ways and Means committee have celebrated the "long-overdue" lawsuit filed by the committee today demanding Donald Trump's tax returns:
Sue Bird, the girlfriend of renowned American athlete and soccer player Megan Rapinoe has published a stern message for Donald Trump in a story published in the Player’s Tribune titled: “So the President F*cking Hates My Girlfriend” -
Vice President Mike Pence was sent back to the White House on Tuesday after originally being scheduled to attend an event on the nationwide opioid crisis in New Hampshire.
The news of Mr Pence’s abrupt change in plans was initially reported by Fox News, which stated the vice president was returning to Washington due to an “emergency”. Officials declined to publicly cite the reason for the change throughout the day, however.
Marc Short, chief of staff to the vice president, later told reporters there was no emergency and that Mr Pence’s trip to New Hampshire would be rescheduled for a later date.
Story to come...
Looks like White House senior advisor Kellyanne Conway is once again battling with the press during a seemingly tense exchange in Washington today:
Donald Trump has revealed some of the festive plans the White House is planning surrounding 4 July -
Meanwhile in Russia…
Vladimir Putin has reportedly ordered his defence minister to probe a fire that occurred on Tuesday on a submarine, while cancelling the rest of his plans for the day -
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments