Top officials in the White House were aware in early 2019 of classified intelligence indicating Russia was secretly offering bounties to the Taliban for the deaths of Americans, a full year earlier than has been previously reported, according to U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the intelligence. The assessment was...
Senate Rejects Witnesses in Trump Trial, Ensuring Acquittal
WASHINGTON — The Senate rejected the idea of summoning witnesses for President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial late Friday, all but ensuring his acquittal. But senators considered pushing off final voting on his fate to next week. The vote on allowing new witnesses was defeated 51-49 on a near party-line vote....
GOP Squirms as Bolton Prepares to Dish on Trump White House
WASHINGTON — For much of the last 20 years, John Bolton was a conservative poster child, a Republican hawk whose worldview helped shape the GOP establishment’s approach to dicey foreign policy questions. Now, as President Donald Trump's former national security adviser prepares to dish on his days in the White...
Bolton Book Pressures GOP to Allow Senate Witnesses
WASHINGTON — Pressure is increasing on senators to call John Bolton to testify at President Donald Trump's impeachment trial after the revelation that a draft of a book by the former national security adviser undercuts a key defense argument — that Trump never tied withholding military aid to Ukraine to his demand...
Senate Opens to Hear Articles of Impeachment Against Trump
WASHINGTON — The Senate opens its historic proceedings against President Donald Trump on Thursday with a formal reading of the charges by House prosecutors, followed by the arrival at the Capitol of Chief Justice John Roberts, who will swear in all 100 senators as jurors for only the third impeachment...
McConnell: GOP will Start Impeachment Trial, Delay Witnesses
WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday he has secured the Republican votes needed to start President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial and postpone a decision on witnesses or documents that Democrats want. McConnell is expected to launch the trial as soon as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sends the articles of...
Bolton Willing to Testify in Impeachment Trial If Subpoenaed
WASHINGTON — Former White House national security adviser John Bolton said Monday that he is “prepared to testify” if he is subpoenaed by the Senate in its impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, a surprise statement that bolstered Democrats in their push for new witnesses. Bolton, who left the White House in...
Fresno State Professor Emeritus Weaves Swashbuckling Tale of Iran Tanker Conflict
U.S. officials were determined to keep a tanker that they thought was full of Iranian oil from reaching war-torn Syria, putting cash into the hands of Iran's government and fuel into Syria's, and violating European Union sanctions on Syria. What transpired was a story of modern-day attempted piracy, author and...
Will Fresno Council Support DACA? Vote at Next Meeting.
The Fresno City Council will weigh in on an issue of nationwide importance at Thursday's meeting. Councilman Miguel Arias wants his colleagues to support filing a friend of the court brief on behalf of the DACA case at the U.S. Supreme Court. President Donald Trump is trying to end DACA,...
Trump: Strikes on Iran 'Cocked and Loaded,' Then Called Off
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Friday the U.S. was "cocked and loaded" to retaliate against Iran for downing an unmanned American surveillance drone, but he canceled the strikes 10 minutes before they were to be launched after being told 150 people could die. Trump's tweeted statement raised several questions, including...