Ambassador expected to testify key assurance was from Trump

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. ambassador is expected to tell Congress that his text message reassuring another envoy that there was no quid pro quo in their interactions with Ukraine was based solely on what President Donald Trump told him, according to a person familiar with his coming testimony in the impeachment probe.

Gordon Sondland, Trump’s hand-picked ambassador to the European Union, is among administration officials being subpoenaed to appear on Capitol Hill this week against the wishes of the White House. It’s the latest test between the legislative and executive branches of government, as the impeachment inquiry by House Democrats deepens.

On Monday, the House panels leading the investigation expect to hear from Fiona Hill, a former top National Security Council expert on Russia.

Sondland’s appearance, set for Thursday, comes after a cache of text messages from top envoys provided a vivid account of their work acting as intermediaries around the time Trump urged Ukraine’s new president, Volodymr Zelenskiy, to start investigations into a company linked to the family of a chief Democratic presidential rival, Joe Biden.

One witness who may not be called before Congress is the still anonymous government whistleblower who touched off the impeachment inquiry. Top Democrats say testimony and evidence coming in from other witnesses, and even the president himself, are backing up the whistleblower’s account of what transpired during Trump’s July 25 phone call with Zelenskiy. Lawmakers have grown deeply concerned about protecting the person from Trump’s threats over the matter and may not wish to risk exposing the whistleblower’s identity.

Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said Sunday, “We don’t need the whistleblower, who wasn’t on the call, to tell us what took place during the call. We have the best evidence of that.”

Schiff said it “may not be necessary” to reveal the whistleblower’s identity as the House gathers evidence. “Our primary interest right now is making sure that that person is protected,” he said.

The impeachment inquiry is testing the Constitution’s system of checks and balances as the House presses forward with the probe and the White House dismisses it as “illegitimate” without a formal vote of the House to open impeachment proceedings.

In calling for a vote, the White House is trying to press House Democrats who may be politically reluctant to put their names formally behind impeachment. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has resisted those efforts and is unlikely to budge as Congress returns. Democrats say Congress is well within its power as the legislative branch to conduct oversight of the president and it is Republicans, having grown weary of Trump’s actions, who may be in the greater political bind over a vote.

Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., said Sunday he’d be fine with taking a formal vote, “but it’s not required.”

“Look, my own opinion is that we ought to just take this off the table because it’s such a non-issue, and there’s no doubt in my mind that of course if Nancy Pelosi does that she will have the votes and that will pass,” Himes said.

Sondland’s appearance comes after text messages from top ambassadors described their interactions leading up to Trump’s call and the aftermath.

Sondland is set to tell lawmakers that he did understand the administration was offering Zelenskiy a White House visit in exchange for a public statement committing to investigations Trump wanted, according to the person, who demanded anonymity to discuss remarks not yet given.

But Sondland will say he did not know the company being talked about for an investigation, Burisma, was tied to Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, the person said. Sondland understood the discussions about combating corruption to be part of a much broader and publicized Trump administration push that was widely shared, the person said.

In the text exchange, the diplomats raised alarm that Trump appeared to up the ante, withholding military aid to Ukraine over the investigation.

One seasoned diplomat on the text message, William Taylor, called it “crazy to withhold security assistance” to Ukraine in exchange for “help with a political campaign.”

Sondland responds that the assertion is “incorrect” about Trump’s intentions. “The President has been crystal clear no quid pro quo’s of any kind,” he said in the text message.

The person familiar with Sondland’s testimony said that before Sondland sent that text, he spoke to Trump, who told him there was no quid pro quo. Sondland then repeated that message to Taylor.

Schiff appeared on “Face the Nation” on CBS and Himes spoke on ABC’s “This Week.”

___

Tucker reported from Providence, Rhode Island.

Syrian army moves to confront Turkish forces as US withdraws

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria’s army deployed near the Turkish border on Monday, hours after Syrian Kurdish forces previously allied with the U.S. said they had reached a deal with Damascus to help them fend off Turkey’s invasion.

The announcement of a deal between Syria’s Kurds and its government is a major shift in alliances that came after President Donald Trump ordered all U.S. troops withdrawn from the northern border area amid the rapidly deepening chaos.

The shift sets up a potential clash between Turkey and Syria and raises the specter of a resurgent Islamic State group as the U.S. relinquishes any remaining influence in northern Syria to President Bashar Assad and his chief backer, Russia.

On Monday morning, Syria’s state news agency said that the army had moved into the town of Tal Tamr, which is about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the Turkish border.

SANA said government forces would “confront the Turkish aggression,” without giving further details. Photos posted by SANA showed several vehicles and a small number of troops.

Tal Tamr is a predominantly Assyrian Christian town that was once held by IS before it was retaken by Kurdish-led forces. Many Syrian Christians, who make up about 10 percent of Syria’s pre-war population of 23 million, left for Europe over the past 20 years, with the flight gathering speed since the country’s conflict began in March 2011.

SANA did not say from which area the Syrian army had moved into the town.

Despite widespread criticism from its NATO allies in Europe and the U.S., Turkey has pressed on with its offensive into northern Syria.

Turkish forces appeared set to launch an operation on the town of Manbij farther west on Monday, according to CNN-Turk, which said the forces had reached the city’s edge.

Trump sees ‘consensus’ on imposing new sanctions on Turkey

President Trump on Sunday said there is widespread support in Washington to impose new sanctions against Turkey over its swift incursion into northern Syria.
Specific details about the sanctions were unclear but Trump said on Twitter, "Treasury is ready to go, additional legislation may be sought. There is great consensus on this. Turkey has asked that it not be done. Stay tuned!"
Reuters, citing an unnamed U.S. official, reported that the measures were being “worked out at all levels of the government for rollout.”
Last week, Trump vowed to obliterate Ankara’s economy if Turkey did anything in Syria that he considered "off limits."
Over the past five days, Turkish troops and their allies have pushed their way into northern towns and villages, clashing with the Kurdish fighters over a stretch of 125 miles. The offensive has displaced at least 130,000 people.
On Sunday, at least nine people, including five civilians, were killed in Turkish airstrikes on a convoy in the Syrian border town of Ras al-Ayn, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Syrian Kurdish officials.
The New York Times reported that the troop advancement was so fast, they seized a road that complicated the U.S. troop pullout.
Trump has faced criticism over his decision to give Turkey a green light for the offensive. Critics said the U.S. abandoned its Kurdish allies that were credited for their actions to defeat ISIS. Trump has insisted that he wants to pull U.S. troops  out of endless wars.
Trump was criticized by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., for his initial decision, but was praised Sunday night for working with Congress “to impose crippling sanctions against Turkeys (sic) outrageous aggression/war crimes in Syria.”
The  Associated Press contributed to this report

John Bel Edwards Cartoons

Canada’s Justin Trudeau wears bulletproof vest after security threat: reports

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wore a bulletproof vest onstage Saturday night as he delivered a speech amid heavy security after authorities learned of a security threat, according to reports.
Trudeau, leader of the nation’s Liberal Party, is seeking reelection Oct. 21. He addressed an audience of about 2,000 supporters in Mississauga, Ontario, just outside Toronto, the CBC reported.
Liberal officials would not disclose the nature of the security threat, but the event was delayed for about 90 minutes, according to the Toronto Star. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police also would not comment.
The prime minister’s wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, did not introduce him to the audience, as was originally planned, the CBC reported.
When he finished speaking, Trudeau mingled with some members of the crowd before leaving.
No unusual incidents occurred during Trudeau’s appearance, according to the CBC.
Trudeau’s security detail was more numerous than usual, the CBC reported. Two weeks ago, a protester at a climate change event in Montreal was arrested after approaching Trudeau.
Leaders of the rival Conservative Party and New Democratic Party expressed concern for Trudeau’s safety.
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer wrote on Twitter:

Very upsetting to hear that Justin Trudeau had to wear a bulletproof vest tonight at a campaign event. Threats of violence against political leaders have absolutely no place in our democracy. Thank you to the RCMP for taking these threats seriously and keeping us safe,” he wrote.
New Democratic leader Jagmeet Singh posted the following:
“Any threat made against @JustinTrudeau, or any leader, is troubling to all of us,” he wrote. “No matter how you vote or believe, no one should face threats of violence. To the officers who protect all of us – thank you.”
On Wednesday, Trudeau had an awkward exchange with some schoolchildren, who asked him about a past incident in which he darkened his skin as part of a party costume.
"Why did you paint your face brown?" a girl asked.
"Ooh, it was something I shouldn't have done because it hurt people," he said. "It's not something that you should do and that is something that I learned. I didn't know it back then but I know it now -- and I'm sorry I hurt people."
Trudeau apologized last month for wearing brownface makeup to an "Arabian Nights" party at the private school where he was teaching in 2001, saying, "I should have known better."
Fox News' Sam Dorman contributed to this report.

California ban on new fur products is first in US

It's to late for California.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law Saturday, making the state the first to ban the sale of new fur products.
Los Angeles and San Francisco have already put fur bans in place and last month the governor signed a law banning commercial fur trapping.
Newsom also signed another bill Saturday, banning most animals in circuses. Hawaii and New Jersey have similar bans.
The new bans join other recent California actions against for-profit prisons and immigrant detention centers and small-sized hotel shampoo bottles.
The new fur law, which takes effect in 2023, was lauded by animal rights activists despite fervent opposition from the billion-dollar U.S. fur industry and threats of a lawsuit from the Fur Information Council of America.
"California is a leader when it comes to animal welfare, and today that leadership includes banning the sale of fur," Newsom said in a statement. "But we are doing more than that. We are making a statement to the world that beautiful wild animals like bears and tigers have no place on trapeze wires or jumping through flames."
A spokesperson for the Fur Information Council said in a statement the new law is part of a "radical vegan agenda using fur as the first step to other bans on what we wear and eat.”
Couture designers like Versace, Gucci and Giorgio Armani have either stopped using fur or pledged to in their collections and designers like Stella McCartney use no animal products in their designs.
"The signing of AB 44 underscores the point that today's consumers simply don't want wild animals to suffer extreme pain and fear for the sake of fashion," Kitty Block, CEO and president of the Humane Society, said.
The ban excludes used fur, fur used for religious or tribal purposes, as well as leather, dog and cat fur, cowhides, deer, sheep and goatskin and taxidermy.

Louisiana election heads to runoff with Democrat Edwards to face GOP's Rispone

Louisiana's Democratic governor, John Bel Edwards, will have to face a runoff election in November as he failed to garner at least 50 percent of the votes in Saturday's election.
The result in a six-candidate field, raised questions about whether Edwards will be able to defeat Republican businessman Eddie Rispone on Nov. 16.
President Trump praised the outcome of Saturday's election and took credit for keeping Edwards from a primary victory, saying in a tweet: "The Governor of Louisiana, John Bel Edwards, has done a poor job. NOW HE IS IN A RUNOFF WITH A GREAT REPUBLICAN, (at)EddieRispone. Thank you Louisiana!" He said Edwards' support fell "after I explained what a bad job the Governor was doing."

Under Louisiana’s so-called “jungle primary” system, all the candidates of both parties appear on a single ballot and a runoff is triggered if no candidate achieves a simple majority.
Voters went to the polls one night after Trump held a rally in Lake Charles in a last-ditch attempt to encourage voters to vote for either U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham or Rispone in order to prevent Edwards from hitting the magic number of "50 percent plus one."
Trump was careful not to throw his weight behind either of the Republican challengers running and instead was joined on stage by both Abraham and Rispone at the "Keep America Great Rally."
Abraham, 65, a third-term congressman from rural Richland Parish in northeast Louisiana, touted his background as a doctor. He pledged tax cuts while promising new spending on early childhood education, roads and public safety. He didn't explain how he would balance the budget with less revenue.
Rispone, 70, founder of a Baton Rouge industrial contracting company, is a long-time GOP political donor running for his first elected office. He largely self-financed his campaign, pouring $11 million in the race. He presented himself in the mold of Trump, describing himself as a conservative outsider who would upend the traditional political system of Baton Rouge.
Edwards dealt with a crisis on Saturday morning after a portion of the Hard Rock Hotel under construction in downtown New Orleans collapsed killing one person and injuring dozens more. Rescue efforts were ongoing inside the building as law enforcement officials said two people remained trapped inside even as a 270 feet tall crane remained unstable, requiring possibly larger equipment to stabilize it.
Republicans sought to prove that Edwards' longshot victory in 2015 was a fluke, aided by a flawed GOP opponent, David Vitter, who was hobbled by a prostitution scandal and attacks on his moral character from fellow Republicans in the primary.
Democrats want an Edwards reelection win to show they can compete even in a ruby red state that Trump won by 20 points. Throughout his campaign, Edwards sought to make the election a referendum on his performance rather than a commentary on Louisiana's views on national politics.
Edwards, a West Point graduate and former Army Ranger opposes abortion and gun restrictions, talks of working well with the Trump administration and calls the U.S. House Democrats' impeachment inquiry a distraction to governing in Washington. He signed one of the nation's strictest abortion bans, but also expanded Louisiana's Medicaid program, adding nearly a half-million new people to government-financed health care and lowering the state's uninsured rate below the national average.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

‘Hunter Biden’ a topic CNN, NBC, MSNBC don’t seem to like, law professor says

Want to watch a left-leaning TV journalist quickly change the subject? Just mention Hunter Biden, son of former Vice President Joe Biden.
“For news shows on MSNBC, CNN and other cable networks, nothing is more disgusting than the mention of what Hunter Biden actually was doing in Ukraine,” law professor Jonathan Turley of George Washington University writes in The Hill.
“What is most remarkable about the paucity of coverage of Hunter Biden’s dealings,” he adds, “is the conclusory mantra that, ‘This has all been investigated.’”
Turley, 58, a native of Chicago, cites examples of MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace cutting away from a speech by President Trump when he started to discuss the Bidens; NBC’s  Chuck Todd accusing Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., of trying to “gaslight” viewers by referencing the Bidens while answering a question about Ukraine; and CNN’s Erin Burnett switching to a discussion of President Trump when Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., tries to discuss the Bidens.
Pressure directly from the Biden campaign may be at least partly to blame, Turley writes.
“Indeed, the Biden campaign has been remarkably open in demanding that news organizations stop airing interviews or publishing articles about the allegations,” according to Turley. “Instead of calling it ‘fake news’ (which is virtually copyrighted by Trump), the Biden campaign calls such coverage ‘conspiracy theories.’”

Jonathan Turley, law professor, George Washington University.

One recent example Turley cites was when CNN reported that Biden campaign official Kate Bedingfield wrote to executive editor Dean Baquet of The New York Times, chastising the newspaper for running an article by “Clinton Cash” author Peter Schweizer titled, “What Hunter Biden Did Was Legal – That’s the Problem.”
Turley also points to a Reuters report that said the Biden campaign tried to convince Facebook, Twitter and Google not to run a campaign ad for President Trump.
The professor does not disparage the media for looking into the overseas business deals of the Trump family. But he says “there is no reason why the media cannot pursue allegations against both the Trumps and the Bidens.”
His conclusion: Investigating the Bidens “would counter the narrative that there’s ‘nothing wrong’ with Hunter Biden’s dealings and that it’s all a ‘lie’ that’s best to ignore.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom CARTOONS

U.S. still operating in Syria, readying troops to Saudi Arabia against Iran

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 12:00 PM PST – Friday, October 11, 2019

U.S. military officials are preparing to deploy thousands of troops to Saudi Arabia. During a Friday news conference, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said collected evidence shows Iran was responsible for attacks on Saudi oil facilities. 1,500 additional forces will be deployed to the region, including fighter squadrons and air defense systems.
Iran’s state news agency announced the explosion of an oil tanker off the coast of Saudi Arabia on Friday morning. Two missiles reportedly struck a vessel that belongs to the National Iranian Oil Company.
A video released on the same day reportedly shows U.S. military vehicles near the Syria-Turkey border, marking the first sighting since President Trump ordered the removal of U.S. troops from Syria. American troops fought with Kurdish forces against ISIS until the U.S. declared the terror group was 100 percent defeated. Officials have said the U.S. is still in close contact with Kurdish forces in the region and continues to work against ISIS forces there. Esper said the U.S. has pushed back against a Turkish incursion into the region and wants to reestablish the status quo while working out a safe zone.
Since operations started, more than 340 Kurdish militia fighters have been killed. Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said the country would like to see its NATO allies showing more solidarity in the battle against terrorists. Cavusoglu said it is “not enough” for countries to only express an understanding of these “legitimate concerns.” The minister went on to say Turkey is determined to target terrorists and eliminate terrorism from the region.
“We will do our best to eliminate terrorism from that region,” he said. “If those daesh {dash} terrorists are in the safe zone — which we are in the process of creating — then it is not possible for them to be released.”
NATO has urged Turkey to exercise restraint during its operation in Syria. France, Germany and the EU have all denounced Turkey’s actions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also weighed in on the Syria conflict, expressing concern for the security of detained ISIS combatants. Western and Russian military intelligence have said there could be thousands of militants detained in the region. He said he doesn’t think Turkey will be able to take control quickly enough to properly secure terrorists guarded by Kurdish forces.
“It is a real threat to us all — Where will they head?” asked Putin. “Through Turkey or take another way or deeper into Syria…to other countries of the region.”