DHS suspends Global Entry, Trusted Traveler Programs for New York residents in response to sanctuary law

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf exclusively told Fox News' "Tucker Carlson Tonight" Wednesday that DHS was immediately suspending enrollment in Global Entry and several other Trusted Traveler Programs (TTP) for all New York state residents -- a dramatic move in response to the liberal state's recently enacted sanctuary "Green Light Law."
The sweeping order came a day after President Trump, in his State of the Union address, condemned left-wing states and local governments that "release dangerous criminal aliens to prey upon the public," and called on Congress to pass a law establishing civil liability for sanctuary cities.
In a letter to top New York state officials obtained exclusively by Fox News, Wolf noted that the New York law prohibited state DMVs from sharing criminal records with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
READ THE DHS LETTER SUSPENDING GLOBAL ENTRY, OTHER TTPs FOR NEW YORK 
"In New York alone, last year ICE arrested 149 child predators, identified or rescued 105 victims of exploitation and human trafficking, arrested 230 gang members, and seized 6,487 pounds of illegal narcotics, including fentanyl and opioids," Wolf wrote. "In the vast majority of these cases, ICE relied on New York DMV records to fulfill its mission."
Illegal immigrants rushed to New York DMVs in large numbers after the law, which allowed them to obtain driver's licenses or learner's permits regardless of their immigration status, took effect last December. The law also permitted applicants to use foreign documents, including passports, to be submitted in order to obtain licenses.
The law, Wolf went on, "compromises CBP's ability to confirm whether an individual applying for TTP membership meets program eligibility requirements."
TRUMP, IN STATE OF THE UNION, TOUTS ICE AND SLAMS SANCTUARY CITIES
Because TTPs rely on states to verify individuals' identities, New York residents "will no longer be eligible to enroll or re-enroll" in select TTPs -- including Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, and FAST.
Wolf noted that TTP "permits expedited processing into the U.S. from international destinations (under Global Entry); Canada only (under NEXUS); and Canada and Mexico only (under SENTRI)." Additionally, TTP allows quicker processing for commercial truck drivers entering or leaving the U.S. (under FAST).
TSA PreCheck was not among the TTPs affected by the order, a DHS official confirmed to Fox News.
Wolf further warned that because the New York law "hinders DHS from validating documents used to establish vehicle ownership, the exporting of used vehicles titled and registered in New York will be significantly delayed and could also be costlier."
He said DHS' assessment was ongoing and future enforcement action remained possible.
Responding to the news late Wednesday, Rich Azzopardi, a senior aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, told CNN: "This is obviously political retaliation by the federal government and we're going to review our legal options."
During his State of the Union address, Trump explicitly called out New York's sanctuary policies.
"Just 29 days ago, a criminal alien freed by the Sanctuary City of New York was charged with the brutal rape and murder of a 92-year-old woman," Trump said. "The killer had been previously arrested for assault, but under New York's sanctuary policies, he was set free. If the city had honored ICE's detainer request, his victim would be alive today."
Fox News' "Tucker Carlson Tonight" investigative producer Alex Pfeiffer contributed to this report.

Warren says male candidates 'wrong' if they think they have a better chance of beating Trump

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said Wednesday that the men running for president would be mistaken to think they have better chances of beating President Trump based on their gender.
“I believe that they think so, but they’d be wrong," she laughed in answer to a female voter who asked the question during a CNN town hall. Warren went on to say the world changed after Trump’s election because women took to the streets in the Women’s March.
"Understand this," Warren added, "Democrats took back the House of Representatives in 2018...because of women candidates and women and friends of women who were energized by those candidates."
She also claimed data shows that women outperform men in competitive elections.
WARREN SAYS SANDERS 'DISAGREED' WITH HER BELIEF A WOMAN COULD WIN THE WHITE HOUSE RACE
When voters pick a candidate, Warren said, it has to be someone they trust, not just a candidate “who looks like what presidents looked like in the past.”
She pointed to the barriers broken by JFK’s election as the first Catholic president in 1960 and former President Obama's win in 2008.
“In 2020 we can and should have a woman for president," she said to cheers.
Warren clashed with Sen. Bernie Sanders at the last Democratic presidential debate in Des Moines, Iowa, when she claimed he told her in 2018 that he didn't think a woman could win the presidency. Sanders called her accusation was "ludicrous."
With Iowa’s results nearly in, Warren appears to have placed in third behind South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sanders and slightly ahead of former Vice President Joe Biden.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton became the first female major-party nominee in 2016 before falling short to Trump in the election.

Senate acquits Trump on abuse of power, obstruction of Congress charges

The Senate overwhelmingly acquitted President Trump on both articles of impeachment against him Wednesday afternoon following a brief trial, in a historic rejection of Democrats' claims that the president's Ukraine dealings and handling of congressional subpoenas merited his immediate removal from office.
Several Congressional Democrats, speaking to Fox News, were dejected on Capitol Hill late Wednesday, even as they said they hoped to weaponize the acquittal votes by several moderate Republicans in swing states.
"We all knew how this was going,” one senior House Democratic source told Fox News. “But everyone’s depressed. Especially because of Iowa," where the first-in-the-nation caucuses have been plagued by mismanagement.
Another Democratic source also said that impeachment “went as well as it could go.” There was significant consternation among House Democrats about heading down the impeachment road at all over the summer, Fox News is told, but Democratic leaders felt they had to get in front of the impeachment movement and embrace it – or they may have been steamrolled by the progressive wing of the party.
GALLUP POLL SHOWS TRUMP, GOP APPROVAL AT HIGHEST RECORDED LEVELS AMID IMPEACHMENT
In the final vote, all Democratic senators supported convicting the president of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, including swing-vote moderate Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., and Doug Jones, D-Ala.
The only party defection was on the abuse of power charge from Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, who declared hours before the final vote that Trump had engaged in as "destructive an attack on the oath of office and our Constitution as I can imagine." Romney voted not guilty on the obstruction charge.
By a final vote of 52-48 against conviction on the abuse of power charge and 53-47 against conviction on the obstruction charge, the Senate fell far short of the two-thirds, 67-vote supermajority needed to convict and remove the president. Swing-vote Republican senators -- including Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee -- voted to acquit on both counts.
The separate obstruction of Congress charge concerned the White House's assertion of executive privilege and refusal to comply with congressional subpoenas. Romney explained he would acquit on the obstruction count, saying House Democrats had chosen not to respond to the White House's legal arguments against the subpoenas.
After Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts formally declared Trump acquitted, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., presented him with the "Golden Gavel" award as a thank-you for his service. Former Chief Justice of the United States William Rehnquist received the same award, which is usually presented to freshmen senators after long hours presiding over the body, for his handling of President Bill Clinton's 1999 impeachment trial.
FOX NEWS EXCLUSIVE: ROMNEY EXPLAINS HIS VOTE
"I look forward to seeing you all again under happier circumstances," Roberts said as he concluded his remarks and prepared to depart the chamber.
Speaking to reporters after the vote, McConnell noted that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., had resisted calls for impeachment from the party's progressive wing before finally caving -- and said she should have trusted her "instincts."
"I'm pretty sure she didn't want to do this," McConnell said, referring to Pelosi's lengthy reluctance to initiate impeachment proceedings. Trump, speaking to Fox News ahead of the Super Bowl, made a similar argument, saying the "radical" wing of the Democratic Party had pushed her into making a grave mistake and realizing her "worst nightmare."

"This has been a colossal political mistake."
— Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

McConnell also said he was "perplexed" by Democrats' arguments that the evidence against Trump was overwhelming and obvious, but at the same time, more witnesses and evidence were desperately needed.
TRUMP IMPEACHMENT VERDICT: HOW THE SENATORS VOTED
He called the proceedings a "thoroughly political exercise," and added that ironically, Pelosi was right "in the beginning" when she didn't want to go down this path.
"This was a political loser for them," McConnell said. "At least in the short-term, this has been a colossal political mistake."
A Gallup poll released this week showed record-high approval numbers for Trump and the Republican Party in general, suggesting the impeachment proceedings may have backfired politically for Democrats. The Republican Party's approval numbers were at their highest since 2005, and Trump's were the highest of his presidency.
Reaction from other Republicans was ebullient. Trump, on Twitter, reposted a mock Time magazine cover implying he would never leave office.
Trump added: "I will be making a public statement tomorrow at 12:00pm from the @WhiteHouse to discuss our Country’s VICTORY on the Impeachment Hoax!"
After his acquittal by the Senate in 1999, Clinton came out of the White House alone and apologized for his conduct which led to his impeachment -- a scene not expected this time around.
Later in the evening, Trump wrote, "Had failed presidential candidate @MittRomney devoted the same energy and anger to defeating a faltering Barack Obama as he sanctimoniously does to me, he could have won the election. Read the Transcripts!"
The White House asserted that the "sham impeachment attempt concocted by Democrats ended in the full vindication and exoneration of President Donald J. Trump," and slammed Romney as "one failed Republican presidential candidate."
"In what has now become a consistent tradition for Democrats, this was yet another witch-hunt that deprived the President of his due process rights and was based on a series of lies," the White House said. "Rep. Adam Schiff lied to Congress and the American people with a totally made up statement about the President’s phone call.  Will there be no retribution?"
The White House continued:  "Speaker Nancy Pelosi also lied to the American people about the need to swiftly pass impeachment articles they dreamt up, only to sit on them for a month before sending over to the Senate.  In the Senate, the Democrats continued to make their political motivations clear – Rep. Schiff proclaimed the issues 'cannot be decided at the ballot box' – proving once again they think they know better than the voters of this country.  This entire effort by the Democrats was aimed at overturning the results of the 2016 election and interfering with the 2020 election."
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a close Trump ally, celebrated the end of the "partisan-driven impeachment" that has "done injury to the office of the presidency and was an injustice to President Trump."
“As I said after the Clinton impeachment trial, the Senate has spoken and the cloud over the presidency has been removed.  I meant it then and mean it now," Graham said in a statement. “Unfortunately, I doubt my Democratic colleagues, who are being driven by unlimited hatred of President Trump, have the ability to move on. The president was acquitted today by the Senate and will be exonerated by the American people in November when he is reelected to a second term."
And, National Republican Congressional Committee chairman Tom Emmer quickly issued his own statement saying he was "pleased" by the result.
“This should finally slam the door on the sick obsession these socialist Democrats have with harassing President Trump and his family," Emmer said. “Nancy Pelosi needs to learn some self-control by suppressing her hatred of President Trump so she can finally start getting things done for the American people.”
Former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, meanwhile, told Fox News he was “disappointed” in Romney's vote against the president. Lott, served in the Senate during Clinton's impeachment trial, said he had “showed up in case they needed a reserve vote.”
"Was this jealousy? " Lott asked, concerning Romney's vote. "He tried to lead the party. Now he can’t even be a part of the party."
TRUMP TAKES ON 'RADICAL' DEMS IN DRAMATIC STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS; FURIOUS PELOSI RIPS UP SPEECH
Murkowski, however, said she respected Romney's decision and that he belonged in the GOP. “I think each of us had to come to our own place and I respect his decision," she said. "I respect the difficulties that I know he went through as he processed it, but I absolutely respect where he ended up.”
Sen. Chris Murphy , D-Conn., told Fox News that "Romney’s speech will go down as one of the most important in the Senate. There’s still honor in this place."
While the final result had been expected for months, the process brought a series of surprises and heightened animosity to Washington -- exemplified dramatically during Tuesday night's State of the Union address, in which Pelosi furiously ripped up the president's speech upon its conclusion.
Ahead of the vote, Republican and Democratic leaders referenced those tensions as they addressed the Senate. McConnell warned of "truly dangerous" Democratic partisans, saying they insist on taking down institutions that do not produce the outcomes they desire.
"This partisan impeachment will end today," McConnell said. "But, I fear the threat to our institutions may not. Normally, when a party loses an election, it accepts defeat. ... But not this time."
Instead, McConnell went on, top Democrats -- including Hillary Clinton and Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. -- have already preemptively challenged the validity of the 2020 presidential election, and blamed their loss on unsubstantiated claims that the president's campaign colluded with Russians.
Perhaps, McConnell mused, Pelosi would "tear up" the Senate acquittal like she tore up the State of the Union address the night before.
Minutes earlier, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., slammed the Senate trial as a "kangaroo court" and a "sham."
Pelosi formally announced the beginning of impeachment proceedings last September, although freshmen and high-ranking Democrats, commentators, and even the Ukraine whistleblower's attorney had urgently called for the president's removal for far longer.
The House of Representatives then voted to impeach the president by majority vote last December, with no Republicans supporting impeachment and several Democrats opposing it. After a weekslong delay, the House transmitted the articles of impeachment to the GOP-controlled Senate.
There have been 20 impeachments in U.S. history, mostly involving federal judges, and eight removals. No president has ever been convicted and removed by the Senate.
As the dust settled on Capitol Hill, the Senate quickly returned to normal business -- approving several of the president's judicial nominees, and undertaking new oversight.
Minutes after the vote, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., announced in a letter they are seeking "records of Hunter Biden’s travel while he was under U.S. Secret Service protection as they continue to investigate potential conflicts of interest to boost his business ventures in Ukraine and China."
The request underscored the continuing importance of a matter at the heart of the impeachment proceedings -- whether Hunter Biden, who obtained a lucrative role on the board of a Ukrainian company with no relevant experience while his father oversaw Ukraine policy as vice president, deserved the scrutiny Trump suggested in his fateful July 25 call with Ukraine's new president.
Fox News' Chad Pergram, Marisa Schultz, and Jason Donner contributed to this report.

Senate acquits Trump on abuse of power, obstruction of Congress charges

The Senate overwhelmingly acquitted President Trump on both articles of impeachment against him Wednesday afternoon following a brief trial, in a historic rejection of Democrats' claims that the president's Ukraine dealings and handling of congressional subpoenas merited his immediate removal from office.
All Democratic senators supported convicting the president of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, including swing-vote moderate Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., and Doug Jones, D-Ala.
The only party defection was on the abuse of power charge from Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, who declared hours before the final vote that Trump had engaged in as "destructive an attack on the oath of office and our Constitution as I can imagine." Romney voted not guilty on the obstruction charge.
By a final vote of 52-48 against conviction on the abuse of power charge and 53-47 on the obstruction charge, the Senate fell far short of the two-thirds majority needed to convict and remove the president. Swing-vote Republican senators -- including Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee -- voted to acquit on both counts.
TRUMP IMPEACHMENT VERDICT: HOW THE SENATORS VOTED
The separate obstruction of Congress charge concerned the White House's assertion of executive privilege and refusal to comply with congressional subpoenas. Romney explained he would acquit on the obstruction count, saying House Democrats had chosen not to respond to the White House's legal arguments against the subpoenas.
After Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts formally declared Trump acquitted, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., presented him with the "Golden Gavel" award as a thank-you for his service. Former Chief Justice of the United States William Rehnquist received the same award, which is usually presented to freshmen senators after long hours presiding over the body, for his handling of President Bill Clinton's 1999 impeachment trial.
"I look forward to seeing you all again under happier circumstances," Roberts said as he concluded his remarks and prepared to depart the chamber.
FOX NEWS EXCLUSIVE: ROMNEY EXPLAINS HIS VOTE
Speaking to reporters after the vote, McConnell noted that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., had resisted calls for impeachment from the party's progressive wing before finally caving -- and said she should have trusted her "instincts."

"This has been a colossal political mistake."
— Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

"I'm pretty sure she didn't want to do this," McConnell said, referring to Pelosi's lengthy reluctance to initiate impeachment proceedings. Trump, speaking to Fox News ahead of the Super Bowl, made a similar argument, saying the "radical" wing of the Democratic Party had pushed her into making a grave mistake and realizing her "worst nightmare."
TRUMP TAKES ON 'RADICAL' DEMS IN DRAMATIC STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS; FURIOUS PELOSI RIPS UP SPEECH
McConnell also said he was "perplexed" by Democrats' arguments that the evidence against Trump was overwhelming and obvious, but at the same time, more witnesses and evidence were desperately needed.
He called the proceedings a "thoroughly political exercise," and added that ironically, Pelosi was right "in the beginning" when she didn't want to go down this path.
"This was a political loser for them," McConnell said. "At least in the short-term, this has been a colossal political mistake."
A Gallup poll released this week showed record-high approval numbers for Trump and the Republican Party in general, suggesting the impeachment proceedings may have backfired politically for Democrats.
Former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, meanwhile, told Fox News he was “disappointed” in Romney's vote against the president. Lott, served in the Senate during Clinton's impeachment trial, said he had “showed up in case they needed a reserve vote.”
"Was this jealousy? " Lott asked, concerning Romney's vote. "He tried to lead the party. Now he can’t even be a part of the party."
GALLUP POLL SHOWS TRUMP, GOP SUPPORT AT HIGHEST RECORDED LEVELS
Murkowski, however, said she respected Romney's decision and that he belonged in the GOP. “I think each of us had to come to our own place and I respect his decision," she said. "I respect the difficulties that I know he went through as he processed it, but I absolutely respect where he ended up.”
Reaction from other Republicans was ebullient. Trump, on Twitter, reposted a mock Time Magazine cover implying he would never leave office.
Trump added: "I will be making a public statement tomorrow at 12:00pm from the @WhiteHouse to discuss our Country’s VICTORY on the Impeachment Hoax!"
After his acquittal by the Senate in 1999, Clinton came out of the White House alone and apologized for his conduct which led to his impeachment -- a scene not expected this time around.
National Republican Congressional Committee chairman Tom Emmer quickly issued a statement saying he was "pleased" by the result.
“This should finally slam the door on the sick obsession these socialist Democrats have with harassing President Trump and his family," Emmer said. “Nancy Pelosi needs to learn some self-control by suppressing her hatred of President Trump so she can finally start getting things done for the American people.”
While the result has been expected for months, the process brought a series of surprises and heightened animosity to Washington -- exemplified dramatically during Tuesday night's State of the Union address, in which Pelosi furiously ripped up the president's speech upon its conclusion.
Also ahead of the vote, Republican and Democratic leaders addressed the Senate. McConnell warned of "truly dangerous" Democratic partisans, saying they insist on taking down institutions that do not produce the outcomes they desire.
"This partisan impeachment will end today," McConnell said. "But, I fear the threat to our institutions may not. Normally, when a party loses an election, it accepts defeat. ... But not this time."
Instead, McConnell went on, top Democrats -- including Hillary Clinton and Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. -- have already preemptively challenged the validity of the 2020 presidential election, and blamed their loss on unsubstantiated claims that the president's campaign colluded with Russians.
Perhaps, McConnell mused, Pelosi would "tear up" the Senate acquittal like she tore up the State of the Union address the night before.
Minutes earlier, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., slammed the Senate trial as a "kangaroo court" and a "sham."
Pelosi formally announced the beginning of impeachment proceedings last September, although freshmen and high-ranking Democrats, commentators, and even the Ukraine whistleblower's attorney had urgently called for the president's removal for far longer.
The House of Representatives then voted to impeach the president by majority vote last December, with no Republicans supporting impeachment and several Democrats opposing it. After a weekslong delay, the House transmitted the articles of impeachment to the GOP-controlled Senate.
Fox News' Chad Pergram and Jason Donner contributed to this report.

Angry Nancy Pelosi Cartoons

Trump impeachment acquittal on track ahead of Senate vote

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is on the verge of acquittal by the Senate, an end to only the third presidential impeachment trial in American history but coming at the start of a tumultuous campaign for the White House.

A majority of senators have now expressed unease with Trump’s pressure campaign on Ukraine that resulted in the two articles of impeachment. But there’s nowhere near the two-thirds support necessary in Republican-held Senate for the Constitution’s bar of high crimes and misdemeanors to convict and remove the president from office.

The outcome expected Wednesday caps nearly five months of remarkable impeachment proceedings launched in Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s House, ending in Mitch McConnell’s Senate and reflective of the nation’s unrelenting partisan divide three years into the Trump presidency.

No president has ever been removed by the Senate, and Trump arrived at the Capitol for his State of the Union address on the eve of the vote eager to use the tally as vindication, a political anthem in his reelection bid. Allies chanted “four more years!”

The president did not mention impeachment, nor did he have to. The mood was tense in the House that impeached him. Pelosi tore up the speech when he was done.

The Wednesday afternoon vote is expected to be swift. With Chief Justice John Roberts presiding, senators sworn to do “impartial justice” will stand at their desk for the roll call and state their votes — “guilty” or “not guilty.”

On the first article of impeachment, Trump is charged with abuse of power. On the second, obstruction of Congress.

Few senators are expected to stray from party camps, all but ensuring the highly partisan impeachment yields deeply partisan acquittal. Both Bill Clinton in the 1999 and Andrew Johnson in 1868 drew cross-party support when they were left in office after an impeachment trial. President Richard Nixon resigned rather than face revolt from his own party.

Ahead of voting, some of the most closely watched senators took to the Senate floor to tell their constituents, and the nation, what they had decided. The Senate chaplain has been opening the trial proceedings with daily prayers for the senators.

“This decision is not about whether you like or dislike this president,” began GOP Sen. Susan Collins, the Maine centrist, announcing her resolve to acquit on both charges.

GOP Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio said that while he doesn’t condone Trump’s actions, he was not prepared to remove him from the ballot nine months before the election. “Let the people decide,” he said.

Centrist Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia has floated the idea of censuring Trump instead, a signal of a possible vote to acquit. Democratic Sen. Doug Jones, a former federal prosecutor seeking reelection in strongly pro-Trump Alabama, told reporters he’s likely to announce his vote Wednesday morning.

Most Democrats, though, echoed the House managers’ warnings that Trump, if left unchecked, would continue to abuse the power of his office for personal political gain and try to “cheat” again ahead of the the 2020 election.

During the nearly three-week trial, House Democrats prosecuting the case argued that Trump abused power like no other president in history when he pressured Ukraine to investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden ahead of the 2020 election.

They detailed an extraordinary shadow diplomacy run by Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani that set off alarms at the highest levels of government. Trump, after asking Ukraine’s president for “a favor″ in a July 25 phone call, temporarily halted U.S. aid to the struggling ally battling hostile Russia at its border.

When the House probed Trump’s actions, he instructed White House aides to defy congressional subpoenas, leading to the obstruction charge.

Questions from the Ukraine matter continue to swirl. House Democrats may yet summon former national security adviser John Bolton to testify about revelations from his forthcoming book that offer a fresh account of Trump’s actions. Other eyewitnesses and documents are almost sure to surface.

In closing arguments for the trial the lead prosecutor, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., appealed to senators’ sense of decency, that “right matters” and “truth matters”′ and that Trump “is not who you are.″

“You can’t trust this president to do the right thing, not for one minute, not for one election, not for the sake our country,” Schiff intoned. “He will not change. And you know it.”

Pelosi was initially reluctant to launch impeachment proceedings against Trump when she took control of the House after the 2018 election, dismissively telling more liberal voices that “he’s not worth it.″

Trump and his GOP allies in Congress argue that Democrats have been trying to undercut him from the start. Trump calls both special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election and the impeachment probe a “hoax” and says he did nothing wrong.

But a whistleblower complaint of his conversation with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy set off alarms. When Trump told Pelosi in September that the call was perfect, she was stunned. “Perfectly wrong,” she said. Days later, the speaker announced the formal impeachment inquiry.

The result is a 28,000-page record from the House, based on testimony from 17 witnesses, including national security officials and ambassadors, in public and private depositions and House hearings.

The result was the quickest, most partisan impeachment in U.S. history, with no Republicans joining the House Democrats to vote for the charges. The Republican Senate kept up the pace with the fastest trial ever, and the first with no witnesses or deliberations.

Trump’s celebrity legal team with attorney Alan Dershowitz made the sweeping, if stunning, assertion that even if the president engaged in the quid pro quo as described, it is not impeachable, because politicians often view their own political interest with the national interest.

McConnell commands a 53-47 Republican majority and braced against dissent. Some GOP senators distanced themselves from Trump’s defense, and other Republicans brushed back calls from conservatives to disclose the name of the anonymous whistleblower. The Associated Press typically does not reveal the identity of whistleblowers.

Trump’s approval rating, which has generally languished in the mid- to low-40s, hit a new high of 49% in the latest Gallup polling, which was conducted as the Senate trial was drawing to a close. The poll found that 51% of the public views the Republican Party favorably, the first time the GOP’s number has exceeded 50% since 2005.

___

Associated Press writers Eric Tucker, Laurie Kellman, Matthew Daly, Alan Fram, Andrew Taylor and Padmananda Rama contributed to this report.

Trump touts a comeback as Democrats hobbled by Iowa debacle

Four hours before President Trump’s State of the Union, Iowa Democrats finally managed to cough up partial results for the caucuses that have been the epicenter of a year-long battle.
They showed a big night for Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders, but with an elephant-in-the-room caveat: only 62 percent of the votes had been counted. And the flurry of numbers was confusing because of the endlessly complicated rules, confounding even veteran analysts such as MSNBC’s Steve Kornacki.
It was against this chaotic backdrop that the president delivered his televised speech to Congress, touting a “great American comeback.” Oh, and today he gets acquitted by the Senate after an arduous impeachment trial that changed very few minds.
It’s been a very good stretch for Trump. He’s even gotten an impeachment bump, with a new Gallup poll putting his approval at 49 percent approval. That is astronomical for him, a result powered mainly by record-breaking support on the economy. The decision by Nancy Pelosi’s Democrats to press ahead with impeachment not only totally overshadowed the Iowa contest, it probably strengthened the loyalty of those who believe the president’s insistence that the whole thing was a hoax.
In that sense, rising approval for Trump mirrors what happened with Bill Clinton, who hit a high in popularity after the Senate acquitted him in 1999 on what was also largely a party-line impeachment.
Iowa is an unbelievable fiasco that hurts the party, probably spells the death knell for the ridiculously complicated caucuses, and robbed the winners of their moment in the TV spotlight. Buttigieg, an obscure small-town mayor a year ago--not to mention the first major White House contender who is gay--could have given an inspiring speech rather than prematurely predicting victory. Sanders, who lost Iowa last time by three-tenths of a percent, could have softened his image by reaching out to those who aren’t democratic socialists.
Instead, they were all campaigning in New Hampshire, with Iowa already in the rear-view mirror.
The only candidate who may have dodged a bullet is Joe Biden, whose anemic finish--fourth place in many of the partial tabulations--reflects his failure to generate much excitement. Trump may have been most worried about Biden’s candidacy--hence the Ukraine pressure campaign that led to impeachment--but that matchup may never happen.
Still, it’s ridiculous for the pundits to be burying Biden after partial results in one predominantly white state, with more diverse contests such as South Carolina coming up.
As for the president, who barred CNN from the traditional lunch with anchors on SOTU day, he may have wanted impeachment officially over before last night’s speech, but it hardly matters. Even with a few Republicans such as Lisa Murkowski (technically an independent) saying his actions were shameful, his Senate acquittal is just hours away, the inevitable outcome that drained the entire proceedings of much suspense.
With some Democrats, including AOC and Ayanna Pressley, boycotting the speech, Trump said “the future is blazing bright” and “the years of economic decay are over.” (For the record, Trump inherited a pretty strong economy from Barack Obama.)
In classic fashion for an election-year address, the president said he had transformed the country and that even better things lie ahead:
“Our country is the best it’s ever been...Our pride is restored...The unemployment rate is the lowest in over half a century...This is a blue-collar boom,” he said with a nod toward the Rust Belt workers he needs in November.
Some of Trump’s comments would obviously be challenged by Democrats, who mostly sat on their hands: “We are building the world’s most prosperous and inclusive society.” But he was able to tout one bipartisan achievement, the new Canada-Mexico trade deal that replaced NAFTA.
In a not-very-subtle jab at Sanders, Trump said: “We will never let socialism destroy American health care.”
He called for rebuilding infrastructure, as he has in previous speeches without ever backing a specific bill. He promoted his Middle East peace plan, which has already been rejected by the Palestinians.
The president dwelled on illegal immigration and touched on religious liberty, gun rights and late-term abortion, but hot-button cultural issues were not the speech’s focus. One emotional high point was the shout-out to Rush Limbaugh, battling advanced lung cancer, as Melania Trump hung the presidential medal of freedom around the radio host's neck.
The president’s delivery was straightforward and rather low-key, at least by his standards. He made no reference to the fact that the House had impeached him in that very chamber. Nor did he issue the usual call for bipartisan cooperation.
The speech was, in short, a self-proclaimed victory lap for a president who beat impeachment. Whether he’ll be taking a victory lap in November depends on who among the Democrats rises from the Iowa debacle to take him on.

Trump takes on ‘radical left’ in defiant and dramatic State of the Union address; Pelosi rips up speech

President Trump delivers his third State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, praising the economic success of his administration, highlighting efforts to reform the criminal justice system, secure the nation's borders, improve Americans' health care and fight radical Islamic terrorism.

President Trump went on the offensive against socialism and left-wing policies during a defiant third State of the Union address to Congress Tuesday night -- drawing groans from Democrats in attendance and prompting a furious House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to rip up her copy of Trump's speech as soon as it concluded in a remarkable scene.
Asked about the moment by Fox News afterward, Pelosi said she had destroyed the speech “because it was the courteous thing to do considering the alternatives.” She also said she was "trying to find one page with truth on it" but "couldn't."
The White House responded almost immediately by referencing several of the guests of honor whom Trump had introduced during the State of the Union address.
"Speaker Pelosi just ripped up: One of our last surviving Tuskegee Airmen. The survival of a child born at 21 weeks. The mourning families of Rocky Jones and Kayla Mueller. A service member's reunion with his family," the White House said in a tweet. "That's her legacy."
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., told Fox News that Trump's speech was "rough" in parts. Responding to Pelosi ripping up the speech, he added, "None of that’s good."
And, speaking to Fox News' "Hannity," Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called Pelosi's actions "disgraceful" and "disgusting," saying they made him "angry."
Some commentators accused Pelosi of hypocrisy, noting that back in 2009, she had called on a Republican congressman to apologize or face formal censure for shouting during President Obama's State of the Union address, "You lie!"
In an apparent attempt at reconciliation, Pelosi tweeted late Tuesday that Democrats "will never stop extending the hand of friendship to get the job done #ForThePeople." Pelosi also released a statement saying Trump did not issue a positive message on health care, and calling his speech a "manifesto of mistruths."
The flareup was a harsh reminder of the partisan discord pervading the halls of Congress, even as Trump in his speech all but ignored the historic impeachment drama that flanked this year's address -- a fight virtually certain to end with Trump's overwhelming acquittal on Wednesday. Trump opted in his remarks to publicly challenge Democrats on policy grounds while touting what he called the "blue-collar boom" in the country.
The tensions over impeachment appeared to surface early on, however, as Pelosi refused to introduce Trump by saying it was her "distinct honor" and "high privilege" to do so, as is tradition. Instead, she simply introduced him as the President of the United States.
Then, Trump seemingly snubbed a handshake offer from Pelosi, while Republican lawmakers chanted, "Four more years!" But, the president did not shake Vice President Mike Pence's hand, either, and it appeared he may simply not have noticed Pelosi reaching out her hand.
The night was full of other dramatic, made-for-TV moments: Trump introduced a warfighter back from his fourth Afghanistan deployment to his shocked wife (which was not included in prepared remarks of the speech delivered in advance to reporters); awarded radio host Rush Limbaugh the Presidential Medal of Freedom on the spot; issued an academic scholarship to a needy family; and introduced a surviving member of the Tuskegee Airmen.
And he began to shape what could be part of his re-election campaign message.
"As we work to improve Americans' health care, there are those who want to take away your health care, take away your doctor, and abolish private insurance entirely," Trump said. "One hundred thirty-two lawmakers in this room have endorsed legislation to impose a socialist takeover of our healthcare system, wiping out the private health insurance plans of 180 million Americans. To those watching at home tonight, I want you to know: We will never let socialism destroy American health care."
He added: "Over 130 legislators in this chamber have endorsed legislation that would bankrupt our Nation by providing free taxpayer-funded healthcare to millions of illegal aliens, forcing taxpayers to subsidize free care for anyone in the world who unlawfully crosses our borders. These proposals would raid the Medicare benefits our seniors depend on, while acting as a powerful lure for illegal immigration."
Pelosi appeared to mouth "not true" as Trump said Democrats would pay illegal immigrants' health care -- although virtually all Democratic presidential contenders indicated they would support such a measure during a recent debate.
"This is what is happening in California and other States -- their systems are totally out of control, costing taxpayers vast and unaffordable amounts of money," Trump continued. "If forcing American taxpayers to provide unlimited free healthcare to illegal aliens sounds fair to you, then stand with the radical left.  But if you believe that we should defend American patients and American seniors, then stand with me and pass legislation to prohibit free Government healthcare for illegal aliens!"
The address comes one day before the Senate is slated to deliver its verdict in the impeachment trial that has divided the nation. Trump is widely expected to win acquittal. But he did not mention those proceedings directly in his speech.
Drawing some audible murmurs of disapproval from Democrats in the chamber, Trump repeatedly took aim at the Obama administration's economic and foreign policies.

"Socialism destroys nations.  But always remember, freedom unifies the soul."
— President Trump

"If we had not reversed the failed economic policies of the previous administration, the world would not now be witness to America's great economic success," Trump said. "Under the last administration, more than 10 million people were added to the food stamp rolls.  Under my administration, 7 million Americans have come off of food stamps, and 10 million people have been lifted off of welfare."
As he did during the 2019 State of the Union, Trump again directly condemned socialism -- and introduced a high-profile guest from embattled Venezuela.
"Joining us in the gallery is the true and legitimate President of Venezuela, Juan Guaidó," Trump said. "Mr. President, please take this message back to your homeland.  All Americans are united with the Venezuelan people in their righteous struggle for freedom! Socialism destroys nations.  But always remember, freedom unifies the soul."
Drawing more audible complaints from Democrats, Trump further hammered "sanctuary city" policies that shield illegal immigrants from federal immigration authorities.
"Tragically, there are many cities in America where radical politicians have chosen to provide sanctuary for these criminal illegal aliens," Trump said.  "In Sanctuary Cities, local officials order police to release dangerous criminal aliens to prey upon the public, instead of handing them over to ICE to be safely removed. Just 29 days ago, a criminal alien freed by the Sanctuary City of New York was charged with the brutal rape and murder of a 92-year-old woman.  The killer had been previously arrested for assault, but under New York's sanctuary policies, he was set free. If the city had honored ICE's detainer request, his victim would be alive today. The State of California passed an outrageous law declaring their whole State to be a sanctuary for criminal illegal immigrants -- with catastrophic results."
Trump praised Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), saying the agency "has arrested over 5,000 wicked human traffickers -- and I have signed 9 pieces of legislation to stamp out the menace of human trafficking, domestically and around the globe."

'Blue-collar boom'

"The state of our union is stronger than ever before," Trump declared early on to applause, as most Democrats -- including those who have recently sought to have the president removed from office -- remained seated, stone-faced and apparently dejected.
"Since my election, the net worth of the bottom half of wage-earners has increased by 47 percent -- 3 times faster than the increase for the top 1 percent," Trump said. "After decades of flat and falling incomes, wages are rising fast -- and, wonderfully, they are rising fastest for low-income workers, who have seen a 16 percent pay-increase since my election.  This is a blue-collar boom."
As he often does during his campaign rallies, the president went line-by-line through unemployment statistics, drawing some applause from even Democrats in the chamber.
"The unemployment rates for African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, and Asian-Americans have reached the lowest levels in history," Trump said.  African-American youth unemployment has reached an all-time low. African-American poverty has declined to the lowest rate ever recorded. The unemployment rate for women reached the lowest level in almost 70 years -- and last year, women filled 72 percent of all new jobs added.
"The veterans' unemployment rate dropped to a record low," he continued. "The unemployment rate for disabled Americans has reached an all-time low.     Workers without a high school diploma have achieved the lowest unemployment rate recorded in United States history. A record number of young Americans are now employed."
The new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), Trump said, would only accelerate job growth.
"One of the single biggest promises I made to the American people was to replace the disastrous NAFTA trade deal," Trump said. "In fact, unfair trade is perhaps the single biggest reason that I decided to run for President.  Following NAFTA's adoption, our Nation lost one in four manufacturing jobs.  Many politicians came and went, pledging to change or replace NAFTA -- only to do absolutely nothing.  But unlike so many who came before me, I keep my promises.  Six days ago, I replaced NAFTA and signed the brand new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) into law."
The USMCA, Trump maintained, "will create nearly 100,000 new high-paying American auto jobs, and massively boost exports for our farmers, ranchers, and factory workers.  It will also bring trade with Mexico and Canada to a much higher degree, but also to a much greater level of fairness and reciprocity.  This is the first major trade deal in many years to earn the strong backing of America's labor unions."

Honored guests -- and a shocking reunion

Limbaugh, who announced on Monday he is battling advanced lung cancer, unexpectedly received the Presidential Medal of Freedom during the address, courtesy of First Lady Melania Trump.
"Thank you for your decades of tireless devotion to our country," Trump said as Limbaugh rose. "Rush, in recognition of all that you have done for our Nation, the millions of people a day that you speak to and inspire, and all of the incredible work that you have done for charity, I am proud to announce tonight that you will be receiving our country's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. I will now ask the First Lady of the United States to please stand and present you with the honor."
Separately, after touting his criminal-justice reform bill, Trump pushed Congress to build what he called an "an inclusive society" by "making sure that every young American gets a great education and the opportunity to achieve the American Dream." He turned his attention to one student in the chamber.
"To rescue these students, 18 States have created school choice in the form of Opportunity Scholarships," Trump said. "The programs are so popular, that tens of thousands of students remain on waiting lists.  One of those students is Janiyah Davis, a fourth grader from Philadelphia.  Janiyah's mom Stephanie is a single parent.  She would do anything to give her daughter a better future.  But last year, that future was put further out of reach when Pennsylvania's Governor vetoed legislation to expand school choice for 50,000 children.
"Janiyah and Stephanie are in the gallery this evening," Trump said.  "But there is more to their story.  Janiyah, I am pleased to inform you that your long wait is over.  I can proudly announce tonight that an Opportunity Scholarship has become available, it is going to you, and you will soon be heading to the school of your choice!  Now, I call on the Congress to give 1 million American children the same opportunity Janiyah has just received.  Pass the Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act -- because no parent should be forced to send their child to a failing government school."
Pelosi stared ahead, apparently reading from a copy of Trump's speech as other lawmakers cheered.
"Opportunity Zones are helping Americans like Army Veteran Tony Rankins from Cincinnati, Ohio," Trump additionally remarked, bringing Sen. Krysten Sinema, D-Ariz., to her feet. Sinema, who notably did not wear white as some of her colleagues did as a show of feminine solidarity, was one of a handful of Democrats to stand and applaud during Trump's remarks at various points.
"After struggling with drug addiction, Tony lost his job, his house, and his family -- he was homeless.  But then Tony found a construction company that invests in Opportunity Zones.  He is now a top tradesman, drug-free, reunited with his family, and he is here tonight.  Tony:  Keep up the great work."
Later, Trump honored Charles McGee, one of the last surviving members of the Tuskegee Airmen, the African-American pilots who fought in World War II.
"Charles McGee was born in Cleveland, Ohio, one century ago," Trump said. "Charles is one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen -- the first black fighter pilots -- and he also happens to be Iain's great-grandfather.  After more than 130 combat missions in World War II, he came back to a country still struggling for Civil Rights and went on to serve America in Korea and Vietnam.  On December 7th, Charles celebrated his 100th birthday.  A few weeks ago, I signed a bill promoting Charles McGee to Brigadier General.  And earlier today, I pinned the stars on his shoulders in the Oval Office.  General McGee:  Our Nation salutes you."
The president also honored Kelli and Gage Hake, who lost their father, Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Hake, to a roadside bomb reportedly funded by Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian general slain in a U.S. drone strike earlier this year. Soleimani had recently organized a proxy militia's assault on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
In perhaps the night's most unexpected moment -- which was not included in the prepared remarks provided in advance to reporters -- the president introduced a soldier who had just gotten back from his fourth deployment to Afghanistan.
“War places a heavy burden on our nation’s extraordinary military families, especially spouses like Amy Williams from Fort Bragg, N.C. and her two children, six-year-old Eliana and three-year-old Rowan,” Trump said.
“Amy works full time and volunteers countless hours helping other military families," the president continued. "For the past seven months, she has done it all while her husband Sgt. 1st Class Townsend Williams is in Afghanistan on his fourth deployment to the Middle East. Amy’s kids haven’t seen their father’s face in many months. Amy, your family’s sacrifice makes it possible for all of our families to live in safety and peace, and we want to thank you.
“Amy, there is one more thing,” Trump went on, as the chamber erupted. “Tonight we have a very special surprise. I am thrilled to inform you that your husband is back from deployment. He is here with us tonight and we couldn’t keep him waiting any longer.”
Sgt. Williams, a U.S. Army paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division, entered the gallery to resounding cheers from both sides of the aisle.
Some prominent Democrats, including Reps. Maxine Waters and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, were not in attendance for the speech or the drama that unfolded, saying they were doing so out of protest.
Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution dictates that the president “shall from time to time give to the Congress Information on the State of the Union.” George Washington delivered the first such speech to Congress.
But Thomas Jefferson halted the practice, instead submitting a missive to Congress. It would be more than a century until President Woodrow Wilson rekindled the process of giving a speech to Congress.
The designated survivor not in attendance at the Capitol was Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, Fox News has learned.
Fox News' Chad Pergram, Jason Donner, Marisa Schultz, and Matt Leach contributed to this report.

Mark Meadows: Pelosi ripped up Trump's speech the way she's ripping apart America

House Freedom Caucus member Mark Meadows, R-N.C. reacted to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., tearing up her copy of President Trump's State of the Union as the president concluded his remarks.
Meadows agreed with Sean Hannity, host of "Hannity," on Tuesday that Trump's speech was the most compelling case to Americans for the question, "Are you better off than you were four years ago?"
"It's a significant accomplishment when you look at we can celebrate," he said.
"We saw Nancy Pelosi ripping up a speech just like Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi and others have been trying to rip apart America for the last three years," he said. "But Jim [Jordan] is exactly right. The president showed us what we are about."
He called the speech the greatest State of the Union to be given in the House chamber.
Pelosi tore up the speech before leaving her seat, and later told reporters that the shredding was, "the courteous thing to do considering the alternatives."
The White House responded almost immediately by referencing several of the guests of honor whom Trump had introduced during the State of the Union address.
"Speaker Pelosi just ripped up: One of our last surviving Tuskegee Airmen. The survival of a child born at 21 weeks. The mourning families of Rocky Jones and Kayla Mueller. A service member's reunion with his family," the White House said in a tweet. "That's her legacy."
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., told Fox News that Trump's speech was "rough" in parts. Responding to Pelosi ripping up the speech, he added, "None of that’s good."
Speaking to Fox News' "Hannity," Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called Pelosi's actions "disgraceful" and "disgusting," saying they made him "angry."
Fox News' Gregg Re contributed to this report.

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