A new AP-NORC poll finds most Americans do not want the government to focus on increasing birth rates, despite efforts by the Trump administration to make this a priority.
Sports and gambling are once again in the spotlight following lifetime bans handed to San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano and Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter.
Sports and gambling are once again in the spotlight in the wake of the Los Angeles Dodgers firing Ippei Mizuhara, the interpreter and close friend of newly acquired star player Shohei Ohtani.
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This allowed the National Weather Service in Duluth, Minnesota to freeze a pair of pants standing up. 🥶🥶🥶 Posted by US National Weather Service Duluth Minnesota on Sunday, February 7, 2021The National Weather Service in Milwaukee, Wisconsin threw hot water into the frigid air. https://www.weather.gov/mkx/ Posted by US National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan Wisconsin on Sunday, February 7, 2021Early Monday morning, Bill Taylor, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in North Platte, Nebraska photographed light pillars. Bill Taylor - National Weather Service North Platte, Nebraska (Copyright 2021 by WSLS 10 - All rights reserved.) For areas like North Platte, temperatures each morning will be at or below freezing through at least Valentine’s Day.
(CNN) - The top US diplomat in Ukraine told Congress that it was his "clear understanding" that US security aid to Ukraine wouldn't happen unless the country's president announced he would investigate President Donald Trump's political rivals, according to a transcript of Ambassador Bill Taylor's deposition released Wednesday. In his 15-page opening statement, Taylor explained how he was told that "everything" Ukraine wanted was conditioned on the investigation. He gave a damning account of how Trump told his appointees to establish a quid pro quo with Ukraine, trading much-needed US military assistance for political favors from Zelensky. In the wake of that testimony, Trump accused Taylor of being a "Never Trumper." In text messages to Sondland, Taylor said it would be "crazy" to withhold military aid in exchange for political help from Ukraine, suggesting a potential quid pro quo.
Mark Reinstein/Corbis Historical/Getty Images via CNN(CNN) - House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff on Wednesday announced impeachment hearings will begin next week as Democrats prepare to take their case against President Donald Trump to the public. Schiff, a California Democrat, said that three witnesses will testify next week: US diplomat Bill Taylor and State Department official George Kent will appear on next Wednesday, and former US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch is testifying next Friday. In his 15-page opening statement, Taylor explained how he was told that "everything" Ukraine wanted was conditioned on the investigation. The public hearings will be conducted just by the House Intelligence Committee. Under rules passed by the House last week, both Democrats and Republicans will 45-minute blocks to question witnesses in which staff attorneys can participate.
There has not been a request yet made for Taylor to testify publicly, according to the source. But Democrats privately say that Taylor would be a logical choice for one of the first witnesses when the House begins public impeachment hearings. Sondland's lawyer did not reply to a request for comment when asked if he would be willing to return to testify publicly. "I don't speak Latin"Taylor's opening statement provided a preview of what kind of witness he would be for Democrats publicly. "According to Mr. Morrison, President Trump told Ambassador Sondland that he was not asking for a 'quid pro quo.'
In Vietnam, Seitz said, he and Taylor saw and endured, "Fatigue, hunger, bad weather, dying, killing, and a lot of terrible wounds." "He's standing alone the way the Currahees have stood alone for our country," Seitz said. "He's a man of honor," Seitz said, "a courageous man who has the endurance to go through all of this." St. Onge said he would characterize Taylor's service as the motto of the military academy: "Duty, Honor, Country. "The Bill that I know is extraordinarily intelligent, he is articulate, he cares about his soldiers," St. Onge said.
After stonewalling questions about Taylor on Thursday, Pompeo spoke about the veteran diplomat Friday, shortly before Trump dismissed Taylor as a "never Trumper." "But I will say this: we all, as human beings, can get it wrong, too," Pompeo continued. On Friday morning, Trump disparaged Taylor and suggested that Pompeo had made a mistake in hiring him to take over the role in Kiev. "The problem is -- here's the problem, he's a Never Trumper and his lawyer's a Never Trumper," Trump started. When asked why Pompeo hired Taylor, Trump responded "everybody makes mistakes.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment for this story. National security adviser John Bolton was fired the day before Trump changed his mind, and White House officials had recently been made aware of a whistleblower complaint that had been filed concerning Trump's behavior toward Ukraine. Bipartisan groups of lawmakers began peppering the White House with letters pressing Trump to lift the hold on the funds. That same week, Mulvaney and other top White House officials first learned about the whistleblower complaint. While White House lawyers had known about the complaint for weeks, news of its existence was starting to spread within the West Wing.
House Republicans gather to speak at a press conference organized by Rep. Matt Gaetz, (R-FL), on Capitol Hill on October 23, 2019 in Washington, DC. But their efforts come as the President publicly and privately is pushing congressional Republicans to toughen up their defense of him as the Democratic impeachment process marches forward. "Thank you to House Republicans for being tough, smart, and understanding in detail the greatest Witch Hunt in American History," Trump tweeted. Graham said at a news conference Thursday on the resolution that White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney acknowledged the White House needs help with impeachment messaging. But the White House message, or lack of one, has also unsettled Republicans in that chamber, senators acknowledged.
The opening statement of Bill Taylor, the top US diplomat in Ukraine, is "reverberating" on Capitol Hill among Republicans, according to GOP Hill sources, who told CNN that Taylor's testimony is a game changer in the impeachment inquiry intoWASHINGTON (CNN) - The opening statement of Bill Taylor, the top US diplomat in Ukraine, is "reverberating" on Capitol Hill among Republicans, according to GOP Hill sources, who told CNN that Taylor's testimony is a game changer in the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. "It points to quid pro quo," the GOP source told CNN. There is an ongoing conversation among GOP members on Capitol Hill about the impact of Taylor's testimony, but it remains a question whether it will move Republicans closer to considering impeachment. Republican sources on Capitol Hill told CNN there's a "growing unease that there is no defense" of the President's actions. But a day later, Thune walked back the concerns he had raised, saying Taylor's testimony is secondhand information.
The deposition by Bill Taylor on Tuesday appears to directly refute the President's claim that there was no quid pro quo in his dealings with the former Soviet state. Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York said there was clear evidence of a quid pro quo manifested in Trump's pressure on Ukraine. "I've been in there 10 hours, I can assure you there's no quid pro quo," said Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina. Signs of a quid pro quoTaylor said in his opening statement that Sondland had "tried to explain to me that President Trump is a businessman. "According to Morrison, President Trump told Ambassador Sondland that he was not asking for a 'quid pro quo.'
Diplomat Bill Taylor testifies he was told Trump wanted aid withheld until Ukraine agreed to investigate Biden. Distributed by LAKANA. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Ambassador to Ukraine Bill Taylor plans to fill in the gaps of his text messages with U.S. diplomats about Ukraine that have formed a key part of the impeachment investigation into President Donald Trump and Ukraine, according to a source familiar with his testimony. Taylor plans to include a chronology of events, according to the source, dating back to June, when Taylor assumed the post as ambassador, through October. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland and former U.S. special envoy for Ukraine Kurt Volker about the freezing of U.S. security aid to Ukraine. Taylor, as the current acting ambassador to Ukraine, is in a difficult and delicate position testifying Tuesday, the source said. Taylor then met with Pompeo, State Department Counselor Ulrich Brechbuhl and Volker at the department at the end of May.
The request, if met by expected White House and State Department opposition, is likely to present a quandary for the longtime diplomat, according to former State Department officials who know him. On Tuesday, just hours before he was due to appear, the State Department instructed Sondland not to testify at his scheduled hearing. He resigned from the State Department days before his congressional appearance in order to testify -- an option that Taylor could take. One former State Department official noted that "to some extent, the department needs him out there, needs a seasoned diplomat there." The former senior State Department official described Taylor as having "a remarkable legacy of service."
Getty Images(CNN) - House Democrats on Monday expanded their impeachment inquiry with subpoenas to the Pentagon and Office of Management and Budget tied to the freezing of foreign aid to Ukraine. The newest subpoenas broaden the House's impeachment investigation into President Donald Trump's interactions with Ukraine into new corners of the federal government. The committees have also requested information from Vice President Mike Pence as part of the probe. In text messages provided by former U.S. special envoy Kurt Volker to Congress last week, senior U.S. diplomat in Ukraine Bill Taylor expressed alarm that Ukraine aid was being held up over the investigations. Sondland appears behind closed doors before the House Intelligence, Oversight and Foreign Affairs Committees on Tuesday.
