In an upbeat message a world away from his apocalyptic “American carnage” inaugural speech of just a year ago, Mr Trump said his administration was “building a safe, strong and proud America”.
“There has never been a better time to start living the American dream,” he told lawmakers in a one-hour-and-20-minute speech.
Media captionStanding ovation v stony-faced silence
As many as 40 million television viewers were expected to tune in as he implored the nation to come together as “one team, one people and one American family”.
Mr Trump made a plea for the kind of bipartisan co-operation that has been in short supply during a turbulent first year in office.
The president, who has enraged Democrats by withdrawing protections for immigrants who entered the US illegally as children, offered an olive branch.
“Tonight I am extending an open hand to work with members of both parties, Democrats and Republicans, to protect our citizens, of every background, colour and creed.”
Image copyrightEPAImage captionUS First Lady Melania Trump arrived separately from her husband
But he insisted on a border wall with Mexico and other concessions from Democrats as part of any over-arching immigration deal.
Some Democrats booed when the president said he wanted to curtail an allowance for legal immigrants to bring family members into the country.
Mr Trump again touted his pet plan to rebuild America’s ageing roads and other infrastructure, though he did not offer many details.
The president said that 2.4 million jobs had been created on his watch.
Since he came to office, the stock market has soared and the unemployment rate is at a 17-year low as the US continues its recovery from the recession of a decade ago.
But he had an average job approval last year of 38%, the lowest first-year rating for any president in the history of Gallup polling.
How did Democrats respond?
Massachusetts congressman Joseph Kennedy III, a great-nephew of President John F Kennedy, delivered the Democratic rebuttal.
He attempted to seize Mr Trump’s political mantle by purporting to speak for “Americans who feel forgotten and forsaken”.
Media captionDemocratic congressman Joseph Kennedy III said he was speaking for all Americans
Bewailing a “fractured country” and depicting the Trump presidency as “chaos”, Mr Kennedy, 37, said: “Many have spent the past year anxious, angry, afraid.
“Bullies may land a punch,” he said. “They might leave a mark.
“But they have never, not once, in the history of our United States, managed to match the strength and spirit of a people united in defence of their future.”
In one telling moment from Mr Trump’s speech, members of the Democratic Congressional Black Caucus sat in stony-faced silence amid a standing ovation as the president noted African-American unemployment has hit a record low.
About a dozen Democratic lawmakers said they would boycott Mr Trump’s speech.
One of them, California congresswoman Maxine Waters, told MSNBC: “Why would I take my time to go and sit and listen to a liar?”
Smooth touch, sharp edges
Analysis by Anthony Zurcher, BBC News
You can tell a lot about a State of the Union address by where a president chooses to begin. On Tuesday night, Donald Trump delivered a polished speech that started by touting his economic record. Lower unemployment. Restored consumer and business confidence. A higher stock market. Mr Trump’s poll numbers have lagged below the mark one would expect a leader presiding over a prosperous economy. The president, in his speech, set about trying to change that.
When it came to policy, Mr Trump offered some bipartisan suggestions with few details, such as addressing high prescription drug prices, infrastructure investment, job training and prison reform. Where the president lingered, however, were on topics that will prove as divisive as ever. The paeans to patriotism and traditional values will be viewed by Democrats as a rekindling of culture wars. He spoke of religious liberty and standing for the national anthem, and Democrats sat stone-faced.
The president’s pledge to offer an open hand on immigration negotiations was surrounded by extended passages about immigrant crime and a veiled swipe that “Americans are dreamers, too”.
This speech had a softer touch. The language was smooth. The edge, however, was still as sharp.
What did Mr Trump say on foreign policy?
Mr Trump condemned “depraved” North Korea.
He warned that Pyongyang’s “reckless pursuit of nuclear missiles could very soon threaten our homeland.
“We are waging a campaign of maximum pressure to prevent that from happening.”
Mr Trump paid tribute to a disabled defector from the regime, Ji Seong-ho, who fled the country on crutches and was in the audience.
The president also noted that nearly all the territory in Syria and Iraq once controlled by the Islamic State group has been retaken.
“We will continue our fight until [the Islamic State group] is defeated,” Mr Trump vowed.
While his two White House predecessors have used their State of the Union speeches to forecast victory for American forces in Afghanistan, Mr Trump largely skirted what is now America’s longest war.
In an apparent acknowledgment of the deteriorating security situation there, he said the US “military is no longer undermined by artificial timelines”.
He only mentioned Russia once alongside China as a rival.
Mr Trump did not refer to the federal inquiry into whether his campaign colluded with Russia in the 2016 presidential election, a controversy that is dogging his presidency and which both he and Russia have denied
In an upbeat message a world away from the apocalyptic tone he struck in his “American carnage” inaugural address of just a year ago, Mr Trump said his administration is “building a safe, strong and proud America”.
“There has never been a better time to start living the American dream,” he told lawmakers.
As many as 40 million television viewers were expected to tune in as he implored the nation to come together as “one team, one people and one American family”.
What did he say on foreign policy?
Mr Trump also condemned “depraved” North Korea.
He warned that Pyongyang’s “reckless pursuit of nuclear missiles could very soon threaten our homeland.
“We are waging a campaign of maximum pressure to prevent that from happening.”
He also noted that nearly all the territory in Syria and Iraq once controlled by the Islamic State group has been retaken.
“We will continue our fight until ISIS is defeated,” Mr Trump vowed.
What about the Democrats’ response?
Massachusetts congressman Joseph Kennedy III, a great-nephew of President John K Kennedy, will deliver the Democratic rebuttal to Mr Trump’s speech.
He will attempt to seize Mr Trump’s political mantle by purporting to speak for “Americans who feel forgotten and forsaken”.
Bewailing a “fractured country” and depicting Mr Trump’s presidency as “chaos”, Mr Kennedy, 37, will say: “Many have spent the past year anxious, angry, afraid.”
“Bullies may land a punch,” he will say. “They might leave a mark.
“But they have never, not once, in the history of our United States, managed to match the strength and spirit of a people united in defence of their future.”
In one telling moment, members of the Democratic Congressional Black Caucus sat in stony-faced silence amid a standing ovation as Mr Trump noted African-American unemployment has hit a record low.
About a dozen Democratic lawmakers were expected to snub Mr Trump’s speech in what could be one of the biggest boycotts of a president’s State of the Union.
One of them, California congresswoman Maxine Waters, told MSNBC: “Why would I take my time to go and sit and listen to a liar?”
What else did Trump say?
Mr Trump made a plea for the kind of bipartisan co-operation that has been in short supply during a turbulent first year in office.
The president, who has enraged Democrats by withdrawing protections for immigrants who entered the US illegally as children, offered an olive branch.
Media captionThe missing – consequences of Trump’s immigration crackdown
“Struggling communities, especially immigrant communities, will also be helped by immigration policies that focus on the best interests of American workers and American families,” he said.
“So tonight I am extending an open hand to work with members of both parties, Democrats and Republicans, to protect our citizens, of every background, colour and creed.”
Mr Trump again touted his pet plan to rebuild America’s aging roads and other infrastructure, though he is not expected to offer many details.
Since he came to office, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is up by around 33% and the unemployment rate is at a 17-year low as the US continues its recovery from the Great Recession of a decade ago.
Media captionNisa Mickens, 15, was killed by an MS-13 gang including undocumented immigrants
But the president has often complained that he does not get enough credit for the rosy outlook.
Mr Trump had an average job approval last year of 38%, the lowest first-year rating for any president in the history of Gallup polling.
What about the guests?
Like previous US presidents, Mr Trump invited everyday people handpicked to put a human face on his administration’s policies.
The invitees, who sat with First Lady Melania Trump, included an Ohio manufacturing worker said to have benefited from the president’s tax plan.
Also invited were the parents of two children from Long Island, New York, who were killed by MS-13, a gang with Central American origins.
In attendance, too, was a corporal who became the first blind, double amputee to re-enlist in the US Marines.
Several Democratic lawmakers invited guests who are personally affected by the immigration debate and the #MeToo movement.
Who’s the designated survivor?
In the unlikely event that an attack on a heavily secured Congress takes out the president, vice-president and lawmakers in the line of succession, it is traditional for one US cabinet official to sit out the State of the Union in a secret location.
That designated survivor, as he or she is known, this year was Sonny Perdue, the current secretary of agriculture.
Screenshot via CNNInvestigative journalist Carl Bernstein.
Prominent investigative journalist Carl Bernstein sounded an ominous warning about the Trump administration’s moves to undermine the US Justice Department and the FBI amid the Russia investigation.
Bernstein said the US had reached “a turning point” at the end of a day that saw the resignation of FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, a Republican vote to release a controversial memo undermining the bureau and the DOJ, and the Trump administration’s decision not to impose sanctions on Russia.
Bernstein called it the “Monday night slaughter of our institutions of justice in the United States.”
Investigative journalist Carl Bernstein, who helped uncover the Watergate scandal in the 1970s that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon, sounded an ominous alarm on Monday following a day of pivotal headlines related to the Russia investigation.
“We are seeing a breakdown and I think we may look back on tonight as the Monday night slaughter of the administration of justice and our institutions of justice in the United States,” Bernstein said in an interview on CNN.
“A real slaughter by the obstructive, irresponsible, partisan gang in the House of Representatives that has put the interest of their party and the president of the United States and his personal fortunes above the national interest, and I think we’re going to look back on what happened today and tonight as a turning point,” Bernstein continued.
His use of the term “Monday night slaughter” is a spin on the phrase “Saturday night massacre ” – the October 20, 1973, incident in which Nixon fired special prosecutor Archibald Cox amid Cox’s investigation into the Watergate scandal. When Trump fired FBI director James Comey in May 2017, some observers called it the “Tuesday Afternoon Massacre .”
Monday saw a whirlwind of activity linked to the broad investigation of Russia’s 2016 US-election interference. An effort that US intelligence officials said was executed to help get Trump elected and hamstring his then-opponent Hillary Clinton.
Trump and his allies in Congress and right-leaning media have made no secret of their disdain for the Russia probe, and the latest developments on Monday cemented their collective angst. Bernstein said it represents a dire threat to the entire investigation.
“Donald Trump has done everything in his power – including working with these enablers on Capitol Hill – to make sure that this investigation of him, his family, his aides, his campaign, his transition does not come to fruition, and this was part and parcel of it tonight,” Bernstein told CNN’s Don Lemon on Monday night.
Bernstein said the totality of Trump and his allies’ actions may be a precursor to a “constitutional crisis.” Critics of Trump have used similar language to warn about various actions in the early aughts of his presidency. But Bernstein insisted that the administration’s moves of late are real cause for alarm.
“The system may fail us if the president continues down this road and if his enablers in Congress continue down this road,” Bernstein said. “Donald Trump may get away with this, and by ‘this,’ I mean shutting down the legitimate investigation of the president of the United States.”
He added: “The single thing that this president has been focused on from the day he took office is to make sure that the Mueller and the Russia investigation does not go forward. and he is doing everything in his power to see that that becomes the case.”
Image copyrightREUTERSImage captionCongress passed the law in August, although President Donald Trump had opposed it
The US has published a list of 114 Russian politicians and 96 oligarchs, some close to the president, as part of a sanctions law aimed at punishing Russia for meddling in the US election.
The US stressed those named had not been hit with new sanctions, although some have already been targeted.
Congress passed the sanctions law in August. President Donald Trump signed it while making his reservations clear.
The Kremlin said the list could damage the reputation of those named.
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who is himself on the list, accepted that it was not one of sanctions but added: “Publication of such a wide list of everything and everyone could potentially damage the image and reputation of our firms, our businessmen, our politicians and of members of the leadership.”
In other Russian reaction:
State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said such measures would only “lead to a greater consolidation” of Russian society
The ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, said sanctions were a “road to nowhere” and would not intimidate his country
Lawmaker Vladimir Dzhabarov said the inclusion of almost the entire leadership of the country was a de facto severing of relations
Informally known as the “Putin list”, those named by the US Treasury include 42 aides of President Vladimir Putin and cabinet ministers such as Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, along with top spy agency and business officials.
Among the high-profile oligarchs named are Roman Abramovich, Oleg Deripaska and Alisher Usmanov.
Image copyrightPA/EPAImage captionRoman Abramovich (L) and Dmitry Medvedev are on the list
The US Treasury document itself stresses: “It is not a sanctions list, and the inclusion of individuals or entities… does not and in no way should be interpreted to impose sanctions on those individuals or entities.”
The BBC’s Steve Rosenberg in Moscow says the list does not tell us anything we did not already know but for those on it not already under sanctions, there could be a worry that they may be targeted in the future.
Media captionAll you need to know about the Trump-Russia investigation
Earlier in the day, the US government argued the Caatsa law had already pushed governments around the world to cancel deals with Russia worth billions, suggesting that more sanctions were not required.
“From that perspective, if the law is working, sanctions on specific entities or individuals will not need to be imposed because the legislation is, in fact, serving as a deterrent,” state department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.
“Think about the scale of the two economies,” Mr Pompeo said of Russia and China.
“The Chinese have a much bigger footprint upon which to execute that mission than the Russians do.”
Media captionCIA Director: China intent on stealing US secrets
Earlier this year, a former CIA officer was arrested on charges of retaining classified information in a case thought to be connected to the dismantling of the agency’s spy operations in China.
In the two years before Jerry Chun Shing Lee’s arrest, some 20 informants had been killed or jailed – one of the most disastrous failures of US intelligence in recent years.
But officials did not know at the time whether to blame a mole or data hack.
The US spy chief told the BBC that countries could collectively do more to combat Chinese efforts to exert power over the West.
“We can watch very focused efforts to steal American information, to infiltrate the United States with spies – with people who are going to work on behalf of the Chinese government against America,” he said.
“We see it in our schools. We see it in our hospitals and medicals systems. We see it throughout corporate America. It’s also true in other parts of the world… including Europe and the UK.”
Chinese methods v Russian
Gordon Corera, BBC security correspondent, CIA headquarters
Russian interference has been the focus of political debate in Washington with allegations of hacking and releasing information as well as using social media to sow division.
But the CIA director’s surprising claim to me was that China has a more wide-ranging ability to exert influence and more needs to be done to confront it.
China’s reach, the CIA director says, ranges from traditional espionage (human and cyber) through allegations it has used stolen intellectual property to helps its businesses.
But it also includes the way in which it uses its economic weight to influence American companies seeking access to its market.
Mr Pompeo also challenged the idea that the US had little influence on the conflict in Syria, where President Bashar al-Assad is still in power and backed by Russian and Iranian support.
“We’re going to work on those complicated problem sets and push back against the Iranians everyplace we can,” he told the BBC.
Media captionClaims about Trump ‘dangerous and false’, says CIA director
It emerged last year that he had written to Qasem Soleimani – the leader of the Quds force, part of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards – to warn him that any attacks on US interests would not go unpunished.
“I wanted to send a clear message to Qasem Soleimani that there are American interests – there are Western interests, British interests and others – and an attack on those will be met with an equal response.
Media captionCIA Director: ‘Hopeful that Iran’s people will rise up’
“He should be deeply aware that it is intolerable for the Iranians to take on American interests,” he continued.
The CIA director said that Iran firing missiles at Saudi Arabia through a proxy force in Yemen was “unacceptable” and constituted “acts of war”.
He told the BBC the best way of avoiding an escalation of conflict was to make sure the Iranian people understood the cost of such activities by their government, not just in the region but also in Europe.
Media captionThe BBC asked Chinese citizens to describe America in one phrase
“I hope that they will rise up and understand that it is not the best interests of their country to send forces to places like Europe as proxies to try and conduct malign activity in Europe when there’s so much that can be done to make Iran a better place,” he said.
“We are confident that the Iranian people will understand that. We are hopeful that their leaders will accept that proposition as well.”
Image copyrightAFP/GETTYImage captionDonald Trump has been dogged by suspicion over his ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin
For more than a year the Trump-Russia affair has dominated front pages and mired the president’s administration in controversy. But what is it exactly? How did it begin? Where is it going?
Robert Mueller, a respected former FBI director, is the chief investigator. Holed up in an unremarkable office in Washington DC, his team is quietly pulling threads from one of the most high-profile political inquiries in US history.
Four people connected with Donald Trump’s campaign and presidency have been charged and further indictments could be issued. President Trump denies any wrongdoing and no solid evidence has emerged to implicate him.
We’ve put together a straightforward guide to what we know, what we don’t know, and what Mr Mueller may know that we don’t.
What’s it all about?
President Trump’s campaign and transition teams have been accused of colluding with Russian agents to influence the US election in the Republican candidate’s favour.
US intelligence agencies, including the CIA and NSA, concluded with “high confidence” in 2016 that Russia was behind an effort to thumb the scale of the US election for Mr Trump.
Both the Russian and US presidents have poured scorn on suggestions of collusion, with Mr Trump calling it “the greatest political witch hunt in history”.
What contact do we know about?
At least 12 Trump associates had contacts with Russians during the campaign or transition, according to an analysis of public records by CNN, with at least 19 face-to-face interactions with Russians or Kremlin-linked figures and at least 51 individual communications.
Trump aides known to have had contact with Russians include the president’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner, his son Donald Trump Jr, former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, and the Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
The president’s supporters point out that interactions with foreign nationals are routine during any White House campaign, but two Trump aides have admitted lying about the encounters.
Who’s been charged?
Four people have been indicted by the special counsel: Paul Manafort, a former Trump campaign chairman; Rick Gates, a former business associate of Mr Manafort; George Papadopoulos, a former Trump campaign adviser, and Michael Flynn, a former national security adviser to the Trump administration.
Mr Manafort and Mr Gates pleaded not guilty to 12 counts including money laundering and conspiracy against the US. The indictments do not mention Mr Trump or alleged Russian interference in the election.
Mr Papadopoulos is said to have attempted to set up meetings between Mr Trump and Russian representatives, and he admitted lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russians. Mr Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI over meetings he had with the Russian ambassador, Sergei Kislyak.
Why are the Flynn charges important?
By far the most senior member of the Trump team to be indicted, Mr Flynn admitted one count of making false statements. This was a much lesser charge than analysts say he might have faced for conducting business as a private citizen with a foreign power. Legal experts say such plea deals are only offered when a witness has incriminating evidence on someone more senior than themselves.
Mr Trump sacked Mr Flynn in February, saying he had lied to Vice-President Mike Pence about meeting with the Russian envoy to the US. Questions have been raised over how much Mr Trump knew about Mr Flynn’s contacts with the Russian ambassador and when. The answers to those questions could form part of Mr Flynn’s plea bargain, US media say.
How many investigations are ongoing?
As well the special counsel inquiry by Robert Mueller under the aegis of the Justice Department there are four congressional investigations:
The Senate and House Intelligence Committees and the Senate Judiciary Committee are investigating alleged Kremlin meddling and any collusion with Trump aides
The House Oversight Committee is scrutinising links between Trump associates and Russian officials
Who is special counsel Robert Mueller?
A former prosecutor, Mr Mueller went on to become the second-longest serving FBI director in history, after J Edgar Hoover. His Senate confirmation vote as FBI director went 98-0 in his favour. A special Senate vote to extend his term beyond the usual 10 years to 12 passed 100-0.
With a team of experienced lawyers drawn from private practice and from the justice department, as well as FBI officers, Mr Mueller has worked quietly from an unassuming building in south-west Washington, not issuing any public comment on his investigation.
Can’t Trump just sack Mueller?
Reports swirled in December that the president might fire the special counsel and confer a presidential pardon on Mr Flynn, in an attempt to gut the investigation.
The rumours began after one of the president’s lawyers accused the special counsel of illegally obtaining emails from the Trump transition team. The Mueller investigation said all material was obtained legally.
Firing Mr Mueller would be seen by Democrats as a brazen attempt to obstruct justice and could trigger an effort to impeach the president. For now though, it seems to be off the table. A White House lawyer said there was “no consideration about firing or replacing the special counsel”.
What happened with James Comey?
Back in February 2017, before Mr Mueller was appointed as special counsel, the FBI was investigating Michael Flynn over his contacts with Russian officials.
Then-head of the FBI, James Comey, attended a briefing in the Oval Office at the White House, along with Vice-President Mike Pence and Attorney General Jeff Sessions. According to a detailed account of the meeting written by Mr Comey immediately afterwards, the president asked Mr Pence and Mr Sessions to leave the room before suggesting Mr Comey end the Flynn investigation.
The FBI director’s notes quote the president as saying: “I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go.”
Mr Comey prepared memos from his notes and shared them with other senior FBI officials, saying he was concerned about the nature of the meeting.
A few months later, in May, the president sacked Mr Comey, citing “this Russia thing”, a move that shocked Washington and led to talk of a cover-up.
What about the Don Jr meeting?
Another focal point of the press coverage, and possibly the investigation, is a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower in New York City involving Mr Trump’s son Donald Jr, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort and an influential Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya.
The meeting occurred after a Russian intermediary contacted Mr Trump Jr with a promise to provide material that would “incriminate” Mrs Clinton and be “very useful to your father”. Mr Trump Jr replied: “I love it.”
Mr Trump Jr later defended the meeting, saying Ms Veselnitskaya offered only “inane nonsense” and nothing came of it, but he also told Fox News’ Sean Hannity “in retrospect, I probably would have done things a little differently”.
In January 2018, in an extraordinary break from the administration he once served, Steve Bannon, a former White House chief strategist, called the meeting “treasonous” and “unpatriotic”, and said the Justice Department would “crack Don Junior like an egg on national TV”.
The president responded furiously that Mr Bannon had “lost his mind”.
In January 2017, a secret dossier was leaked to the press. It had been compiled by a former British intelligence official and Russia expert, Christopher Steele, who had been paid to investigate Mr Trump’s ties to Russia.
The file purported to show financial and personal links between Mr Trump, his advisers and Moscow. It also suggested the Kremlin had cultivated Mr Trump for years before he ran for president.
Mr Trump dismissed the dossier, arguing its contents were based largely on unnamed sources. It was later reported that Mr Steele’s report was funded as opposition research by the Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee.
Fusion GPS, the Washington-based firm that was hired to commissioned the dossier, had previously been paid via a conservative website to dig up dirt on Mr Trump.
Who is ‘coffee boy’ George Papadopoulos?
Mr Papadopoulos’ role in the drama begins with a May 2016 drink in a London bar with an Australian diplomat. He told the envoy that Russia had “political dirt” on Hillary Clinton – a conversation which was later reported by Australian authorities to the FBI and may have prompted the bureau’s investigation into the campaign.
In late October 2017, court documents emerged showing Mr Papadopoulos had pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about the timing of meetings with alleged go-betweens for Russia.
He falsely claimed he had met two figures with Russian connections before joining the Trump campaign in March 2016. In fact, he met them after joining the campaign. After lying to the FBI, he deleted an incriminating Facebook account and destroyed a phone.
The president dismissed Mr Papadopoulos as a “coffee boy”, but emails reveal he communicated with high-level figures in the Trump campaign.
He was pictured in March 2016 seated at a foreign policy meeting with Mr Trump, Jeff Sessions and others, a photo Mr Trump shared on Twitter.
How did Russia (allegedly) hack a US election?
It didn’t, exactly. Hacking voter machines, and rigging elections generally, is very, very difficult. Hacking people? That would be easier.
US intelligence chiefs say Russia effectively ran a two-pronged operation. The first prong in mid-2016 allegedly involved sending rafts of so-called “phishing” emails to figures in the Democratic party – an unsophisticated method used by everyone from state-sponsored actors to low-level scammers for duping people into giving up their passwords.
Hackers gained access to the Democratic National Committee’s systems and leaked tens of thousands of emails revealing the inner workings of the Clinton campaign and the party’s operations, along with mundane, embarrassing details.
The second prong allegedly involved flooding social media networks, especially Facebook, with bogus stories designed to smear the Democrats and undermine the Clinton campaign.
According to testimony by Facebook before Congress, Russia-backed content reached as many as 126 million Americans on the social network during and after election.
What did Obama know and when?
In August 2016, an envelope arrived at the White House marked for the eyes of President Barack Obama and three senior aides.
According to the Washington Post, the envelope had come by courier from the CIA, and contained a bombshell revelation – Russian President Vladimir Putin was directing a state-sponsored effort to interfere with the US election.
The FBI was already looking at ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, but the CIA memo seemed to confirm Russian efforts to throw the election Mr Trump’s way.
According to reporting in the Post and elsewhere, the Obama administration agonised over whether to divulge the alleged operations. Reportedly fearful of appearing to attempt to interfere politically, they stayed relatively quiet.
Other intelligence agencies were slow in reaching the same conclusion as the CIA, and congressional Republicans were reluctant to offer support to a public condemnation of Moscow.
Warnings were issued to Russian officials, but it wasn’t until the main US intelligence agencies agreed, in late September, that President Obama directed them to make a public statement. To avoid appearing partisan, the statement would not carry his name.
How far will the inquiry go?
The special counsel investigation could potentially extend into 2019, the Washington Post has reported, which would infuriate a White House that is eager to draw a line under the affair.
Mr Trump’s legal team has been in talks with federal investigators about the president himself being questioned by Mr Mueller.
The president has been non-committal, suggesting he might not need to be interviewed because, he maintains, there has been no collusion.
What about obstruction of justice?
There’s been a lot of speculation that Mr Mueller is considering whether there’s a case against the president.
It’s hard to say if the sacking of Mr Comey alone constitutes a case, because legal experts differ on this. There has to be proof of intent.
If the president really pressed Mr Comey to drop the investigation into Flynn, then that could also be looked at but again, it’s not clear-cut.
A controversial book by Michael Wolff has added to the debate. It claims Mr Trump went to some length to stop Attorney General Jeff Sessions from recusing himself from the Justice Department’s investigation.
And it says his legal team had fears that a statement he dictated on board Air Force One about the Trump Tower meeting could have been misleading.
But the veracity of several parts of Mr Wolff’s book has been questioned.
It is effectively impossible to bring criminal charges against a sitting president – the case would have to be brought by the executive branch, of which Mr Trump is the boss.
As for impeachment, there is political resonance to obstruction of justice charges – it factored in the impeachment of Bill Clinton and the resignation of Richard Nixon.
But it is still highly unlikely. The Republican party controls both houses of Congress.
A simple majority in the House can approve an article of impeachment.
Then the Senate holds a trial presided by the Supreme Court chief justice, and a two-thirds majority vote can convict.
That’s a high bar – two presidents, Clinton and Andrew Johnson, have been acquitted at this stage.
What does the American public think?
Polls suggest that most people are taking it seriously. According to a joint ABC News / Washington Post poll published in November 2017, 49% think Donald Trump likely committed a crime, compared to 44% who said it was unlikely, and 53% said they thought the charges against Mr Manafort, Mr Gates, and Mr Papadopoulos indicate a broader conspiracy.
A CBS poll suggested two-thirds of voters think Michael Flynn’s guilty plea and co-operation with the special counsel is “a serious matter” for the Trump administration.
NORTH KOREA could launch “another missile test” during the Winter Olympics in South Korea, according to shock warning from former retired US Army General Jack Keane.
By OP
Military expert warns NK could test missiles during Olympics
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North Korea had seemingly loosened World War 3tensions by engaging in diplomatic talks with its neighbours in the South and agreeing to send athletes to the winter games across the border.
However, General Keane has urged people to remember the danger posed by the hermit nation and its despot leader Kim Jong-un.
Speaking to Fox News, the US Army veteran suggested the Winter Olympics could be used as a disguise for another test launch of one of Kim Jong-un’s ICBM rockets.
He said: “I think if he does something, it’ll likely be another missile test.”
GETTY•SG
North Korea news: Kim Jong-un could launch another missile test during the Winter Olympics
I think if he does something, it’ll likely be another missile test
General Jack Keane
Gen Keane added he is “speculating” about “one of the things” Kim Jong-un “could do”.
“I think he is getting out of this what he wanted,” he added.
“He uses negotiations to promote good will, and it’s obviously not going to work, trying to drive a wedge between South Korea, the United States and Japan, which is not going to happen here.
“I don’t think he’s going to do anything that is going to damage that good will that he currently has as a result of these negotiations.”
However, the goodwill built up through negotiations could be unravelling after North Korea abruptly cancelled a cultural event scheduled to be held with South Korea.
The event, part of a series ahead of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, was scheduled for February 4 at Mount Kumgang in North Korea.
It has since been cancelled, with a telegram from North Korea reportedly blaming “biased” and “insulting” media coverage in South Korea.
Seoul has the decision was “regrettable” and urged the North to uphold all the agreements that had been made.
Expert: US should be prepared for war with North Korea
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PyeongChang 2018: Latest pictures as Olympians prepare alongside North Koreans
Sat, January 27, 2018
Scheduled to take place from 9 to 25 February 2018 in Pyeongchang County, South Korea
South Korean police SWAT team demonstrate the anti-terror operation at the starting ceremony of PyeongChang Olympic Security Force before PyeongChang 2018 [Getty Images]
1. Budget Session: Govt Set to Push Talaq Legislation
Image used for representational purposes. (Photo: The Quint)
The NDA government will push the Triple Talaq Bill in the budget session of Parliament starting on Monday but is likely to face a stiff challenge from the Opposition, which stalled the legislation in the Rajya Sabha in the winter session.
Opposition parties insisted the proposed law be referred to a select committee for scrutiny. After an all-party meeting on Sunday, the government said it will do “everything possible” to ensure the bill’s passage in the budget session.
“We will leave no stone unturned in talking to and convincing all the political parties to ensure that the triple talaq bill is passed in the Rajya Sabha. The way they have passed GST unanimously, we request them to pass this too unanimously,” parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on Sunday shared stories of ordinary men and women who had made extraordinary contributions to society, and who were honoured with Padma awards this year.
Modi said the common man had found space in the awards category as a result of changes made in the nomination process in the past three years. The online nomination process had brought in transparency, he said. “You will be proud of the fact that today, the common man is being cited for Padma awards without any recommendations. There was a certain methodology of awarding Padma awards every year, but this process has been changed for the past three years. Now, any citizen can nominate any person in our country. Transparency has been brought about in the process by making it operable online,” he said.
3. MCI Case: In-house Probe Records ‘Adverse Remarks’ Against Allahabad HC Judge
Image used for representational purposes. (Photo: iStock)
The in-house inquiry committee set up by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra to look into allegations of corruption against a sitting judge of the Allahabad High Court in the Medical Council of India (MCI) case contains certain “adverse remarks” against him.
The allegations, which prompted the inquiry pertain to Allahabad High Court judge Justice Narayan Shukla granting permission to certain private medical colleges to admit students after an MCI ban, also involved the rulings on the case in the Supreme Court.
Sources told The Indian Express that the report of the in-house inquiry committee, submitted to the CJI, contains “adverse remarks” against Justice Shukla, who was also mentioned in a preliminary investigation conducted by the CBI last September. The CBI, sources said, is keen on seeking the CJI’s sanction afresh to file an FIR against Justice Shukla.
Srinagar tense on Sunday, January 28, after the Shopian incident.(Photo: IANS)
The Jammu and Kashmir police has registered an FIR against the Indian army, charging its 10th Garhwal unit with murder, attempt to murder and endangering life, over the killing of two civilians in south Kashmir’s Shopian district on Saturday, officials said on Sunday.
A senior police officer confirmed that an FIR was filed at the Shopian police station against the army’s 10th Garhwal unit. “The charges under sections 302, 307 and 336 are pressed,” he said.
The Army says it opened fire in self-defence after a convoy came under heavy stone-pelting by protesters who allegedly tried to snatch the weapon of a soldier and lynch him.
Rajesh Maru got sucked into an MRI machine in government-run Nair Hospital in Mumbai.(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/Vivek Gupta)
A patient’s attendant was killed after he was pinned by a leaking oxygen cylinder to an MRI machine in a Mumbai hospital on Saturday evening.
An autopsy said the 32-year-old Rajesh Maruti Maru inhaled poisonous amounts of liquid oxygen that leaked during frantic moments to pull him to safety after his hand was crushed between the cylinder and the machine that should not have been switched on at the time.
MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, machines are equipped with magnets so powerful that metallic objects like paper clips can turn into lethal projectiles if kept close by.
A foreign player has expressed interest in acquiring 49 percent of soon-to-be privatised Air India. Aviation secretary RN Choubey told TOI this company has given an “unsolicited expression of interest for AI’s airline arm.”
While the identity of this player and whether it is an airline is not being revealed at the moment, Singapore Airlines (SIA) is among the foreign players that are looking at AI’s disinvestment process with interest. Its joint venture airline with Tatas, Vistara has an “open mind” for AI if it makes business sense. “SIA is very keen on AI,” said a person in the know.
Qatar Airways is the other global biggie that wants to start a domestic carrier in India and has for long wanted to pick up a stake in IndiGo. Incidentally IndiGo has given a formal expression of interest for AI’s airline arm.
Image used for representational purposes. (Photo: The Quint)
The next in the series of meetings between Chief Justice Dipak Misra and his four senior-most colleagues in the Supreme Court, to try and end the impasse in the working of the apex court, is scheduled for Wednesday, 31 January.
At the last meeting between the five, apart from Misra and Justices J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B Lokur and Kurian Joseph, who together form the Collegium — the highest decision-making body of the judiciary — three other Supreme Court Justices, AK Sikri, DY Chandrachud and UU Lalit, were present. The meeting, held last week, was the longest so far, going on for over an hour.
1. Budget Session: Govt Set to Push Talaq Legislation
Image used for representational purposes. (Photo: The Quint)
The NDA government will push the Triple Talaq Bill in the budget session of Parliament starting on Monday but is likely to face a stiff challenge from the Opposition, which stalled the legislation in the Rajya Sabha in the winter session.
Opposition parties insisted the proposed law be referred to a select committee for scrutiny. After an all-party meeting on Sunday, the government said it will do “everything possible” to ensure the bill’s passage in the budget session.
“We will leave no stone unturned in talking to and convincing all the political parties to ensure that the triple talaq bill is passed in the Rajya Sabha. The way they have passed GST unanimously, we request them to pass this too unanimously,” parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar said.
2. PM: Common Man Getting Padma Awards Now Due to Reforms
Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Photo: PTI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on Sunday shared stories of ordinary men and women who had made extraordinary contributions to society, and who were honoured with Padma awards this year.
Modi said the common man had found space in the awards category as a result of changes made in the nomination process in the past three years. The online nomination process had brought in transparency, he said. “You will be proud of the fact that today, the common man is being cited for Padma awards without any recommendations. There was a certain methodology of awarding Padma awards every year, but this process has been changed for the past three years. Now, any citizen can nominate any person in our country. Transparency has been brought about in the process by making it operable online,” he said.
3. MCI Case: In-house Probe Records ‘Adverse Remarks’ Against Allahabad HC Judge
Image used for representational purposes. (Photo: iStock)
The in-house inquiry committee set up by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra to look into allegations of corruption against a sitting judge of the Allahabad High Court in the Medical Council of India (MCI) case contains certain “adverse remarks” against him.
The allegations, which prompted the inquiry pertain to Allahabad High Court judge Justice Narayan Shukla granting permission to certain private medical colleges to admit students after an MCI ban, also involved the rulings on the case in the Supreme Court.
Sources told The Indian Express that the report of the in-house inquiry committee, submitted to the CJI, contains “adverse remarks” against Justice Shukla, who was also mentioned in a preliminary investigation conducted by the CBI last September. The CBI, sources said, is keen on seeking the CJI’s sanction afresh to file an FIR against Justice Shukla.
Srinagar tense on Sunday, January 28, after the Shopian incident.(Photo: IANS)
The Jammu and Kashmir police has registered an FIR against the Indian army, charging its 10th Garhwal unit with murder, attempt to murder and endangering life, over the killing of two civilians in south Kashmir’s Shopian district on Saturday, officials said on Sunday.
A senior police officer confirmed that an FIR was filed at the Shopian police station against the army’s 10th Garhwal unit. “The charges under sections 302, 307 and 336 are pressed,” he said.
The Army says it opened fire in self-defence after a convoy came under heavy stone-pelting by protesters who allegedly tried to snatch the weapon of a soldier and lynch him.
5. Man Dies as Oxygen Cylinder Sucked Into MRI Machine
Rajesh Maru got sucked into an MRI machine in government-run Nair Hospital in Mumbai.(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/Vivek Gupta)
A patient’s attendant was killed after he was pinned by a leaking oxygen cylinder to an MRI machine in a Mumbai hospital on Saturday evening.
An autopsy said the 32-year-old Rajesh Maruti Maru inhaled poisonous amounts of liquid oxygen that leaked during frantic moments to pull him to safety after his hand was crushed between the cylinder and the machine that should not have been switched on at the time.
MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, machines are equipped with magnets so powerful that metallic objects like paper clips can turn into lethal projectiles if kept close by.
6. Foreign Player Keen on 49% Air India Stake: Aviation Secy
Air India. (Photo: Reuters)
A foreign player has expressed interest in acquiring 49 percent of soon-to-be privatised Air India. Aviation secretary RN Choubey told TOI this company has given an “unsolicited expression of interest for AI’s airline arm.”
While the identity of this player and whether it is an airline is not being revealed at the moment, Singapore Airlines (SIA) is among the foreign players that are looking at AI’s disinvestment process with interest. Its joint venture airline with Tatas, Vistara has an “open mind” for AI if it makes business sense. “SIA is very keen on AI,” said a person in the know.
Qatar Airways is the other global biggie that wants to start a domestic carrier in India and has for long wanted to pick up a stake in IndiGo. Incidentally IndiGo has given a formal expression of interest for AI’s airline arm.
7. Supreme Court Crisis: CJI Dipak Misra, Four Judges to Meet on Wednesday
Image used for representational purposes. (Photo: The Quint)
The next in the series of meetings between Chief Justice Dipak Misra and his four senior-most colleagues in the Supreme Court, to try and end the impasse in the working of the apex court, is scheduled for Wednesday, 31 January.
At the last meeting between the five, apart from Misra and Justices J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B Lokur and Kurian Joseph, who together form the Collegium — the highest decision-making body of the judiciary — three other Supreme Court Justices, AK Sikri, DY Chandrachud and UU Lalit, were present. The meeting, held last week, was the longest so far, going on for over an hour.
Almost a year after prices of cardiac stents were capped, an examination of bills from various hospitals shows that the extent to which it has brought down the total cost of an angioplasty depends on which hospital you go to.
When the price of stents was capped at Rs 30,000 in February last year, the order had stated that the prices would be reviewed after one year. As the stent companies start lobbying in anticipation of the review, a look at the fallout of the price capping shows that government hospitals and some of the charitable ones have passed on all or most of the benefit to patients.
However, with no regulation on the price of other consumables used in angioplasty like catheters, balloons and guide wires and no control over the cost of the procedure, many large hospitals and corporate chains have increased these to make up for the lost margins on stents. Despite such hikes, since the capping reduced stent prices by as much as 85 percent, there is still about 20 percent reduction in angioplasty costs in most cases.
India’s attempt to review trade reforms in order to help improve the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ in the country has run into rough weather with the Law Ministry objecting to any external agency being authorised to evaluate existing laws and suggest amendments to them.
Earlier this month, the Law Ministry quoted a 1961 Presidential Order that blocks the hiring of a third party consultant to examine and interpret domestic laws, bilateral and multilateral treaties, or to advise ministries on probable changes in laws, regulations and circulars.
Senators Lindsey Graham and Chuck Grassley in a White House meeting with President Donald Trump. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is taking a hard line on the Russia investigation and the president’s seeming inability to stay out of it.On Sunday, Graham warned that Firing Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating the Russia scandal, would be the end of the Donald Trump presidency — adding that everyone surrounding the president knows it.
“It’s pretty clear to me that everybody in the White House knows it would be the end of President Trump’s presidency if he fired Mr. Mueller,” Graham told ABC’s Martha Raddatz in an appearance on This Week on Sunday.The remarks come amid revelations that Trump ordered Mueller’s firing last June, reported by the New York Times this week and subsequently confirmed by other outlets, including the Washington Post and CNN. Top White House lawyer Don McGahn threatened to quit instead of going through with the president’s order, which apparently stopped the president from going through with it. The report provides another example of President Trump’s attempts to interfere with ongoing investigations — a pattern of behavior that has put him under scrutiny for potential obstruction of justice.
Graham said he didn’t know whether the stories about Trump’s order to fire Mueller or McGahn’s threat to quit stopping him were true, despite them being confirmed by multiple reputable news outlets (and, oddly enough, by Sean Hannity), but said he believes Mueller should look into it. “We’re not just going to say it’s fake news and move on. Mueller is the best person to look at it,” he said. He clarified he sees no evidence Trump wants to fire Mueller now.
Graham was among a group of both Republican and Democratic senators last summer to introduce legislation seeking to block Trump from firing Mueller. He co-sponsored a bill with Democratic Senator Cory booker (D-NJ). A similar measurewas introduced by Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Chris Coons (D-DE) around the same time.
On Sunday, Graham said he’d be “glad to pass it tomorrow” but clarified that he thinks “it would be good to have legislation protecting all special counsels.” He also called for a special counsel to probe the Department of Justice and the FBI’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation and the early stages of the Russian investigation — seemingly toeing a line in an attempt not to anger the president or other Republicans.
Many lawmakers remain lukewarm on Trump potentially firing Mueller
Graham largely stands alone in the GOP in the forcefulness of his rhetoric on the Russia investigation and his commitment to protecting Mueller.
In an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union with Jake Tapper on Sunday, Republican Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) said it “probably wouldn’t hurt” to pass one of the proposed bills to block the president from firing Mueller. Collins, widely considered one of the party’s most moderate lawmakers, said enshrining that protection in law isn’t a bad idea. “There are some constitutional issues with those bills, but it would certainly not hurt to put that extra safeguard in place, given the latest stories,” she said.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) disagreed, saying he still just can’t see why such legislation would be necessary. “I don’t think there’s a need for legislation right now to protect Mueller,” he said In an interview with NBC’s Chuck Todd on Meet the Press. “So we’re raising an issue that’s not.”
Democratic Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), who is up for reelection in 2018 and is one of the party’s more moderate members, told NBC’s Todd on Sunday that Trump’s order to fire Mueller was probably just “New York talk” — sort of taking a line from Trump’s “locker room talk” excuse over the Access Hollywood tape. When pressed on the assertion by Todd, he went on to discuss Trump’s business record and explain that that’s probably why Trump thought it would be a good idea to cut Mueller. “You have a person who’s the president of the United States that has been totally in control of his life, personally and professionally,” he said. “Now all of a sudden he’s understanding there’s equal branches and there’s equal powers.” Manchin said if Trump fires Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the person who actually has the authority to fire Mueller, that’s when he’d start to worry.
Whether Trump firing Mueller would actually lead to any consequences is, at the very least, unclear — Republican lawmakers aren’t exactly chomping at the bit to really go after the president. Their latest comments on the matter aren’t exactly heartening.
FEARS of the outbreak of World War 3 in Europe are growing after a top Russian official warned the United States if Washington slaps more economic sanctions against Moscow it will be a “declaration of war”.
By OP
British army chief: Russia may be thinking of WAR
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Andrei Kostin, a close ally of Vladimir Putin, said there was a “growing threat of military conflict” across the continent as he warned of the “dangerous” situation and heralded the start of a new arms race.
Mr Kostin, chief executive of leading Russian bank VTB, said: “We are at the beginning of a new arms race.
“Nato is asking for more weapons and spreading more weapons in Europe and Russia will retaliate absolutely the same.
“So who will benefit from this? Only he generals and those who produce arms.
EPA
Donald Trump is drafting a raft of new sanctions
Any economic sanctions against intuitions, personally I say it would be like declaring a war
Andrei Kostin, a close ally of Vladimir Putin
“America is saying Europe should pay more for this. Who needs it?
“It’s very dangerous.”
Mr Kostin shrugged off concerns about sanctions against him, but told the Financial Times: “Any economic sanctions against intuitions, personally I say it would be like declaring a war”.
US President Donald Trump recently signed a new sanctions package into law designed to punish Moscow for its alleged meddling in the 2016 US presidential election.
Pilgrim Putin: Russian President marks Epiphany with icy plunge
Fri, January 19, 2018
Epiphany is a major holiday in Orthodox Christianity marking the baptism of Jesus
President Putin plunges into the icy waters of lake Seliger [AFP/Getty Images]
Russia denies the allegations.
And the US is currently drawing up a list of Russians with close connections to the President Mr Putin amid fears of World War 3.
Mr Kostin said: “I see no reason why the Russian ambassador should stay in Washington any longer after that or the American ambassador staying swimming in cold water in Moscow.
“I think that is a worse than cold war situation and that is very dangerous. And I think that America is playing with fire, because the relationship is going from bad to worse and we are not responsible for that.”
GETTY
Kostin said US sanctions would be a ‘declaration of war’
Putin braves ice-cold water for Epiphany dip at Lake Seliger
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Mr Kostin said the existing Western sanctions had proved ineffective.
He said: “I have been in business for quite a long time and can compare.
“Under Putin, support for business, including business abroad, has become a part of our national policy.
“I don’t think that everyone will now start to run away like cockroaches that disappear through the floorboards.
“The business community is generally calm.”
The Kremlin has said the new sanctions are designed to try to drive a wedge between the ruling elite and Russia‘s Mr Putin, who will seek another six-year mandate in a March 18 presidential election.
EPA
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