INSIDER
Stuart Kaufman, an expert on international relations and the war between Ukraine and Russia, joined News4JAX anchor Bruce Hamilton to break down the roadblocks to moving toward peace on Politics & Power.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is vowing to expand the country’s non-lethal aid to Ukraine as it fights Russian aggression.
Rescuers are searching through charred rubble of a shopping mall for more victims of a Russian missile strike that has killed at least 18 and wounded scores of others in a Ukrainian city.
The head of the Jacksonville Sister Cities Association told News4JAX Tuesday that even though the partnership between the cities of Jacksonville, Florida and Murmansk, Russia has been ‘dormant’ since 2017, the preservation of their ‘sister city’ should be upheld.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky specifically admonished the city of Jacksonville, as well as other U.S. cities, for maintaining official diplomatic ties to cities in Russia.
Taylor's aide, who was accompanying Sondland to meetings in Kiev with Ukrainian officials, could hear Trump asking Sondland about the investigations, Taylor testified. Sondland "told President Trump that the Ukrainians were ready to move forward," Taylor said. Taylor testified that his aide later asked Sondland what Trump thought of Ukraine. "Ambassador Sondland responded that President Trump cares more about the investigations of Biden, which (Trump personal attorney Rudy) Giuliani was pressing for," Taylor said. House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, asked Taylor if Sondland's statement meant that Trump cared more about the investigations "than he does about Ukraine?"
Copyright 2019 CNN(CNN) - President Donald Trump said he will release the transcript of another phone call with the President of Ukraine "probably" on Tuesday -- this communication having taken place in April before the July conversation at the heart of the impeachment inquiry. Trump said he first spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in April, but his communication with Zelensky in July has so far been the focus of House Democrats' impeachment inquiry. In September, the White House released a rough transcript of that July 25 call following a whistleblower complaint that alleged Trump solicited "interference" from a foreign country to help his 2020 presidential campaign. The call took place months before the July conversation at the center of the impeachment inquiry. Moreover, the testimony shows a President detached from the integral role Ukraine plays in US policy against Russia -- but also animated in his agitation toward Ukraine.
CNN(CNN) - On the front lines of Ukraine's war with Russia, the conditions are basic and the enemy is close. This battlefield near Shyrokyne, with its trenches hand-dug with shovels, seems to have more in common with stories of World War I than 21st century conflicts. The United States has decreed that the system may not be used on the front lines, where it might lead to an escalation of force on the Russian side. Asked whether the United States is a reliable ally, he nods emphatically "completely, yes, completely." But it is a long road ahead and the political crisis in the United States could yet impact Ukraine again.
CNN Video(CNN) - Vice President Mike Pence is defending President Donald Trump for asking the Ukrainian president to investigate Joe Biden -- even when faced with his past comments on foreign interference in U.S. politics. "I think that's why President Trump is so concerned about a foreign interference in our election in Ukraine." Trump also asked Zelensky to investigate a cybersecurity company that had publicly sounded the alarm about Russia's interference in the 2016 election. "I mean, to be honest with you, when did you all lose interest in foreign interference in the 2016 election?" Pence said Trump "did nothing wrong" during his phone call with Zelensky, adding that there was no pressure from Trump and no quid pro quo made with the Ukrainian leader.
WASHINGTON (CNN) - House Democrats on Friday issued a subpoena to the White House for documents related to Ukraine, ratcheting up the Democratic impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. The three panels leading the probe have already issued subpoenas to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Giuliani, in addition to Friday's White House subpoena. The vice president's spokesman said that the Democrats letter "does not appear to be a serious request." White House lawyers were drafting the letter saying they could not be compelled to produce documents until the full House votes to open an impeachment inquiry, something Pelosi has said is unnecessary according House rules. Previously, Democrats have responded to White House stonewalling with contempt votes and lawsuits to pry loose the materials they were seeking.
Volodymyr Zelensky may have been swept into the center of a major political storm in Washington, but the Ukrainian President still made some time to meet Hollywood A-lister Tom Cruise this week. (CNN) - Volodymyr Zelensky may have been swept into the center of a major political storm in Washington, but the Ukrainian President still made some time to meet Hollywood A-lister Tom Cruise this week. Zelensky hosted Cruise in his office in Kiev on Monday evening, his administration said in a statement. "At the invitation of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, the world-famous American actor, film director and producer Tom Cruise arrived in Kiev," the administration said Tuesday. In the video, Cruise mentions seeing cobbled streets.
CNN image(CNN) - A majority of Americans say they think Congress opening an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump is necessary, according to a CBS News poll released Sunday. The poll, conducted by YouGov, shows 55% of Americans think the newly-opened probe necessary, while 45% of Americans think it unnecessary. Among Democrats, nearly 9 in 10 approve of the inquiry and two-thirds strongly approve -- 87% of Democrats approve of the inquiry, while 77% of Republicans disapprove, according to the poll. Twenty-two percent say it's too soon to say, according to the poll. When it comes to Trump's actions concerning Ukraine, 41% -- including most Democrats -- say he acted illegally while 28% -- including most Republicans -- say he acted properly, the poll notes.
Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire to testifies before the House Intelligence Committee on the whistleblower complaint, followed by a closed-door meeting with the Senate Intelligence Committee, according to a source familiar with the plans. The hearing was scheduled prior to Wednesday's release by the White House of the transcript of a phone call that shows President Trump pushed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate Biden's son.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The House Intelligence Committee released a redacted version Thursday of a whistleblower complaint at the center of Democrats' impeachment probe of President Donald Trump. The White House released a rough transcript of that call Wednesday morning. The whistleblower complaint, which was filed to the intelligence community inspector general, contains allegations about Trump's conduct. It was sent to Congress on Wednesday afternoon and the redacted version was released to the public Thursday. READ: Unclassified version of whistleblower complaintThe whistleblower has tentatively agreed to testify in front of Congress if their attorneys are able to be cleared to attend.
VIDEO: President Donald Trump repeatedly pushed for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate a potential 2020 political rival, Joe Biden, and his son, Hunter, during a July 25 phone call,... Copyright 2019 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.
President Trump met with the president of Ukraine Wednesday amid mounting questions surrounding a call between the two back in July. The president spent the day schmoozing with world leaders in New York during the annual United Nations General Assembly. But everywhere he went he faced a barrage of questions about the phone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky, in which Trump asked him to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's dealings with Ukraine. After their meeting, Zelensky told reporters that he never felt "pushed" by Trump during their call. We used quite a few of your skills.Read the transcript summary of President Trump's call with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky https://t.co/nRdEg8emco pic.twitter.com/GIqHvsos6z CBS News (@CBSNews) September 25, 2019RELATED STORIESAn Impeachment Investigation Against Trump Is Coming What Happens Next?
It was an eventful day in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, when Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the House was launching a formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump -- and Hollywood has something to say about it! Per the publication, Trump admitted to making a call and having them look into Joe Biden's son, Hunter's, business deals with Ukraine. !#ImpeachDonaldTrumpNOW," Rosie O'Donnell wrote alongside a video of her thanking Pelosi. Ava DuVernay also posted a gif of herself at the Emmy's, tweeting: "We are dressed and ready for the #ImpeachmentParty. #ImpeachThe... pic.twitter.com/9c0OqruSCQ yvette nicole brown (@YNB) September 24, 2019Democrats have been trying to #ImpeachTrump since the day he was elected.
Getty Images(CNN) - President Donald Trump on Sunday acknowledged that he discussed former Vice President Joe Biden in a July call with Ukraine's president, as Democrats strengthened calls for investigation into Trump's contact with the foreign leader and party leadership warned of a new lawless chapter in the United States. The conversation I had was largely congratulatory, was largely corruption -- all of the corruption taking place, was largely the fact that we don't want our people like Vice President Biden and his son (adding to the corruption)," Trump told reporters. CNN previously reported Trump pressed Zelensky in the call to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden's son, Hunter, according to a person familiar with the situation. That call was also part of a whistleblower complaint submitted to the Intelligence Community Inspector General, another person familiar with the situation told CNN. Trump previously branded criticism of the call a "Ukranian Witch Hunt," while Biden accused the President of abusing his power to "smear" him.
(CNN) - Chernobyl, the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster which resulted in thousands of deaths, is to become an official tourist attraction, Ukraine's president has announced. Once at the center of a 1,000-square-mile exclusion zone, Chernobyl has seen a sharp rise in visitors since an HBO mini-series about the tragedy aired earlier this year. On April 26 1986, a reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded, forcing a region-wide evacuation and sending radioactive fallout billowing across Europe. For more than two decades, authorities maintained the exclusion zone around the reactor, including the city of Pripyat, once home to 50,000 people. While travelers are currently permitted to visit Chernobyl with a guide, there is no official Ukrainian law in place authorizing tourism in the exclusion zone.
