Section: Independent Online (South Africa)
Vladimir Putin sacks prominent Ukraine hardliner
Moscow – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday dismissed a veteran, once close adviser who until recently managed Moscow’s relations with war-torn Ukraine. Putin fired Vladislav Surkov, seen as a hardliner by many in Kiev, in a terse two-line statement on the Kremlin website. His sacking, which coincided with a flare-up in...
Donald Trump defends right to interfere in criminal cases
Washington – US President Donald Trump on Friday said he has “the legal right” to interfere in criminal cases, capping a tumultuous week that raised questions about whether he is eroding the independence of the U.S. legal system. Trump’s criticism of the judge, jury and prosecutors in the criminal case of his longtime...
Donald Trump, Republican committee raises over R890m during impeachment trial
Washington – US President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign and his Republican Party raised more than $60 million (about R891 million) in January, against the backdrop of impeachment that threatened Trump’s presidency. The Democratic-led House of Representatives impeached Trump on December 18, making him only the third...
Donald Trump hails Barr for ‘taking charge’ of Roger Stone case, Democrats vow probe
Washington – US President Donald Trump on Wednesday praised Attorney General William Barr for “taking charge” of the case against his long-time adviser and friend Roger Stone, as Democrats pushed investigations into the Justice Department’s actions. The Justice Department on Tuesday reversed course and urged a lighter...
Freed from impeachment drama, Donald Trump to press ahead with re-election campaign
Washington – President Donald Trump emerged confident and ready to press on with his re-election effort on Wednesday after the Democratic-led impeachment drive that he denounced as illegitimate crashed to a halt in the Republican-led Senate. Trump plans to speak about the issue at the White House on Thursday. A source close to the president...
31 dubious claims made by Donald Trump during his State of the Union speech
Washington – President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech once again was chock-full of stretched facts and dubious figures. Many of these claims have been fact-checked repeatedly, yet the president persists in using them. Here, in the order in which he made them, are 31 statements by the president. “I am thrilled to report...
A newly emboldened Donald Trump gives Democrats reason to fret
Washington – President Donald Trump took the stage for his State of the Union speech in an unfamiliar position: With the wind at his back. For most of his three years in office, Trump has been surrounded by tumult, much of it of his own making, resulting ultimately in his impeachment by the House of Representatives. Now, for the first time...
Donald Trump’s acquittal assured, Democrats still push for conviction in trial
Washington – Even with acquittal seemingly assured, the Democrats prosecuting President Donald Trump in his impeachment trial urged the Senate on Monday to convict him to show that no president is above the law while his legal team faulted the case brought against him. “I submit to you on behalf of the House of Representatives that...
Donald Trump’s impeachment trial heads to historic end
Washington — President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial heads toward a historic conclusion this week, with senators all-but-certain to acquit him on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress after narrowly rejecting Democratic demands to summon witnesses. There’s still plenty of drama to unfold before Wednesday’s...
Democrats signal defeat as Donald Trump impeachment trial nears end
Washington – Democrats sounded resigned to defeat on Friday in their bid to call witnesses at U.S. President Donald Trump’s Senate impeachment trial, predicting his fellow Republicans would move swiftly to acquit him and leave him in office. “Tonight, all signs point to a rushed acquittal of an impeached president,” Patty...
