"Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders made a surprise visit to the Apollo Theater on April 4th 2019 in New York for an event honoring Harry Belafonte and Tony Bennett.

It was the Jazz Foundation's 'Great Night in Harlem' annual gala, but the day also marked another significant anniversary.

""This is also a night that we remember the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and one of the great leaders in American history who died, as we'll never forget helping sanitation workers get some dignity in their lives,"" Sanders said.

King was fatally shot outside his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4th 1968 by James Earl Ray, He was sentenced to 99 years, and died in prison in 1998.

Sanders recounted the great strides Dr. King made toward racial harmony, but agrees that tolerance has lost steps over the past couple of years.

As for the reason, Sanders pulled no punches.

""We have a president, and I say this without any joy in my heart, who is a racist. It's hard to believe that we have a president of the United States who is in fact, a racist,"" Sanders said.

That's why Sanders claims eradicating racism is a high priority for him, if elected to the nation's highest office.

""As president of the United States, what I would be doing is bringing our people together to create a nation that works for all of us, and not just the one-percent. To deal with the racism and the disparities that exists, not only between the rich and the poor, but between whites and blacks. And that would certainly be a major priority of a Sanders administration,"" he said

***

Public at last, special counsel Robert Mueller's report revealed to a waiting nation April 18th that President Donald Trump had tried to seize control of the Russia probe and force Mueller's removal to stop him from investigating potential obstruction of justice by the president.

In a previously unreported episode, the report revealed that in June 2017, Trump directed then-White House counsel Don McGahn to call the acting attorney general and say that Mueller must be ousted because he had conflicts of interest.

McGahn refused, deciding that he would rather resign than trigger what he regarded as a potential Saturday Night Massacre of Watergate fame.

For all of that, Mueller said he could not conclusively determine that Trump had committed criminal obstruction of justice.

The Justice Department posted the report online April 18th, 90 minutes after Attorney General William Barr offered his own final assessment of the findings.

***

On May 6th President Donald Trump's ex-lawyer and fixer has left his Manhattan home before starting a three-year prison sentence for crimes including campaign finance violations related to hush-money payments made on Trump's behalf.

Michael Cohen was expected to report later on May 6th at the Federal Correctional Institution, Otisville, a prison 70 miles northwest of New York City.

He paused briefly outside the building and spoke to a media throng, saying he looks forward to the day when he can ""share the truth.""

Then he was escorted to a waiting vehicle and driven away.

***

Trade talks between China and the U.S. continued on May 10th in Washington despite new tariffs the U.S. imposed on $200 billion in Chinese imports and Beijing's vow to retaliate.

Negotiators are trying to resolve the standoff after the United States raised tariffs on Chinese imports, escalating tensions between the world's two biggest economies and rattling stock markets around the world.

Earlier in the week, top U.S. trade negotiator Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin accused the Chinese of reneging on commitments they'd made earlier, throwing the trade talks into disarray.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Beijing is hoping the Trump administration will meet China ""halfway"" in the dispute over trade.

***

U.S. and Chinese negotiators held trade talks May 10th under increasing pressure after President Donald Trump raised tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods and Beijing promised to retaliate, escalating a battle over China's technology ambitions.

The Trump administration raised duties on nearly half of Chinese imports to 25% from 10%. China's Commerce Ministry said it would impose ""necessary countermeasures"" but gave no details.

The increase went ahead even after American and Chinese negotiators began more talks in Washington aimed at ending a dispute that has disrupted billions of dollars in trade and shaken global financial markets. The lead Chinese negotiator, Vice Premier Liu He, left the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative about midday, but it was not immediately clear whether talks had ended.

***

On May 29th Chinese tech giant Huawei filed a motion in a US court challenging the constitutionality of a law that limits its sales of telecom equipment.

The motion is the latest action in the company's ongoing clash with the US government.

During a press briefing on May 28th in Beijing, Huawei's chief legal officer Song Liuping said his company had filed a motion for summary judgment asking the court to rule on whether it is constitutional for the US to implement a military spending provision that bars the government and its contractors from using Huawei equipment.

Song accused US politicians of ""using the strength of an entire nation to come after a private company.""

Two weeks ago, the US Commerce Department placed Huawei on its ""Entity List,"" effectively barring US firms from selling its technology without government approval.

Song said this action sets a ""dangerous precedent"" for other companies and could harm Huawei's three billion customers around the world.

Huawei relies heavily on US components, including computer chips, and about one-third of its suppliers are American.

The move has already affected the company's US partnerships.

Song also denied Washington's claim that Huawei threatens international cybersecurity.

***

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says President Donald Trump doesn't know right from wrong and is ""indifferent to law and any sense of ethics about who we are as a country.""

The top House Democrat said June 13th that when Trump says he's open to accepting information from a foreign power against a political opponent he is ignoring his oath of office to protect and defend the Constitution.

She said that ""it's a very sad thing, a very sad thing that he does not know right from wrong.""

Pelosi is one of Trump's leading antagonists. But she is taking a slow, cautious approach when many in her party are demanding an impeachment inquiry.

She says ""everybody in the country should be totally appalled"" by Trump's remarks to ABC News.

Trump told ABC on June 12th that if a foreign power were offering dirt on his 2020 opponent, he'd be open to accepting it and would have no obligation to call in the FBI.

***

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, whose tenure was marked by a breakdown in regular press briefings and questions about the administration's credibility, as well as her own, will leave her post at the end of the June, President Donald Trump announced June 18th.

Sanders is one of Trump's closest and most trusted White House aides and one of the few remaining on staff who worked on his campaign.

""After 3 1/2 years, our wonderful Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be leaving the White House at the end of the June and going home to the Great State of Arkansas,"" Trump tweeted just before she accompanied him to a White House event on prison reform.

Trump suggesting her as a future candidate for Arkansas governor. ""She would be fantastic.""

Under Sanders' tenure, regular White House press briefings became a relic of the past. She has not held a formal briefing since March 11th.

Reporters often catch her on the White House driveway after she is interviewed by Fox News Channel and other TV news outlets.

Her credibility has also come under question.

Special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia report revealed that Sanders admitted to investigators that she had made an unfounded claim about ""countless"" FBI agents reaching out to express support for Trump's decision to fire FBI Director James Comey in May 2017.

Sanders succeeded Sean Spicer, Trump's first press secretary, in mid-2017.

***

US President Donald Trump kicked off his re-election campaign June 18th with a grievance-filled Florida rally that focused more on settling scores than laying out his agenda for the next four years.

Trump spent much of the first portion of his speech attacking the press, the political establishment and Robert Mueller's special counsel investigation into Russian election interference.

Trump complained he had been ""under assault from the very first day"" of his presidency by a ""fake news media"" and ""illegal witch hunt"" that had tried to keep him and his supporters down.

And he painted a disturbing picture of what life would look like if he loses in 2020, accusing his critics of ""un-American conduct"" and telling the crowd that Democrats ""want to destroy you and they want to destroy our country as we know it.""

The apocalyptic language and finger-pointing made clear that Trump's 2020 campaign is likely to look a whole lot like his improbably successful runs four years ago.

And he appeared eager for a re-run of 2016, spending considerable time focused on his former Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, who elicited """"Lock her up!"" chants, even though she is not on the ballot.

00:02:55:15"

"00:00:00

Sanders: 'We have a president who is a racist'

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New York, 4 April 2019

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Bernie Sanders, (I) Presidential candidate, on racism and the president:

(Reporter: With all the strides we've made toward racial justice and harmony, a lot of that in the last couple of years has taken steps back. What would you do to make it better?)

"" It's hard to believe that we have a president of the United States who is in fact, a racist.

00:04:22

A redacted version of Mueller's report is released

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Washington - 18 April 2019

2. STILL IMAGE - Special counsel Robert Mueller's report

00:11:05

Michael Cohen heads to prison

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++CLIENTS NOTE: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE CAN BE HEARD IN BROLL++

New York - 6 May 2019

3. Michael Cohen exiting apartment building to speak to media

4. Cohen making his way to a waiting car++EXPLICIT LANGUAGE++

00:30:08

China US trade talks resume in Washington

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 10 May 2019

5. U.S. trade negotiator Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin greeting Liu He, Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China outside the office of the USTR, they all walk inside

00:37:03

B-roll of goods made in China

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 10 May 2019

6. Black + Decker drill

7. Made in China on drill

8. Medium of Apple laptop computers

9. Assembled in China on laptop

00:54:10

Huawei asks court to deem US law unconstitutional

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Beijing - 29 May 2019

10. Wide of Huawei's chief legal officer Song Liuping walking to podium

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Song Liuping, Huawei chief legal officer:

""Just now, we filed a motion for summary judgement. By doing this we hope that the court can issue a judgment in the fastest and the most efficient way, declare restrictions on Huawei as unconstitutional

01:20:20

Pelosi: Trump doesn't know right from wrong

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Washington, DC - 13 June 2019

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House

""Yesterday the president gave us, once again, evidence that he does not know right from wrong. It's a very sad and very sad thing that he does not know right from wrong.""

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House

"" The intelligence community, with great confidence has put forth that the Russians interfered in our election. That's an assault on our democracy, an assault on our democracy. This president says, it's a hoax. He takes an oath to protect and defend the Constitution. But, I guess it doesn't include him in terms of being to be held accountable to obey the law.""

02:02:23

Sarah Sanders to leave White House

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 9 October 2018

14. President Donald Trump walking with Sarah Sanders on the White House South Lawn

02:11:03

Trump: Radical Democrats 'want to destroy you'

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Orlando, Florida - 18 June 2019

15. Wide shot of Trump on stage at rally

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, U.S. President:

No collusion and the facts that led our great attorney general to determine no obstruction. No collusion, no obstruction and they spent 40 million dollars on this witch hunt, 40 million dollars.""

17. Crowd

18. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, U.S. President:

"" Our radical Democrat opponents are driven by hatred, prejudice and rage. They want to destroy you and they want to destroy our country as we know it. Not acceptable. It's not going to happen.""

"

House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler said his committee is filing a court petition Friday in an effort to obtain secret grand jury material underlying former special counsel Robert Mueller's report.

The panel is also expected to file a lawsuit next week to try to enforce a subpoena against former White House counsel Donald McGahn, a key Mueller witness, if he doesn't comply before then.

That suit is expected to challenge the White House's claim that former White House employees have "absolute immunity" from testifying before Congress.

The move comes after Mueller's testimony Wednesday to Congress saying he had not "exculpated" President Donald Trump. Democrats are trying to focus public attention on Mueller's words and on his 448-page report's contents, including several episodes in which Trump sought to influence the special counsel's investigation into Russia election interference.

Mueller concluded that he could not exonerate Trump on obstruction of justice. He also concluded that there was no evidence of a criminal conspiracy between Trump's campaign and Russia.

The panel has struggled to bring in witnesses like McGahn who spoke extensively to Mueller because the White House has directed them to refuse to testify. Trump has said he will fight "all of the subpoenas."

Nadler said the committee is still negotiating with McGahn for documents and testimony, and the committee will file the lawsuit "in very short order" if he does not comply.

The court battles are beginning as the House leaves for a six-week recess and Democrats are debating whether to impeach the Republican president. More than 90 House Democrats have said they favor starting the impeachment process, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she wants to build the strongest case possible before making that decision, including by going to court to force witnesses to comply.

Nadler said the court filing will include a line saying that the materials are necessary "to determine whether the committee should recommend articles of impeachment."

Washington, DC - 26 July 2019

1. Wide, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler walks into briefing room, along with members of committee

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Jerrold Nadler, House Judiciary Committee Chairman:

"Before he (Robert Mueller) ever stepped into our hearing room, the director had rendered our country a great and necessary public service. He showed through his report and his indictments that the United States was attacked and remains under siege by a foreign adversary. He showed that the Trump campaign both welcomed and benefited from this attack on our country. And he showed that the president repeatedly lied to cover it up. And if that were not enough. Director Mueller's testimony removed all doubt. He told us that Donald Trump obstructed justice and abused his office by tampering with witnesses, attempting to block the investigation and attempting to fire the special counsel. He told us that Donald Trump lied to the public about the Trump Tower meeting in New York. Lied to the public about his plans for Trump Tower in Moscow and lied in his written responses to the special counsel. He told us in a remarkable exchange with Mr. (Ted) Lieu that but for the Department of Justice policy from prohibiting, prohibiting from doing so, he would have indicted President Trump."

3. Wide, news conference

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jerrold Nadler, House Judiciary Committee Chairman:

"We will continue to seek testimony from key fact witnesses.  As many of you know the committee has authorized several additional subpoenas. Our work will continue into the August recess and we will use those subpoenas, if we must. We will also continue to seek important documents from the Department of Justice and the White House. We have made some progress on this front. There appears to be compelling evidence of the President's misconduct outside of the four corners of the redacted version of the Mueller Report. And we will work to uncover that evidence as well. Finally, today we are filing an application for the grand jury material underlying the Mueller report. That information is critically important for our ability to examine witnesses including former White House counsel Don McGahn and to investigate the president's misconduct. I will not comment on reports of our ongoing negotiations with Mr. McGahn but unless he complies with our accommodation efforts in very short order we expect to file an additional suit to enforce a subpoena for his testimony and that would be next week or earlier next week."

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, Democrat - Pennsylvania:

"The court filings today are the next step and we'll continue down that road to see whether we have the strong case that is needed to put to the American people."

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Eric Swalwell, Democrat - California:

"Well if you shut up expecting a Broadway show sure you may have been disappointed but if you listened to what he said he said that the Russians attacked us they had a preference for Donald Trump. The Trump campaign welcomed it and planned around it and when the police investigated it they took great lengths to cover it up including the president and the president is the only person in America who would be shielded from being held accountable because of what they did. That is pretty cut and dry. And what you've seen is not members who have called for impeachment saying take me off of that call in light of what Mr. Mueller have said. Six members since have come forward and have said add me to that call for impeachment."

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Madeleine Dean, Democrat - Pennsylvania:

"And what I believe we really should be focused on is not the performance of Mr. Mueller but the performance or behaviors of this president, obstructing justice. That's the performance you need to be examining. The performance of the Trump administration welcoming, wallowing in interference by Russia. The performance of Russia interfering with our elections in massive and sweeping ways that will continue. And a Senate yesterday that did nothing, in fact blocked attempts, to take care of or protect our elections."

8. Wide

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Veronica Escobar, Democrat - Texas:

"We're crossing a threshold. Absolutely. When you think about the, the, the mode that we were operating under before it really was an oversight function. We're now crossing a threshold with the filing of this, of this, with this filing and we are now officially entering into an examination of whether or not to recommend the articles of impeachment. So it's we have crossed a threshold. I just wanted to make that real clear."

10. Pan as members walk away

House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler said his committee is filing a court petition Friday in an effort to obtain secret grand jury material underlying former special counsel Robert Mueller's report.

The panel is also expected to file a lawsuit next week to try to enforce a subpoena against former White House counsel Donald McGahn, a key Mueller witness, if he doesn't comply before then.

That suit is expected to challenge the White House's claim that former White House employees have "absolute immunity" from testifying before Congress.

The move comes after Mueller's testimony Wednesday to Congress saying he had not "exculpated" President Donald Trump. Democrats are trying to focus public attention on Mueller's words and on his 448-page report's contents, including several episodes in which Trump sought to influence the special counsel's investigation into Russia election interference.

Mueller concluded that he could not exonerate Trump on obstruction of justice. He also concluded that there was no evidence of a criminal conspiracy between Trump's campaign and Russia.

The panel has struggled to bring in witnesses like McGahn who spoke extensively to Mueller because the White House has directed them to refuse to testify. Trump has said he will fight "all of the subpoenas."

Nadler said the committee is still negotiating with McGahn for documents and testimony, and the committee will file the lawsuit "in very short order" if he does not comply.

The court battles are beginning as the House leaves for a six-week recess and Democrats are debating whether to impeach the Republican president. More than 90 House Democrats have said they favor starting the impeachment process, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she wants to build the strongest case possible before making that decision, including by going to court to force witnesses to comply.

Nadler said the court filing will include a line saying that the materials are necessary "to determine whether the committee should recommend articles of impeachment."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 26 July 2019

1. Wide, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler walks into briefing room, along with members of committee

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Jerrold Nadler, House Judiciary Committee Chairman:

"Before he (Robert Mueller) ever stepped into our hearing room, the director had rendered our country a great and necessary public service. He showed through his report and his indictments that the United States was attacked and remains under siege by a foreign adversary. He showed that the Trump campaign both welcomed and benefited from this attack on our country. And he showed that the president repeatedly lied to cover it up. And if that were not enough. Director Mueller's testimony removed all doubt. He told us that Donald Trump obstructed justice and abused his office by tampering with witnesses, attempting to block the investigation and attempting to fire the special counsel. He told us that Donald Trump lied to the public about the Trump Tower meeting in New York. Lied to the public about his plans for Trump Tower in Moscow and lied in his written responses to the special counsel. He told us in a remarkable exchange with Mr. (Ted) Lieu that but for the Department of Justice policy from prohibiting, prohibiting from doing so, he would have indicted President Trump."

3. Wide, news conference

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jerrold Nadler, House Judiciary Committee Chairman:

"We will continue to seek testimony from key fact witnesses.  As many of you know the committee has authorized several additional subpoenas. Our work will continue into the August recess and we will use those subpoenas, if we must. We will also continue to seek important documents from the Department of Justice and the White House. We have made some progress on this front. There appears to be compelling evidence of the President's misconduct outside of the four corners of the redacted version of the Mueller Report. And we will work to uncover that evidence as well. Finally, today we are filing an application for the grand jury material underlying the Mueller report. That information is critically important for our ability to examine witnesses including former White House counsel Don McGahn and to investigate the president's misconduct. I will not comment on reports of our ongoing negotiations with Mr. McGahn but unless he complies with our accommodation efforts in very short order we expect to file an additional suit to enforce a subpoena for his testimony and that would be next week or earlier next week."

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, Democrat - Pennsylvania:

"The court filings today are the next step and we'll continue down that road to see whether we have the strong case that is needed to put to the American people."

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Eric Swalwell, Democrat - California:

"Well if you shut up expecting a Broadway show sure you may have been disappointed but if you listened to what he said he said that the Russians attacked us they had a preference for Donald Trump. The Trump campaign welcomed it and planned around it and when the police investigated it they took great lengths to cover it up including the president and the president is the only person in America who would be shielded from being held accountable because of what they did. That is pretty cut and dry. And what you've seen is not members who have called for impeachment saying take me off of that call in light of what Mr. Mueller have said. Six members since have come forward and have said add me to that call for impeachment."

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Madeleine Dean, Democrat - Pennsylvania:

"And what I believe we really should be focused on is not the performance of Mr. Mueller but the performance or behaviors of this president, obstructing justice. That's the performance you need to be examining. The performance of the Trump administration welcoming, wallowing in interference by Russia. The performance of Russia interfering with our elections in massive and sweeping ways that will continue. And a Senate yesterday that did nothing, in fact blocked attempts, to take care of or protect our elections."

8. Wide

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Veronica Escobar, Democrat - Texas:

"We're crossing a threshold. Absolutely. When you think about the, the, the mode that we were operating under before it really was an oversight function. We're now crossing a threshold with the filing of this, of this, with this filing and we are now officially entering into an examination of whether or not to recommend the articles of impeachment. So it's we have crossed a threshold. I just wanted to make that real clear."

10. Pan as members walk away

On March 5th 2018 the British media reported that the Zizi restaurant in Salisbury had been closed as a precaution in connection with an incident in which 66-year-old former Russian spy Sergei Skripal was left critically ill by exposure to an unknown substance.

The media is quoting Wiltshire Police.

Skripal, 66, who was convicted in Russia on charges of spying for Britain and sentenced in 2006 to 13 years in prison.

He was freed in 2010 as part of a US-Russian spy swap.

The discovery of the two people led to a dramatic decontamination effort.

Crews in billowing yellow moon suits worked into the night spraying down the street, and the Salisbury hospital's emergency room was closed.

***

There was a heavy police presence on March 6th near a shopping mall in a town in southern England where a former Russian spy was found after ,it is said, he suffered exposure to an "unknown substance".

The Kremlin said Russia has not been approached to help in an investigation over how and why the former spy was found critically ill on a bench near Maltings Shopping Centre in Salisbury.

A woman was also found unconscious on March 4th in Salisbury, about 90 miles (145 kilometres) west of London.

Dimitry Peskov, President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, said March 6th that there has been no request for help but that "Moscow is always ready to cooperate."

***

On March 7th ambulances and emergency vehicles rushed to central Salisbury in England amid jitters following the collapse of a former Russian spy and his daughter there.

An eyewitness says emergency services escorted two women on March 7th from a building near a restaurant that had been cordoned off by police searching for clues as to what prompted Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia to fall ill on March 4th.

Police and ambulance services declined to comment and it was not immediately clear if the incident had anything to do with the ongoing investigation.

Meanwhile British counter-terror police cordoned off a new site in the case of the former Russian spy and his daughter.

London's Metropolitan Police secured Solstice Park, a business park in Amesbury near Stonehenge, the prehistoric monument and world heritage site.

Amesbury is about nine miles (14 kilometres) from Salisbury, where Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found collapsed on a bench on March 4th.

Lloyd Ridley, who works nearby as a mechanic, told the Associated Press on Wednesday that some 40 firemen stood outside as the area was cordoned off, adding there were four people "dressed up in hazmats going inside and retrieving stuff in these boxes and putting them outside in the cornered area."

British counterterrorism specialists have taken control of the case from local police trying to unravel the mystery of what happened to the pair.

The matter has not been declared a terrorist incident.

Police are also asking members of the public to come forward if they had visited a Salisbury pizza restaurant or pub where the couple were last seen on March 4th.

***

Britain's armed forces arrived in Salisbury on March 9th to help police investigate the nerve-agent poisoning of a former spy.

Counterterrorism detectives asked for military help to remove vehicles and objects from a number of scenes related to March 4th's attack.

In a statement on the deployment, the defence secretary said the armed forces had the "right people with the right skills" to assist in the investigation.

More than 100 personnel from the Royal Marines, the RAF and chemical teams are said to have been sent to Salisbury.

***

A large-scale investigation continued on March 11th in Salisbury as forensics experts wearing protective gear searched for clues after a Russian ex-spy and his daughter were poisoned with a nerve agent.

Authorities said earlier that small traces of contamination have been found in a restaurant and a pub in the English city of Salisbury.

Hospital officials in Salisbury also said there is no evidence of a wider risk beyond the three people hospitalized since the March 4th attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

Ex-spy Skripal and his daughter Yulia reportedly ate at a Zizzi restaurant before falling critically ill.

A British police detective is also hospitalized in serious condition.

Among the sites they are searching are the Zizzi restaurant, which is closed to the public, and the gravesites where Skripal's wife and son are buried.

Skripal's house has also been extensively searched for clues and traces of the nerve agent.

Authorities haven't revealed how or where the Skripals were exposed to the nerve agent. It's not known if it happened in a restaurant, a pub, Skripal's house or elsewhere.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said on March 10th it is still "too early" to determine who is to blame for the attack.

Senior government officials have vowed to respond robustly if the Russian government is found to be responsible.

Rudd said more than 250 counterterrorism officers are on the scene evaluating more than 240 pieces of evidence and interviewing about 200 witnesses.

They are backed by roughly 180 military personnel providing logistical support, including the removal of ambulances feared to possibly be contaminated by the nerve agent.

***

Russia will only cooperate with Britain on the investigation into March 4th's poisoning of an ex-Russian spy and his daughter if it receives samples of the nerve agent that is believed to have been used, Russia's foreign minister said March 13th.

Sergey Lavrov spoke in response to the British government's demand for an explanation of the use of a military-grade nerve agent produced in Russia in the attack in the English city of Salisbury.

Lavrov told reporters on March 13th Moscow's requests to see samples of the nerve agent have been turned down, which he called a violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which outlaws the production of chemical weapons. He insisted that Russia is "not to blame" for the poisoning.

He said Moscow is willing to cooperate with the probe but suggested that London would be "better off" complying with its international obligations "before putting forward ultimatums."

British Prime Minister Theresa May said Russia's involvement is "highly likely" and delivered a March 13th deadline for a Russian response.

Officials said March 13thPrime Minister Theresa May is reviewing a range of economic and diplomatic measures in retaliation for the assault with a military-grade nerve agent.

The poisoning left 66-year-old Sergei Skripal and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia in critical condition.

***

British Home Secretary Amber Rudd chaired a meeting of the Government's Cobra emergencies committee on March 13th to discuss the response to the recent poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter.

Rudd reiterated Prime Minister Theresa May's deadline of midnight on March 13th for Moscow to explain how the Russian-made nerve agent Novichok came to be used on British soil.

Rudd said that until that response she would not be commenting on what action the UK would be taking against Russia.

Authorities say the pair were poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent and that Russia is "highly likely" to be behind it.

May is demanding an explanation.

***

British counterterrorism police on March 13th took charge of the investigation into the death in London of a Russian businessman because he was connected to a prominent Kremlin foe.

The death of Nikolai Glushkov, confirmed by his lawyer in Russia, came a week after former spy Sergei Skripal was left critically ill from nerve agent poisoning in the city of Salisbury.

Police said there was no evidence to suggest a link to the March 4th poisoning of Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

Attorney Andrei Borovkov told Russian media outlets that Glushkov had died, but said he was unaware of the time and circumstances. Reports in British and Russian media said Glushkov, who was in his late 60s, was found dead at his home in southwest London.

London's Metropolitan Police force said it was investigating the unexplained death of a man found at a house in the New Malden area late March 12th. It didn't release his name, saying formal identification had yet to take place.

Police said counterterrorism detectives are leading the investigation "as a precaution because of associations that the man is believed to have had."

Glushkov was an associate of Boris Berezovsky, a Russian oligarch and Kremlin critic who died in London in 2013. An inquest failed to determine whether he had killed himself or died from foul play.

Glushkov told The Guardian newspaper in 2013 he didn't believe Berezovsky's death was suicide. "I'm definite Boris was killed," he said.

Glushkov was arrested in 1999 and put on trial for embezzling 7 million US dollars from Aeroflot.

In 2004, he was sentenced to three years and three months in prison, but released because of time served before and during his trial.

Russian media reported that Glushkov was granted political asylum in Britain in 2010.

***

On March 15th President Donald Trump pointed the finger at Russia in the poisoning of a former Russian spy in Great Britain, saying he had spoken with British Prime Minister Theresa May.

During a meeting with Ireland's prime minister in the Oval Office, Trump said it's something "that should never, ever happen."

March 15th, the U.S. joined the Britain, France and Germany in a joint statement blaming Moscow for the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy who was living in England.

The list of Russians now under sanction includes the 13 indicted in February by U.S. special counsel Robert Mueller as part of his Russia-related investigation into alleged election interference.

Altogether, 19 Russians were cited. Also sanctioned were five Russian companies, including the Internet Research Agency, which is accused of orchestrating a mass online disinformation campaign to affect the presidential election result.

The Treasury Department announced the sanctions amid withering criticism of Trump and his administration for failing to use its congressionally mandated authority to punish Russia. Trump himself has been skeptical of the election accusations.

The sanctions are the first use of the new powers that Congress passed last year to punish Moscow for meddling in an election that Republican Donald Trump won over Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The accusations and accompanying sanctions are some of the strongest actions to date by the administration to punish Russia for hacking and other efforts to sow discord in the American democracy.

The Trump administration is also accusing Russia on March 15th of a concerted, ongoing operation to hack and spy on the U.S. energy grid and other critical infrastructure, and separately imposed sanctions on Russian officials for alleged high-tech interference in the 2016 American presidential election.

U.S. national security officials said the FBI, the Homeland Security Department and American intelligence agencies determined that Russian intelligence and others were behind the attacks on the energy sector.

The officials said the Russians deliberately chose U.S. energy industry targets, obtaining access to computer systems and then conducting "network reconnaissance" of industrial control systems that run American factories and the electricity grid.

The U.S. government has helped energy businesses kick out the Russians from all systems currently known to have been penetrated, according to the officials.

The officials, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive national security information, left open the possibility of discovering more breaches, and said the federal government was issuing an alert to the energy industry to raise awareness about the threat and improve preparation.

***

British Prime Minister Theresa May said on March 19th that Russia had the "capability", motive and intent" to poison a Russian ex-spy and his daughter and that the attack was "part of a pattern of behaviour by Russia across Europe".

Britain has accused Russia of using a military-grade nerve agent to poison former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, who have been in critical condition for two weeks.

Britain has announced the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats, and Russia has responded in kind.

Asked to comment on weekend newspaper reports about the possible exhumation of Russians who died in the UK in suspicious circumstances, May said that would be a matter for the police.

She said the focus of the investigation at this stage was on the Skripals' case.

May added that officials from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons were expected to arrive in the UK on March 19th and would discuss with police taking samples of the nerve agent in order to conduct an independent verification.

British police have contacted other Russian exiles in the last few days to discuss their safety in light of the recent attacks.

The Kremlin says Britain will eventually have to offer proof to back up its claim of Russia's involvement in the poisoning or apologise.

00:00:00

UK restaurant closed after former Russian spy exposed to unknown substance

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Salisbury - 5 March 2018

++NIGHT SHOTS++

1. Various of restaurant exteriors

00:07:14

Police cordon off area where former Russian spy was taken ill

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Salisbury - 6 March 2018

2. Bench believed to be where Skripal was found unconscious, police cordon

3. Media near Maltings Shopping Centre

4. Police outside Skripal's home in Salisbury

00:21:04

Latest from scene of "poisoning"; graves of Skripal relatives

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Salisbury - 7 March 2018

5. Tent covering bench where former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Julia were taken ill

6. Gravestone of the wife of Sergei Skripal, flowers

00:28:24

Troops at hospital in Salisbury where poison victims treated

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Salisbury - 9 March 2018

7. Troops standing next to support vehicles in car park of Salisbury District Hospital

00:32:24

Military remove potentially-contaminated vehicles in Salisbury

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Salisbury - 11 March 2018

8. Police car being lifted onto truck

9. Police cars and forensic officials

10. Trucks leaving

00:44:24

Lavrov: Russia is 'not to blame' for poisoning of ex-spy

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Moscow - 13 March 2018

11. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Sergei Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister:

"Russia is not guilty, Russia is ready to cooperate in the framework of the Chemical Weapons Convention only if the United Kingdom takes the pains to fulfill their legal obligations according to the same document."

01:01:20

UK emergencies committee meets to discuss Salisbury nerve agent case

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UK POOL

London - 13 March 2018

12. British Prime Minister Theresa May leaving Number 10 Downing Street to attend Cobra meeting (a cross-departmental crisis committee that is formed to respond to national emergencies) meeting

01:06:12

Detectives busy at house of dead Russian businessman

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

London - 13 March 2018

New Malden, London - 13 March 2018

13. Various of house belonging to Russian businessman Nikolai Glushkov with police tents outside

01:14:21

Trump points to Russia in poisoning of former spy in UK

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington DC - 15 March 2018

14. SOUNDBITE: (English) Donald Trump, U.S. President

" It looks like the Russians were behind it, something that should never, ever happen, and we're taking it very seriously, as I think are many others. "

01:24:24

May: The Russian state is responsible for nerve agent attack

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UK POOL

Birmingham - 19 March 2018

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Theresa May, British Prime Minister:

"I set out clearly in the House of Commons last week why it is that we believe the Russian state is culpable for the incident that took place, for the acts that took place, for the use of this nerve agent on the streets of Salisbury.