President Donald Trump's assertion that he would be open to accepting a foreign power's help in his 2020 campaign ricocheted through Washington on Thursday, with Democrats condemning it as a call for further election interference and Republicans struggling to defend his comments.

Trump seemed to dismiss the threat posed by Russia's interference in the 2016 election, one that led to sweeping indictments by special counsel Robert Mueller, and his incendiary remarks come as congressional investigations into the meddling have quickened.

Associated Press Washington bureau chief Julie Pace says the questions that arised from the Mueller probe make "it even more stunning that (Trump) would come out and say that he would generally be OK with a foreign government giving him dirt on a political opponent."

"The president seems to think that there really isn't a line that it's that it's fair game for him to interact with a foreign government and use something that they might they might have on his political opponent in the course of an election," Pace says.

Special counsel Robert Mueller painstakingly documented Russian efforts to boost Trump's campaign and undermine that of his Democratic rival.

But while Mueller's investigation didn't establish a criminal conspiracy between Russia and Trump's campaign, Trump repeatedly praised WikiLeaks in 2016 and at one point implored hackers to dig up dirt on Hillary Clinton.

The role of Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., in organizing a 2016 meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer offering negative information on Clinton was a focus of Mueller's probe of Russian meddling in the last presidential campaign.

"Trump's comments really underscore why the Trump campaign was so comfortable taking this meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer," Pace says. "They didn't see anything wrong with the idea of a Russian lawyer coming into Trump Tower and saying I've got some political dirt on your opponent."

While Democrats have been quick to condemn the president's comments, Republicans have been noticeably muted on the issue.

Pace says the Republican party "is Trump's party and there's really no way around that."

"If they break from him too significantly, too publicly on any issue really, that puts their own standing at jeopardy and there they're very cognizant of that and they're really letting that drive a lot of their decision making," she adds.

POOL

Joint Base Andrews, Maryland - 11 June 2019

1. President Trump walking across tarmac at Joint Base Andrews toward Air Force One

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 13 June 2019

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, AP Washington Bureau Chief:

"One of the questions that shadowed President Trump from the start of his tenure has been this question about whether he got or sought information from the Russian government during the 2016 presidential campaign. And so that makes it even more stunning that he would come out and say that he would generally be OK with a foreign government giving him dirt on a political opponent. This is something that really is pretty eyebrow raising because it goes to the question of foreign interference in American elections. Is it appropriate for a foreign government to work essentially with a president or presidential candidate to try to sway the outcome of an election? And that could just be as simple as a foreign government knowing something maybe through their own intelligence efforts, through sources that they have, that could be damaging to an American candidate. And where is the line there? The president seems to think that there really isn't a line that it's that it's fair game for him to interact with a foreign government and use something that they might they might have on his political opponent in the course of an election."

US POOL

ARCHIVE - Hamburg, Germany - 7 July 2017

3. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin meeting at the G-20 Summit

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ARCHIVE - Columbus Ohio - 2 October 2012

4. Various shots of people voting early for the 2012 presidential race

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 13 June 2019

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, AP Washington Bureau Chief:

"I think Trump's comments really underscore why the Trump campaign was so comfortable taking this meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer. They didn't see anything wrong with the idea of a Russian lawyer coming into Trump Tower and saying I've got some political dirt on your opponent. We know that that meeting didn't actually result in much but it it didn't factor into their thinking at the time that this is something that could be problematic, that we should potentially alert the FBI the government to."

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New York - Recent

6. Various shots of Trump Tower

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Hamburg, Germany - 7 July 2017

7. STILL photo of President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin meeting at the G-20 Summit

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Washington, DC - 13 June 2019

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, AP Washington Bureau Chief:

"We don't know, you know, every interaction that presidents certainly have had with foreign governments. It's hard to imagine the situation has never come up before but it's almost the fact that Trump is embracing it so willingly that is really the distinguishing factor here."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 11 June 2019

9. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell speaking in Capitol alongside Republican Senate leaders

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 13 June 2019

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, AP Washington Bureau Chief:

"Republican reaction will be really interesting here. They've been muted, so far, about this. But certainly one of the things that the Democrats say, and this is true, is that right now we're dealing with a situation where you've had a foreign government, Russia, that was trying to help a Republican president. We have a Republican president in office right now if he's going to be getting information from governments, it's again to help him. But that doesn't necessarily mean that's the only way that this dynamic could go. It's certainly very plausible that you could have a foreign government that wants to help a Democrat. So Democrats are trying to encourage Republicans to think about this, not through the prism of Trump and Trump's re-election prospects, but broadly. You know, do we want foreign governments to be playing a role in trying to sway American elections? We just haven't heard a lot of that from Republicans lately."

POOL

Council Bluffs, Iowa - 11 June 2019

11. President Trump walks on stage to speak in Iowa

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Washington, DC - 13 June 2019

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, AP Washington Bureau Chief:

"The Republican Party is Trump's party and there's really no way around that. He has an incredibly high approval rating with Republican base voters. Most of these Republican lawmakers, with very few exceptions, know that their own re-election prospects are really tied to Trump's. And if they break from him too significantly, too publicly on any issue really, that puts their own standing at jeopardy and there they're very cognizant of that and they're really letting that drive a lot of their decision making."

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ARCHIVE -  Columbus, Ohio - 2 October 2012

13. Shot of a flag flying outside a voting precinct

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Washington, DC - Recent

14. Rack focus shot of the U.S. Capitol

President Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general continued efforts to distance himself from the president Tuesday as he testified before Senators at his confirmation hearing.

Under questioning by the Senate Judiciary Committee, William Barr said he would not "not carry out" any order to fire special counsel Robert Mueller without cause.

The comments were in response to a question from Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware.

Mueller's team is examining potential ties between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign. Barr said repeatedly Tuesday he wants Mueller to finish the investigation.

Trump's nominee was also asked whether Russian President Vladimir Putin is a friend or a foe to the United States.

Barr said while Russia is a "potent rival" of the U.S. with foreign policy objectives "usually at direct contrary," he minimized the threat from Moscow and said China, not Russia is the "primary rival" of the United States.

Throughout his testimony, Barr acknowledged Russian attempts to meddle in the 2016 election but said Russia "is half the size it was was" during the Cold War with an economy nowhere near the size of China's.

And he said he's concerned "that the fixation on Russia not obscure the danger from China."

On a separate topic, Barr told the committee he can't rule out jailing reporters for doing their jobs.

In  response to a question from Sen. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, Barr said that there are certain situations where a reporter could be held in contempt "as a last resort."

Barr said the situations he was envisioning would involve news organizations "putting out stuff that is hurting the country."

POOL

Washington, DC - 15 January 2019

1. Wide shot of William Barr sitting before the Senate Judiciary Committee as it returns from break

2. Wide cutaway of committee

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Chris Coons, Democrat, Delaware:

"So most famously when directed by President Nixon to fire the special counsel the prosecutor investigating Watergate, Richardson refused and resigned instead as we all well know. If the president directed you to change those regulations and then fire Mueller or simply directly fire Mueller, would you follow Richardson's example and resign instead?"

4. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"Assuming there was no good cause?

(Coons: Assuming no good cause.)

I would not carry out that instruction."

5. Cutaway of Coons

6. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"As I said, I'm going to carry out those regulations and I want him to finish this investigation."

7. Wide shot of hearing

8. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"Well I don't hold myself out as a foreign policy expert but I think that he is, I think the Russians are a potent rival of our country and his foreign policy objectives are usually at directly contrary to our goals. I think he wants to weaken the American alliances in Europe and he also wants to become a player in the Middle East, more of a player in the Middle East. A lot of his foreign policy objectives are are at odds with ours. At the same time, I think the primary rival of the United States is China. I think, you know, Russia is half the size it was when we were facing them at the peak of the Cold War. Their economy is, long term prognosis, is nowhere near China's. But I'm concerned that the fixation on Russia not obscure the danger from China."

9. Wide shot of hearing

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Democrat, Minnesota:

"If you're confirmed, will the Justice Department jail reporters for doing their jobs?"

11. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"I think that, you know, there are guidelines in place and I can conceive of situations where you know, as a last resort and where a news organization has run through a red flag or something like that, knows that they're putting out stuff that will hurt the country, there might be, there could be a situation where someone would be held in contempt."

12. Wide shot of hearing

President Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general continued efforts to distance himself from the president Tuesday as he testified before Senators at his confirmation hearing.

Under questioning by the Senate Judiciary Committee, William Barr said he would not "not carry out" any order to fire special counsel Robert Mueller without cause.

The comments were in response to a question from Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware.

Mueller's team is examining potential ties between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign. Barr said repeatedly Tuesday he wants Mueller to finish the investigation.

Trump's nominee was also asked whether Russian President Vladimir Putin is a friend or a foe to the United States.

Barr said while Russia is a "potent rival" of the U.S. with foreign policy objectives "usually at direct contrary," he minimized the threat from Moscow and said China, not Russia is the "primary rival" of the United States.

Throughout his testimony, Barr acknowledged Russian attempts to meddle in the 2016 election but said Russia "is half the size it was was" during the Cold War with an economy nowhere near the size of China's.

And he said he's concerned "that the fixation on Russia not obscure the danger from China."

On a separate topic, Barr told the committee he can't rule out jailing reporters for doing their jobs.

In  response to a question from Sen. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, Barr said that there are certain situations where a reporter could be held in contempt "as a last resort."

Barr said the situations he was envisioning would involve news organizations "putting out stuff that is hurting the country."

POOL

Washington, DC - 15 January 2019

1. Wide shot of William Barr sitting before the Senate Judiciary Committee as it returns from break

2. Wide cutaway of committee

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Chris Coons, Democrat, Delaware:

"So most famously when directed by President Nixon to fire the special counsel the prosecutor investigating Watergate, Richardson refused and resigned instead as we all well know. If the president directed you to change those regulations and then fire Mueller or simply directly fire Mueller, would you follow Richardson's example and resign instead?"

4. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"Assuming there was no good cause?

(Coons: Assuming no good cause.)

I would not carry out that instruction."

5. Cutaway of Coons

6. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"As I said, I'm going to carry out those regulations and I want him to finish this investigation."

7. Wide shot of hearing

8. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"Well I don't hold myself out as a foreign policy expert but I think that he is, I think the Russians are a potent rival of our country and his foreign policy objectives are usually at directly contrary to our goals. I think he wants to weaken the American alliances in Europe and he also wants to become a player in the Middle East, more of a player in the Middle East. A lot of his foreign policy objectives are are at odds with ours. At the same time, I think the primary rival of the United States is China. I think, you know, Russia is half the size it was when we were facing them at the peak of the Cold War. Their economy is, long term prognosis, is nowhere near China's. But I'm concerned that the fixation on Russia not obscure the danger from China."

9. Wide shot of hearing

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Democrat, Minnesota:

"If you're confirmed, will the Justice Department jail reporters for doing their jobs?"

11. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"I think that, you know, there are guidelines in place and I can conceive of situations where you know, as a last resort and where a news organization has run through a red flag or something like that, knows that they're putting out stuff that will hurt the country, there might be, there could be a situation where someone would be held in contempt."

12. Wide shot of hearing

On October 4th 2108 about 3000 demonstrators gathered outside the Supreme Court to protest Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the United State's highest court.

The protesters include a loud contingent from Maine, and they're calling on Susan Collins, a key Republican senator from that state, to vote against Kavanaugh.

Collins that the FBI appears to have conducted a "very thorough investigation" of the sexual misconduct claims against Kavanaugh.

Alaskan Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski, told reporters October 4th she has not yet "had an opportunity to go through" the review herself, so she said she "can't comment on whether or not... it's entirely thorough."

Two speakers who identified as survivors of sexual abuse from Alaska also addressed during the protest, urging Murkowski to vote against confirming Kavanaugh.

A procedural vote on Kavanaugh's nomination is set for Friday. He denies the allegations.

***

US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was sworn in -again, for the cameras, this time on October 8th at a White House ceremony.

US President Donald Trump in remarks at the ceremony said Kavanaugh had been found "innocent" in the process.

Kavanaugh said he was devoted to "equal justice under law".

***

President Donald Trump says the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, will be leaving administration 'at the end of the year'

Trump spoke as he and Haley met in the Oval Office, shortly after word came of her plans to resign.

He called Haley a "very special" person, adding that she told him six months ago that she might want to take some time off. Trump said that together, they had "solved a lot of problems."

No reason for the resignation was immediately provided.

Haley listed her accomplishments at the UN post by saying, "the U.S. is strong again."

Her resignation to Trump marking the latest shake-up in the turbulent Trump administration just weeks before the midterm election.

There was no immediate word on her successor.

Haley, 46, was appointed to the U.N. post in November 2016 and last month coordinated Trump's second trip to the United Nations, including his first time chairing the U.N. Security Council.

Before she was named by Trump to her U.N. post, Haley was governor of South Carolina, the first woman to hold the post.

She was re-elected in 2014.

***

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigned on November 7th as the country's chief law enforcement officer after enduring more than a year of blistering and personal attacks over his recusal from the Russia investigation.

Sessions announced his resignation in a letter to US President Donald Trump, saying his resignation came at "your request".

Trump announced in a separate tweet that he was naming Sessions' chief of staff Matthew Whitaker, a former United States attorney from Iowa, as acting attorney general.

The resignation was the culmination of a toxic relationship that frayed just weeks into the attorney general's tumultuous tenure, when he stepped aside from the investigation into potential coordination between the president's campaign and Russia.

Trump blamed the decision for opening the door to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller, who took over the Russia investigation and began examining whether Trump's hectoring of Sessions was part of a broader effort to obstruct justice and stymie the probe.

Sessions had risked his reputation when he became the first US senator to endorse the celebrity businessman.

His early backing helped Trump's effort to be seen as a legitimate candidate.

Nearly year after his endorsement, Sessions raised his hand in the Oval Office, becoming the nation's 84th Attorney General, the country's top law enforcement officer.

A cloud of suspicion about Russian meddling in the election hung over the Trump presidency from the very beginning.

In his confirmation hearings, Sessions said he didn't meet with Russian officials.

But a few weeks into his tenure, reports emerged that Sessions met with the Russian ambassador to the United States during the campaign.

At the time, Trump expressed his continued support of Sessions.

Sessions soon recused himself from any campaign investigations.

Trump has seethed about Sessions' decision for months, publicly venting on Twitter against him while musing privately about firing Sessions.

In a series of tweets, Trump called sessions "beleaguered," criticizing for not investigating Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

Trump viewed Sessions' recusal as disloyal - arguably a grievous offense for this president, and a move that led to the end of his short career as Attorney General.

***

US President Donald Trump slammed another CNN reporter on November 9th, this time Abby Phillip, an African American woman, for asking what he said was "a stupid question".

Trump made the disparaging comment while talking to reporters as he was departing for Paris, France.

Phillip asked Trump whether he would like his new acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker to "rein in" Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

Trump responded by saying, "What a stupid question," adding, "But I watch you a lot. You ask a lot of stupid questions."

The comments followed Trump's attacks during the same question and answer session on CNN reporter Jim Acosta, who he called "unprofessional" and not smart, and Urban Radio Networks' April Ryan, who he called "very nasty" and "a loser".

Earlier in the week, the White House seized Acosta's White House press credential, while Trump suggested on November 9th that more reporters could lose theirs.

***

President Donald Trump announced on December 8th that he's picked a battle-hardened commander who oversaw troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to be the nation's next top military adviser.

If confirmed by the Senate, Gen. Mark Milley, who has been chief of the Army since August 2015, would succeed Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Dunford's term doesn't end until Oct. 1.

Trump said the date of transition is "to be determined."

Trump used an early morning tweet to reveal his choice. "I am thankful to both of these incredible men for their service to our Country!" he said.

Trump's decision, announced before leaving Washington for the annual Army-Navy football game in Philadelphia, had caught some in the Pentagon by surprise when unofficial word spread on December 7th after he had tweeted that a succession announcement was coming.

Normally an announcement on a new chairman wouldn't be expected until early 2019.

Officials had said the Air Force chief, Gen. David Goldfein, was also a strong contender for the job.

Milley is known as a charismatic, outgoing leader who has not been afraid to offer candid and sometimes blunt assessments to Congress.

in 2017 he admonished the House Armed Services Committee for its inability to approve a defense budget, slamming it as "professional malpractice."

In 2016, he told lawmakers, in answer to a direct question, that women should also have to register for the draft now that they are allowed to serve in all combat jobs.

As the Army's top leader, he helped shepherd the groundbreaking move of women into front-line infantry and other combat positions, while warning that it would take time to do it right.

More recently, he has worked with his senior officers to reverse a shortfall in Army recruiting when the service fell far short of its annual goal in 2018.

He also played a role in one of the Army's more contentious criminal cases.

While serving as head of US Army Forces Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Milley was assigned to review the case of former Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who abandoned his post in Afghanistan and was held captive by the Taliban for five years.

Milley made the early decision to charge Bergdahl with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy.

01:03:14

00:00:00

Anti-Kavanaugh protesters mass at Supreme Court

4175713

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington DC - 4 October 2018

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Elizabeth Warren, (D) Massachusetts:

"Our democracy has been hijacked by the powerful, who don't plan to share it.

2. Protesters gathering in front of Supreme Court

00:11:09

Kavanaugh sworn in as justice in White House ceremony

4176326

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington DC - 8 October 2018

3. Anthony Kennedy, retired associate justice, U.S. Supreme Court and Brett Kavanaugh, associate justice, U.S. Supreme Court:

4. US President Donald Trump, Kennedy and Kavanaugh entering ceremony,

5. (From screen left to right) U.S. Supreme Court Justices John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg seated at ceremony

00:22:13

Nikki Haley resigns as Trump's UN ambassador

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 9 October 2018

6. Mid, U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley seated in the Oval Office

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

" She's done an incredible job. She's a fantastic person, very importantly, but she also is somebody that gets it.

00:31:18

Jeff Sessions forced out as US Attorney General by Trump

4181056

ASSOCIATED PRESS

St. Louis - 9 October 2016

8. Jeff Sessions speaking to reporter

Washington, DC - 9 February 2017

9. Sessions taking oath of office for Attorney General

00:43:00

Trump rips into reporter for 'stupid question'

4181444

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington DC - 9 November 2018

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, US President:

"CNN Reporter Abby Phillips: "Do you want him to rein in Robert Mueller?"

"What a stupid question that is. What a stupid question. But I watch you a lot. You ask a lot of stupid questions."

00:55:16

Trump picks General Milley as top military adviser

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

ARCHIVE: Seoul , South Korea- 18 September 2017

11. US Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley speaking at podium

Seeking a bipartisan compromise to avoid a government shutdown, President Donald Trump suggested on January 9th 2018 that an immigration deal could be reached in two phases - first by addressing young immigrants and border security with what he called a "bill of love," then by making comprehensive changes that have long eluded Congress.

Trump held a lengthy meeting with Republican and Democratic lawmakers seeking a solution for hundreds of thousands of young people who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children.

In 2017 Trump ended the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which shielded more than 700,000 people from deportation and gave then the right to work legally in the country. He gave Congress until March to find a fix.

The president, congressional Republicans and Democrats expressed optimism for a deal just 10 days before a government shutdown deadline. Trump expressed a willingness to be flexible in finding an agreement.

Trump told the bipartisan group of 20 lawmakers that if they reach a deal, he will sign it.

A group of journalists observed the meandering meeting for an extraordinary length of time - about 55 minutes - that involved Trump seeking input from Democrats and Republicans alike in a freewheeling exchange on the contentious issue.

The president said he would insist on construction of a border security wall as part of an agreement involving young immigrants, but he said Congress could then pursue a comprehensive immigration overhaul in the second phase.

House Republicans said they planned to soon introduce legislation to address border security and the young immigrants. Trump said, "it should be a bill of love."

***

President Donald Trump denied January 12th via Twitter that he said anything "derogatory about Haitians" during an immigration meeting at the White House on Thursday, as the country and the world continued to express outrage over his reported comments.

Trump was in a closed meeting with members of Congress to discuss immigration on January 11th when he reportedly questioned why the U.S. would accept more people from Haiti and "shithole countries" in Africa, rather than places like Norway.

At first the White House did not deny that the remark was made. On Friday the president tweeted that his language was "tough" but insisted he did not say anything derogatory about Haitians aside from noting it's a poor country.

Associated Press White House reporter Jonathan Lemire said no one at the White House denied "that he used these vulgar terms to describe these immigrants."

on January 12th Trump took to Twitter to say the language he used at the meeting "was tough," but insisted the words being reported "was not the language used."

He also denied saying "anything derogatory about Haitians other than" that Haiti is "a very poor and troubled country."

***

After President Trump made disparaging remarks about immigrants, some members of the Haitian communities in New York and Florida said they were offended and believed his comments were racist.

President Donald Trump on January 12th questioned why the U.S. would accept more immigrants from "shithole countries" after senators discussed revamping rules affecting those from Africa and Haiti, according to people briefed on the conversation.

Haitians in New York and South Florida reacted negatively to the remarks.

"His comment is divisive. It's un-American. It's extremely offensive. I was reading the Daily News earlier this morning. Actually they could not have said it any better," said Gerald Cajust, referring to a crude depiction of the President on the front page of the New York Daily News.

In North Miami Beach, Florida, hosts at a Haitian-American radio studio, said although they were disappointed in Trump's comments, they believed Haitian leaders were also to blame for the country's economic situation.

Fabiola Charles, a Haitian radio personality with WSRF AM, said "we're looking at ourselves as well and saying you know what, if we took time to actually take care of our people, the president wouldn't have to say something like this about us. So, we also put the blame on us."

***

US President Donald Trump said on January 14th he is not a racist, just days after making controversial comments about Haiti and African countries.

Trump has been accused of using a vulgar word to describe African countries during an Oval Office meeting the previous week with a bipartisan group of six senators.

People briefed on the conversation say that during the meeting the president also questioned the need to admit more Haitians to the US.

The individuals spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to describe the meeting publicly.

Trump addressed the issue briefly on Sunday as he arrived for dinner at one of his Florida golf clubs with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California.

Asked what he thinks about people who think he's racist, Trump said: "I am not a racist". He told reporters: "I am the least racist person you have ever interviewed. That I can tell you."

He also praised authorities in Hawaii for taking responsibility for the blunder that caused more than a million people to fear that they were about to be struck by a nuclear missile.

***

Haitians showed their anger over vulgar comments made against their country and Africa by US President Donald Trump with a protest January 18th outside the US Embassy in Port-au-Prince.

Demonstrators gathered outside the gates of the embassy complex chanting slogans and waving signs denouncing Trump over his remarks and a move to end a program that gave temporary legal status to thousands of Haitians in the US.

Signs and Creole chants by the protesters criticised remarks by the president last week in which he is said to have profanely disparaged African countries and asked why the US would want more Haitians.

The protest by fewer than 100 demonstrators was peaceful and ended without incident.

Another demonstration was planned for next week.

The Haitian government said it was shocked by the remarks, which came on the eve of the anniversary of the country's devastating January 2010 earthquake.

The Trump administration has said that about 60,000 Haitians who have been allowed to stay and work in the US since the earthquake must leave the country in July 2019.

***

A former top adviser to President Donald Trump's election campaign pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy and false statements charges February 23rd in the special counsel's Russia investigation.

The plea by Rick Gates is a strong indication that he is planning to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation as it continues to probe the Trump campaign, Russian election interference and Gates' longtime business associate, Paul Manafort.

Gates, 45, of Richmond, Virginia, appeared at the federal courthouse in Washington for his plea agreement hearing.

A court filing shows Gates has agreed to plead to charges accusing him of conspiring against the U.S. government related to fraud and unregistered foreign lobbying as well as lying to federal authorities in a recent interview.

Gates' decision to admit to the crimes comes a day after a federal grand jury in Virginia returned a 32-count indictment against him and Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman, accusing them of tax evasion and bank fraud.

The indictment in Virginia was the second round of charges against Gates and against Manafort, who has denied any wrongdoing. The two men were initially charged last October with unregistered lobbying and conspiring to launder millions of dollars they earned while working on behalf of a pro-Russian Ukrainian political party.

Gates' decision marks the fifth publicly known guilty plea in the special counsel probe into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin during the 2016 campaign.

***

America's top diplomat is one of any White House's highest-level cabinet members, often seated at the right hand of the president.

As a newcomer to Washington politics, former Exxon Mobile CEO Rex Tillerson was tasked with steering the ship of state with no foreign policy experience and needed to navigate a turbulent, frequently contradictory White House.

As he stepped into the State Department for the first time, Secretary of State Tillerson appealed for unity.

"I know this was a hotly-contested election and we do not all feel the same way about the outcome, " he said, adding "we cannot let our personal convictions overwhelm our ability to work as one team."

But as Tillerson neared the six-month mark on the job, he was forced to knock down a flurry of speculation that he was unhappy and may quit.

At the time, Washington was buzzing with rumors that he would leave due to frustration with the White House.

In his first appearance in the State Department briefing room, Tillerson reiterated that he had a good relationship with the president.

While Tillerson was redefining foreign strategy under the Trump administration's overarching police of "America First", his efforts to craft coherent policy were frequently upended by a tweeting boss.

By October 2017, Tillerson was forced in an unscheduled news conference held at the State Department to defend remarks he made in the Pentagon earlier that President Trump was, "a moron."

In response, Trump said in an interview published in Forbes magazine that if Rex Tillerson did call him a moron, the two should "compare IQ tests."

The White House later said that Trump was joking when he appeared to question his secretary of state's intelligence.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters that the president "never implied that the secretary of state was not incredibly intelligent."

She says: "He made a joke, no more than that."

From the start of his tenure, Tillerson's selection raised potential conflict-of-interest issues, as Exxon's business interests around the globe, included Russia.

As an oil executive, Tillerson had argued against sanctions that the U.S. and European allies imposed on Russia after it annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.

***

President Donald Trump says he has "total confidence" in Mike Pompeo, his new pick for Secretary of State.

Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on March 13th, saying he would nominate CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace him.

It's a major staff reshuffle just as Trump dives into high-stakes talks with North Korea.

Trump announced the change in a tweet early on March 13th just four hours after Tillerson returned to Washington from a trip to Africa.

He stopped to take questions from reporters at the South Lawn of the White House about his decision to oust Tillerson and replace him with Pompeo.

Trump said he and Tillerson "disagreed on things" like the Iran deal.

"We were not really thinking the same," Trump said about Tillerson. "With Mike Pompeo, we have a very similar thought process. I think it's going to go very well."

***

CBS says it will air its interview with porn actress Stormy Daniels on March 25th's episode of "60 Minutes."

Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, has said she had sex with Donald Trump before he became president. She has been trying to invalidate a nondisclosure agreement she signed days before the 2016 presidential election so she can discuss her relationship with Trump, which she said began in 2006 and continued for about a year.

CNN anchor and "60 Minutes" correspondent Anderson Cooper recorded the interview with Clifford earlier this month.

Clifford's attorney, Michael Avenatti, told The Associated Press on March 21st that more details of the affair would come out on "60 Minutes," and said his office was checking out similar claims from six women who had come forward.

"This is about this woman wanting to be able to tell her story to the American people, tell her version of the facts" said Avenatti.

00:00:00

Trump wants immigration deal to be 'bill of love'

4134075

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington DC - 9 January 2018

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

" This should be a bill of love, truly it should be a bill of love. And we can do that. But it also has to be a bill where we're able to secure our border. Drugs are pouring into our country at a record pace. "

00:13:18

Trump Pushes Back on Vulgar Comments About Haiti

4134641

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Port au Prince, Haiti - 21 November, 2017

2. Shots of people walking, traffic in Haitian street

Johannesburg - 12 January 2018

3. Shot of people walking on the street in Johannesburg

00:23:03

Haitians In US offended by comments attributed to Trump

4134647

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - January 12, 2018

4. Wide of Haitian American advocacy group storefront

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Herold Dasque, Haitian Americans United for Progress

"It's beyond racism. Of course he's a racist. He's going to say 'no I'm not racist.' What kind of statement is that? 'I don't need Haitians.' Economically they are the one working in the garden. "

6. Interior of barber shop

00:40:21

President Trump: "I'm Not a Racist"

4134855

POOL

West Palm Beach - 14 January 2018

++AUDIO AS INCOMING++

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, US President:

"No, no, I'm not a racist. I am the least racist person you have ever interviewed, that I can tell you."

00:47:21

Protesters in Haiti condemn Trump remarks

4135616

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Port-au-Prince - 18 January 2018

8. People protesting vulgar comments on Haiti and Africa by US President Donald Trump outside US embassy

9. Sign reading (English) "The U.S. has always been racist! Trump just said it out loud"

10. People holding signs during protest, one reading (English) "Donald Trump's racism is the true face of U.S. foreign policy."

00:57:20

Ex-Trump Aide Pleads Guilty in Russia Probe

4141338

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 23 February 2018

11. Wide shot of Rick Gates walking into US District Court

12. STILL PHOTO of Gates walking into court

13. Rick Gates and attorney walking out of court and getting into vehicle

01:10:17

Rex Tillerson: Businessman turned Trump diplomat out at the White House

4144029

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Various - Various

Washington, D.C. - 31 July 2017

14. Various, Cabinet Room meeting with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson seated right of President Donald Trump

Washington, D.C. - 1 February 2017

15. Mid, Rex Tillerson being sworn in by Vice President Mike Pence

01:34:09

Trump: Pompeo Will be a Great Secretary of State

4144042

ASSOCIATED PRESS, POOL

Washington - 13 March 2018

16. President Donald Trump stops to speak with reporters on White House South Lawn

17. SOUNDBITE: (English) President Donald Trump:

"I've worked with Mike Pompeo now for quite some time -- tremendous energy, tremendous intellect. We're always on the same wavelength.

18. Wide of Trump

19. SOUNDBITE: (English) President Donald Trump:

"Rex and I've been talking about this for a long time. We've got a long actually quite well but we disagreed on things. When you look at the Iran deal: I think it's terrible. I guess he thought it was OK.

02:00:11

Lawyer: Trump should take Stormy Daniels very seriously

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Various - 19/21 March 2018/FILE

FILE: Los Angeles - 11 February 2007

20. STILL: Stormy Daniels

FILE: New Orleans, Louisiana - 6 May 2009

21. STILL of Stormy Daniels

22. SOUNDBITE (English): Michael Avenatti, Attorney for Stormy Daniels

"I don't know how serious they are taking us at this point. I think they're probably taking us more seriously today than they were a couple weeks ago. I'll say that. I'll say that they should be taking us very seriously."

President Donald Trump's assertion that he would be open to accepting a foreign power's help in his 2020 campaign ricocheted through Washington on Thursday, with Democrats condemning it as a call for further election interference and Republicans struggling to defend his comments.

Trump seemed to dismiss the threat posed by Russia's interference in the 2016 election, one that led to sweeping indictments by special counsel Robert Mueller, and his incendiary remarks come as congressional investigations into the meddling have quickened.

Associated Press Washington bureau chief Julie Pace says the questions that arised from the Mueller probe make "it even more stunning that (Trump) would come out and say that he would generally be OK with a foreign government giving him dirt on a political opponent."

"The president seems to think that there really isn't a line that it's that it's fair game for him to interact with a foreign government and use something that they might they might have on his political opponent in the course of an election," Pace says.

Special counsel Robert Mueller painstakingly documented Russian efforts to boost Trump's campaign and undermine that of his Democratic rival.

But while Mueller's investigation didn't establish a criminal conspiracy between Russia and Trump's campaign, Trump repeatedly praised WikiLeaks in 2016 and at one point implored hackers to dig up dirt on Hillary Clinton.

The role of Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., in organizing a 2016 meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer offering negative information on Clinton was a focus of Mueller's probe of Russian meddling in the last presidential campaign.

"Trump's comments really underscore why the Trump campaign was so comfortable taking this meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer," Pace says. "They didn't see anything wrong with the idea of a Russian lawyer coming into Trump Tower and saying I've got some political dirt on your opponent."

While Democrats have been quick to condemn the president's comments, Republicans have been noticeably muted on the issue.

Pace says the Republican party "is Trump's party and there's really no way around that."

"If they break from him too significantly, too publicly on any issue really, that puts their own standing at jeopardy and there they're very cognizant of that and they're really letting that drive a lot of their decision making," she adds.

POOL

Joint Base Andrews, Maryland - 11 June 2019

1. President Trump walking across tarmac at Joint Base Andrews toward Air Force One

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 13 June 2019

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, AP Washington Bureau Chief:

"One of the questions that shadowed President Trump from the start of his tenure has been this question about whether he got or sought information from the Russian government during the 2016 presidential campaign. And so that makes it even more stunning that he would come out and say that he would generally be OK with a foreign government giving him dirt on a political opponent. This is something that really is pretty eyebrow raising because it goes to the question of foreign interference in American elections. Is it appropriate for a foreign government to work essentially with a president or presidential candidate to try to sway the outcome of an election? And that could just be as simple as a foreign government knowing something maybe through their own intelligence efforts, through sources that they have, that could be damaging to an American candidate. And where is the line there? The president seems to think that there really isn't a line that it's that it's fair game for him to interact with a foreign government and use something that they might they might have on his political opponent in the course of an election."

US POOL

ARCHIVE - Hamburg, Germany - 7 July 2017

3. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin meeting at the G-20 Summit

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ARCHIVE - Columbus Ohio - 2 October 2012

4. Various shots of people voting early for the 2012 presidential race

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 13 June 2019

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, AP Washington Bureau Chief:

"I think Trump's comments really underscore why the Trump campaign was so comfortable taking this meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer. They didn't see anything wrong with the idea of a Russian lawyer coming into Trump Tower and saying I've got some political dirt on your opponent. We know that that meeting didn't actually result in much but it it didn't factor into their thinking at the time that this is something that could be problematic, that we should potentially alert the FBI the government to."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - Recent

6. Various shots of Trump Tower

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Hamburg, Germany - 7 July 2017

7. STILL photo of President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin meeting at the G-20 Summit

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 13 June 2019

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, AP Washington Bureau Chief:

"We don't know, you know, every interaction that presidents certainly have had with foreign governments. It's hard to imagine the situation has never come up before but it's almost the fact that Trump is embracing it so willingly that is really the distinguishing factor here."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 11 June 2019

9. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell speaking in Capitol alongside Republican Senate leaders

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 13 June 2019

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, AP Washington Bureau Chief:

"Republican reaction will be really interesting here. They've been muted, so far, about this. But certainly one of the things that the Democrats say, and this is true, is that right now we're dealing with a situation where you've had a foreign government, Russia, that was trying to help a Republican president. We have a Republican president in office right now if he's going to be getting information from governments, it's again to help him. But that doesn't necessarily mean that's the only way that this dynamic could go. It's certainly very plausible that you could have a foreign government that wants to help a Democrat. So Democrats are trying to encourage Republicans to think about this, not through the prism of Trump and Trump's re-election prospects, but broadly. You know, do we want foreign governments to be playing a role in trying to sway American elections? We just haven't heard a lot of that from Republicans lately."

POOL

Council Bluffs, Iowa - 11 June 2019

11. President Trump walks on stage to speak in Iowa

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 13 June 2019

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, AP Washington Bureau Chief:

"The Republican Party is Trump's party and there's really no way around that. He has an incredibly high approval rating with Republican base voters. Most of these Republican lawmakers, with very few exceptions, know that their own re-election prospects are really tied to Trump's. And if they break from him too significantly, too publicly on any issue really, that puts their own standing at jeopardy and there they're very cognizant of that and they're really letting that drive a lot of their decision making."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ARCHIVE -  Columbus, Ohio - 2 October 2012

13. Shot of a flag flying outside a voting precinct

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - Recent

14. Rack focus shot of the U.S. Capitol

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus118696

President Donald Trump's assertion that he would be open to accepting a foreign power's help in his 2020 campaign ricocheted through Washington on Thursday, with Democrats condemning it as a call for further election interference and Republicans struggling to defend his comments.

Trump seemed to dismiss the threat posed by Russia's interference in the 2016 election, one that led to sweeping indictments by special counsel Robert Mueller, and his incendiary remarks come as congressional investigations into the meddling have quickened.

Associated Press Washington bureau chief Julie Pace says the questions that arised from the Mueller probe make "it even more stunning that (Trump) would come out and say that he would generally be OK with a foreign government giving him dirt on a political opponent."

"The president seems to think that there really isn't a line that it's that it's fair game for him to interact with a foreign government and use something that they might they might have on his political opponent in the course of an election," Pace says.

Special counsel Robert Mueller painstakingly documented Russian efforts to boost Trump's campaign and undermine that of his Democratic rival.

But while Mueller's investigation didn't establish a criminal conspiracy between Russia and Trump's campaign, Trump repeatedly praised WikiLeaks in 2016 and at one point implored hackers to dig up dirt on Hillary Clinton.

The role of Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., in organizing a 2016 meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer offering negative information on Clinton was a focus of Mueller's probe of Russian meddling in the last presidential campaign.

"Trump's comments really underscore why the Trump campaign was so comfortable taking this meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer," Pace says. "They didn't see anything wrong with the idea of a Russian lawyer coming into Trump Tower and saying I've got some political dirt on your opponent."

While Democrats have been quick to condemn the president's comments, Republicans have been noticeably muted on the issue.

Pace says the Republican party "is Trump's party and there's really no way around that."

"If they break from him too significantly, too publicly on any issue really, that puts their own standing at jeopardy and there they're very cognizant of that and they're really letting that drive a lot of their decision making," she adds.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 13 June 2019

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, AP Washington Bureau Chief:

"One of the questions that shadowed President Trump from the start of his tenure has been this question about whether he got or sought information from the Russian government during the 2016 presidential campaign. And so that makes it even more stunning that he would come out and say that he would generally be OK with a foreign government giving him dirt on a political opponent. This is something that really is pretty eyebrow raising because it goes to the question of foreign interference in American elections. Is it appropriate for a foreign government to work essentially with a president or presidential candidate to try to sway the outcome of an election? And that could just be as simple as a foreign government knowing something maybe through their own intelligence efforts, through sources that they have, that could be damaging to an American candidate. And where is the line there? The president seems to think that there really isn't a line that it's that it's fair game for him to interact with a foreign government and use something that they might they might have on his political opponent in the course of an election."

US POOL

ARCHIVE - Hamburg, Germany - 7 July 2017

2. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin meeting at the G-20 Summit

POOL

Joint Base Andrews, Maryland - 11 June 2019

3. President Trump walking across tarmac at Joint Base Andrews toward Air Force One

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ARCHIVE - Columbus Ohio - 2 October 2012

4. Various shots of people voting early for the 2012 presidential race

POOL

Joint Base Andrews, Maryland - 11 June 2019

5. President Trump boarding Air Force One

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 13 June 2019

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, AP Washington Bureau Chief:

"I think Trump's comments really underscore why the Trump campaign was so comfortable taking this meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer. They didn't see anything wrong with the idea of a Russian lawyer coming into Trump Tower and saying I've got some political dirt on your opponent. We know that that meeting didn't actually result in much but it it didn't factor into their thinking at the time that this is something that could be problematic, that we should potentially alert the FBI the government to."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - Recent

7. Various shots of Trump Tower

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Hamburg, Germany - 7 July 2017

8. STILL photo of President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin meeting at the G-20 Summit

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 13 June 2019

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, AP Washington Bureau Chief:

"We don't know, you know, every interaction that presidents certainly have had with foreign governments. It's hard to imagine the situation has never come up before but it's almost the fact that Trump is embracing it so willingly that is really the distinguishing factor here."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 11 June 2019

10. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell speaking in Capitol alongside Republican Senate leaders

POOL

Council Bluffs, Iowa - 11 June 2019

11. President Trump walks on stage to speak in Iowa

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 13 June 2019

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, AP Washington Bureau Chief:

"Republican reaction will be really interesting here. They've been muted so far about this. But certainly one of the things that the Democrats say, and this is true, is that right now we're dealing with a situation where you've had a foreign government, Russia, that was trying to help a Republican president. We have a Republican president in office right now if he's going to be getting information from governments, it's again to help him. But that doesn't necessarily mean that's the only way that this dynamic could go. It's certainly very plausible that you could have a foreign government that wants to help a Democrat. So Democrats are trying to encourage Republicans to think about this not through the prism of Trump and Trump's re-election prospects but broadly. You know, do we want foreign governments to be playing a role in trying to sway American elections? We just haven't heard a lot of that from Republicans lately."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ARCHIVE -  Columbus, Ohio - 2 October 2012

13. Shot of a flag flying outside a voting precinct

14. People voting

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - Recent

15. Rack focus shot of the U.S. Capitol

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

4142885

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

4142914

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

4143219

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

4143568

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

4143756

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

4144005

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

4144037

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

4144116

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

4144428

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

4144999

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.

The top Democrat on the US House of Representatives' intelligence committee says Russian interference "unquestionably" had an influence on the 2016 US presidential election.

California congressman Adam Schiff made the remark in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Schiff also commented on a former foreign policy adviser to President Donald Trump's campaign who has acknowledged in testimony to Congress that he had contact with a high-level Russian official while on a trip to Russia last year.

The congressman also urged Republican and Democrat leaders to support special counsel Robert Mueller in his investigation.

Washington DC - 7 November 2017

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Adam Schiff, Democratic member of the US House of Representatives and ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee: ++VARIOUS ANGLES++

"I think unquestionably it had an influence on the election. It influenced the election by millions and millions of Americans seeing Russian content on social media pushed out by the Kremlin. It had an effect in that the Russians were dumping emails that forced Hillary Clinton on a daily basis to have to defend herself and the campaign, and it changed the topic of the conversation on the campaign trail. But again the very best proof that the Trump campaign viewed the Russian interference as influential is the fact that the president used it as a central part of his campaign speeches on a daily basis."

2. Cutaway of audience

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Adam Schiff, Democratic member of the US House of Representatives and ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee:

"And the single greatest impediment to getting to that consensus is the President of the United States, who refuses to admit it even happened, who to this day calls it a hoax and a witchhunt. So he is I think quite deliberately for his own reasons preventing the country from coming together around a defence to further Russian meddling."

5. Wide of Schiff and AP Washington Bureau Chief Julie Pace

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Adam Schiff, Democratic member of the US House of Representatives and ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee: ++VARIOUS ANGLES++

"First, it was apparent right from the very beginning of the hearing that what Carter Page (foreign policy adviser to Trump's 2016 presidential campaign) had been saying publicly was completely at odds with what he would later testify to. And the documentary evidence that we were already in possession of so publicly even to up to two days before coming before Congress he was saying that when he went to Russia it was as a private citizen, he had no meetings of any consequence. It was basically talking to your man on the street, but as now has been revealed when we released the transcript, he met with people as high as the deputy prime minister of Russia."

(AP Washington Bureau Chief Julie Pace: "Which he's denied previously.")

"Which he denied previously, even at the very beginning of his interview I asked him: 'Did you have any private conversations any private meetings with Russian government officials?' (His response was) 'No, absolutely not.' But he sends a memo back to the campaign - which in itself is significant, because he was claiming this was a private trip - sends a memo saying that in a private conversation, basically, that I had with the deputy prime minister and others in the presidential administration and members of the Duma I gained important insight and outreach that I want to share with the campaign. Completely at odds with what you have been saying publicly."

7. Wide of Schiff and Pace

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Adam Schiff, Democratic member of the US House of Representatives and ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee: ++VARIOUS ANGLES++

"The most important thing I think that we can do right now is speak out on a very bipartisan basis that the President needs to leave (special counsel) Bob Mueller alone and finish this work, and I think that's the most important because we don't want to wait till there's a constitutional crisis. We need the White House to get the message now that that there will be a dramatic pushback should he try to fire Bob Mueller."

9. Audience member asking question

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Adam Schiff, Democratic member of the US House of Representatives and ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee:

"Probably the lowest hanging fruit is we're going to require that the tech companies, when they do political advertising, carry the same kind of disclaimer that other media are required to carry. So a paid ad on Facebook is going to need to disclose that it was paid for by what campaign then the candidate endorses the message. They were a carve out. They're not going to be carved out anymore."

11. Schiff and Pace

A Russian politician has said that the world no longer "has the right" to accuse Russia of interference in the US presidential elections.

Speaking to The Associated Press from his office in Moscow on Monday, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, said US President Donald Trump had the potential to win a second term and work to improve the relationship between Russia and the US.

"But they will continue to do something from other positions. Now, they'll accuse (us) of meddling in the Ukrainian elections, and the European parliament elections," the politician added.

His comments came after special counsel Robert Mueller found no evidence Trump's campaign "conspired or coordinated" with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election but reached no conclusion on whether Trump obstructed justice.

That brought a hearty claim of vindication from Trump but set the stage for new rounds of political and legal fighting.

Still, 34 people, including six Trump aides and advisers, were charged in the investigation.

Twenty-five are Russians accused of election interference either through hacking into Democratic accounts or orchestrating a social media campaign to spread disinformation on the internet.

Russian authorities over the past months have portrayed the Mueller probe as a witch hunt against Trump and a tool of the Democratic Party to fan the flames of the anti-Russian sentiment in the U.S.

Moscow – 25 March 2019

1. Various of Russian parliament interiors

2. Vladimir Zhirinovsky, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, sitting at his desk

3. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Vladimir Zhirinovsky, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia:

"Well, someone assigned the task of dragging through the mud and blackening reputations (of Russia and Trump), so if there hadn't been the Mueller report, they would continue to do it. They did it before the Mueller report, they did it a hundred years ago, so that's the task that is before them, and they had to solve it. But from a legal prospective, the American special counsel (Robert Mueller) finished the report and there is no proof of us meddling in the elections. That's the main thing. But they will continue to do something from other positions. Now, they'll accuse (Russia) of meddling in the Ukrainian elections, and the European parliament elections."

4. Poster featuring Zhirinovsky's face

5. Tilt up Liberal Democratic Party poster

6. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Vladimir Zhirinovsky, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia:

"In any case, there were the mid-term elections of Congress in November, there will be the election for the second (presidential) term in November next year and Trump has all the grounds to win and, during his second term, the relationship between Russia and the US maybe will improve. If these accusations are unsuitable against Russia, furthermore, they are unsuitable against Trump, he is the president. The FBI and the CIA could find something against him but they have found absolutely nothing for two years. Therefore, Trump is clean, and no one has the right to accuse us of anything related to the US presidential elections."

7. Liberal Democratic Party poster and photo of Zhirinovsky and Russian President Vladimir Putin

Robert Mueller paused. He refused to speculate. He made constant references to his report — but wasn't sure of a number of things in it.

The former special counsel's long-awaited, heavily-negotiated testimony Wednesday was just what he'd promised: Relentlessly focused on his report issued in April on President Donald Trump, obstruction and Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

As members of the House Judiciary Committee strained to hear what he had to say, it became clear that the famously apolitical Mueller was not going to play their made-for-TV games.

"Robert Mueller did not go outside the four corners of the report and he stuck very, very closely to his answer that he wasn't comfortable discussing something that was outside the purview of his investigation or he would refer the questioner to the report," said Claire Finkelstein, a professor of law at Penn Law and a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute.

Finkelstein said, however, there were a few moments that Democrats may have found useful in their hopes the hearing might be a platform to begin impeachment proceedings.

"Number one, the fact that he was willing to say explicitly that he was not able to exonerate the president of obstruction," Finkelstein said.

She says going forward, Mueller's assertion that Trump could be open to prosecution for such crimes after he leaves office will be a subject of much discussion.

Philadelphia - July 24, 2019

++QUALITY AS INCOMING SKYPE INTERVIEW++

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Claire Finkelstein, Professor of Law, Penn Law, senior fellow, Foreign Policy Research Institute

"Robert Mueller did not go outside the four corners of the report and he stuck very, very closely to his answer that if he wasn't comfortable discussing something that was outside the purview of his investigation or he would refer the questioner to the report. The few surprises, the unusual moments were, number one, the fact that he was willing to say explicitly that he was not able to exonerate the president of obstruction. That, of course, we knew from his report. But the fact that he was willing to say so boldly and not just refer back to the report at that moment was something I think the Democrats were not certain that he was going to do. He also said that the president could be prosecuted for crimes after he leaves office, though he declined to say what he thought about the possibility of the statute of limitations running. He was very clear that Russia sought to assist the Trump campaign in its interference and wanted Trump to win. And he also admitted that the Trump campaign welcomed that interference. So amidst all of the moments in which he said that he could not answer the question or referred the questioner back to the report, he did make those striking straight up comments which ought not to be lost."

++BLACK FRAMES++

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Claire Finkelstein, Professor of Law, Penn Law, senior fellow, Foreign Policy Research Institute

"(Congressman Mike) Quiggley asked him whether or not the fact that he was not indicting a sitting president because he was a sitting president meant that the statute of limitations would be told. And I think that's a question that's going to come up again. The argument would be that if the president is immune to prosecution because he's president, something that not everyone agrees with. But if you do think that and if you understand Robert Mueller is suggesting that then should that not suspend the running of the statute of limitations to preserve the claims against the president?"

++BLACK FRAMES++

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Claire Finkelstein, Professor of Law, Penn Law, senior fellow, Foreign Policy Research Institute

"Well it's a very significant moment. The Democrats are, of course, hoping that it will catapult us into impeachment proceedings. Obviously, Nancy Pelosi has been unwilling to go in that direction. And I think what they are hoping is that there may be some Republicans who were swayed in the direction of supporting impeachment, both in the House and Senate, and there's more public support for it. And we know from Watergate history that that can happen. And that when the American public really understands the depth of presidential misdeeds that there can be a very sudden switch of opinion and you can suddenly find the politics going the other way. I doubt that will happen at this moment because I don't think that the admissions or the moments in which Mueller was willing to say that there were misdeeds on the part of Donald Trump or of his close associates would have resonated enough with viewers, is my guess."

Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly is defending top White House adviser Jared Kushner amid reports that Kushner attempted to establish a "back-channel" communication between Russia and Donald Trump's presidential transition team.

Under Democratic questioning, Kelly said "we have to make the assumption - and I will - that Jared Kushner is a great American." He said back-channel talks have been common in U.S. diplomacy.

Still, Kelly noted the matter is under investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller as part of his probe into contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Kelly told Montana Sen. Jon Tester that "It's part of the Bob Mueller investigation," and the subject of congressional probes.

Tester said he believes the conduct of the president's son-in-law is "unacceptable" and asked Kelly "to find out what the hell is going on."

POOL

Washington DC - 6 June 2017

1. US Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly taking seat at Senate hearing

2. SOUNDBITE (English) US Senator Jon Tester, Democrat from Montana:

"And to have somebody this close to the president setting up back channels before they were in office through a, through a Russian embassy is very disturbing to me, if, in fact, this happened. And so have you spoken to Mr. Kushner about this issue?"

3. SOUNDBITE (English) John Kelly, US Homeland Security Secretary:

"I have not."

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Jon Tester, (D) Montana:

"We've talked about potential money flowing to the Trump business enterprise. There's all sorts of smoke here that we need to get to the bottom of, and so I'm curious about that."

5. SOUNDBITE (English) John Kelly, Homeland Security Secretary:

"I hope no one in my department's spoken to him. That would be inappropriate. I'm the interaction with the White House, as a general rule, he doesn't work, like many of the White House staff, do not work directly."

6. Cutaway

7. SOUNDBITE (English) John Kelly, Homeland Security Secretary:

"It's one thing if I call the president of a country and tell him you know, have a conversation with him. It's different if it comes from another direction. It's just the reality of the way things work. (Tester: "So.") I would just offer to you, sir, that we have to make the assumption and I will, that Jared Kushner is a great American. He's a decent American, he has, he has a, he has a security clearance at the highest level, as I understand it and if he was opening, he I believe he should have had. Now, if he was trying to open back channel communications to pass information through that back channel to get to Putin or anyone else over there, to say, "Hey, look, we're concerned about this," or "This is what you might want to consider doing," because if it's official, then it's a whole different dynamic."

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Jon Tester, (D) Montana:

"I got you. So there, but the question is, is there were, there was no, no red flags that come up for you at all on this?"

9. SOUNDBITE (English) John Kelly, Homeland Security Secretary:

"Not at the time. I didn't know about it. Since it's been reported, back channels are the normal, are are in the course of normal interactions with other countries. Very, very common."

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Jon Tester, (D) Montana:

"Can you tell me if, if it's also normal to go to an embassy of a country that has been our foe for, since World War II, and do this - is that normal?"

11. SOUNDBITE (English) John Kelly, Homeland Security Secretary:

"I don't know if that was the case, but if that is the case, I'm not so sure it's normal. But certainly, it would be one way to communicate through the back channel."

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Jon Tester, (D) Montana:

"So if I were to do that, you guys would think that's OK? "

13. SOUNDBITE (English) John Kelly, Homeland Security Secretary:

"As a senator from the great state of Montana and a member of these committees, this is B.S. what you're doing, and you better stop it or whatever or this. That's, that's essentially a back channel, back channel of communication."

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Jon Tester, (D) Montana:

"I just think if we don't get to the bottom of what's going on and what's happening, we've talked about the Russians, we've talked about money, there's all sorts of stuff going on here. And as Claire, I mean, as the the ranking member said, there's so much going on here that we don't know which direction to have the investigation happen. And I, if it needs to be you, you've got the credentials, by the way, and you've got the respect I believe on this committee and probably in Congress to really find out what the hell's going on. Because it doesn't make, it doesn't make me sleep better at night, I will just tell you."

16. SOUNDBITE (English) John Kelly, Homeland Security Secretary:

"Senator, I think, again, I think we have to make the assumption that.."

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Jon Tester, (D) Montana:

"But don't you think we should ensure that that assumption is correct?"

18. SOUNDBITE (English) John Kelly, Homeland Security Secretary:

"Well, sure. And I think there's numerous, I think there's numerous investigations that'll look into this, looking into this. I mean, I think it's part of the Bob Mueller investigation. I think there's a number of congressional committees looking into it."

19. Wide shot of hearing room

Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly is defending top White House adviser Jared Kushner amid reports that Kushner attempted to establish a "back-channel" communication between Russia and Donald Trump's presidential transition team.

Under Democratic questioning, Kelly said "we have to make the assumption - and I will - that Jared Kushner is a great American." He said back-channel talks have been common in U.S. diplomacy.

Still, Kelly noted the matter is under investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller as part of his probe into contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Kelly told Montana Sen. Jon Tester that "It's part of the Bob Mueller investigation," and the subject of congressional probes.

Tester said he believes the conduct of the president's son-in-law is "unacceptable" and asked Kelly "to find out what the hell is going on."

POOL

Washington DC - 6 June 2017

1. US Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly taking seat at Senate hearing

2. SOUNDBITE (English) US Senator Jon Tester, Democrat from Montana:

"And to have somebody this close to the president setting up back channels before they were in office through a, through a Russian embassy is very disturbing to me, if, in fact, this happened. And so have you spoken to Mr. Kushner about this issue?"

3. SOUNDBITE (English) John Kelly, US Homeland Security Secretary:

"I have not."

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Jon Tester, (D) Montana:

"We've talked about potential money flowing to the Trump business enterprise. There's all sorts of smoke here that we need to get to the bottom of, and so I'm curious about that."

5. SOUNDBITE (English) John Kelly, Homeland Security Secretary:

"I hope no one in my department's spoken to him. That would be inappropriate. I'm the interaction with the White House, as a general rule, he doesn't work, like many of the White House staff, do not work directly."

6. Cutaway

7. SOUNDBITE (English) John Kelly, Homeland Security Secretary:

"It's one thing if I call the president of a country and tell him you know, have a conversation with him. It's different if it comes from another direction. It's just the reality of the way things work. (Tester: "So.") I would just offer to you, sir, that we have to make the assumption and I will, that Jared Kushner is a great American. He's a decent American, he has, he has a, he has a security clearance at the highest level, as I understand it and if he was opening, he I believe he should have had. Now, if he was trying to open back channel communications to pass information through that back channel to get to Putin or anyone else over there, to say, "Hey, look, we're concerned about this," or "This is what you might want to consider doing," because if it's official, then it's a whole different dynamic."

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Jon Tester, (D) Montana:

"I got you. So there, but the question is, is there were, there was no, no red flags that come up for you at all on this?"

9. SOUNDBITE (English) John Kelly, Homeland Security Secretary:

"Not at the time. I didn't know about it. Since it's been reported, back channels are the normal, are are in the course of normal interactions with other countries. Very, very common."

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Jon Tester, (D) Montana:

"Can you tell me if, if it's also normal to go to an embassy of a country that has been our foe for, since World War II, and do this - is that normal?"

11. SOUNDBITE (English) John Kelly, Homeland Security Secretary:

"I don't know if that was the case, but if that is the case, I'm not so sure it's normal. But certainly, it would be one way to communicate through the back channel."

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Jon Tester, (D) Montana:

"So if I were to do that, you guys would think that's OK? "

13. SOUNDBITE (English) John Kelly, Homeland Security Secretary:

"As a senator from the great state of Montana and a member of these committees, this is B.S. what you're doing, and you better stop it or whatever or this. That's, that's essentially a back channel, back channel of communication."

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Jon Tester, (D) Montana:

"I just think if we don't get to the bottom of what's going on and what's happening, we've talked about the Russians, we've talked about money, there's all sorts of stuff going on here. And as Claire, I mean, as the the ranking member said, there's so much going on here that we don't know which direction to have the investigation happen. And I, if it needs to be you, you've got the credentials, by the way, and you've got the respect I believe on this committee and probably in Congress to really find out what the hell's going on. Because it doesn't make, it doesn't make me sleep better at night, I will just tell you."

16. SOUNDBITE (English) John Kelly, Homeland Security Secretary:

"Senator, I think, again, I think we have to make the assumption that.."

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Jon Tester, (D) Montana:

"But don't you think we should ensure that that assumption is correct?"

18. SOUNDBITE (English) John Kelly, Homeland Security Secretary:

"Well, sure. And I think there's numerous, I think there's numerous investigations that'll look into this, looking into this. I mean, I think it's part of the Bob Mueller investigation. I think there's a number of congressional committees looking into it."

19. Wide shot of hearing room

Arriving at a Senate hearing where US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would comment on the happenings of US President Donald Trump's recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Senators seemed unsure about the idea of a second summit with the leader.

The Trump administration sought to fend off accusations the president is too soft on Russia on Wednesday, putting off a proposed second summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and declaring the U.S. will never recognize Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea.

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) says inviting Putin to Washington was a bad idea in the first place.

"Until it is clear that President Putin of Russia understands that his attack on our election is intolerable," said Coons.

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) was strongly against President Trump's private meeting with Putin in Helsinki, and was glad that this next one would be delayed.

"I'm not opposed to president's meeting. That's fine. But private meetings like this just, it's not turning out well," said Flake.

National security adviser John Bolton cited special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election as the reason for the delay, although many members of Congress had objected to the meeting and said Putin would not be welcome on Capitol Hill.

"The President believes that the next bilateral meeting with President Putin should take place after the Russia witch hunt is over, so we've agreed that it will be after the first of the year," Bolton said in a statement, using Trump's favored but highly controversial term for the Mueller probe.

Washington DC - 25 July 2018

1. UPSOUND (English) Officials walk down hallway

Reporter: "Senator, what's your reaction to the delay of this Putin meeting?"

Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.): "I think it's great."

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Chris Coons, (D) Delaware:

Reporter: "Can you tell us anything about what Secretary of State Pompeo has revealed about the Trump Putin summit in Helsinki?"

Coons: "Very little. In, I think, an important and positive opening statement, Secretary Pompeo shared that a President Trump has issued a declaration that the United States, as a matter of policy, will not recognize the annexation of Crimea and will hold Russia accountable for withdrawing from eastern Ukraine and restoring and respecting the territorial integrity of Ukraine. That was a very positive statement. Senator Menendez of New Jersey pressed Secretary Pompeo very hard on exactly what was said in the Helsinki summit. Secretary Pompeo aggressively defended the right of the president to have private meetings and was really not very forthcoming about exactly what was said."

++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY BLACK FRAMES++

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Chris Coons, (D) Delaware:

Reporter: "Senator what do you think of the White House's decision to delay the upcoming meeting with Putin?"

Coons: "I don't think it was appropriate to invite President Putin to a meeting at the White House in the first place. Until it is clear that President Putin of Russia understands that his attack on our election is intolerable and that his continued actions to uphold and defend the murderous regime of Bashar al-Assad and his action in invading and occupying Crimea. Until President Putin understands and takes clear action that shows that he is withdrawing from or backing away from or changing those positions, I don't think there should be a meeting in the United States in particular in our nation's capital. Thank you all very very much."

4. Mid, Sen. Jeff Flake exits room

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Jeff Flake (R) Arizona:

Reporter: "..The fact that he is not commenting or giving many details about the one-on-one meeting Trump had."

Flake: "There's not much he's saying. We wish we had more of a read out. The Russians are characterizing certain things, talking about fabulous agreements and concessions or whatever else and we have no idea. That's the problem of having a private meeting like this."

++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY BLACK FRAMES++

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Jeff Flake (R) Arizona:

Flake: "Well, that's that's the problem with having a private meeting like this. Particularly when they seem to have been far better prepared. So I'm glad they put off the next meeting, I hope I don't I'm not opposed to president's meeting. That's fine. But private meetings like this just, it's not turning out well."

Reporter: "Sir, John Bolton says that we're not going to be having another Russian summit until after..."

Flake: "Hopefully that gives us more time to prepare and hopefully for more people to talk about how detrimental it is to have a private meeting like this allowing the Russians to characterize it when we aren't prepared to do so. And so I hope that if we've learned anything we learned not to do that again."

++EDIT ENDS IN A SOUNDBITE++

Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions will announce that he is entering the race for his old U.S. Senate seat in Alabama, two Republicans with direct knowledge of his plans said Wednesday.

Sessions, 72, will be making a return to the political stage a year after stepping down as President Donald Trump's first attorney general when their relationship soured over his recusal from special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.

The two Republicans confirmed to The Associated Press that Sessions is expected to announce his candidacy Thursday.

They were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The two-decade senator's entry into the race upends the 2020 Republican primary, which has a crowded field competing to challenge Democratic Sen. Doug Jones for the once reliably red seat.

The decision comes after months of speculation that Sessions might seek a return to the Senate.

Sessions was the first U.S. senator to endorse Trump's 2016 campaign, and the two supported similar policies on immigration and law enforcement.

But Sessions' recusal from the Russia inquiry prompted blistering public criticism from Trump, who eventually asked him to resign.

Despite the repeated attacks, Sessions has remained a Trump loyalist who continues to back the president's policies.

In a speech last month at a Republican Party fundraiser in Huntsville, Sessions reiterated his support for Trump even as he joked about life after being "fired" from a job. Sessions praised Trump's effort on trade, immigration and foreign policy.

"That's why I supported him and why I still do support him," Sessions told the crowd of about 500. "He is relentlessly and actually honoring the promises he made to the American people."

Sessions, for years a popular figure among state Republicans, represented Alabama in the U.S. Senate from 1997 to 2017.

He will enter the race as a presumed front-runner, but the effect of Trump's online and verbal lashings remains unclear in Alabama, where the president remains popular.

Trump in June called his selection of Sessions as attorney general his "biggest mistake." ''I would say if I had one do-over, it would be, I would not have appointed Jeff Sessions to be attorney general," Trump said in an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press."

The Republican primary includes U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne; former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville; Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill; former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, who lost to Jones in a special election two years ago; and others.

Some of Sessions' primary rivals have already signaled they will use the Trump feud in the campaign.

Tuberville said in a statement last month that Sessions "had a chance to stand and defend the President and he failed."

POOL

Washington – 30 July 2018

1. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions walks up to podium

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Jeff Sessions, U.S. Attorney General:

"There can be no doubt that we are stronger as a nation because of the contribution of religious people. Everyday across America, they feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, educate our young people, care for the sick. They do so not because the government tells them to, but because they want to. They do these things because of their faith."

5. Jeff Sessions leaves podium

POOL

Washington – 28 June 2018

1. Officials walk into room

2. Jeff Sessions speaking

3 . SOUNDBITE (English): Jeff Sessions, U.S. Attorney General:

"Today I'm announcing we are breaking records again. The Department of Justice in conjunction with the Department of Health and Human Services is announcing the largest health care fraud takedown in American history. This year we are charging 601 defendants, including 76 doctors, 23 pharmacists, 19 nurses and other medical personnel with more than two billion dollars in health care fraud. Much of this fraud is related to our ongoing opioid crisis, which is tremendously dangerous for America. It's the deadliest drug epidemic in the history of this country. We've never seen anything like it."

3. Wide of news conference

ASSOCIATED PRESS

San Diego, California – 7 May 2018

1. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions walks in for news conference

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Jeff Sessions. U.S. Attorney General:

"That's why the Department of Homeland Security is now referring 100-percent of the illegal southwest border crossings to the Department of Justice for prosecution and the Department of Justice will take up these cases. I have put in place a zero tolerance policy for illegal entry on our southwest border. If you cross the border unlawfully then we will prosecute you. It's that simple. If you smuggle illegal aliens across our border then we will prosecute you. If you are smuggling a child then we will prosecute you and that child may be separated from you as required by law. If you make false statements to an immigration officer or file a fraudulent asylum claim, that's a felony. If you help others do so that's a felony also, you're going to the jail. So if you're going to come to this country - come here legally don't come here illegally."

5 . Jeff Sessions leaves news conference

Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions will announce that he is entering the race for his old U.S. Senate seat in Alabama, two Republicans with direct knowledge of his plans said Wednesday.

Sessions, 72, will be making a return to the political stage a year after stepping down as President Donald Trump's first attorney general when their relationship soured over his recusal from special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.

The two Republicans confirmed to The Associated Press that Sessions is expected to announce his candidacy Thursday.

They were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The two-decade senator's entry into the race upends the 2020 Republican primary, which has a crowded field competing to challenge Democratic Sen. Doug Jones for the once reliably red seat.

The decision comes after months of speculation that Sessions might seek a return to the Senate.

Sessions was the first U.S. senator to endorse Trump's 2016 campaign, and the two supported similar policies on immigration and law enforcement.

But Sessions' recusal from the Russia inquiry prompted blistering public criticism from Trump, who eventually asked him to resign.

Despite the repeated attacks, Sessions has remained a Trump loyalist who continues to back the president's policies.

In a speech last month at a Republican Party fundraiser in Huntsville, Sessions reiterated his support for Trump even as he joked about life after being "fired" from a job. Sessions praised Trump's effort on trade, immigration and foreign policy.

"That's why I supported him and why I still do support him," Sessions told the crowd of about 500. "He is relentlessly and actually honoring the promises he made to the American people."

Sessions, for years a popular figure among state Republicans, represented Alabama in the U.S. Senate from 1997 to 2017.

He will enter the race as a presumed front-runner, but the effect of Trump's online and verbal lashings remains unclear in Alabama, where the president remains popular.

Trump in June called his selection of Sessions as attorney general his "biggest mistake." ''I would say if I had one do-over, it would be, I would not have appointed Jeff Sessions to be attorney general," Trump said in an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press."

The Republican primary includes U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne; former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville; Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill; former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, who lost to Jones in a special election two years ago; and others.

Some of Sessions' primary rivals have already signaled they will use the Trump feud in the campaign.

Tuberville said in a statement last month that Sessions "had a chance to stand and defend the President and he failed."

POOL

Washington – 30 July 2018

1. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions walks up to podium

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Jeff Sessions, U.S. Attorney General:

"There can be no doubt that we are stronger as a nation because of the contribution of religious people. Everyday across America, they feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, educate our young people, care for the sick. They do so not because the government tells them to, but because they want to. They do these things because of their faith."

5. Jeff Sessions leaves podium

POOL

Washington – 28 June 2018

1. Officials walk into room

2. Jeff Sessions speaking

3 . SOUNDBITE (English): Jeff Sessions, U.S. Attorney General:

"Today I'm announcing we are breaking records again. The Department of Justice in conjunction with the Department of Health and Human Services is announcing the largest health care fraud takedown in American history. This year we are charging 601 defendants, including 76 doctors, 23 pharmacists, 19 nurses and other medical personnel with more than two billion dollars in health care fraud. Much of this fraud is related to our ongoing opioid crisis, which is tremendously dangerous for America. It's the deadliest drug epidemic in the history of this country. We've never seen anything like it."

3. Wide of news conference

ASSOCIATED PRESS

San Diego, California – 7 May 2018

1. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions walks in for news conference

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Jeff Sessions. U.S. Attorney General:

"That's why the Department of Homeland Security is now referring 100-percent of the illegal southwest border crossings to the Department of Justice for prosecution and the Department of Justice will take up these cases. I have put in place a zero tolerance policy for illegal entry on our southwest border. If you cross the border unlawfully then we will prosecute you. It's that simple. If you smuggle illegal aliens across our border then we will prosecute you. If you are smuggling a child then we will prosecute you and that child may be separated from you as required by law. If you make false statements to an immigration officer or file a fraudulent asylum claim, that's a felony. If you help others do so that's a felony also, you're going to the jail. So if you're going to come to this country - come here legally don't come here illegally."

5 . Jeff Sessions leaves news conference

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, President Donald Trump's nominee to be U.S. ambassador to Russia, says Moscow's meddling in the 2016 presidential election led directly to the low level of trust between the two former Cold War foes.

Appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, Huntsman says there's no question that Russia interfered and continues to intrude "in the democratic processes of our friends and allies."

If he's confirmed, Huntsman would take over a high-profile post amid ongoing investigations by special counsel Robert Mueller into Russia's election intrusions and potential contacts between Russian officials and the Trump campaign.

The relationship between the United States and Russia is badly strained and has been marred in recent months by a series of expulsions of diplomats and closures of diplomatic missions.

POOL

Washington, DC - 19 September 2017

1. Wide of John Huntsman and others at witness table

2. Wide of Senate Foreign Relations Committee members seated on dais

3. SOUNDBITE (English) John Huntsman, Nominated to be U.S. Ambassador to Russia

"I'm under no illusion that serving as the U.S. ambassador to the Russian Federation will be easy or simple. Our relationship with Russia is among the most consequential and complex foreign policy challenges we face. As a nuclear superpower, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, we have no choice but to deal with Russia on a range of issues touching on global stability and security. Yet we also need to recognize that today, contrary to Helsinki Final Act Principles and International Law, Russia continues to threaten stability in Europe, including by violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbors. Russia also restricts the human rights of its own people. There is no question, underline no question, that the Russian government interfered in the U.S. election last year, and Moscow continues to meddle in the democratic processes of our friends and allies. Finally Russia is disregarding its arms control obligations and commitments."

4. Wide of committee members seated on dais

5. SOUNDBITE (English) John Huntsman, Nominated to be U.S. Ambassador to Russia

"I will engage key Russian government officials from the highest tiers to the local levels to advance American interests. Key among our goals are defeating ISIS, countering terrorism, upholding arms control and non-proliferation obligations and commitments, finding a political solution to the conflict in Syria, and resolving the crisis in Ukraine in way that respects Ukraine's sovereignty and restores its territorial integrity."

6. Wide of committee members at dais

7. SOUNDBITE (English) John Huntsman, Nominated to be U.S. Ambassador to Russia:

"I will also not hesitate to remind government officials that they are accountable for their actions. Exhibit A is the fact that interference in the U.S. election has led directly to the current low level of trust in the relationship. The views of Congress were heard loud and clear on this point with the near unanimous passage as Sen. Cardin mentioned of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act."

8. Wide of Huntsman at witness table after testifying

Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly is defending top White House adviser Jared Kushner amid reports that Kushner attempted to establish a "back-channel" communication between Russia and Donald Trump's presidential transition team.

Under Democratic questioning, Kelly said "we have to make the assumption - and I will - that Jared Kushner is a great American." He said back-channel talks have been common in U.S. diplomacy.

Still, Kelly noted the matter is under investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller as part of his probe into contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Kelly told Montana Sen. Jon Tester that "It's part of the Bob Mueller investigation," and the subject of congressional probes.

Tester said he believes the conduct of the president's son-in-law is "unacceptable" and asked Kelly "to find out what the hell is going on."

POOL

Washington DC - 6 June 2017

1. US Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly taking seat at Senate hearing

2. SOUNDBITE (English) US Senator Jon Tester, Democrat from Montana:

"And to have somebody this close to the president setting up back channels before they were in office through a, through a Russian embassy is very disturbing to me, if, in fact, this happened. And so have you spoken to Mr. Kushner about this issue?"

3. SOUNDBITE (English) John Kelly, US Homeland Security Secretary:

"I have not."

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Jon Tester, (D) Montana:

"We've talked about potential money flowing to the Trump business enterprise. There's all sorts of smoke here that we need to get to the bottom of, and so I'm curious about that."

5. SOUNDBITE (English) John Kelly, Homeland Security Secretary:

"I hope no one in my department's spoken to him. That would be inappropriate. I'm the interaction with the White House, as a general rule, he doesn't work, like many of the White House staff, do not work directly."

6. Cutaway

7. SOUNDBITE (English) John Kelly, Homeland Security Secretary:

"It's one thing if I call the president of a country and tell him you know, have a conversation with him. It's different if it comes from another direction. It's just the reality of the way things work. (Tester: "So.") I would just offer to you, sir, that we have to make the assumption and I will, that Jared Kushner is a great American. He's a decent American, he has, he has a, he has a security clearance at the highest level, as I understand it and if he was opening, he I believe he should have had. Now, if he was trying to open back channel communications to pass information through that back channel to get to Putin or anyone else over there, to say, "Hey, look, we're concerned about this," or "This is what you might want to consider doing," because if it's official, then it's a whole different dynamic."

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Jon Tester, (D) Montana:

"I got you. So there, but the question is, is there were, there was no, no red flags that come up for you at all on this?"

9. SOUNDBITE (English) John Kelly, Homeland Security Secretary:

"Not at the time. I didn't know about it. Since it's been reported, back channels are the normal, are are in the course of normal interactions with other countries. Very, very common."

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Jon Tester, (D) Montana:

"Can you tell me if, if it's also normal to go to an embassy of a country that has been our foe for, since World War II, and do this - is that normal?"

11. SOUNDBITE (English) John Kelly, Homeland Security Secretary:

"I don't know if that was the case, but if that is the case, I'm not so sure it's normal. But certainly, it would be one way to communicate through the back channel."

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Jon Tester, (D) Montana:

"So if I were to do that, you guys would think that's OK? "

13. SOUNDBITE (English) John Kelly, Homeland Security Secretary:

"As a senator from the great state of Montana and a member of these committees, this is B.S. what you're doing, and you better stop it or whatever or this. That's, that's essentially a back channel, back channel of communication."

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Jon Tester, (D) Montana:

"I just think if we don't get to the bottom of what's going on and what's happening, we've talked about the Russians, we've talked about money, there's all sorts of stuff going on here. And as Claire, I mean, as the the ranking member said, there's so much going on here that we don't know which direction to have the investigation happen. And I, if it needs to be you, you've got the credentials, by the way, and you've got the respect I believe on this committee and probably in Congress to really find out what the hell's going on. Because it doesn't make, it doesn't make me sleep better at night, I will just tell you."

16. SOUNDBITE (English) John Kelly, Homeland Security Secretary:

"Senator, I think, again, I think we have to make the assumption that.."

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Jon Tester, (D) Montana:

"But don't you think we should ensure that that assumption is correct?"

18. SOUNDBITE (English) John Kelly, Homeland Security Secretary:

"Well, sure. And I think there's numerous, I think there's numerous investigations that'll look into this, looking into this. I mean, I think it's part of the Bob Mueller investigation. I think there's a number of congressional committees looking into it."

19. Wide shot of hearing room

Arriving at a Senate hearing where Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would comment on the happenings of President Donald Trump's recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Senators seemed unsure about the idea of a second summit with the leader.

The Trump administration sought to fend off accusations the president is too soft on Russia on Wednesday, putting off a proposed second summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and declaring the U.S. will never recognize Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea.

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) says inviting Putin to Washington was a bad idea in the first place.

"Until it is clear that President Putin of Russia understands that his attack on our election is intolerable," said Coons.

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) was strongly against President Trump's private meeting with Putin in Helsinki, and was glad that this next one would be delayed.

"I'm not opposed to president's meeting. That's fine. But private meetings like this just, it's not turning out well," said Flake.

National security adviser John Bolton cited special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election as the reason for the delay, although many members of Congress had objected to the meeting and said Putin would not be welcome on Capitol Hill.

"The President believes that the next bilateral meeting with President Putin should take place after the Russia witch hunt is over, so we've agreed that it will be after the first of the year," Bolton said in a statement, using Trump's favored but highly controversial term for the Mueller probe.

Washington, DC - 25 July 2018

1. UPSOUND (English) Officials walk down hallway

Reporter: "Senator, what's your reaction to the delay of this Putin meeting?"

Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.): "I think it's great."

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Chris Coons, (D) Delaware:

Reporter: "Can you tell us anything about what Secretary of State Pompeo has revealed about the Trump Putin summit in Helsinki?"

Coons: "Very little. In, I think, an important and positive opening statement, Secretary Pompeo shared that a President Trump has issued a declaration that the United States, as a matter of policy, will not recognize the annexation of Crimea and will hold Russia accountable for withdrawing from eastern Ukraine and restoring and respecting the territorial integrity of Ukraine. That was a very positive statement. Senator Menendez of New Jersey pressed Secretary Pompeo very hard on exactly what was said in the Helsinki summit. Secretary Pompeo aggressively defended the right of the president to have private meetings and was really not very forthcoming about exactly what was said."

++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY BLACK FRAMES++

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Chris Coons, (D) Delaware:

Reporter: "Senator what do you think of the White House's decision to delay the upcoming meeting with Putin?"

Coons: "I don't think it was appropriate to invite President Putin to a meeting at the White House in the first place. Until it is clear that President Putin of Russia understands that his attack on our election is intolerable and that his continued actions to uphold and defend the murderous regime of Bashar al-Assad and his action in invading and occupying Crimea. Until President Putin understands and takes clear action that shows that he is withdrawing from or backing away from or changing those positions, I don't think there should be a meeting in the United States in particular in our nation's capital. Thank you all very very much."

4. Mid, Sen. Jeff Flake exits room

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Jeff Flake (R) Arizona:

Reporter: "..The fact that he is not commenting or giving many details about the one-on-one meeting Trump had."

Flake: "There's not much he's saying. We wish we had more of a read out. The Russians are characterizing certain things, talking about fabulous agreements and concessions or whatever else and we have no idea. That's the problem of having a private meeting like this."

++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY BLACK FRAMES++

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Jeff Flake (R) Arizona:

Flake: "Well, that's that's the problem with having a private meeting like this. Particularly when they seem to have been far better prepared. So I'm glad they put off the next meeting, I hope I don't I'm not opposed to president's meeting. That's fine. But private meetings like this just, it's not turning out well."

Reporter: "Sir, John Bolton says that we're not going to be having another Russian summit until after..."

Flake: "Hopefully that gives us more time to prepare and hopefully for more people to talk about how detrimental it is to have a private meeting like this allowing the Russians to characterize it when we aren't prepared to do so. And so I hope that if we've learned anything we learned not to do that again."

++EDIT ENDS IN A SOUNDBITE++

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, President Donald Trump's nominee to be U.S. ambassador to Russia, says Moscow's meddling in the 2016 presidential election led directly to the low level of trust between the two former Cold War foes.

Appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, Huntsman says there's no question that Russia interfered and continues to intrude "in the democratic processes of our friends and allies."

If he's confirmed, Huntsman would take over a high-profile post amid ongoing investigations by special counsel Robert Mueller into Russia's election intrusions and potential contacts between Russian officials and the Trump campaign.

The relationship between the United States and Russia is badly strained and has been marred in recent months by a series of expulsions of diplomats and closures of diplomatic missions.

POOL

Washington, DC - 19 September 2017

1. Wide of John Huntsman and others at witness table

2. Wide of Senate Foreign Relations Committee members seated on dais

3. SOUNDBITE (English) John Huntsman, Nominated to be U.S. Ambassador to Russia

"I'm under no illusion that serving as the U.S. ambassador to the Russian Federation will be easy or simple. Our relationship with Russia is among the most consequential and complex foreign policy challenges we face. As a nuclear superpower, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, we have no choice but to deal with Russia on a range of issues touching on global stability and security. Yet we also need to recognize that today, contrary to Helsinki Final Act Principles and International Law, Russia continues to threaten stability in Europe, including by violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbors. Russia also restricts the human rights of its own people. There is no question, underline no question, that the Russian government interfered in the U.S. election last year, and Moscow continues to meddle in the democratic processes of our friends and allies. Finally Russia is disregarding its arms control obligations and commitments."

4. Wide of committee members

5. SOUNDBITE (English) John Huntsman, Nominated to be U.S. Ambassador to Russia

"I will engage Russian government officials from the highest tiers to the local levels to advance American interests. Key among our goals are defeating ISIS, countering terrorism, upholding arms control and non-proliferation obligations and commitments, finding a political solution to the conflict in Syria, and resolving the crisis in Ukraine in way that respects Ukraine's sovereignty and restores its territorial integrity."

6. Wide of committee members at dais

7. SOUNDBITE (English) John Huntsman, Nominated to be U.S. Ambassador to Russia:

"I will also not hesitate to remind government officials that they are accountable for their actions. Exhibit A is the fact that interference in the U.S. election has led directly to the current low level of trust in the relationship. The views of Congress were heard loud and clear on this point with the near unanimous passage as Sen. Cardin mentioned of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act."

8. Wide of Huntsman at witness table after testifying