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

4145439

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 is rejecting a proposed bipartisan immigration bill.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says the legislation brought forth by Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Jeff Flake of Arizona and Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois is "unacceptable" to Trump.

Sanders adds that the legislation should be "declared dead on arrival" and does not meet White House requirements on border security.

The failure to reach an immigration deal earlier this month was the driving force behind the recent, brief federal government shutdown.

The White House had indicated that it would not re-open negotiations on immigration until the shutdown ended.

Sanders also talked about the special counsel's Russia investigation, headed by Robert Mueller.

Washington DC - 23 January 2018

1. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders walks in to press briefing room

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sarah Huckabee Sanders, White House Press Secretary:

"I'd like to leave no doubt, no doubt where the White House stands on the Flake, Graham and Durbin agreement on immigration reform. In a bipartisan meeting here at the White House two weeks ago, we outlined a path forward on four issues, serious border security an end to chain migration, the cancellation of the outdated and unsafe visa lottery and a permanent solution to DACA. Unfortunately, the Flake, Graham, Durbin agreement does not meet these benchmarks. In fact, it would not secure our border encourage more illegal immigration, increase chain migration and retain the visa lottery system."

3. Cutaway

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Sarah Huckabee Sanders, White House Press Secretary:

"In short, it's totally unacceptable to the president and should be declared dead on arrival. The president has been extraordinarily consistent on the immigration and what his priorities are. His views are shared by the vast majority of the American people and have bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives."

5. Cutaway

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Sarah Huckabee Sanders, White House Press Secretary:

"We certainly think that there are a lot of things that we agree on and I think if we focus on what we agree on, a lot more than what we disagree on, we can have a lot of progress and hopefully get to something that helps everybody and solves a big problem."

7. Cutaway

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Sarah Huckabee Sanders, White House Press Secretary:

"Look, I think the president has stated what he would like to see happen and at this point the president is willing to sign something to find a permanent solution for DACA and he has placed the responsibility, which the Constitution has placed and he has reminded Congress that it is their job to actually get that legislation passed and send it to him. Again, he's going to play a big role in the process, but it's on Congress to get that legislation through the two bodies and hit the president's desk."

9. Cutaway

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Sarah Huckabee Sanders, White House Press Secretary:

"But you can't fix the problem if you just tinker with the immigration in a small way. We want to make sure that we're not having this problem and this conversation and this fight in two years and three years and four years. We want to address making a permanent solution to DACA, but at the same time closing the loopholes so we don't have to continue having this battle, but we also want to put some things in place with border security, because if you don't you're not actually solving the problem, you're just extending it and making us have to deal with it in a later time."

11. Cutaway

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Sarah Huckabee Sanders, White House Press Secretary:

"As we've said it probably just about every day this year since we've been here, that we're going to be fully cooperative with the special counsel and we're going to continue to do that throughout the process. But we're also not going to comment on who may or may not or could be interviewed at any point but we're going to continue to be fully cooperative with the process."

13. Cutaway

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Sarah Huckabee Sanders, White House Press Secretary:

"We want to see this come to a complete and full conclusion. I think we all know what everybody in this room would do if the president did that and I don't think that's helpful to the process. The president wants to see this end and he wants to see them finally come to the same conclusion that I think most everyone in America has, that there is nothing to this. They've spent the better part, most of you've spent the better part of a year looking, digging, obsessing over trying to find something and I have yet to find anything."

15. Sanders leaves briefing room

President Donald Trump is rejecting a proposed bipartisan immigration bill.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says the legislation brought forth by Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Jeff Flake of Arizona and Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois is "unacceptable" to Trump.

Sanders adds that the legislation should be "declared dead on arrival" and does not meet White House requirements on border security.

The failure to reach an immigration deal earlier this month was the driving force behind the recent, brief federal government shutdown.

The White House had indicated that it would not re-open negotiations on immigration until the shutdown ended.

Sanders also talked about  the special counsel's Russia investigation, headed by Robert Mueller.

Washington DC - 23 January 2018

1. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders walks in to press briefing room

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sarah Huckabee Sanders, White House Press Secretary:

"I'd like to leave no doubt, no doubt where the White House stands on the Flake, Graham and Durbin agreement on immigration reform. In a bipartisan meeting here at the White House two weeks ago, we outlined a path forward on four issues, serious border security an end to chain migration, the cancellation of the outdated and unsafe visa lottery and a permanent solution to DACA. Unfortunately, the Flake, Graham, Durbin agreement does not meet these benchmarks. In fact, it would not secure our border encourage more illegal immigration, increase chain migration and retain the visa lottery system."

3. Cutaway

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Sarah Huckabee Sanders, White House Press Secretary:

"In short, it's totally unacceptable to the president and should be declared dead on arrival. The president has been extraordinarily consistent on the immigration and what his priorities are. His views are shared by the vast majority of the American people and have bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives."

5. Cutaway

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Sarah Huckabee Sanders, White House Press Secretary:

"We certainly think that there are a lot of things that we agree on and I think if we focus on what we agree on, a lot more than what we disagree on, we can have a lot of progress and hopefully get to something that helps everybody and solves a big problem."

7. Cutaway

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Sarah Huckabee Sanders, White House Press Secretary:

"Look, I think the president has stated what he would like to see happen and at this point the president is willing to sign something to find a permanent solution for DACA and he has placed the responsibility, which the Constitution has placed and he has reminded Congress that it is their job to actually get that legislation passed and send it to him. Again, he's going to play a big role in the process, but it's on Congress to get that legislation through the two bodies and hit the president's desk."

9. Cutaway

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Sarah Huckabee Sanders, White House Press Secretary:

"But you can't fix the problem if you just tinker with the immigration in a small way. We want to make sure that we're not having this problem and this conversation and this fight in two years and three years and four years. We want to address making a permanent solution to DACA, but at the same time closing the loopholes so we don't have to continue having this battle, but we also want to put some things in place with border security, because if you don't you're not actually solving the problem, you're just extending it and making us have to deal with it in a later time."

11. Cutaway

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Sarah Huckabee Sanders, White House Press Secretary:

"As we've said it probably just about every day this year since we've been here, that we're going to be fully cooperative with the special counsel and we're going to continue to do that throughout the process. But we're also not going to comment on who may or may not or could be interviewed at any point but we're going to continue to be fully cooperative with the process."

13. Cutaway

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Sarah Huckabee Sanders, White House Press Secretary:

"We want to see this come to a complete and full conclusion. I think we all know what everybody in this room would do if the president did that and I don't think that's helpful to the process. The president wants to see this end and he wants to see them finally come to the same conclusion that I think most everyone in America has, that there is nothing to this. They've spent the better part, most of you've spent the better part of a year looking, digging, obsessing over trying to find something and I have yet to find anything."

15. Sanders leaves briefing room

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

California's top law enforcement official blasted his former congressional colleague, House Speaker Paul Ryan, on Friday for suggesting that a lack of political experience helps explain President Donald Trump's questionable interactions with James Comey when he was FBI director.

In an interview with The Associated Press, state Attorney General Xavier Becerra labeled Ryan an "accomplice" for defending what he termed Trump's incompetence or dereliction of his presidential duties. Becerra served in Congress prior to being appointed attorney general earlier this year.

"How dare you say it's a novice mistake?" Becerra said of comments by Ryan and others defending the president.

Becerra was referring to Trump's potentially illegal efforts to get Comey to drop the investigation into then-national security adviser Michael Flynn's interactions with Russian officials. Ryan said Thursday that Trump should be forgiven because he is "new at government" and "learning as he goes."

Becerra said ignorance of the law is not an acceptable excuse for Trump.

Ryan's spokeswoman, AshLee Strong, did not immediately respond to an email request seeking comment.

Becerra was appointed after former attorney general Kamala Harris, another vocal Trump critic, was elected to the U.S. Senate. He and other Democrats who control all major political offices in California have positioned the state as the front lines of resistance to many Trump administration policies.

Becerra said continued political theater in Washington won't stop California from enacting its own agenda on immigration, the environment and a host of other issues.

In a wide-ranging interview, Becerra also defended the death penalty, the state's cooperation with federal agents in fighting drugs and sex trafficking, and said he sees no sign yet of a federal crackdown on California's burgeoning recreational marijuana industry.

But he also promised to continue fighting Trump's agenda, bringing legal action and joining other states when necessary.

Becerra said he has tried to engage with the Trump administration without much success. His efforts to meet with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly for more clarity on their plans to enforce federal immigration law have gone unmet despite multiple requests, Becerra said.

Meanwhile, California's Legislature is considering making California a "sanctuary state" by limiting how much state and local law enforcement officers may collaborate with the federal government's immigration enforcement efforts, as well as bills to make it harder for immigration authorities to raid businesses.

But even as state legislators work to resist federal enforcement, Becerra suggested there's room for collaboration between state officials and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, from sex trafficking to cracking down on illegal drug flow.

"I'm not trying to thwart ICE from doing its work, they're doing some really important stuff and we're doing some really important stuff with them," Becerra said. "And so it just helps to have some clarity and predictability."

On other topics, Becerra said:

— California could file climate-related lawsuits, but it will depend on what actions the Trump administration takes.

"We're going to continue to do what we've been doing," he said. "If someone wants to try to stop us, then they're probably going to run into me."

He pointed to his efforts to defend California's energy efficiency and emissions standards.

He said he has received no response from the Freedom of Information Act request he filed two months ago seeking documents he said could show conflicts of interest and ethics violations by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt.

Pruitt had sued his new agency multiple times while he was attorney general of Oklahoma.

— Becerra defended the death penalty as constitutional, but stressed that officials need to be "cautious." There are "too many cases" of people wrongfully sentenced to death row, he said.

— Becerra said he doesn't think the federal government will make a "comprehensive effort" to crack down on recreational marijuana industries in states like California that have legalized the drug.

"My sense is that they know that if they try to do something on a large scale then they're going to run into a real juggernaut against them," he said.

He added that he would defend California's marijuana industry if the federal government does try to crack down.

Sacramento - June 9, 2017

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Xavier Becerra, California Attorney General

"I would let prosecutors who dealt with this day in and day out pontificate on that. I will tell you to hear the director of the FBI with some pretty definitive clarity say that the president either lied or misrepresented what had gone on that takes you into an area that you rarely see, certainly from communications and activities involving the president. When you also find out that the actions by the president have consequences, not just for the investigation on the role that Russia played, but also in a potential cover-up -- you're in obstruction of justice territory. Can you prove all the elements of the obstruction of justice charge? We are only at the beginning of this investigation and already this much information has come out. Would anyone have said weeks into this investigation of Watergate that we would have discovered as much as we ultimately did? My sense was that this was a deep pool and Mueller hasn't even jumped into the water yet."

REPORTER: "What do you make of Speaker Ryan's response was essentially along the lines of 'well he's new at this.' The president's new at this he didn't really know what he was doing'? I wonder just what your take is ont he response."

"My immediate reaction was... hmm... is this the guy who's got his finger on the nuclear button as well and is that an excuse you said you would give to someone who runs for president who would have his hand on the nuclear button that he's still a new guy. Cut him some slack. I don't get it. I think it speaks volumes more about those who are defending Donald Trump more than Donald Trump. How dare you say that 'ah it's a novice mistake'? You are the president of the United States. This is not one of those those things where you can just say 'oops. I forgot to pay the bill, or sorry hundreds... thousands of kids aren't going to get their head start, oops I didn't realize that we're not supposed to interfere in some other country's affairs.' You go through the whole process of the campaign and you're ready to be president of the United States. For someone to try to defend the -- not incompetence -- than the dereliction of the president, in my book you're an accomplice."

REPORTER: "What would it take... you said a couple weeks ago at the convention that you were near impeachment territory. What do you think it would take for Speaker Ryan, your former Republican colleague in Congress to get there themselves?"

"Well, after yesterday's comments by Speaker Ryan, himself, I'm not sure if he's willing to excuse the potential for obstruction of justice, what else might they be willing to excuse? High crimes and misdemeanors can mean many things. I would belive that obstruction of justice would fit into that category. There are a lot of other things that would fit within that category as well. As Republicans demonstrated, they were willing to go that route in the late 1990's. If you did someone for not being totally candid about their definition of 'is' and what you did in terms of their personal life, then you should be willing to want to investigate what someone did with potential collusion with Russia and someone trying to potentially undermine our democratic elections."