Politics

1. Trump says he will 'strongly consider' testifying in impeachment inquiry

   U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said for the first time that he might be willing to testify in the impeachment inquiry over his dealings with Ukraine, even as Democrats questioned the truthfulness of his testimony in the Russia 2016 election interference probe.

   

   

2. Witnesses scheduled to testify this week in the U.S. impeachment inquiry

   The U.S. House of Representatives' impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump shifts into higher gear this week when a parade of officials will face questioning by lawmakers over Trump's dealings with Ukraine.

   

   

3. Pompeo declines to defend ex-U.S. ambassador after Trump attack

   Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday he was proud of what the United States had done in Ukraine and declined to defend former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch who was attacked on Twitter by President Donald Trump.

   

   

4. U.S. diplomat David Holmes to testify in public impeachment hearing on Thursday

   David Holmes, a U.S. embassy official in Ukraine, will testify publicly on Thursday before the U.S. House of Representatives Intelligence Committee in the inquiry into whether President Donald Trump should be impeached, the panel said on Monday.

   

   

5. White House indicates support for stopgap bill to avoid government shutdown: McConnell

   U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Monday the Trump administration had voiced support for legislation providing temporary funds for an array of federal agencies through Dec. 20 to avert shutdowns at the end of this week.

   

   

6. Ex-U.S. security officials urge 'aggressive steps' to protect 2020 election

   The United States should boost spending and take other "aggressive steps" to protect next year's presidential election from foreign meddling, a group of former national security officials said on Monday.

   

   

7. Trump defender's fame rockets; so does her opponent's fundraising

   President Donald Trump declared "a star is born" after Republican Representative Elise Stefanik strongly defended him during last week's impeachment hearings in Congress. But someone else also got a boost from Stefanik's new fame: her Democratic election opponent.

   

   

8. House investigating whether Trump lied in U.S. Russia probe: CNN

   The U.S. House of Representatives is probing whether President Donald Trump lied in his written testimony submitted to then-U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller as part of the completed federal investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, CNN said on Monday.

   

   

9. Trump says he will consider testifying in impeachment hearing

   U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said he might be willing to testify in the impeachment inquiry "even though I did nothing wrong," although House Democrats leading the investigation have not publicly called him as a witness.

   

   

10. Democrat Warren vows to protect renter households as U.S. president

    Democratic presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren on Monday vowed to protect the country's 43 million renter households, releasing a plan that would help tenants fight eviction, afford their homes and retain lawyers in housing courts.

    

    

11. How the path to the Democratic presidential nomination is different in 2020

    The Democratic Party will officially nominate a 2020 presidential candidate at its convention next July, but not before a long primary season that kicks off with the Iowa caucuses in February and ends with the Puerto Rican primary in June.

    

    

12. In Trump-Nixon impeachment comparison, Pelosi raises specter of resignation

    U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is amplifying her unfavorable comparison of President Donald Trump to fellow Republican Richard Nixon, saying that disgraced president at least cared enough about the country to leave office before his impeachment.

    

    

13. Democratic presidential candidates court labor support in Nevada

    Retired letter carrier Leslie Maxwell Burton has a message for Democratic presidential contenders campaigning in the early voting state of Nevada this weekend: She will not vote for anyone who tries to take away her hard-won union health plan.

    

    

14. Deval Patrick at odds with some U.S. Democratic hopefuls over big money in politics

    White House hopeful Deval Patrick said on Sunday he would not disavow a super PAC in support of his nascent candidacy, breaking with some leading Democrats who have ruled out accepting financial backing from outside groups.

    

    

15. Trump assails Pence aide who testified in impeachment probe

    U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out on Sunday at another witness in Congress' impeachment inquiry against him, saying the aide to Vice President Mike Pence was a "Never Trumper" who should "work out a better presidential attack."

    

    

16. Pence aide said Trump's Ukraine phone call was 'unusual and inappropriate'

    The phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart at the center of Congress' impeachment investigation was "inappropriate," an aide to Vice President Mike Pence told lawmakers, according to a transcript released on Saturday.

    

    

17. Bloomberg admits he was wrong, apologizes for 'stop and frisk' - NY Times

    Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg admitted he was wrong to support the "stop and frisk" police practice that ensnared disproportionate numbers of blacks and Latinos, apologizing to a largely African-American church on Sunday as he weighs a presidential bid.

    

    

18. Trump touts his 'very' good health after unscheduled medical check

    U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he was in "very good" health after undergoing the first phase of an annual medical check the previous day.

    

    

19. Louisiana's Democratic governor wins re-election in Republican-leaning state

    Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, a conservative Democrat, won a second term in office on Saturday, defeating a Republican opponent who had closely aligned himself with U.S. President Donald Trump.

    

    

20. Buttigieg surges ahead of Democratic rivals in Iowa: poll

    South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg holds a clear lead among Democratic presidential candidates in Iowa, the state that will hold the first nominating contest in February, a new Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom opinion poll showed on Saturday.