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Trump had been wagering he had greater leverage because of the strong U.S. economy, with growth at 3.2% and unemployment at historic lows. At the same time, he reckoned the Chinese economy was fragile, based on its 2018 performance, and that its leaders ultimately would make the required concessions. By contrast, XI represented a conviction among many in China that Trump would need a “win” that would reduce the deficit…

Trump had been wagering he had greater leverage because of the strong U.S. economy, with growth at 3.2% and unemployment at historic lows. At the same time, he reckoned the Chinese economy was fragile, based on its 2018 performance, and that its leaders ultimately would make the required concessions. By contrast, XI represented a conviction among many in China that Trump would need a “win” that would reduce the deficit…

NEW YORK (AP) — Democrats denounced a plan by President Donald Trump’s personal attorney to push Ukraine to open investigations that he hopes could benefit Trump politically, decrying it as an overt attempt to recruit foreign help to influence a U.S. election. But Rudy Giuliani late Friday said he does not plan to go to the Ukraine because of concerns about who he would be dealing with there. “I’ve decided…

Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., is a hero. Or at least, he’s the one guy actually doing his job, while fellow Republican officeholders attacking him are party hacks. They are hacks in the same way House Judiciary Committee Democrats wrongly holding Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress are hacks. Both sides — indeed, almost all members of Congress these days — repeatedly put party over country and politics over…

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., answers questions during a press conference at the Capitol on Thursday. The House is expected to vote on whether to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress. Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Win McNamee/Getty Images Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., answers questions during a press conference at the Capitol on Thursday. The House is expected to vote…

The United States is deploying a Patriot missile battery and another warship to the Middle East to counter what it claims are growing threats from Iran. The USS Arlington, an amphibious transport ship, and a Patriot air defense system will be deployed to the U.S. Central Command. “The United States does not seek conflict with Iran, but we are postured and ready to defend U.S. forces and interests in the…

In recent weeks, however, Mr. Trump’s campaign advisers have also started to echo the no-compromise approach, according to a former official. That, combined with Mr. Biden’s potential political weakness on China, has shifted Mr. Trump’s thinking away from those who urged a deal. At his rally this week in Panama City Beach, Fla., Mr. Trump claimed that Mr. Biden was telling supporters that foreign leaders told him they hoped he…

WASHINGTON—Within a day of the release of the Mueller report last month, President Trump sought to have former White House counsel Don McGahn declare he didn’t consider the president’s 2017 directive that he seek Robert Mueller’s dismissal to be obstruction of justice, but Mr. McGahn rebuffed the request, according to people familiar with the matter. Mr. Trump has publicly denied asking Mr. McGahn to fire the Russia probe special counsel…

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House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., is pointing to a provision in the U.S. tax code as his authority for requesting the president’s personal and business tax records. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption toggle caption J. Scott Applewhite/AP House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., is pointing to a provision in the U.S. tax code as his authority for requesting the president’s personal and business…

Carol D. Leonnig Josh Dawsey May 10 at 11:05 PM President Trump sought to have former White House counsel Donald McGahn issue a public statement last month that he did not believe the president had engaged in criminal conduct when he sought to exert control over the Russia investigation — a request McGahn declined, according to people familiar with the episode. McGahn had told the special counsel’s office that he…

His initial invocation of the tax code provision — Section 6103 — was novel and set off a flurry of legal scholarship. The section gives the chairmen of Congress’s tax-writing committees unique powers to request information on any taxpayer from the I.R.S. and says only that the executive branch “shall” furnish the material upon request. The House Ways and Means Committee and Senate Finance Committee routinely use this method to…

Cargo is unloaded from a container ship at the main port terminal in Long Beach, Calif., on Friday. Two days of trade talks between the U.S. and China ended without a deal to avert more tariffs. Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images Cargo is unloaded from a container ship at the main port terminal in Long Beach, Calif., on Friday. Two days of trade talks between…

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Vice President Joe Biden’s connections to Ukraine have become a subject of deep interest among the president’s political allies. | Ethan Miller/Getty Images President Donald Trump told POLITICO on Friday that it would be “appropriate” for him to speak to Attorney General Bill Barr about launching an investigation into his potential 2020 rival, Joe Biden, or his son, Hunter. The question of whether Trump could pressure Barr to probe Biden…

LONDON (Reuters) – U.S. commercial ships including oil tankers sailing through key Middle East waterways could be targeted by Iran in one of the threats to U.S. interests posed by Tehran, the U.S. Maritime Administration said in an advisory. The U.S. military said this week that a number of B-52 bombers would be part of additional forces being sent to the Middle East to counter what the Trump administration calls…

The Chinese markets had a surprisingly good day Friday, given that the U.S. just massively jacked up tariffs against Chinese imports, and the trade negotiations between the two countries appear likely to fail. The Hang Seng Index, having seemed set to plummet around lunchtime, ended up 0.84% up on the day. The Shanghai Composite Index did even better, soaring 3.1% by close. And the positivity may be spreading: the Stoxx…

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The Chinese markets had a surprisingly good day Friday, given that the U.S. just massively jacked up tariffs against Chinese imports, and the trade negotiations between the two countries appear likely to fail. The Hang Seng Index, having seemed set to plummet around lunchtime, ended up 0.84% up on the day. The Shanghai Composite Index did even better, soaring 3.1% by close. And the positivity may be spreading: the Stoxx…

CLOSE Students of the Colorado STEM school shooting stormed out of an “interfaith vigil,” saying their trauma was being politicized. USA TODAY HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. — Emotions are running high as prosecutors prepare to bring charges against two teens accused of attacking their suburban Denver charter school earlier this week, killing one classmate and injuring eight others. The pair are due in court Wednesday amid many questions about the shooting, how it…