Jan 18, 2020

Trump's Fox-friendly Senate trial team

Screengrab: CNN

Four of the team members — Ken Starr, Alan Dershowitz, Pam Bondi and Robert Ray — have made at least 365 weekday Fox News appearances since January 2019, according to progressive research center Media Matters for America.

Between the lines: Several White House officials told Jonathan Swan they were hoping President Trump wouldn’t pick Alan Dershowitz, named by the White House Friday as one of the Senate trial counsels, to play a formal role.

Why it matters: They saw the choice as an unnecessary distraction, given that the team was already strong and Alan Dershowitz has ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

But Trump thinks Dershowitz is magnificent on TV, a White House official said.

Swan's bottom line: It matters not at all who represents Trump. Republican senators long ago decided in the president’s favor.

Go deeper: Trump impeachment team includes Ken Starr and Alan Dershowitz

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Rebecca Falconer

58 mins ago - Politics & Policy

The latest: George Floyd protests nationwide

Police officers wearing riot gear push back demonstrators outside of the White House on Monday. Photo: Jose Luis Magana/AFP via Getty Images

Protests over the death of George Floyd and other police-related killings of black people continued for a seventh day across the U.S., with President Trump threatening on Monday to deploy the military if the unrest continues.

The latest: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told CNN on the president's quasi-offer: "Thank you but no thank you," and accused Trump of "calling out the American military for a photo opportunity."

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Dave Lawler

1 hour ago - World

The world watches America burn

Newspaper front pages via the Newseum

The world is watching the grief and anger, violence and pain in America's streets.

The big picture: The U.S. accounts for nearly one-third of the world's deaths from COVID-19. The killing of a black man, George Floyd, by police has sparked days of protest and nights of chaos in America's major cities.

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Alayna Treene, Alexi McCammond

2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Trump walks to historic St. John's Church outside White House as protests rage

President Trump walked to the historic St. John’s Episcopal Church, located just steps away from the White House across Lafayette Park, on Monday night as protests linked to the murder of George Floyd raged across the capital and cities around the country.

What we're seeing: Military police and park rangers used physical force and tear gas on peaceful protestors to clear the area so that Trump could "pay respects" to the church that was damaged by a fire on Sunday.

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