ZEKE MILLER Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton said Monday that he is “prepared to testify” if he is subpoenaed by the Senate in its impeachment trial.
Bolton, who left the White House in September, said that he has weighed the issues of executive privilege and that after “careful consideration and study” decided that he would comply with a Senate subpoena.
“I have concluded that, if the Senate issues a subpoena for my testimony, I am prepared to testify," he said in a statement.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has publicly expressed resistance to calling new witnesses in the trial, though Democrats are pressing to hear from Bolton and others who did not appear before the House's inquiry in the upcoming proceedings.
Bolton's statement comes as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is stalling House-passed articles of impeachment against Trump in a bid to get new witnesses to testify. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has proposed calling several witnesses, including Bolton, but McConnell has so far rejected Schumer's terms.
It is unclear when Pelosi will eventually release the articles. If she decides to do so in the coming days, a Senate trial could start as soon as this week.
“We can’t hold a trial without the articles,” McConnell tweeted Monday. “The Senate’s own rules don’t provide for that. So, for now, we are content to continue the ordinary business of the Senate while House Democrats continue to flounder. For now.”
Lenders are raising serious concerns about the Payroll Protection Program, which was scheduled to launch Friday, citing a lack of information from the government on how and if the emergency loan program will even work and leading some to opt out of it.
President Donald Trump has announced new federal guidelines recommending that Americans wear face coverings when in public. The president immediately said he had no intention of following the advice himself.
Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore. 2nd District) supports the "basic public health protocol" is leading to drastic mitigation of the pandemic in his state of Oregon.
Stocks are falling again on Wall Street, putting the market on track for its third down week in the last four. The S&P 500, Dow and Nasdaq were each down more than 2.5%.
Kerry Kennedy, daughter of Robert F. Kennedy, and ex-wife of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, said that RFK Human Rights has freed over 200 people in 10 cities over the last two and a half weeks. These people were put in jail and awaiting trial, some for as little as a $25 fine for an overdue parking ticket.
The governor said he has spoken with hospital administrators and understands the reluctance to give up essential equipment, but that he wants to avoid a situation where COVID-19 patients are dying in one part of the state while ventilators sit unused in another part of the state.
Stocks are falling in morning trading on Wall Street, putting the S&P 500 on track for its third down week in the last four. But the losses are much milder than what's rocked investors the last couple months.
The Trump administration is formalizing new guidance to recommend that many Americans wear face coverings in an effort to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, as the president is aggressively defending his response to the public health crisis.
The coronavirus outbreak has triggered a stunning collapse in the U.S. workforce, with 10 million people losing their jobs in the past two weeks. Meanwhile, the number of confirmed infections worldwide has hit 1 million, with more than 50,000 deaths, according to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins University.
Stock indexes turned wobbly on Wall Street Thursday, giving up most of an early gain driven by a surge in oil prices.
