Trump lashes out at Biden over prisoner swap deal with Iran – live

An impeachment inquiry is an investigation of possible wrongdoing by a federal official, such as the president of the United States, Cabinet officials or judges. The process is written into the Constitution and is the most powerful check that Congress has on the executive branch.

While the House of Representatives wields the power to impeach a federal official, only the Senate has the ability to convict and remove an individual from office.

To date, no president has ever been forced from the White House through impeachment. But former Republican President Richard Nixon resigned in 1974 as the House was preparing to take a vote on impeachment articles against him.

President Joe Biden’s approval rating has risen to its highest level since March – 42 per cent – according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.

The increasing support stems from Democratic voters coalescing around Mr Biden as House Republicans launch an impeachment inquiry.

Eighty per cent of Democrats approved of Mr Biden while 91 per cent of Republicans disapproved.

Donald Trump has accused his 2024 rival Ron DeSantis of spreading “Missing Melania” flyers at the Iowa football game he attended.

The former first lady has barely been seen since departing the White House with the four-times indicted former president in January 2021.

Mr Trump was heckled by fans at the Iowa State game on Saturday in the key early-voting state, and a plane with a “Where’s Melania?” banner even flew over the stadium.

Loomer claimed that the flyers showed a picture of Melania with “MISSING” written in large red letters.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he is launching an impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden, yielding to mounting pressure from former President Donald Trump and his allies in what’s shaping up as an election-year clash between Congress and the White House.

In a statement Tuesday, McCarthy said the House investigations into the Biden family this year have uncovered a “culture of corruption” that demands deeper review.

“These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy said he will direct the chairmen of the House Judiciary, Oversight and Ways and Means committees to lead the impeachment inquiry. The panels have been working together for months on various probes related to the Biden family.

A look at what happens next as House Republicans inch closer to possible impeachment charges against Biden:

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy threw his support behind opening an impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden on Tuesday morning, amid growing calls by the most extreme members of his conference.

The speaker announced his support for an inquiry but denied it was due to pressure from the most right-wing voices in the House Republican conference.

“These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption. And they warrant further investigation by the House of Representatives,” Mr McCarthy said in a brief televised statement.

Mr McCarthy’s words come despite the fact that House Republicans have yet to find evidence of wrongdoing by Mr Biden or any evidence that he directly benefited from the business dealings of his son Hunter Biden, specifically mentioning the younger Biden’s work with Ukrainian energy company Burisma.

Indeed, Mr McCarthy mostly focused on Mr Biden’s alleged foreign business dealings, claiming that more than $20m went to shell companies of Biden family members.

The trial is currently scheduled for early 2024, but New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan cancelled a hearing set for this week and wrote in a short letter to Trump lawyer Todd Blanche that “In light of the many recent developments involving Mr. Trump and his rapidly evolving trial schedule, I do not believe it would be fruitful for us to conference this case on September 15 to discuss scheduling”.

US District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington DC has scheduled Mr Trump’s case connected to the January 6, 2021 insurrection for 4 March 2024 – the day before Mr Trump is believed to be set to take a strong grip on the Republican presidential nomination on Super Tuesday.

The 4 March date is also just weeks before the original schedule for the hush money trial.

Donald Trump hurled an unsubstantiated accusation at President Joe Biden, baselessly suggesting that he received a “kickback” after the release of Iranian funding in connection to the planned liberation of five Americans in captivity.

Mr Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, writing, “So, let’s get this straight! We did a hostage TRADE with Iran. We gave them 5 very tough, smart people that they desperately wanted. We likewise got back 5 people BUT, we also gave them 6 BILLION DOLLARS!”

“How much of a kickback does Crooked Joe Biden get?” he asked. “Does anyone realize how much money 6 Billion Dollars is? When I was President, I got back 58 hostages for ZERO money. Remember Pastor Brunson? It sets a TERRIBLE precedent. Republicans, call out the 25th Amendment, NOW! Biden is INCOMPETENT!”

Marjorie Taylor Greene marked the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks by suggesting that red states secede from the US and calling President Joe Biden a traitor.

“If the Biden admin refuses to stop the invasion of cartel-led human and drug trafficking into our country, states should consider seceding from the union,” the Georgia Republican wrote Monday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “From Texas to New York City to every town in America, we are drowning from Biden’s traitorous America last border policies.”

Earlier on Monday, she tweeted a message in remembrance of the victims of the 2001 attacks but not without taking a swipe at Mr Biden.

“Today, we remember the lives taken from us by the hands of Islamic terrorism 22 years ago,” she wrote. “Americans are still dying and suffering from the toxic chemicals and dust they endured after the buildings fell.”