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US House of Representatives to hold impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump

Nancy Pelosi announced formal impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump on charge of seeking foreign help to smear Democratic rival Joe Biden ahead of next year’s election.

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United States of America’s House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi with Donald Trump

United States of America’s House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday, Sep 24, announced a formal impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump over allegations of seeking foreign help to smear Democratic rival Joe Biden ahead of next year’s election.

The move came after mounting pressure from fellow Democrats, plunging a deeply divided nation into an election year clash between Congress and the President.

Pelosi, who for months had been reluctant to embrace an impeachment effort, said, “The president must be held accountable. No one is above the law.”

In a deeply divided country, the inquiry means there would be highly partisan fight in Congress and a polarised presidential campaign in coming months.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the inquiry after a closed-door meeting with Democratic lawmakers, saying Donald Trump’s actions undermined national security and violated the US Constitution.

Trump, who was meeting with world leaders at the United Nations, previewed his defense in an all-caps tweet: “PRESIDENTIAL HARRASSMENT!”

He called the inquiry “Witch Hunt garbage”.

Pelosi’s change of heart followed reports that Donald Trump had pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a July 25 phone call to investigate Biden, the Democratic presidential front-runner, and his son Hunter, who had worked for a company drilling for gas in Ukraine.

In the days before the call, Trump ordered advisers to freeze $400 million in military aid for Ukraine — prompting speculation that he was holding out the money as leverage for information on the Bidens. Trump has denied that charge, but acknowledged he blocked the funds.

Donald Trump promised on Tuesday to release a transcript of his phone call. He has acknowledged he discussed Biden in the call, but denied he withheld nearly $400 million in US aid to Ukraine as leverage to get Zelenskiy to launch a probe that would damage Biden, who leads opinion polls in the Democratic presidential race.

Pelosi said the six congressional committees currently investigating Donald Trump would continue with their probes as part of the inquiry.

The panels would work collaboratively, and then decide whether the House Judiciary Committee should draft articles of impeachment, according to media reports quoting House aides.

“The actions of the Trump presidency revealed a dishonourable fact of the president’s betrayal of his oath of office, betrayal of our national security and betrayal of the integrity of our elections,” Pelosi said.

Congressional allies of Donald Trump accused Pelosi of playing politics with the decision.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called it “a rush to judgement”, saying it should have waited until after details of the phone call were revealed. “It simply confirms that House Democrats’ priority is not making life better for the American people, but their nearly three-year-old fixation on impeachment,” he said.

The impeachment inquiry could eventually lead to Donald Trump’s removal from office, although that would be a steep task for Democrats. Even if the Democratic-controlled House voted to impeach Trump, the Republican-majority Senate would have to take the next step of removing him from office after a trial. A conviction would require a two-thirds Senate majority.

It will be the first impeachment inquiry in Congress since the 1998 probe of President Bill Clinton for perjury and obstruction of justice in relation to his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

The House voted to impeach Clinton in December 1998, but the Democratic president was acquitted two months later by the Senate and remained in office.

The only other president to be impeached, Andrew Johnson in 1868, was also acquitted by the Senate. President Richard M Nixon resigned in 1974 after the House initiated impeachment proceedings but before an official vote, stepping down rather than face the embarrassment of such a rebuke.

Biden said he would back impeachment if the president did not fully comply with congressional investigations. “If we allow a president to get away with shredding the Constitution, that will last forever,” Biden told reporters in Wilmington, in his home state of Delaware.

Most Democratic presidential contenders support an impeachment inquiry, including US Senators Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker and Amy Klobuchar; former US Representative Beto O’Rourke; South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg; and former US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro.

But the move carries a risk of backfiring on Democrats if voters believe they are overreaching, as it did on House Republicans who unexpectedly lost seats in the 1998 elections after pursuing impeachment against Clinton.

Donald Trump has proven particularly resilient since taking office in January 2017, withstanding repeated scandals and retaining strong support from Republicans.

He promised to release a “complete, fully declassified and unredacted” transcript of the July 25 Ukraine call on Wednesday.

Democrats are also seeking the original complaint about Donald Trump’s call, filed by a whistleblower within the US intelligence community, as well as information on deliberations over the Ukrainian aid.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said his panel was communicating with an attorney representing the whistleblower and that the individual would like to testify this week.

The White House had refused to hand over the whistleblower’s complaint to Congress. But an administration official said late on Tuesday it was now preparing to release it by the end of the week and most likely allow the whistleblower to meet with congressional investigators.

The Senate approved a resolution on Tuesday calling for the complaint to be submitted to the Senate and House Intelligence committees. The House will vote on a similar resolution on Wednesday.

Donald Trump said the transcript would show the Ukraine call was “totally appropriate”, that he had not pressured Zelenskiy to investigate Biden and that there had been no “quid pro quo” for US aid in exchange for a probe.

Donald Trump has produced no evidence of wrongdoing by Biden or his son.

“When you see the readout of the call, which I assume you’ll see at some point, you’ll understand. That call was perfect. It couldn’t have been nicer,” Donald Trump told reporters at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Donald Trump indicated there was nothing sinister about withholding the aid to Ukraine but he wanted Europe and not just the United States to step up and provide Ukraine assistance.

The money was later released by the Trump administration. Trump told reporters he had wanted the money for Ukraine frozen, but changed his mind after “people called me.”

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Elon Musk says SpaceX Starship, carrying Tesla humanoid robot Optimus, to depart for Mars in 2026

“Starship will depart for Mars at the end of next year, carrying Optimus. If these landings go well, human landings could start as soon as 2029, although 2031 is more probable,” Musk stated in a post on his social media platform, X.

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SpaceX founder Elon Musk revealed on Saturday that the company’s colossal Starship rocket is slated to embark on a mission to Mars by the end of 2026, with Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus, on board. Musk also expressed optimism about human landings on the Red Planet, suggesting they could begin as early as 2029, though he acknowledged 2031 as a more likely timeframe.

“Starship will depart for Mars at the end of next year, carrying Optimus. If these landings go well, human landings could start as soon as 2029, although 2031 is more probable,” Musk stated in a post on his social media platform, X.

Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, is central to Musk’s ambitious vision of establishing a human colony on Mars. The spacecraft is also a critical component of NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon this decade. A modified version of Starship is expected to serve as a lunar lander for the Artemis missions.

However, before SpaceX can realize these interplanetary ambitions, it must demonstrate that Starship is reliable, safe for crewed missions, and capable of complex in-orbit refueling—a necessity for deep-space exploration.

The company recently faced a setback during its latest Starship test flight, which ended in a fiery explosion. While the booster was successfully caught during its orbital test, the upper stage of the rocket tumbled uncontrollably minutes after liftoff and booster separation. The live video feed of the event abruptly cut off, marking a near-repeat of a previous test flight failure.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has mandated that SpaceX conduct a thorough investigation into the incident before it can proceed with further test flights.

Despite these challenges, Musk remains steadfast in his commitment to advancing space exploration. The successful development and deployment of Starship could revolutionize humanity’s ability to travel beyond Earth, paving the way for unprecedented missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

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US President Trump says didn’t want PM Modi, other world leaders to see tents, graffiti, potholes in Washington DC

The President expressed his determination to ensure that foreign dignitaries are greeted by a city that reflects the grandeur and safety befitting the U.S. capital.

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U.S. President Donald Trump has announced a comprehensive cleanup initiative for Washington D.C., aiming to ensure the nation’s capital reflects its global stature. Speaking at the Department of Justice, Trump emphasized his desire to present a pristine and crime-free city to visiting world leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“We’re cleaning up our city. We’re cleaning up this great capital, and we’re not going to have crime, and we’re not going to stand for crime. We’re going to take the graffiti down, and we’re already taking the tents down. We’re working with the administration to make this happen,” Trump stated.

The President highlighted the presence of tents and graffiti near federal buildings, particularly opposite the State Department, as issues that needed immediate attention. He praised Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser for her efforts in addressing these concerns. “We said there are tents galore right opposite the State Department. They have to come down. And they took them down right away. So far, so good. We want to have a capital that can be the talk of the world,” Trump remarked.

Trump’s comments came in the context of recent visits by several world leaders, including Prime Minister Modi, French President Emmanuel Macron, and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The President expressed his determination to ensure that foreign dignitaries are greeted by a city that reflects the grandeur and safety befitting the U.S. capital.

“When Prime Minister Modi of India, the President of France, and all of these people… the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, they all came to see me over the last week and a half. I had the route run. I didn’t want them to see tents. I didn’t want them to see graffiti. I didn’t want them to see broken barriers or potholes in the roads. We had it looking beautiful,” Trump said.

He further outlined his vision for a safer and cleaner Washington D.C., vowing to transform it into a crime-free city. “We’re going to do that for the city, and we’re going to have a crime-free capital. When people come here, they’re not going to be mugged or shot or raped. They’re going to have a crime-free capital. It’s going to be cleaner, better, and safer than it ever was, and it’s not going to take us too long,” he asserted.

Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the White House on February 13 marked the fourth meeting between the two leaders since Trump’s inauguration for his second term in January 2025. In less than a month, Trump has hosted several high-profile leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, and Jordan’s King Abdullah II.

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Sunita Williams’ return confirmed as NASA, SpaceX successfully launch Crew-10 mission

NASA and SpaceX successfully launched the Crew-10 mission, bringing Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore closer to their long-awaited return to Earth after a nine-month ISS stay.

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Sunita Williams, SpaceX Crew-10, NASA mission, Falcon 9 launch, ISS astronauts, Butch Wilmore return, space travel, SpaceX launch, NASA news

NASA and SpaceX have successfully launched the Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), bringing veteran astronaut Sunita Williams and her colleague Butch Wilmore closer to returning home after an unexpected nine-month stay in space. The mission took off aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 4:33 am (IST) on Friday after a brief delay due to a hydraulic system issue with a ground support clamp arm.

The Crew-10 mission comprises four astronauts—Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov. This marks the 10th crew rotation under SpaceX’s human spaceflight program and the 11th overall crewed mission to the ISS under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

Williams and Wilmore’s Prolonged ISS Stay Due to Technical Malfunction

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have been aboard the ISS since June 2024, well beyond their originally scheduled eight-day mission. Their extended stay resulted from a technical malfunction with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, delaying their return multiple times. Initially planned for February 2025, their homecoming was further postponed, with NASA now confirming their return will take place in the coming days following Crew-10’s successful arrival at the ISS.

Political Controversy Surrounding the Astronauts’ Delay

The extended delay in bringing Williams and Wilmore back to Earth has also sparked political debate. Former U.S. President Donald Trump, along with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, accused the Biden administration of intentionally delaying their return, though no evidence has been provided to support these claims. The statements have led to heated exchanges within the space community.

Musk previously clashed with Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen, who pointed out that the reassignment of Crew-9 had already accounted for Williams and Wilmore’s return. Musk responded with offensive language, drawing criticism from retired astronauts. Meanwhile, Wilmore appeared to side with Musk, suggesting his statements were likely factual, though he admitted to lacking detailed knowledge of the situation.

Trump also made headlines for his remarks about Williams, referring to her in an unusual manner and making speculative comments about the dynamics between the two astronauts.

Return Timeline for Williams and Wilmore

NASA has confirmed that Williams and Wilmore are set to return to Earth a few days after Crew-10 arrives at the ISS. Their prolonged stay highlights the challenges of human spaceflight and the complexities of spacecraft reliability. With Crew-10 now en route, NASA expects to bring the two astronauts home safely after an unexpectedly long mission.

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