Trump news: 'Shaken' president insults Pelosi at Syria meeting, as he repeats discredited conspiracy theories about Ukraine

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Trump impeachment: Nancy Pelosi decides not to call vote authorising probe

Donald Trump has raged about the “totally illegal & absurd” impeachment inquiry on Twitter and justified his decision to pull US troops out of Syria, leaving America’s allies in the Syrian Democratic Forces under siege from Turkey, by telling reporters at the White House the Kurdish people are “no angels”.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi repeated on Tuesday that the House of Representatives would not cave in to Republican demands for a vote to approve the Democratic-led inquiry, which vice president Mike Pence and Mr Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani are now refusing to co-operate with, declaring: ”This is not a game for us. This is deadly serious. We’re on a path that is taking us, a path to the truth.”

As the president’s Democratic challengers for the presidency in 2020 squared off on the debate stage in Ohio, White House lawyers opened their own internal review of the handling of the president’s call with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky of 25 July, examining the response of aides and raising concerns they are seeking out a potential scapegoat.

A bizarre letter sent from Mr Trump to the Turkish president was laced with an equal mix of weird threats and friendly language. The White House confirmed that the nearly unbelievable dispatch was real.

The president also apparently had a "meltdown" during a meeting about the Syrian crisis with Democratic leaders, during which he told Nancy Pelosi that he "hates ISIS more than you do."

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Key Points

• Trump says Kurds are 'no angels' in justification of Syria troop withdrawal
• President hits out at 'illegal' inquiry after Pelosi declines House vote
• Mike Pence, Rudy Giuliani decline to co-operate as latest State Dept official appears
• Democratic challengers slam Trump, go after Warren at Ohio debate
• White House lawyers open internal review into handling of Zelensky call

[16 October 2019 22:30 · Chris Riotta]

Looks like Donald Trump also attacked Jim Mattis, his former defence secretary, in that meeting with House leaders:

[16 October 2019 22:40 · Chris Riotta]

This video shows the moment Nancy Pelosi described the dispute that seemed to derail a meeting she had at the White House with Donald Trump:

[16 October 2019 22:50 · Chris Riotta]

Bloomberg is reporting an explosive scoop about Donald Trump's dealing with Turkey:

[16 October 2019 23:20 · Lily Puckett]

Here is another thing the president apparently said during the meltdown meeting.

[16 October 2019 23:50 · Lily Puckett]

There's really nothing else to say about this.

[16 October 2019 23:51 · Lily Puckett]

That's all for today! Thanks for following along.