Was Trump call with Ukraine 'perfect'? GOP has many answers

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans have no unified argument in the impeachment inquiry of Donald Trump , in large part because they can't agree on how best to defend the president — or for some, if they should.

That would require a level of consensus that Trump's call with the Ukraine president was "perfect," as he insists. Or it would take a measure of GOP independence from Trump to suggest there may be a need to investigate.

Instead, it's every Republican for himself or herself.

Utah Sen. Mitt Romney says the president's actions toward Ukraine are "troubling." Other Republicans say the behaviour may raise concerns, but it's not impeachable.

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham calls the whole impeachment inquiry "B.S."

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What You Need to Know: Dems, GOP tussle over witnesses

WASHINGTON (AP) — For only the fourth time in U.S. history, the House of Representatives has started a presidential impeachment inquiry. House committees are trying to determine whether President Donald Trump violated his oath of office by asking Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden and his family and to investigate Ukraine's involvement in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

A quick summary of the latest news and what's to come:

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Democrats and Republicans are already tussling over which witnesses to call for the public impeachment hearings in the coming week.

On Saturday, Republicans released a list of people they want to hear from. Among them: Biden's son, Hunter; one of his former associates at a Ukrainian energy company; and the anonymous whistleblower.

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Trump soaks in Deep South cheers at college football matchup

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — President Donald Trump knew where to go Saturday for home field advantage, finding comfort in the Deep South with college football fans cheering the nation's top two teams — and him.

His reception at the showdown between Louisiana State and Alabama contrasted with the scene at Game 5 of the World Series in Washington, where was booed, and the mixed response to his appearance at a martial arts fight in New York.

Trump, sitting one tier above the field, waved as fans turned around to look up at the president. He smiled, gave a thumbs-up a few times and threw a couple of fist bumps into the air as the Alabama fans waved red and white pompoms in response. First lady Melania Trump got an equally enthusiastic welcome.

There was little sign of political sentiment on campus but plenty of bipartisan grumbling about the long lines to get in due to enhanced security. Trump left in the fourth quarter of the game, which LSU won 46-41.

The inflatable figure depicting a baby Donald Trump wearing a diaper, which has been seen at protests around the world, made an appearance in Tuscaloosa. The organizer of the group that "adopted" the balloon for the event told police a man with a knife cut an 8-foot-long gash in its back, deflating it. Tuscaloosa police said in a statement that a 32-year-old local man was charged with criminal mischief in the incident.

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Pot or not? Busts highlight growing confusion over hemp

NEW YORK (AP) — The CBD craze might be leaving the war on drugs a bit dazed and confused.

The extract that's been showing up in everything from candy to coffee is legally derived from hemp plants, which look and smell an awful lot like that other cannabis — marijuana. They're so similar, police officers and the field tests they use on suspected drugs sometimes can't tell the difference.

Case in point, New York City police boasted on social media this week about what seemed like a significant drug bust: 106 pounds (48 kilograms) of funky, green plants that officers thought sure seemed like marijuana.

But the Vermont farm that grew the plants and the Brooklyn CBD shop that ordered them insisted they're actually industrial hemp, and perfectly legal. And, they said, they have paperwork to prove it.

Nevertheless, when the shop's owner brother went to the police station to straighten things out, he was arrested. Police said a field test had come back positive for marijuana.

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AP sources: Former Trump adviser John Bolton has a book deal

NEW YORK (AP) — Former national security adviser John Bolton has a book deal, The Associated Press has learned.

The hawkish Bolton departed in September because of numerous foreign policy disagreements with President Donald Trump. He reached a deal over the past few weeks with Simon & Schuster, according to three publishing officials with knowledge of negotiations. The officials were not authorized to discuss the deal publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Two of the officials said the deal was worth about $2 million. Bolton was represented by the Javelin literary agency, whose clients include former FBI Director James Comey and the anonymous Trump administration official whose book, "A Warning," comes out Nov. 19.

The publishing officials did not know the title or release date. Simon & Schuster declined comment Saturday and Javelin did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Bolton's 2007 book, "Surrender is Not an Option: Defending America at the United Nations and Abroad," was published by the conservative Simon & Schuster imprint Threshold Editions.

Bolton's name has come up often recently during the House impeachment inquiry , which has focused on Trump's pressure on Ukraine to investigate potential 2020 election rival Joe Biden, the former vice-president.

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New challenge for Bolivian president as police abandon posts

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Police guards outside Bolivia's presidential palace abandoned their posts Saturday, increasing pressure on President Evo Morales as he seeks to curb nationwide unrest after a disputed election.

Officers also climbed onto the roof of a nearby police station holding Bolivian flags and signs proclaiming "The Police with the People." Police retreated to their barracks in at least three cities, and there were reports that some in two cities were openly declaring mutinies.

The president, who was not at the palace at the time and appeared later at a military airfield outside La Paz, urged police to "preserve the security" of Bolivia and obey the rules.

Growing dissension in police ranks posed a new threat to Morales, who claimed victory after the Oct. 20 vote but has since faced protests in which three people have been killed and hundreds injured. Opponents contend the results were manipulated.

Morales faces "the most complicated moment" in his 14 years in power and the situation could deteriorate, said Jorge Dulón, a political analyst at the Catholic University of Bolivia in La Paz.

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AP FACT CHECK: Trump's 'read the transcript' impeachment cry

WASHINGTON (AP) — It's been his drumbeating demand for more than a week: "Read the transcript!"

"Just read the transcript."

"Can't we read English?"

"Just read the Transcript, everything else is made up garbage."

"READ THE TRANSCRIPT!"

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Virginia Democrats' speaker pick would be first woman in job

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia's House of Delegates is expected to soon have its first female speaker in its 400-year history, as the chamber's incoming Democrats chose a veteran legislator for the post Saturday.

Democratic delegates for the upcoming session picked Del. Eileen Filler-Corn of Fairfax County as their nominee.

Filler-Corn's election as speaker on the session's first day in January is anticipated because Democrats on Tuesday won a majority in the state House for the first time in two decades.

Republicans lost their slim seat advantages in both the state House and Senate , giving Democrats led by Gov. Ralph Northam the ability to pass stricter gun laws and a higher minimum wage, as well as change rules barring the removal of Confederate war memorials.

"This is a tremendous honour I don't take lightly and I'm ready to move forward," Filler-Corn told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. "We had a historic night on Tuesday and we had a historic day today, so I'm looking forward to continuing to stand up for the issues and values that are so important to Virginians. And we're thrilled to be in the majority."

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Mormons leaving after Mexico violence arrive in Arizona

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — An 18-vehicle caravan carrying about 100 members of Mormon families leaving their homes after a violent attack in Mexico arrived in Arizona on Saturday.

The families came nearly a week after the attack Monday in which nine women and children were killed by what authorities said were hit men from drug cartels.

On Saturday, families went in and out of a gas station in Douglas near the port of entry as the sun began to set, the Arizona Daily Star reported .

They filled up on gas, put air in their tires and got food before getting back on the road on their way to Tucson and Phoenix. Their trucks were loaded with boxes, bicycles, spare tires and bags, all their belongings packed as they left the communities in Mexico that their families have called home since the 1950s.

The families had lived in two hamlets in Mexico's Sonora state: La Mora and Colonia LeBaron. Other residents of the hamlets planned to depart in the coming days.

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Runner's abuse allegations embolden other female athletes

Track and field is facing a painful and public reckoning with the treatment of some female athletes.

Former teen running star Mary Cain's account this week of alleged physical and emotional abuse at the recently disbanded Nike Oregon Project is prompting more top athletes to come forward.

Amy Yoder Begley, a 10,000-meter runner, said Friday she was told she had the "biggest butt on the starting line." Kara Goucher's husband said the Olympian endured "disgusting" comments from coaches.

Cain said the all-male staff told her the way to get faster was to get thinner and thinner.

Nike says it's investigating, but the cascade of allegations that have followed Oregon Project director Alberto Salazar's four-year doping ban have called new attention to the emphasis on weight restrictions and emotional abuse.

News from © The Associated Press, 2019