President orders 'blind unilateral escalation' in Iran after attack halves Saudi oil production, as he defends Kavanaugh amid impeachment calls
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Donald Trump has been warned he cannot declare war without congressional support following the bombing of Saudi Arabian oil facilities.
The strikes, which destroyed half of the kingdom’s oil production capacity, were claimed by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
On Sunday night Mr Trump said the US was “locked and loaded” and believed it knew who was truly behind the attack.
But Bernie Sanders, who is gunning for the Democratic nomination for president, tweeted: “Mr. Trump, the Constitution of the United States is perfectly clear. Only Congress—not the president—can declare war.
“And Congress will not give you the authority to start another disastrous war in the Middle East just because the brutal Saudi dictatorship told you to.”
It came hours before Mr Trump was due to hold a rally in New Mexico, a state he lost in 2016 but hopes to flip in the 2020 election.
In other news about his possible 2020 opponents, Elizabeth Warren was endorsed by the Working Families Party, an influential progressive group. She'll hold a rally in New York City this evening.
The president also spent some time defending Brett Kavanaugh amid a confusing new set of allegations concerning his behaviour in college, as well as his confirmation process.
As of now, all Democratic frontrunners are following in Ms Warren's lead to call for the Supreme Court Justice's impeachment - except Joe Biden, who simply requests that the matter is looked into.
Mr Trump, meanwhile, maintains that Mr Kavnaugh should sue his accusers.
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Welcome to The Independent's live Donald Trump coverage for Monday.
The biggest news overnight is still the soaring tensions in the Middle East following the bombing of Saudi Arabian oil facilities.
In a display of belligerent rhetoric late on Sunday, Donald Trump warned Washington was "locked and loaded" to respond.
US officials have blamed Iran for the attack, though Houthi rebels in Yemen - who are funded by Tehran - have claimed responsibility.
Our international correspondent Borzou Daragahi has analysed the situation.
A number of Democratic presidential candidates have called for impeachment hearings against Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh, as he faced fresh sexual misconduct allegations, writes Clark Mindock.
The embattled judge allegedly exposed himself to a woman during his time at America's prestigious Yale University, according to a new report in the The New York Times, which also suggested that his classmates thrust his genitals into her hand against her will.
The newspaper also alleges that the FBI was aware of the allegations during his confirmation hearings, but did not fully vet the claim.
Here is Bernie Sanders' tweet warning the president he needs Congress' support for war.
Mr Trump no doubt knows that, but there's an election on and Mr Sanders needs to burnish his credentials.
What else has the president been up to overnight?
Watching Fox News, for one thing:
And weighing in on the massive auto workers' strike that has hit General Motors:
Nearly 50,000 union members have stopped work today as contract talks deteriorated.
Workers shut down 33 manufacturing plants in nine states across the country, plus 22 parts distribution warehouses.
General Motors has come under fire from the president for closing factories. It has reportedly offered to use some sites to produce electric vehicles instead, however.
A distant cousin of Donald Trump has described him as a selfish man who stole pancakes and "wouldn’t give a penny" back to his mother’s native community in Scotland, writes Paul Rodger.
The US president last visited his late mother’s former home of Tong on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides for around three hours in 2008.
He spent just 97 seconds in the croft house where Mary Anne MacLeod Trump was raised alongside nine siblings before she emigrated to the US in 1930.
So, Donald Trump is off to New Mexico later on for an election rally. His campaign team is targeting the state which hasn't voted for a Republican president since 2004, and which Mr Trump lost by 8 points in 2016.
George W Bush "had much higher favourable opinions by Hispanics", said Lonna Atkeson, a political science professor at the University of New Mexico.
Prof Atkeson noted that Mr Bush defeated John Kerry 15 years ago by winning over large rural swathes of the state. "He was from Texas, not New York, and so he had more regional ties ... Trump paints a very different portrait."
Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said he believes the president's standing has improved since 2016. He credited the economy, including the fact that Latino unemployment is at an all-time low, as well as the president's stance on immigration enforcement.
Additional reporting by AP
Benjamin Netanyahu isn’t bluffing about his plans to annex the Jordan Valley, writes Bel Trew.
The controversial act, he hinted, would be supported by Donald Trump despite it being illegal under international law and sure to spark conflict with the Palestinians if not the region as a whole.
While Netanyahu has promised annexation in the past (particularly before elections) this time rights groups warned he meant it.
Whether Beto O'Rourke will get the chance to not do these things remains to be seen, but looks like (some of) the Democrats are setting out their stall on Saudi Arabia:
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