Israel-Gaza 'ceasefire begins' after two days of fighting - BBC News

A ceasefire between Israel and militants in Gaza has come into effect after two days of the most intense fighting for months.

Egyptian and Palestinian sources said the truce began at 05:30 (03:30 GMT). Israel has not officially commented.

Before fighting ended, a family of eight was killed in an Israeli air strike on Gaza, Palestinians said.

Thirty-two Palestinians died in the violence, local sources say, triggered when Israel killed a militant leader.

Israel says more than 20 of the Palestinian fatalities were militants.

Dozens more Palestinians and Israelis suffered injuries, according to medical sources on both sides.

More than 400 rockets were fired at Israel by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) militant group, the Israeli military said, while Israel carried out waves of air strikes against what it said were PIJ targets.

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The violence erupted after Israel killed top PIJ commander Baha Abu al-Ata in a pre-dawn strike on Tuesday. Israel said he had been responsible for many rockets fired from Gaza and was planning an imminent attack.

The deadliest incident of the two days of fighting happened on Wednesday night when an air strike on a house in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza killed the family of eight.

Gaza's health ministry, run by the territory's dominant militant group Hamas, said all those who died were civilians, including a woman and a child.

The Israeli military said the strike killed PIJ commander Rasmi Abu Malhous, who it said was the head of a rocket unit.

• Life in the Gaza Strip
• Is peace between Israel and Palestinians out of reach?

After the ceasefire began, UN Middle East peace envoy Nickolay Mladenov said both the UN and Egypt had "worked hard to prevent the most dangerous escalation in and around Gaza from leading to war".

In a tweet, he called on both sides to "show maximum restraint and do their part to prevent bloodshed".

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2019-11-14 08:15:06Z
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Islamic Jihad says ceasefire with Israel agreed - Al Jazeera English

The Palestinian group Islamic Jihad says an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire with Israel has been agreed after air attacks killed at least 34 people in Gaza.

The truce was in force from 5:30am local time (03:30 GMT), the group's spokesman, Musab al-Braim, told Reuters news agency, marking about 48 hours since Israel sparked the exchange of fire by killing the faction's top Gaza commander in an air raid, deeming him an imminent threat.

Gaza health ministry said the death toll in two days of Israeli air attacks had risen to 34, including eight members of the Abu Malhous family. At least 63 Israelis received treatment for injuries in rocket attacks fired from Gaza.

A top Egyptian official told the AFP news agency that his country had undertaken efforts to end the two days of fighting that saw Israel bombing dozens of houses and farms in the besieged Palestinian enclave.

According to an Islamic Jihad official, the agreement stipulates that Palestinian factions must ensure a return to calm in Gaza and "maintain peace" during demonstrations, while Israel must stop hostilities and "ensure a ceasefire" during demonstrations by Palestinians.

'Uneasy calm'

Islamic Jihad spokesman Musab El Berim, also confirmed the ceasefire agreement, which he says includes "Islamic Jihad conditions on behalf of the Palestinian factions".

"The deal included the occupation's submission to conditions, which is to stop the assassinations, particularly of the protestors in the March of Return demonstrations, and to begin practically the procedures to break the siege," El Berim told Al Jazeera.

Israeli Military spokesman Avichay Adraee, said in a Twitter post the two-day round of fighting in Gaza "is over", confirming the ceasefire. 

Despite the ceasefire announcement, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said Israel would follow suit if Palestinian factions in Gaza stop attacks - denying that Israel had changed open-fire policy as demanded by the Islamic Jihad militant for a truce.

"Quiet will be answered with quiet," Katz said on Thursday in remarks made to local media.

"The State of Israel will not hesitate to strike at those who try to harm it, from the Gaza Strip or from anywhere else."

Al Jazeera’s Harry Fawcett, reporting from the Gaza border, said the ceasefire appears to be holding so far.

“There is an uneasy calm at the moment … The terms of the ceasefire are a little bit different, depending on who you listen to," he said. 

While Islamic Jihad says it has secured from Israel an undertaking not to carry on with targeted assassinations and not to have use of live fire at the border protests on Fridays, an Israeli official has been quoted on local media as saying that is not the case - in terms of the protests, Fawcett said. 

"Israel doesn’t usually acknowledge ceasefires with groups such as Hamas and the Islamic Jihad ...  
However, it does show that the situation remains tense," Fawcett added.

The Gaza Strip has been under a joint Israeli-Egyptian blockade for more than a decade, where freedom of movement for the population of two million has been severely curtailed. The flow of goods and services, as well as medical supplies, is also severly hampered due to the crippling siege.

Palestinians have been gathering near the perimeter fence to participate in the Great March of Return, a series of weekly protests that began in March 2018, calling for an end to the 12-year-old crippling siege.

Since the Gaza rallies began, 313 Palestinian protesters have been killed by Israeli fire and thousands more wounded, according to the health ministry. Eight Israelis have been killed over the same period.

Death of Islmic Jihad commander

Following the Israeli attack on Tuesday that killed Islamic Jihad commander Bahaa Abu al-Ata in Gaza, the two sides had been exchanging fire, with Israel's military saying it recorded more than 350 incoming rockets.

Israel said Abu al-Ata was responsible for rocket fire as well as other attacks and was planning more violence, with the military calling him a "ticking bomb".

In Israel, air raid sirens wailed and fireballs exploded as air defence missiles intercepted rockets, sending Israelis rushing to bomb shelters.

In Gaza, residents surveyed the damage and mourned their dead.

United Nations envoy Nickolay Mladenov arrived in Cairo on Wednesday afternoon, airport officials said, following reports he was to hold talks aimed at halting the fighting.

The UN and Egypt have been instrumental in mediating previous ceasefires between Israel and Gaza-based armed groups.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Islamic Jihad must stop its rocket attacks or "absorb more and more blows".

Islamic Jihad spokesman Musab al-Barayem had said the group was not interested in mediation as it retaliated over the killing of one of its commanders.

The flare-up raised fears of a new all-out conflict between Israel and Palestinian factions in Gaza, which has seen three major Israeli military operations in the past decade.

Gaza health ministry said the death toll in two days of Israeli air raids had risen to 34 [Ali Jadallah/Anadolu]

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2019-11-14 07:35:00Z
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Trump invites GOP senators for unusual meeting with Erdoğan to 'clear the air' - CNN

There's been limited information given to the Hill on what this is all about, two sources familiar with the meeting told CNN. But it was made clear it was a meeting Trump wanted amid significant Capitol Hill criticism of Erdoğan personally and Turkey's recent actions in Syria.

It was being framed as an opportunity to "clear the air" and have a serious and frank discussion about the real fissures in the relationship, which also includes US outrage over Turkey's purchase of Russian weapons systems, one source familiar with the meeting told CNN. But the source also acknowledged the meeting is very irregular and nobody is sure what to expect.

Risch, who has been critical of Erdoğan and Turkey's actions, is in the midst of drafting a bipartisan sanctions bill targeting the country. But lawmakers in both parties are also cognizant that Turkey is a NATO ally, and one likely to move toward Russia if the disputes with the US continue to harden.

Yet the strongest Congressional critics have included some of Trump's closest congressional allies, including Sen. Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who has repeatedly warned Erdoğan about the repercussions of his actions and has drafted his own sweeping sanctions bill targeting the country.

Other Republicans expected to attend have also been sharply critical, according to one of the sources, who declined to name all attendees until the White House announced the list.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have called for Trump the rescind the White House invitation to Erdoğan entirely. The White House declined to do so.

The meeting is closed to press and is listed as "a legislative engagement with select members of the Senate" on the President's schedule.

The meeting will follow Trump's initial meeting with Erdoğan, a restricted bilateral meeting, and an expanded working luncheon. Trump and Erdoğan will attend a joint news conference later in the day.

The Erdoğan visit comes a month after Trump withdrew US troops from Syria, triggering a Turkish invasion, and sparking criticism from some Republican lawmakers. It also comes a week after Congress passed a resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide, another move designed to signal its displeasure with Turkey.

A senior administration official who briefed reporters on the visit said Trump wanted to pursue "direct engagement and diplomacy where it is most important: Erdoğan himself."

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2019-11-13 14:32:00Z
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Trump invites GOP senators for unusual meeting with Erdoğan to 'clear the air' - CNN

There's been limited information given to the Hill on what this is all about, two sources familiar with the meeting told CNN. But it was made clear it was a meeting Trump wanted amid significant Capitol Hill criticism of Erdoğan personally and Turkey's recent actions in Syria.

It was being framed as an opportunity to "clear the air" and have a serious and frank discussion about the real fissures in the relationship, which also includes US outrage over Turkey's purchase of Russian weapons systems, one source familiar with the meeting told CNN. But the source also acknowledged the meeting is very irregular and nobody is sure what to expect.

Risch, who has been critical of Erdoğan and Turkey's actions, is in the midst of drafting a bipartisan sanctions bill targeting the country. But lawmakers in both parties are also cognizant that Turkey is a NATO ally, and one likely to move toward Russia if the disputes with the US continue to harden.

Yet the strongest Congressional critics have included some of Trump's closest congressional allies, including Sen. Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who has repeatedly warned Erdoğan about the repercussions of his actions and has drafted his own sweeping sanctions bill targeting the country.

Other Republicans expected to attend have also been sharply critical, according to one of the sources, who declined to name all attendees until the White House announced the list.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have called for Trump the rescind the White House invitation to Erdoğan entirely. The White House declined to do so.

The meeting is closed to press and is listed as "a legislative engagement with select members of the Senate" on the President's schedule.

The meeting will follow Trump's initial meeting with Erdoğan, a restricted bilateral meeting, and an expanded working luncheon. Trump and Erdoğan will attend a joint news conference later in the day.

The Erdoğan visit comes a month after Trump withdrew US troops from Syria, triggering a Turkish invasion, and sparking criticism from some Republican lawmakers. It also comes a week after Congress passed a resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide, another move designed to signal its displeasure with Turkey.

A senior administration official who briefed reporters on the visit said Trump wanted to pursue "direct engagement and diplomacy where it is most important: Erdoğan himself."

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2019-11-13 13:06:00Z
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How to watch Wednesday's impeachment hearing - CNN

For over a month, Democrats have investigated whether Trump used the powers of his office to pressure Ukraine to help his reelection by announcing investigations into his political rivals.

On Wednesday, the House Intelligence Committee will hear from two career diplomats in the US State Department -- both of whom had previously testified behind closed doors.

Last week's release of their deposition transcripts gave a preview as to what the two key witnesses might say.

What time does the hearing start?

At 10 a.m., on Wednesday, November 13, the House Intelligence Committee hearing will be gaveled in, according to an official working on the impeachment inquiry (All times are in Eastern Standard).

How can I watch the hearing?

CNN's coverage of the public impeachment hearing for President Donald Trump before the House Intelligence Committee will air with instant analysis on CNN, CNN International and CNN en Espanol and streamed live in its entirety, on CNN.com's desktop and mobile homepages, as well as across mobile devices via CNN's apps for iOS and Android. The live streams will also be available on CNN's YouTube channel.

Who is testifying on Wednesday?

• George Kent — the deputy assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian affairs
• Bill Taylor — the charge d'affaires at the US Embassy in Kiev

What is the hearing's schedule and format?

Rep. Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California and the committee's chairman, and Rep. Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the panel, will kick off the hearing with their opening statements.

Taylor and Kent will then be sworn in and get to deliver their opening statements before the committee.

For the first round of questioning, Schiff and Nunes will each get 45 minutes to pose questions to the witnesses, at Schiff's discretion. They can also yield that time to a designated committee staff member.

Schiff and Nunes are expected to cede part of their time to Daniel Goldman, the panel's director of investigations, and Steve Castor, the House Oversight Committee GOP counsel.

Only Schiff and Nunes, or Goldman and Castor, will be permitted to ask questions during this round. Schiff also has the option to add additional, extended questioning rounds.

After the extended questioning, each lawmaker on the committee will get five minutes to ask Taylor and Kent questions.

Schiff can call on the members in any order and will be strictly enforcing time limits.

Who is George Kent?

A career diplomat since 1992, George Kent currently oversees policy for a number of eastern European nations, including Ukraine. He was previously the deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Kiev.

Kent testified privately before House lawmakers on October 15, appearing under subpoena despite State Department orders not to cooperate with Congress.

Who is Bill Taylor?

Bill Taylor is the charge d'affaires at the US Embassy in Kiev. He is a graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point and a Vietnam War veteran. His lifetime of service as a diplomat includes stints in Afghanistan and Iraq, where he faced enemy fire in Baghdad and Fallujah.

Taylor had testified behind closed doors and his opening statement was published on October 22.

What have the witnesses said so far?

Taylor's testimony was among the most significant so far in the investigation.

According to his opening statement, Taylor said he was told that "everything" Ukraine wanted -- from a one-on-one meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to hundreds of millions in security aid -- was dependent on publicly announcing an investigation that included Burisma, the company that hired former Vice President Joe Biden's son Hunter, and Ukraine's alleged involvement in the 2016 election. There has been no evidence of wrongdoing by either Joe or Hunter Biden in Ukraine.

Kent told lawmakers that Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani pushed a "campaign of lies" against the former US ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, according to a transcript of his comments released last week.

He also explained how Giuliani's work in Ukraine dated back months before the July phone call .

While Kent said he did not associate US security aid with the Ukraine investigations into Trump's political rivals, he testified that he did think the investigations were linked to a one-on-one meeting between Trump and Zelensky, though he said that was his "personal opinion" of the matter.

CNN's Manu Raju, Marshall Cohen, Jennifer Hansler, Kate Sullivan, Jeremy Herb, Lauren Fox, Kylie Atwood and Gloria Borger contributed to this report.

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2019-11-13 12:39:00Z
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Impeachment hearings live: Public hearings testimony from Bill Taylor, George Kent to House Intelligence Committee today — live updates - CBS News

CBSN

---

Latest updates on the impeachment hearings

• The House Intelligence Committee will kick off the first public hearings of the impeachment probe, with two key diplomatic officials set to appear for day-long testimony.
• The inquiry was sparked by a whistleblower's complaint about President Trump's July 25 call with the president of Ukraine, in which Mr. Trump urged him to investigate a company that had employed Joe Biden's son.
• Since the whistleblower's complaint came to light, officials have testified behind closed doors about an apparent effort to pressure Ukraine to announce investigations, using a White House visit and military aid as leverage.
• Download the free CBS News app to stream live coverage of the impeachment hearings.

---

Washington -- The House impeachment inquiry is set to burst into public view on Wednesday, as two key witnesses who raised concerns about efforts to pressure Ukraine will testify in the first open hearings of the probe.

Bill Taylor, the top diplomat in the U.S. embassy in Ukraine, and George Kent, the deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs, will appear before the House Intelligence Committee to face questions from lawmakers and committee staff.

Trump Impeachment Inquiry More

More in Trump Impeachment Inquiry

Both have already testified behind closed doors, and told members about they became increasingly alarmed that a delay in military aid to Ukraine was tied to the country launching investigations that would benefit the president politically.

Taylor, the chargé d'affaires at the embassy in Kiev, told the committees leading the probe that he came to realize "that one of the key pillars of our strong support for Ukraine was threatened" by an "irregular policy channel" consisting of Rudy Giuliani and several U.S. diplomats.

Kent has testified about an effort by Giuliani and others to oust the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, based on what he called a "fake news driven smear out of Ukraine" and a "classic disinformation operation." Yovanovitch was recalled from her post three months early, and will testify before the Intelligence Committee on Friday.

The rapidly escalating investigation is just the fourth time in U.S. history that Congress has seriously considered impeaching a president. Wednesday's hearing is set to get underway at 10 a.m. ET.

---

The dais in the hearing room where the House will begin public impeachment inquiry hearings Wednesday, is seen on Tuesday, November 12, 2019, on Capitol Hill. Jacquelyn Martin / AP

​Who is Bill Taylor?

7:15 a.m.: William Taylor is the top U.S. diplomat to Ukraine, the chargé d'affaires. A West Point graduate and former U.S. Army officer, he earned a Bronze Star for his service in Vietnam, and has been a public servant for more than 50 years.

He has served in a variety of diplomatic roles under presidents of both parties, including a stint as the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine from 2006 to 2009.

In his closed-door testimony in October, he said U.S. aid to Ukraine had been explicitly tied to Ukraine's willingness to investigate Mr. Trump's political rivals. He also spoke of an "irregular channel" of policymaking including Giuliani, Energy Secretary Rick Perry, U.S. Ambassador to the E.U. Gordon Sondland and Kurt Volker, special envoy to Ukraine.

According to Taylor, there was a concerted effort by what he referred to as this "irregular, informal channel of U.S. policy-making" to pressure Ukraine to commit to opening investigations into unproven allegations of Ukrainian interference in the 2016 U.S. election, as well as into the gas company Burisma.

-- Stefan Becket

​Who is George Kent?

6:30 a.m.: George Kent is the deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, overseeing State Department policy toward a number of countries, including Ukraine.

A longtime diplomat, Kent served as deputy chief of mission in the U.S. embassy in Kiev from 2015 to 2018, according to his State Department biography. He previously worked on anti-corruption State Department initiatives in Europe.

Kent provided closed-door testimony echoing Taylor's statements to Congress. He said three officials had declared themselves in charge of Ukraine policy in May: Gordon Sondland, Kurt Volker and Rick Perry.

Kent also said Giuliani had engaged in a "campaign of slander" with no basis in fact against U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch.

White House to "aggressively" push back

President Trump is expected to watch some of the impeachment inquiry hearings on TV Wednesday, White House officials told CBS News, and staff will be set up to "react in real time" with a "rapid response."

The response team will include staffers from the White House press and communications teams, as well as the White House counsel and legislative affairs offices, reports CBS News' Fin Gomez.

The White House will be "aggressively pushing back on TV, radio, in print, with digital efforts," including Twitter. The White House will also emphasize what they believe is an "incredibly unfair process" by the Democrats.

In the past several weeks, the White House has been meeting with Republican lawmakers in an effort to present a unified front during the hearings.

How to watch the first public impeachment hearing

• Date: Wednesday, November 13, 2019
• Time: 10 a.m. ET
• Who: Bill Taylor, chargé d'affaires at the U.S. embassy in Ukraine, and George Kent, assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs
• Online stream: CBSN, in the player above and on your mobile or streaming device
• On TV: CBS affiliates

How Americans view the impeachment inquiry

CBS News poll: Americans remain divided on Trump impeachment

5:00 a.m.: Congressional Democrats and Republicans each appear to face a challenge moving public opinion on impeachment as public hearings begin, since many Americans say their views are already locked in, according to a new CBS News poll. There's been essentially no change in the number who feel Mr. Trump deserves to be impeached since last month, and now the public expresses dissatisfaction with the approaches of both congressional Democrats and the president thus far.

More Americans feel the Democrats have done a bad job handling the inquiry (52%) than a good job (48%.) And more feel Mr. Trump has done a bad job handling it (56%) than feel he has handled it well (43%.)

Americans favor making at least some hearings public. A large majority think testimony should either be in open hearings (47%) or a mix of open and closed, depending on the sensitivity of the testimony (42%). Just 11% say hearings should be closed. More than half of Americans continue to approve of congressional Democrats having started the impeachment inquiry.

Read more findings from the poll here.

---

​Democrats unveil next round of open hearings

5:00 a.m.: House Democrats on Tuesday evening unveiled a new slate of witnesses scheduled to appear in public hearings next week, with a total of eight officials set to testify before the House Intelligence Committee over the course of three days.

The committee will hold two hearings on Tuesday, November 19, and two on Wednesday, November 20. There will also be one hearing on Thursday, November 21.

These officials are scheduled to appear:

• Tuesday morning: Jennifer Williams and Alexander Vindman
• Tuesday afternoon: Kurt Volker and Tim Morrison
• Wednesday morning: Gordon Sondland
• Wednesday afternoon: Laura Cooper and David Hale
• Thursday: Fiona Hill

Read more here.

---

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2019-11-13 12:16:00Z
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Impeachment hearings live: Public hearings testimony from Bill Taylor, George Kent to House Intelligence Committee today — live updates - CBS News

CBSN

---

Latest updates on the impeachment hearings

• The House Intelligence Committee will kick off the first public hearings of the impeachment probe, with two key diplomatic officials set to appear for day-long testimony.
• The inquiry was sparked by a whistleblower's complaint about President Trump's July 25 call with the president of Ukraine, in which Mr. Trump urged him to investigate a company that had employed Joe Biden's son.
• Since the whistleblower's complaint came to light, officials have testified behind closed doors about an apparent effort to pressure Ukraine to announce investigations, using a White House visit and military aid as leverage.
• Download the free CBS News app to stream live coverage of the impeachment hearings.

---

Washington -- The House impeachment inquiry is set to burst into public view on Wednesday, as two key witnesses who raised concerns about efforts to pressure Ukraine will testify in the first open hearings of the probe.

Bill Taylor, the top diplomat in the U.S. embassy in Ukraine, and George Kent, the deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs, will appear before the House Intelligence Committee to face questions from lawmakers and committee staff.

Trump Impeachment Inquiry More

More in Trump Impeachment Inquiry

Both have already testified behind closed doors, and told members about they became increasingly alarmed that a delay in military aid to Ukraine was tied to the country launching investigations that would benefit the president politically.

Taylor, the chargé d'affaires at the embassy in Kiev, told the committees leading the probe that he came to realize "that one of the key pillars of our strong support for Ukraine was threatened" by an "irregular policy channel" consisting of Rudy Giuliani and several U.S. diplomats.

Kent has testified about an effort by Giuliani and others to oust the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, based on what he called a "fake news driven smear out of Ukraine" and a "classic disinformation operation." Yovanovitch was recalled from her post three months early, and will testify before the Intelligence Committee on Friday.

The rapidly escalating investigation is just the fourth time in U.S. history that Congress has seriously considered impeaching a president. Wednesday's hearing is set to get underway at 10 a.m. ET.

---

The dais in the hearing room where the House will begin public impeachment inquiry hearings Wednesday, is seen on Tuesday, November 12, 2019, on Capitol Hill. Jacquelyn Martin / AP

​Who is George Kent?

6:30 a.m.: George Kent is the deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, overseeing State Department policy toward a number of countries, including Ukraine.

A longtime diplomat, Kent served as deputy chief of mission in the U.S. embassy in Kiev from 2015 to 2018, according to his State Department biography. He previously worked on anti-corruption State Department initiatives in Europe.

Kent provided closed-door testimony echoing Taylor's statements to Congress. He said three officials had declared themselves in charge of Ukraine policy in May: Gordon Sondland, Kurt Volker and Rick Perry.

Kent also said Giuliani had engaged in a "campaign of slander" with no basis in fact against U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch.

White House to "aggressively" push back

President Trump is expected to watch some of the impeachment inquiry hearings on TV Wednesday, White House officials told CBS News, and staff will be set up to "react in real time" with a "rapid response."

The response team will include staffers from the White House press and communications teams, as well as the White House counsel and legislative affairs offices, reports CBS News' Fin Gomez.

The White House will be "aggressively pushing back on TV, radio, in print, with digital efforts," including Twitter. The White House will also emphasize what they believe is an "incredibly unfair process" by the Democrats.

In the past several weeks, the White House has been meeting with Republican lawmakers in an effort to present a unified front during the hearings.

How to watch the first public impeachment hearing

• Date: Wednesday, November 13, 2019
• Time: 10 a.m. ET
• Who: Bill Taylor, chargé d'affaires at the U.S. embassy in Ukraine, and George Kent, assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs
• Online stream: CBSN, in the player above and on your mobile or streaming device
• On TV: CBS affiliates

How Americans view the impeachment inquiry

CBS News poll: Americans remain divided on Trump impeachment

5:00 a.m.: Congressional Democrats and Republicans each appear to face a challenge moving public opinion on impeachment as public hearings begin, since many Americans say their views are already locked in, according to a new CBS News poll. There's been essentially no change in the number who feel Mr. Trump deserves to be impeached since last month, and now the public expresses dissatisfaction with the approaches of both congressional Democrats and the president thus far.

More Americans feel the Democrats have done a bad job handling the inquiry (52%) than a good job (48%.) And more feel Mr. Trump has done a bad job handling it (56%) than feel he has handled it well (43%.)

Americans favor making at least some hearings public. A large majority think testimony should either be in open hearings (47%) or a mix of open and closed, depending on the sensitivity of the testimony (42%). Just 11% say hearings should be closed. More than half of Americans continue to approve of congressional Democrats having started the impeachment inquiry.

Read more findings from the poll here.

---

​Democrats unveil next round of open hearings

5:00 a.m.: House Democrats on Tuesday evening unveiled a new slate of witnesses scheduled to appear in public hearings next week, with a total of eight officials set to testify before the House Intelligence Committee over the course of three days.

The committee will hold two hearings on Tuesday, November 19, and two on Wednesday, November 20. There will also be one hearing on Thursday, November 21.

These officials are scheduled to appear:

• Tuesday morning: Jennifer Williams and Alexander Vindman
• Tuesday afternoon: Kurt Volker and Tim Morrison
• Wednesday morning: Gordon Sondland
• Wednesday afternoon: Laura Cooper and David Hale
• Thursday: Fiona Hill

Read more here.

---

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2019-11-13 11:55:00Z
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