Trump reportedly pressured Ukrainian president to investigate Biden's son 'about eight times' – as it happened
According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump asked Volodymyr Zelensky to work with Rudy Giuliani on an investigation into Hunter Biden
1.21am BST
We're closing the blog for the day, thanks for following along. The LGBTQ 2020 forum in Iowa is starting now, featuring Joe Biden, Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Juliin Castro, Tulsi Gabbard, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, Joe Sestak, Elizabeth Warren and Marianne Williamson.
Watch live here:
12.55am BST
Some Democrats are calling on Housing and Urban Development (HUD) secretary Ben Carson to resign one day after reports that he made transphobic comments in San Francisco.
NEW: As Democrats call for his resignation, HUD Secretary Ben Carson defends his controversial comments about transgender people by issuing an agency-wide email Friday evening. Staff who were offended by his comments aren't buying his explanation. https://t.co/lReCPiLLIT
NCTE's @GBBranstetter: HUD Sec. Ben Carson is using "a heinous insult ... to justify stripping away our rights" https://t.co/jX1jAI5MXd
In a year that has already witnessed the untimely deaths of 19 transgender people, including 18 of them being Black trans women, @SecretaryCarson's efforts to dehumanize the most vulnerable among us only continues to make this epidemic even worse. https://t.co/aS5secn5a8
In May, Ben Carson's @HUDgov introduced a proposal that would allow federally funded shelters to deny people access on religious grounds and force transgender women to share bathrooms and sleeping quarters with men. https://t.co/ZFW5Rmbx7N
Sickening. Ben Carson shouldn't even be given the chance to resign. He should be fired tonight. https://t.co/8UoXdSs623
.@SecretaryCarson's remarks are revolting.
This only further confirms that his efforts to wipe out the Equal Access Rule are rooted in ignorance.
Secretary Carson has already lied to Congress and his bigotry is putting lives in danger.
He needs to resign. https://t.co/NNHTQGjewz
Related: 'A critical point in history': how Trump's attack on LGBT rights is escalating
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