President Joe Biden used his first meeting with a foreign leader since ending the war in Afghanistan to send the message that the United States — unburdened of its “forever war”— is determined to become a more reliable ally to its friends.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose hopes for a White House meeting played a central part in former President Donald Trump’s first impeachment, will finally get his chance for an Oval Office sit down late next month.

The Trump administration’s ambassador to the European Union and a pivotal witness in 2019 impeachment proceedings has sued former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in an effort to recoup $1.8 million in legal fees.

President Joe Biden is facing a fresh challenge to his oft-repeated commitment to diversity in his administration: assembling a diplomatic corps that gives a nod to key political allies and donors while staying true to a campaign pledge to appoint ambassadors who look like America.

Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of N.Y., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020, following a vote in the Senate to acquit President Donald Trump on both articles of impeachment. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer is calling on the nation's 74 inspectors general to protect government whistleblowers amid President Donald Trump’s ouster of key government officials in the impeachment probe. Vindman’s twin brother, Lt. Col. Yevgeny Vindman, also was asked to leave his job as a White House lawyer. The firings, alongside efforts to name the still anonymous government whistleblower whose complaint about Trump's call with Ukraine sparked the impeachment probe, demand attention, Schumer said. The White House has stood by the dismissals.

But while Democrats do allege Trump engaged in some criminal acts, the constitutional grounds for impeachment do not require any crime to have been committed. That was bribery, they say, since Trump was withholding nearly $400 million in military aid that Ukraine depended on to counter Russian aggression. As they draft articles of impeachment, Democrats are also alleging crimes involving obstruction of justice as part of their case that Trump abused his office. Actually, the rough transcript came out first, confirming the whistleblower's description of Trump pressing Ukraine for political favors. ___EDITOR'S NOTE — A look at the veracity of claims by political figures___Find AP Fact Checks at http://apne.ws/2kbx8bdFollow @APFactCheck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APFactCheck

Who is the woman at the center of the viral coffee chugging moment during Tuesday’s impeachment hearing? The woman dramatically chugged her cup of coffee as Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman testified Tuesday. She says she grabbed an oatmeal and large coffee on her way to the hearing, where the world saw her chug every last caffeinated drop. Meanwhile, bombshell testimony came from Gordon Sondland, the Ambassador of the European Union, on Wednesday. He was appointed ambassador to the European Union by Trump after he donated $1 million to the presidential inauguration.

WASHINGTON (AP) – Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi invited President Donald Trump to testify in front of investigators in the House impeachment inquiry ahead of a week that will see several key witnesses appear publicly. And he should allow all those around him to come to the committee and testify under oath,” Schumer told reporters. Multiple witnesses overheard a phone call in which Trump and Sondland reportedly discussed efforts to push for the investigations. In her CBS interview, Pelosi vowed to protect the whistleblower, whom Trump has said should be forced to come forward despite longstanding whistleblower protections. Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, said Trump “communicates in ways that sometimes I wouldn’t,” but dismissed the significance of the attacks.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - A State Department official told lawmakers that Rudy Giuliani's attacks were part of a "campaign of lies" against the former Ukraine ambassador, according to a transcript released Thursday. Kent said that Sondland's "freelancing" on Ukraine caused concern inside the State Department. "He actually said that he could not share the majority of what was discussed because of the very sensitive nature of what was discussed," Kent testified. Kent said that Shokin was "well and very unfavorably known" to the State Department, and the visa ultimately was not approved. A career diplomat since 1992, Kent is the deputy assistant secretary in the European and Eurasian Bureau, and oversees State Department activities for six countries, including Ukraine.

Washington reacts to a dramatic reversal by Republican donor turned diplomat Gordon Sondland, who now says that a quid pro quo was needed from Kiev to free up military aid. Distributed by LAKANA. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Republicans seized on the fact that Taylor -- a career diplomat -- never talked directly to Trump about what the rationalization for withholding the aid. Republicans also touted testimony from former US Special Envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker, who told investigators that he wasn't aware a quid pro quo existed. "You asked what conversations did I have about a quid pro quo ... none because I didn't know there was a quid pro quo," Volker testified. Several Republicans have avoided answering questions about whether it's OK for Trump to ask Ukraine to probe his rivals. Next week, Republicans will once again adapt to a changing landscape in the impeachment probe.

Ambassador Gordon Sondland issued a statement to clarify his testimony, admitting the administration's requests to Ukraine amounted to a quid pro quo. Distributed by LAKANA. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

House Democrats on Tuesday released excerpts of the transcripts of their closed-door depositions with Sondland and former US Special Envoy for Ukraine Kurt Volker, and they're soon expected to release the full transcripts of their closed-door interviews. In his testimony, Volker provided more detail into the May 23 meeting with Trump in which the president directed his aides to "talk to Rudy" about Ukraine. "They are all corrupt, they are all terrible people," Volker recalled Trump saying. Volker, Trump's handpicked envoy to handle the crisis in Ukraine, was the first witness to testify in the impeachment inquiry. In his testimony, Sondland said the President had told him directly that "there is no quid pro quo."

His actions show concern inside the White House about the extent of the President's role in the push for investigations that could help Trump politically. Tim Morrison, the President's top Russia adviser, had multiple conversations with American Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland. Morrison told lawmakers he thought Sondland a "free radical," according to two of the sources. To to find out whether Sondland had talked to the President, Morrison went so far as asking Trump's executive secretary if the President had actually talked with Sondland. The ambassador's claims about the conversations checked out each time, Morrison said in his testimony Thursday, according to the sources.

Within the State Department, in conversations with nearly a dozen staff, the word that repeatedly came to people's lips as they described their colleagues wasn't "swamp." Next week, an old army friend of Pompeo's, State Department Counselor Ulrich Brechbuhl, is slated to testify -- though he has ignored a previous request to appear voluntarily. 'Fixated'In April -- one year into his tenure as secretary of state -- Pompeo unveiled a "professional ethos" for the State Department. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they still deal with the State Department. "It's a source of power for him," Anderson said, "but this has come at the expense of his reputation inside the State Department."

The White House did not respond to a request for comment for this story. National security adviser John Bolton was fired the day before Trump changed his mind, and White House officials had recently been made aware of a whistleblower complaint that had been filed concerning Trump's behavior toward Ukraine. Bipartisan groups of lawmakers began peppering the White House with letters pressing Trump to lift the hold on the funds. That same week, Mulvaney and other top White House officials first learned about the whistleblower complaint. While White House lawyers had known about the complaint for weeks, news of its existence was starting to spread within the West Wing.

Ambassador to Ukraine Bill Taylor plans to fill in the gaps of his text messages with U.S. diplomats about Ukraine that have formed a key part of the impeachment investigation into President Donald Trump and Ukraine, according to a source familiar with his testimony. Taylor plans to include a chronology of events, according to the source, dating back to June, when Taylor assumed the post as ambassador, through October. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland and former U.S. special envoy for Ukraine Kurt Volker about the freezing of U.S. security aid to Ukraine. Taylor, as the current acting ambassador to Ukraine, is in a difficult and delicate position testifying Tuesday, the source said. Taylor then met with Pompeo, State Department Counselor Ulrich Brechbuhl and Volker at the department at the end of May.

Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland was directed by President Donald Trump to work with Rudy Giuliani on Ukraine, he plans to tell Congress on Thursday. And Sondland said he was "disappointed" that Trump wouldn't commit to a meeting sought by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky until they spoke with Giuliani. "None of the brief and general call summaries I received contained any mention of Burisma or former Vice President Biden, nor even suggested that President Trump had made any kind of request of President Zelensky." Giuliani, however, was publicly discussing in the media his efforts to investigate the Bidens and Ukraine this spring, which included a campaign to remove then-US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, whom Giuliani accused of criticizing the President. "Mr. Giuliani emphasized that the President wanted a public statement from President Zelensky committing Ukraine to look into anti-corruption issues," Sondland plans to say.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Republican lawmakers will face fraught questions most have tried to dodge over President Donald Trump's fight against impeachment as they return to Washington for a week pulsating with political drama. "Elections in the US should be decided by Americans," Cruz said Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation." Both are from solid conservative states where Trump is a rock star and neither face reelection until 2024. "Republicans would like nothing better because they view their role as defending the President, being the President's lawyers," Schiff said Sunday on "Face the Nation." Another potential controversy erupted on Sunday when Schiff suggested the whistleblower who first raised alarm about Trump's dealings with Ukraine may not testify.

CNN Video(CNN) - Lawmakers return to Capitol Hill this week with House Democrats set to accelerate their impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump. Defense Secretary Mark Esper and acting director of Office of Management and Budget Russ Vought face a deadline on subpoenas requesting documents as part of the impeachment inquiry. Wednesday, October 16Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, associates of Giuliani face a subpoena deadline for documents. Friday, October 18Energy Secretary Rick Perry faces a subpoena deadline for documents related to the administration's dealings with Ukraine. House Democrats have also subpoenaed acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney for documents with a deadline of October 18.

(CNN) - US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, a key witness within the State Department and to the President's action in the ongoing impeachment inquiry, intends to testify to the House under subpoena next Thursday, according to his lawyers. "Notwithstanding the State Department's current direction to not testify, Ambassador Sondland will honor the Committees' subpoena, and he looks forward to testifying on Thursday," his attorneys Robert Luskin and Kwame Manley wrote in a statement. House Democrats issued a subpoena Tuesday evening demanding Sondland turn over documents and appear for a deposition next week. That responsibility would fall to the State Department, they said. "Ambassador Sondland does not control the disposition of his documents," his attorneys' statement said Friday morning.

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty ImagesWASHINGTON - A progressive senator from Wisconsin has called for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's salary to be withheld until EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland is allowed to testify in the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump, according to a report by The Hill. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) sent a letter to Pompeo on Tuesday saying the law allows Congress to withhold compensation if a federal official prevents another government employee from communicating with "any Member, committee, or subcommittee of the Congress." The State Department blocked Sondland from testifying in his scheduled House deposition on Tuesday. In his letter, Pocan referred to a piece of legislature signed by Trump himself earlier this year. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff calls blocking U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland from testifying in the impeachment inquiry is an obstruction of the function of Congress.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff on Tuesday called the State Department's blocking testimony of a key witness "strong evidence of obstruction" of Democrats' impeachment investigation, and the move is prompting House Democrats to issue a subpoena for the testimony in response. "Ambassador Sondland is profoundly disappointed that he will not be able to testify today. Ambassador Sondland traveled to Washington from Brussels in order to prepare for his testimony and to be available to answer the Committee's questions." The department also missed a Friday deadline set by House Democrats to respond to a subpoena and turn over documents related to Ukraine. "The text message that I saw from Ambassador Sondland -- who's highly respected -- was: There's 'no quid pro quo.'

"The message to the Ukrainians (and Russians) we send with the decision on security assistance is key. Thus, my nightmare scenario," Taylor wrote on Sept. 9. "As I said on the phone, I think it's crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign," he added. "Are we now saying that security assistance and WH meeting conditioned on investigations?" "The nightmare is they give the interview and don't get the security assistance.

(CNN) - President Donald Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani on Sunday said he spoke last week with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about Giuliani's meeting with a Ukrainian official, adding that Pompeo didn't direct him to have those meeting. Pompeo was aware that his department was assisting Giuliani in speaking with an aide to the Ukrainian president, explains a source familiar with the conversations. When asked last week about Giuliani's efforts, Pompeo said the State Department's actions were "appropriate." "From what I've seen so far, each of the actions that were undertaken by State Department officials was entirely appropriate," he said. CNN has reached out to the State Department for comment about Pompeo's speaking to Giuliani.