Amita Kelly

Updated at 9:18 a.m. ET

House Democrats unveiled two articles of impeachment against President Trump on Tuesday morning, 77 days after they launched a formal inquiry into his freezing of assistance to Ukraine and request to investigate a political rival.

The articles charge abuse of power by Trump in the Ukraine affair and obstruction of Congress.

Watch the press conference live here.

Former Vice President Joe Biden is defending himself against criticism over a heated town hall earlier this week in which he called a voter a "damn liar" and challenged him to a pushup contest and IQ test. The voter, an 83-year-old retired farmer, asked about Biden's and his son Hunter's work in Ukraine, making some false accusations about it. He also said Biden was too old to run for president.

Christopher Anderson is testifying in the ongoing House impeachment inquiry on Wednesday, along with Catherine Croft.

Anderson and Croft both worked for the U.S. envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker — Anderson for almost two years. He served in Kyiv from 2014-2017 and then as special adviser for Ukraine negotiations through July 12, 2019.

Republican Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina gave an emotional eulogy Thursday for his friend and Democratic colleague Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, who is lying in state at the National Statuary Hall of the Capitol.

"He's called a number of things — a father, a husband, friend, chairman. For me, I was privileged enough to be able to call him a dear friend," Meadows said.

"Some have classified it as an unexpected friendship, but for those of us that know Elijah," he continued, "it's not unexpected or surprising."

Updated at 7:10 p.m. ET

Longtime U.S. diplomat William Taylor told lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Tuesday that President Trump orchestrated a parallel foreign policy for Ukraine that made U.S. aid to the country contingent on investigations to help himself politically.

In a written statement to three House committees tasked with Democrats' impeachment inquiry, Taylor said he "became increasingly concerned" as "irregular, informal channels" of policymaking diverged from official U.S. goals — led by Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani.

The Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee took in a huge haul in the third quarter, which ended Monday — a combined $125 million.

This means that this year alone, they've raised more than $300 million — double the total that then-President Obama and the Democratic Party had raised at this point in 2011 on Obama's way to a successful reelection bid.

Updated at 11:20 p.m. ET

President Trump has released a transcript of his July call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Updated at 9:50 p.m. ET

Democratic presidential candidate Jay Inslee announced Wednesday that he is withdrawing from the race.

"It's become clear that I'm not going be carrying the ball, I'm not going to be the president, so I'm withdrawing tonight from the race," the Washington governor said on MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show.

Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper dropped his bid for president Thursday.

"Today, I'm ending my campaign for president. But I will never stop believing that America can only move forward when we work together," Hickenlooper tweeted.

He had been urged to run for Senate in Colorado, challenging Sen. Cory Gardner. In a video attached to his tweet, he said he would give that "serious thought" but made no announcement.

Updated at 5:42 p.m. ET

An official says the Justice Department has been instructed to keep looking for a way to ask 2020 census responders whether they are citizens of the United States.

The Supreme Court has left in place a lower court's order to block the question for now.

After the Supreme Court declined to allow the question, tweets by President Trump had sowed confusion about whether he planned to continue the legal fight.

Updated at 10:45 p.m. ET

The Trump administration has decided to print the 2020 census forms without a citizenship question, and the printer has been told to start the printing process, Justice Department spokesperson Kelly Laco confirms to NPR.

Updated 7:45 p.m. ET

With Virginia's top two politicians mired in their own controversies, the state's attorney general, Mark Herring, has revealed a racial incident in his own past. In a statement released Wednesday, he said he and friends attended a party in 1980 dressed as rappers they admired, including wearing wigs and "brown makeup."

The partial government shutdown is rippling beyond federal workers and contractors.

In Washington, D.C., the Smithsonian museums and National Zoo are closed. Other recreational sites around the country remain closed or lack adequate staff. Some assistance and loan programs that rely on federal funding also could face delays.

Updated at 4:30 p.m. ET

More than 100 people were waiting to be rescued from homes and vehicles Friday morning in New Bern, N.C., after Hurricane Florence brought severe flooding to the area. Officials say more than 100 people have already been rescued in the area overnight.

Six swift water rescue teams have been working since Thursday afternoon to evacuate individuals and families, in some cases, from the roofs of their homes, the New Bern Public Information Officer Colleen Roberts said Friday afternoon.

Updated Sept. 18

Thanks to Tropical Storm Florence, Eastern coastal residents continue to experience widespread flooding, closed roads and large-scale displacement.

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