Another Ukraine=related item from our news desk:
Whistle-Blower Complaint Released, Alleges Trump Sought Foreign Interference In 2020 Election
The U.S. House Intelligence Committee has released an unclassified, redacted version of a whistle-blower report alleging that President Donald Trump sought help from a foreign country to interfere in next year’s presidential election.
The release of the report on September 26 comes as Democrats launched an impeachment inquiry against Trump, a Republican, accusing him of betraying his oath of office.
"I am deeply concerned that the actions described below constitute 'a serious or flagrant problem, abuse, or violation of law or executive order' that 'does not include differences of opinion concerning public policy matters,' consistent with the definition of an 'urgent concern'," the whistle-blower report said.
Trump has denied any wronging.
“Is there a case for impeachment? Absolutely not!” he said on social media while denouncing the whistle-blower’s report. "THE DEMOCRATS ARE TRYING TO DESTROY THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND ALL THAT IT STANDS FOR. STICK TOGETHER, PLAY THEIR GAME, AND FIGHT HARD REPUBLICANS. OUR COUNTRY IS AT STAKE!"
The complaint centers around a July 25 telephone call between Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, to investigate his political rival, Joe Biden, a former U.S. vice president and a contestant for the Democratic candidacy for the 2020 presidential election, and his son Hunter, who had worked for an energy company in Ukraine.
There has been no evidence revealed that either of the Bidens acted improperly with regard to the matter.
The document also purports that White House officials sought to "lock down" records of the July 25 phone call. A five-page memo outlining the call was released on September 25.
Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire began testifying about the document before the House’s Intelligence Committee moments after the complaint was released on September 26.
House Democrats, who are considering Trump's impeachment, are hoping Maguire will explain why he wouldn’t release the whistle-blower’s complaint for weeks.
Maguire is also scheduled to speak to a Senate intelligence panel behind closed doors.
An item from our news desk:
Ukrainian Regulator Says It Won't Extend Licence Of Broadcaster 112 Ukraine
KYIV --The Ukrainian National Council for Television and Radio Broadcasting says it won't extend the broadcasting license of the television channel 112 Ukraine.
The council said on September 26 that it took the decision because of "the television channel's failure to fix violations of the broadcast concept since 2014."
The channel's director, Yehor Benkendorf, said 112 Ukraine will continue operating, while another station official, Artem Marchevskiy, said the company "will inform international structures about this lawlessness" by the authorities.
The president's office issued a statement regarding the move, saying that it was monitoring the situation.
"We are confident that freedom of speech is an integral part of a democratic state. At the same time, all broadcasters must comply with the law and license conditions," the president's office wrote on Facebook.
In October 2018, Ukrainian lawmakers adopted a resolution proposing that the National Security and Defense Council impose sanctions on the owners of the 112 Ukraine and NewsOne TV channels.
The resolution was adopted after more than 25,000 citizens signed a petition demanding the two broadcasters halt their activities, accusing them of "being tools of Russian propaganda in Ukraine."
The two countries’ relations have been tense since 2014 after Russian annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and began supporting pro-Kremlin separatists in Ukraine's east in a conflict where more than 13,000 people have been killed.
Latest from our news desk on the Zelenskiy-Trump call: