memeorandum: Column: Trump pulls ‘reverse-Nixon’ over Ukraine call: ‘I AM A CROOK!’ (Rex Huppke/Chicago Tribune)

2:20 PM ET, September 23, 2019

Top Items:

David Leonhardt / New York Times:

Donald Trump vs. the United States of America — The full picture reveals a man who presents a clear and present danger to the country. — Sometimes it's worth stepping back to look at the full picture. — He has pressured a foreign leader to interfere in the 2020 American presidential election.

Discussion: Raw Story and Hullabaloo

Daniel W. Drezner / Washington Post:

The strategic case for impeaching President Trump — Welcome to some zero-sum game theory. — The facts are dribbling out about President Trump's efforts to seek official foreign assistance to take actions that would harm his domestic political rivals. Those facts are rather appalling …

Discussion: The Independent, Althouse and Raw Story

Politico:

POLITICO Playbook: Trump just poured rocket fuel on the impeachment fire — DRIVING THE DAY — IMPEACHMENT IS BECOMING more and more likely. Some will tell you it's approaching a certainty. Think of it this way: President DONALD TRUMP has just admitted that he — the president of the United States …

Discussion: Washington Post, Breitbart, New York Times, The Week and Associated Press

Rex Huppke / Chicago Tribune:

Column: Trump pulls ‘reverse-Nixon’ over Ukraine call: ‘I AM A CROOK!’ — As expected, liberals spent most of the weekend screaming “IMPEACH!” over news that President Donald Trump had again done something that is likely an impeachable offense. — This time around it involves a phone call …

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

It's time, Speaker Pelosi — Let's imagine for the moment a hypothetical in which Nancy Pelosi continues along the current course, keeping it somewhat vague on her final intentions until, in the end, the drive to impeach President Trump concludes without the Speaker endorsing or allowing any full House vote on impeachment articles.

Discussion: CNN, Roll Call, U.S. Political News …, Outside the Beltway and The Week

John Bresnahan / Politico:

Moderate Dems eye impeachment as Ukraine furor builds — A growing number of freshman Democrats in swing districts are rethinking their stance against impeachment after President Donald Trump's alleged attempt to pressure Ukrainian officials for his own political gain …

Discussion: Political Wire, Common Dreams, Slate, Washington Post and Daily Kos

New York Times:
As Trump Confirms He Discussed Biden With Ukraine, Pressure to Impeach Builds

Rebecca Shabad / NBC News:
Impeachment pressure escalates as Democrats demand release of whistleblower's Trump complaint

Discussion: Washington Post, PJ Media Home and Breitbart

Jonathan Lemire / Associated Press:
At UN, Trump to face questions about Ukraine, Iran, allies

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

U.S. Political News, Opinion and Analysis:
Whistleblower's Complaint Is Make-Or-Break Moment On Impeachment

Discussion: Townhall, The Week, CNN and KTLA

Jonathan Bernstein / Bloomberg:
Want to Impeach Trump? Call Congress.

Discussion: RedState, Talking Points Memo and The Guardian

Burgess Everett / Politico:
Schumer demands hearings, subpoena over whistleblower complaint

Discussion: Daily Kos, The Hill and The Daily Caller

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:

How the Media Helped Trump Carry Out His Ukraine Smear — On May 1, the New York Times published a story that contained the most important facets of the Ukraine story. The Times reported that President Trump, through his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, was pressing Ukraine's government to investigate Joe Biden.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Vox, Washington Post, Fox News, MARK HALPERIN'S WIDE WORLD …, The Resurgent, Washington Examiner and Raw Story

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:

Trump just inched toward spilling the beans on Ukraine — President Trump's lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani has been defending his client as if Trump offered Ukraine a quid pro quo in exchange for investigating their political opponents. Yet this weekend, Trump denied pressuring Ukraine to do anything.

Discussion: RedState, Just Security, Political Wire, New York Post and Raw Story

John Wagner / Washington Post:

GOP rival Bill Weld says Trump has committed ‘treason, pure and simple’ — Former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld, who is challenging President Trump for the Republican nomination next year, on Monday accused him of “treason” for pressing the leader of Ukraine to investigate former vice president Joe Biden and his son.

Discussion: Breitbart

Tim Miller / The Bulwark:
Truth, Lies, and the Nonsense Trump-Biden-Ukraine False Equivalency

Discussion: Fox News, National Review and The Gateway Pundit

Charles Sykes / The Bulwark:
The Trump-Ukraine Story is a Stress Test

Discussion: The American Conservative, Hullabaloo, Washington Examiner, Fox News and Salon

Wall Street Journal:
Trump's Ukraine Call

Discussion: MARK HALPERIN'S WIDE WORLD … and New York Post

Kenneth P. Vogel / New York Times:
Trump, Biden and Ukraine: Sorting Out the Accusations

Discussion: CNBC, U.S. Political News …, Political Wire, Splinter, The Week, Fox News, Hot Air, The Intercept, Wall Street Journal, Slate and Mother Jones

Quint Forgey / Politico:

White House press secretary says daily briefings aren't coming back any time soon — White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said Monday that she is not likely to conduct a White House press briefing anytime in the near future, deriding the once-regular sessions as an act of “theater” …

Discussion: Axios, Raw Story, CNN, Bloomberg, The Guardian, New York Post, Political Wire and Breitbart

Quint Forgey / Politico:

Graham urges Trump to release more details of call with Ukrainian president — Sen. Lindsey Graham on Monday repeatedly encouraged President Donald Trump to release further details of his July phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during which Trump reportedly pressured …

Discussion: Mother Jones, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Hot Air, Political Wire and Breitbart

Caitlin Webber / Bloomberg:
Giuliani Says He Can't Guarantee That Trump Didn't Threaten Ukraine Aid

Discussion: Mother Jones

Michael E. Miller / Washington Post:

Immigrant kids fill this town's schools. Their bus driver is leading the backlash. — WORTHINGTON, Minn. — It was the first day of school, so Don Brink was behind the wheel of his bus, its yellow paint glistening in the drizzling dawn. Wearing jeans and a John Deere cap …

Matthew Yglesias / Vox:

Democrats are stuck in a doom loop of premature polling — Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), former Vice President Joe Biden, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) on stage during the Democratic Presidential Debate at Texas Southern University's Health and PE Center on September 12, 2019 in Houston, Texas.

Steven Greenhouse / New York Magazine: A to F+: Grading the Presidential Candidates on Their Labor Plans Worker rights are shaping up a key issue in 2020.

Henry J. Gomez / BuzzFeed News: Pete Buttigieg Has Some Thoughts About Ideology — Even If He Rejects Your Labels

Ryan W. Miller / USA Today:

Climate change activists ‘shut down DC’ and disrupt morning commutes at busy intersections — WASHINGTON - Activists calling for action on climate change were disrupting morning commutes across Washington, D.C., Monday morning, just days after hundreds of thousands demonstrated alongside school children …

Discussion: ABC News, twitchy.com, Right Wing Watch, Washington Post, Common Dreams, New York Post and WTOP

Washington Post:
Shut Down D.C.: ‘Climate rebels’ gather at sites across D.C., aiming to bring city to a ‘standstill’

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon and The Week

Osita Nwanevu / New Republic:

The “Cancel Culture” Con — On April 1, 1964, Herbert Ruhe, an ex-CIA agent formerly stationed in Vietnam, submitted a surveillance report to the office of the Manhattan District Attorney about a person of interest to city officials. On the basis of the material Ruhe had gathered the previous night …

Mike Levine / ABC News:

FBI arrests Army soldier who allegedly discussed plans to bomb major American news network — The FBI has arrested a U.S. soldier who allegedly discussed plans to bomb a major American news network, planned to travel to Ukraine to fight with violent far-right group Azov Battalion …

Discussion: globalnews.ca

Greta Thunberg / The Guardian:

If world leaders choose to fail us, my generation will never forgive them — We are in the middle of a climate breakdown, and all they can talk about is money and fairytales of eternal economic growth — This is all wrong. I shouldn't be standing here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean.

Discussion: Politico, Vox and Common Dreams

Stephanie Ebbs / ABC News:
Trump sits in at UN climate summit that could be ‘slingshot’ toward global goals

Discussion: One America News Network, Common Dreams, The Week, Mediaite and Politico

Judith Butler / Jewish Currents:

Bari Weiss's Unasked Questions — Discussed in this essay: How to Fight Anti-Semitism, by Bari Weiss. Crown, 2019. 224 pages. — ONE YEAR AGO THIS OCTOBER, a white nationalist opened fire at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh's tight-knit Jewish neighborhood, Squirrel Hill.

John-Paul Pagano / National Review: Blood Libel: The Conspiracy Theory That Jews Are ‘Anti-Human’

Popular Information:

Massive “I Love America” Facebook page, pushing pro-Trump propaganda, is run by Ukrainians — The “I Love America” Facebook page boasts 1.1 million fans, with viral content that reaches more Facebook users than some of the largest media outlets in the United States.

Discussion: The Week, more at Techmeme »

PoPville:

Climate Change Protest Starting to Shutdown Streets — Thanks to Hanna and Clint for sending from 4th and New York Ave, NW. Updates as we get more reports. — UPDATED reports: — Clint writes: “Climate protest is redirecting all traffic coming off 395N at NY Ave into downtown.”

Discussion: Fox News, Breitbart, VICE, IJR and The Daily Caller