memeorandum: Primary Challenges Complicate GOP's Hold on the Senate (Andrew Duehren/Wall Street Journal)

2:45 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, U.S. Political News …, New York Times and The Week

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: U.S. Political News …, Outside the Beltway, The Week and Occupy Democrats

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 …

John Bresnahan / Politico:
Moderate Dems eye impeachment as Ukraine furor builds

Discussion: Political Wire, Common Dreams, Slate, Washington Post and The Guardian

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: PJ Media Home, Washington Post and Breitbart

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

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

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

Discussion: RedState, Talking Points Memo and The Guardian

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

Discussion: Townhall, The Week, CNN and KTLA

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

Discussion: Daily Kos and The Hill

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, New York Times, Washington Post, Fox News, MARK HALPERIN'S WIDE WORLD …, The Resurgent 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, Raw Story, Splinter and Wall Street Journal

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

Ilya Zhegulev / Reuters:
Ukraine wants to stay out of U.S. domestic politics: presidential official

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

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

Discussion: Fox News, National Review and The Daily Caller

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

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

Wall Street Journal:
Trump's Ukraine Call

Discussion: New York Post

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: Wall Street Journal, Raw Story, Axios, Bloomberg, CNN, The Guardian, 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: CNBC, Mother Jones, 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

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: Political Wire and globalnews.ca, more at Mediagazer »

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 …

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 …

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: Big League Politics, ABC News, twitchy.com, Washington Post, Right Wing Watch, 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

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, The Week, Common Dreams, Mediaite and Politico

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.

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

Ott Ummelas / Bloomberg:

Police Begin Search After Danske's Ex-CEO in Estonia Goes Missing — Police in Estonia are looking for the man who used to run the Danske Bank unit now at the center of a money-laundering scandal that's triggered multiple criminal investigations. — Aivar Rehe, who was the chief executive officer …