Top Items:
New York Times:
Trump Envoys Pushed Ukraine to Commit to Investigating Biden — WASHINGTON — Two of President Trump's top envoys to Ukraine worked on a statement for the country's new president in August that would have committed Ukraine to pursuing investigations sought by Mr. Trump into his political rivals …
Discussion:
Politico, Axios, NBC News, The Week, Slate, CNN, Vanity Fair, POLITICUSUSA, Raw Story, Mediaite, Splinter, Political Wire and Associated Press
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Wall Street Journal:
Trump Ordered Ukraine Ambassador Removed After Complaints From Giuliani, Others — Marie Yovanovitch dismissed after Trump allies said she was blocking Biden probe and bad-mouthing president, people familiar with the matter say — WASHINGTON—President Trump ordered the removal of the ambassador …
Discussion:
CNN, Raw Story, The Week, HuffPost, Power Line, Splinter, The Lid, The Atlantic, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Axios, KTLA, Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos, Mediaite, Politico and Washington Post
Washington Post:
IRS whistleblower said to report Treasury political appointee might have tried to interfere in audit of Trump or Pence — An Internal Revenue Service official has filed a whistleblower complaint reporting that he was told at least one Treasury Department political appointee attempted …
Discussion:
The Guardian, David Harris Jr, RedState, New York Times, CNN, Vanity Fair, Slate, The Gateway Pundit, The Week, Spectator USA, Law & Crime, National Review, Breitbart, HuffPost, Raw Story and Political Wire
CNN:
Trump raised Biden with Xi in June call housed in highly secure server — Washington (CNN)When President Donald Trump suggested — without prompting — that China should investigate Joe Biden and his son, he thrust another political grudge into what was already the world's most complicated and consequential relationship.
Molly Beck / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Ron Johnson OK with President Trump asking China to investigate 2020 political rival — U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., speaks with members of the media after meeting with the Middleton Chamber of Commerce at Serendipity Labs in Madison on Thursday. Johnson Thursday said that there was nothing wrong …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Law & Crime, Fox News, Splinter, Occupy Democrats, New York Magazine, HuffPost, Axios, Vox, Slate and Raw Story
Theodoric Meyer / Politico:
Energy Secretary Rick Perry eyeing exit in November — Energy Secretary Rick Perry is expected to announce his resignation from the administration by the end of November, according to three people familiar with his plans. — Perry, who had been Texas' longest-serving governor …
Discussion:
Axios, Raw Story, HuffPost, One America News Network, Splinter, Washington Post and New York Post
Katherine Faulders / ABC News:
‘Crazy to withhold security assistance’ to Ukraine for political purposes: Top US diplomat — In newly disclosed text messages shared with Congress, the top U.S. diplomat to Ukraine at the time writes to a group of other American diplomats that “I think it's crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign.”
Discussion:
Washington Post, Associated Press, The Week, Breitbart, Axios, Hot Air, Hullabaloo, One America News Network, Raw Story and The American Conservative
Zack Budryk / The Hill:
GOP senator says he doesn't remember signing 2016 letter urging ‘reform’ of Ukraine prosecutor's office — Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) told reporters Thursday he did not recall signing a letter urging reforms in the office of the Ukrainian prosecutor President Trump has alleged former Vice …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, HuffPost and Law & Crime
CNN:
Damning text messages detail Trump pressure on Ukraine — Washington (CNN)Text messages released on Thursday between US diplomats and a senior Ukrainian aide show how a potential Ukrainian investigation into the 2016 election was linked to a desired meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump.
Karoun Demirjian / Washington Post:
Trump wanted Ukraine's president to launch investigations before face-to-face meeting, State Dept. texts show
Trump wanted Ukraine's president to launch investigations before face-to-face meeting, State Dept. texts show
Discussion:
CNN, The Week, Talking Points Memo, POLITICUSUSA, Daily Kos, National Review, Mediaite and Law & Crime
Jake Sherman / Politico:
POLITICO Playbook: The smoking texts
POLITICO Playbook: The smoking texts
Discussion:
Associated Press, HuffPost and Raw Story
Washington Post:
Rick Perry planning to step down as energy secretary by year end
Rick Perry planning to step down as energy secretary by year end
Discussion:
CNN, New York Times, KTLA and The Week
Linnaea Honl-Stuenkel / CREW:
Rick Perry Created AI Office Within Energy Dept. Despite Wife's Investments
Rick Perry Created AI Office Within Energy Dept. Despite Wife's Investments
Discussion:
The Week
Graham Piro / Washington Free Beacon:
Tlaib: Democrats Looking Into How to Arrest Trump Officials
Tlaib: Democrats Looking Into How to Arrest Trump Officials
Discussion:
Washington Post
New York Times:
Pence Makes Clear There Is No Daylight Between Him and Trump — The vice president has risen to his boss's defense at a moment of crisis that some Republicans fear could inflict lasting damage on them both. — WASHINGTON — He held firm when the “Access Hollywood” tape nearly ended President Trump's 2016 campaign.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Althouse and Outside the Beltway
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Andrew E. Kramer / New York Times:
Ukraine to Review Criminal Case of Firm Linked to Biden's Son — KIEV, Ukraine — Ukraine's top prosecutor said on Friday that he would review several important cases previously handled by his predecessors, including a criminal case involving a natural gas company that employed a son of former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.
Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker:
Did Donald Trump Just Self-Impeach? — In the ten days since the House of Representatives launched its impeachment inquiry, President Trump has spoken and tweeted thousands of words in public. He has called the investigation a “coup” and the press “deranged.”
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New York Times:
Trump, the Self-Impeaching President
Trump, the Self-Impeaching President
Discussion:
Politico, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Raw Story and Law & Crime
Ryan Broderick / BuzzFeed News:
Donald Trump Is Stuck In A Human Centipede Of Boomer Memes
Donald Trump Is Stuck In A Human Centipede Of Boomer Memes
Discussion:
Louder With Crowder
Alex Isenstadt / Politico:
Trump campaign to drop bomb on Biden in early voting states
Trump campaign to drop bomb on Biden in early voting states
Discussion:
Washington Post, New York Times, The Daily Beast, Daily Kos, Associated Press and RedState, more at Mediagazer »
Axios:
Scoop: Trump letter dares Pelosi to hold vote on impeachment inquiry — The White House is planning to send Speaker Nancy Pelosi a letter as soon as Friday arguing that President Trump and his team can ignore lawmakers' demands until she holds a full House vote formally approving an impeachment inquiry …
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, House Republican Leader, NBC News, NPR, RedState, Breitbart, Fox News and The Daily Caller
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Kimberley A. Strassel / Wall Street Journal:
Schiff's Shifty Timeline — What did the House Intel Committee chairman know and when did he know it? — If the latest impeachment push continues to backfire, Democrats can thank their duplicitous House Intelligence chairman, Adam Schiff. — The New York Times reported this week that the …
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Glenn Kessler / Washington Post:
Schiff's false claim his committee had not spoken to the whistleblower
Schiff's false claim his committee had not spoken to the whistleblower
Discussion:
National Review, Fox News, HuffPost, The Atlantic and CNN
U.S. House of Representatives Permanent …:
Three Chairs Provide Update on Investigative Work, Volker Testimony & Text Messages — f t # e — Washington—Today, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs received testimony from Ambassador Kurt Volker …
Joseph Morton / Associated Press:
'Americans don't look to Chinese commies for the truth': Sasse decries Trump's call for probe — “If the Biden kid broke laws by selling his name to Beijing, that's a matter for American courts, not communist tyrants running torture camps,” Sen. Ben Sasse told The World-Herald on Thursday.
Discussion:
Mediaite and Political Wire
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NBC News:
Another GOP senator breaks from Trump to defend Ukraine whistleblower — “I stand with Chuck Grassley on this,” Ernst said, referring to Iowa's other Republican senator who defended the unnamed whistleblower. — Another Republican senator is speaking out in defense of the intelligence …
Discussion:
Axios
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Marc Caputo / Politico:
Pelosi: 'I'm very worried' about whistleblower's safety
Pelosi: 'I'm very worried' about whistleblower's safety
Discussion:
Washington Times
Harry Enten / CNN:
Trump's impeachment polling is historically unprecedented — Lemon and Cuomo debate if there's enough to impeach Trump — (CNN)The poll numbers are in on impeachment, and it's not good news for President Donald Trump. A clear plurality of Americans approve of the House's impeachment inquiry into Trump …
Discussion:
Political Wire
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Andrew C. McCarthy / The Hill:
Ignore the hype — this is not an impeachment inquiry
Ignore the hype — this is not an impeachment inquiry
Discussion:
Associated Press, New York Times, Politico, Fortune, American Military News and Vanity Fair
David Brooks / New York Times:
Why Trump Voters Stick With Him — An imagined conversation with Flyover Man. — Urban Guy: I hope you read the rough transcript of that Trump phone call with the Ukrainian president. Trump clearly used public power to ask a foreign leader to dig up dirt on his political opponent.
Discussion:
The American Conservative and alicublog
Philip Bump / Washington Post:
Three deeply problematic aspects of newly released text messages centered on the Ukraine scandal — It's generally not a good sign when a government official sends a written message questioning the propriety of an action and another official replies by suggesting they talk on the phone.
Discussion:
The Daily Beast
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Tim Miller / The Bulwark:
Being Donald Trump: Inside the World Where Conspiracies Are Reality — What reality looks like from inside Trump World. — In interview after interview over the past few weeks Rudy Giuliani has provided plenty of fodder for those who believe him to be a few cans short of a 30-pack.
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