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:
Axios, NBC News, The Week, Slate, CNN, Vanity Fair, POLITICUSUSA, Raw Story, Mediaite, Splinter and Political Wire
RELATED:
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, HuffPost, The Lid, Power Line, Splinter, The Atlantic, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Axios, KTLA, Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos, Mediaite 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:
David Harris Jr, The Guardian, New York Times, RedState, CNN, Vanity Fair, Slate, The Gateway Pundit, Spectator USA, Law & Crime, The Week, Breitbart, HuffPost, National Review, 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, New York Magazine, Occupy Democrats, Axios, HuffPost, Vox, Slate, Raw Story, PolitiFact and Politico
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, The Week, One America News Network, Splinter, Washington Post, New York Post and CNN
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:
HuffPost, Talking Points Memo 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.
New York Times:
Trump, the Self-Impeaching President — Now he wants China to investigate the Bidens and help his re-election bid. Give him this, he's not subtle. — The editorial board represents the opinions of the board, its editor and the publisher. It is separate from the newsroom and the Op-Ed section.
Discussion:
Politico, The Root, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Raw Story
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, Talking Points Memo, POLITICUSUSA, Daily Kos, National Review, Mediaite, The Week and Law & Crime
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, The Daily Beast, New York Times, Daily Kos, Associated Press and RedState, more at Mediagazer »
Philip Bump / Washington Post:
Three deeply problematic aspects of newly released text messages centered on the Ukraine scandal
Three deeply problematic aspects of newly released text messages centered on the Ukraine scandal
Discussion:
The Daily Beast
Linnaea Honl-Stuenkel / CREW:
Rick Perry Created AI Office Within Energy Dept. Despite Wife's Investments
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 and The Week
New York Times:
Texts From Top Diplomat Described ‘Crazy’ Plan to Keep Aid From Ukraine
Texts From Top Diplomat Described ‘Crazy’ Plan to Keep Aid From Ukraine
Discussion:
Axios and Washington Post
Marc Caputo / Politico:
Pelosi: 'I'm very worried' about whistleblower's safety
Pelosi: 'I'm very worried' about whistleblower's safety
Discussion:
Washington Times
Michael Calderone / Politico:
Trump wins the chyron war with Biden
Trump wins the chyron war with Biden
Discussion:
New York Times, Vox, The Week and Breitbart
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
RELATED:
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:
Political Wire
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:
NBC News, House Republican Leader, RedState, Breitbart, Fox News and The Daily Caller
RELATED:
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 …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal and Common Dreams
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 …
RELATED:
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:
Fox News, HuffPost and The Atlantic
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.”
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
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
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.
RELATED:
Graham Piro / Washington Free Beacon:
Tlaib: Democrats Looking Into How to Arrest Trump Officials — Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.) said Democratic lawmakers are exploring how to arrest White House officials who do not comply with congressional subpoenas. — Tlaib told Detroit constituents at her “Congress, Coffee …
Discussion:
Washington Post
RELATED:
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
The Daily Caller:
Tucker And Patel: The Truth About Impeachment — Donald Trump should not have been on the phone with a foreign head of state encouraging another country to investigate his political opponent, Joe Biden. Some Republicans are trying, but there's no way to spin this as a good idea.
Dave Itzkoff / New York Times:
2 Women Say James Franco's Acting School Sexually Exploited Them — In a lawsuit filed Thursday, the women say the school pressured them into uncomfortable activities and promised acting opportunities that did not materialize. — The women came to the acting school with hopes of developing their skills …
Discussion:
NPR, Vanity Fair, Variety, Page Six, Fox News, Rolling Stone, The Wrap, IndieWire and The FADER