memeorandum: How two Soviet-born emigres made it into elite Trump circles — and the center of the impeachment storm (Washington Post)

9:20 PM ET, October 12, 2019

Top Items:

U.S. forces say Turkey was deliberately ‘bracketing’ American troops with artillery fire in Syria — Turkish forces who launched multiple artillery rounds near a U.S. Special Operations outpost in northeastern Syria on Friday have known for months that Americans were there …

Discussion: UPI, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, twitchy.com, Military Times, Informed Comment, Raw Story, American Military News, New York Post, The Gateway Pundit, Newsweek, PJ Media Home, Sputnik International, Liberty Unyielding, Task & Purpose and WREG-TV

CNN:

Exclusive: Military leader of Syrian Kurds tells US ‘you are leaving us to be slaughtered’ — (CNN)The commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces told a senior US diplomat, “You are leaving us to be slaughtered,” demanding to know whether the US is going to do anything …

Discussion: The Guardian, The Week, Daily Kos and Mediaite

Phil McCausland / NBC News:
Mattis warns ISIS could resurge: ‘Enemy gets the vote’ after Trump's announced troop pullout

Discussion: CNBC and Washington Post

New York Times: Militants Backed by Turkey Kill at Least Two Prisoners in Syria

Kurdistan24:
Senior female Kurdish political leader killed in ambush in Syria

Discussion: Occupy Democrats

New York Times:
Trump's Abrupt Shifts in Middle East Unnerve U.S. Allies

Discussion: Foreign Policy and Raw Story

Newsweek: Exclusive: Kurdish allies learned of Trump's Syria pullout on Twitter: “We were like, ‘What is this sh*t?’”

Akil Marceau / Haaretz:
Kurdish Leader: Trump Just Stuck a Knife in the Back of America's Brothers-in-arms

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA

Reuters: Iran offers to mediate between Syrian Kurds, Turkey

Washington Post:

Trump's envoy who denied quid pro quo now says he isn't certain — The U.S. ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, intends to tell Congress this week that the content of a text message he wrote denying a quid pro quo with Ukraine was relayed to him directly by President Trump in a phone call …

Discussion: NPR

Washington Post:

How two Soviet-born emigres made it into elite Trump circles — and the center of the impeachment storm — Lev Parnas, a Ukrainian-born emigre, appeared at a dark time in Donald Trump's presidential campaign. Less than a month before the election, major GOP donors had been spooked …

Discussion: Vox and Roll Call

Richard Read / Los Angeles Times:

Sondland faces local backlash denying Trump deal in Ukraine — President Trump's man in Brussels found events spinning out of control when he arrived in Washington, D.C., expecting to testify before House committees this week. — Gordon Sondland, appointed U.S. ambassador to the European Union …

Ben Schreckinger / Politico:

2014 photograph shows earlier ties between Trump and indicted Giuliani associate — A photograph of President Donald Trump posing with a recently indicted associate of Rudy Giuliani was posted online in April 2014, two years prior to what had been their first known interaction.

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA, emptywheel, Raw Story, Washington Post, Sputnik International and The Hill

Darren Samuelsohn / Politico:
‘Stop talking’: Trump advisers want Giuliani dumped

Discussion: Vox, Slate, Occupy Democrats, Fox News, CNBC, POLITICUSUSA, Washington Times, Law & Crime, Talking Points Memo, The Guardian, Hullabaloo, Mother Jones, New York Post, The Week, TheBlaze, Outside the Beltway, Raw Story and CNN

CNN:
Rudy Giuliani tells CNN he's unaware he's under investigation for Ukraine involvement

Discussion: Associated Press, The White House, Sputnik International and Radio Free Europe/Radio …

BuzzFeed News:

A Fort Worth Cop Killed A Black Woman Inside Her Home After Her Neighbor Called Police Because Her Door Was Open — A black woman was shot and killed by police inside her own home early Saturday morning in Fort Worth, Texas, after her neighbor called a non-emergency police number for a wellness check on her.

Discussion: New York Times

Jack Howland / Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

Woman killed in own home when Fort Worth officer shoots her, police and witness say — A white Fort Worth officer fatally shot a black woman inside her home early Saturday morning after police were called to the house to do a welfare check, according to police and the neighbor who called them.

Discussion: WFAA-TV, The Daily Beast and Occupy Democrats

Deb Riechmann / Associated Press:

Anatomy of the phone call now imperiling Trump's presidency — WASHINGTON (AP) — There were dozens of ears listening to President Donald Trump's 30-minute phone call with the leader of Ukraine that is at the center of a House impeachment inquiry , and as many eyes that saw what he said.

Discussion: Occupy Democrats, Raw Story and Liberty Unyielding

Tom Nichols / USA Today:

Ex-Republican: Do we still agree on beating Trump? After your LGBTQ forum, I'm not sure. — I'm not asking you to betray your principles, but Republican culture warriors are lying in wait. Why let them divide us where we already agree? — CONNECT — Dear Democrats: — We've been together for a while now.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Los Angeles Times, The Stranger, Slate, Washington Post and The Guardian

New York Times:

Bill Gates Met With Jeffrey Epstein Many Times, Despite His Past — Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who committed suicide in prison, managed to lure an astonishing array of rich, powerful and famous men into his orbit. — There were billionaires (Leslie Wexner and Leon Black) …

Discussion: The Daily Beast and The Verge, more at Techmeme »

Matt Flegenheimer / New York Times:

James Comey Would Like to Help — The former F.B.I. director wants an end to the Trump presidency. And yes, he knows you might think he caused it. — James Comey slumps strategically in restaurants — all 6-foot-8 of him, drooping faux-furtively with his back to the room …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, TheBlaze and Liberty Unyielding

Michelle Goldberg / New York Times:

America Exports Its Corruption to Ukraine — Once upon a time, we spread ideals of democracy and rule of law. Now? We send Giuliani. — KIEV, Ukraine — In 2014, Ukraine's wildly corrupt president, Viktor Yanukovych, fled to Russia after mass protests on the Maidan, Kiev's central square.

Discussion: Reuters, CANNONFIRE, The Daily Caller, RedState, News Agency UNIAN, Sputnik International and NBC News

CNN:

Manhattan US attorney in the spotlight with another high profile investigation of Trump's inner circle — (CNN) — With the indictment Thursday of associates of President Donald Trump's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, New York federal prosecutors are yet again behind a criminal case that threatens Trump's inner circle.

Dan Balz / Washington Post:

Impeachment has put Trump in a different place. He's showing it every day. — President Trump delivered a characteristic performance Thursday night in Minneapolis. His 100-minute rally speech was complete with scattered vulgarities, caustic attacks on political opponents …

Veronica Stracqualursi / CNN:

Harry Reid warns Democrats: Trump is a ‘very, very smart man’ who won't be easily beaten in 2020 — Harry Reid: How Democrats can beat Trump in Nevada — Watch the full interview on “The Axe Files” Saturday at 7 p.m. on CNN. — Washington (CNN)Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid …

Discussion: Washington Times and TheBlaze

Jordain Carney / The Hill:
McConnell tightlipped as impeachment furor grows

Discussion: Breitbart and Wall Street Journal

Alex Thompson / Politico:

Warren escalates war with Zuckerberg and Facebook — Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Saturday morning accused Facebook of turning itself into a “disinformation-for-profit machine” and called on people to sign up with her presidential campaign in order to “hold Mark Zuckerberg accountable.”

Discussion: New York Times and Washington Post, more at Mediagazer »

Adam Kelsey / ABC News:

Bernie Sanders draws contrast with Elizabeth Warren: 'She is a capitalist through her bones. I'm not.' — With Sen. Elizabeth Warren continuing to climb in Democratic presidential primary polls, in part, at the expense of his own campaign, Sen. Bernie Sanders, in an interview on Saturday with ABC News' …

Discussion: Associated Press