memeorandum: Not Your Father's Masculinity — Meet the “new man”: whatever others say he is. (Matt Labash/New York Times)

10:45 AM ET, October 23, 2019

Top Items:

An Envoy's Damning Account of Trump's Ukraine Pressure and Its Consequences — William B. Taylor Jr. laid out in visceral terms the potentially life-or-death stakes of what he saw as an illegitimate scheme to pressure Kiev for political help by suspending American security aid.

Discussion: Washington Post, Outside the Beltway, Liberty Unyielding, The American Conservative, Raw Story and Breitbart

Washington Post:

Opening statement of Ambassador William B. Taylor — William B. Taylor, the senior U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, testified before impeachment investigators Tuesday. Read the story here. — Don't see the document? Click here to download the pdf.

Chris Cillizza / CNN:

How much more of Donald Trump can Republicans possibly take? — Burnett reveals most explosive lines from Taylor's testimony — (CNN)Everyone has a breaking point. — It's worth remembering that fact at this moment as congressional Republicans find themselves confronted with a cavalcade …

Discussion: Political Wire, Mediaite, Talking Points Memo and twitchy.com

John Podhoretz / Commentary:

Trump Will Be Impeached — Remember when I said last week that October 17 was the worst day of the Trump presidency? Well, October 22 and has now come along to break the record. This is the day that, I think, has ensured Donald Trump's impeachment. Not his removal. But impeachment will be bad enough.

ABC News:

The Note: GOP weariness grows as Trump defenses give way — The deeper things get and the more likely impeachment is, the more President Donald Trump needs his Republican Party to stay loyal. — That's not lost on the president. But what he may be losing over time is the ability …

Discussion: Politico

Ken Meyer / Mediaite:

Sean Duffy Gets Repeatedly Owned In Bonkers CNN Segment: 'My Nose Isn't a Heat-Seeking Missile for the President's Backside' — CNN's New Day hosted a duel between Republicans on Wednesday morning as former congressmen Sean Duffy and Charlie Dent squared off on whether Bill Taylor …

Washington Post:
Here's the quid pro quo proof, Lindsey Graham

Discussion: Just Security, Raw Story, Mother Jones, National Review, New York Post and The Guardian

John Wagner / Washington Post:
Live updates: Trump again lashes out at ‘terrible’ Democrats as a Pentagon witness testifies in the impeachment inquiry

Discussion: The Guardian, POLITICUSUSA, New York Times and Fortune

Dan Balz / Washington Post:
New testimony undercuts Trump's claim of no quid pro quo on Ukraine. How will Washington respond?

Discussion: Politico, Daily Kos, VICE, New York Times, Bloomberg, Talking Points Memo, Slate, Hot Air and Mediaite

Michael Warren / CNN:
5 explosive lines from Bill Taylor's statement

Discussion: Shareblue Media, Power Line, UPI and RedState

The Daily Beast:

Trump Whines That Senate Republicans Are Failing Him on Impeachment and Not Owning Nearly Enough Libs — The president and his advisers want Republicans in the Senate to stage their own hearings to counteract what's happening in the House. — President Trump, his advisers …

Discussion: The Hill, UPI, Raw Story, No More Mister Nice Blog, Mediaite, Breitbart and Contemptor

David M. Drucker / Washington Examiner: GOP senators warn Trump he risks political harm from impeachment with chaotic approach

Sarah Longwell / The Atlantic:
Mitt Romney, It's Time

Discussion: Washingtonian

Maggie Miller / The Hill:
Senate Republicans block two election security bills

Discussion: Politico

Daniel Lippman / Politico:
Steve Bannon launches radio show and podcast on impeachment

Discussion: Washington Post

CNN:

CNN Poll: Biden's lead in Democratic primary hits widest margin since April — WASHINGTON (CNN)Former Vice President Joe Biden's lead in the race for the Democratic nomination for president has rebounded, and now stands at its widest margin since April, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Bloomberg, Breitbart, New York Post, The Week, The Hill, Washington Times, Political Wire and Mediaite

Eric Levitz / New York Magazine:
How Centrist Democrats Botched the 2020 Primary

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Fox News, Washington Post, CNN, The Hill, The Week, Hot Air and The Daily Caller

QU Poll:

Release Detail — October 23, 2019 - Approval Of Impeachment Inquiry Reaches 55 Percent, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Voters Disapprove Of Trump's Decision On Syria 2-1 — Approval among American voters of the U.S. House impeachment inquiry, an inquiry to determine whether …

Discussion: Bloomberg, Roll Call, Daily Kos, The Hill, Washington Times, The Week and Political Wire

Erica Werner / Washington Post:

Trump administration sought billions of dollars in cuts to programs aimed at fighting corruption in Ukraine and abroad — Democrats have slammed White House insistence that Trump was focused on corruption - not Bidens - when he blocked Ukraine aid funds — The Trump administration …

Discussion: Raw Story

The Harvard Crimson:

A Note To Readers — To our readers: — Last month, The Crimson covered a rally organized by campus group Act on a Dream that called for the abolition of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement. During the course of our reporting, Crimson reporters requested comment from ICE …

Discussion: Washington Post, The Hill, The College Fix and Washington Times

Ruoqi Zhang / The Harvard Crimson:
Harvard Student Groups Condemn The Crimson's Coverage of Abolish ICE Rally

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Reason and Althouse

BuzzFeed News:

Federal Investigators Are Probing Suspicious Financial Transactions By Two Giuliani Associates Who Ran A Back-Channel Campaign — A federal grand jury investigating activities surrounding Rudy Giuliani's back-channel campaign in Ukraine has demanded legal documents that include records …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Raw Story

Washington Post:
Prosecutors flagged possible ties between Ukrainian gas tycoon and Giuliani associates

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Daily Beast, The Week and Raw Story

Emily Jane Fox / Vanity Fair:
“MICHAEL COHEN IS NOW EVEN MORE VALUABLE THAN BEFORE”: THE PRESIDENT'S FORMER ATTORNEY OFFERS DIRT …

Discussion: Raw Story and NPR

Natasha Korecki / Politico:

Dick's Sporting Goods CEO quietly tests presidential bid — Ed Stack, the CEO of Dick's Sporting Goods and a longtime Republican donor, is testing the waters for a possible third-party presidential bid that could scramble the dynamics of the 2020 general election.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Breitbart, IJR, The Hill, Forbes, Political Wire and Press & Sun-Bulletin

Justin Baragona / The Daily Beast:

Former Acting Attorney General: ‘Abuse of Power Is Not a Crime’ — Matthew Whitaker also blasted the “global elitists and careerists” who are upset with Trump for “upsetting the apple cart” of the “world establishment.” — Following Tuesday's devastating House testimony by acting U.S. Ambassador …

Discussion: The Week

Heather Caygle / Politico:

Pelosi and McConnell are on an impeachment collision course — Nancy Pelosi and Mitch McConnell are attacking each other in increasingly pointed terms as House Democrats burrow deeper into their impeachment inquiry. — But if the top two congressional leaders can't find a way to come together soon …

Politico:
POLITICO Playbook: Trump's worst week ever

Discussion: Associated Press, New York Times and Washington Post

Jonathan Allen / NBC News:

Will Trump shut down the government to fight impeachment? — Analysis: Washington is bracing for the prospect that president may seek to let funding lapse in a bid to blame Democrats. — WASHINGTON — Impeachment, meet government shutdown. — With funding for federal operations set to expire Nov. 21 …

Discussion: Axios, Political Wire, MSNBC and FiveThirtyEight

Matt Labash / New York Times:

Not Your Father's Masculinity — Meet the “new man”: whatever others say he is. — Mr. Labash is the author of “Fly Fishing With Darth Vader.” — John Wayne, that repository of testosterone — now considered an illicit substance in many states — once played a character who said …

Tim Skubick / WLNS-TV:

Poll shows U.S. Senate race a toss-up — 6 News is releasing some exclusive statewide polling data tonight confirming that the race for one of the state's U.S. Senate seats is a dead heat. — That's bad news for the Democrats and good news for the Republicans.

Washington Post:

How a Beltway power couple and a political newcomer learned to thrive in the Trump era — When Brad Parscale was looking for advice about how to navigate Washington after running the digital strategy for Donald Trump's upstart presidential campaign in 2016, the brash political newcomer turned to a Beltway power couple.

Rachel Holliday Smith / The City:

How Manhattan's City Bakery Crumbled, Under Weight of Debts — Walking into City Bakery on West 18th Street in Manhattan, it was hard to imagine the popular eatery with the best hot chocolate in New York and a famous pretzel croissant could ever crumble. — The roomy, bustling cafe brimmed …

Wall Street Journal:

Donald Trump's ‘Lynching’ — The President keeps asking friends to defend the indefensible. — By The Editorial Board — Donald Trump made himself a political celebrity in 2016 by persuading news media to talk about—Donald Trump. He did it mainly by the expedient of saying outrageous things …

Matt Pearce / Los Angeles Times:

As Trump seeks reelection, a growing army of immigrant voters stands in his path — This is where a nation changes: a public school auditorium that moonlights as a veritable citizenship factory. — At the M.O. Campbell Educational Center, where murals honoring the arts and sciences adorn the walls …

Matt Donnelly / Variety:

Katie Couric Steamrolls Sheryl Sandberg in Roving Vanity Fair Summit Interview — Sending a jolt through a luxurious and excessively polite afternoon in Beverly Hills, veteran journalist Katie Couric delivered a relentless series of hardball questions to Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg on Tuesday.

New York Times:

‘What Is Going to Happen to Us?’ Inside ISIS Prison, Children Ask Their Fate — A rare inside look by New York Times journalists exposes an enormous legal and humanitarian crisis, one that the world has largely chosen to ignore. — NORTHEASTERN SYRIA — The prisoners cover the floor like a carpet of human despair.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Reid J. Epstein / New York Times:

As a Centrist Path Opens, Pete Buttigieg Moves Toward It — Mr. Buttigieg began his campaign in obscurity, staking out progressive positions. As his standing rises, he has moved toward the center, hoping to draw support away from Joe Biden. — PHILADELPHIA — In February, Pete Buttigieg …

Conrad Black / American Greatness:

Impeachment Will Fail — Two elements of the turbulent current American political scene became clearer over the past week. One is the determination, attested to by almost all Washington insiders whatever side they are on, of the Democratic leadership to force an impeachment trial of the president.

CNN:

Joe Biden said in 1998 that Clinton impeachment could be seen as ‘partisan lynching’ — McCarthy breaks with Trump over ‘lynching’ comment — (CNN)Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Tuesday denounced President Donald Trump's comparison of the ongoing impeachment inquiry to a …

Discussion: ABC News, Washington Post, Chicago Sun-Times, The Daily Caller, Liberty Unyielding, IJR, twitchy.com, HuffPost, Associated Press, The Gateway Pundit, Axios, The Hill, Breitbart, Mediaite, Politico, Townhall, Roll Call, Instapundit, KTLA, Talking Points Memo and CNBC

Eric Felten / RealClearInvestigations:

Giuliani-Style ‘Shadow’ Diplomacy: Par for the Course of U.S. History — Above, Coca-Cola boss J. Paul Austin visits Fidel Castro in 1977. The next year he was Jimmy Carter's personal envoy to Cuba, even though he had a personal business interest. — Rudolph Giuliani didn't hide the fact …

Discussion: Real Clear Politics

Joshua Partlow / Washington Post:

Trump's D.C. hotel abruptly cancels Christian aid group's Kurdish solidarity event — A Christian aid group that planned a gathering to honor and pray for the Kurdish people at President Trump's hotel in Washington were told by hotel staff this week that the event was canceled, according to two members of the aid group.

Discussion: The Hill and Raw Story