memeorandum: Who Is Alexander Vindman? A Ukrainian Refugee Turned White House Official Testifies in the Impeachment Inquiry (Sheryl Gay Stolberg/New York Times)

2:10 PM ET, October 29, 2019

Top Items:

Army Officer Who Heard Trump's Ukraine Call Reported Concerns — The top Ukraine expert at the White House will tell impeachment investigators he twice reported concerns about President Trump's pressure tactics on Ukraine, acting out of a “sense of duty.” — WASHINGTON — A White House …

Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:

Who Is Alexander Vindman? A Ukrainian Refugee Turned White House Official Testifies in the Impeachment Inquiry — He fled Ukraine at age 3 and became a soldier, scholar and official at the White House. That's where, he told impeachment investigators, he witnessed alarming behavior by President Trump.

Discussion: NBC News, Politico, Shareblue Media, CNN, The Daily Beast, Breitbart, MSNBC, Political Wire, WORLD, Raw Story, Alternet.org, The Week, Washington Post, Mediaite, Mother Jones, The Guardian, Axios and New York Post

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:

Republicans Smear Army Vet Testifying Against Trump as a Ukrainian Spy — Last night, the New York Times reported that Alexander S. Vindman, the top Ukraine expert in the National Security Council, will testify to the House that he expressed grave concerns about President Trump's politicized extortion of Ukraine's president.

Discussion: Don Surber, CNN, Raw Story, IJR, Alternet.org and Shareblue Media

Melanie Zanona / Politico:

'He's a patriot': Republicans defend key impeachment witness from attacks — Republican leaders are stepping up to defend Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman against vicious attacks from President Donald Trump's allies. — Republicans may quibble with the substance of Vindman's testimony …

Discussion: Reuters, Raw Story, One America News Network and Associated Press

Cristina Cabrera / Talking Points Memo:

GOP Leaders Rip ‘Shameful’ Attacks On ‘Patriotism’ Of Impeachment Probe Witnesses — Republican leaders called out conservatives who have been attacking Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman and other witnesses in the House impeachment investigation on Tuesday. — After complaining about Democrats' handling …

Discussion: CNN, The Hill and The Week

Quint Forgey / Politico:

Trump goes on Twitter tear after White House official condemns his Ukraine call — President Donald Trump launched a sustained online offensive Tuesday morning after details emerged of damaging congressional testimony by a senior White House official — retweeting numerous messages …

Discussion: US News, ABC News, Roll Call, The Hill and Breitbart

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
A new witness is about to damage Trump. Fox News is already smearing him.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Breitbart and Alternet.org

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
Why Alexander Vindman's testimony is big

Discussion: Raw Story, The Hill, The Daily Beast, NBC News and Mediaite

Amita Kelly / NPR:
READ: Ukraine Expert Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman's Opening Statement

Discussion: Reuters, Patterico's Pontifications, The Resurgent and Daily Kos

Philip Bump / Washington Post:
The fundamentally un-American attacks on Alexander Vindman

Discussion: Political Wire, New York Post, The Guardian and The Week

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
The 5 public confirmations of a quid pro quo between Trump and Ukraine

Discussion: Occupy Democrats

Jamie Ross / The Daily Beast:
Sean Duffy Goes After Decorated War Vet Alexander Vindman: ‘He Speaks Ukrainian’

Discussion: Vox, New York Times and CNN

NBC News:

Internal White House debate stifles release of Pence-Zelenskiy call — Nearly three weeks after the vice president said he had “no objection” to releasing a transcript, administration is divided on whether it could help or hurt Trump's cause. — WASHINGTON — It's been almost three weeks …

Discussion: Breitbart, Talking Points Memo and Raw Story

Axios:

Jared Kushner says his White House work is focused on “cleaning up the messes” from Joe Biden — President Trump's senior adviser Jared Kushner told me during an exclusive interview with Israel's Channel 13 news that many of his efforts since he started working at the White House were focused on …

CNN:

CNN Poll: Sanders and Warren fight for home field in New Hampshire — Washington (CNN)Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (21%) and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren (18%) are in a close race among likely voters in New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation Democratic presidential primary …

Discussion: Fox News, Washington Times, Political Wire and Bern Notice

Tyler Pager / Bloomberg:
Joe Biden in Danger of Humiliating Loss in Iowa, Top Democrats Warn

Discussion: The Week and Political Wire

University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository:
Sanders, Warren & Biden Remain Top 3 Among NH DEM Voters; Trump Holds Massive Lead Over GOP Rivals 10/29/2019

Discussion: Politico and The Hill

The Daily Beast:

Trump Officials Had No Clue Where He Got ‘Whimpering’ Detail in His Baghdadi Raid Account — Five officials told The Daily Beast that they were perplexed watching Trump's Sunday morning victory lap. And Pentagon officials are confused too. — The killing of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi marked …

Discussion: New York Times, VICE, Just Security, Breaking News USA and HuffPost

New York Times:
As Kurds Tracked ISIS Leader, U.S. Withdrawal Threw Raid Into Turmoil

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Ben Terris / Washington Post:

Can the Bennet brothers save the Establishment? — Michael is running for president. James is a top editor at the New York Times. Both are struggling to figure out their place in an altered landscape. — For all the scandals, screw-ups and controversial hires, James Bennet's colleagues …

Ronn Blitzer / Fox News:

Federal court blocks Alabama law that criminalized most abortions — A federal judge issued a ruling Tuesday blocking an Alabama law that would make abortion a felony in nearly all situations, regardless of the stage of the pregnancy. — U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson granted a motion …

Discussion: Politico and The Hill

Alan Blinder / New York Times:
Alabama Abortion Ban Is Blocked by a Federal Judge

Discussion: Axios, The Daily Caller, The Week and Political Wire

Abbey Crain / al.com:
Federal judge blocks Alabama abortion ban

Discussion: HuffPost, LifeSiteNews and New York Post

Andrew C. McCarthy / The Hill:

House finally will vote on an impeachment inquiry, but who will that help? — Well, it's about time. — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) reluctantly alerted House Democrats on Monday that a resolution authorizing the impeachment inquiry they have been conducting for weeks will be introduced this week.

Discussion: Politico, Townhall and National Review

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
What Pelosi is up to with Thursday's impeachment vote

Discussion: The Resurgent, Politico and Occupy Democrats

Ian Schwartz / RealClearPolitics:
Fleischer: Impeachment Vote a Retroactive Makeup By Pelosi Realizing Democrats Have A Fairness Problem

Discussion: Townhall

Yahoo News:

‘The Wild West’: Questions surround Trump legal team payments — In 1994, as a slew of scandals were popping up around President Bill Clinton, an attorney who worked with his defense team visited the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) in Washington to ask a simple question in person …

Discussion: Hullabaloo

Taylor Lorenz / New York Times:

‘OK Boomer’ Marks the End of Friendly Generational Relations — Now it's war: Gen Z has finally snapped over climate change and financial inequality. — In a viral audio clip on TikTok, a white-haired man in a baseball cap and polo shirt declares, “The millennials and Generation Z …

Burgess Everett / Politico:

The new Democratic senator irritating the left and delighting the GOP — She rarely goes to party lunches and skipped Senate votes to run the Ironman. She endorsed a primary challenger against one of her own colleagues and hobnobs with Republicans at least as much as she does with her own caucus.

Discussion: Hot Air and The Week

Bloomberg:

Biggest Private Coal Miner Goes Bust After Trump Rescue Fails — Coal baron Murray pressed Trump to help save dying industry — Collapse underscores rise of cheap natural gas, renewals — Robert E. Murray, the U.S. coal baron who pressed the Trump administration …

Discussion: Daily Kos

Wall Street Journal:
Murray Energy Files for Bankruptcy, Casualty of Coal's Decline

Discussion: Shareblue Media and The Week

MSNBC:

‘Quid pro quo’ bombshell: Trump ally admits explosive bribe allegation — Trump's “no quid pro quo” defense is undercut by new impeachment evidence. The Wall Street journal reporting Trump loyalist, Gordon Sondland, who denied quid pro quo, is now admitting it to Congress.

Mike Allen / Axios:

Republicans are worried about their worst nightmare: An across-the-board wipeout in 2020 — A growing number of Republicans are privately warning of increasing fears of a total wipeout in 2020: House, Senate, and White House. — Why it matters: All of this is unfolding …

Discussion: NPR, Daily Kos, Raw Story, Political Wire, Associated Press and Politico

The Daily Beast:

Nunes Aide Is Leaking the Ukraine Whistleblower's Name, Sources Say — Derek Harvey, a former intelligence analyst, has also been spreading disinformation about an aide to Adam Schiff. — A top aide to Rep. Devin Nunes has been providing conservative politicians and journalists with information …

Discussion: Techdirt, Daily Kos, emptywheel, Alternet.org, Shareblue Media, Raw Story and Contemptor

John Harwood / CNBC:

Bernie Sanders: 'Let's not make people overly nervous' about socialism — Bernie Sanders, in a wide-ranging chat with CNBC's John Harwood, discusses personal issues, his economic agenda and his hope to become a 21st century version of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Discussion: The Hill and Washington Times

Renae Merle / Washington Post:

Payday lenders discussed raising money for Trump's campaign to fend off regulation, audio reveals — To ensure Democrats don't block weaker industry rules, payday lenders said they needed access to Trump. He's the ‘ultimate backstop,’ one said. — Billing himself as one of President …

Discussion: Raw Story and Alternet.org

Charles Sykes / Politico:

Dear GOP, Some Scary Advice on How to Survive Your Impeachment Nightmare — By now it should have dawned on you that there is no escape. You are going to have to render a verdict not just on Donald's Trump's policies, but on his personal conduct. For just the third time in U.S. history …

Discussion: Raw Story, Washington Post, Daily Kos and Axios

James Hohmann / Washington Post:

The Daily 202: New poll shows why Trump's defenders are more focused on impeachment process than substance — THE BIG IDEA: Most polls have asked Americans in specific terms what they think of President Trump requesting that his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky order an investigation into Joe Biden's son.

Erick Erickson / The Resurgent:

I'm Canceling the 2020 Resurgent Gathering and You Should Know Why — Tennessee Governor Bill Lee speaks with Erick Erickson at the 2019 Resurgent Gathering — Yesterday was the deadline for us to sign our contract with the hotel to proceed with next year's Resurgent Gathering in Atlanta.

Andrew T. Walker / The Dispatch:

From David French: Elizabeth Warren's Looming Legal Embarrassment — Plus, the downside of ending ‘endless war,’ the upside of Kanye's conversion, and a note about that surprising family-leave study. — One of the goals of this newsletter is to elevate important stories that the news cycle has simply missed.

Discussion: Washington Post