Here's how little Republicans were allowed to participate in the closed-door depositions  —  When a group of Republican legislators barged into a secure facility on Capitol Hill last month to register their opposition to impeachment inquiry depositions taking place behind closed doors …

POLITICO Playbook: We know how the impeachment show ends, but we're still watching  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  THE HOUSE'S IMPEACHMENT OF PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP IS KIND OF LIKE WATCHING the newest season of “Jack Ryan” on Amazon Prime Video.  Sure, the twists and turns are exciting.

The White House isn't quite so organized.  — Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney will not sue to quash his impeachment subpoena after all, and will just defy it outright, because criming is a way of life at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. these days.  — Mulvaney and White House …

What Trump Is Hiding From the Impeachment Hearings  —  The president's efforts to prevent the House from doing its job are just as worrisome as the Ukraine scandal.  —  Mr. Katyal is a former acting solicitor general and a law professor.  —  The public impeachment hearings this week …

At donor dinner, Giuliani associate said he discussed Ukraine with Trump, according to people familiar with his account  —  The April 2018 dinner was designed to be an intimate affair, an opportunity for a handful of big donors to a super PAC allied with President Trump to personally interact with the president and his eldest son.

The Case for the Impeachment Defense  —  My client's call with the Ukrainian president was innocent, and the House inquiry is a travesty.  —  If your only sources of news the past two months have been CNN and MSNBC, you probably think President Trump has committed some heinous act …

Trump Has Considered Firing Intelligence Community Inspector General  —  The president blames Michael Atkinson, whom he appointed, for finding the anonymous whistle-blower's complaint on his interactions with Ukraine to be credible.  —  President Trump has discussed dismissing …

What Impeachment Will Cost the GOP  —  On December 19, 1998, the day House Republicans impeached President Bill Clinton, he recorded his highest-ever score in Gallup's presidential approval poll: 73 percent favorable.  —  That was 24 percentage points higher than Clinton's …

Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan endorses Joe Biden  —  Tim Ryan on Biden's fitness and the Democratic debate field  —  Washington (CNN)Former Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Tim Ryan endorsed Joe Biden's presidential bid Wednesday, saying the former vice president has the ability to win swing states President Donald Trump won in 2016.

Justice Dept. inspector general invites witnesses to review draft of Russia report, signaling public release is close  —  The Justice Department inspector general has begun scheduling witnesses to review draft sections of his report on the FBI's investigation of President Trump's 2016 campaign …

ABC scrambles to figure out identity of Amy Robach leaker, who goes by ‘Ignotus’  —  ABC bigwigs are going potty to find the identity of the leaker behind the Amy Robach tape — after the alleged source posted a letter online slamming the network under the name “Ignotus,” a wizard from the “Harry Potter” franchise.

University of Florida's student president faces impeachment after bringing Donald Trump Jr. to campus for $50,000  —  After the University of Florida's student body president helped bring Donald Trump Jr. and Trump campaign adviser Kimberly Guilfoyle to campus last month to the tune of $50,000 …

Plague Is Diagnosed in China, Prompting Fears of an Outbreak  —  Two cases of pneumonic plague, a fatal and highly infectious illness related to bubonic plague, were diagnosed in Beijing.  —  阅读.体中 文.閱讀.體 中文.

GOP seeks to strip powers from incoming county executive Adam Bello  —  One week after voters elected Adam Bello as the first Democratic county executive in nearly three decades, the Republican-controlled Legislature sought to significantly reduce the power of the office and increase their own.