memeorandum: William Barr's chilling defense of virtually unlimited presidential power (Max Boot/Washington Post)

10:25 PM ET, November 17, 2019

Top Items:

Rishika Dugyala / Politico:

Trump labels top Pence aide a ‘Never Trumper’ — President Donald Trump on Sunday labeled one of his vice president's top national security aides a “Never Trumper,” a day after it was disclosed that she had said the president's July call with Ukraine was “unusual and inappropriate” in a deposition to Congress.

Discussion: Slate, Mother Jones, The Hill, Axios and Raw Story

Erin Banco / The Daily Beast:

Gordon Sondland Stepped In ‘and Things Went Really Off the Rails’ — “Erratic,” “very emotional,” and “lots of yelling.” Those are some of the words used to describe Sondland's performance in a White House meeting with top Ukrainian officials. — Ukrainian officials arrived at the White House …

Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:
Republicans Shift Defense of Trump, While He Attacks Another Witness

Discussion: CNBC, Talking Points Memo, NBC News and Political Wire

Devan Cole / CNN:
Republican congressman calls new details about Trump revealed in impeachment testimony ‘alarming’

Discussion: Raw Story and WTVR-TV

Chuck Ross / The Daily Caller:
Steve Bannon Says He Pushed For Alleged Whistleblower To Be Removed From National Security Council

Discussion: Fox News

Allan Smith / NBC News:
GOP senator says whistleblower's sources 'exposed things that didn't need to be exposed'

Discussion: The Hill and The Daily Caller

Zachary Basu / Axios:
Official testifies Bolton held 1-on-1 meeting with Trump about Ukraine aid

Discussion: The Hill

Heather Caygle / Politico:
Pelosi has ‘no idea’ if impeachment inquiry will wrap by year's end

Discussion: staff, Axios and The Hill

New York Times:

President Trump Bet Big This Election Year. Here's Why He Lost. — In Louisiana and Kentucky, Mr. Trump's political pleas appeared to energize Democrats and political moderates as much as his own base, sending turnout in cities and suburbs soaring. — WASHINGTON — When President Trump showed …

Rod Dreher / The American Conservative:

Trump Loses Louisiana — Looks like big turnout in the cities pushed Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards to re-election over Republican Eddie Rispone, despite the fact that Donald Trump visited the state three times to campaign for Rispone. Here's how the vote shook out by parish, according to The Lens NOLA:

Discussion: The Advocate, PJ Media Home, Axios and Breitbart

David Nakamura / Washington Post:
Back-to-back losses in key governors' races send additional warning to Trump and GOP ahead of 2020

Discussion: Raw Story

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:
Louisiana delivers Trump a black eye

Discussion: Raw Story, CNN, Associated Press, Slate, The Hill, POLITICUSUSA, Blue Virginia, Outside the Beltway, Washington Post, The Advocate and New York Times

Karen Tumulty / Washington Post:

We need a second opinion on the president's health — The only thing of which we can be fairly certain about President Trump's mysterious Saturday-afternoon trip to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center is this: The White House is not telling the truth when it claims the president was there …

Discussion: Raw Story

Jeremy Diamond / CNN:
Trump's visit to Walter Reed ‘not protocol’ for routine visit, source says

Discussion: Raw Story, POLITICUSUSA, Slate, HuffPost and The Hill

Bob Brigham / Raw Story:
Press secretary says it is ‘dangerous for the country’ to question whether she is putting out honest info

Discussion: NBC News, Washington Post, PEN and CANNONFIRE

Shane Goldmacher / New York Times:

Michael Bloomberg Pushed ‘Stop-and-Frisk’ Policing. Now He's Apologizing. — Ahead of a possible Democratic run for president, the former mayor of New York City reversed himself before an important party constituency: black voters. — Ahead of a potential Democratic presidential run …

Discussion: BuzzFeed News, Mike Bloomberg, Politico, The Hill, Law & Crime, Washington Free Beacon, PJ Media Home, Slate, HuffPost, Mother Jones, Axios, The Week and Mediaite

Mara Gay / New York Times:
Bloomberg Apologizes for Stop and Frisk at Just the Right Time

Discussion: New York Daily News and Vanity Fair

Washington Post:
Bloomberg apologizes for stop-and-frisk ahead of likely presidential run

Discussion: Fox News

Justin Baragona / The Daily Beast:

Chris Wallace Accuses Top Republican of ‘Very Badly’ Mischaracterizing Impeachment Testimony — “No, sir, they are career foreign service officers and these are people who worked in the Trump administration,” Wallace snapped back at Scalise. — Fox News Sunday anchor Chris Wallace repeatedly …

Discussion: Occupy Democrats, Political Wire and Contemptor

Washington Post:

Trump pulls back from flavored vaping ban — Everything seemed ready to go: President Trump's ban on most flavored e-cigarettes had been cleared by federal regulators. Officials were poised to announce they would order candy, fruit and mint flavors off the market within 30 days …

Will Sommer / The Daily Beast:

Conservative Group Fires Michelle Malkin Over Support for Holocaust Denier — Malkin's firing from Young America's Foundation marks the latest battle between supporters of Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes and more establishment conservative figures. — A conservative group cut ties …

Margaret Talev / Axios:

White House plans counterprogramming to distract from impeachment hearings — President Trump's public schedule next week is designed to keep him distracted from the televised hearings — and to counterprogram Week 2 of those hearings. — The big picture: Trump's schedule for the coming week shows …

Discussion: Raw Story

Alayna Treene / Axios: Inside Democrats' Week 2 impeachment strategy

CBS News:

CBS News Battleground Tracker: Buttigieg rises in Iowa and New Hampshire, Biden back atop delegate hunt — The Democratic nomination race remains unsettled because many voters are conflicted between what they want and whether they think can win. Some candidates who generate excitement are also seen as risky.

Discussion: Associated Press, The Hill and Hot Air

Janell Ross / NBC News:
Pete Buttigieg is struggling with black voters — and not just because he's gay

Discussion: Axios, The Federalist and Breitbart

Jonathan Swan / Axios:

Trump forces offer president clashing advice on Roger Stone pardon — A big question swirling through Trumpworld: Will President Trump pardon his old friend Roger Stone? Some of Trump's closest advisers told me the president would be making a huge political mistake if he does.

Josie Ensor / Telegraph:

Kurds watch their homes burn from afar as picture of ‘ethnic cleansing’ emerges — The Syrian rebel fighter shouted “kill the pigs, kill the infidels,” as he went door-to-door searching for the homes of Kurds who had fled the newly captured town of Ras al-Ayn.

David Leonhardt / New York Times:

Mueller and Comey Failed Their Tests. She Passed Hers. — Marie Yovanovitch chose her country over what others might think of her. — To understand the courage that witnesses like Marie Yovanovitch have shown during the Ukraine investigation, it's worth looking back on a couple of the other signature moments of the Trump era.

Jason Easley / POLITICUSUSA:

Joe Biden Leads By 8 In Georgia As Trump's Red State Collapse Grows — A new poll of Georgia shows former vice president Joe Biden leading 51%-43% over Donald Trump. — According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll, “In head-to-head matchups, former Vice President Joe Biden ran strongest …

Eli Artman / Must Read:

Kosher Food Drive Violates “Will of the Membership,” Student Union Suggests — University of Toronto's University College Building (The Varsity) — B'nai Brith Canada — TORONTO - A Toronto student union has refused to support a drive to make kosher food accessible on campus because its backers are “pro-Israel.”

CBS News:

Transcript: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on “Face the Nation,” November 17, 2019 — The following is a transcript of an interview with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that aired Sunday, November 17, 2019, on “Face the Nation.” — MARGARET BRENNAN: Good morning and welcome to Face the Nation.

Discussion: Mother Jones, POLITICUSUSA, NPR, Redstate and New York Post

Jacob Knutson / Axios:
Pelosi: Responding to what Republicans say on impeachment is a “waste of time”

Discussion: Politico

Max Boot / Washington Post:

William Barr's chilling defense of virtually unlimited presidential power — President Trump is convinced he has the “absolute right” to do anything from asking other countries to investigate his political opponents to pardoning himself. But he couldn't possibly tell you why …

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Hullabaloo and Law & Crime