memeorandum: Confirmation of latest Trump judicial pick tilts balance of 11th Circuit Court (Tyler Olson/Fox News)

5:00 PM ET, November 20, 2019

Top Items:

Michael S. Schmidt / New York Times:

Sondland Kept Pompeo Informed on Ukraine Pressure Campaign — The diplomat at the center of the impeachment inquiry looped in the secretary of state at key moments as American officials pushed for investigations sought by President Trump. — WASHINGTON — Gordon D. Sondland …

David M. Drucker / Washington Examiner:

'It doesn't matter': House Republicans embrace ‘quid pro quo’ — After saying they could not accept a quid pro quo, House Republicans say it no longer matters if President Trump tied $400 million in military aid earmarked for Ukraine to Kyiv agreeing to investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden.

Discussion: Raw Story and The American Independent

The Daily Beast:

Gordon Sondland Trashes Giuliani, Says 'We Followed the President's Orders' — “We weren't happy with the president's directive to talk with Rudy,” he said. “We did not want to involve Mr. Giuliani.” — U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland told House impeachment investigators Wednesday …

Discussion: Vox, Talking Points Memo, Politico, Axios, Associated Press, Washington Post, The Wrap, The Banter, Joe.My.God., The Hill, IJR, PJ Media Home, Breitbart, Raw Story, CNN, The Mahablog, Townhall and Contemptor

Quint Forgey / Politico:

'I don't know him very well': Trump fights back against Sondland's testimony — Clutching handwritten notes scrawled with a Sharpie, President Donald Trump on Wednesday fought back against bombshell impeachment testimony from Gordon Sondland that tied the president even closer …

Discussion: Vanity Fair, Deadline, Law & Crime, The Hill and One America News Network

John Wagner / Washington Post:

Impeachment hearings live updates: Trump lashes out as Sondland acknowledges there was a ‘quid pro quo’ — President Trump lashed out anew at the Democrat-lead impeachment inquiry Wednesday as Gordon Sondland, the most significant witnesses to date, acknowledged there was a “quid pro quo” …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Outside the Beltway

Philip Bump / Washington Post:

The other knife Gordon Sondland stuck in Trump's back — President Trump's defense of his interactions with Ukraine hinges on the idea that he was fervently concerned about corruption in that country, so much so that he prioritized corruption investigations during his call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 25.

Justin Baragona / The Daily Beast:
Ken Starr: GOP Senators Might Consider Having to ‘Make a Trip’ to the White House After Sondland's Testimony

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Vanity Fair, Axios, Occupy Democrats, The Hill, Breitbart, Joe.My.God., Lawyers, Guns & Money and The Daily Beast

Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker:
The Spectacular Failure of the Trump Wranglers

Discussion: Bloomberg, Washington Post, NBC News, Mother Jones and Raw Story

Aaron C. Davis / Washington Post:
Sondland acknowledges there was a ‘quid pro quo’ involving Ukraine

Discussion: National Review, Jewish Insider, Axios, The Root, Joe.My.God., Fox News, Breitbart, Law & Crime, Talking Points Memo, Metro.co.uk and Mediaite

Allan Smith / NBC News:
Photographer captures Trump's handwritten talking points responding to Sondland

Discussion: The Root

Colleen Long / Associated Press:
Burisma means Biden? Diplomats say the link escaped them

Discussion: Politico, WGN-TV and One America News Network

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Sondland's testimony will expose Trump's use of crime-boss language

Discussion: IJR, New York Times and ABC News

Rosalind S. Helderman / Washington Post:
Sondland says he told Pence that Ukraine military aid appeared conditioned on political investigations

Discussion: Redstate, Hot Air and Political Wire

ABC News:
Trump impeachment hearings live updates: Gordon Sondland testifies

Discussion: Vox, New York Times, Fox News, The Daily Beast, The Rush Limbaugh Show, Joe.My.God., Metro.co.uk, Breitbart, The Gateway Pundit, IJR, The Week and Raw Story

Emily Tillett / CBS News:
Pence denies Gordon Sondland's claims that he knew of Ukraine dealings

Discussion: The Nation and Political Wire

Peter Baker / New York Times:
A White House Now ‘Cannibalizing Itself’

Discussion: Press Watch, CNN and Washington Post

Politico:
POLITICO Playbook: Impeachment's trench warfare

Discussion: Washington Post, Joe.My.God. and The Week

Amber Phillips / Washington Post:
Gordon Sondland's testimony torpedoes Republican defenses of Trump

Discussion: Occupy Democrats

Grace Segers / CBS News: Trump “probably” won't testify in impeachment inquiry, new White House adviser Pam Bondi says

Associated Press:
The Latest: Was there a quid pro quo? Envoy says ‘yes’

Discussion: The American Independent, The Daily Beast, HuffPost and Twitchy

Danny Hakim / New York Times:

Vindman's Lawyer Asks Fox News to Retract Espionage Allegation — A guest on the Ingraham Angle, a Fox show, suggested that Lt. Col. Alexander S. Vindman, a key figure in the impeachment hearings, was guilty of spying. — Lt. Col. Alexander S. Vindman is hitting back at the smear campaign against him.

Discussion: National Review, Axios, Breitbart, BizPac Review, Rolling Stone, The Daily Beast, New Republic, Mediaite, Talking Points Memo, ABC News and Hot Air

Ari Feldman / The Forward:
Alexander Vindman's Family Under 24-Hour Security Monitoring After Twitter Targeting By Trump

Discussion: Task & Purpose, Washington Post, No More Mister Nice Blog, Vanity Fair, PEN, Redstate, Salon, The Week and New York Magazine

The Daily Beast:
Trump White House Blasts Out Anti-Vindman Talking Points to Surrogates

Discussion: Breitbart, Politico, Talking Points Memo, PEN, Joe.My.God., Deseret News, CNN, Los Angeles Times and Raw Story

Yahoo News:

FBI seeks interview with CIA whistleblower — WASHINGTON — The FBI recently sought to question the CIA whistleblower who filed a complaint over President Trump's July 25 Ukraine call — a move that came after a vigorous internal debate within the bureau over how to respond to some of the issues raised …

Discussion: New York Times, Associated Press, CNN, Fox News, Law & Crime, Breitbart, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story and Daily Kos

NBC News:
FBI seeks to interview the whistleblower

Discussion: Wall Street Journal and IJR

Andrew O'Reilly / Fox News:
Republicans seek to subpoena Hunter Biden, Ukraine whistleblower, DNC files

Discussion: The Daily Caller and The Gateway Pundit

Frank E. Lockwood / Arkansas Online:

DNA test shows Hunter Biden is father of Arkansas woman's baby — DNA testing has established, “with scientific certainty,” that Hunter Biden is the father of an Arkansas baby, according to a motion filed Wednesday in Independence County on behalf of the child's mother, Lunden Alexis Roberts.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, The Last Refuge and Twitchy

Charles Franklin / Marquette Law School Poll:

New Marquette Law School Poll finds shifts in Wisconsin public opinion favorable to President Trump on impeachment and presidential election preferences — MILWAUKEE - Even as hearings that could lead to President Donald Trump's impeachment heat up, a new Marquette University Law School poll …

Discussion: Washington Times, The Week, Political Wire, The Daily Caller and Bloomberg

Christopher Dickey / The Daily Beast:

Nikki Haley Used System for Unclassified Material to Send ‘Confidential’ Information — Newly released emails suggest that in 2017 the then-ambassador lost her password for classified communication and so used a different system. — North Korea had just tested an intercontinental ballistic missile capable …

Discussion: Daily Kos, One America News Network and Raw Story

Chantal Da Silva / Newsweek:

Trump Regularly 'Can't Remember What He's Said or Been Told,' White House Insider Says — President Donald Trump regularly struggles to “remember what he's said or been told,” an anonymous senior government official behind a new exposé on the inner workings of the White House has claimed.

Discussion: Political Wire

Ady Barkan / The Nation:

Why I'm Endorsing Elizabeth Warren — Elizabeth or Bernie? It's a difficult and wonderful choice to have. — I have spent my entire career at the messy and vital intersection of movement-building, electoral politics, and governance. And for the past three years, I've done that work under …

Discussion: ABC News, HuffPost, Politico, Washington Post, The Hill, Common Dreams and CNN

Amanda Terkel / HuffPost:

There Are Two Rhodes Scholars Running For President. Only One Gets Mentioned. — Media outlets mention that Pete Buttigieg was a Rhodes scholar far more often than they mention that Cory Booker was one too. — A major part of Pete Buttigieg's appeal is his brain.

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight and Slate

Akela Lacy / The Intercept:
As President, Pete Buttigieg Wants to Give 25 Percent of Federal Contracts to Minorities.

Discussion: National Review, The Week, Political Wire, HuffPost, Washington Post and The Daily Beast

Jon Seidel / Chicago Sun-Times:

Jussie Smollett files malicious prosecution counterclaim against Chicago — Jussie Smollett leaves court after charges were dropped in March 2019. Sun-Times file photo — The actor's lawyers also say the city cannot recover costs because it already accepted $10,000 from Smollett ‘as payment in full.’

Discussion: International Business Times, Redstate, National Review, Fox News, IJR, TMZ.com, TheBlaze, The Daily Caller and Chicago Sun-Times

Steve Peoples / Associated Press:

Bloomberg spending $15M-$20M to register half million voters — WASHINGTON (AP) — As he moves toward a presidential announcement, New York billionaire Michael Bloomberg is rolling out plans to spend an estimated $15 million to $20 million on a voter registration drive designed …

Discussion: The Hill, Joe.My.God. and Political Wire

Interfax-Ukraine:

MPs demand Zelensky, Trump investigate suspicion of U.S.-Ukraine corruption involving $7.4 bln — KYIV. Nov 20 (Interfax-Ukraine) - Ukrainian members of parliament have demanded the presidents of Ukraine and the United States, Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump, investigate suspicions …

Discussion: Big League Politics

Mayor Wayne Messam:

I am Suspending My 2020 Presidential Campaign But I'm Not Finished Yet — I am Suspending My 2020 Presidential Campaign But I'm Not Finished Yet — I launched my 2020 Presidential Campaign eight months ago back in March as the son of Jamaican Immigrant parents.

Discussion: CNN, New York Times, Vox, HuffPost, Washington Times and Florida Politics

Mattie Kahn / Glamour:

Four Seasoned Journalists Will Moderate Tonight's Presidential Debate—They Happen to Be Women — Rachel Maddow, Andrea Mitchell, Ashley Parker, and Kristen Welker will become the third ever all-female moderator lineup. If it were up to them, we'd soon lose count.

Discussion: Twitchy and New York Times