memeorandum: Obama Moves Off Political Sidelines, Earlier Than He Expected (Glenn Thrush/New York Times)

6:00 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 …

Discussion: CNN, Vox, Hullabaloo, The Week, The American Independent, Common Dreams, Vanity Fair, Washington Monthly, Talking Points Memo, Politico, Mediaite, Joe.My.God., Daily Kos, Raw Story, Los Angeles Times, New Republic, Just Security and TIME

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: The American Independent and Raw Story

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

Allan Smith / NBC News:

Photographer captures Trump's handwritten talking points responding to Sondland — The president stopped to speak to reporters outside the White House amid impeachment testimony in Congress. — The president brought his own talking points, written out by hand, possibly with one of those Sharpies he's known to prefer.

Discussion: The Root

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

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, Breitbart, Joe.My.God., Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Hill and The Daily Beast

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

Discussion: Florida Politics, Politico and One America News Network

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

Discussion: Occupy Democrats

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

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

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

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

Discussion: IJR, New York Times and ABC News

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

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

Josh Lederman / NBC News:
Sondland testimony targets Trump, Pompeo and confirms deal with Ukraine

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, CBS News, emptywheel, Joe.My.God. and Political Wire

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

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

NBC News:
‘I was shocked,’ Sondland says about claim he was involved in ‘drug deal’ with Ukraine

Discussion: Vox

Politico:
POLITICO Playbook: Impeachment's trench warfare

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

New York Times:
Impeachment Hearing Live Updates: Laura Cooper and David Hale Up Next

Discussion: The Atlantic, The Stranger, The Week, Slate, National Review, Gothamist and Mother Jones

Kyle Cheney / Politico:
‘It was no secret’: Sondland says Trump ordered Ukraine pressure campaign

Discussion: New York Times, TheBlaze, The Banter, The Dispatch, Axios, Associated Press, Outside the Beltway, Politico and Roll Call

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: Washington Free Beacon, Breitbart, Law & Crime, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, The Last Refuge, Page Six 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, The Hill, Raw Story, Breitbart, Mediaite, Press Watch, BizPac Review, Rolling Stone, The Daily Beast, Talking Points Memo, ABC News and Hot Air

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

Salvador Rizzo / Washington Post:
Schiff's claim that the whistleblower has a ‘statutory right’ to anonymity

Discussion: HuffPost, Breitbart, Mediaite, Raw Story, The Hill, Just Security, Redstate, IJR and The American Independent

NBC News:
FBI seeks to interview the whistleblower

Discussion: Wall Street Journal and IJR

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

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

Glenn Thrush / New York Times:
Obama Moves Off Political Sidelines, Earlier Than He Expected

Discussion: Rolling Stone

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

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: ZeroHedge News, Fox News, The Gateway Pundit and Big League Politics

John Solomon Reports: The Ukraine scandal timeline Democrats and their media allies don't want America to see

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.

Marc Caputo / Politico:

‘No schadenfreude will be had’: Biden coasts as opponents face firing squad — Michael Bloomberg is under fire for his stop-and-frisk policy. Deval Patrick is facing questions about his lucrative business career. Elizabeth Warren lost ground in a major Iowa poll as her Medicare for All plan revived questions about her electability.

Discussion: Vox, Associated Press and The Hill

Rebecca Klar / The Hill:
Biden campaign emails post-debate fundraising pitch prior to debate

Discussion: ABC News and Redstate

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, Fox News, National Review, TMZ.com, TheBlaze, The Daily Caller, IJR and Chicago Sun-Times

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

New York Times:

Google Hires Firm Known for Anti-Union Efforts — After nearly two years of unrest, the company appears to be cracking down on employee activism. — Google has hired an anti-union consulting firm to advise management as it deals with widespread worker unrest, including accusations …

Discussion: Big Think, Breitbart and Wired, more at Techmeme »

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

Conrad Duncan / Yahoo News:

Mike Pompeo planning to resign because Trump ‘hurting his reputation’, report claims — Donald Trump's secretary of state has reportedly told three prominent — Republicans that he is planning to resign from the White House to run for a Senate seat. — Mike Pompeo had planned to stay …

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA, Daily Kos and Kansas City Star