memeorandum: Democrats aim to catch up to Trump's 2020 cash advantage (Brian Slodysko/Associated Press)

7:20 AM ET, December 2, 2019

Top Items:

Molly Jong-Fast / The Daily Beast:

Lisa Page Speaks: 'There's No Fathomable Way I Have Committed Any Crime at All' — STRIKING BACK — The former FBI lawyer and ongoing Trump target breaks two years of silence in this exclusive interview. And she has quite a lot to say. — It's not often that you interview a subject who has no interest in being famous.

Discussion: HuffPost, The Last Refuge, Fox News, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, Law & Crime and New York Post

Kyle Cheney / Politico:

White House won't take part in first House Judiciary impeachment hearing — The White House informed House Democrats on Sunday that it will not participate in the Judiciary Committee's first impeachment hearing, excoriating Democrats' impeachment inquiry as a “baseless” and “partisan” …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Redstate, The Last Refuge, HuffPost, Reuters, The Hill, UPI, Mediaite and Townhall

Politico:

POLITICO Playbook: Washington's December nightmare — DRIVING THE DAY — WE'VE COVERED A LOT OF DECEMBER LEGISLATIVE NIGHTMARES. This one might be the worst. Not only are there a ton of issues, but there are also a ton of explosive and contentious issues on a collision course.

Discussion: Raw Story

Sarah Westwood / CNN:

White House will not participate in Judiciary Committee hearing — (CNN)Neither President Donald Trump nor his attorneys will participate in Wednesday's House Judiciary Committee impeachment hearing, they said late Sunday. — In a letter to Chairman Jerrold Nadler, White House counsel …

Discussion: KDFX-TV, KIFI-TV, Raw Story, Law & Crime and Axios

Mike Allen / Axios:
The House GOP's next impeachment move

Discussion: Political Wire and ABC News

ABC News:
Trump, lawyers won't participate in upcoming impeachment hearing

Discussion: Associated Press and The Hill

Washington Post:
Trump's counsel says president won't participate in House Judiciary's first impeachment panel, calling it unfair

Discussion: The Hill, New York Times and Axios

David Morgan / Reuters:
Trump faces two deadlines as U.S. Congress ramps up impeachment focus

Discussion: Raw Story

Joel B. Pollak / Breitbart:
Adam Schiff Gives Democrats Only 24 Hours to Sign Impeachment Report

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Adia Robinson / ABC News:
President, lawyers should participate in impeachment hearing: Demings, McClintock

Discussion: Associated Press, The Hill, HotAir, Fox News, Breitbart, The Gateway Pundit, Townhall, NBC News, HuffPost, POLITICUSUSA and Contemptor

David Weigel / Washington Post:

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock drops out of presidential race — Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, who pitched himself to Democratic voters as a campaign finance reformer who could win in red states, is ending his bid for the party's presidential nomination. — “While there were many obstacles …

Discussion: Associated Press, Axios, Political Wire and The Hill

Chris Cillizza / CNN:

The impeachment process is starting to get very real — (CNN)With 64 days until the Iowa caucuses and a record number of Democratic candidates, the 2020 election will be here before you know it. Every Sunday, I deliver to your inbox the 5 BIG storylines you need to know to understand the upcoming week on the campaign trail.

Discussion: Daily Kos, Washington Post and KDFX-TV

David Weigel / Washington Post:

The Trailer: The electorate that Biden and Buttigieg see — In this edition: Biden's hands-on pitch to Iowa, the Working Families Party drama, and the Warren-Buttigieg battle that wasn't. — There are simply not enough stuffing-centric holidays on the calendar, and this is The Trailer.

Discussion: Politico, New York Daily News and The Hill

Niall Stanage / The Hill: The Memo: Trump faces uphill 2020 climb

Zach Montellaro / Politico:
Andrew Yang raises $750,000 in 24 hours

Discussion: The Hill

CBS News:

300+ Trump ads taken down by Google, YouTube — 60 Minutes finds over 300 video ads for President Trump were taken down, mostly over the summer, for violating company policy — How to handle political ads on social media has become a growing concern as the 2020 U.S. presidential election approaches.

Discussion: Townhall and Althouse

Tim Baker / London Evening Standard:

Apostrophe society shuts down because ‘ignorance and laziness have won’ — ES News email — The latest headlines in your inbox Enter your email address Continue — Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid You already have an account.

Simon Shuster / TIME:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Speaks Out on Trump, Putin and a Divided Europe — 'I don't trust anyone at all'

New York Times:

With Brutal Crackdown, Iran Is Convulsed by Worst Unrest in 40 Years — What started as a protest over a surprise increase in gasoline prices turned into widespread demonstrations met with a systematic repression that left at least 180 people dead. — Iran is experiencing …

Discussion: Power Line

Jonathan Swan / Axios:

How to think about Trump's two big trade deals — Between the lines ... 1. On USMCA: The passage of USMCA depends on the ability of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, organized labor and the Mexican government to come to a compromise. — The Mexicans have long said there's no way they're …

Discussion: KTVZ-TV, One America News Network, The Guardian and CNBC

Bloomberg:
China Spares Trade in First Retaliation to U.S.'s Hong Kong Law

Discussion: Political Wire

Jack Blanchard / Politico:

POLITICO London Playbook, presented by Lloyds Banking Group: Security week — Echoes of 2017 — Enter the Donald — Good Monday morning. This is Jack Blanchard, bleary-eyed but back in the hot seat with 10 days to go until election day. — Eternal thanks: To top colleague Charlie Cooper …

Discussion: The Guardian and The Sun

Jonathan Swan / Axios:

NATO allies spooked by Trump despite White House soothing — This week's NATO meeting in London will be “a celebratory leaders' meeting,” according to a White House talking point ahead of President Trump's trip. But European officials aren't betting on it, and Trump has been privately complaining …

Discussion: Raw Story and One America News Network

Justin Baragona / The Daily Beast:

Chuck Todd to GOP Senator: You're Selling the Same Argument as Putin! — Chuck Todd was left gobsmacked by Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) when the GOP lawmaker said the ex-Ukrainian president “actively worked” for Hillary Clinton. — A week after claiming that he didn't know whether Russia …

Discussion: Balloon Juice, Raw Story, The Hill and Hullabaloo

Ursula Perano / Axios:
Sen. John Kennedy doubles down on claims of Ukrainian interference

Discussion: The Inquisitr, Washington Post, Daily Kos, HuffPost and Slate

Ursula Perano / Axios:

Democrat Joe Sestak drops out of 2020 presidential race — Admiral Joe Sestak announced Sunday evening that he is dropping out of the 2020 presidential race, leaving the total number of Democrats left in the field at 17. — The big picture: Sestak was one of the last Democrats to join the race …

Discussion: The Daily Caller and The Hill

Felicia Sonmez / Washington Post:
Former congressman Joe Sestak ends 2020 presidential bid

Discussion: Politico, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Associated Press and ABC News

Tom McCarthy / The Guardian:

Legal storm clouds gather over Rudy Giuliani, America's tarnished mayor — Analysts say an indictment is likely as prosecutors focus on Giuliani's work for Trump and himself in Ukraine — When the former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani emerged as one of Donald Trump's most bareknuckle defenders during …

Discussion: DemCast