memeorandum: Phone call records show frequent contact between Giuliani and White House (Washington Post)

1:15 PM ET, December 4, 2019

Top Items:

Trump calls Trudeau ‘two-faced’, cancels press conference and leaves Nato summit early after video of world leaders making fun of him — 'I called him out on the fact he's not paying 2 per cent, and I guess he's not very happy about it,' says US president — Donald Trump has reacted furiously …

Discussion: Redstate, Salon, Occupy Democrats and Raw Story

Associated Press:

NATO leaders appear to gossip about Trump in unguarded chat — In this grab taken from video on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019, France's President Emmanuel Macro, centre right, gestures as he speaks during a NATO reception. While NATO leaders are professing unity as they gather for a summit near London …

Discussion: Axios, New York Post and The Independent

Shay Khatiri / The Bulwark:

Of Course Trump Was Laughed Out of the NATO Summit — If America won't take care of our allies, Russia and China will. — Earlier today, President Donald Trump cancelled his press conference at the NATO summit, called Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau two-faced …

Kevin Breuninger / CNBC:

Trump abruptly cancels NATO press conference after summit turns sour — “When today's meetings are over, I will be heading back to Washington. We won't be doing a press conference at the close of NATO because we did so many over the past two days. Safe travels to all!” Trump tweeted.

Discussion: Vanity Fair

Nicholas Burns / The Atlantic:

Trump Violates Diplomacy's Golden Rule — During a testy joint press conference at the NATO summit in London yesterday, President Donald Trump and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, argued openly over how the 70-year-old alliance should handle Russia, the Islamic State, and Turkey.

Rosie Perper / Insider:

Video appears to show world leaders mocking Trump after uncomfortable first day at NATO summit — A video from a reception at Buckingham Palace appears to show several world leaders, including UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and French President Emmanuel Macron …

Discussion: Al Jazeera, VICE and Vanity Fair

Emilio Casalicchio / Politico:
Boris Johnson holds late-night chat with Donald Trump

Discussion: One America News Network and GOV.UK

Washington Post:
Trump calls Trudeau ‘two-faced’ after video emerges of world leaders apparently mocking the president

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Vox, The Guardian, Hullabaloo, Mother Jones, CNN and Althouse

Allan Smith / NBC News:
Trump calls Trudeau ‘two-faced’ after hot mic catches NATO leaders speaking candidly

Discussion: Politico, TMZ.com, Townhall and The Hill

Wall Street Journal:
Trump Risks Further Isolation as Macron Relationship Sours

Discussion: Washington Post and Spectator USA

Mark Hannah / Politico:
It's Not Just Trump. The American People Are Skeptical of NATO, Too.

Discussion: One America News Network, New York Times, The Atlantic, Occupy Democrats and Foreign Policy

Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
No, Mr. President, impeachment doesn't trigger NATO Article 5

Discussion: Politico, NBC News, RealClearPolitics and New York Post

New York Times:

Giuliani, Facing Scrutiny, Travels to Europe to Interview Ukrainians — President Trump's personal lawyer has been in Budapest and Kyiv this week to talk with former Ukrainian prosecutors for a documentary series intended to debunk the impeachment case. — WASHINGTON — Even as Democrats intensified …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Axios, Raw Story, Mediaite, Contemptor, Washington Monthly, KyivPost and The Guardian

Sarah Ferris / Politico:

'I'm not going to take any sh—': Nadler girds for battle — House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler had a blunt message as he privately addressed Democrats the day before his panel assumes a starring role in the impeachment inquiry. — “I'm not going to take any shit,” …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Associated Press, Axios, NBC News, Washington Post, The Hill, CNN, UPI, IJR, The American Independent, Breitbart, Vox, KIFI-TV, KTLA, Mediaite, Vanity Fair, MSNBC and New York Times

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
4 early takeaways from the Judiciary Committee's first impeachment hearing

Discussion: NBC News, Contemptor, Redstate and Breitbart

Andrew Desiderio / Politico:
Dems signal Mueller-related impeachment charges as witnesses assail Trump

Discussion: Axios, National Review, NBC News, The Hill and Talking Points Memo

Adam Edelman / NBC News:
Founding Fathers would be ‘horrified’: Legal experts testify Trump should be impeached

Discussion: Axios and The Hill

Washington Post:
‘Are you ready?’: Pelosi makes clear to Democrats that impeachment is coming

Discussion: Common Dreams, Political Wire and Outside the Beltway

NBC News:
Live Blog / Impeachment hearing: Live updates from the Judiciary Committee

Discussion: Politico, Axios, The Hill and Breitbart

Emma Dumain / The State:
Top House Democrat wants Mueller findings in impeachment articles against Trump

Discussion: Politico and The Hill

Stephanie Ebbs / ABC News:
Trump impeachment hearing live updates: Experts outline ‘serious abuse of power’

Discussion: Mother Jones, IJR, The Hill and Sean Hannity

Daniel Dale / CNN:
Fact check: Trump makes at least 21 false claims at NATO meetings

Discussion: FactCheck.org and The White House

Sanjana Karanth / HuffPost:

William Barr Says Those Who Don't Show More Respect To Cops May Not Get Police Protection — The remarks are the latest example of the U.S. attorney general's “tough on crime” approach that President Donald Trump has adopted. — U.S. Attorney General William Barr said Tuesday …

Discussion: U.S. Department of Justice, Vanity Fair, The American Independent, VICE, Common Dreams, Raw Story, Law & Crime, The Hill, emptywheel, No More Mister Nice Blog, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Contemptor

Tim Elfrink / Washington Post:

William Barr says ‘communities’ that protest cops could lose ‘the police protection they need’ — Speaking to a roomful of police officers and prosecutors on Tuesday, Attorney General William P. Barr drew a parallel between protests against soldiers during the Vietnam War and demonstrations against law enforcement today.

Discussion: U.S. Department of Justice, Axios, Raw Story, Slate, The Daily Beast and Mediaite

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:

Loeffler will cut huge check for Georgia special election — Soon-to-be Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler plans to spend $20 million of her own money on her 2020 Senate campaign in Georgia — a massive sum that could give potential rivals pause about trying to unseat her.

Discussion: Associated Press, Washington Post, Breitbart, NPR, The Hill, Townhall, HotAir and Talking Points Memo

Josh Kraushaar / National Journal:
The Battle for the GOP Starts in Georgia

Discussion: New York Times and Politico

Greg Bluestein / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
BREAKING: Kemp taps Kelly Loeffler, financial exec, to US Senate seat

Discussion: UPI, KTVZ-TV and The American Spectator

Andrew Feinberg / The Independent:

Trump's mental state is deteriorating dangerously due to impeachment with potentially ‘catastrophic outcomes’, psychiatrists urgently warn Congress — Exclusive: Statement to be accompanied by petition with at least 350 signatures from mental health professionals endorsing conclusions

Discussion: Raw Story and The Daily Caller

New York Times:

A Mysterious ‘-1’ and Other Call Records Show How Giuliani Pressured Ukraine — House Democrats' impeachment report showed the president's personal lawyer executing an irregular foreign policy. — WASHINGTON — In the two days before President Trump forced out the American ambassador to Ukraine in April …

Discussion: Politico, National Review, Washington Post, The American Independent and Roll Call

Gabriel Sherman / Vanity Fair:
“Trump Was Pissed”: Rudy Given Fox Time-Out After “Insurance” Diss

Discussion: The Independent and Raw Story

The Keyword:

A letter from Larry and Sergey — Our very first founders' letter in our 2004 S-1 began: … We believe those central tenets are still true today. The company is not conventional and continues to make ambitious bets on new technology, especially with our Alphabet structure.

Discussion: National Review, CNBC, Associated Press, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, KDFX-TV, Vanity Fair, Alphabet, The Verge, Politico, Wired, Slate, Vox, Breitbart, NPR, KTLA, The Daily Caller, The Wrap, New York Times, Disrn, TechCrunch, UPI and New York Post, more at Techmeme »

Ryland Barton / 89.3 WFPL News Louisville:

Bevin Says He Lost Because Democrats ‘Harvested Votes In Urban Communities’ — During a series of interviews on talk radio shows Wednesday morning, outgoing Republican Gov. Matt Bevin said that he lost his race for reelection because the Democratic Party “harvested votes in urban communities.”

U.S. Department of Justice:

California CEO and Seven Others Charged in Multi-Million Dollar Conduit Campaign Contribution Case — Earlier today, an indictment was unsealed against the CEO of an online payment processing company, and seven others, charging them with conspiring to make and conceal conduit …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, Redstate, PJ Media Home, Politico, The Hill, HuffPost, The Daily Beast, Raw Story, emptywheel and Fox News

Zachary Evans / National Review:
Clinton Donors Charged in Massive Campaign-Finance Scheme

Discussion: New York Times and electionlawblog.org

CNN:

Former official says Trump often refused to believe his intelligence briefings — (CNN)One of President Donald Trump's most common responses to intelligence briefings is to doubt what he's being told, former Deputy Director of Intelligence Susan Gordon said Tuesday.

Discussion: Redstate, HuffPost, USA Today, Hullabaloo, Raw Story, The Hill, Axios and Mediaite

Quin Hillyer / Washington Examiner:

Sen. John Kennedy's full-Trump mode is just his latest stage persona — Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana, now all over the news after a volatile verbal exchange with Chuck Todd on Meet the Press, is a habitual shape-shifter. Pundits disappointed that the Oxford-educated media hound …

DW.COM:

Germany expels Russian diplomats after murder in Berlin — German prosecutors said evidence suggests Russia or Chechnya may have ordered the murder of a Georgian man in Berlin. Two Russian diplomats have been expelled, with the German government discussing further steps.

Discussion: UPI and Fox News

Simon Rosenberg / GEN:

How to Impeach Trump Without Letting His Co-Conspirators Get Away — Congress needs to break Trump's impeachment into three tracks in order to remove him by the 2020 election — iven Republicans' stated intent to turn the Senate impeachment trial into a wildly partisan Sean Hannity-inspired circus …

Jonathan Bernstein / Bloomberg:

Trump's Approval Rating Should Worry Republicans — If the president remains this unpopular, it's hard to see him helping his party in the 2020 elections. — It's still early to project how next year's congressional elections will go. But the folks at Inside Elections have updated …

Discussion: USA Today