memeorandum: Doubts Surface Over Giuliani-White House Budget Office Calls (Wall Street Journal)

9:15 PM ET, December 5, 2019

Top Items:

Doubts Surface Over Giuliani-White House Budget Office Calls — Number associated with OMB is also linked to several other offices in the White House — WASHINGTON—House Democrats earlier this week released records asserting that Rudy Giuliani was in contact with a phone number associated …

Discussion: The Daily Caller and New York Post

Washington Post:

Phone logs in impeachment report renew concern about security of Trump communications — President Trump has routinely communicated with his personal lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani, and other individuals speaking on cellphones vulnerable to monitoring by Russian and other foreign intelligence services …

Real Clear Politics:

White House: Adam Schiff Has Wrong OMB Number — Who called Rudy Giuliani from the White House, and who took his calls in the administration? Those question have been buzzing around the White House after phone logs were released Wednesday detailing how President Trump's personal lawyer back-channeled diplomacy to Ukraine.

Discussion: KIFI-TV and CNN

Ronn Blitzer / Fox News:
Does Pelosi have the votes for impeachment?

Discussion: Associated Press, Spectator USA and Disrn

Sam Stein / The Daily Beast:
Schiff: No, We Didn't Subpoena John Solomon's Phone Records

Discussion: TheBlaze, The Western Journal and New York Post, more at Mediagazer »

CNN:
Democrats' latest steps suggest Mueller evidence likely part of articles of impeachment

Discussion: HuffPost and KTVZ-TV

Karen Tumulty / Washington Post: Nancy Pelosi and that four-letter word

Mariam Khan / ABC News:
Senate Republicans blast Pelosi, House Democrats for pursuing impeachment against Trump

Discussion: Politico, Associated Press and NBC News

Marc Caputo / Politico:

'You're a damn liar, man': Biden lashes out at Iowan over Hunter claim — NEW HAMPTON, Iowa — Joe Biden lashed out at an Iowa town hall Thursday after a man suggested the former vice president helped his son get a sweetheart deal in Ukraine and was “selling access” like President Donald Trump does.

Discussion: Washington Post, Washington Free Beacon, NPR, Power Line, Althouse, VICE and Breitbart

Dan Balz / Washington Post:

John F. Kerry endorses Joe Biden, as the former vice president seeks a boost for his candidacy — Former secretary of state John F. Kerry endorsed Joe Biden's presidential candidacy on Thursday, saying his longtime friend and colleague has the character, experience and leadership skills …

Discussion: The Hill, Boston.com, The Guardian, PJ Media Home, The Daily Caller, HotAir, National Review, NBC News, Raw Story, Orlando Sentinel, Disrn, New York Post and Axios

Mike Brest / Washington Examiner:
Voter attacked by Biden calls him ‘senile’ and says he should drop out of 2020 race

Discussion: Fox News, Breitbart, American Greatness, New York Post, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, IJR, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and ENM NEWS

Chrissy Clark / The Federalist:
Biden Fat Shames Iowa Voter Who Says Hunter's Ukraine Work Is Disqualifying

Discussion: Bloomberg, Vox, Sputnik International and The New Neo

New York Times:
'You're a Damn Liar, Man,' Biden Tells Voter in Iowa

Discussion: ENM NEWS

ProPublica:

Inside the Cell Where a Sick 16-Year-Old Boy Died in Border Patrol Care — Video obtained by ProPublica shows the Border Patrol held a sick teen in a concrete cell without proper medical attention and did not discover his body until his cellmate alerted guards. The video doesn't match the Border Patrol's account of his death.

Discussion: New York Times, Associated Press, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Common Dreams, The American Independent and Daily Kos

Psychology Today:

Disgraced “Peloton Husband” Speaks Out — The psychological impact of being at the centre of worldwide controversy. — Few people know what it's like to be thrust into the public eye amidst worldwide controversy quite like the actor who plays the “tone-deaf” husband in a recent controversial Peloton ad.

Discussion: HotAir and New York Post

Christopher Miller / BuzzFeed News:

Rudy Giuliani Made A Surprise Visit To Kyiv And Nobody There Is Happy About It — KYIV — Rudy Giuliani has made a surprise visit to Kyiv — but the city isn't buzzing with his arrival, it's groaning. — Giuliani arriving with his shady band of conspiracy theorists …

Discussion: NBC News, Slate, Raw Story, Law & Crime and Fox News, more at Mediagazer »

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
The murder story involving the ‘Ukrainian Putin,’ who just met with Rudy Giuliani

Discussion: Daily Kos

Jake Zuckerman / Charleston Gazette-Mail:

WV employees suspended after photo emerges of correctional officers' Nazi salute — Local journalism makes a difference — Your support makes that possible — subscribe today for 99¢ — Your support makes that possible — subscribe today for 99¢

Discussion: WCHS-TV, Talking Points Memo, HuffPost, Law & Crime, VICE and New York Post

Jonathan Turley / The Hill:

Democrats offering passion over proof in Trump impeachment — The most dangerous place for an academic is often between the House and the impeachment of an American president. I knew that going into the first hearing of the House Judiciary Committee on the impeachment of Donald Trump.

Discussion: Fox News, Townhall, CNN, Redstate, Washington Post, National Review, New York Times, JONATHAN TURLEY, Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller, IJR, The Underground Bunker, POLITICUSUSA, ENM NEWS, KIFI-TV, Raw Story and Little Green Footballs

NBC News:

Russian agents planned hit from assassins' lairs in French Alps, say intel officials — Western intelligence agencies tracked up to 15 members of Russia's military intelligence agency, the GRU, including 2 who poisoned a defector in London. — WASHINGTON — A group of elite Russian military …

Janet Hook / Los Angeles Times:

Warren and Biden lose ground, Sanders moves ahead in California's shifting 2020 Democratic race — The Democratic presidential contest in California remains extremely fluid — but not enough, at least so far, to provide an opening for Michael Bloomberg, who entered the race two weeks ago …

Discussion: The Hill, Common Dreams, Breitbart, Axios and Washington Times

Josh Owens / New York Times:

I Worked for Alex Jones. I Regret It. — I dropped out of film school to edit video for the conspiracy theorist because I believed in his worldview. Then I saw what it did to people. — On Election Day 2016, I sat in the passenger seat of Alex Jones's Dodge Hellcat as we swerved through traffic …

Discussion: VICE, Nuclear Diner, Right Wing Watch, Contemptor, Mediaite and Boing Boing, more at Mediagazer »

Jamie Ross / The Daily Beast:
Ex-Infowars Staffer: We Made Up Shariah Law Threat Stories

Discussion: Raw Story

Associated Press:

Duncan Hunter's exit unsettles US House race in California — 1 of 5 — LAKESIDE, Calif. (AP) — Republican U.S. Rep. Duncan D. Hunter has indicated he's on his way out of office after pleading guilty to a corruption charge, a break for California's beleaguered GOP that increases the chances …

Discussion: The Hill

CNN: Ethics Committee urges Duncan Hunter to stop voting in House after guilty plea

New York Times:

Buttigieg's Untenable Vow of Silence — He needs to give voters more information about his work for the consulting firm McKinsey. — The editorial board is a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstanding values. It is separate from the newsroom.

Discussion: HuffPost, The Guardian and The Hill

Faiz Siddiqui / Washington Post:

Uber disclosed 3,000 sexual assaults in U.S. rides last year in its long-awaited safety report — Uber disclosed 3,000 sexual assaults in U.S. rides last year in its long-awaited safety report, amidst widespread criticism of its safety practices and pressure to increase its transparency …

Discussion: Balloon Juice and Fox News, more at Techmeme »

Nelson Oliveira / New York Daily News:

Boy invites entire kindergarten class to his adoption hearing — and it's adorable — This boy's definition of family will warm your heart. — A Michigan kindergartner brought his entire class to witness his adoption hearing Thursday in an adorable courtroom scene marking Kent County's annual Adoption Day.

CBS News:

Michael Bloomberg: Trump should be impeached and doesn't understand he works for the public — Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg said he thinks President Trump should be impeached, despite his prior reservations. The former New York City mayor sat down with “CBS This Morning” …

Discussion: The Hill

Steve Peoples / Associated Press:
Bloomberg gun plan: Permits, assault weapon ban, age limits

Discussion: Axios and The Hill

Nicole Hong / New York Times:

R. Kelly Married Aaliyah at Age 15 by Using Bribes, Charges Allege — He bribed a government employee in 1994 so that he could obtain a fake ID for the singer Aaliyah, a person familiar with the matter said. — One persistent question has dogged R. Kelly's two-decade music career …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, SPIN, Associated Press, The Wrap and News Breaking LIVE

Andrew Rice / New York Magazine:

Trump's Other Lawyer Much more powerful than Giuliani, William Barr is exercising the Justice Department's full force to defend a president in crisis. — Photo: David Williams for New York Magazine — Shortly before 5 p.m. on November 15, Attorney General William P. Barr arrived …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:

Wall-to-wall impeachment coverage is not changing any minds. Here's how journalists can reach the undecided. — The diplomats have been inspiring, the legal scholars knowledgeable, the politicians predictable. — After endless on-air analysis and written reporting, pundit panels, and emergency podcasts, not much has changed.

Discussion: HotAir, NB Blog, Fox News and Twitchy

Daily Mail:

Revealed: Billionaire Russian oligarch killed in mystery Surrey car crash while walking dog is linked to murky dealings in his native Volgograd where his business partner is behind bars — A Russian billionaire has died after he was knocked down by a car while out walking his dog near his Surrey home …

Axios:

Scoop: Sen. Cramer blocks Armenian genocide bill at request of White House — The White House directed Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) to block an effort by Sens. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Thursday to pass a resolution via unanimous consent formally recognizing Turkey's genocide …

Discussion: NBC News, KTVZ-TV, Raw Story, POLITICUSUSA, National Review and The Hill

Monica Hesse / Washington Post:

Is Melania Trump sending coded messages, or are we just talking to ourselves? — A new unauthorized biography of Melania Trump is titled “Free, Melania,” and although the words refer to the left-wing fantasy meme that the first lady is a prisoner begging for liberation, the comma demands unpacking.

Discussion: Newsweek, Twitchy, The Gateway Pundit, BizPac Review and Sputnik International

Jeremy Frankel / The Daily Wire:

The Bongino Report: The Newest Conservative News Aggregator — Yesterday, conservative commentator and Fox News contributor Dan Bongino released his new news aggregating website, the Bongino Report. — Advertised as an alternative to the Drudge Report, likely the most prominent extant …

Discussion: The Wrap, Washington Times, BizPac Review and The Hill

The Guardian:

Revealed: Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib targeted in far-right fake news operation — Israeli-based group uses Facebook to spread disinformation to more than a million followers around the world, singling out Muslim US congresswomen — Two Muslim US congresswomen have been targeted …

Discussion: TechCrunch, Balloon Juice and Common Dreams

David Ignatius / Washington Post:

Why the State Department rejected a plan to train Saudi intelligence — The State Department recently rejected a proposal by DynCorp to train the Saudi intelligence service because of fears that the kingdom doesn't yet have proper safeguards to prevent lawless covert operations like the killing …

Eric Levitz / New York Magazine:

Poll: Democrats Can Reduce Third-Party Voting in 2020 by Getting High on Weed — Donald Trump is never going to win a popularity contest. But he might just win a two-term presidency. — On the day of his election, Trump boasted a 38.6 percent approval rating — the lowest …

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

New revelations about Barr and Giuliani strengthen case against Trump — One of the strongest arguments made by experts testifying against President Trump is that he poses a present and continuing threat to our democracy. By adopting the stance that extorting a foreign leader into helping …

Discussion: Redstate, Law & Crime, Breitbart, Vox, Washington Monthly and The American Independent

John Kruzel / The Hill:

Trump asks Supreme Court to shield financial records from House Democrats — President Trump has asked the Supreme Court to shield his financial records from the Democratic-led House Oversight and Reform Committee, in the latest case to bring questions over separation of powers to the justices.

Discussion: ABC News, Associated Press, CNBC, Breitbart and UPI

Zoe Schiffer / The Verge:

Emotional baggage — Away's founders sold a vision of travel and inclusion, but employees say it masked a toxic work environment — Avery felt out of place at Away. Like many of the executives at the popular direct-to-consumer luggage brand, she'd gone to an Ivy League college …

Neal Katyal / DemCast:

Every American Must Fear What Trump Has Done … I've now had the chance to go through the House Impeachment Report. My take thus far is it is a very solid, comprehensive piece of work. Amazing they produced it with this velocity. — Specifically, I'd isolate a few things:

Anna Slatz / The Post Millennial:

TWITTER BIAS: Twitter employee tweets harassment at Andy Ngo — You have 15 free articles left today, enjoy reading. — The Post Millennial has learned that a Twitter account that has been engaged in targeted harassment of TPM Editor-at-large Andy Ngo appears to belong to none other than a Twitter employee.

Discussion: Breitbart