memeorandum: Letter from President Donald J. Trump to the Speaker of the House of Representatives (Donald J. Trump/The White House)

12:45 PM ET, December 18, 2019

Top Items:

John Hayward / Breitbart:

WH Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham on Impeachment: Democrats 'Trying to Overturn 2016 Because They Know What's Coming for Them in 2020' — White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham joined SiriusXM host Alex Marlow on Wednesday's Breitbart News Daily for an exclusive interview …

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:

It is hard to capture how bizarre and frightening Trump's letter to Pelosi is — On the eve of his impeachment, a stain that obviously torments him more than his enablers have let on, President Trump issued a rambling, unhinged and lie-filled letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

Discussion: USA Today, Hullabaloo, Althouse, New York Magazine, HuffPost and Raw Story

Matthew Choi / Politico:

Trump impeachment: What time is the vote? — Wednesday will be a historic day. — The House will vote to impeach a president of the United States for only the third time in history. It's been a tumultuous journey to get to this point and is sure to lead to blockbuster moments.

Discussion: Axios, NBC News, Townhall, Joe.My.God. and Breitbart

Natasha Bertrand / Politico:

Trump presents his own impeachment defense — On the eve of his likely impeachment, President Donald Trump has opted to act as his own defense lawyer. — In a six-page, stream-of-consciousness diatribe sent to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and released by the White House on Tuesday afternoon …

Discussion: Washington Post, Politico, emptywheel, Florida Politics, The Week, Raw Story, NBC News, Breitbart, The Hill, Axios, One America News Network and New York Times

Houston Chronicle: Americans are counting on Senate for full and fair trial of Donald Trump [Editorial]

CNN:
Fact check: Trump's wild letter to Pelosi is filled with false and misleading claims

Discussion: Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and John Solomon Reports

New York Times:
Trump Wanted to Get Something Off His Chest, and in His Letter to Pelosi He Did

Discussion: Hullabaloo, Washington Post, The Hill and Raw Story

Quint Forgey / Politico:
‘Say a PRAYER’: Trump pleads innocence hours before impeachment

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Washington Post and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Andrew Desiderio / Politico:
Trump on the brink of impeachment

Discussion: ABC News, The Gateway Pundit, Joe.My.God. and Outside the Beltway

Jonathan Bernstein / Bloomberg:
Why Is John Bolton Staying Silent?

Discussion: Politico, Raw Story and Associated Press

New York Times:
Read Trump's Letter to Pelosi Protesting Impeachment

Discussion: Press Watch, The Bulwark, Washington Post, The Resurgent, Bad News, Raw Story, HuffPost and Outside the Beltway

Jan Ransom / New York Times:

State Charges Against Manafort Dismissed by Judge in New York — A judge threw out state charges against Paul J. Manafort, President Trump's former campaign chairman, on Wednesday, dealing a setback to efforts by the Manhattan district attorney to ensure Mr. Manafort will still face prison …

Discussion: National Review, The Daily Caller, Raw Story and ABC News

Dan Mangan / CNBC:

Judge dismisses New York state criminal charges against ex-Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort on double jeopardy grounds — A judge on Wednesday dismissed New York state criminal charges filed against Paul Manafort, the fallen Republican lobbyist who had served as President Donald Trump's campaign chief in 2016.

Discussion: Axios, BizPac Review, Joe.My.God. and Contemptor

Associated Press:

Judge tosses Paul Manafort's fraud case in New York — A judge has thrown out Paul Manafort's New York mortgage fraud case on double jeopardy grounds — NEW YORK — A judge on Wednesday threw out Paul Manafort's New York mortgage fraud case on double jeopardy grounds.

Discussion: NBC News and The Hill

Katelyn Polantz / CNN:

Judge while sentencing Trump campaign aide: 'If people don't have the facts, democracy doesn't work' — Washington (CNN)Federal Judge Amy Berman Jackson took several minutes during her sentencing of top Mueller cooperator Rick Gates on Tuesday to comment on the Russia investigation …

Discussion: emptywheel and Patterico's Pontifications

Louise Boyle / Daily Mail:

BREAKING NEWS: Paul Manafort has New York state fraud prosecution DISMISSED because of ‘double jeopardy’ - opening way for Donald Trump to set him free with a pardon — Manhattan judge rules that state attorney general Letitia James' attempt to prosecute disgraced Trump campaign chairman is invalid

Discussion: ABC News, The Gateway Pundit, Politico and Fox News

Justin McCarthy / Gallup:

Trump Approval Inches Up, While Support for Impeachment Dips — WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump's job approval rating has inched up again and is now at 45%. The president's ratings have increased six percentage points since the House of Representatives opened an impeachment inquiry against him in the fall.

Discussion: The Federalist, National Review, Althouse, CNN, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, Breitbart, Joe.My.God., Washington Times and Mediaite

Owen Daugherty / The Hill:
Trump approval up 6 points since launch of impeachment inquiry: Gallup

Discussion: Redstate

Caitlin Andrews / Bangor Daily News:
Jared Golden will vote with Democrats on one Trump impeachment article, not the other

Discussion: UPI, HotAir, Joe.My.God., IJR, Roll Call, The Hill, The Week, Talking Points Memo, VICE, National Review and Politico

Julian Sanchez / New York Times:

The Chilling Reality of Bias at the F.B.I. — Americans deserve a stronger assurance than “hope” that their Fourth Amendment rights are being respected. — Mr. Sanchez is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute. — The F.B.I.'s investigation of the former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page …

Debra Heine / American Greatness:
Nunes Calls for the FISA Court to be Shut Down: It's ‘Culpable in this Madness’

Discussion: Fox News, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and TheBlaze

Pete Williams / NBC News:
Secret FISA Court issues highly unusual public rebuke of FBI for mistakes

Discussion: Fox News, The Root and The Gateway Pundit

Donald J. Trump / The White House:

Letter from President Donald J. Trump to the Speaker of the House of Representatives — Speaker of the House of Representatives — Dear Madam Speaker: — I write to express my strongest and most powerful protest against the partisan impeachment crusade being pursued by the Democrats in the House of Representatives.

Discussion: Reuters, Associated Press, Tangle, Sara A. Carter, THE LIBERTARIAN VINDICATOR, Reason, PolitiFact, No More Mister Nice Blog, BizPac Review and Deadline

Michael Kruse / Politico:

How Harvard Made Pete Buttigieg the Moderate That Progressives Love to Hate — He wasn't expected to win. It was a surprise to some that he even had run. But on the evening of December 5, 2002, in a sweaty, crowded classroom adjacent to the main lecture space at Harvard's school …

Maggie Severns / Politico:
Buttigieg omitted high-powered bundlers from disclosure

Discussion: Vanity Fair, New York Times, The Hill and Fox News

Anna Palmer / Politico:
POLITICO Playbook: Impeachment Day. Here's how it will go down.

Discussion: Washington Post, The Daily Beast and HuffPost

David Sharp / Associated Press:

GOP Sen. Collins of Maine launches reelection bid — FILE - In this Nov. 6, 2019, file photo, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is surrounded by reporters as she heads to vote at the Capitol in Washington. U.S. Sen. Collins officially launched her bid for a reelection Wednesday, Dec. 18 …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Politico, HuffPost, Joe.My.God., The Hill, The Week and Axios

James Arkin / Politico:
Susan Collins will run for reelection in Maine

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Chantal Da Silva / Newsweek:

Trump Urged To Resign Before Impeachment Vote: ‘It Would Be The Most Shared Tweet Of All Time’ — As President Donald Trump faces impeachment in a historic vote likely to take place on Wednesday, Democrats are reminding the U.S. leader that there is still another way forward: resigning.

New York Times:

Trump Impeachment Vote Live Updates: House Debates Articles After Rejecting Republican Objections — The House opened debate on rules to consider the two articles of impeachment — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — against President Trump, after rejecting two attempts by Republicans to derail them.

Discussion: Political Wire, Washington Post, The Hill, Florida Politics and Roll Call

Rebecca Shabad / NBC News:
Democrats block GOP motion to adjourn

Discussion: The Hill, The Daily Caller and MSNBC

Jacob Holzman / Roll Call:

Agency says it will review Trump Jr.'s sheep hunt in Mongolia — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said it will review allegations that Donald Trump Jr., may have illegally killed a rare sheep during a recent trip to Mongolia and imported parts of the animal back to the U.S.

Discussion: Raw Story

CNN:

Hundreds of Obama alumni endorse Elizabeth Warren — (CNN)Hundreds of veterans of Barack Obama's campaigns and administration have signed on to endorse Sen. Elizabeth Warren for president, as multiple Democratic presidential candidates compete to claim the popular former president's political coalition and legacy.

Discussion: Axios and Washington Free Beacon

Mark Sherman / Associated Press:

Justices could limit job bias lawsuits against churches — WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court said Wednesday it will consider expanding protections for churches against job-discrimination claims. — The justices agreed to review two cases in which a federal appeals court allowed discrimination lawsuits …

Discussion: Washington Post and NBC News

Peter Beinart / The Forward:

Of Course They're Accusing Bernie Sanders Of Anti-Semitism - Because He Supports Palestinians — Given Bernie Sanders' endurance as a top-tier presidential contender, and his support for Palestinian rights, it was almost inevitable that conservatives would start labelling his campaign anti-Semitic.

Discussion: National Review, Mondoweiss and Coffee House

Wil S. Hylton / The Atlantic:

History's Largest Mining Operation Is About to Begin — Unless you are given to chronic anxiety or suffer from nihilistic despair, you probably haven't spent much time contemplating the bottom of the ocean. Many people imagine the seabed to be a vast expanse of sand, but it's a jagged …

Madeline Holcombe / CNN:

Pro-impeachment protests span the country ahead of historic vote — (CNN)Hours before the House votes on whether to impeach President Donald Trump, hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Times Square Tuesday night chanting “Tell me who's above the law? Nobody is above the law!” — They weren't alone.

Discussion: al.com, The Root, Associated Press and Joe.My.God.

Justine Coleman / The Hill:

Food inspectors warn of ‘mystery’ pork under new meat inspection rules — Two federal inspectors warned that “mystery” meat and other unwanted materials will contaminate pork throughout the U.S. under the new meat inspection rules currently being used in a pilot program, NBC News reported Monday.

Sean Colarossi / POLITICUSUSA:

Massive Crowds Flood The Streets On Impeachment Eve To Demand Trump's Removal — On the eve of the House vote to impeach Donald Trump, massive crowds of Americans took to the streets to support the move and urge the Senate to remove the corrupt president. — Images from cities all across …

Discussion: Raw Story

Emma Platoff / The Texas Tribune:

Waco judge sues state agency after receiving public warning for refusing to officiate same-sex marriages — Dianne Hensley, who received a warning last month from the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, will be represented by First Liberty Institute, a high-profile religious liberty law firm …

Discussion: National Review, Fox News, The Hill, TheBlaze and LGBTQ Nation