memeorandum: Waco judge sues state agency after receiving public warning for refusing to officiate same-sex marriages (Emma Platoff/The Texas Tribune)

12:25 PM ET, December 18, 2019

Top Items:

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, Joe.My.God. and Contemptor

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

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

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

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

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, New York Magazine, Althouse, HuffPost and Raw Story

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

Matthew Choi / Politico:
Trump impeachment: What time is the vote?

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

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

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 Joe.My.God.

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

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, CNN, Althouse, 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

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

Aamer Madhani / Associated Press:
As House convenes on impeachment, Trump declares disbelief

Discussion: One America News Network and Florida Politics

Andrew Desiderio / Politico:
Trump on the brink of impeachment

Discussion: ABC News, New York Times, NBC News and Outside the Beltway

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

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

Debra Heine / American Greatness:

Nunes Calls for the FISA Court to be Shut Down: It's ‘Culpable in this Madness’ — Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) is ringing alarm bells about the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court [FISC], saying that it is culpable, along with the FBI, for the improper wiretapping of former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page …

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

Julian Sanchez / New York Times: The Chilling Reality of Bias at the F.B.I.

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

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, The Hill, New York Times 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: Politico, HuffPost, The Hill, Joe.My.God., 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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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 …

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

Sean Collins / Vox:

Most Democratic voters still haven't settled on a candidate — Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Mayor Pete Buttigieg — the top candidates in the 2020 Democratic primary. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images — According to three new 2020 polls …

Discussion: Townhall, The Hill and Washington Post

Rachel Weiner / Washington Post:

Judge grants government proceeds from Edward Snowden's book — The government is entitled to any money former National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden makes from his memoir and paid speeches because he disclosed classified information without approval, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.

Discussion: Townhall, National Review, Bloomberg and Slate, more at Mediagazer »

FiveThirtyEight:

Most Americans Think There's Enough Evidence To Impeach Trump — The House of Representatives is on the brink of making President Trump the third president in U.S. history to be impeached. It will likely be a deeply divided vote, too, as no Republicans voted in favor of either of the two articles …

Discussion: The American Independent

Rebecca Shabad / NBC News:

Democrats block GOP motion to adjourn — Minutes after the House floor opened Wednesday, Republicans called for a motion to adjourn the House for the day, and they called for a roll call vote. — Democrats blocked the motion in a 226-188 vote. — Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz. …

Discussion: The Hill, The Daily Caller and MSNBC