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

1:55 PM ET, December 18, 2019

Top Items:

As House convenes on impeachment, Trump declares disbelief — WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump woke up in the White House Wednesday morning and expressed utter disbelief that he will likely become just the third U.S. president to be impeached by the House of Representatives.

Discussion: Fox News and Florida Politics

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 …

Discussion: Associated Press, NBC News, Politico and Joe.My.God.

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, Townhall, UPI, Bangor Daily News, NBC News, Joe.My.God. and Breitbart

Madeline Holcombe / CNN:
Pro-impeachment protests span the country ahead of historic vote

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

NBC News:
Van Drew and Peterson lone Democrats voting with Republicans

Discussion: The Hill

Quint Forgey / Politico:
As impeachment vote nears, Trump accuses Democrats of an ‘ASSAULT ON AMERICA’

Discussion: Axios, Washington Post and Talking Points Memo

Andrew Desiderio / Politico:
Trump on the brink of impeachment

Discussion: Washington Post, ABC News, The Guardian 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

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, Breitbart, The Gateway Pundit, Politico and The Root

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: Washington Post, BizPac Review, Axios, Joe.My.God. and Contemptor

Katelyn Polantz / CNN:
Judge while sentencing Trump campaign aide: 'If people don't have the facts, democracy doesn't work'

Discussion: emptywheel and Patterico's Pontifications

Associated Press:
Judge tosses Paul Manafort's fraud case in New York

Discussion: NBC News and The Hill

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: Townhall, Vox, The Federalist, The National Interest, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, National Review, Althouse, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, CNN, Breitbart, Joe.My.God., Washington Times and Mediaite

Owen Daugherty / The Hill:

Trump approval up 6 points since launch of impeachment inquiry: Gallup — President Trump's job approval rating has ticked up 6 percentage points since the Democrats' impeachment inquiry began, according to a new survey. — The Gallup poll released early Wednesday found Trump's approval rating …

Discussion: Redstate and Mediaite

Steve Liesman / CNBC:
Trump's economic approval hits highest level in a year as Americans remain split on impeachment

Discussion: The Hill

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.

Jonathan Bernstein / Bloomberg:

Why Is John Bolton Staying Silent? — The former national security adviser has information relevant to Donald Trump's impeachment. Why won't he go on the record? — As the House prepares to vote on articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump on Wednesday …

Discussion: Politico, Raw Story and Associated Press

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

Sarah Ferris / Politico:

‘In a class by herself’: Pelosi has roared back in the Trump era — Speaker Nancy Pelosi stood in front of her members on Tuesday morning and gestured to a bright red poppy pinned to her coat. — Pelosi received the memorial pin while attending the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium over the weekend.

Discussion: The Hill

Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:

Steering Impeachment With an Iron Grip, Pelosi Forges a Legacy She Never Sought — Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants to be remembered for her legislative accomplishments, like passing the Affordable Care Act. But her legacy is now tied to the impeachment of the 45th president.

Discussion: Foreign Policy

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
It is hard to capture how bizarre and frightening Trump's letter to Pelosi is

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

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

Discussion: The Bulwark, Hullabaloo, Washington Post, The Hill, Raw Story, Outside the Beltway and NBC News

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: Press Watch, Reuters, Tangle, Sara A. Carter, THE LIBERTARIAN VINDICATOR, PolitiFact, Reason, No More Mister Nice Blog, BizPac Review, Deadline and New York Times

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: The Boston Globe, IJR and Outside the Beltway

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: Joe.My.God. and Raw Story

Priyanjana Bengani / Columbia Journalism Review:

Hundreds of ‘pink slime’ local news outlets are distributing algorithmic stories and conservative talking points — An increasingly popular tactic challenges conventional wisdom on the spread of electoral disinformation: the creation of partisan outlets masquerading as local news organizations.

more at Mediagazer »

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, The Hill and Washington Free Beacon

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

New York Times:
Trump Impeachment Vote Live Updates: ‘He Gave Us No Choice.’ House Opens Debate on Charges Against Trump

Discussion: Political Wire, POLITICUSUSA, Raw Story, Joe.My.God., The Stranger, Florida Politics, The Hill and Gothamist

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

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:

The GOP's closing impeachment argument: Denying basic facts — It's often been said that the two sides in the current impeachment debate can't even agree on basic facts. But increasingly for the GOP, that's also true of well-established and indisputable facts.

Discussion: Raw Story

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.

John Podhoretz / Commentary:

The ‘Animal House’ Impeachment — As the House of Representatives prepares to impeach the president on Wednesday, there's a baffling spirit in the air among the politically aware and ideologically conscious. This is, we keep hearing, a historic moment, only the third impeachment in American political history.

Discussion: The Resurgent

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 …