memeorandum: Trump retweeted Pelosi in Muslim garb. The White House made it worse. (Greg Sargent/Washington Post)

7:00 AM ET, January 14, 2020

Top Items:

White House expects GOP defections on calling witnesses in Senate impeachment trial — Washington — The White House is preparing for some Republican senators to join Democrats in voting to call witnesses in President Trump's impeachment trial, which could get underway in the coming days.

Jordain Carney / The Hill:

GOP leadership: There aren't 51 votes to dismiss Trump articles of impeachment — Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) told reporters on Monday that there are not the votes within the Senate Republican caucus to dismiss the articles of impeachment against President Trump—who endorsed an “outright dismissal” over the weekend.

Discussion: Redstate, Politico, CNN, One America News Network, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Monthly and Daily Kos

QU Poll:

Release Detail — January 13, 2020 - Voters Divided On Killing Of A Top Iranian General, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; 66% Want To See Bolton Testify In Senate Impeachment Trial — Slightly more American voters say that the killing of a top Iranian general was the right action …

Discussion: CNN, Raw Story, Axios, The Hill and Bloomberg

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

Trump retweeted Pelosi in Muslim garb. The White House made it worse. — After President Trump retweeted a doctored image of Democratic leaders dressed in Islamic garb, the White House offered a curious justification: Trump retweeted that image to send the message that Democrats are on the side of terrorists.

Discussion: Informed Comment, HillReporter.com, Digby's Hullabaloo, The American Independent and IJR

Washington Post:

Top Senate Republicans reject Trump's renewed call for immediate dismissal of impeachment charges — Top Senate Republicans on Monday rejected President Trump's call for outright dismissal of the impeachment charges against him, but continued to grapple with the shape of the Senate trial that could begin as soon as this week.

Discussion: The Hill

Associated Press:

GOP senators reject plans to dismiss Trump impeachment — WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans signaled Monday they would reject the idea of simply voting to dismiss the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump as the House prepares to send the charges to the chamber for the historic trial.

Discussion: Contemptor

Nicholas Fandos / New York Times:
Republicans Rule Out Outright Dismissal of Impeachment Charges

Discussion: Washington Post, Talking Points Memo and Daily Kos

Anne Flaherty / ABC News:
Trump's impeachment trial: How we got there, what happens next and what to watch

Discussion: Politico

NBC News:
McConnell could nix vote on a motion to dismiss to protect vulnerable GOPers

Discussion: ABC News, Raw Story, Bloomberg and POLITICUSUSA

Marianne LeVine / Politico:
Senate vote to limit Trump's military actions against Iran in limbo

Discussion: Breitbart

CNN:
White House wants Senate trial rules to include ability to dismiss Trump charges

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Raw Story

Wall Street Journal:
Lawmakers Tangle Over Calling Witnesses in Trump's Senate Impeachment Trial

Discussion: NBC News and Raw Story

New York Times:

Russians Hacked Ukrainian Gas Company at Center of Impeachment — With President Trump facing an impeachment trial over his efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his son Hunter Biden, Russian military hackers have been boring …

Ellen Nakashima / Washington Post:

Russian spies hacked Ukrainian gas company at heart of Trump impeachment trial — Russian military spies have hacked a Ukrainian gas company that is at the heart of an impeachment trial of President Trump, who sought last year to pressure Ukraine to investigate the company and its links to Joe Biden's son …

Discussion: Foreign Policy

Michael McFaul / Washington Post:
Be prepared to fight a dangerous new wave of disinformation during the Senate trial

Discussion: Raw Story

MJ Lee / CNN:

Bernie Sanders told Elizabeth Warren in private 2018 meeting that a woman can't win, sources say — (CNN)The stakes were high when Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren met at Warren's apartment in Washington, DC, one evening in December 2018. The longtime friends knew that they could soon be running against each other for president.

Monmouth University Polling Institute:
Dem 2020 Race Continues to Shift

Discussion: CNN, New York Times, NPR, Fox News, Morning Consult, Redstate, NJ Spotlight, The Hill, Politico, Denver Post and Bloomberg

Washington Post:
Sanders-Warren feud takes a turn onto the dangerous turf of gender

Discussion: CNN, ABC News, New York Times, BuzzFeed News and Politico

The Daily Beast:

Jitters at MSNBC as Brass Eyes Moving Chuck Todd and Talks to Shep Smith — Chuck Todd's daily show could move to mornings, causing angst among the show's staff. Other potential changes could alter weekends and, eventually, the network's primetime roster.

Discussion: Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit, Breitbart and The Daily Caller

Brandi Buchman / courthousenews.com:

Trump Campaign Adviser Pleads Guilty to Child Porn, Sex Trafficking — ALEXANDRIA, Va. (CN) - An informal adviser to Donald Trump's 2016 campaign who testified in the Mueller probe pleaded guilty Monday to charges of child sex trafficking and possessing child pornography.

Discussion: Raw Story and CNN

Rachel Weiner / Washington Post:

George Nader, key witness in Mueller probe, pleads guilty to child sex charges — George Nader, a key witness in the special counsel probe of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, admitted Monday to bringing a 14-year-old boy to the United States for sex and to possessing child pornography.

Discussion: Law & Crime, UPI, Fox News, Big League Politics, Axios and National Review

Nick Miroff / Washington Post:

Trump planning to divert additional $7.2 billion in Pentagon funds for border wall — President Trump is preparing to divert an additional $7.2 billion in Pentagon funding for border wall construction this year, five times what Congress authorized him to spend on the project in the 2020 budget …

Discussion: Axios, New York Times, Breitbart, HuffPost and The Hill

Washington Post:

Pensacola shooting was an act of terrorism, attorney general says — Attorney General William P. Barr said Monday that the December shooting that killed three U.S. sailors on a Florida base was an act of terrorism, as officials revealed harrowing new details about the 15-minute rampage …

Discussion: U.S. Department of Justice, UPI, CBS News, Law & Crime and The Week, more at Techmeme »

Byron Tau / Wall Street Journal: Barr Tightens Approvals of Probes of Presidential Campaigns

Wall Street Journal: U.S. Calls Pensacola Attack Terrorism; Pressures Apple Over Gunman's Locked Phones

Washington Post:

‘Four embassies’: The anatomy of Trump's unfounded claim about Iran — The theory was born last Thursday in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, where President Trump stood before men in hard hats and orange construction vests for an environmental announcement and offered a fresh rationale …

Discussion: Mediaite and The Daily Caller

Kylie Atwood / CNN:
State Department security officials weren't notified of ‘imminent’ threats to US embassies

Discussion: KTLA, Talking Points Memo, The Week and Mediaite

Karen DeYoung / Washington Post:
Trump says 'it doesn't really matter' if Iranian general posed an imminent threat

Discussion: Sputnik News, Al Jazeera, New York Times, Deadline and Mother Jones

The Daily Beast:

Trump Admin Walks Back Anti-MEK Memo — The State Department ordered employees days ago not to meet with an Iranian dissident outfit close to Rudy Giuliani and other Trumpworld figures. Now, the memo is being overridden. — At whiplash speed, the State Department is walking …

Discussion: Raw Story

Danielle Wallace / Fox News:

UK's Boris Johnson welcomes replacing Obama-era Iran nuclear agreement with ‘Trump deal’ — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in an interview Tuesday that he welcomed replacing the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal with a new agreement negotiated by President Trump.

Discussion: One America News Network

Annabelle Dickson / Politico: Boris Johnson calls for ‘Trump deal’ to replace Iran nuclear pact

Declan Walsh / New York Times:

American Held in Egypt Prison Dies After a Hunger Strike — Moustafa Kassem, detained in Cairo in 2013 and suffering from serious medical problems, had protested his innocence. — CAIRO — An American imprisoned in Egypt for six years on what he insisted were false charges …

Discussion: Fox News, HuffPost, NPR and UPI

American Oversight:

Joint Status Report: American Oversight v. DOE - Perry and Brouillette's Ukraine Records and Communications — Joint Status Report filed by American Oversight and the Department of Energy in American Oversight's lawsuit seeking the release of Secretary Rick Perry's communications …

Discussion: The Hill and Axios

John DiStaso / WMUR:

Former NHGOP executive director, US State Department official Matt Mowers running for Congress — Slamming Democratic incumbent Pappas, Bedford resident declares bid for 1st District US House seat in interview — MANCHESTER, N.H. — Freshman Democratic U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas has his first high-profile Republican challenger.

Patrick Marley / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Judge finds Wisconsin elections commissioners in contempt of court, orders them to quickly remove people from the rolls … (Photo: Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) — PORT WASHINGTON - An Ozaukee County judge found the state Elections Commission and three of its members in contempt …

Discussion: New York Times, Townhall, Daily Kos, The Guardian, Fox News, Talking Points Memo and The Hill

Ivana Kottasová / CNN:

Oceans are warming at the same rate as if five Hiroshima bombs were dropped in every second — How climate change impacted the world in 2019 — (CNN)The world's oceans are now heating at the same rate as if five Hiroshima atomic bombs were dropped into the water every second, scientists have said.

Justin Baragona / The Daily Beast:

Fox News Host Melissa Francis Offers Theory for Booker's Exit: I Heard 'He's Lazy' — For the claim, Francis cited Booker's unnamed Democratic colleagues who've appeared on her TV show. — Fox News host Melissa Francis on Monday reacted to the news that Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) …

Discussion: Raw Story and Contemptor

Ellie Hall / BuzzFeed News:

Here Are 10 Headlines Comparing Meghan Markle To Kate Middleton That Might Show Why She And Prince Harry Are Cutting Off Royal Reporters — The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (aka Prince Harry and Meghan Markle) didn't just shockingly “step back” as senior members of the royal family this week …

Discussion: The Royal Family, NPR, Mashable and Mother Jones

Peter Hamby / Vanity Fair:

“Like, I'll Tune In When There's Two Weeks Left”: Why Trump Has a Huge Advantage Over Dems With Low-Information Voters — The Democratic candidates and New York-D.C. media exist in a largely closed bubble, reflecting their own obsessions and not reaching much of the country—while Trump is seen everywhere.

CNN:

Giuliani has lobbied to join White House impeachment defense — Giuliani: I would testify at impeachment trial — Washington (CNN)Donald Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, whose dealings with Ukraine are a key facet of the impeachment case, has been lobbying the President to join …

Discussion: HuffPost, The Week and The Root

Robert VerBruggen / National Review:

Unforced Errors on Preexisting Conditions — These Trump tweets have stirred up quite the reaction among lefties. I hate to say it, but the lefties have a point. … Obamacare — enacted under, well, Obama — is the reason it's generally illegal for insurers in the individual market …

Discussion: New York Magazine, Digby's Hullabaloo, Vox and Mother Jones