memeorandum: South Korea Is an Ally, Not a Dependent (Wall Street Journal)

8:30 AM ET, January 17, 2020

Top Items:

Lev Parnas Reveals Why He Turned on Trumpworld — The Soviet-born businessman at the center of Rudy Giuliani's dirt-digging crusade in Ukraine tells The Daily Beast he's determined to speak out despite backlash. — In an interview with The Daily Beast, Lev Parnas—an ex-associate …

Discussion: Vanity Fair, The Hill, Breitbart, New York Times, Washington Post and Washington Free Beacon

Washington Post:

‘It was like a breeding ground’: Trump hotel's mix of GOP insiders and hangers-on helped give rise to impeachment episodes — They are key locations in the drama that led to President Trump's impeachment: the steakhouse table where Trump's private lawyer set out a nameplate, “Rudolph W. Giuliani, Private Office.”

Discussion: emptywheel

NBC Universal:

“THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW” SCORES HISTORIC RATING OF 4.5M TOTAL VIEWERS IN EXPLOSIVE INTERVIEW WITH LEV PARNAS — Maddow's Exclusive Interview with Giuliani Associate Lev Parnas Dominates News Cycle and Draws Largest-Ever Audience for “The Rachel Maddow Show,” Kicking Off 2020 With Huge Ratings Win

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

Politico:

Here's what the Parnas revelations mean for Trump — Lev Parnas, the indicted Rudy Giuliani associate at the center of the Ukraine controversy, has disrupted the days leading up to President Donald Trump's impeachment trial. — With a slate of newly released documents from House investigators …

Discussion: New York Times, Vanity Fair, The Daily Signal, TheBlaze, Washington Post and CNN

Washington Post:
Giuliani associate points to Pence snub as Ukraine pressure point

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, Slate and Vox

Marshall Cohen / CNN:
Lev Parnas says he watched Trump tell aide to fire the US ambassador to Ukraine

Discussion: The Hill, The Week, KTLA, The Federalist and IJR

Marshall Cohen / CNN:
Fact-checking Republican Sen. Susan Collins' confusing comments about the new documents from Lev Parnas

Discussion: HuffPost, The Week, Roll Call and The Root

Harry Litman / Washington Post:
Bolton matters. But the documents probably matter more.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, Raw Story, Digby's Hullabaloo and The Editorial Board

Josh Kovensky / Talking Points Memo: Everything Rudy Did, He Did For Trump

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

GOP senator's vicious outburst shows the corruption of Trump's defenders — If you were a United States senator who just snapped angrily at a reporter for politely asking whether compelling new information about a matter of great import to the nation was weighing on your understanding …

Discussion: The American Independent, Daily Kos, Raw Story, Redstate, Spectator USA, Twitchy, Mediaite, ABC13, POLITICUSUSA, HuffPost and Breitbart

David Harsanyi / New York Post:

CNN's bias is now beyond laughable — As Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) walked through the hallways of the Senate Thursday, CNN senior congressional correspondent Manu Raju asked her if the Senate should consider “new evidence as part of the impeachment trial.” McSally shot back: “Manu, you're a liberal hack.

Discussion: Instapundit

Carl Hulse / New York Times:

An Impeachment Trial That Could Unfold Out of Public View — President Trump's trial will feature bitter debates and intense legal wrangling. Much of it is likely to unfold behind closed doors. — WASHINGTON — Americans tuning in to witness electrifying exchanges in the Senate impeachment trial …

Brad Polumbo / Washington Examiner:
Martha McSally takes a cheap shot at CNN reporter

Discussion: PJ Media Home, HuffPost, American Greatness, Big League Politics, Washington Post, Raw Story and The Federalist

Eli Yokley / Morning Consult:
Impeachment Trial Set to Put Vulnerable Senate Republicans in a Familiar Bind

Discussion: The Bulwark, Raw Story, Denver Post, The Hill, The Week, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, HillReporter.com and Deadline

Kevin Stone / KTAR.com: Mark Kelly heads into election year with big cash lead over Sen. McSally

Senator Susan Collins:
Senator Collins' Statement on Impeachment Trial Process

Discussion: The Hill, Axios and Contemptor

Kevin Baron / Defense One:

Eleven US Troops Were Injured in Jan. 8 Iran Missile Strike — The troops were medevaced this week to Germany and Kuwait to be treated for traumatic brain injury after experiencing concussion symptoms. — Nearly one dozen American troops were wounded in Iran's Jan. 8 missile attack on Iraq's al-Asad air base.

Discussion: Washington Post, UPI, FOX31 Denver, Raw Story, Sputnik News, Radio Free Europe, The US Sun, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, fox8.com and New York Post

CNN:
US troops were injured in Iran missile attack despite Pentagon initially saying there were no casualties

Discussion: New York Post and Mediaite

Adam Goldman / New York Times:

Justice Dept. Investigating Years-Old Leaks and Appears Focused on Comey — An inquiry into years-old disclosures of classified information is highly unusual and leaves law enforcement officials open to accusations of politicizing their work. — WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors in Washington …

Discussion: Axios, Washington Post, JONATHAN TURLEY, Washington Examiner, National Review, Fox News, Twitchy, Law & Crime, The Daily Caller, Townhall, The Daily Wire, Redstate, The Week, Washington Times and Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »

Matt Shuham / Talking Points Memo:
Feds Reportedly Target Comey In Previously Unreported Leak Probe

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

New York Times:

Angry Trump Says Focus Should Be on a Trade Deal, Not a ‘Hoax’ — But the few times the president did anything in public on Thursday, it was clear he was unnerved by the prospect of a Senate trial. — WASHINGTON — Shortly after 2 p.m. on Thursday afternoon, Senator Charles E. Grassley …

Discussion: NBC News, The New Daily, Raw Story and Scroll.in

Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker:

Spoiler Alert: There Will Be No Impartial Justice for Donald Trump — Shortly after 2 p.m. on Thursday, ninety-nine of the hundred members of the United States Senate raised their hands and swore en masse to do “impartial justice” in the impeachment trial of President Donald J. Trump.

Ashraf Khalil / Associated Press:
Reporters getting 1st taste of impeachment restrictions

Discussion: Politico, The Hill, Washington Post, Daily Kos and Axios

CNN:

Exclusive: Evelyn Yang reveals she was sexually assaulted by her OB-GYN while pregnant — Washington (CNN)Evelyn Yang was reading letters that voters had sent to her husband, Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, and suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Discussion: Politico, NBC News, The Daily Caller, Fox News, HuffPost, New York Post, New York Times and Axios

New York Times:

Sanders-Warren: An Alliance, if Not a Close Friendship, Suddenly Fractures — The dispute has led to negative attacks and doubts about party unity, exactly what Democratic leaders do not want to happen, for fear of handing an advantage to President Trump. — WASHINGTON — For a year …

Discussion: Vanity Fair

Chris Kahn / Reuters:
Sanders climbs, now tied with Biden among registered voters: Reuters poll

Discussion: Washington Times

Natasha Korecki / Politico:
Bernie ‘will play dirty’: Ex-Vermont governor slams Sanders

Discussion: The Hill, NBC News, Washington Post and FiveThirtyEight

Associated Press:

Georgia election server showed signs of tampering, expert says — The server was left exposed to the open internet for at least six months, a problem the same expert discovered in August 2016. — BOSTON — A computer security expert says he found that a forensic image of the election server central …

Discussion: The Hill

Kim Zetter / Politico: Georgia election systems could have been hacked before 2016 vote

Gary Levin / USA Today:

HBO won't pursue second season of ‘Watchmen’ after creator bows out — PASADENA, Calif. - “Watchmen” won a loyal following and critical acclaim, as the superhero comics series was adapted into a politically relevant drama about race and the criminal justice system.

Discussion: Mashable and Vanity Fair

Washington Post:

Black Americans deeply pessimistic about country under Trump, whom more than 8 in 10 describe as ‘a racist,’ Post-Ipsos poll finds — President Trump made a stark appeal to black Americans during the 2016 election when he asked, “What have you got to lose?”

Discussion: Axios and The Hill

Wall Street Journal:

South Korea Is an Ally, Not a Dependent — Seoul can and should contribute more to its own national defense. — American presidents have long asked allies to pay more for their own defense—often with lackluster results. But both the U.S. and South Korea now face strategic challenges …

Discussion: Bloomberg

Washington Post:

'You're a bunch of dopes and babies': Inside Trump's stunning tirade against generals — There is no more sacred room for military officers than 2E924 of the Pentagon, a windowless and secure vault where the Joint Chiefs of Staff meet regularly to wrestle with classified matters.

Mike Pence / Wall Street Journal:

A Partisan Impeachment, a Profile in Courage — JFK lauded the senator who bucked his party and voted to acquit Andrew Johnson. — The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation is accepting nominations for its annual “Profile in Courage” award. The award recognizes “a public official …

Discussion: Washington Times, CNN and The Hill

Wall Street Journal:

Barr's Encryption Push Is Decades in the Making, But Troubles Some at FBI — Attorney general's earlier service, telecom experience shaped his views; some bureau officials were stunned by his rebuke of Apple over Pensacola shooter's iPhones — WASHINGTON—When Attorney General William Barr returned …

The Marshall Project:

Facing Intimidation, Black Women Prosecutors Say: “Enough” — A lawsuit filed by St. Louis's first black female prosecutor highlights the virulent opposition progressive black women in the role say they have encountered. … St. Louis's first black prosecutor is fighting back.

Evan Sernoffsky / San Francisco Chronicle:

Central California DA quits state association over its opposition to criminal justice reforms — A Republican Central California district attorney made a surprising decision last week to quit the California District Attorneys Association — whose president is Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley …

Dwight Garner / New York Times:

A Meticulous Account of Trump's Tenure Reads Like a Comic Horror Story — The essence of irony, Henry Fowler wrote in “A Dictionary of Modern English Usage,” is that it “postulates a double audience” — one that's in on the joke, and another that isn't. The title of Philip Rucker …

Solomon Gustavo / Orlando Weekly:

U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz accused of creating sex game with ‘points’ for sleeping with staff — In a Twitter clapback for the Capitol Hill ages, Florida state Rep. Chris Latvala accused Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz of designing a “game” with a point system for “sleeping with aides, interns, lobbyists, and married legislators.”

Discussion: Fox News, Sun-Sentinel and The Hill