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An embarrassing moment for Trump's legal team — President Trump's impeachment managers made little secret Tuesday that they'd rather put House Democrats on trial than Trump. They repeatedly alleged mistreatment of Trump in his impeachment, rather than dwelling upon the evidence against him.
Discussion:
The Dispatch and The Week
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Trump's defense looks shaky on first day of impeachment trial — Analysis: Using the president's convoluted logic with none of his outsized passion, his defense team wasn't very persuasive. — WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's defense failed him at the opening of his Senate impeachment trial Tuesday.
Discussion:
Politico, Daily Kos, Associated Press, The Hill and The Week


“Ass-Backwards” and (So Far) Witness-Free, Trump's Senate Impeachment Trial Begins — A report from Day One of the case against the President. — It was only a couple hours into the first day of arguments in the Senate impeachment trial of Donald John Trump when Adam Schiff …
Discussion:
Politico

McConnell said in 1999 he would have voted for whatever the House managers wanted
Discussion:
FOX2now.com, FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV, Daily Kos and HuffPost


Chief Justice John Roberts admonishes House managers and White House counsel
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Post and NBC News

Senate approves impeachment trial rules, rejecting witnesses
Discussion:
Washington Post, HuffPost and NBC News

Collins breaks with GOP on attempt to change impeachment rules resolution
Discussion:
NBC News, The Gateway Pundit, Reason and POLITICUSUSA


Amazon boss Jeff Bezos's phone ‘hacked by Saudi crown prince’ — Exclusive: investigation suggests Washington Post owner was targeted five months before murder of Jamal Khashoggi — The Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos had his mobile phone “hacked” in 2018 after receiving a WhatsApp message …
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Saudi crown prince implicated in hack of Jeff Bezos's phone, U.N. report will say — A United Nations investigation to be released Wednesday will report that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos's cellphone was hacked in 2018 after he got a WhatsApp message that came from an account purportedly belonging …
Discussion:
The Guardian, The Week, Axios, Fortune, New York Post and Raw Story


Saudi's MBS implicated in hacking of Jeff Bezos's phone — Forensic experts hired by Jeff Bezos have concluded with “medium to high confidence” that a WhatsApp account used by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was directly involved in a 2018 hack of the Amazon founder's phone.
Discussion:
UPI, Slate, New York Times and Fox News


Senate Democrats privately mull witness trade in impeachment trial: A Biden for Bolton — Several Senate Democrats are privately discussing the possibility of calling Republicans' bluff on witnesses, weighing an unusual trade in President Trump's impeachment trial: the testimony of Hunter Biden …
Discussion:
Politico, National Review, The Hill, The Week, POLITICUSUSA, Mediaite, Twitchy and CBS News
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Trump's impeachment defense is designed to destroy guardrails on presidential power
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, The Hill, HuffPost, The Root and Vanity Fair

71% of Republicans want Mitch McConnell to call witnesses at Trump impeachment trial, new poll shows
Discussion:
Vox

Senators bend the rules by wearing Apple Watches to Trump trial
Discussion:
New York Times, The Verge, Axios, Fox News and Redstate

Senate adopts ground rules for impeachment trial, delaying a decision on witnesses until after much of the proceedings
Discussion:
CNN, Axios and New York Times

Democrats already have these four victories in the impeachment trial
Discussion:
The Hill, Daily Kos, New York Times, Slate and Breitbart


CNN poll: Bernie Sanders surges to join Biden atop Democratic presidential pack — (CNN)Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has improved his standing in the national Democratic race for president, joining former Vice President Joe Biden in a two-person top tier above the rest of the field, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS.
Discussion:
The Guardian, The Week and Washington Times
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Biden and Sanders Trade Attacks Over Honesty and Social Security
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Slate, Washington Times and The Guardian

The Former Journalist Who Is Bernie Sanders's Media Critic
Discussion:
Fox News, Politico and Breitbart, more at Mediagazer »


OMB Releases 192 Pages of Ukraine Records to American Oversight — At 11:58 p.m. on Jan. 21, just two minutes before the deadline, the Office of Management and Budget released 192 pages of Ukraine-related documents, including records that have not been produced to Congress in its impeachment investigation.
Discussion:
NBC News and New York Post
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OMB Records Related to Ukraine Assistance Funding - American Oversight — Records from the Office of Management and Budget in response to American Oversight's request for directives and communications that may relate to any effort to pressure the Ukrainian government to investigate …


Where the Trump defense goes too far — Jonathan Turley is the chair of public interest law at George Washington University and served as the last lead counsel in an impeachment trial before the Senate in defense of Judge Thomas Porteous. He also serves as a legal analyst for both CBS and BBC.


Trump, in Davos, appears confident of Senate impeachment trial outcome: ‘We have a great case’ — President Trump voiced optimism regarding the Senate impeachment trial as he arrived for a breakfast meeting with American CEOs and business leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday morning.
Discussion:
Politico, One America News Network, Breitbart, PJ Media Home and The Hill
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Ivanka Trump's car rentals help push the administration's Davos travel costs past $4 million
Discussion:
Financial Times


Schiff may have mischaracterized Parnas evidence, documents show — House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff appears to have mischaracterized a text message exchange between two players in the Ukraine saga, according to documents obtained by POLITICO — a possible error the GOP will likely criticize …
Discussion:
The Federalist, Townhall and The Daily Caller


Monty Python star Terry Jones dies aged 77 — Monty Python star Terry Jones has died at the age of 77, his agent has said … You can also follow @BBCBreaking on Twitter to get the latest alerts.


Profiles in cowardice — On this page, a few weeks before he announced it, we endorsed the idea of Gov. Ducey appointing Martha McSally to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of John McCain. — McSally, we argued, seemed to be a politician that focused on common-sense solutions during her time in the U.S. House.


First US case of Wuhan coronavirus confirmed by CDC — (CNN)The United States has its first confirmed case of a new virus that appeared in Wuhan, China, last month, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday. The coronavirus has already sickened hundreds and killed six people in Asia.


More U.S. troops leave Iraq for medical treatment after Iranian missile attack, Pentagon says — More U.S. service members have been transported out of Iraq for medical treatment and evaluations following Iran's missile attack, the Pentagon said Tuesday, nearly two weeks after President Trump and defense officials said no one was hurt.
Discussion:
The Week and Task & Purpose


Trump impeachment defense is dangerous. Abuses of power could crack America's foundation. — Trump thinks his oath was a vague, unenforceable promise, that he can't be held accountable as long as he doesn't commit a crime. But he's wrong. — Imagine that Democrats nominate Joe Biden …
Discussion:
The National Interest


Barr Once Contradicted Trump's Claim That Abuse of Power Is Not Impeachable — In a memo for the Trump team during the Russia investigation, the attorney general wrote that presidents who misuse their authority are subject to impeachment. — WASHINGTON — Scholars have roundly rejected …


Quibi's CEO Meg Whitman Compared Reporters to Sexual Predators — Quibi CEO Meg Whitman lashed out against the media at an “all-hands” staff meeting last Thursday, drawing an analogy between reporters who cultivate sources and sexual predators who prey on underage victims, according to two people who heard her comments.


Elizabeth Warren promises to tackle the Trump administration's ‘corruption and incompetence’ on day one if elected — If elected president, Senator Elizabeth Warren on Tuesday promised to take “aggressive steps” to erase the Trump administration's influence on the federal government …


White supremacist group wanted Richmond rally to start a civil war, prosecutors say — COLLEGE PARK, Md. — A hidden camera captured members of a white supremacist group expressing hope that violence at Monday's gun-rights rally in Richmond could start a civil war, federal prosecutors said in a court filing Tuesday.