memeorandum: Polls show Americans want to hear from impeachment witnesses (Rachel Maddow/MSNBC)

3:55 PM ET, January 24, 2020

Top Items:

‘Take her out’: Recording appears to capture Trump at private dinner saying he wants Ukraine ambassador fired — Trump apparently heard discussing firing Ukraine ambassador Marie Yovanovitch. — A recording reviewed by ABC News appears to capture President Donald Trump telling associates …

Betsy Swan / The Daily Beast:

Rudy Pal Igor Fruman Taped Trump Trying to Fire Ukraine Ambassador: Lawyer — The tape may contradict Trump's claim that he does not know the two Giuliani associates who worked to have the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine be removed. — A recently-indicted associate of Rudy Giuliani taped …

Discussion: Vox, Politico, Mother Jones, Axios, Talking Points Memo, emptywheel, Law & Crime, The Week and Mediaite

Greg Sargent / Washington Post: Damning new audio of Trump illuminates the Ukraine scandal's back alleys

Robert Burns / Associated Press:

Pentagon: 34 US troops had brain injuries from Iran's strike — WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon said Friday that 34 U.S. troops were diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries suffered in this month's Iranian missile strike on an Iraqi air base, and that half of the troops have returned to their military duties.

Discussion: Mother Jones, Raw Story, Press Herald and The Hill

CNN:

34 US service members diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries after Iranian missile strike — Washington (CNN)Thirty-four US service members have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries following the Iranian missile attack on US forces in Iraq earlier this month, Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said Friday.

Discussion: The Week

Helene Cooper / New York Times:

34 Troops Have Brain Injuries From Iranian Missile Strike, Pentagon Says — Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said that eight of the affected service members have returned to the United States from an American military hospital in Germany. — WASHINGTON — The Defense Department said Friday …

Discussion: Slate

Nihar Kabinittal / ABC News:
34 service members diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries after Iran missile attack: Pentagon

Discussion: Politico

BBC:

Neo-Nazi Rinaldo Nazzaro running US militant group The Base from Russia — The American founder of US-based militant neo-Nazi group The Base is directing the organisation from Russia, a BBC investigation has found. — Rinaldo Nazzaro, 46, who uses the aliases “Norman Spear” and “Roman Wolf” …

Discussion: ABC News and Raw Story

Jason Wilson / The Guardian:
Revealed: the true identity of the leader of an American neo-Nazi terror group

Discussion: Radio Free Europe/Radio …, The Moderate Voice, VICE, Talking Points Memo, Big League Politics and Raw Story

Ezra Klein / New York Times:

Why Democrats Still Have to Appeal to the Center, but Republicans Don't — Polarization has changed the two parties — just not in the same way. — Mr. Klein is the author of “Why We're Polarized.” — American politics has been dominated by the Democratic and Republican Parties since the Civil War.

Discussion: Mother Jones

Richard L. Hasen / Washington Post:

The loser of November's election may not concede. Their voters won't, either. — It's all too easy to imagine scenarios where the results are contested. — When the polls closed on Nov. 5, 2019, the initial count showed the governor of Kentucky, Republican Matt Bevins, losing to his Democratic challenger, Andy Beshear.

Discussion: New York Times

Mason Walker / Pew Research Center:
U.S. Media Polarization and the 2020 Election: A Nation Divided

Discussion: courthousenews.com

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Lindsey Graham will oppose subpoena of Hunter Biden — Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) says he will vote against a motion to subpoena Hunter Biden if a majority of colleagues agree next week that additional witnesses and documents need to be summoned for President Trump's impeachment trial.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit and Politico

David Edwards / Raw Story:
Lindsey Graham screeches at reporters over impeachment: Trump ‘did nothing wrong in his mind’

Discussion: HuffPost and HuffPost Canada

Kyle Cheney / Politico:
Democrats launch last bid to break Trump's impeachment firewall

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, Redstate and Axios

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
When Senate Republicans were quite concerned about Trump and Ukraine

Discussion: Omaha World-Herald, The Hill and Talking Points Memo

David Moye / HuffPost:
Lindsey Graham Bizarrely Defends Trump: ‘He Did Nothing Wrong In His Mind’

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Scott Clement / Washington Post:

Americans still divided on Trump's removal from office, but a strong economy is boosting his approval rating, Post-ABC poll finds — President Trump's approval rating has climbed to match the highest of his presidency, boosted by majority approval of his economic stewardship …

Discussion: Washington Times

Nihar Kabinittal / ABC News:

66% call for witnesses in Trump's impeachment trial: Poll — Americans are split on whether or not Trump should be removed from office. — Two-thirds of Americans in a new ABC News/Washington Post poll say the U.S. Senate should call new witnesses at Donald Trump's impeachment trial …

David Bauder / Associated Press: Study links impeachment beliefs to regular news diets

Pranshu Verma / The Philadelphia Inquirer:

‘I will not vote’ for Trump, Jeff Van Drew vowed in a voicemail. Then he pledged ‘undying support’ for the president. — Three weeks before New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew cemented his defection to the Republican Party with a pledge of “undying support” for President Donald Trump, he sent a constituent a very different message.

Discussion: Raw Story and The Hill

Chris Cillizza / CNN:

Joe Biden goes to his secret weapon to close the deal in Iowa — In a new ad entitled “Threat” running across Iowa starting Friday, a female narrator makes the stakes of the Democratic primary plain: … On screen a series of polls are shown — all of which show Biden running ahead of Trump.

David Brooks / New York Times:

Joe Biden Is Stronger Than You Think — Here's why he is still winning. — It was yet another epic failure of political punditry. Go back to the early months of Joe Biden's presidential campaign and read what the consultants and commentators were saying about him: His support is just name recognition; he'll fade!

Brian Slodysko / Associated Press:
Top Obama fundraiser backs Biden in 2020 contest

Discussion: Politico, ABC News and The Hill

Jill Colvin / Associated Press:

Trump, a late convert to cause, to join anti-abortion rally — WASHINGTON (AP) — It was just four years ago that a political committee supporting one of Donald Trump's Republican rivals unveiled an ad slamming his views on abortion, complete with footage from a 1999 interview in which he declared, “I am pro-choice in every respect.”

Discussion: Politico, The Hill, NBC News, CNN, IJR, VICE, FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV, KTLA, The Week, Twitchy and fox8.com

Damon Linker / The Week:
Donald Trump and the moral decline of the pro-life movement

Discussion: Washington Examiner, NPR and Breitbart

Stephanie Armour / Wall Street Journal:
Trump Administration Plans Action Against California Over Abortion-Coverage Requirement

Discussion: NPR

Reuters:
Breaking precedent, Trump to attend Washington anti-abortion march

Discussion: HuffPost

New York Times:

Coronavirus Live Updates: Infections Exceed 900 and Reach Europe, as Travel Limits in China Encircle 35 Million — Shanghai Disneyland shut down, hospitals pleaded for help, France reported two cases — the first in Europe — and the youngest victim so far was identified as a 36-year-old man in central China.

Discussion: CNBC, STAT, Chicago Tribune, Jezebel, Mediaite, Popular Science, ITV, Gothamist, The Week, LewRockwell, Fox News, Balloon Juice and Vox

Neil Vigdor / New York Times:

Vice Officers Fired Over Stormy Daniels's 2018 Arrest at Ohio Strip Club — The misdemeanor charges of illegal sexually oriented activity were dropped within 24 hours after the pornographic film actress was arrested in 2018. — Two vice officers were fired on Thursday by the city of Columbus …

Discussion: The Hill, Sputnik News and The Columbus Dispatch

Wall Street Journal:

Report Alleging Saudi Hack of Bezos Phone Puzzles Security Experts — Investigation by FTI appears to be inconclusive, several specialists in cybersecurity say — A report concluding that Saudi Arabia likely hacked into Jeff Bezos ' smartphone has spurred questions and confusion among cybersecurity experts …

Eric Levitz / New York Magazine:

Donald Trump Is Already Trying to Cut Entitlements — Earlier this week, at the bleeding-heart billionaire class' annual handwringing exhibition in Davos, Switzerland, Donald Trump suggested that he would “take a look” at cutting entitlement programs “at some point.”

Discussion: New York Times and PJ Media Home

Cristina Marcos / The Hill:
Michigan governor to give Democratic response to Trump State of the Union address

Discussion: Associated Press and Politico

Bill McMorris / Washington Free Beacon:

Twitter Attaches Warning to Trump Campaign's Pro-Life Video — Twitter attached a warning reserved for graphic, gory, or violent content to a pro-life video from the Trump campaign, prompting accusations of censorship against the social media giant. — Hours before Trump is scheduled …

Discussion: NB Blog and TheBlaze

Tim Alberta / Politico:

How the Gun Show Became the Trump Show — AUTHOR'S NOTE: Late last year, I moved home to Michigan. I did so primarily for family reasons, but also because I wanted to get back in touch with parts of the country where D.C. journalists often visit but rarely stay for long.

Aidan McLaughlin / Mediaite:

Exclusive: Trump to Sit Down With Hannity For Super Bowl Interview — Fox News host Sean Hannity is set to interview President Donald Trump during the Super Bowl pregame show, Mediaite has learned. — Trump will be sitting down for the interview with Hannity ahead of Super Bowl LIV on Feb. 2.

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:

The honest Trump defense that is too embarrassing to advance — House impeachment managers have demonstrated through a painstaking presentation of facts and law that: 1) President Trump wanted a foreign government to help him win reelection by announcing an investigation into former vice president Joe Biden …

Discussion: Impeachment dot fyi

New York Times:

Trump May Propose New Firm to Host Presidential Debates — The nonprofit Commission on Presidential Debates has sponsored every general election debate since 1988, but the Trump campaign has raised concerns about whether its 2020 events would be “fair.” — WASHINGTON — President Trump's campaign …

Elena Schneider / Politico:

‘On life support’: Buttigieg's struggles with black voters threaten his candidacy — ORANGEBURG, S.C. — When Pete Buttigieg holds “big rally type events” in South Carolina, “it's mostly white folks showing up,” he acknowledged ruefully Thursday night. And his struggle to fix that problem …

Discussion: ABC News and The Root

Donie O'Sullivan / CNN:

Exclusive: This site pays Americans to write ‘news’ articles. Signs indicate it originates in Iran — New York (CNN)American Herald Tribune bills itself as a “genuinely independent online media outlet.” Set up in 2015, it publishes in English and pays Americans to write articles.