memeorandum: Even Before Mike Pompeo's Blowup, State Department Insiders Were Feeling Undermined (Nik Steinberg/Politico)

2:10 PM ET, January 25, 2020

Top Items:

Sanders Seizes Lead in Volatile Iowa Race, Times Poll Finds — With solid support from liberals, Mr. Sanders appears to be peaking just as the caucuses approach. But many Iowa voters said they could still change their mind. — Which of these Democrats would be your first choice in the Iowa caucuses?

Discussion: Power Line, CNN, Mediaite, Breitbart and circle.tufts.edu

Siena College Research Institute:

NY Times/Siena College Poll of Likely Iowa Democratic Caucus Participants — Sanders Leads Caucus on First Ballot — Buttigieg, Biden Nearly Tied Trail by 7 points, Warren Fourth — Democrat Crosstabs Registered Voter Crosstabs — For more information and analysis on the study, visit The New York Times website.

Discussion: Politico

Bill Barrow / Associated Press:

Campaigning heats up in Iowa as caucus voting approaches — DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — With President Donald Trump's impeachment trial keeping them on Capitol Hill for part of Saturday, several Democratic candidates trying to oust him in November will challenge the reality that even would-be presidents can't be in two places at once.

Arlette Saenz / CNN:

Biden picks up endorsement from key Iowa swing district congresswoman — Bernie Sanders is rising in the polls. Here's why — (CNN)Joe Biden has earned the Democratic presidential endorsement of Iowa Rep. Cindy Axne, giving the former vice president a boost at a critical time — just nine days before the state's caucuses.

Discussion: Axios and The Independent

Benjamin Wallace-Wells / New Yorker:

Joe Biden's Battle with Bernie Sanders for Working-Class Voters — Joe Biden has been the leading candidate for the Democratic nomination for President since before he entered the race last year, but he has been an unusual kind of front-runner. He is on the road less than his rivals …

Discussion: Balloon Juice

Tal Axelrod / The Hill:
Poll: Sanders opens up lead in Iowa

Discussion: NBC News and One America News Network

Brianne Pfannenstiel / Des Moines Register: U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne endorses former Vice President Joe Biden for president

Brie Stimson / Fox News:

Schiff refers to CBS ‘head on pike’ story, infuriating GOP: ‘Every one of us knows it is not true’ — Senate Republicans — including potential swing-voters — expressed outrage Friday after lead House Impeachment Manager Adam Schiff, D-Calif., referred in his closing remarks …

Discussion: Vox, Associated Press, Politico, Redstate, Washington Post, The Hill, NBC News, Twitchy, Raw Story and Althouse

Anita Kumar / Politico:

Forget impeachment. Republicans fear Ukraine revelations could spill into election. — Republicans are already looking past impeachment, sensing a looming Democratic plot to gradually release more Ukraine bombshells as Donald Trump fights for re-election.

Discussion: Associated Press, The Independent, The Daily Beast and HuffPost

Reuters: Defense at Senate trial says removing Trump would be ‘very dangerous’

Washington Post:
The impeachment evidence will catch up to Republicans and Trump — whether they ignore it or not

Discussion: HuffPost, PBS NewsHour, Impeachment dot fyi and Daily Kos

The Hill:
Trump legal team launches impeachment defense

Discussion: The Daily Caller, UPI and Washington Post

Associated Press:
Senate floor belongs to Trump team as defense case opens

Discussion: Politico, Esquire and The Gateway Pundit

Washington Post:
Trump's defense team to target Bidens in counterpunch to impeachment charges

Discussion: Politico, The Hill, UPI, Balloon Juice and The Gateway Pundit

Nik Steinberg / Politico:

Even Before Mike Pompeo's Blowup, State Department Insiders Were Feeling Undermined — On Friday, NPR reporter Mary Louise Kelly found out just how sensitive the issue of impeachment has become at the State Department. During an interview, she asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo whether …

Discussion: NPR, Associated Press, One America News Network, The Guardian and Mother Jones

NPR:

Transcript: NPR's Full Interview With Secretary Of State Mike Pompeo — Mary Louise Kelly: Secretary of State, good to see you. — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo: Good to be with you. Thanks for having me on the show. — Let's start with Iran. What is the plan?

Discussion: Bloomberg, Mother Jones, Slate, The Guardian, The Hill, CNN, The Week, WHYY, Letters from an American, Vox, HuffPost, Raw Story, Mediaite, Fox News, emptywheel, The Daily Beast and Law & Crime, more at Mediagazer »

Jason Breslow / NPR:

Pompeo Won't Say Whether He Owes Yovanovitch An Apology. 'I've Done What's Right' — With the State Department facing continued questions over the treatment of Marie Yovanovitch before she was recalled as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would not say on Friday whether he owed the career diplomat an apology.

Discussion: BuzzFeed News, Washington Post, Politico, Axios, Mother Jones, NBC News, New York Times, The Daily Caller, The Week, Wall Street Journal, MSNBC, Raw Story and Law & Crime

Deirdre Shesgreen / USA Today:
After interview, Pompeo cursed at reporter, yelled: ‘Do you think Americans care about Ukraine?’

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:

Emotional Schiff Speech Goes Viral, Delighting the Left and Enraging the Right — But here, right is supposed to matter. It's what's made us the greatest nation on earth. No constitution can protect us if right doesn't matter any more. And you know, you can't trust this president to do what's right for this country.

Discussion: Power Line, Washington Free Beacon and his vorpal sword

Politico: POLITICO Playbook: Schiff — and what's next

Jason Wilson / The Guardian:

Inside the Base: America's neo-Nazi terror network laid bare — Chats, audio and video obtained by the Guardian give a rare insight into the workings of a disturbing white supremacist group — The Base, a US-based white supremacist “social network” that has recently been targeted by the FBI …

Bret Stephens / New York Times:

Anyone but Trump? Not So Fast — Let's not exchange one reckless president for another. — Donald Trump is a lawless president and revolting person who richly deserved his impeachment and, in a better world, would be convicted in the Senate and removed from the White House.

NBC News:

Who is Dmytro Firtash? The man linked to $1 million loan to Giuliani ally has a shadowy past — The billionaire oligarch is “at the dead center of the greatest corruption operation in Ukraine's history,” said a former senior U.S. diplomat. — In September, one month before Lev Parnas …

Eric Kleefeld / Media Matters for America: Smear merchant John Solomon accidentally reveals role of his lawyers diGenova and Toensing

Martin Pengelly / The Guardian:

Bernie Sanders ‘must reconsider’ Joe Rogan endorsement, says LGBTQ group — Human Rights Campaign says podcast host Rogan has ‘attacked countless marginalised groups at every opportunity’ — Bernie Sanders “must reconsider” his acceptance of an endorsement from Joe Rogan …

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Post and Mediaite

VICE:
Joe Rogan's Endorsement Is One of the Most Influential in America

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, The Daily Beast, The Hill and Mediaite

Wall Street Journal:

Prosecutors Have Evidence Bezos' Girlfriend Gave Texts to Brother Who Leaked to National Enquirer — Text messages are among materials under review in probe examining whether publisher tried to extort Amazon chief — Manhattan federal prosecutors have evidence indicating Jeff Bezos …

Discussion: The Week, FOX 61, New York Post, The Hill and The Verge

Annie Correal / New York Times:

85,000 Pieces in Beloved Chinatown Museum Collection Likely Destroyed in Fire — The president of the Museum of Chinese in America said that she was “just distraught” and that the collection was one of a kind. — The 85,000 items, some dating to the 19th century, told the rich story …

Discussion: UPI, ImmigrationProf Blog and Slate

VFW:

VFW Expects Apology From POTUS — ‘TBI is a serious injury and one that cannot be taken lightly’ — KANSAS CITY, Mo. - “In light of today's announcement from the defense department that 34 U.S. service members suffered traumatic brain injuries as a result of Iran's retaliatory strike …

Discussion: The Guardian and CNN