memeorandum: Bolton book alleges Trump tied Ukraine aid freeze to Biden investigations: NYT (John Bowden/The Hill)

10:20 PM ET, January 26, 2020

Top Items:

Trump Tied Ukraine Aid to Inquiries He Sought, Bolton Book Says — Drafts of the book outline the potential testimony of the former national security adviser if he were called as a witness in the president's impeachment trial. — WASHINGTON — President Trump told his national security adviser …

John Bowden / The Hill:

Bolton book alleges Trump tied Ukraine aid freeze to Biden investigations: NYT — Former national security adviser John Bolton reportedly claims in his as-yet unpublished memoir that President Trump sought to tie hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Ukraine to his requests …

Discussion: Balloon Juice

Jonathan Swan / Axios:

Bolton alleges in book that Trump tied Ukraine aid to investigations — President Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton alleges in his forthcoming book that the president explicitly told him “he wanted to continue freezing $391 million in security assistance to Ukraine until officials …

Discussion: New York Times, Breitbart, The Hill, Daily Kos and Raw Story

Associated Press:

Report: Bolton says Trump tied Ukraine funds to Biden probe — WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump told his national security adviser he wanted to maintain a freeze on military assistance to Ukraine until it launched political investigations into his Democratic rivals, according to a report in The New York Times on Sunday.

Discussion: The Hill

Sarah K. Burris / Raw Story:
John Bolton's manuscript confirms Trump's bribery of Ukraine: report

Discussion: New York Times and Fox News

TMZ.com:

Kobe Bryant & Daughter Die in Helicopter Crash, Photos from Her Last Game — KOBE BRYANT, DAUGHTER GIGI DIE IN HELICOPTER CRASH ... Pics From Her Last Game — KOBE AND GIANNA — 5:55 PM PT — TMZ Sports has obtained some of the last photos taken of Kobe Bryant with his daughter, Gianna …

Los Angeles Times:

Kobe Bryant, daughter Gianna among 9 dead in helicopter crash in Calabasas — Kobe Bryant, 41, the legendary basketball star who spent 20 years with the Los Angeles Lakers, was killed when the helicopter he was traveling in crashed and burst into flames Sunday morning amid foggy conditions …

Discussion: NBC News, Washington Examiner, Jill Filipovic, Townhall, Big League Politics, New York Post, Fox News, globalnews.ca, UPI, Slate, Vox, FOX 61, New York Times, The Root, Consequence of Sound, The Spun, VICE, Redstate, Page Six, The Week and Mediaite

Rishika Dugyala / Politico:

Politicians hit pause after Kobe Bryant's death — The news of Kobe Bryant's death on Sunday cut into a day of impeachment spin and early-states campaigning, with D.C. politicians and 2020 presidential candidates offering condolences and sending tweets about the retired NBA star.

Discussion: Breitbart, One America News Network, FOX 61 and The Hill

Nihar Kabinittal / ABC News:

Kobe Bryant, daughter among 9 dead in helicopter crash in Southern California — The crash resulted in a fire on the scene in the upscale suburb of Calabasas. — LIVE NOW — Basketball legend Kobe Bryant is among nine people who died in a helicopter crash in the wealthy Southern …

Discussion: Breitbart, UPI and ESPN

Alicia Victoria Lozano / NBC News: ‘Nothing to catch us:’ How California's homelessness crisis surged

William B. Taylor / New York Times:

Yes, Secretary Pompeo, Americans Should Care About Ukraine — A former ambassador tells the secretary of state just why. — Mr. Taylor is a former United States ambassador to Ukraine. — As Secretary of State Mike Pompeo prepares to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv later this week …

Ruby Cramer / BuzzFeed News:

“Things Are Gonna Get Crazy”: Bernie Sanders' Camp Is Warning Supporters About A Backlash — ANKENY, Iowa — Across the room, sheets of paper taped to the wall reminded volunteers to organize with respect: “When you are tempted to make a statement,” one read, “ask a question.”

Discussion: Washington Post and New York Times

Susan Page / USA Today:

Poll: A week before the caucuses, Joe Biden leads an Iowa race that remains unsettled — One week before the opening Iowa caucuses, former Vice President Joe Biden leads a fluid Democratic field, a new Suffolk University/USA TODAY Network Poll of the state finds.

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight, Bloomberg, The Hill and Politico

CBS News:

CBS News Battleground Tracker: In Iowa, it's Sanders, Biden and a wild finish ahead — It's a tight and fluid race heading into the final week in Iowa for a lot of reasons. Bernie Sanders is attracting 26% support, with Joe Biden at 25%, as the top preferences of likely caucus goers.

Discussion: The Hill and New York Times

Zach Montellaro / Politico:
Yang qualifies for New Hampshire primary debate

Discussion: CNN, ABC News, Washington Post, The Week, The Hill, Common Dreams and NBC News

Wall Street Journal: On Day Off From Impeachment Trial, Senators Campaign Frantically in Iowa

Paul Farhi / Washington Post:

Emails support NPR host after Pompeo calls her a liar in setting up contentious interview — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says an NPR host lied in setting up an interview with him on Friday, but email records support the journalist's account of how the contentious exchange came to be.

Discussion: The Hill, Mother Jones, HuffPost, ABC News, Daily Kos, NPR and The Wrap, more at Mediagazer »

Washington Post:

Schiff ‘has not paid the price’ for impeachment, Trump says in what appears to be veiled threat — President Trump escalated his attacks on Rep. Adam B. Schiff on Sunday, issuing what appears to be a veiled threat against the California Democrat one day before Trump's team is expected …

Discussion: New York Times, NBC News, Vox, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit and The Hill

Allan Smith / NBC News:
GOP senator: Impeachment should encourage Trump to be more ‘careful’ next time

Discussion: Politico, Breitbart, Talking Points Memo, The Hill, The Daily Caller and Axios

Connor O'Brien / Politico:
‘We did’ give in to Trump stonewalling, House impeachment manager says

Discussion: Axios

Allan Smith / NBC News:
Trump suggests Schiff will pay a ‘price’ for pushing impeachment

Discussion: Raw Story, The Hill, Washington Post and Politico

Marlene Lenthang / Daily Mail:

Jeff Bezos throws lavish party at his new $23million, 11-bedroom Washington DC mansion attended by Ivanka Trump, Bill Gates and Ben Stiller — Jeff Bezos threw a lavish party at his finally finished Washington DC mansion attended by Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and actor Ben Stiller on Saturday night

Nihar Kabinittal / Associated Press:

Germany urged to fight anti-Semitism to avoid Jewish exodus — Germany's foreign minister is calling for strengthened efforts against anti-Semitism to ward off the possibility of many Jews deciding to leave the country — BERLIN — Germany's foreign minister is calling for strengthened efforts …

Discussion: One America News Network and Axios

NBC News: Bloomberg addresses anti-Semitic violence, throws shade at Sanders and Trump

Joe DePaolo / Mediaite:

Fox & Friends Covers Fox News Poll, Completely Ignores Part Showing Trump Down Big to 2020 Rivals — A just-released Fox News poll offered some dire numbers for President Donald Trump. But if the commander-in-chief was watching Fox & Friends on Sunday morning (and he was …

Discussion: Politico, Associated Press and Fox News

Dana Blanton / Fox News:
Fox News Poll: Record economy ratings, as half say Senate should remove Trump

Discussion: Raw Story, Breitbart, New York Post and POLITICUSUSA

Justin Wise / The Hill: Fox News poll: Half of Americans say Trump should be convicted and removed

Ken Meyer / Mediaite:

Chris Wallace Grills Dershowitz About Flipping on Impeachment Stance: 'You Said It Doesn't Have to Be a Crime' — Harvard Law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz faced a bruising interview on Sunday when confronted with his abandoned position that a federal crime isn't necessary to form the legitimate basis to impeach the president.

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:

Trump lawyers' weak start opens the door to devastating questions — President Trump's lawyers' repeated assertions Saturday that they would not take much time on their case confirmed that they know the result is in the bag and that they have embarrassingly little to say in Trump's defense.

Ian Schwartz / RealClearPolitics:
Philbin to Schiff: What Changed That We Don't Need To Hear From The Whistleblower?

Discussion: Power Line and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Maureen Lee Lenker / EW.com:

Michelle Obama adds Grammy winner to her list of accomplishments — Yes she can — win a Grammy. — Michelle Obama can now add Grammy winner to her list of significant accomplishments, including her successes as a lawyer, initiatives as first lady, and her enviable arms (who doesn't want Michelle Obama arms, really?).