memeorandum: Impeachment trial: Last day of questioning comes ahead of pivotal vote on witnesses (CBS News)

5:15 PM ET, January 30, 2020

Top Items:

New witnesses unlikely, Trump impeachment trial could end quickly: GOP sources — The Senate trial could be over by the weekend if Republicans have the votes. — LIVE NOW — Senators return at 1 p.m. Thursday for a second day of questions to House managers and President Donald Trump's legal team …

Discussion: Politico, The Hill, The Gateway Pundit, HuffPost, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Daily Caller, IJR, Mediaite, Raw Story and CNN

Quint Forgey / Politico:

Dershowitz attempts to clarify controversial argument about presidential powers — Alan Dershowitz, an attorney for President Donald Trump, on Thursday claimed the media twisted his words when he made the controversial legal argument that a president could engage in a quid pro quo …

Discussion: Associated Press, Mother Jones and The Hill

Politico:
Republicans grow confident they can defeat witness vote and quickly end trial

Discussion: ABC News and The Gateway Pundit

Quin Hillyer / Washington Examiner:
The longer GOP blocks Bolton, the more he will hurt them

Discussion: Raw Story and Washington Post

Anita Kumar / Politico:
Trump allies see witness-swap scheme as impeachment messaging coup

Discussion: Washington Post and New York Times

Washington Post:

New recording shows access Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman had to Trump at Mar-a-Lago donor event — Ten days before Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman dined with President Trump at his Washington hotel, they were part of a small group of Republican Party donors who met with the president at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida estate, a new recording shows.

Discussion: The Intercept and The Week

The Daily Beast:

New Audio Appears to Show Ex-Giuliani Pal Lev Parnas at Dinner With Trump — A second audio recording released by Lev Parnas's attorney purportedly shows the former Giuliani fixer socializing at a 2018 Republican fundraising event. — New audio obtained by The Daily Beast appears …

Discussion: Raw Story

Natasha Bertrand / Politico:

New video shows indicted Giuliani associate with RNC chief Ronna McDaniel — The recording is the second video Lev Parnas' attorney has released this month. — Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel. — New video released by the attorney for Lev Parnas …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, ABC News and The Hill

Marshall Cohen / CNN:

In contrast with Trump legal team, Justice Department lawyer says House can impeach over defied subpoenas — Five memorable exchanges from Wednesday's trial — Washington (CNN)A Justice Department lawyer said Thursday in federal court that the House can impeach a president over ignored subpoenas …

Discussion: Mother Jones, Law & Crime, Raw Story, The Week and Daily Kos

Kayla Tausche / CNBC:

Trump administration has yet to reveal details of Jared Kushner's secretive 2017 meeting in China — In late 2017, CNBC filed a Freedom of Information Act request for details about Jared Kushner's secretive meeting in China during President Trump's visit to the country.

Washington Post: White House to propose keeping Ukraine aid intact in new budget, a big departure from past efforts to slash assistance

Donald J Trump / YouTube:

Stronger, Safer, More Prosperous … With President Trump in office he is improving the lives of ALL Americans. Under President Trump, the economy is booming, historic tax cuts were passed, trade deals have been rengotiated, and African-American, Asian American, and Hispanic American unemployment are all at RECORD LOWS!

Discussion: Washington Post, ABC News, The Hill, CNN and USA Today

Mike Bloomberg / YouTube:

George … Mike Bloomberg 2020's ad airing during Super Bowl LIV highlights the urgent need to prevent gun violence in America and why Mike is the candidate to get it done. — As an entrepreneur, mayor, and problem-solving philanthropist, Mike has taken on the toughest challenges and gotten big things done.

Discussion: New York Times, Politico, Bloomberg, Axios, Breitbart, LifeNews.com, The Gateway Pundit, ABC News, The Daily Caller, Fox News and New York Post

Politico:
POLITICO Playbook PM: Impeachment: It's all over but the shouting

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Associated Press and Breitbart

Associated Press:

AP Exclusive: Woman who says Trump raped her seeks his DNA — NEW YORK — Lawyers for a woman who accuses President Donald Trump of raping her in the 1990s are asking for a DNA sample, seeking to determine whether his genetic material is on a dress she says she wore during the encounter.

Discussion: Washington Post, The Daily Caller, VICE and Mediaite

Wall Street Journal:

The ‘Corrupt Motives’ Doctrine — Every President equates his re-election self-interest with the public interest. It isn't grounds for impeachment. — By The Editorial Board — The questions from Senators in the impeachment trial aren't plowing much new ground, but they have been useful …

Discussion: The Dispatch

MSNBC:
Dershowitz: Anything Trump did to win re-election is in the public interest

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, New Yorker and Contemptor

Allan Smith / NBC News:
‘Nonsense...preposterous...absurd’: Critics lecture Prof. Dershowitz about trial remarks

Discussion: National Review, Washington Post and Raw Story

Kylee Zempel / The Federalist:

Read The Question About Eric Ciaramella That Chief Justice John Roberts Just Refused To Read — During the Senate impeachment trial Thursday, Chief Justice John Roberts declined to read a question submitted by Sen. Rand Paul which included the name of Eric Ciaramella, the man RealClear Investigations …

Discussion: Redstate, Townhall and Instapundit

Politico:
John Roberts refuses Rand Paul's whistleblower question

Discussion: Vox, Associated Press, Law & Crime and The Hill

CBS News:
Impeachment trial: Last day of questioning comes ahead of pivotal vote on witnesses

Discussion: Raw Story, Townhall and CNN

NBC News:

Biden to pre-empt Trump rally with speech and ad on ‘character’ — DES MOINES, Iowa — Former Vice President Joe Biden is set to take on President Donald Trump ahead of the president's rally in Iowa Thursday, pointing out key differences between their leadership styles as he attempts …

Discussion: Associated Press, CNN, ABC News, New York Times, Radio Iowa, Breitbart and The Hill

John McCormack / National Review: Four Days to Iowa: Biden's Closing Argument

New York Times: Buttigieg Attacks Biden and Sanders by Name in Bid to Make Up Ground

CNN:

Leaked memo shows US border officers were directed to stop Iran-linked travelers — (CNN)An internal Customs and Border Protection memo obtained by CNN suggests that US border officers working at Canadian ports of entry were directed to detain and question travelers of Iranian descent …

Gene Johnson / Associated Press:
Congresswoman eyes document on border detention of Iranians

Discussion: Politico

Politico:

How Trump's impeachment created two Democratic superstars — The House Democratic Caucus has long been dominated by a gaggle of also-rans: men and women who, while good enough for Congress, proved to be underwhelming on the larger stage of national politics. — That's changed.

Discussion: Breitbart

Todd S. Purdum / The Atlantic:
Democrats Never Found Their Hero

Discussion: Twitchy and The Gateway Pundit

Washington Post:

Document shows Bernie Sanders's team preparing dozens of potential executive orders — Rising in the polls ahead of the Iowa caucuses, the presidential candidate considers spelling out how he could go around Congress if elected president — Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) …

Discussion: National Review, CNN, Associated Press, LifeNews.com, The Atlantic, PJ Media Home, Axios, The Hill and Common Dreams

New York Times:

Coronavirus Live Updates: W.H.O. Declares a Global Health Emergency — The World Health Organization has declared the epidemic an international public health emergency. Chinese officials say 170 people have died. — RIGHT NOW The infected U.S. patient is the husband of a woman who returned from Wuhan, China.

Discussion: Slate, The South African, Mediaite, Mother Jones, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, The Root and Big Think

Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Confirms First Person-to-Person Spread of Coronavirus

Discussion: Sixth Tone, CNN, Taiwan News and Breitbart

Allan Smith / NBC News:

Coronavirus could mean more U.S. jobs. Wilbur Ross goes there. — “I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America,” Trump's commerce secretary said. — Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Thursday that the coronavirus outbreak in China could lead businesses …

Discussion: Associated Press, Politico, ABC News, Agence France-Presse, Breitbart, One America News Network, The Hill, The Guardian and New York Post

Rachel Siegel / Washington Post:
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says China's coronavirus ‘will help’ bring jobs back to U.S.

Discussion: The American Independent, The Week, Vox, Vanity Fair, New York Post, Common Dreams, The Daily Caller, Raw Story and Bloomberg

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

GOP senators know Trump's defense is based on lies. Here's proof. — As President Trump's trial hurtles toward a vote on new witnesses, his lawyers have based his defense in part on the notion that Trump's demand that Ukraine investigate the Bidens was legitimate.

New York Times:

Bernie Sanders Is Still Sad About the Dodgers — And he knows how to nurse a grudge. — BURLINGTON, Iowa — The role was not an artistic stretch. — “My name is Rabbi Manny Shevitz,” Bernie Sanders began, acting in a little-seen 1999 comedy called “My X-Girlfriend's Wedding Reception.”

Erik Wemple / Washington Post:

The Atlantic made Rahm Emanuel a contributing editor. Then, suddenly, he wasn't. — Last May, the Atlantic announced that Rahm Emanuel, who'd just left his post as Chicago mayor, would be joining the magazine as a contributing editor. “The Atlantic will be the primary home for Emanuel's writing …

Willy Staley / New York Times:

‘High Maintenance’ and the New TV Fantasy of New York — It was probably during the fourth episode of the second season of HBO's “High Maintenance” when I finally noticed what it was up to. The show follows a weed dealer known only as The Guy while he bikes around Brooklyn …

Lizzie Dearden / The Independent:

Katie Hopkins' Twitter account suspended — Move comes after Countdown host Rachel Riley and campaigners demand action from social network — Far-right commentator Katie Hopkins has been suspended from Twitter after calls for a “full review” by the social network.

Discussion: Axios

NBC News:

Coronavirus misinformation surges, fueled by clout chasers — Misleading, unverified and clearly false information about the coronavirus has spread across social media platforms with a mix of fearmongering and racial stereotyping. — Misleading, unverified and clearly false information …

Michael Balsamo / New Haven Register:

AP Exclusive: Barr names new U.S. attorney in DC — WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General William Barr on Thursday named Timothy Shea, one of his closest advisers, to be the next top prosecutor in the nation's capital. — Shea will lead the largest United States attorney's office in the country …

Joseph Simonson / Washington Examiner:

Bernie Sanders praised George Wallace as ‘sensitive’ in 1972 — Seven years after Martin Luther King, Jr. referred to George Wallace as “perhaps the most dangerous racist in America today,” a young Bernie Sanders praised the segregationist Alabama governor.

Discussion: Washington Post

Politico:

Burr backs Trump lawyer claim on foreign dirt — Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) said on Thursday he has “no problem” with a White House lawyer's argument that American politicians can accept damaging information on their opponents from a foreign country — a proposal that shocked Democrats.

Discussion: Daily Kos and The Hill

Anthony Scaramucci / Washington Post:

Hey, John Bolton, welcome to life under the bus — Scaramucci gives Bolton advice on how to survive Trump's tweets. — President Trump's White House has launched another disinformation campaign against a former staffer. This time, John Bolton, the last national security adviser …

Discussion: ABC News, Just Security, CNN, IJR and Raw Story