Good morning! Here is your news briefing for Thursday November 19, 2019
THE DAILY SIGNAL
| Nov 14, 2019 |
| Good morning from Washington, where House Democrats have their first day of public impeachment hearings behind them. What was the gist? We report. Hopefully, it won’t “retraumatize” anyone, as one apologetic student newspaper worries. On the podcast, a young liberal bemoans the documented intolerance of the left. Plus: Hillary Clinton and Margaret Thatcher, and Republicans’ challenges in California and Virginia. Fifty years ago today, Apollo 12, the second manned mission to the moon, launches from Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying three astronauts. |
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News 6 Key Moments From the First Day of Public Impeachment Hearings By Fred Lucas Both George Kent and Bill Taylor affirm several times they were not among those listening in on the call between President Trump and Ukraine’s Zelenskyy. Chiefly, they testified, they relied on information from others. More Analysis A Gen X Liberal’s Take on the New Woke Left By Katrina Trinko “People who had once seemed very reasonable and questioning and like critical thinkers didn’t seem to be thinking as critically anymore,” says Meghan Daum, describing her growing discomfort with the left. More Commentary Sorry, Hillary: Margaret Thatcher Was Indeed a ‘Gutsy Woman’ By John Cooper Hillary Clinton says the Iron Lady wasn’t included in her book because she wasn’t excellent at “knocking down other barriers for others and trying to make a positive difference.” More Commentary What Happened to California Republicans? By Victor Davis Hanson As taxes climbed, schools eroded, and funds for infrastructure were diverted elsewhere, millions of middle-class Californians fled. More Commentary Virginia’s Elections Should Serve as Wake-up Call to Monochromatic GOP By Raynard Jackson Our country is becoming more diverse with each passing day, but Republican staffs seem to be getting whiter. Until our party views diversity as an asset to be celebrated, and not as a burden to bear, we will continue to lose. More News College Newspaper That Apologized for Covering News Also Won’t Print Another Point of View By Jackson Elliott First the newspaper apologizes to students for how it covered protests of a speech by Jeff Sessions. Then the newspaper refuses to publish a letter from College Republicans defending Sessions’ right to speak. More | ||
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THE EPOCH TIMES
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“Every post is honorable in which a man can serve his country.” George Washington: Good morning, Major gaps were exposed during cross-examination on the first day of the public impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. “The first two witnesses of the inquiry, acting U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor and State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary George Kent, largely backed up Schiff’s narrative, although their assertions crumbled under cross-examination by Republican lawmakers and staff,” writes Epoch Times reporter Ivan Pentchoukov. Read his full article here. Hong Kong Media Run Ads Echoing Beijing’s Anti-Protester Rhetoric Following Police’s Besieging of School Campus Trump Meets Turkish President Erdogan, Stresses Common Ground on ISIS, Trade Facebook Says It Has Shut Down 5.4 Billion Fake Accounts This Year Harvard’s Newspaper Defends Contacting ICE for Comments in the Face of Angry Student Groups The team of U.S. Attorney John Durham has interviewed former Australian diplomat Alexander Downer, according to two Australian newspapers. Durham has been tasked by Attorney General William Barr to probe whether the U.S. government had proper reasons for and acted properly in conducting the Russia investigation, which led to extensive spying… Read more The National Security Agency (NSA) wants to keep the authority to collect phone records of international terrorism suspects and of the people the suspects call, despite having shut down the program due to multiple issues. Moreover, recent NSA testimony to Congress indicated that those issues may well reemerge if the agency decides to restart the program. Read more The city of Hong Kong has seen regular eruptions of violence and chaos over the course of almost six months of mass protests. But the level of intensity over the past week has prompted fear that the crisis may never reach a resolution. Read more China is eroding America’s military superiority and conventional deterrence through the integration of artificial intelligence systems in its military strategies, operations, and capabilities, an independent U.S. federal commission warned, adding that the United States needs to step up investment in the technology and apply it to national security missions. Read more The Supreme Court considered for the second time whether the parents of a foreigner killed outside the country—in this case, in Mexico—by a U.S. law enforcement officer can pursue a claim for damages against the officer. Read more See More Top Stories Have you made the right decision with your money since the last stock market crash? Most people don’t realize they’re not fully protected for the next time the market crashes. With Ty J. Young Wealth Management’s investment strategy, when the stock market goes up, you earn about half of the gains and they lock in every year. But when the stock market goes down, you don’t lose any of it AND you have no ridiculous fees. You can have it for your 401K, IRA, money in a brokerage firm or even money at a bank. Want to know more? Spend 5 minutes with one of our advisors. It’s high quality, it’s simple, and it’s easy. Big Foundations Unleashed Collectivist ‘Revolution’ via US Schools By Alex Newman It may seem counter-intuitive, but massive tax-exempt foundations funded by some of America’s most prominent capitalists and industrialists helped foment what congressional investigators described as a collectivist “revolution” in the United States. The goal was to “so alter life in the United States that it could be comfortably merged with the Soviet Union.” Many tools were used, but the public education system was the most important and effective. Read more Will Medicare for All, With a 10-Year $52 Trillion Price Tag, ‘Fix’ Health Care? By Harry Jacobson Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s Medicare For All proposal, with its recently released price tag and proposed way to pay for it, has generated much debate. While there are a number of excellent points made by critics of the plan, their arguments are mostly about costs and who pays the bill. If that remains the major focus of the debate, we’re at risk of “missing the forest for the trees.” Read more See More Opinions Has China Really Been Faking It? By Valentin Schmid (November 16, 2015) It is curious to see consulting firm McKinsey cheerleading for centrally planned China time and again. This looks like a kind of anchoring bias, which colors some commentators’ view of the country—having been fed the official narrative too much. In their analysis, the rules of economics don’t apply to China, and central planning as well as human rights problems (and a host of other problems, really), can be conveniently ignored. Read more Alexandra Chalupa, a contracted opposition researcher working in 2015 and 2016 for the Democratic National Committee with extensive Ukrainian sources, met with multiple officials in President Barack Obama’s administration in the White House, according to visitor logs examined by Judicial Watch. DNC Researcher With Ukrainian Ties Visited Obama White House Often Advertisement: Copyright © 2019 The Epoch Times, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can unsubscribe from this list or remove my account. |
THE WASHINGTON FREE BEACON
DESERET NEWS
BRIGHT
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Thursday, November 14, 2019 |
First Public Impeachment Hearings Are A Snooze-Fest Democrats did not deliver the drama, the bombshells, or find the smoking gun they have been teasing during yesterday’s first public congressional hearing on impeachment. What came to light during Ukrainian Ambassador William Taylor’s testimony is that at the heart of this kerfuffle is not corruption or quid pro quo, but fundamental disagreements with Trump on foreign policy. Taylor said he was most alarmed about the idea that Trump would withhold foreign aid from Ukraine, a foreign policy matter that the President, not the State Department, has every right to do. This is looking more like a classic case of longtime Washington bureaucrats defying their unorthodox commander-in-chief when he breaks from their sacrosanct conventional wisdom. The Democrat’s other key witness, George Kent, also a State Department official, admitted that potential corruption between Burisma and the Bidens should be investigated. In fact, the hearings were so uneventful that the DC media bubble spent their day complaining about the fact that Rep. Jim Jordan wasn’t wearing a jacket. The Washington Post fashion critic wrote nearly 1,000 words on it. And of course, Chairman Adam Schiff is still lying about not knowing who the whistleblower is (The Federalist). Related: Rand Paul said on a DC morning radio show Wednesday, that a man named Eric Ciaramella, who several outlets have reported to be the whistleblower, needs to be pulled in for testimony. “He’s a person of interest in the sense that he was at the Ukraine desk,” Paul said. Women Dominate The CMA Awards The 2019 Country Music Awards Wednesday night leaned in on the girl power theme with hosts Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, and Carrie Underwood (Some like Jennifer Nettles, formerly of Sugarland, went a little overboard with the theme). Emily Jashinsky described the current dichotomy in country music best, noting the simultaneous popularity of artists like Chris Stapleton and Dan + Shay. “That’s not exactly a new dynamic for country music, but the pop seems to keep getting poppier, even while a handful of traditionalists find success making excellent music that honors the genre’s roots.” Top moments of the night include: Incredible live performance by Reba of “Fancy” (CMA) Kacey Musgraves’ “Rainbow Connection” duet with Willie Nelson (ABC) Jokes about Dolly’s boobs (CMA) The CMA’s biggest mistake of the night was not including Lil Nas X, whose Old Town Road remix with Billy Ray Cyrus broke the record for the longest running number one on the charts—even if controversially. Apparently, they were given an award for “musical event of year” earlier on Wednesday but it was not televised. Over 10 Million People Signed Up For Disney Plus On The First Day So many people signed up for Disney Plus, their new streaming service, on Tuesday that it broke the app for many users. Disney said they had unexpectedly high demand for the service which currently offers nearly 500 movies and 7,500 episodes of TV shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and more. Read full story here (Variety). “Longer term, Disney has projected that Disney Plus will have 60 million-90 million subscribers worldwide by 2024, with one-third of those in the U.S. The company has told Wall Street it expects to spend a little over $1 billion on original content for Disney Plus in its fiscal year 2020, ramping up to the $2.5 billion range by 2024.” I will probably sign up just to watch all the old episodes of Lizzie McGuire. Thursday Links I heard high-waisted jeans were on the way out, but thankfully we can ensure they are here to stay. A great deep dive on why we love jeans that are “tight and towering, with a rigid seam that scooped up the posterior.” (The New Yorker) Relieved to hear that a new podcast about “The Office,” hosted by actors Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey, doesn’t apologize for the show’s perfect political incorrectness (The Federalist) Dream House: Oprah buys Jeff Bridges 100-year-old Spanish Revival-style ranch for $7 million (LA Times) For Trader Joe’s Loyalists: How I Joined the Cult of Cauliflower Gnocchi (Grub Street) For collecting Thanksgiving recipes: Pumpkin cheesecake with toasted marshmallow topping (Amanda Frederickson) Tears: We love you, Alex Trebek (Twitter) BRIGHT is brought to you by The Federalist. |
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Today’s BRIGHT Guest Editor
Madeline Osburn is a writer and podcast producer at The Federalist. You can follow her on Twitter @madelineorr and subscribe to The Federalist Radio hour here. She lives in Texas with her very tall husband and very tiny dog. |
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LARRY J. SABATO’S CRYSTAL BALL
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IN THIS ISSUE: – Medicare for All a Vote Loser in 2018 U.S. House Elections – In Close Runoff, Democrats Try to Finish Strong in Louisiana MEDICARE FOR ALL A VOTE LOSER IN 2018 U.S. HOUSE ELECTIONS By Alan I. Abramowitz Senior Columnist, Sabato’s Crystal Ball |
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KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE — “Medicare for All” has been a major issue in the Democratic primary race. But it also came up a lot in the 2018 cycle. — A regression analysis comparing the performance of 2018 Democratic House candidates shows that those who supported Medicare for All performed worse than those who did not, even when controlling for other factors. — Democratic presidential candidates would do well to take heed of these results, particularly as the eventual nominee determines what he or she wishes to emphasize in the general election. Medicare for All: A warning from 2018 “Medicare for All” has emerged as a key issue in the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination campaign. Two of the leading candidates, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), have made Medicare for All a central issue in their campaigns. Warren’s and Sanders’ proposals would abolish private health insurance in the U.S. within a few years and move all Americans into a government health plan based on the current Medicare program but with no copayments or deductibles. Several Democratic candidates, including former Vice President Joe Biden, who has led in most national polls, have been highly critical of this idea. These candidates, along with a number of health policy experts and pundits, have attacked Sanders’ and Warren’s Medicare for All proposal as prohibitively expensive and politically unrealistic. They have also argued that embracing Medicare for All would alienate many independents and moderate Democrats and risk costing Democrats the electoral votes of several key swing states. But 2020 is not the first election in which Medicare for All was an important campaign issue. It was also debated extensively during the 2018 midterm elections. By examining the impact of Medicare for All on the results of the 2018 U.S. House elections, we may gain some insights into how this issue could affect the 2020 presidential election. Fortunately, we have very good information about the positions taken by Democratic House candidates on Medicare for All based on their responses to a survey conducted by a group advocating for this policy, National Nurses United. According to the results of this survey, 51% (219 of 429 districts included in the survey) of Democratic House candidates endorsed a version of Medicare for All supported by NNU — one that is fairly close to that proposed by Sanders and Warren. Table 1: Support for Medicare for All among Democratic House candidates by district partisanship |
Notes: District Partisanship based on 2016 presidential vote margin. A handful of districts were not included because there either was no Democratic nominee or the Democratic nominee had not yet been determined at time of survey release.
Source: Survey of Democratic House candidates by National Nurses United and data compiled by author.
Not surprisingly, support for Medicare for All was most prevalent among Democratic candidates running in safe Democratic districts. As the data in Table 1 show, fully 73% of Democratic candidates in districts that Hillary Clinton won by a margin of at least 20 points supported Medicare for All. However, the data in Table 1 show that the lowest level of support for Medicare for All was not in strongly Republican districts but in districts that leaned Republican — those that voted narrowly for Donald Trump in 2016. These findings suggest that Democratic candidates were least likely to support Medicare for All in marginally Republican districts where it could reduce their chances of winning.
Table 2: Outcomes of House elections by candidate position on Medicare for All for Democratic challengers and open seat candidates in competitive districts
Source: National Nurses United and data compiled by author
The evidence in Table 2 suggests that Democrats in marginal House districts were right to be concerned about the potential impact of Medicare for All on their electoral prospects. This table displays the relationship between the Democratic candidate’s position on Medicare for All and the election results in 60 competitive House districts — districts that featured no incumbent running or a Republican incumbent seeking another term where Donald Trump won or lost by a margin of less than 10 points. These 60 districts accounted for at least 31 of the 40 net seats gained by Democrats in 2018.[1]
The results in Table 2 show that Democratic candidates supporting Medicare for All did substantially worse than those who did not — winning only 45% of their races compared with 72% for the non-supporters. Their average vote margin of 0.5 percentage points was also somewhat worse than the average vote margin of 3.5 points for the non-supporters. This was true despite the fact that in terms of 2016 presidential vote margin, the districts of supporters were somewhat more Democratic (average Clinton margin of -0.2 points) than the districts of non-supporters (average Clinton margin of -2.7 points). However, non-supporters did spend more money on their campaigns than supporters — an average of nearly $5 million compared with an average of $4.2 million.
Table 3: Regression analysis of vote margins for Democratic challengers and open seat candidates in competitive districts
| Source: National Nurses United and data compiled by author In order to further explore the impact of Medicare for All on the results of these competitive House contests, we need to conduct a multivariate analysis controlling for other factors influencing the outcomes. Table 3 presents the results of a multiple regression analysis of the House results in these 60 districts. The dependent variable here is the Democratic margin in the House election. The independent variables are the Democratic presidential margin in the district in 2016, a dummy variable for districts with a Republican incumbent (vs. open seat contests), the natural logarithm of Democratic campaign spending, the natural logarithm of Republican campaign spending[2] and, finally, whether the Democratic candidate supported Medicare for All. The results in Table 3 indicate that after controlling for all of the other variables affecting the outcomes of these contests, Democratic candidates who endorsed Medicare for All did significantly worse than those who did not. The estimated coefficient of -4.6 indicates that support for Medicare for All cost Democratic candidates in these competitive districts almost five points of vote margin — a substantial effect in a close election. Conclusions An analysis of the impact of Medicare for All on the 2018 House elections indicates that Democratic challengers and open seat candidates in competitive districts who endorsed a version of Medicare for All similar to that proposed by Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren did significantly worse than those who did not. This negative effect, close to five points of margin after controlling for a variety of other factors, was clearly large enough to affect the outcomes of some House contests. It is possible that the estimated effect of Medicare for All was a byproduct of other differences between supporters and non-supporters. For example, supporters might have taken more liberal positions on a variety of other issues as well as Medicare for All. Even if that is the case, however, these findings are not encouraging to supporters of Medicare for All. They indicate that candidates in competitive races who take positions to the left of the median voter could get punished at the polls. Democratic presidential candidates would do well to take heed of these results, particularly as the eventual nominee determines what he or she wishes to emphasize in the general election. Alan I. Abramowitz is the Alben W. Barkley Professor of Political Science at Emory University and a senior columnist with Sabato’s Crystal Ball. His latest book, The Great Alignment: Race, Party Transformation, and the Rise of Donald Trump, was released last year by Yale University Press. Footnotes [1] There were a few districts in Pennsylvania in which the party of the current incumbent could not be determined due to court-ordered redistricting. [2] The natural logarithm of spending is used to account for diminishing returns on spending. This measure works far better than simple spending or difference in spending measures. |
| IN CLOSE RUNOFF, DEMOCRATS TRY TO FINISH STRONG IN LOUISIANA And the presidential shades of Virginia’s state-level results last week |
| By J. Miles Coleman Associate Editor, Sabato’s Crystal Ball |
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KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE — In advance of Saturday’s runoff gubernatorial election in Louisiana, the data point to Gov. John Bel Edwards (D-LA) as a small favorite. — We’re moving our rating there from Toss-up to Leans Democratic, but even if Edwards holds on, it may not be by much. — In the aftermath of Virginia’s election, we found some further signs of nationalization in the results. Table 1: Crystal Ball gubernatorial ratings change Governor Old Rating New Rating John Bel Edwards (D-LA) Toss-up Leans Democratic One last look at the Bayou battle Star New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees often implores his team to “finish strong.” As Gov. John Bel Edwards (D-LA) faces his runoff with businessman Eddie Rispone (R) on Saturday, there are some signs that Louisiana’s Democratic electorate is doing just that. But it’s still an open question as to whether that will be enough for Edwards. In last month’s jungle primary, national Democrats hoped Edwards could clear 50% to win outright. Instead, the governor polled at 46.6%. That was better than the 42% that former Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) took in her 2014 Senate primary — she would lose the runoff 56%-44% to now-Sen. Bill Cassidy (R) — but not an ideal result. Rispone clinched a runoff spot, narrowly edging out Rep. Ralph Abraham (R, LA-5), who is popular in his northern Louisiana district but couldn’t match Rispone’s strength in the more populous metro areas. In the primary, subpar black turnout was the most obvious factor that held Edwards below 50%. State analyst and pollster John Couvillon estimated that black voters made up 26.5% of the primary electorate. By comparison, even in a hostile midterm, Sen. Landrieu was able to generate a 30% black electorate in both her primary and runoff. Looking to Saturday, the early vote suggests that Democrats are turning out their base. With early voting for the runoff concluded, the returns paint a more promising picture for Edwards. Compared to the electorate that voted early in the primary, all but six parishes have seen an increase in the black share of their voters (Map 1). Statewide, nearly 490,000 votes were cast early, the highest amount ever in a non-presidential race, and black voters accounted for 31%, a prerequisite for a Democratic win. Map 1: Change in black share of the early vote from the 2019 Louisiana primary to runoff East Baton Rouge Parish (which contains Baton Rouge proper) and Caddo Parish (Shreveport) both saw robust 9.4 percentage point increases in their black composition. Jefferson Parish, a large suburb of New Orleans, was not far behind, with an 8.5-point uptick. Though it’s not one of the most populous parishes, Morehouse, in the northeastern corner of the state, should be worth watching on Saturday. By registration, it’s split almost evenly between black and white voters. Edwards’ 56% there in 2015 matched his statewide share. In the primary, Abraham carried it with 43% to Edwards’s 42% (it’s in his 5th Congressional District), but since then, it’s seen the most acute spike in black enthusiasm, 13 points. While the standard caveats apply — namely, that the strong early vote tallies could be a cannibalization of Election Day numbers, particularly as early voting becomes more and more popular in Louisiana (and elsewhere) — the consistently lagging black vote during the early voting period in the primary was a harbinger that Edwards would fall under 50%. This time, the early vote suggests — perhaps — a reversal of fortune. For his part, as a Republican in a red state, Rispone has leaned heavily on President Trump. While this may be shrewd from a messaging perspective, at this late stage mobilization is paramount, and the numbers suggest Republicans are being outmaneuvered. Further, last week’s results in Kentucky showed that the president’s support has its limitations even in red states; despite an election eve rally, Trump couldn’t salvage Gov. Matt Bevin’s (R) prospects. Rispone entered the runoff having to distance himself from controversial GOP donor Lane Grigsby. This came to a head when Rob Maness, a two-time Senate candidate who has a following with conservatives, cited Grigsby and Rispone as his reasons for leaving the GOP. While these quarrels in and of themselves may not sway swing voters, they hardly project a unified state party. Rispone has never actually led Edwards in public polling, although the surveys have shown a very close race that is within the margin of error. Two polls this week, one from Mason-Dixon and another from GOP pollster Cygnal, each had Edwards leading, but by only two points. Despite the tight margins, Edwards’ approval/favorability stood at a solid 54% in each poll. While it’s rare that governors with that type of standing find themselves in such contested races, it suggests that, if Rispone finishes ahead, it will be primarily due to the red nature of the state. Last week, Gov.-elect Andy Beshear (D) narrowly overcame Kentucky’s Republican statewide leanings to defeat the unpopular Bevin; can Edwards, as an incumbent, do the same? Ultimately, the data collectively suggest Edwards is a modest favorite for reelection. If the governor’s showing in the primary were more like Landrieu’s 42% in 2014, we’d feel much more bullish about the GOP’s chances. As Edwards’ 46.6% was several points better, and the early vote indicates a more Democratic electorate in the runoff than in the primary, it just seems like he has a clearer path to 50% than Rispone. We’re changing our rating for Louisiana from Toss-up to Leans Democratic. That said, the race remains very close and competitive, and even if Edwards wins, it likely won’t be by much. In Virginia, legislative results portend 2020 shifts Virginia’s 2019 state legislative election further aligned the state’s districts along 2016 presidential voting results. Going into the election, we noted that Democrats held no seats won by Donald Trump in 2016 in either the state House of Delegates or state Senate, and that Republicans held seven House districts and four state Senate seats won by Hillary Clinton in 2016. Democrats flipped two of the four GOP-held Clinton districts in the Senate to forge a 21-19 majority, but Republicans held onto their other two Clinton-won Senate seats, both of which were closely decided both for president in 2016 and for Senate last week (SD-7 and SD-12). In the House, five of the six Democratic gains came in Clinton-won districts held by Republicans, some of which had become more Democratic in a redistricting ordered by a federal court in advance of the 2019 election. The sixth Democratic gain came in an open seat, HD-28, that Trump carried by about a point in 2016. Meanwhile, Republicans held two Clinton-won districts (HD-66 and HD-100). In other words, the 2019 Virginia results were defined largely by presidential partisanship. Overall, Clinton carried 56 of 100 districts under the new, partially court-drawn Virginia House of Delegates map, and Democrats won a 55-45 majority. In the state Senate, under a map drawn by Democrats at the start of the decade, Clinton carried 23 of 40 districts, and Democrats won a 21-19 majority. With the legislature under their control, Democrats in the Commonwealth will now turn their attention to 2020. At the senatorial level, Sen. Mark Warner (D) will run for a third term. As we’ve noted in previous articles, Warner has done a better job finding crossover support in rural areas of the state than most other Democrats. Though he faced an unexpectedly close race in 2014, he won, in part, thanks to his uncommon appeal in Appalachia. Compared to fellow Sen. Tim Kaine (D), who was reelected in a 57%-41% landslide, Warner ran a bit better in rural western parts of the state while the Urban Crescent powered much of Kaine’s overperformance (Map 2). Map 2: Change in Virginia U.S. Senate races, 2014 to 2018 Loudoun County, which swung 29% more Democratic, and Alleghany County, which moved 36% more Republican, experienced some of the sharpest swings between the elections. Taken together, they offer concrete clues about how the 2020 Senate map could shape up. One of the most seemingly anachronistic features of Warner’s 2014 map was that he lost Loudoun County, albeit by less than 500 votes. A swing county in the Obama era, Northern Virginia’s Loudoun is the wealthiest county in the state and has reacted especially poorly to Trump’s populist brand of Republicanism. In her successful 2016 reelection, former Rep. Barbara Comstock (R, VA-10) lost it by just 165 votes out of the nearly 180,000 it cast, even as Trump lost there by 17 points. In 2018, fueled by a suburban blue wave, then-state Sen. Jennifer Wexton (D) carried Loudoun County by 20% in her victory over Comstock. At the legislative level, similar trends have taken hold there. In 2015, GOP candidates won the popular vote 55%-45%, to maintain a majority of the Loudoun delegation in the House of Delegates. Last week, Democratic candidates won nearly two-thirds of the popular vote there (although this was inflated somewhat due to uncontested races). Given this movement, it seems that Warner almost certainly will gain Loudoun County back in 2020 (he carried it in his landslide 2008 Senate race). In Appalachia, one of the few rural counties that Warner carried was Alleghany, which sits in the middle of the Shenandoah Valley. Warner posted a comfortable 53%-44% margin there in 2014; by 2018, Kaine took just 36%. In the state Senate, Alleghany County is in SD-25, held by Democrat Creigh Deeds, a fixture in local politics. Deeds was the party’s nominee in the 2009 gubernatorial race — despite losing the election with just 41% statewide, he cleared 60% in Allegheny. SD-25 bridges several rural counties in the Shenandoah Valley to liberal Charlottesville (the Center for Politics’ home base). Though he’s from rural Bath County, and has traditionally done well in the western counties, Deeds was reliant on the Charlottesville part of his district last week. Though he was reelected with 67.5%, Deeds’ western counties defected to Elliott Harding, an independent candidate who previously worked for Republicans (Map 3). Going forward, it may be hard to see how Warner can replicate his 2014 margin in Alleghany County if a proven local figure like Deeds can’t carry it. If this indeed happens in 2020, it’s a great tradeoff for Warner: Loudoun cast 183,050 votes in the 2016 presidential race, while Alleghany cast only 7,325. There are lots of counties like Alleghany in western Virginia that are moving red, but they are not densely populated — and the blue trend in Loudoun and several other big Virginia counties has been more electorally significant statewide. Map 3: Virginia Senate District 25 in 2019 — Kyle Kondik contributed to this article. Out Now: The Blue Wave, the UVA Center for Politics’ book on the 2018 election Our new book on the 2018 midterm elections, The Blue Wave: The 2018 Midterms and What They Mean for the 2020 Elections, is now available from Rowman and Littlefield. Edited by University of Virginia Center for Politics Director Larry J. Sabato and Crystal Ball managing editor Kyle Kondik, The Blue Wave features top journalists, academics, and analysts who explore the 2018 midterm from all angles and look ahead to the monumental presidential election coming in 2020. Use code RLFANDF30 for 30% off at Rowman and Littlefield’s website. The Blue Wave features the following contributors and chapters: — Larry J. Sabato: The Blue Wave: Trump at Midterm — Alan I. Abramowitz: The Trump Effect: The 2018 Midterm Election as a Referendum on a Polarizing President — Rhodes Cook: The Primaries: Democrats Shine in the Shadow of Trump — David Byler: Humpty Dumpty’s Fall: How Trump’s Winning Presidential Coalition Broke Down in 2018 — Kyle Kondik: The House: Where the Blue Wave Hit the Hardest — James Hohmann: The Senate: The Republicans’ Bright Spot — Madelaine Pisani: The Governors: Democratic Wave Falls Short of a Wipeout — Michael Toner and Karen Trainer: The Money Wars: Emerging Campaign Finance Trends and Their Impact on 2018 and Beyond — Emily C. Singer: Women Rule: The Surge of Women in Congress — Theodore R. Johnson: Hindsight in 2020: Black Voting Behavior and the Next Presidential Election — Matt Barreto, Gary Segura, and Albert Morales: The Brown Tide and the Blue Wave in 2018 — Diana Owen: Presidential Media and the Midterm Elections — Joshua T. Putnam: Foresight is 2020: New Features of the Democratic Delegate Selection Rules — Sean Trende: Was 2018 a Wave Election? Read the fine print Learn more about the Crystal Ball and find out how to contact us here. Sign up to receive Crystal Ball e-mails like this one delivered straight to your inbox. Use caution with Sabato’s Crystal Ball, and remember: “He who lives by the Crystal Ball ends up eating ground glass!” |
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NOQ REPORT
- If impeachment by opinions is allowed to work, this nation is doomed
- Jordan calls out ‘So-And-So Said Such And Such’ impeachment
- Update on Baby Jacob
- Watch: Jim Jordan puts smackdown on ‘star witness’
- Deep State+ ain’t worth the subscription
| If impeachment by opinions is allowed to work, this nation is doomed Posted: 14 Nov 2019 05:22 AM PST Let’s get legal. There’s a fact few Americans understand about the Constitution and our founding fathers. It’s not taught in civics class and few would likely agree with this assessment as a result. But the Ben Franklin phrase “a republic if you can keep it,” which was invoked by those charging the President with “high crimes […] The post If impeachment by opinions is allowed to work, this nation is doomed appeared first on Conservative Christian News. |
| Jordan calls out ‘So-And-So Said Such And Such’ impeachment Posted: 14 Nov 2019 04:56 AM PST Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) decimating the Democrat’s case for impeachment Representative Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) took apart the Democrats case for impeachment in questioning their ‘star witness’ former Ambassador to Ukraine, Bill Taylor. The video has the Representative outlining the circumstances of the case, pointing out four facts: The call shows no linkage between dollars in […] The post Jordan calls out ‘So-And-So Said Such And Such’ impeachment appeared first on Conservative Christian News. |
| Update on Baby Jacob Posted: 14 Nov 2019 04:25 AM PST As some of you may know, my son has a problem with his heart. Today, he will be having his third open-heart surgery in two-and-a-half years. Prayers are immensely appreciated. He’s a fighter but he definitely needs the Lord’s assistance through this challenge, as does his family. I hate to make anything on this site seem too […] The post Update on Baby Jacob appeared first on Conservative Christian News. |
| Watch: Jim Jordan puts smackdown on ‘star witness’ Posted: 14 Nov 2019 03:57 AM PST As much as I hate delving into what looks like Clickservatism, it needs to be said that Jim Jordan just took a 2×4 to the William Taylor’s usefulness in the impeachment process. The beginning of the impeachment process should be quite favorable for the Democrats in theory. Just like how in a criminal trial, the […] The post Watch: Jim Jordan puts smackdown on ‘star witness’ appeared first on Conservative Christian News. |
| Deep State+ ain’t worth the subscription Posted: 13 Nov 2019 07:00 AM PST I suppose it’s only fitting that Adam Schiff chose now to launch the public phase of his quixotic quest to impeach Donald Trump for the high crime of conducting foreign policy as he sees fit. That’s because just yesterday, Disney launched its new streaming service to compete with the one Apple rolled out the other […] The post Deep State+ ain’t worth the subscription appeared first on Conservative Christian News. |
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REALCLEARPOLITICS
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11/14/2019 Share: Carl Cannon’s Morning Note Impeachment; Voters’ Second Choices; Casals’ Return Good morning, it’s Thursday, Nov. 14, 2019. Today’s morning newspapers and television broadcasts are full of impeachment coverage, which will be the case for a while. Fifty-eight ago on this date, though, a U.S. president awoke to glowing news coverage about his activities at the White House. The night before President Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline, had hosted a dinner honoring Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Muñoz Marin. It was followed by a salute to the arts highlighted by famed cellist Pablo Casals’ live performance; in attendance was an impressive array of music-world luminaries including Leonard Bernstein, Eugene Ormandy, and Aaron Copeland. “The East Room,” wrote influential Washington Post music critic Paul Hume, “has never before seen such a gathering of prominent musicians.” As for Casals’ performance, Hume gushed over the 84-year-old Spaniard’s “incredibly persuasive fluency and power.” It was a rare phenomenon, Casals performing in Washington, and it had positive consequences for the Kennedys, as I’ll explain in a moment. First, I’d point you to RealClearPolitics’ front page, which presents our poll averages, videos, breaking news stories, and aggregated opinion columns spanning the political spectrum. We also offer original material from our own reporters and contributors, including the following: * * * As History Plays Out in House and on Twitter, Trump Lays Low. Phil Wegmann has this assessment of Wednesday’s hearing. The Impact of Voter Second Choices as 2020 Dems Drop Out. David Brady and Brett Parker spotlight findings from the latest YouGov polling. Murkowski: U.S. Made Vulnerable by Lag in Key Mineral Extraction. Phil has the story. The Climate Leadership Council’s Bipartisan Solution. In RealClearEnergy, Greg Bertelsen lays out a plan expected to win support from both Democrats and Republicans. 2019 Is at the Front End of a Long-Term Fiscal Problem. In RealClearPolicy, James Capretta looks at the ballooning deficit and warns that now is the time for government consolidation, not expansion. How Facebook Can Fix Itself, Without Warren’s “Help.” In RealClearMarkets, William Collier offers advice to the besieged social media giant. Could a 737 Land on an Aircraft Carrier? RealClearScience editor Ross Pomeroy explores a seemingly preposterous idea floated by a onetime commander of the International Space Station. * * * Although John F. Kennedy was his usual charming self the night of Nov. 13, 1961, in one sense the acclaim directed his way for the White House salute to the arts was undeserved. Or rather, JFK was really basking in reflected light: The praise should have been directed instead to first lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Thanks to Princeton political scientist Fred Greenstein, presidential scholars have known for many years that Dwight Eisenhower quietly and deliberately dumbed down his presidential speeches as a canny way of connecting with everyday Americans. Two weeks after Eisenhower was succeeded by John Kennedy, another Ivy League professor — Arthur Schlesinger Jr. — wrote a memo to the new president suggesting he tack in a different direction: The Kennedys, he advised, should openly court intellectuals. “You are a writer and historian,” Schlesinger wrote. “Your wife is a patron of the arts. You have appointed intellectuals to positions in your administration. You summoned the leading artists and writers in America to your inauguration.” In doing so, Schlesinger argued, Kennedy had already given “the intellectual community of the United States a sense of being important to the country once again.” Schlesinger’s memo to his fellow Harvard man was simultaneously flattering to the young president and self-reverential. But it was not untrue. The key line, as it happened, was the one about the new first lady being a patron of the arts. Jacqueline Kennedy was knowledgeable in an array of artistic genres with which her husband had only a passing familiarity, if any. Classical music was a case in point. As author Tevi Troy pointed out in a marvelous 2013 book (“What Jefferson Read, Ike Watched, and Obama Tweeted: 200 Years of Popular Culture in the White House”), there is little evidence Jack Kennedy even knew what instrument Pablo Casals played before Jackie brought up his name. But JFK quickly deduced both the marital advantages and geopolitical significance of hosting him at the White House. Casals had last played there for Theodore Roosevelt in 1904. But after the Spanish Civil War, he had made it a practice not to perform in countries that recognized the Franco government. The United States was one such nation, but the octogenarian cellist, then living in Puerto Rico, made an exception when he received the Kennedys’ invitation. In his welcoming remarks, the president told Casals “what a great honor it is to have you back.” He noted that Theodore Roosevelt’s daughter Alice was present — as she had been in 1904. “I also want to welcome those of you who are in the world of music, and those who support those who are in the world of music,” the president added. “…We believe that an artist, in order to be true to himself and his work, must be a free man or woman.” Carl M. Cannon Washington Bureau chief, RealClearPolitics @CarlCannon (Twitter) ccannon@realclearpolitics.com |
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THE RESURGENT
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The Resurgent’s Morning Briefing for November 14,2019
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Good morning, Here is all the news conservatives need to know to start their day. At 4pm ET, you can catch me on radio to bring you up to speed on developments throughout the day. You can listen live here. Liz Warren Panders as George Washington Spins Over To say that first President and Father of the Country George Washington was prescient and prophetic when it came to understanding the devastating effects that political parties would have on the health of our republic, would be the pinnacle of an understatement. In his sagacious and breathtakingly astute Farewell Address, he wrote, [T]he common and […] The post Liz Warren Panders as George Washington Spins Over appeared first on The Resurgent. Read in browser » Georgia Dem Teresa Tomlinson Doesn’t Think Black Pastors Are Serious People This is Teresa Tomlinson talking to a group in Decatur, GA the other day about her 2010 mayoral race in Columbus, GA. She ran in that race against Zeph Baker, an African-American megachurch pastor who is highly respected. But Tomlinson says the voters rejected him because they wanted a serious person with a steady hand. […] The post Georgia Dem Teresa Tomlinson Doesn’t Think Black Pastors Are Serious People appeared first on The Resurgent. Read in browser » Here Is Why Georgia “Head to Head” Polls Are Useless Let’s dispense with the hysterics of a Georgia battleground, and Stacey Abrams’ call to battle. This is Trump’s race to lose, and in Georgia, at this point, he’s fairly safe except from Joe Biden. I realize that’s not a story worth the AJC’s time, but that’s the truth. The post Here Is Why Georgia “Head to Head” Polls Are Useless appeared first on The Resurgent. Read in browser » San Francisco’s New Cop-Hating DA, Chesa Boudin, Welcomes You to Venezuela By The Bay America is a strange place, looked at globally. We daily prove that all government is local, and while we obsess over who will rule the roost in Washington, D.C., and what politicians will ascend to the White House or to Congress, we tend to ignore the petty, evil dictators that can have much more influence over our lives than any orange-tinted Twitter mogul on the Potomac. The Pol Pots who reign over San Francisco, and its citizens who have elected a cop-hater from a cop-murdering family to be its chief prosecutor, are quickly destroying what little character their city has. They are driving its real citizens to move out (to New York, Seattle, Washington, D.C., and Denver, but only if you’re white), and its minorities to endure hellacious commutes and cheap housing with little economic opportunity. The post San Francisco’s New Cop-Hating DA, Chesa Boudin, Welcomes You to Venezuela By The Bay appeared first on The Resurgent. Read in browser » A Carbon Tax is a Bad Idea. Don’t Trust Republicans Who Support It. A group of “Republicans” are about to launch a massive ad buy to pressure congressional Republicans to support a carbon tax. They claim the tax would be paid to drive up the costs of using fossil fuels, but would be refunded. This is nonsensical and Congress itself cannot be trusted to refund that money. Likewise, […] The post A Carbon Tax is a Bad Idea. Don’t Trust Republicans Who Support It. appeared first on The Resurgent. Read in browser » The Extent to Which You Think Nikki Haley is Angling For Pence’s Job is the Extent to Which You Are Stupid You can get an idea of who the stupidest pundits in America are by the extent to which they believe Nikki Haley is angling to replace Vice President Mike Pence. That is not going to happen. Haley does not expect it to happen. She is not angling for it to happen. Those suggesting she wants […] The post The Extent to Which You Think Nikki Haley is Angling For Pence’s Job is the Extent to Which You Are Stupid appeared first on The Resurgent. Read in browser » Sweeps Week in Congress Make no mistake, this is going to be a spectacle and the Democrats are going to relish it. The media is going to go to the mats for the narrative, but the narrative has subtly shifted. We have spent several weeks with Democrats and the press saying “quid pro quo” and now they’re going to […] The post Sweeps Week in Congress appeared first on The Resurgent. Read in browser » Recent Items: New Poll Shows Mayor Pete Leading In Iowa Sanford Ends Primary Campaign Did Anyone Notice What Kamala Harris Just Said About Democrats? Remember, you can listen to the Erick Erickson Show anytime and anywhere via WSB Radio, iTunes, Stitcher, and Soundcloud. As always, you can find pretty much anything and everything I’m writing about throughout the day via The Resurgent. Thanks for reading and tuning in. Erick Erickson THE RESURGENT Facebook Twitter Instagram Copyright © 2019 The Resurgent Media Group, LLC, All rights reserved. unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences |
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ADVERTISEMENT HIGHLIGHTS ‘They haven’t all been released’: Meadows rips CBS reporter for claiming she has read every deposition ‘I was soaked’: LA woman recounts attack by homeless man who poured feces on her Having outlasted senators and governors Andrew Yang scales up his campaign ANALYSIS: House GOP used hearing to drum up the base and keep Senate Republicans in line Republican House members opened the first public impeachment hearing with a boisterous, partisan defense of President Trump that analysts and strategists said would help mobilize support in the 2020 election but reflected a split in strategy from the Senate. After nearly half a century, the Equal Rights Amendment is suddenly back in play The Equal Rights Amendment, the feminist amendment to the Constitution that seemingly ran aground in the early 1980s, has gained fresh momentum, as Democratic victories mean Virginia is poised to become the 38th and final necessary state to ratify it. ‘Cache of diamonds’: Trump-Biden impeachment fight originates with corrupt chauffeur Sixty-five diamonds and a shady chauffeur underpin the investigation that doomed former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin and grew into an impeachment investigation targeting President Trump. Minds made up: Democrats barrel toward impeachment Democrats are calling it extortion, while Republicans say it’s a sham impeachment proceeding. ADVERTISEMENT ABC political analyst accused of sexism after attack on GOP lawmaker ABC News political analyst Matthew Dowd faced heavy criticism after making an allegedly sexist attack against a Republican lawmaker over Twitter on Wednesday. ‘That’s journalism’: Tucker Carlson pledges to name whistleblower if he confirms identity Fox News host Tucker Carlson said he will name the Ukraine whistleblower once he has confirmed the person’s identity. Top Mueller prosecutor Andrew Weissmann offers impeachment advice to Democrats One of special counsel Robert Mueller’s top prosecutors is offering advice to House Democrats for their impeachment proceedings against President Trump. Democratic lawmaker: Hearsay evidence ‘can be much better’ than direct in some cases Rep. Mike Quigley defended the impeachment testimony of two witnesses by asserting that hearsay evidence is sometimes admitted into court. ‘Five categories of lies’: Prosecutor says Roger Stone should go to prison to show ‘truth still matters’ Roger Stone’s trial ended with a clash between federal prosecutors and the longtime Republican hatchet man’s defense over whether the “dirty trickster” lied to Congress to protect President Trump. Trump asks for questions from ‘friendly reporters’ during press conference President Trump said during a press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he wanted questions only from reporters that are friendly. Congressman cryptically spells out ‘EPSTEIN DIDN’T KILL HIMSELF’ using first letter of 23 tweets Republican Rep. Paul Gosar spelled out the phrase “Epstein didn’t kill himself” using the first letter of each tweet in a string of 23 tweets. Erdogan claims he will protect Christians in the Middle East Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed he will work to protect religious minorities in the Middle East, despite past persecution of Christians in the region. THE ROUNDUP Trump gives warm welcome to Turkey’s president Deval Patrick Will Enter 2020 Presidential Race on Thursday McConnell suggests he will not cut short impeachment trial ADVERTISEMENT |
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POLITICO PLAYBOOK
POLITICO Playbook: What Democrats and Republicans are telling us about Wednesday’s impeachment show
By ANNA PALMER and JAKE SHERMAN
11/14/2019 06:03 AM EST
Updated 11/14/2019 07:31 AM EST
DRIVING THE DAY
DAY ONE IS OVER, and it’s hard to encapsulate six hours of hearings in a single headline. We spent the evening in the Capitol chatting up lawmakers, aides and reporters, and here is how insiders are thinking about Wednesday — and the next eight days of hearings:
— THE SIX-HOUR HEARING presented unique challenges for both parties. Republicans didn’t get their first crack at the witnesses, BILL TAYLOR and GEORGE KENT, until about 1 p.m., after the opening statements and 45 minutes from House Intel Chairman ADAM SCHIFF (D-Calif.), who had a solid day, per members of both parties, along with Dem counsel DAN GOLDMAN. Democrats had to weave together what they believe to be an airtight tale — they did so expertly — interspersed with Republicans trying to blow gaping holes in everything they were saying.
— TV, usually a boon for Republicans in the Trump era, seemed to cut against them this time. KENT and TAYLOR took pains to emphasize that they had no allegiance for or against President DONALD TRUMP, and they were believable, according to most every Democrat and Republican we spoke to. And one of the keys for Democrats was that both of them said linking aid to seemingly political investigations was wrong, and unusual.
— THERE ARE A FEW WAYS top-level lawmakers and aides in both parties are looking at the Republicans’ performance. They dove headfirst down rabbit holes, regaling the crowd of millions of viewers with right-wing Twitter conspiracy theories. But they also did a decent job of muddying the waters, confusing the testimony and fighting the Democrats “to a draw.” We heard the “draw” language from many Republicans on Wednesday night.
— IMPORTANT TO NOTE: Republicans did not change the narrative arc of what Democrats are alleging. They are only saying Democrats were relying on witnesses who did not have the firsthand knowledge to make the allegations. … NYT ED BOARD: “And those Americans who tuned in also learned that the Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee have set themselves a degrading task. Rather than engage the facts about Mr. Trump’s Ukrainian escapade, they are twisting them and eliding them and inventing new ones they’d prefer. They spent most of Wednesday stuffing straw men and then ostentatiously knocking them down.”
— ONE SURPRISING THING WE HEARD A FEW TIMES from people of both parties:that the American public simply believes politics and government are dirty, and is not surprised that the president held up military aid to force an investigation into a political rival. In fact, there’s a theory that this is seen as business as usual.
— TWO GOP HIGHLIGHTS people are talking about: Rep. JIM JORDAN (R-Ohio) using testimony to weave together a narrative about how TAYLOR was relying on hearsay. “You’re their star witness,” Jordan said with incredulity to Taylor — a bite that played over and over again on cable and on NBC and ABC evening news broadcasts. And Rep. DEVIN NUNES (R-Calif.) criticizing SCHIFF for his dramatic, exaggerated impression of Trump on the phone call — something Democrats cringe at because it was a rare unforced error by Schiff.
— UNDOUBTEDLY, the star for Democrats was GOLDMAN, who had a mastery of the material that seems completely foreign to most elected officials. Sharp questioning also came fromRep. ERIC SWALWELL (D-Calif.), who got both witnesses to say they were not “Never Trumpers,” and Rep. JOAQUIN CASTRO (D-Texas), who tried to get Taylor to stipulate that an attempt to extort a country is a crime in and of itself, even if it’s not successful.
— AS NBC’S KATY TUR POINTED OUT TO US, one of the Democratic highlights undoubtedly came from Vermont Democratic Rep. PETER WELCH. JORDAN was asking for the whistleblower to testify — “the guy who started it all,” he said — when WELCH said he’d welcome “the guy who started it all” coming forward, and that TRUMP could testify anytime.
— HOW YOU CAN TELL REPUBLICANS ARE STILL FLAILING A BIT: The GOP keeps talking about how no one has firsthand information — all while the administration is blocking almost everyone who has firsthand information.
— THE GORDON SONDLAND HEARING — which is set for next Wednesday — now carries added weight. The political donor was the subject of so much of the questioning Wednesday afternoon. According to testimony, he spoke to the president repeatedly about what are being described as politically motivated investigations. Sondland even spoke with the president on his cellphone from a restaurant in Kyiv — he was surely spied on, experts say — and had the volume up loud enough that an aide to Taylor heard the phone call, during which the president quizzed Sondland about the Biden probes. Both sides tell us they will be sharpening their knives for Sondland, though one Republican cautions that he’s flaky and underwhelming, and will be good for neither party.
— ANOTHER BIG ONE … Friday’s deposition by DAVID HOLMES will also be crucial. Holmes, the counselor for political affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, was the Taylor aide who overheard the Trump/Sondland cellphone call. He is a firsthand witness.
A message from the Stop The HIT Coalition:
The Health Insurance Tax will take a toll on hardworking Americans by increasing health care costs by $500 a year per family, with more than half the total cost falling on those making less than $50,000. Congress needs to act now to Stop The Health Insurance Tax.
TO WIT … WAPO: “Ambassador’s cellphone call to Trump from Kyiv restaurant was a stunning breach of security, former officials say,” by Ellen Nakashima: “‘The security ramifications are insane — using an open cellphone to communicate with the president of the United States,’ said Larry Pfeiffer, a former senior director of the White House Situation Room and a former chief of staff to the CIA director. ‘In a country that is so wired with Russian intelligence, you can almost take it to the bank that the Russians were listening in on the call.’” WaPo
NYT’S PETER BAKER made a point that was rattling around our heads for the last 24 hours … “It was not clear that minds were changed. Certainly they were not inside the room, and most likely not elsewhere on Capitol Hill, where Republicans and Democrats were locked into their positions long ago. Nor were there any immediate signs that the hearing penetrated the general public. While major television networks broke into regular programming to carry it live, there was little sense of a riveted country putting everything aside to watch à la Watergate.” NYT
SO, ODDLY ENOUGH, perhaps evening news might have a special relevance in this phase of the Trump administration. Millions of people still watch the evening news, and we doubt as many stuck around to watch the full six hours of hearings.
ABC’S DAVID MUIR and CBS’ NORAH O’DONNELL both broadcast their shows from D.C. on Wednesday night. NBC’S LESTER HOLT was in New York. Here’s what they said:
— MUIR was on the Capitol campus, and introduced the issue like so: “Tonight, from Washington, the new evidence revealed. The impeachment surprise on Day One. Tonight, history made here in Washington. The televised hearings begin. The drama and the stakes inside that room. The first two witnesses. And the new evidence, the alleged phone call involving President Trump we did not know about. And the person who heard that call already summoned to Capitol Hill. President Trump’s response — just in tonight.”
— O’DONNELL, from the top of the Jones Day building near the Capitol: “Breaking news tonight, a bombshell revelation, as historic public hearings begin in the impeachment inquiry. A top diplomat, for the first time, revealing a phone call tying the president directly to a pressure campaign against Ukraine.”
— HOLT, from 30 Rock: “Breaking news tonight. The historic showdown on Capitol Hill. The first public impeachment hearing in more than 20 years. Millions across the country watching it all play out on live TV. The two key witnesses testifying about President Trump and pressure on Ukraine to investigate his political rivals. The explosive new revelations about a second phone call involving the president.
“Tense moments in the room between Democrats and Republicans. [Schiff]: ‘If this is not impeachable conduct, what is?’ [Jordan]: ‘What you heard did not happen. It didn’t happen.’ The president calling the hearing a sham while welcoming Turkey’s leader for a controversial White House visit. Our powerhouse political team breaking it all down.”
POLITICO’S COVERAGE: “Democrats land damning new evidence in impeachment testimony,” by Kyle Cheney and Andrew Desiderio … Highlights … “Democrats survive day one of impeachment slog,” by John Bresnahan, Sarah Ferris, Melanie Zanona and Heather Caygle … JOHN HARRIS’ COLUMN: “Trump exposed: A brutal day for the president”
NATIONAL FRONT PAGES: NYT: “ENVOYS REVEAL SCOPE OF TRUMP UKRAINE PUSH … Testimony Cites a ‘Highly Irregular’ Policy Channel … A Return of Old Washington In Defiance of a Raucous Era … Witnesses Embody the Power of the Moment” … WAPO: “Testimony puts Trump closer to scandal”
NYT’S MARK LEIBOVICH on A1: “On Capitol Hill, Old-School Washington Keeps Circus at Bay”: “After so much noise, a formal feeling fell upon the Capitol. The civil servants had entered the room.
“In a sense, seriousness itself stood trial on Wednesday as William B. Taylor Jr., the top American diplomat in Ukraine, and George P. Kent, a top State Department official, strode into the velvet-draped hearing room just after 10 a.m. They wore stern stares and were seemingly oblivious to the discord that brought them there. …
“It helped that he and the bow-tied Mr. Kent presented as traditionalists of an ilk distinct from any Trumpian vintage. With his wire-rimmed glasses and up-arrow eyebrows, Mr. Taylor in particular resembled a prep-school headmaster, tough but fair and near impossible to discredit. …
“This collision was probably inevitable from the second the 45th president took his hand off the Bible in January 2017. It was a clash between Trump Washington and old Washington, the disrupter and disrupted, the bull and the china shop. But by appearing, Mr. Taylor and Mr. Kent offered a salvo in a new phase — the impeachment spectacle that no doubt will last months, heading wherever it does.” NYT
A NEW GOP STRATEGY? — “Republicans discuss a longer Senate impeachment trial to scramble Democratic primaries,” by WaPo’s Bob Costa, Michael Scherer and Seung Min Kim: “Some Republican senators and their advisers are privately discussing whether to pressure GOP leaders to stage a lengthy impeachment trial beginning in January to scramble the Democratic presidential race — potentially keeping six contenders in Washington until the eve of the Iowa caucuses or longer.
“Those conversations about the timing and framework for a trial remain fluid and closely held, according to more than a dozen participants in the discussions. But the deliberations come as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) faces pressure from conservative activists to swat back at Democrats as public impeachment hearings began this week in the House.” WaPo
YES! … WAPO’S ROBIN GIVHAN on JACKETLESS JIM JORDAN: “For dignity’s sake, Jim Jordan, put on a jacket”
Good Thursday morning. DEVAL PATRICK is set to enter the 2020 presidential contest this morning on “CBS This Morning.”
— THE BOSTON GLOBE’S VICKY MCGRANE and MATT STOUT: “A person familiar with Patrick’s plans said he is slated to travel to New Hampshire on Thursday to file papers at the State House to appear on the ballot there. He then will travel to California before heading to Nevada, Iowa, and South Carolina — three other crucial early nominating states.” Globe
BRIEFLY NOTED … SEN. TOM CARPER (D-Del.) at a fundraiser for JOE BIDEN on Wednesday night in Alexandria: “They say the third time’s a charm. And I think this might just be it.” (via pooler Molly Nagle of ABC)
Playbook PM
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HAPPENING TODAY, MAYBE: Trump said he would release the transcript of his first call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as Democrats have demanded. This one happened in April.
ATTN. PRESIDENT TRUMP … BURGESS EVERETT HAS NEWS FOR YOU … “Don’t count on the Senate to save Dreamers”: “President Donald Trump says young undocumented immigrants have nothing to worry about from the Supreme Court. The Senate begs to differ.
“Minority Whip Dick Durbin has been on the front lines of the Senate’s immigration battles for decades, including trying unsuccessfully to work with Trump over the last three years. And he says after so many stalemates, there’s no reason to believe Trump’s optimism this time around.
“‘The man is not looking for a solution. Stephen Miller and his gang are in his ear and his mind with their hate-filled approach to immigration. He crumbles every time his heart starts moving to’ the Dreamers, the Illinois Democrat said. And that won’t change ‘unless in a moment of desperation he thinks it’s his only way to get reelected.’ …
“Since passing a comprehensive immigration overhaul in 2013 that was ignored by the House, the Senate has been unable to put 60 votes together for any substantial immigration bill. The chamber did pass a spending bill delivering aid to the border this year, but Democrats battled each other so fiercely over the matter that it only made the party more skittish to deal with the Trump administration.”
UH-OH … WSJ: “U.S.-China Trade Talks Hit Snag Over Farm Purchases,” by Chao Deng and Lingling Wei in Beijing, and William Mauldin: “Trade talks between the U.S. and China have hit a snag over farm purchases, as officials seek to lock down the limited trade deal President Trump outlined last month.
“Mr. Trump has said that China has agreed to buy up to $50 billion of soybeans, pork and other agricultural products from the U.S. annually. But China is leery of putting a numerical commitment in the text of an agreement, according to people familiar with the matter. Beijing wants to avoid cutting a deal that looks more favorable to the U.S. than to China, some of the people said, and also wants to have flexibility within the agreement should trade tensions escalate again. ‘We can always stop the purchases if things get worse again,’ said one Chinese official.
“The dispute over farm purchases is one of several issues that have delayed completion of the limited trade accord announced by Mr. Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He on Oct. 11. Both sides are also at odds over whether—and by how much—the U.S. would agree to lift tariffs on Chinese imports, Beijing’s core demand that is linked to its offers on other issues.
“Chinese officials also have resisted U.S. demands for a strong enforcement mechanism for the deal and curbs on the forced transfer of technology for companies seeking to do business in China—all of top importance to the international business community—according to people familiar with the talks.” WSJ
ALEX ISENSTADT: “RNC plunges into Louisiana gov’s race amid signs of trouble”: “The Republican National Committee is pouring another $1 million into the Louisiana governor’s race ahead of Saturday’s runoff — a move that comes amid mounting GOP concerns about losing a second major election in a conservative state in as many weeks.
“The last-minute spending doubles the committee’s investment in the race, where Republican Eddie Rispone is trying to unseat Democratic incumbent John Bel Edwards. President Donald Trump is set to headline a rally for Rispone in Louisiana on Thursday evening, barreling ahead despite worries within the GOP that Edwards is a slight favorite to win.
“Trump had bet that a GOP sweep in three gubernatorial races this fall would project political strength in the face of impeachment. But after Republican Gov. Matt Bevin’s apparent defeat in Kentucky last week, and with Rispone locked in a neck-and-neck race, the president is facing the possibility of losing two out of three.” POLITICO
A message from the Stop The HIT Coalition:
Americans want Congress to improve health care affordability –raising taxes on their health care isn’t what they have in mind.
2020 WATCH …
— NEW via EUGENE DANIELS: The Andrew Yang campaign is spending seven figures on two new ads that are going up in Iowa and New Hampshire on Friday. Devine Mulvey Longabaugh produced the spots. It’s the first time the campaign has gone up in New Hampshire and comes as the campaign spent another seven figures in Iowa on an ad buy last week. The ads: Our Son … Paycheck
— “Castro to miss November debate,” by Zach Montellaro: “Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro won’t qualify for the next Democratic presidential primary debate, the only candidate still in the race who participated in the October debate to miss out on November’s.”
TRUMP’S THURSDAY — The president will host NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg at 2 p.m. in the Oval Office. He will depart the White House at 4:10 p.m. en route to Louisiana. At 6:35 p.m. Central time, Trump will arrive at CenturyLink Center in Bossier City, La. He will hold a campaign rally at 7 p.m. Afterward, he will travel back to Washington, returning to the White House around 12:30 a.m.
PLAYBOOK READS
ANOTHER TERM … UTAHPOLICY.COM: “Jon Huntsman will announce his entry into the 2020 Utah governor’s race on Thursday”
FOR YOUR RADAR — “New Gaza rockets disrupt Israel, Islamic Jihad cease-fire,” by AP’s Fares Akram and Tia Goldenberg in Gaza City: “Gaza militants fired a barrage of rockets into Israel on Thursday, hours after a cease-fire was declared to end two days of intense fighting between Israel and the Islamic Jihad group, the heaviest escalation in months that killed at least 34 Palestinians, including three women and eight children, and paralyzed parts of Israel.
“No one immediately claimed responsibility for the new wave of rockets and it wasn’t clear how this would affect the fate of the cease-fire.
“Israel had hailed the Gaza operation as a victory, defending its policy of targeting militants in their homes despite civilian deaths and vowed to continue the tactic. Islamic Jihad said it had succeeded in getting Israel to agree to a cease-fire based on several demands, including a halt to Israeli targeted killings of the group’s leaders.” AP
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FOR THOSE KEEPING TRACK — “Trump-Erdogan Meeting Yields Little Progress,” by WSJ’s Vivian Salama and MIchael Gordon: “A long-awaited meeting between President Trump and Turkey’s leader ended Wednesday without a resolution of key issues on which the two sides have been divided, including Ankara’s purchase of a Russian air-defense system and the U.S. partnership with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
“The chemistry between Mr. Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dominated the visit. Mr. Trump volunteered that he was a ‘big fan’ of Mr. Erdogan. The Turkish leader called for a new chapter in relations between the two countries.
“But there was no indication of headway on Turkey’s purchase of the sophisticated S-400 air-defense missile system from Russia, which has been a major concern for the Pentagon, or on other issues that have led to a deteriorating view of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally among most U.S. lawmakers.” WSJ
TRUMP TAXES UPDATE — “Congress can seek 8 years of Trump’s tax records, court order indicates,” by WaPo’s Ann Marimow: “Congress can seek eight years of President Trump’s tax records, according to a federal appeals court order Wednesday that moves the separation-of-powers conflict one step closer to the Supreme Court.
“The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit let stand an earlier ruling against the president that affirmed Congress’s investigative authority on a day when the House was holding its first public impeachment inquiry hearing. Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow said in response to Wednesday’s decision that the president’s legal team “will be seeking review at the Supreme Court.”
“The D.C. Circuit was responding to Trump’s request to have a full panel of judges rehear a three-judge decision from October that rejected the president’s request to block lawmakers from subpoenaing his longtime accounting firm.” WaPo
A message from the Stop The HIT Coalition:
It’s time for Congress to Stop The Health Insurance Tax.
STONE TRIAL WRAPS — “Roger Stone’s defense: MAGA, God and Donald Trump,” by Darren Samuelsohn and Josh Gerstein: “For once, Roger Stone is letting others do the talking.
“The political provocateur has spent decades verbally sparring with almost anyone who is willing to engage. But as his trial over lying to Congress and tampering with a witness nears its end, Stone has left his defense in the hands of external factors: lawyers, God, the race card, a coterie of MAGA-world figures and, if all else fails, President Donald Trump.
“Given the chance to tell his side of the story, Stone chose not to take the witness stand. Given the opportunity to call witnesses, his attorneys opted instead to simply play portions of the congressional testimony in question.” POLITICO
— For those following: Jury deliberations in the Stone trial begin this morning.
BOOK CLUB — Donald Trump Jr.’s “Triggered” debuts at No. 1 on the NYT nonfiction bestseller list, edging out “Finding China” by Mitch Albom and “Sam Houston and the Alamo Avengers” by “Fox & Friends” host Brian Kilmeade. As the Times notes, a chunk of the sales came as bulk orders. The RNC has also blasted out the book to its lists — in exchange for a $50 donation, you can get yourself a signed copy.
MEDIAWATCH — “McClatchy Seeks to Have U.S. Take Over Pension Fund,” by WSJ’s Lukas Alpert: “McClatchy Co., the third-largest newspaper publisher in the U.S. by circulation, said it has begun talks with its creditors and federal authorities about a possible government takeover of its pension fund as it tries to relieve considerable liquidity pressure due to its pension responsibilities and debt load.
“The 162-year-old company, which publishes 30 newspapers around the country, including the Miami Herald, Charlotte Observer, Sacramento Bee and Kansas City Star, said it would be unable to make a required $124 million contribution next year to its pension fund.” WSJ
— Deborah Acosta is now a reporter for a new digital magazine by the WSJ. She previously was with the NYT. Talking Biz News
— HOW IMPEACHMENT PLAYED on late-night TV: CNN
— NOTE: MSNBC hosted two interesting guest commentators on air Wednesday: George Conway, the spouse of White House aide Kellyanne Conway known for his scorching Twitter takedowns of his wife’s boss. and Andrew Weissmann, a top member of special counsel Bob Mueller’s legal team who is now an NBC legal analyst.
PLAYBOOKERS
Send tips to Eli Okun and Garrett Ross at politicoplaybook@politico.com.
SPOTTED: Rod Rosenstein and Bob Ehrlich at BLT Steak on Wednesday night.
OUT AND ABOUT … SPOTTED at the Top of the Hay for Donald Trump Jr.’s book signing event for “Triggered” ($17.98 on Amazon) on Wednesday night: Kimberly Guilfoyle, HHS Secretary Alex Azar, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, Kellyanne Conway, Reince Priebus, Brad Parscale, David Bossie, Pam Bondi …
… Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and David Perdue (R-Ga.), Reps. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Greg Pence (R-Ind.), Andy Surabian, Arthur Schwartz, Avi Berkowitz, Sergio Gor, Joe Grogan, Pat Cipollone, Tony Sayegh, Katrina Pierson, Paula White, Joe Kernen, Jessica Ditto and Frank Luntz.
— SPOTTED at Republican Main Street Partnership’s Annual Amory Houghton Jr. Awards Dinner at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill on Wednesday night: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who received the Houghton Award for Public Service; Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), and Reps. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and Fred Upton (R-Mich.). Pic
— SOFTBANK’S government affairs team — led by Ziad Ojakli — hosted a party at their office to mark the Japanese-based tech investment company’s first year in D.C. SPOTTED: Mick Mulvaney, Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), Jeff Duncan (D-Calif.), Ron Estes (R-Kan.) and Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.), Matt and Mercedes Schlapp, Paul Kane, Bruce Andrews, Zeke Miller, Brian Conklin, Christin Baker, Julie Davis and Natalie Andrews.
WHITE HOUSE ARRIVAL LOUNGE — Jalen Drummond is now associate director of research in the White House communications office. He previously was an aide to HUD Secretary Ben Carson and is a lance corporal in the Marine Corps.
TRANSITIONS — Lisa Stark is now assistant VP for communications and media at American University. She previously was a broadcast correspondent for Education Week and PBS NewsHour. … Sam Ricketts will be a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. He previously was climate director for Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s presidential campaign. …
… Spenser Merwin will be executive director of the Montana Republican Party. He previously was director of coalitions and outreach for Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.). … David Marchick is now director of the Partnership for Public Service’s Center for Presidential Transition. He previously was managing director and global head of external affairs at the Carlyle Group.
WEEKEND WEDDING — Ethan Porter, a professor at the George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs, and Ronit Zemel, the assistant director for Jewish life at Georgetown University, got married in D.C. on Sunday. … SPOTTED: Aaron Keyak, Frank Chi, Josh Keating, Jake Levine, Josh Handelman, Ben Weyl, Daniel Nichanian, and Ellen and Don Walker.
WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Natasha Walsh and Brian O. Walsh, president of America First Action,recently welcomed identical twin boys: Augustus Jonathan Walsh and Wellington Arthur Walsh. Instapics
BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Peter Lattman, managing director of media at Emerson Collective and vice chairman of The Atlantic, is 49. What he’s been reading lately: “‘The Survivors’ is a beautifully written, deeply moving and crazily compelling new memoir by my Emerson colleague Adam Frankel. Also, the just-out December issue of The Atlantic is fire, as my three teenagers would say. It’s built around a single theme, ‘How to Stop a Civil War,’ and you’ll notice a beautiful redesign of the print magazine, as well an elegant new look for our website and app.” Playbook Q&A
BIRTHDAYS: Rep. Greg Pence (R-Ind.) is 63 … Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) is 61 … Condoleezza Rice is 65 … Valerie Jarrett … Ben Rhodes is 42 … Prince Charles is 71 … P.J. O’Rourke is 72 … photographer Tony Powell … Jacob Freedman, senior adviser to the chair at Albright Stonebridge … Charlotte Riggs … Liz Jarvis-Shean, VP of communications at DoorDash … Frank Kelly, managing director and global coordinator of government and public affairs at Deutsche Bank … William Black … WaPo’s Paige Winfield Cunningham is 35 … Sarah Binder of GWU and Brookings … John Jameson … POLITICO’s Lauren Lanza and John Lockett … Rachel Noerdlinger …
… Jonathan Landman, managing editor of Bloomberg Opinion, is 67 … Taylor Griffin, press secretary for Speaker Nancy Pelosi … Joshua Friedlander of the Brunswick Group … Sally Sterling (h/t Jon Haber) … Liz Morrison, VP of No Labels (h/t Margaret White) … Randolph Court, COO of the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (h/t the ITIF team) … Julie Hanus … Sarah Holbrooke … Vanessa VandeHey … Kate Coyne McCoy … Ed Reno … Ashley Yehl … Brianna Manzelli … Shawn Willis … Lana Fern … Madeleine Weast … Tommy Schultz … Rob Gulans … Tricia Miller Klapheke … Airbnb’s Josh Meltzer … Michael Collier … Mark Gyorfy … Daniel Alders … Hugo F. Sonnenschein
A message from the Stop The HIT Coalition:
The Health Insurance Tax (HIT) hurts tens of millions of Americans, including seniors, working families and 28.8 million small businesses and their 56.8 million employees. Unless Congress suspends the Health Insurance Tax, families will face the return of a $500 tax on their coverage, driving up health care costs even further. Americans want Congress to lower health care costs – raising taxes on their health care isn’t what they have in mind. It’s time for Congress to Stop The Health Insurance Tax.
- Anna Palmer @apalmerdc
- Jake Sherman @JakeSherman
ROLL CALL
Morning Headlines
Campaigns look to capitalize on first impeachment hearings
Loath to waste a national spotlight, campaigns on Wednesday sought to take advantage of the first public impeachment hearing in two decades, although groups pushing Republicans seemed more willing to urge angry voters to contribute as the hearing unfolded while Democrats were more low-key. Read More…
Democrats hope impeachment support grows but proceeding regardless of public sentiment
House Democrats hope the open impeachment hearings they began Wednesday will convince the public that President Donald Trump has committed impeachable offenses, but if the proceedings fail to produce an increase in public support, it won’t stop or slow down their inquiry. Read More…
Going all in on Louisiana governor’s race, Trump tries to ‘thread a needle’
President Donald Trump on Thursday continues his considerable effort to rally Louisiana Republicans to oust the Democratic governor, making his fourth trip to boost GOP candidate Eddie Rispone. Read More…Click here to subscribe to Fintech Beat for the latest market and regulatory developments in finance and financial technology.
In her congressional goodbye, Katie Hill worried about letting down young girls. Now that’s a change
OPINION — In reading and viewing Hill describing her very tumultuous, emotional ride to the decision she felt she had to make, you can’t help but reflect on the difference between her parting words and the reactions of men caught in their own personally and politically fraught situations. Read More…
Some Democrats see political system overhaul as winning 2020 issue
Numerous multiple political money scandals have shined a spotlight on the darker corners of campaign contributions, potentially ripening voters’ interest in a wholesale political overhaul along the scale of the 1970s post-Watergate agenda. Read More…
Democrats target Trump defenses in first impeachment hearing
House Democrats used the first day of impeachment hearings to take aim at the various defenses President Donald Trump and his congressional allies have raised during the inquiry into his Ukraine dealings — a strategy that allows them to advance their case alongside a drumbeat of witness testimony over the next two weeks. Read More…
Woof, impeachment hearings are stressful. We have a solution
President Donald Trump’s alleged misdeeds with Ukraine were front and center Wednesday on Capitol Hill as Congress held its first public impeachment inquiry hearing, so Heard on the Hill decided to make a ruff day better with a trio of therapy dogs stationed just one office building away. Watch the video here…
Capitol Police officials say former officer deserved to be fired despite procedural mistakes
Lawyers for Capitol Police and the police officials who testified Wednesday painted former officer Chrisavgi Sourgoutsis as a poor fit for police work and claimed she began racking up rule violations soon after she started her training. Read More…
Senate Democrats introduce VAWA House bill
The reauthorization measure, which the entire Democratic caucus has backed, contains gun control provisions that led to a breakdown of talks with Senate Republicans. Read More…
CQ Roll Call is a part of FiscalNote, the leading technology innovator at the intersection of global business and government. Copyright 2019 CQ Roll Call. All rights reserved Privacy | Safely unsubscribe now.
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NBC
From NBC’s Chuck Todd, Mark Murray and Carrie Dann
FIRST READ: Here’s what Democrats accomplished (and didn’t) in yesterday’s impeachment hearing
We told you to brace for the unexpected at Wednesday’s public hearing in the impeachment inquiry, and we weren’t wrong.
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
Here’s what we learned yesterday:
There was a new revelation linking President Trump to “the investigations”
“The member of my staff could hear President Trump on the phone, asking Ambassador [Gordon] Sondland about ‘the investigations,’” testified acting Ukraine Ambassador William Taylor.
“Ambassador Sondland told President Trump that the Ukrainians were ready to move forward. Following the call with President Trump, the member of my staff asked Ambassador Sondland what President Trump thought about Ukraine. Ambassador Sondland responded that President Trump cares more about the investigations of Biden, which Giuliani was pressing for.”
Bottom line: Sondland’s testimony next Wednesday is going to be must-watch TV.
The Democrats had strong, credible witnesses
Both Taylor and State Department official George Kent were knowledgeable, unflappable and sincere.
You couldn’t say they weren’t credible.
The GOP’ relied on a “hearsay” defense
But Republican questioners were able to poke holes in their testimony by arguing that their revelations were hearsay.
JORDAN: You didn’t listen to President Trump’s call, President Zelenskiy’s call?
TAYLOR: I did not.
JORDAN: You never talked with chief of staff Mulvaney.
TAYLOR: I never did.
JORDAN: You never met the president.
TAYLOR: That is correct.
Of course, the Democrats’ counter to that “hearsay” defense is point out that President Trump and Mulvaney have refused to testify.
GOP kept trying to muddy the waters
We also saw Republicans try to muddy the waters – to reduce the accusations against President Trump into mere partisan warfare.
“The Democrats have a long habit of accusing Republicans of offenses they themselves are committing,” said House Intel Committee Ranking Member Devin Nunes. “Let’s recall, for years, they accused the Trump campaign of colluding with Russia when they themselves were colluding with Russia by funding and spreading the Steele dossier which relied on Russian sources. And now they accuse President Trump of malfeasance in Ukraine when they themselves are culpable.”
If the Democrats’ goal yesterday was to raise anticipation for future hearings (like Sondland’s), they accomplished that.
If their goal was to present credible witnesses who made the impeachment inquiry relevant and worthwhile, they accomplished that, too.
But if the goal is to REMOVE Trump from office – bypassing next year’s presidential election – they still have a lot of work to do.
That remains a very high bar for them to clear.
How Fox News covered yesterday’s hearings
And one of the main reasons that high bar exists is how Fox News and conservative outlets covered the hearings.
Here’s what CNN’s Brian Stelter observed while watching Fox’s coverage yesterday:
“I heard [White House Press Secretary] Stephanie Grisham say that ‘today was a joke.’ I heard Donald Trump Jr. say ‘it’s insanity.’ I heard Jeff Sessions ask, ‘Where’s the beef?’”
More: “Here’s what else I heard: Wednesday’s hearing was a bust. It was all just hearsay. It was a ‘disaster’ for the Democrats and a ‘great day’ for the Republicans. Impeachment is ‘stupid.’ Impeachment is ‘fake.’ There’s nothing impeachable here. There’s no reason to hold hearings. This inquiry needs to stop right now.”
TWEET OF THE DAY: The hole in the “hearsay” defense
2020 VISION: All of Deval Patrick’s challenges
Well, former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick is officially in the 2020 Democratic presidential race.
And with some 80 days out before the first nominating contest, here are his challenges:
He’s unlikely to qualify for December’s debate, depriving him of national attention.
He’s well behind in raising money and hiring staff.
And maybe most important of all, he faces this question: What does he offer the current Democratic presidential field that it currently doesn’t have?
It
already has a current Massachusetts politician (Elizabeth Warren); two
African-American candidates (Kamala Harris and Cory Booker); and a
current two-term governor
who also can’t make the debate stage (Steve Bullock).
He doesn’t answer that question in his announcement video.
“I admire and respect the candidates in the Democratic field – they bring a richness of ideas and experience and a depth of character that makes me proud to be a Democrat,” he says in it. “But if the character of the candidates is an issue in every election, this time is about the character of the country. This time is about whether the day after the election America will keep her promises. This time is about more than removing an unpopular and divisive leader as important as that is, but about delivering instead for you.”
There ARE openings in this Democratic field. It’s missing a statewide pol from a red Midwest state (hello, Sherrod Brown), a military person (William McRaven) and a statewide pol from a Sunbelt State (Stacey Abrams).
It’s just that Patrick and Michael Bloomberg don’t fill these potential openings.
REUTERS/Jason Reed
On the campaign trail today: President Trump attends a rally in Louisiana for GOP gubernatorial nominee Eddie Rispone… Joe Biden holds a community event in Los Angeles… Amy Klobuchar also is in California…. Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, in DC, release their Green New Deal housing plan… And Republican Joe Walsh files for the New Hampshire primary.
Dispatches from NBC’s campaign embeds: Pete Buttigieg is slightly altering his attack on Elizabeth Warren’s plan to pay for Medicare for All, NBC’s Priscilla Thompson points out. “During an interview with PBS, Buttigieg was asked for his thoughts on Warren’s plan to pay for Medicare for All. He said, ‘Well, there is a lot of aggressive math in there about cutting the military, assuming that immigration reform happens, and getting about a trillion out of that, and some other areas that are controversial among the economists. The point I’m making is that we don’t need to spend tens of trillions of dollars in order to address this problem.’ This is a sharper answer than he gave when asked this exact question during a gaggle on his bus on Sunday, and when discussing the issue on Morning Joe on Monday, when he said, ‘If you’re just counting on immigration reform for a trillion dollars-worth of the funding for a hallmark plan it raises some concerns about how achievable it is.’”
DATA DOWNLOAD: Four percent
Four percent.
That was Gov. Deval Patrick’s level of support in a May 2018 Suffolk University poll of New Hampshire — back when he was weighing a presidential run the first time.
That’s compared with 26 percent support for Elizabeth Warren and 13 percent support for Bernie Sanders — both of whom, like Patrick, hail from a state that neighbors New Hampshire.
Joe Biden had 20 percent support in the 2018 poll.
THE LID: Take it to the limit
Don’t miss the pod from yesterday, when we asked if Elizabeth Warren has hit a ceiling or if she has more room to rise.
ICYMI: News clips you shouldn’t miss
The White House is trying to be two places at one — in the impeachment fray and above it.
Here’s what the 2020 candidates have been up to as the public impeachment hearings take up all the oxygen.
Coverage of the impeachment hearings is pretty ubiquitous on TV. Will it matter?
Michael Bloomberg has a history of demeaning comments towards women, writes the New York Times.
Thanks for reading.
If you’re a fan, please forward this to a friend. They can sign up
here.
We love hearing from our readers, so shoot us a line here with your comments and suggestions.
Thanks,
Chuck, Mark, and Carrie
LIBERTY NATION
| Daily Briefing Conservative News | Libertarian News | Commentary VISIT LibertyNation.com FROM OUR NEWSROOM Impeachment Hits the Public Stage With a Whimper, Not a Bang By Graham J Noble Republicans get first opportunity to expose the weak case against Trump Click Here What America’s Thinking Only 39% of Likely U.S. Voters now support a plan to extend Medicare to Americans of all ages. 46% oppose. If the presidential race in 2020 was between Trump and Bloomberg, 46% of Likely U.S. Voters would vote for Bloomberg, while 40% would vote to re-elect Trump. 73% of Likely Democratic Voters believe their party should look for a fresh face to run for president in 2020. Just 16% disagree. 51% of Likely Democrat voters say America is unfair and discriminatory. Northwestern University Caves to the SJW Mob By Jeff Charles Can somebody tell these people that freedom of the press is a fundamental right in the U.S.A? Click Here Washington Whispers Coming down the pipeline: The Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher, fails to make the cut for Hillary Clinton’s latest book, Gutsy Women. Lindsey Graham said that House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff should be a witness in the Senate’s impeachment trial. Australia’s public broadcaster has apologized after a MeToo documentary exposed the names of rape survivors without their consent. Young Turks and Justice Democrats founder Cenk Uygur has filed to run for the House seat vacated by former Rep. Katie Hill. Read One of Our Books By Liberty Nation Staff Sic Semper Tyrannis: The Uprising of the Common Man Click Here Your Daily Political Devotional A Glimpse at What’s Hot in the PolitisphereCenk Uygur, founder of The Young Turks and the Justice Democrats group is running for office in disgraced Democrat Katie Hill’s former seat. The JDs are responsible for auditioning and hiring candidates to run for their platform, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Uygur was ousted from his own organization after complaints of his “sexist writing.” Ocean Plastics — A Reality Check By Onar Åm Polluting plastics are less straws and more unfettered Third World debris. Click Here News Roundup We’ve Surfed The Web for You Bill Taylor’s ‘Bombshell’ Repeats What Was Already Known from July 25 Phone Call Transcript Donald Trump Jr. on day one of public impeachment hearings: ‘I’ve never seen anything more ridiculous’ ‘Subpoena Colada’: DC bars open early and offer specials for impeachment hearings WSJ: Democrat John Bel Edwards Has Turned Louisiana into the Trial Lawyers State Gosar fires back after Katie Hill rips his ‘Epstein’ tweets: You taught the country what a ‘throuple’ was Liberty Nation On The Go: Listen to Today’s Top News 11.14.19 By Liberty Nation Staff Conservative News – Hot Off The Press – Audio Playlist. Click Here WATCH NOW FEATURED LNTV LNTV – Whistleblower Eric Chiaramella – What We Know – WATCH NOW! LNTV: Did Bloomberg Blow Betting Odds? – WATCH NOW LNTV: New Car Stop Rules for Police? Supreme Court Challenge – WATCH NOW! The Uprising Podcast: Foie Gras Freedom Check out one of our podcasts! Subscribe and get notified of new arrivals. SUBSCRIBE LNTV: Farage’s Fire and Fury Over Fake Brexit – WATCH NOW Check out one of our videos! View the latest Liberty Nation videos on YouTube. WATCH NOW |
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| Thursday, November 14, 2019 |
| Game of telephone: Dems’ star witness reveals another instance of hearsay The star witness at the first public hearing on impeachment Wednesday said a State Department aide overheard President Trump say … more |
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CHICAGO TRIBUNE
| View In BrowserNovember 14, 2019chicagotribune.comDaywatch1Mayor
Lori Lightfoot accuses Uber, without offering proof, of trying to pay
black ministers $54 million to defeat her ride-share tax hike planTHURSDAY, NOV 14Mayor
Lori Lightfoot threw down the gauntlet in her fight with Uber, accusing
the ride-share giant of offering to pay black ministers in Chicago $54
million to help the company defeat her plan to hike taxes on
single-passenger rides offered by the service. Uber quickly denied
Lightfoot’s claims, but the mayor later doubled down on her allegation.Lightfoot is proposing a minimum wage hike that would boost tipped workers’ pay — but not to the full $15 an hour.A plan to lower fines and end vehicle impoundment for illegal pot possession was also offered up by Lightfoot.2Lake Erie’s toxic algae blooms are so massive and vibrant they can be seen from space. Climate change is making them even worse.THURSDAY, NOV 14Every
year, an explosion of microscopic life reigns over western Lake Erie,
forming a green slick of algae and bacteria so massive and vibrant that
it can be seen from space. The spectacle, known as a harmful algae
bloom, slimes fishing boats, paints beaches in toxins and engulfs water
intake cribs.The shallowest of the Great Lakes is an incubator for these harmful algae blooms, but research suggests climate change is making things worse.Tribune
reporter Tony Briscoe is reporting from each of the Great Lakes to
reveal how climate change is creating new threats to the planet’s
largest system of fresh water. Explore the series: “Climate Change: Great Lakes, High Stakes.” 3Ilinois House approves Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s plan to consolidate 650 police and firefighter pensions into two statewide fundsTHURSDAY, NOV 13The Illinois House voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to approve Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s plan to consolidate nearly 650 local pension funds for
suburban and downstate police officers and firefighters. The measure
now goes to the Senate, which could approve the bill before adjourning
Thursday.Legislation that would reduce both city and state taxes on a Chicago casino was introduced in the state Senate, but support from House Democrats remains uncertain.A
bill that would phase out cancer-causing ethylene oxide in Illinois
failed in a Senate committee vote, and lawmakers are pushing for more talks before taking up the issue again next year.4Trump impeachment hearing: 6 takeaways from a day of testimony, questions and bickering on Capitol HillTHURSDAY, NOV 14The
public-facing portion of the House of Representatives’ impeachment
investigation of President Donald Trump kicked off on Wednesday. In the
hours of testimony and questioning — and much bickering among lawmakers —
some notable moments emerged. Here are six takeaways.Dahleen Glanton: Republicans used the first impeachment hearing to lay out ‘alternative facts.’ Is it enough to win support?Rex Huppke: Trump impeachment hearings may need a Fox-News-conspiracy-to-English translator. 5With a background in public corruption, Chicago’s new FBI boss will get chance to make a mark in his native cityTHURSDAY, NOV 14“I
take corruption very seriously,” Emmerson Buie Jr., a Chicago native,
said in an interview Wednesday with the Tribune. “The FBI as well as
myself are very aggressive when it comes to pursuing corruption. … My
stance is the American public has a right to be ensured that their
public officials and law enforcement officials are working for them, not
against them.”Now, as the leader of the agency’s fourth-largest field office in his hometown, Buie will get his chance to make a mark on what’s fast becoming one of the biggest public corruption investigations in Chicago’s history.6Chicago teachers vote today on whether to accept contract — or risk going back on strikeTHURSDAY, NOV 14Chicago’s
25,000 public school teachers and support staff in the teachers’ union
start voting today on the tentative contract agreement reached two weeks ago with Chicago Public Schools.Educators
will vote in the schools where they work or at the CTU headquarters in
West Town on whether to accept or reject the contract. Voting could
carry into Friday, with results expected late Thursday or Friday. 7Chicago’s 50 best restaurants, according to critic Phil VettelTHURSDAY, NOV 14Time for another Phil’s 50, critic Phil Vettel’s semi-regular list of the most interesting and important restaurants in Chicago.Befitting
a city with a dynamic dining scene, this list contains quite a few
changes. He has added nine new names to the list, eight of them
appearing for the first time. The newbies are the Kumiko/Kikko duo (debuting at No. 14), Galit (No. 15), Mako (No. 16), Cabra (No. 21), Tzuco (No. 25), Rooh (No. 28), Wherewithall (No. 39) and Cafe Cancale (No. 43).Next, the concept-shifting restaurant under chef Edgar Tinoco, has announced its themed menus for the 2020 season.8Column: Best of Chicago? Why are reader choices always so disappointing?THURSDAY, NOV 14Best Chicago restaurant. Best theater. Best blues bar. Best museum. Yadda yadda yadda.Tribune critic Chris Jones takes on those annual lists,
which came to popularity back in the 1990s, are now “a tiresome staple
of click-baity, advertiser-friendly cultural journalism, the subject of
countless special issues and social-media shares.”That said, 3 Chicago breweries land in 50 best of the decade, ranked by Paste magazine.advertisement Unsubscribe | Newsletters | Privacy Policy | Terms of ServiceCopyright © 2019 | Chicago Tribune | 160 N. Stetson Ave., Third Floor, Chicago, IL 60601ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this email because you are following the Daywatch newsletter. |
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Mark Sanford Suspends Campaign That Was Nonexistent in Iowa
By Shane Vander Hart on Nov 13, 2019 07:12 pm Mark Sanford’s short-lived presidential campaign was virtually non-existent in Iowa after taking one trip here after announcing his entry into the race. Read in browser » Taylor’s Testimony Was a Weak Start to the Impeachment Hearing By Shane Vander Hart on Nov 13, 2019 06:12 pm Shane Vander Hart: The Republicans playing the role of defense attorneys cross-examining Ambassador Bill Taylor during the impeachment hearing effectively raised doubts. Read in browser » About Whataboutism By Shane Vander Hart on Nov 13, 2019 11:49 am Shane Vander Hart: The problem with whataboutism is that everyone is busy pointing fingers and no one ever takes responsibility or is held accountable. Read in browser » Recent Articles: Buttigieg Leads in Latest Iowa Poll Ernst Is Right to Oppose House Version of the Violence Against Women Act Biden Outlines Plan to Keep “Sacred Obligation” to Vets Four Things You Should Know About Veterans Day Highlighting the Veterans History Project Launched in 2006, Caffeinated Thoughts reports news and shares commentary about culture, current events, faith and state and national politics from a Christian and conservative point of view. Caffeinated Thoughts P.O. Box 57184 Des Moines, IA 50317 (515) 321-5077 Editor, Shane Vander Hart Connect: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Share Tweet Share Forward Copyright © 2019 Caffeinated Thoughts, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. |
CONSERVATIVE DAILY NEWS
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CDN’s Daily News Blast delivers the day’s news first!
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CDN Daily News Blast
11/14/2019
Excerpts:
Dem Prosecutors Fear For Suburbs’ Safety As Radical District Attorneys, Fueled By Soros Cash, Take Control
By Luke Rosiak –
Radical criminal justice reformers won elections as top prosecutors
in three D.C. suburbs Nov. 5 after a George Soros-funded PAC inundated
sleepy local elections with millions of out-of-state dollars. In Fairfax
County, Virginia, Democratic incumbent Ray Morrogh quit the party after
saying that Steve Descano is unqualified to be in …
Dem Prosecutors Fear For Suburbs’ Safety As Radical District Attorneys, Fueled By Soros Cash, Take Control is original content from Conservative
Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary
they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political
Cartoons and more.
Read on » President Donald Trump’s Schedule for Thursday, November 14, 2019 By R. Mitchell – President Donald Trump will meet with the Secretary-General of NATO then travel to Louisiana to hold a Keep America Great Rally. Keep up with Trump on Our President’s Schedule Page. President Trump’s Itinerary for 11/14/19 – note: this page will be updated during the day if events warrant All Times … President Donald Trump’s Schedule for Thursday, November 14, 2019 is original content from Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more. Read on » AMERICAN RENEWAL: How To Make The National Security Council Great Again By Michael Anton – Very few political problems can actually be solved by Washington’s favorite solution: throwing more money at it. Here’s one than can: the much-in-the-news turmoil on the National Security Council (NSC) staff. But first, you may ask: what’s the problem? If you interpret the recent spate of anti-Trump leaks and congressional … AMERICAN RENEWAL: How To Make The National Security Council Great Again is original content from Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more. Read on » Attorney General Barr Announces Launch of Project Guardian – A Nationwide Strategic Plan to Reduce Gun Violence By R. Mitchell – Today, Attorney General William P. Barr announced the launch of Project Guardian, a new initiative designed to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws across the country. Specifically, Project Guardian focuses on investigating, prosecuting, and preventing gun crimes. Reducing gun violence and enforcing federal firearms laws have always been … Attorney General Barr Announces Launch of Project Guardian – A Nationwide Strategic Plan to Reduce Gun Violence is original content from Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more. Read on » AG William Barr Says Release Of FISA Report Is ‘Imminent’ By Chuck Ross – Attorney General William Barr said Wednesday that the release of an inspector general’s report on FBI’s surveillance of the Trump campaign is “imminent.” On Tuesday, multiple news outlets reported that Michael Horowitz, the Justice Department inspector general, has invited witnesses interviewed in connection with the investigation to review portions of … AG William Barr Says Release Of FISA Report Is ‘Imminent’ is original content from Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more. Read on » Public Impeachment Hearing Begins With Arguments Over Outing The Whistleblower By Shelby Talcott – House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff began the hearing with his opening statements, saying that the president’s July 25 phone call with Ukraine was an impeachable offense and questioning whether Trump was trying to “exploit” the country’s “vulnerability” for his own personal gain. The inquiry, which is based on an … Public Impeachment Hearing Begins With Arguments Over Outing The Whistleblower is original content from Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more. Read on » Trump Admin Wants To Deny Work Permits To Migrants Who Entered The US Illegally By Jason Hopkins – The Trump administration is proposing a new rule that, if implemented, would make asylum seekers ineligible for work permits if they entered the U.S. illegally. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the federal agency tasked with managing the country’s immigration system, is introducing new employment rules for migrants. Namely, … Trump Admin Wants To Deny Work Permits To Migrants Who Entered The US Illegally is original content from Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more. Read on » Report: Interior Department Gives Workers A Month To Relocate Out West Or Risk Getting Fired By Chris White – The Trump administration reportedly notified hundreds of Interior Department employees Tuesday that they will have 30 days to relocate to western states or face the potential of job terminations. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is relocating 27 employees from Washington, D.C., to the agency’s new headquarters in Colorado and … Report: Interior Department Gives Workers A Month To Relocate Out West Or Risk Getting Fired is original content from Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more. Read on » Google’s Not-So-Secret Health Data Collection Project Under Federal Investigation By Audrey Conklin – Google is now facing a federal investigation after a report that revealed the tech giant was working on a secret project to collect health data on millions of Americans. The Wall Street Journal first reported Monday on Google’s partnership with Ascension, the second-largest health care system in the U.S., in its effort … Google’s Not-So-Secret Health Data Collection Project Under Federal Investigation is original content from Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more. Read on » Drudge Report Evolution – Grrr Graphics – Tina Toon By Tina – Drudge Report the sequel: THE SEARCH FOR MORE MONEY Drudge knows which side his bread is buttered on–the search for more clicks! We remember when the Drudge Report played up President Trump’s successes; he was one of the few sites that did. Since August, the Drudge Report has been pushing … Drudge Report Evolution – Grrr Graphics – Tina Toon is original content from Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more. Read on » Surrender to the Left – Al Goodwyn Cartoon By Al Goodwyn – Surrender to the Left – Al Goodwyn Cartoon is original content from Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more. Read on » Why the UK Repeatedly Stumbles Heading for the Brexit By Michael R Shannon – MAGA–hat owners would feel right at home on the streets of London. Moseying along wary of a sneak attack by leftist thugs, they’d be secure in the knowledge that in the UK, just as in the US, government institutions are run by individuals adamantly opposed to them and any public … Why the UK Repeatedly Stumbles Heading for the Brexit is original content from Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more. Read on » DOJ Watchdog Takes Key Step Toward Releasing FISA Abuse Report By Chuck Ross – The Justice Department’s inspector general has started inviting government officials to review a report of an investigation into the FBI’s surveillance activities against a Trump campaign official, the latest signal that the report will be released soon. The Associated Press reported Tuesday that Michael Horowitz, the inspector general, has in … DOJ Watchdog Takes Key Step Toward Releasing FISA Abuse Report is original content from Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more. Read on » Penned Down – A.F. Branco Cartoon By A.F. Branco – University of Pennsylvania caves under pressure from the left-wing mob and cancels a prescheduled Denesh D’Souza speaking engagement. Political cartoon by A.F. Branco ©2019. See more Branco toons HERE Penned Down – A.F. Branco Cartoon is original content from Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more. Read on » Watch Live: Adam Schiff’s Impeachment Show – Day One By R. Mitchell – Rep. Adam Schiff excitedly awaits his on-camera appearance. Rep. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, begins holding public hearings on Wednesday into President Donald Trump’s phone call with Ukraine President Zelensky. The full, unredacted, transcript of the call has been released for anyone to read, impeachment proceedings have … Watch Live: Adam Schiff’s Impeachment Show – Day One is original content from Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more. Read on » Is Calling Donald Trump a Republican, Defamation of Character? By Amanda Alverez – I don’t know about you, but for me, placing President Trump in the same basket as the weak-kneed spineless Republicans is totally thoughtless! Yes, we understand he must be a member of one of the two major political parties to win election, but isn’t it a shame he has no … Is Calling Donald Trump a Republican, Defamation of Character? is original content from Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more. Read on » Watch Live: President Trump Participates in a Joint Press Conference with the President of Turkey By R. Mitchell – President Donald Trump and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey hold a joint press conference on Wednesday. The event is scheduled to begin at 3:10 PM EST. Content created by Conservative Daily News and some content syndicated through CDN is available for re-publication without charge under the Creative Commons license. Visit … Watch Live: President Trump Participates in a Joint Press Conference with the President of Turkey is original content from Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more. Read on » See all breaking news, conservative commentary, political cartoons and more posted to CDN at our Home Page. Follow on Twitter Friend on Facebook Add on Google Plus Copyright © 2019 Conservative Daily News, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list |
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Thursday, November 14, 2019 Impeachment Hearings Begin On Wednesday, the House intelligence committee began public impeachment hearings. YouTube “Lawmakers and lawyers questioned a bow tie-wearing George Kent, the deputy secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs, and bespectacled Ambassador Bill Taylor, charge d’affaires at the U.S. embassy in Ukraine. Both linked the president directly to a pressure campaign on Ukraine to conduct investigations that would benefit him politically.” Reuters From the Left The left supports impeachment, arguing that the witnesses have offered credible testimony regarding Trump’s abuse of power. “Fixating on the whistleblower’s identity or motivations seems a little beside the point once we have a record of the call the whistle was blown about, and which confirms the whistleblower’s concerns. The firsthand evidence—unmediated by the whistleblower or any Democratic witnesses—shows Trump telling Zelensky there was a connection between U.S. aid to Ukraine and the Biden/DNC server investigations.” Ben Mathis-Lilley, Slate “Perhaps the most cynical argument made by Republicans was that neither Mr. Taylor nor Mr. Kent had direct knowledge of Mr. Trump’s demand for a quid pro quo, as neither had spoken to him personally or heard his phone call with Mr. Zelensky. Yet GOP legislators know that senior officials who could testify to Mr. Trump’s actions and motives, including acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and former national security adviser John Bolton, have refused to respond to congressional summons on the White House’s instructions. Firsthand testimony may be heard next week from an ambassador who spoke to Mr. Trump about Ukraine repeatedly. But Republicans who genuinely want more direct evidence should be pressing Mr. Trump to stop withholding it.” Editorial Board, Washington Post “The fact that neither Taylor nor Kent could offer first-hand accounts is part of the problem. They were kept out of the loop on purpose. Republicans have tried to cast Trump and Giuliani’s actions as part of a legitimate, good-faith attempt to crack down on corruption writ large in Ukraine. That assertion is refuted by the available evidence… But it’s also undercut by the way in which Trump and his allies went about the Ukraine scheme… If the president and his allies had genuine concerns about corruption in Ukraine, they could have raised them through normal diplomatic channels—i.e., though Kent, through Taylor, and through Marie Yovanovich, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine at the time.” Matt Ford, New Republic “Testimony depicted a president whose interest in Ukraine was personal, not policy-based. Trump never made an attempt to change American policy toward Ukraine, or to fight corruption broadly. His goal was to extort assistance in his reelection effort from the Ukrainian government… Trump could hardly have been seeking a new, anti-corruption policy in Ukraine. As The Washington Post reported in October, the Trump administration has sought to cut billions of dollars from anti-corruption programs around the world, including in Ukraine.” David A. Graham, The Atlantic “Beyond his handwritten notes, Taylor made a contemporaneous electronic record. He texted to European Union Ambassador Gordon Sondland, ‘Are we now saying that security assistance and WH meeting are conditioned on investigations?’ prompting Sondland’s infamous two-word response: ‘Call me.’ Later, Taylor reiterated by text his view on the impropriety of the administration’s effort to pressure Ukraine: ‘As I said on the phone, I think it’s crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign.’ Given these texts, there is no way to argue credibly that Taylor fabricated or embellished his concerns after the fact.” Elie Honig, CNN “Imagine that a high school principal expelled the police chief’s son but offered to readmit the boy if the police department would just open a criminal investigation into his ex-wife before their child custody hearing. Or suppose that the head of a public hospital offered to provide free medical care to employees of a construction company if it remodeled his kitchen? Or what if I suggested to a university president that I was planning some glowing columns about his great institution and then asked for ‘a favor,’ noting that my child was applying for admission… “In |
[each]
case, we might disagree about whether to call this bribery,
extortion or a quid pro quo, and might disagree about precisely which
statute was violated, but there is no doubt this would be a firing offense
and perhaps lead to a criminal investigation. Shouldn’t we hold the
president of the United States to as high a standard as… a principal, a
hospital director and a journalist?”
Nicholas Kristof, New York Times
Rep.
Jim Jordan (R-OH) “insisted the president couldn’t possibly have done
anything wrong because, in the end, Ukraine got its money without
committing to any investigations. This point of view has radical implications for America’s system of justice and overcrowded prisons, if Mr. Jordan in fact truly believes that all inmates convicted of attempted crimes are innocent of wrongdoing…
“Perhaps
the most telling remark was offered by a Republican staff lawyer,
Stephen Castor, who suggested that while the president’s behavior may
have been highly irregular, ‘it’s not as outlandish as it could be.’
Here’s a tip: When ‘not as outlandish as it could be’ is your strongest defense, it’s time to rethink your position.”
Editorial Board, New York Times
|
From the Right
The
right criticizes the impeachment inquiry as a political stunt, arguing
that much of the criticism of Trump is really a policy dispute.
“The
first public hearing in the impeachment investigation of President
Trump produced more heat than light… just as the complaint filed in
August by the ‘whistleblower’ lacked first-hand information, the testimony today lacked any concrete, direct evidence
of the ‘bribery’ or ‘shakedown’ on which Democrats appear to be hanging
their impeachment hopes. The witnesses referred to their impressions,
speculations, and opinions. They related what others had told them — or
that others had told others who then told them — as well as their
understandings and assumptions.” Thomas Jipping, Washington Examiner “It is valuable for the American people to know that the president was conducting a two-track foreign policy based partly on a cockeyed theory that Ukraine had been trying to destroy him in 2016. I share the dismay at Trump’s willingness to embrace preposterous conspiracy theories. But these aren’t impeachable offenses… Taylor and Kent were poor leadoff witnesses because their most potent and authoritative complaints really were about how the president exercised his constitutional authority as the head of the executive branch. Their complaints are worthy of a hearing. They are worthy of being discussed during the reelection campaign. But they don’t deserve airing in an impeachment… “The foreign policy of the US government doesn’t exist apart from the president. It doesn’t have its own independent track. Therefore, the idea that Trump was using Rudy Giuliani and two confirmed US ambassadors to conduct a ‘shadow diplomacy,’ as Rep. Val Demings charged Wednesday, is absurd on its face. The president’s diplomacy is American diplomacy. Now, is Trump’s foreign policy flighty, hard to follow, malleable, changeable and maddening? Yes. But this is literally what he promised the country he would do as president during his run for office.” John Podhoretz, New York Post “If you’re disgusted by the Trump-Giuliani Ukraine back-channel, don’t vote for him. If you think Mr. Trump’s protectionism and isolationism are bad for America’s future, don’t vote for him. It would have been valid as well if the Democrats had chosen to conduct normal oversight hearings into the Ukraine whistleblower’s complaint—with witnesses called and questioned by both sides and the public allowed to watch and decide. But why are Americans being forced to endure the elevation of the Ukraine saga into the current impeachment melodrama?” Daniel Henninger, Wall Street Journal “What we saw on display Wednesday were two dedicated, experienced career foreign policy officials who had been desperately trying to figure out what the president wanted — and inferring his intentions based on snippets of information from others. But their efforts to divine Trump’s desires presume that the president knew what he wanted. It’s not clear he did. His handling of Ukraine seemed less the execution of an intelligible plan than a chaotic mishmash of constantly changing urges and demands. According to Sondland, ‘President Trump changes his mind on what he wants on a daily basis’… “At one point Wednesday, Taylor testified that then-White House aide Tim Morrison told him the ‘president doesn’t want to provide any assistance at all.’ That means Trump, at one point, was considering not delivering the Ukraine aid, period — regardless of what they did on ‘the investigations.’ Throw in Trump’s long-standing concern about burden-sharing by our European allies, and his anger over now-disproved charges that he had conspired with Russia to steal the 2016 election, and the result is the mess we see before us… it looks as though the entire Ukraine debacle may be the result less of intent than incompetence. And unfortunately for Democrats, incompetence is not an impeachable offense.” Marc A. Thiessen, Washington Post “There is no underlying crime here. Democrats have given up calling it a ‘quid pro quo,’ which must not have played well in polling. Instead they are using ‘extortion’ and ‘bribery’ to suggest a crime without citing any specific statute… “[But] American Presidents have long asked foreign leaders for actions or policy cooperation that serve a President’s personal political interest. Recall when President Obama was caught in 2012 on a hot mic telling then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to ask Vladimir Putin to give him diplomatic ‘space’ until after Mr. Obama’s re-election when he would have more room to maneuver on the issue of missile defenses. He was under fire from Republicans for being soft on Russia, so that surely was a request in Mr. Obama’s personal political interest. Appropriate requests to foreign leaders include reducing corruption… Joe Biden and Hunter Biden don’t have immunity from such a probe simply because Joe Biden is running for office against Mr. Trump.” Editorial Board, Wall Street Journal |
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AMERICAN THINKER
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Recent Articles
How Journalists Became Fahrenheit 451–Style ‘Firemen’
Nov 14, 2019 01:00 am Not too long ago, ambitious journalists prided themselves on gathering information, and their editors prided themselves on publishing it. Then progressives started changing things. Read More… Trump Caught America’s Biggest Lawbreaker Nov 14, 2019 01:00 am Last week in his now-classic style of quips to the media President Trump said, “I caught the Swamp.” It’s not just the Swamp that Trump caught — it’s actually America’s biggest lawbreaker. Read More… The War on Trump Represents Fear, Not Hatred Nov 14, 2019 01:00 am The anti-Trump movement can be divided into two primary categories: 1. the leaders who sell the daily narrative and 2. the “useful idiots” who form the army of haters. Read More… The Other Genocide of Christians Nov 14, 2019 01:00 am Chritianity was the ultimate determining factor concerning whom the Turks would and would not “purge.” Read More… California Burns, Gavin Newsom Fiddles Nov 14, 2019 01:00 am If Gavin Newsom is not the worst governor of California, he will be by the time he gets through with it. Read More… How the Turks Handle ‘Diversity’ Nov 14, 2019 01:00 am Recip Tayyip Erdoğan’s ingenious bit of population engineering should offer a stark lesson to America’s open-borders ‘woke’ class. Read More… Recent Blog Posts Devin Nunes blows the Democrats’ impeachment case out of the water Nov 14, 2019 01:00 am At the House impeachment hearings, Devin Nunes was on fire. Read more… Impeachment hearings! Is that all they’ve got? Nov 14, 2019 01:00 am Something is manifestly wrong with Adam Schiff Read more… The Schiff coup: Day one Nov 14, 2019 01:00 am These facts cannot be disputed. Read more… The impeachment canard v. the US John Doe Subpoenas Nov 14, 2019 01:00 am John Doe Subpoenas render nonsensical the accusations of impropriety in using foreign intervention against US citizens Read more… How the college bribery scandal might revitalize America Nov 14, 2019 01:00 am As even Nancy Pelosi likes to remind us — if only in reference to Republicans — no one is above the law. Read more… Mayor Beth Van Duyne: Actions speak louder than words Nov 14, 2019 01:00 am The race for Texas’ 24th District is regarded by national pundits as quite competitive. Here is the strong Republican pick. Read more… Evo to Mexico Nov 14, 2019 01:00 am No one is crazy about Evo Morales bringing his show to Mexico. Read more… Bad precedent on a good gun law Nov 14, 2019 01:00 am All manufacturers of firearms, handguns, and ammo are at risk. Read more… The Anti-Freedom party Nov 14, 2019 01:00 am Leftists have hijacked the Democratic Party and turned it into the Anti-Freedom Party. Read more… Why is Iran violating the JCPOA? Nov 14, 2019 01:00 am Are the mullahs up against it at last? Read more… With DACA looking set for a Supreme Court victory, the Left takes aim at Stephen Miller Nov 13, 2019 01:00 am Funny how the Left strikes with such impressive timing and with such a consistent echo-chamber line. Read more… Nervous Nancy’s two alternatives Nov 13, 2019 01:00 am With the vote tentatively scheduled to give America a Christmas present it will not soon forget, we will see just how Nervous Nancy chooses to “ring in the holidays.” Read more… A DACA deal? Trump knows what he’s doing Nov 13, 2019 01:00 am Trump has put his finger on the biggest problems within DACA. Read more… Trump’s re-election strategy in one tweet Nov 13, 2019 01:00 am Going for the “hold your nose and vote” crowd. Read more… Is impeachment all about the SCOTUS? Nov 13, 2019 01:00 am We all wish Ruth Bader Ginsburg an even longer life in good health, but the Democrats always plan ahead. Read more… View this email in your browser American Thinker is a daily internet publication devoted to the thoughtful exploration of issues of importance to Americans. |
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Your daily update of new content from The Federalist Be lovers of freedom and anxious for the fray November 14, 2019 Bernie Sanders Can’t Keep His Position On Banning ‘Assault Weapons’ Straight By Mark Overstreet Sanders says confiscating existing AR-15s from their owners would be unconstitutional, but that prohibiting people from becoming AR-15 owners wouldn’t be. Full article This Impeachment Inquiry Is Really About Who Sets U.S. Foreign Policy By John Daniel Davidson If Trump thinks it’s in the national interest to root out corruption in Ukraine and get to the bottom of 2016 election meddling, that’s his prerogative. Full article It Doesn’t Matter If DACA Is Good Policy. It’s Unconstitutional By Rita Dunaway It’s not the president or the Supreme Court’s job or power to make laws. It’s Congress’s. And even though DACA is a good idea, Congress hasn’t made it law, so nobody else should either. Full article Trump Administration Vows To Fight EU Decision To Put Warning Labels On Jewish Products By Erielle Davidson Yesterday, the EU’s Court of Justice, the highest court in the EU, ruled that Jewish products made in contested areas of Israel must bear consumer warning labels. Full article A Second Term For Trump Would Mark An Unprecedented Era Of Incumbency By Nick Sheppard Were Donald Trump to win a second term in 2020, it would mean we would be in an era of unprecedented incumbency, with four presidents in a row elected to two terms. Full article 22 Star Wars Easter Eggs In The First Episode Of ‘The Mandalorian’ By Brad Jackson The first episode of ‘The Mandalorian’ is full of Easter eggs and callbacks to the rich history of Star Wars, and with Dave Filoni as the director, you can bet some of them are deep, deep cuts in the lore of that galaxy far, far away. Full article ‘Friendly Benches’: Elites’ Response To The Loneliness They’ve Created Borders On Satire By Nathanael Blake The West’s leadership class has been indifferent to the condition of loneliness — until they can use it to push another government program into our lives. Full article Redistributing Bureaucracy Away From DC Will Help Drain The Swamp By Kyle Sammin The HIRE Act would relocate nearly all of the employees of ten executive departments to regions of the country that need the jobs more. Full article 3 Reasons Cracking Down On Vaping Would Make Things Worse For Teens Like Me By Jack Elbaum It does not make sense why President Trump sees vaping as a unique evil that deserves to be disproportionately regulated. Full article Here’s Who Should Win At The 2019 CMA Awards By Emily Jashinsky The country pop seems to keep getting poppier, even while a handful of traditionalists find success making excellent music that honors the genre’s roots. Full article Adam Schiff’s Star Witness Just Admitted Burisma Should Be Investigated For Corruption By Tristan Justice Deputy Assistant Secretary of State George Kent made the case for launching an investigation into the Bidens and their involvement in Ukraine. Full article Schiff Lies Yet Again, Claims To Not Know Who The Whistleblower Is By Erielle Davidson Chairman Adam Schiff says he does not know who the whistleblower is, but threatened members if they outed the whistleblower’s identity. How would he know? Full article ‘Office Ladies’ Podcast Honors The Era Of Politically Incorrect Comedy By Chrissy Clark 15 years after “The Office,” the show’s stars, Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey kickstarted a re-watch podcast called “Office Ladies.” Full article Mark Sanford Ends Primary Challenge Against Trump By Tristan Justice From the very beginning, Sanford acknowledged the uphill battle he was up against by launching a primary against a president of his own party. Full article IMPEACHMENT COUNTDOWN STARTS NOW The claims that an impeachment vote would take place by Thanksgiving – conventional wisdom in Washington as recently as a month ago – having been cast aside, it seems like only now that people are waking up to the reality of what a trial of the president to begin in January will do to the presidential nomination battle on the Democratic side. With a bevy of Senators running for the job, the 6-8 week trial – six days a week, all afternoon – will remove Senators Sanders, Warren, Klobuchar, Harris, Booker, and Bennet from the trail at perhaps the worst possible moment, leaving Iowa and New Hampshire to Biden and Buttigieg, all for an impeachment trial where we already know the assured outcome. The president won’t be removed, but the focus will make impeachment central to the conversation for at least a month and a half. Instead of making a case to the voters based on anything else, that’s all there will be. Read more of The Transom by signing up for a free trial today. follow on Twitter | friend on Facebook | forward to a friend Copyright © 2019 The Federalist, All rights reserved. unsubscribe from this list | update subscription preferences |
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AXIOS
By Mike Allen
☕ Good Thursday morning. Today’s Smart Brevity™ count: 1,198 words … 4½ minutes.
1 big thing … Scoop: Erdoğan upends Oval meeting to play anti-Kurd film on iPad
Trump and Erdoğan in the Oval Office yesterday. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images
An Oval Office meeting with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan yesterday took a dark turn when Erdoğan pulled out his iPad and made the group watch a propaganda video that depicted Kurds as terrorists, three sources familiar with the meeting tell Axios’ Jonathan Swan.
- Why it matters: The meeting, hosted by President Trump, included five Republican U.S. senators who’ve been among the most vocal critics of Turkey’s invasion of Syria and attacks on the U.S.’s Kurdish allies in the fight against ISIS.
- The meeting comes as Erdoğan is trying to avoid sanctions over the purchase of a Russian missile defense system.
Erdoğan apparently thought he could sway these senators by forcing them to watch a clunky propaganda film.
- The senators in the meeting took turns pushing back on Erdoğan, while Trump sat back and watched, intervening occasionally to play traffic cop.
- Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) pressed Erdoğan on “why Turkey should enjoy the protections of NATO when they’re cozying up to Russia,” according to another source familiar with the meeting.
Erdoğan’s video “was unpersuasive,” according to a source who was in the room.
- After the film concluded, according to the source, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) asked Erdoğan: “Well, do you want me to go get the Kurds to make one about what you’ve done?”
In a phone interview last night, Graham confirmed he clashed with Erdoğan in the Oval:
- “The Turkish narrative that they have done more to destroy ISIS, I rejected forcefully, and I let Turkey know that 10,000 SDF fighters, mostly Kurds, suffered, died or injured, in the fight against ISIS, and America will not forget that and will not abandon them.”
Behind the scenes: A senior administration official said the senators were invited because they have voiced concerns about Turkey’s purchase of Russian weapons and its invasion of Syria.
- “It shows Erdoğan that they’re serious about sanctions, and Trump doesn’t have to be the bad guy,” the official said.
2. ⚖️ Impeachment’s dueling echo chambers
Cable news chyrons at 8:01 p.m. ET Wednesday. Graphic: Axios
The absence of shared facts and narratives on TV and online will make it hard for either party to make its impeachment case stick, Axios’ Sara Fischer, Neal Rothschild and Scott Rosenberg write.
On the right, conservative media doubled down on the narrative that Republican questioners like Reps. Jim Jordan and Devin Nunes crushed Democrats’ main arguments.
- On Fox News, Sean Hannity opened his 9 p.m. hour saying it was a “great day for the United States, for the President and the country and a lousy day for the corrupt, do-nothing-for-three-years, radical extreme socialist Democrats and their top allies known as the media mob.”
On the left, Democrats focused on messaging that Ambassador Bill Taylor’s testimony was damning for President Trump and concentrated on his new information about a call between Trump and EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland.
- On MSNBC, Rachel Maddow opened her 9 p.m. hour saying that the hearing was unprecedented and that Taylor’s testimony offered “new, detailed revelations … about the actions of the president and him directing this scheme personally.”
Between the lines: You could assemble one version of the hearing from the left, with all the Democrats’ questions spliced together, and then another reel from the right, with the GOP representatives’ questions spliced together, and end up with two completely different events.
- Members of Congress understand this dynamic, and play to it during public hearings to win coverage.
3. Inside impeachment
Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Several of the seats reserved for members of Congress who aren’t on the Intelligence Committee were vacant — and more Rs than Ds sat in, Axios’ Alayna Treene reports from the Ways and Means hearing room that hosted yesterday’s impeachment hearing.
- TV screens were used to display a map of Ukraine, text messages shared between the witnesses, and excerpts of President Trump’s phone call.
- The hearing got off to a slow start, with roughly an hour and a half of opening statements. Even the members appeared to lose energy.
- Republicans and Democrats frequently made visible and audible expressions. There were groans when Chairman Adam Schiff interrupted Republican questioning to tell the diplomats that they didn’t have to answer certain questions.
- A bunch of people in the audience dozed off during the hearing’s second half.
4. Pic du jour — and a crazy stat
Photo: Simone Padovani/Awakening/Getty Images
In Venice, St. Mark’s Basilica flooded during the lagoon city’s highest tide in 53 years, with “priceless mosaics drowned in sewage,” according to Italian coverage.
Mayor Luigi Brugnaro blamed climate change, per Reuters:
- 🌊 The basilica “flooded for the sixth time in 1,200 years — but the fourth in the last 20.”
5. 🇭🇰 Hong Kong protesters now using bows and arrows …
A pro-democracy protester makes nail roadblocks today, inside the campus of the University of Hong Kong. Photo: Kin Cheung/AP
… and college campuses have become battlegrounds, AP reports:
- A main cross-harbor tunnel closed after protesters set toll booths on fire.
6. Superbugs pose greater threat than estimated
CDC via AP
“Drug-resistant germs sicken about 3 million people every year in the United States and kill about 35,000, representing a much larger public health threat than previously understood,” the WashPost writes about a long-awaited CDC report.
- Why it matters: “Bacteria, fungi and other germs that have developed a resistance to antibiotics and other drugs pose one of the gravest public health challenges and a baffling problem for modern medicine.”
7. Day’s best graphic
Courtesy CBS News
8. A cover to break the internet
Photo illustration by Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari for The New York Times
The N.Y. Times Magazine’s annual Tech & Design issue explores the wild web, with an opening essay by deputy editor Bill Wasik, “The Future of the Internet“:
Perhaps the most profound force at work upon the internet right now is the simple passage of time. Everyone raised in a pre-internet era continues to age and disappear, while new generations grow up not merely as ‘”digital natives’’ but as life- long witnesses to the internet’s best and worst effects. …
For teenagers today, the internet is both a stage onto which to step boldly and a minefield through which to step gingerly — a double bind that has given rise to whole new habits of living online, in which self-expression and self-protection are inextricably linked.
The issue includes looks at the heavily-regulated Chinese internet, by Yiren Lu … the odd phenomenon of internet fandom, by Jamie Lauren Keiles … and internet inequality, by Kevin Roose.
9. ⚾ trivia
Astros third baseman Alex Bregman. Photo: Eric Christian Smith/AP
If Houston’s Alex Bregman is named American League MVP today, the Astros will be the first team to have an MVP, Cy Young winner and Rookie of the Year in the same season, AP’s Noah Trister points out.
- Justin Verlander took Cy Young honors, and Yordan Álvarez was a unanimous pick as the AL’s top rookie.
The Angels’ Mike Trout is Bregman’s top competition.
- The National League MVP will come down the Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger or the Brewers’ Christian Yelich, with the Nats’ Anthony Rendon in the running.
10. 🎬 1 film thing: “Bombshell”
“Bombshell,” centered on the sexual harassment allegations against Roger Ailes at Fox News, had a D.C. screening last night featuring director Jay Roach and Charlize Theron, who plays anchor Megyn Kelly.
- The film, which opens wide Dec. 20, also stars Nicole Kidman as Gretchen Carlson and Margot Robbie as a fictional producer at the network.
Theron told CNN about her decision to take the role: “[I]f we can see the power of the message through someone who we may not agree with or somebody who might even anger us, that tells you there’s something real there.”
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