memeorandum: “Stupid Watergate” Is Worse Than the Original (David Remnick/New Yorker)

4:25 PM ET, October 5, 2019

Top Items:

Rosalind S. Helderman / Washington Post:

Mounting evidence buttresses the facts laid out in whistleblower complaint — Since the revelation of an explosive whistleblower complaint that sparked an impeachment crisis for President Trump, he and his Republican allies have coalesced around a central defense: The document was based …

Discussion: THE DC PATRIOT

Washington Post:

Holding Ukraine hostage: How the president and his allies, chasing 2020 ammunition, fanned a political storm — By mid-May, the U.S. relationship with Ukraine was unraveling: The U.S. ambassador had been recalled home for no apparent reason, the country's new president was anxious about U.S. support …

Discussion: Mother Jones and Power Line

David Ignatius / Washington Post:
For Trump, Ukraine is a story of personal resentment and political opportunism

Discussion: The Daily Signal, New York Times, Spectator USA and The Daily Caller

Washington Post:
Trump's corruption is black and white

Discussion: HuffPost, New York Times, The Daily Beast, Mediaite and Common Dreams

Wall Street Journal:
In Months Before Trump Call, Ukraine Officials Sweated White House Pressure

Discussion: Raw Story and Foreign Policy

New York Times:
What Was Gordon Sondland's Mission to Ukraine for Trump All About?

Discussion: Los Angeles Magazine

Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:

The ‘Never Trump’ Coalition That Decided Eh, Never Mind, He's Fine — They signed open letters, dedicated a special magazine issue to criticism of him and swore he would tear at the fabric of this nation. Now they have become the president's strongest defenders.

New York Times:

2nd Official Is Weighing Whether to Blow the Whistle on Trump's Ukraine Dealings — The official, a member of the intelligence community, was interviewed by the inspector general to corroborate the original whistle-blower's account. — WASHINGTON — A second intelligence official …

Bloomberg:

Trump Orders Cut to National Security Staff After Whistle-Blower — White House seeks to make council leaner under new leader — Plan emerges after whistle-blower's report on Ukraine call — President Donald Trump has ordered a substantial reduction in the staff of the National Security Council …

Discussion: New York Post, Talking Points Memo, HuffPost, Occupy Democrats, The Week, Politico and POLITICUSUSA, more at Techmeme »

Washington Post:
Trump's calls with foreign leaders have long worried aides, leaving some ‘genuinely horrified’

Discussion: Vanity Fair, Common Dreams, Althouse, Mediaite and CANNONFIRE

New York Times:

Biden Faced His Biggest Challenge, and Struggled to Form a Response — As Trump made unfounded allegations about Biden and his son, the former vice president was torn over what to do. He now looks more vulnerable than at any point in the campaign. — WASHINGTON — Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s …

Discussion: Trending Politics, Breitbart, RedState, Townhall, Political Wire and CNN

David Remnick / New Yorker:

“Stupid Watergate” Is Worse Than the Original — Comparatively speaking, Richard Nixon has been getting a lot of glowing press these days. As if to propose the never-before-in-history uniqueness of our current moment, we rush to remind ourselves of the lovelier sides of Tricky Dick …

New York Times:

Meet the Ukrainian Ex-Prosecutor Behind the Impeachment Furor — KIEV, Ukraine — As soon as he got the invitation from Rudolph W. Giuliani, President Trump's personal lawyer, it was abundantly clear to him what Mr. Trump's allies were after. — “I understood very well what would interest them …

Tommy Christopher / Mediaite:

WATCH: Elizabeth Warren Lied About Losing Public School Teaching Job Because She Was ‘Visibly Pregnant’ — Massachusetts Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren claims she lost a public school teaching job because she was “visibly pregnant,” but that's not true according …

Discussion: Townhall

The Boston Globe:
PROVIDENCE — Former UN ambassador Samantha Power said Friday she would not rule out running …

Discussion: Politico

New York Times:

In Chinatown, Rampage Against Sleeping Homeless Men Leaves 4 Dead — A fifth victim was in critical condition from the Manhattan attack, and a 24-year-old suspect was in custody. — The killer first struck just before 2 a.m. on Saturday on a quiet spot on East Broadway in Chinatown …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, New York Post and Fox News

Gerard Baker / Wall Street Journal:

A Good Man Is Getting Even Harder to Find — The future of mating looks grim as more educated women compete for fewer eligible males. — When my daughters were small they had a favorite bit of doggerel that prefigured some early feminist leanings. — “Girls go to college …

Daniel Dale / CNN:

Fact check: Trump tells elaborate false story about Van Jones apologizing to him — Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump criticized CNN host Van Jones at length on Friday during a speech to the Young Black Leadership Summit, a conservative event at the White House.

Martyn McLaughlin / Scotsman:

Trump Aberdeenshire runs up £1m losses — Donald Trump's inaugural Scottish golf resort remains mired in the red after running up losses of more than £1m, newly published accounts show. — The US president's Trump International Golf Links firm in Aberdeenshire posted annual losses …

Natasha Bertrand / Politico:

Justice Department hasn't interviewed key Russia probe witnesses — For months, President Donald Trump's allies have been raising expectations for prosecutor John Durham's investigation into the origins of the Russia probe, predicting that he will uncover a deep state plot to stage a “coup” against the president.

Discussion: Salon

CNN:

Pompeo fails to meet House subpoena deadline to produce Ukraine documents — (CNN)Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday failed to meet a subpoena deadline from the House to produce Ukraine-related documents. — A House Foreign Affairs Committee aide told CNN that “Secretary Pompeo …

Sally Lockwood / Sky News:

‘Hundreds’ of young trans people seeking help to return to original sex — A woman who detransitioned in 2018 says there are many people who have had gender reassignment surgery who wish they hadn't. — North of England correspondent @sallylockwood — Created with Sketch.

Discussion: Big League Politics and Breitbart

Rick Weber / Rock and Ice:

Border-Wall Climbing Competition to Take Place at Red River Gorge, October 11-12 — This is amazing. — Many in the climbing community were amused a couple weeks ago when our POTUS held a press conference at a section of his latest border wall design—a series of parallel square steel posts with a 5-foot-high plate at the top.

Discussion: HuffPost, The Gateway Pundit and Political Wire

Daniel Lippman / Politico:

Perry pressed Ukraine on corruption, energy company changes — Energy Secretary Rick Perry urged Ukraine's president to root out corruption and pushed the new government for changes at its state-run oil and gas company, people familiar with his work said Friday — indications …

Discussion: Daily Kos and American Military News

Bloomberg:

North Korean Envoy Says Nuclear Talks With U.S. Break Down — Yonhap: Pyongyang's envoy says U.S. arrived ‘empty handed’ — Working-level talks in Stockholm were the first in months — Working-level talks with the U.S. on denuclearization broke down after Washington arrived at the meetings …

Adam Taylor / Washington Post:

Trump has spoken privately with Putin at least 16 times. Here's what we know about the conversations. — President Trump has spoken privately with Russia's Vladimir Putin at least 16 times since he entered office in 2017. These conversations have long been the subject of scrutiny and speculation …

Harry Enten / CNN:

Trump's approval rating shows there's no sign yet of impeachment backlash against Democrats — (CNN)First things first: The theme song of the week is “Webster.” — Poll of the week: A new Gallup poll out this week finds that President Donald Trump's approval rating is 40%. His disapproval rating is 56%.

Christian Vasquez / Politico:

Trump hits back at ‘ass’ Romney after criticism of Ukraine, China probe calls — President Donald Trump fired back at Mitt Romney on Saturday morning, calling the Utah senator a “pompous ‘ass’” while defending his calls for Ukraine and China to investigate political rival Joe Biden.

Discussion: Associated Press and Breitbart

Tamar Hallerman / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

AJC EXCLUSIVE: Pelosi defends impeachment, Dems' plans for Georgia — U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi vowed Friday to protect Georgia's most vulnerable Democratic lawmaker and flip another suburban Atlanta seat in next year's election, even as the push for impeachment poses new challenges for her party's candidates.

Discussion: Political Wire and FOX Carolina

Zoe Nicholson / Greenville News:
Will Speaker Nancy Pelosi discuss Trump impeachment inquiry at tonight's Greenville event?

Discussion: RedState and The Gateway Pundit

Washington Post:

Epstein accuser holds Victoria's Secret billionaire responsible, as he keeps his distance — NEW ALBANY, Ohio — The first time the artist Maria Farmer says she heard the name of fashion billionaire Leslie Wexner, she recalled, was when her employer, financier Jeffrey Epstein, told her, “Les loves me.

Maria Sacchetti / Washington Post:

Trump's order will deny visas to immigrants who lack health-care coverage — The White House late Friday issued a proclamation saying it would deny visas to immigrants who “will financially burden” the U.S. health-care system starting Nov. 3, demanding that foreign nationals prove …

Discussion: The Week and Wall Street Journal