memeorandum: The world is staring at Trump, mouth agape (Dana Milbank/Washington Post)

1:45 AM ET, October 17, 2019

Top Items:

Burgess Everett / Politico:

McConnell eyes quick impeachment trial in Senate — Senate Republicans are preparing for a speedy impeachment trial that concludes before the end of the year. — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Senate Republicans on Wednesday that he expects Speaker Nancy Pelosi to approve articles …

Discussion: Fox News, The Hill, NBC News, Hot Air, Law & Crime, Talking Points Memo and Axios

Zachary Basu / Axios:

Democrats say Trump had a “meltdown” and insulted Pelosi in Syria meeting — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Wednesday that they walked out of a meeting with President Trump …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Informed Comment, The Federalist Papers, The Daily Caller and Breitbart

Lisa Mascaro / Associated Press:

‘See you at the polls’: Trump and Pelosi have it out — WASHINGTON (AP) — He said she's a third-rate politician. She said he's having a meltdown. — And with that President Donald Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi chalked up the latest explosive meeting that ended abruptly with a walkout at the White House.

Discussion: The Week

Katie Rogers / New York Times:

Inside the Derailed White House Meeting — “I hate ISIS more than you do,” President Trump said. “You don't know that,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi replied. Here's the rest of their exchange. — WASHINGTON — You know a White House meeting has gone off the rails when the president …

Discussion: The Hill, The Week, The Gateway Pundit, Occupy Democrats, Sputnik International and Breitbart

Marina Pitofsky / The Hill:

Lawmakers, social media users praise photo of Pelosi confronting Trump — Lawmakers and other social media users took to Twitter on Wednesday evening to praise House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) after President Trump tweeted a photo of her standing up at a contentious meeting …

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, NPR and Breitbart

Jordain Carney / The Hill:
Romney: Trump administration opened door to Turkey invasion

Discussion: Vox, Politico, Breitbart, Daily Kos and One America News Network

Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
House overwhelming rebukes Trump over Syria withdrawal

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit and The Week

David M. Drucker / Washington Examiner:
'Sanctions aren't going to do any good': Senate GOP blasts Trump's Turkey strategy

Discussion: Raw Story

Catie Edmondson / New York Times:
Bipartisan House Majority Condemns Trump for Syria Withdrawal

Discussion: NBC News, The Daily Caller, The Hill, Talking Points Memo and The Wrap

David Gauthier-Villars / Wall Street Journal:
Turkey Rejects U.S. Call for Immediate Cease-Fire in Syria

Discussion: Raw Story, The Hill, The Week, Reuters, Axios, Just Security and Foreign Policy

Matthew Boyle / Breitbart:
Exclusive Video — White House's Peter Navarro Pushes Nancy Pelosi to Pass US-Mexico-Canada Agreement …

Discussion: Associated Press

Wall Street Journal:

Rick Perry Called Rudy Giuliani at Trump's Direction on Ukraine Concerns — President's lawyer said Ukraine had worked to hurt Trump in 2016 election, energy secretary says in interview — WASHINGTON—Energy Secretary Rick Perry said he sought out Rudy Giuliani this spring …

Discussion: Axios, HuffPost and Raw Story

CNN:

Federal investigation of Rudy Giuliani includes counterintelligence probe — (CNN)For months, investigators looking into Rudy Giuliani's business dealings in Ukraine have dug into everything from possible financial entanglements with alleged corrupt Ukrainian figures to counterintelligence concerns raised …

Discussion: ABC News, New York Times, Law & Crime, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit, Daily Kos, The New Civil Rights Movement and Wall Street Journal

Josh Lederman / NBC News:

Sondland asked Ukrainian officials during private White House talk about gas firm linked to Hunter Biden — Sondland's meeting with Ukrainian officials just steps from the White House Situation Room came minutes after a larger meeting that included John Bolton.

Discussion: Associated Press, Mother Jones and Balloon Juice

William D. Cohan / Vanity Fair:

“There Is Definite Hanky-Panky Going On”: The Fantastically Profitable Mystery of the Trump Chaos Trades — The president's talk can move markets—and it's made some futures traders billions. Did they know what he was going to say before he said it? — In the last 10 minutes of trading …

Discussion: The American Conservative

Josh Rogin / Washington Post:

Elizabeth Warren is failing the commander in chief test — It should be obvious this week that the United States needs a president who has the foreign policy chops to speak clearly about the United States' role in the world and has a real plan to keep our country safe.

Discussion: New York Times, Associated Press, The Intercept and Breitbart

William Saletan / Slate:

Is Elizabeth Warren an Ideologue? — Tuesday's debate points to trouble for Democrats if she wins the nomination. — Elizabeth Warren, the senator from Massachusetts, is a strong candidate for president. She has a clear and compelling message about the unfair distribution of American prosperity.

Discussion: Washington Post, PinkNews, The Week, Vanity Fair and American Prospect

Robert C. O'Brien / Washington Post:
Here's how I will streamline Trump's National Security Council

Discussion: The Hill

Tommy Christopher / Mediaite:
Joe Biden Goes Off: Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders Are ‘Trying to Con the American People’ Like Trump

Discussion: Breitbart, The Daily Caller and Vox

CNN:
Day after debate, Elizabeth Warren's campaign says it's reviewing ‘other revenue options’ for Medicare for All

Discussion: The Hill and Common Dreams

Associated Press:
Warren, candidate with the answers, dodges tax hike question

Discussion: Washington Post, The Hill and Politico

New York Times:

Trump's Impeachment Blockade Crumbles as Witnesses Agree to Talk — After vowing not to cooperate with a “kangaroo court,” the president has largely failed to prevent current and former administration members from spending hours with Democrats seeking to impeach him.

Discussion: Raw Story

New York Times:

Ex-Aide Saw Gordon Sondland as a Potential National Security Risk — A former top White House adviser viewed Mr. Sondland, a Trump donor and the ambassador to the European Union, as a risk because he was so unprepared for his job. — WASHINGTON — A former top White House foreign policy …

Discussion: What The Fuck …, LewRockwell, NBC News, Raw Story, The American Conservative, Daily Kos, Politico, HuffPost, The Week, National Review, Vanity Fair, Washington Post, Just Security, CNN and The Dispatch

New York Times:
Gordon Sondland Elbowed His Way Into Ukraine Policy. It Could Cost Him.

Discussion: Raw Story

Kyle Cheney / Politico:
House lawyers: Trump trying to ‘obstruct his own impeachment’

Discussion: The Hill and The New Civil Rights Movement

Daniel Lippman / Politico:
The lawyer at the center of the Ukraine vortex

Discussion: Vanity Fair, The Daily Caller, The Hill, Raw Story and Talking Points Memo

Dana Milbank / Washington Post:

The world is staring at Trump, mouth agape — President Trump stood in a crowded East Room on Wednesday afternoon with the Italian president at his side, scores of aides and reporters at his feet, and a bank of cameras relaying his words to millions. — Yet he seemed alone against the world.

Discussion: CNN, Politico and The Last Refuge

Dan Zak / Washington Post:

Day 1,000 of the Trump presidency: ‘I think now we have to pray...’ — Wednesday was the 1,000th day of Donald Trump's presidency. He spent it the usual way, by saying unusual things. — “It's a lot of sand,” Trump said. — He was sitting in the Oval Office next to the president of Italy …

Discussion: CNN

Eli Lake / Bloomberg:
The Trump Doctrine: American Unexceptionalism

Discussion: KTLA

Washington Post:
Trump tries to distance himself from chaos in Syria as tensions with lawmakers in both parties escalate

Discussion: Vanity Fair, The White House, One America News Network, The Root, New York Times, Patterico's Pontifications and Mediaite

Washington Post:

Amid impeachment probe, Gordon Sondland is overseeing a renovation of his residence that has cost $1 million in taxpayer money — BRUSSELS — Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union and a central figure in the House impeachment inquiry of President Trump …

Discussion: Vanity Fair

Axios:

Scoop: Kurt Volker testimony revealed depth of concerns about Giuliani — New details from Kurt Volker's closed-door interview indicate Bill Taylor, the acting ambassador to Ukraine, was deeply conflicted about whether to take the job because of concerns about Rudy Giuliani's shadow involvement.

Discussion: Political Wire and Raw Story

Washington Post:
Pompeo adviser to decry politicization of State Dept. in impeachment probe testimony

Discussion: Daily Kos, NPR, Politico, The Hill, The American Conservative, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, The Week and Raw Story

New York Times:
Former Top State Dept. Aide Tells Impeachment Investigators He Quit Over Ukraine

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Kyle Cheney / Politico:
Ex-Pompeo adviser tells Congress he resigned over Trump's attacks on Yovanovitch

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Axios, The Hill, NBC News and Washington Post

Washington Post:

McConnell tells Senate Republicans to be ready for impeachment trial of Trump — Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Republican senators Wednesday to be ready for an impeachment trial of President Trump as soon as Thanksgiving, as the Senate began to brace for a political maelstrom that would engulf the nation.

Discussion: The Week

Philip Bump / Washington Post:
Only once has Gallup seen more support for removing a president. Nixon was gone four days later.

Discussion: Politico, Gallup, The Hill, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Talking Points Memo

Bloomberg:

Trump-Erdogan Call Led to Lengthy Quest to Avoid Halkbank Trial — Barr, working with Mnuchin, sought a deferred prosecution deal — Prosecutors filed charges when Trump sought to punish Erdogan — President Donald Trump assigned his attorney general and Treasury secretary to deal …

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money, New York Times and U.S. Department of Justice

Zachary Cohen / CNN:

Trump appears to confirm open secret about US nuclear weapons in Turkey — Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump appeared to confirm Wednesday that US nuclear weapons are being housed at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, making him the first US official to publicly acknowledge what has been considered an open secret for years.

Discussion: Washington Post, Political Wire and East Bay Times

Vincent Wood / The Independent:
Turkey ‘effectively holding 50 US nuclear bombs hostage’ at air base amid Syria invasion

Discussion: Informed Comment and Hot Air

Sam Stein / The Daily Beast:

Joe Biden, Bleeding Cash, Spent Nearly $1 Million on Private Jets — Per the ex-veep's FEC data, roughly one out of every 16 dollars raised by the campaign has been spent on such aviation. — Joe Biden's presidential campaign is bleeding cash. And a big reason why appears to be an antiquated …

Discussion: Politico, New York Post, The Week, The Daily Caller and Wall Street Journal

Byron York / Washington Examiner:

Schiff pressed Volker to say Ukraine felt pressure from Trump — In a secret interview, Rep. Adam Schiff, leader of the House Democratic effort to impeach President Trump, pressed former U.S. special representative to Ukraine Kurt Volker to testify that Ukrainian officials felt pressured …

Discussion: RedState, The Daily Caller and PJ Media Home