“All roads lead to Putin.”
— Speaker Nancy Pelosi, quoted by USA Today, describing what she told President Trump at a White House meeting yesterday.
Warren and Biden Tied In Iowa
A new Emerson poll in Iowa finds Joe Biden is now tied with Elizabeth Warren for the lead in the Democratic presidential race with 23% each, followed by Pete Buttigieg at 16%, and Bernie Sanders dropping to fourth at 13%.
No other candidate reaches above 5%.
‘Our Republic Is Under Attack From the President’
William McRaven: “If our promises are meaningless, how will our allies ever trust us? If we can’t have faith in our nation’s principles, why would the men and women of this nation join the military? And if they don’t join, who will protect us? If we are not the champions of the good and the right, then who will follow us? And if no one follows us — where will the world end up?”
“President Trump seems to believe that these qualities are unimportant or show weakness. He is wrong. These are the virtues that have sustained this nation for the past 243 years. If we hope to continue to lead the world and inspire a new generation of young men and women to our cause, then we must embrace these values now more than ever.”
“And if this president doesn’t understand their importance, if this president doesn’t demonstrate the leadership that America needs, both domestically and abroad, then it is time for a new person in the Oval Office — Republican, Democrat or independent — the sooner, the better. The fate of our Republic depends upon it.”
Perry Tells Trump He’ll Resign
New York Times: “Rick Perry, the energy secretary who has drawn scrutiny for his role in the controversy surrounding President Trump’s efforts to push Ukraine officials to investigate the son of a political rival, on Thursday told the president he would resign from the cabinet.”
“The Perry resignation had been anticipated for several weeks, even before the news emerged of his involvement in efforts to pressure the new president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, to investigate a company that had worked with Hunter Biden, the younger son of former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.”
Majority Approve of Impeachment Inquiry
A new Pew Research poll finds 54% of Americans currently approve of the House’s decision to conduct an impeachment inquiry into President Trump, while 44% disapprove.
Trump Legal Team Distances Itself from Mulvaney
President Trump’s external legal team is now trying to distance itself from acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney’s press briefing today, where he admitted a quid pro quo in delaying of military aid to Ukraine.
Said Jay Sekulow to CNN: “The legal team was not involved in the Acting Chief of Staff’s press briefing.”
Romney Calls for Investigation Into Trump’s Syria Pullout
In a fiery speech on the Senate floor, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) called for Senate hearings into President Trump’s decision to withdrawal U.S. troops from Syria.
Said Romney: “So America is diminished, Russia, Iran and Assad are strengthened. And so I ask, how and why this decision was reached.”
He added :”Was there no chance for diplomacy? Are we so weak and so inept diplomatically that Turkey forced the hand of the United States of America? Turkey?”
Schiff Says Mulvaney Made Things ‘Much, Much Worse’
When asked about acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney’s admission of a quid pro quo in withholding military aid from Ukraine, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) said the situation has “gone from very, very bad to much, much worse,” NBC News reports.
Mulvaney Says Quid Pro Quo Was Not About Biden
“Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said Thursday that President Trump did not withhold military aid to Ukraine as part of a quid pro quo to get that country to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden,” CNBC reports.
“Instead, Mulvaney told reporters, that the withholding of aid this summer was due in part because Trump wanted Ukraine to investigate the possibility that elements in that country somehow had interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election to Trump’s detriment.”
New York Times: “It was the first time a White House official has publicly acknowledged what a parade of current and former administration officials have told impeachment investigators on Capitol Hill.”
Pence Says Turkey Agreed to Cease Fire
Vice President Mike Pence announced from Ankara on Thursday that Turkey has agreed to cease its military operation in northern Syria until Kurdish forces can withdraw from the area, Axios reports.
G7 Summit Will Be Held At Trump Resort
Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said during a press briefing Thursday that next year’s G7 summit will be hosted at the Trump National Doral Miami resort, Axios reports.
What Problems Did Trump Help Erdogan Solve?
Philip Bump: “There are a number of remarkable lines in the letter President Trump sent to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan this month. But it’s a relatively unremarkable one that may be the most revealing.”
“‘I have worked hard to solve some of your problems,’ Trump writes at the beginning of the second paragraph. It’s not as splashy as ‘Don’t be a fool!’ but it’s more interesting. What, exactly, are those problems Trump has been working to solve?”
Decline of Christianity In U.S. Continues at Rapid Pace
A new Pew Research survey finds 65% of American adults describe themselves as Christians when asked about their religion, down 12 percentage points over the past decade.
Meanwhile, the religiously unaffiliated share of the population, consisting of people who describe their religious identity as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular,” now stands at 26%, up from 17% in 2009.
Peters Narrowly Ahead In Michigan
A new Marketing Resource Group poll shows Sen. Gary Peters (D) holds a small lead over challenger John James (R) by a slim 43 percent to 40 percent margin.
The Turn-On
Out next week: The Turn-On: How the Powerful Make Us Like Them-from Washington to Wall Street to Hollywood by Steven Goldstein.
“Why do we like Ellen DeGeneres and Morgan Freeman, yet find Gwyneth Paltrow sometimes maddening? Why do we like Warren Buffett, Microsoft’s Satya Nadella and Google’s Sundar Pichai aside from their products and profits? And apart from our ideology, why do some of us like Barack and Michelle Obama and others Donald Trump, and what does Ben Franklin have to do with any of it?”
Sale
The Turn-On: How the Powerful Make Us Like Them-from Washington to Wall Street to Hollywood
- Captivation and Hope
- Authenticity and Relatability
- Protectiveness and Reliability
- Perceptiveness and Compassion
Trump Told Sondland to Work Through Giuliani
“Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, told House impeachment investigators Thursday that President Trump urged him to work with his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani on matters related to Ukraine, the Washington Post reports.
“The revelation came as Sondland, a key figure in the probe, appeared behind closed doors to testify about Trump’s efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate former vice president Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden at a time when nearly $400 million in military aid was being withheld.”
Politico: “Sondland’s testimony has the potential to be the most devastating yet for Trump’s defenders.”
Candidates Spent Over $50 Million To Raise More Money
Wall Street Journal: “Democratic presidential candidates spent $335 million in the first nine months of the year—and a big chunk of it went to raising more money.”
“The 25 Democrats, six of whom have dropped out of the race, spent more than $50 million building lists of potential donors, buying digital advertising to lure new donors and on other expenses labeled as fundraising, such as consulting, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of Federal Election Commission filings from Jan 1. to Sept. 30. The total cost of fundraising could be higher because campaigns have wide leeway in how they identify expenses in public filings.”
Karen Pence Sticks Neck Out for Trump
Politico “The first time Donald Trump ran for president, Karen Pence, the wife of his running mate, rarely hit the campaign trail to stump for the pair. Camera shy and appalled by Trump’s treatment of women, Mrs. Pence surfaced only to support her husband in his October 2016 vice presidential debate and to join him at rallies in the final weeks before the election.”
“But when Trump began asking friends this summer for their thoughts about Vice President Mike Pence, the second lady decided it was time to step up. Fearful that the president might boot Pence — who has long had his eye on the 2024 presidential race — from his reelection ticket, she became eager to assist the campaign as a loyal female surrogate.”
