General
Far-right group warning of Islamist infiltration to hold banquet at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club
David A. Fahrenthold, The Washington Post
A far-right group that believes Islamists are infiltrating the U.S. government will hold a banquet Saturday night at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club, according to a permit issued for the event. The group, the Center for Security Policy, has also spread the false idea that former president Barack Obama is a Muslim and alleged that mainstream Muslim organizations in the United States are secretly agents of anti-American jihad.
Parnas Attended Giuliani’s Madrid Meeting With Zelensky Aide
Betsy Swan, The Daily Beast
When Rudy Giuliani met with a senior Ukrainian official in Madrid earlier this year and urged him to investigate the Bidens, Lev Parnas was at the table, according to Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian official. Parnas’ presence at the meeting, which has not been previously reported, indicates that he may have significant visibility into Giuliani’s efforts to pressure Kyiv to investigate a company linked to one of President Donald Trump’s political rivals.
R.N.C. Spent Nearly $100,000 on Copies of Donald Trump Jr.’s Book
Alexandra Alter and Nicholas Confessore, The New York Times
When Donald Trump Jr.’s new book “Triggered” appeared at the top of the New York Times best-seller list this month, a debate erupted over how and why it had claimed the No. 1 spot. The book, a broad attack on his critics, Democrats and the news media, was published on Nov. 5.
Prosecutors Investigating the Trump Organization Zero In on Trump CFO Allen Weisselberg
Peter Elkind, ProPublica
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.’s criminal investigation of the Trump Organization is scrutinizing the actions of one of the president’s oldest and most trusted deputies, ProPublica has learned. The focus on Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg, a 72-year-old accountant now running the business with Trump’s two adult sons, stems from his involvement in arranging a payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels in exchange for her silence about an alleged sexual encounter with Trump (which Trump has denied).
White House & Administration
Trump Signs Spending Bill That Avoids Government Shutdown
Andrew Duehren, The Wall Street Journal
President Trump signed a short-term spending bill Thursday, hours before the government was set to run out of money, as disagreements on border-wall funding have again stymied progress on the full-year funding bills. Earlier in the day, the Senate approved the stopgap measure, which keeps the government funded through Dec. 20.
‘Insurgents’ lobbied Trump for war crimes pardons with little Pentagon involvement, officials say
Dan Lamothe and Josh Dawsey, The Washington Post
President Trump took to the phone in the Oval Office last week after days of speculation. In succession, he notified three U.S. service members accused of war crimes that he was intervening on their behalf, issuing full pardons in two of the cases as Vice President Pence, top political officials and lawyers listened on speakerphone.
Secret Service spent quarter of a million dollars at Trump’s properties in first five months of his term, records show
David A. Fahrenthold et al., The Washington Post
The U.S. Secret Service paid more than $250,000 to President Trump’s private businesses in just the first five months of his presidency — paying Trump’s company an average of nearly $2,000 per day, according to Secret Service records. Those records, obtained by the group Property of the People after an open-records lawsuit, detail some of the revenue that Trump derives from U.S. taxpayers.
Under Trump, LGBTQ Progress Is Being Reversed in Plain Sigh
Kirsten Berg and Moiz Syed, ProPublica
When he campaigned for president, Donald Trump posed with the rainbow flag and became the first GOP nominee to mention LGBTQ citizens in his convention speech. In his first month as president, he signed an executive order stating he was “determined to protect the rights of all Americans, including the LGBTQ community.”
Senate
Graham launches probe of Bidens, Burisma and Ukraine
Colby Itkowitz, The Washington Post
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey O. Graham sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday requesting documents related to former vice president Joe Biden and his communications with Ukrainian officials, a step seen as a GOP effort to counter the House impeachment investigation of President Trump. The inquiry by Graham (R-S.C.) is focused on any calls Biden may have had with Petro Poroshenko, then the Ukrainian president, regarding the firing of the country’s top prosecutor, as well as any that referenced an investigation of Burisma, the Ukrainian natural-gas company that employed Biden’s son Hunter Biden.
White House and Republicans discuss limiting impeachment trial to two weeks
Seung Min Kim and Josh Dawsey, The Washington Post
A group of Republican senators and senior White House officials met privately Thursday to map out a strategy for a potential impeachment trial of President Trump, including rapid proceedings in the Senate that could be limited to about two weeks, according to multiple officials familiar with the talks. The prospect of an abbreviated trial is viewed by several Senate Republicans as a favorable middle ground — substantial enough to give the proceedings credence without risking greater damage to Trump by dragging on too long.
House
Questions over next steps as Judiciary moves into impeachment spotlight
John Bresnahan et al., Politico
The public phase of the House Intelligence Committee’s investigation of President Donald Trump’s Ukraine scandal appears to have wrapped. But even most House Democrats aren’t clear what happens next.
The Impeachment Witnesses Not Heard
Peter Baker, The New York Times
In recent days, lawmakers were told that when President Trump ramped up his campaign to pressure Ukraine into helping him against his domestic political rivals, he directed advisers to his personal lawyer. “Talk with Rudy,” he instructed. But one thing lawmakers will not do is talk with Rudy.
Pelosi, White House Fail to Seal USMCA Deal in Crucial Meeting
Erik Wasson, Bloomberg
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer made progress on but failed to seal a deal Thursday on the stalled U.S. Mexico Canada free trade agreement, increasing the likelihood the deal won’t get a vote in Congress this year. Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, the top negotiator on the pact, said he will continue talks with Lighthizer through next week when the House is in recess to maintain momentum on the final changes Democrats are seeking.
Wasserman Schultz enters race for top Democrat on Appropriations
David Lerman, Roll Call
The race to become the next top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee widened into a three-way contest Thursday. Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz declared her intention to run for the job that will be left vacant when Appropriations Chairwoman Nita M. Lowey of New York retires at the end of her current term.
Man Who Threatened 2 Members of Congress Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison
Ed Shanahan, The New York Times
A western New York man convicted of leaving menacing phone messages for two Republican members of Congress was sentenced in federal court on Thursday to five years in prison, the second legal development in the region this week involving ominous phone calls to public officials. The man, Carlos Bayon, 64, was found guilty in July of retaliating against a public official and making interstate threats for identical messages left at the state offices of Representatives Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the No. 2 House Republican, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington.
2020
Obama warns against ‘purity tests’ in the Democratic primary
Brian Slodysko, The Associated Press
Former President Barack Obama warned Democrats on Thursday against adopting “purity tests” in the presidential primary and said any adversity the candidates face in the contest will make whoever emerges an even stronger nominee. Obama spoke to about 100 donors during a question-and-answer session with Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez in Los Altos Hills, California.
It May Take a Month to Name California’s Winner on Super Tuesday
Emily Glazer, The Wall Street Journal
California’s decision to move up its 2020 primary to Super Tuesday in early March from June will make the nation’s most populous state one of the most important in deciding the Democratic presidential candidate. But changes to the voting process could mean the final results won’t be known for weeks.
Warren challenges Biden in bid for black women
Laura Barrón-López and Alex Thompson, Politico
Sen. Elizabeth Warren made a full-throated pitch to black women in a much-hyped speech here on Thursday night as she tries to tear into former Vice President Joe Biden’s durability with black voters. “The fighters I want to talk about tonight are black women,” Warren said at Clark Atlanta University, a historically black college.
What Joe Biden Can’t Bring Himself to Say
John Hendrickson, The Atlantic
His eyes fall to the floor when I ask him to describe it. We’ve been tiptoeing toward it for 45 minutes, and so far, every time he seems close, he backs away, or leads us in a new direction.
Democratic establishment reaches boiling point with Tulsi Gabbard
Burgess Everett and Marianne Levine, Politico
Tulsi Gabbard trashed the Democratic Party as “not the party that is of, by and for the people,” accused Kamala Harris of trafficking in “lies and smears and innuendo” and attacked Pete Buttigieg as naive. Her performance at Wednesday’s debate earned an attaboy from the Trump War Room.
Andrew Yang has exceeded expectations. Now he wants to be taken seriously.
David Catanese, McClatchy DC
Andrew Yang was having lunch with eight recipients of his $1,000 monthly “Freedom Dividend” in a private poolside room inside the Bellagio hotel when one lucky winner offered up how he was pitching this unconventional presidential candidacy to friends. “He wants to be your sugar daddy!,” said Chad Sziszak, a 30-year-old from Ponchatoula, La., who planned to put his stipend towards car repairs and reconciling old debt.
States
Kentucky governor’s stay at Trump hotel could carry legal implications for president
Jonathan O’Connell and David A. Fahrenthold, The Washington Post
When Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin came to Washington in January for two nights — one of many visits the Republican had made to the nation’s capital — he stayed at President Trump’s D.C. hotel. Kentucky taxpayers initially footed the $686 bill, records obtained by The Washington Post show.
Georgia Gov. Kemp Resists Pressure From Trump on Senate Appointment
Cameron McWhirter and Lindsay Wise, The Wall Street Journal
Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp is resisting pressure from President Trump on who to appoint to an interim U.S. Senate post, according to people familiar with the selection process. In recent days, the president has spoken to Mr. Kemp at least twice—once face-to-face in Atlanta and once on the phone—urging him to pick Rep. Doug Collins (R., Ga.), a vocal supporter of the president in Congress, these people said.
His White House Engulfed, Trump Keeps California in the Cross Hairs
Coral Davenport and Katie Rogers, The New York Times
President Trump has never been one to dive into the details of policy, especially now, as an impeachment inquiry threatens to engulf his administration. In recent days, he has allowed his son-in-law to lead a major policy shift in the Middle East and has backed away from a high-profile promise to ban flavored e-cigarettes.
Advocacy
Tim Cook says he doesn’t believe in lobbyists, but Apple has spent $18 million lobbying the Trump administration
Isobel Asher Hamilton, Business Insider
Apple CEO Tim Cook told ABC News that he didn’t believe in lobbying, even though Apple shells out millions of dollars a year lobbying the US government. Cook gave an interview to ABC News’ Rebecca Jarvis on Wednesday at Apple’s Mac Pro manufacturing plant in Austin, Texas.
Opinions, Editorials and Perspectives
In DNC Debate, Race Played a Starring Role
Amy Walter, The Cook Political Report
Wednesday night’s DNC debate in Atlanta lacked energy or candidate engagement that many anticipated. In previous debates the surging or front-running candidate found him/herself in the cross-hairs of their opponents.
Trump’s meddling in a SEAL disciplinary case risks a collision with the Navy
David Ignatius, The Washington Post
Navy Secretary Richard Spencer was traveling in California on March 30 when he received a 4 a.m. phone call from President Trump. The president demanded that the Navy release from the brig a SEAL named Edward Gallagher, who was awaiting trial for allegedly murdering an Islamic State detainee in Iraq in 2017.
The Shoals of Ukraine
Serhii Plokhy and M. E. Sarotte, Foreign Affairs
At first, it might seem surprising that Ukraine, a country on the fringes of Europe, is suddenly at the turbulent center of American politics and foreign policy. With an impeachment inquiry in Washington adding further detail to the story of the Trump administration’s efforts to tie U.S. security assistance for the country to Ukrainian cooperation in investigating President Donald Trump’s Democratic opponents, Trump’s presidency itself hangs in the balance.
Research Reports and Polling
In a rising number of U.S. counties, Hispanic and black Americans are the majority
Katherine Schaeffer, Pew Research Center
Non-Hispanic white Americans account for 60% of the U.S. population, but in a growing number of counties, a majority of residents are Hispanic or black, reflecting the nation’s changing demographics and shifting migration patterns. In 2018, there were 151 U.S. counties where Hispanics, blacks or two much smaller racial and ethnic groups – American Indians and Alaska Natives – made up a majority of the population, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.
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