Top Stories

  • The House Judiciary Committee will hold an impeachment hearing this morning as lawmakers prepare to introduce and mark up articles against President Donald Trump as soon as this week. House lawmakers could also begin voting on spending packages ahead of this month’s government funding deadline, while the Senate is set to take up more presidential nominations. (Roll Call)
  • The Federal Bureau of Investigation is characterizing its probe of the fatal shooting at a U.S. Naval station in Pensacola, Fla., as a terrorism investigation. FBI officials said they are operating under the assumption that the suspect, Saudi Air Force trainee Mohammed Alshamrani, acted alone, but are investigating whether he may have had help. (The New York Times)
  • U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and House Democrats are getting close to a deal on Trump’s revised North American trade agreement, recently narrowing their differences over key sticking points, according to sources familiar with the negotiations. Hurdles remain over issues such as the enforcement of labor rules, and passage of the agreement would mark a major legislative victory for the president as he faces re-election. (The Wall Street Journal)

Chart Review

Events Calendar (All Times Local)

12/09/2019
National Association of Attorneys General Capital Forum
The Wall Street Journal CEO Council annual meeting
House Judiciary Committee holds impeachment hearing 9:00 am
12/10/2019
National Association of Attorneys General Capital Forum
The Wall Street Journal CEO Council annual meeting
Politico hosts Women Rule Summit 8:00 am
SEC commissioner testifies to Senate Banking Committee 10:00 am
House Energy and Commerce subcommittee holds hearing on universal health care proposals 10:30 am
House Foreign Affairs subcommittee holds hearing on human rights in China 1:30 pm
CSIS hosts event on U.S.-Syria policy 5:00 pm
Reps. Clarke, Brooks participate in Axios event 5:45 pm
Trump holds campaign rally in Hershey, Pennsylvania 7:00 pm
12/11/2019
National Association of Attorneys General Capital Forum
The Wall Street Journal CEO Council annual meeting
DOJ inspector general testifies to Senate Judiciary Committee 10:00 am
FAA administration testifies to House Transportation Committee about the Boeing 737 MAX 10:00 am
Sen. Klobuchar participates in Council On Foreign Relations event 12:00 pm
Sens. Coons, Moran participate in Information Technology & Innovation Foundation event on tech 1:30 pm
Brookings hosts event Brett Kavanaugh’s impact on the Supreme Court 3:00 pm
12/10/2019
The Wall Street Journal CEO Council annual meeting
12/12/2019
House Minority Leader McCarthy participates in Politico interview 8:15 am
12/13/2019
Brookings hosts event on consumer privacy laws 10:00 am
Pete Buttigieg participates in Washington Post event 12:30 pm
View full calendar

New Report: White Claw, DoorDash, Impossible Foods Top 2019’s Fastest Growing Brands

Morning Consult’s Fastest Growing Brands of 2019 is the definitive measure of brand growth for both emerging and established brands, showcasing a wide range of companies and products that have accelerated their consumer appeal and awareness in 2019.

Download the full report.

General

At War With the Truth
Craig Whitlock, The Washington Post

A confidential trove of government documents obtained by The Washington Post reveals that senior U.S. officials failed to tell the truth about the war in Afghanistan throughout the 18-year campaign, making rosy pronouncements they knew to be false and hiding unmistakable evidence the war had become unwinnable. The documents were generated by a federal project examining the root failures of the longest armed conflict in U.S. history.

Inside Giuliani’s dual roles: Power-broker-for-hire and shadow foreign policy adviser
Josh Dawsey et al., The Washington Post

The president’s personal attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani was on the phone in late 2018, pressing administration officials about his latest agenda item. President Trump had nominated a career Foreign Service officer to become the U.S. ambassador to Qatar, a key post in a Middle Eastern country with tricky regional relationships, an important U.S. military installation and vast oil reserves.

Deal banning surprise medical bills also ups tobacco purchase age to 21
Mary Ellen McIntire, Roll Call

Key House and Senate committee leaders announced a bipartisan agreement Sunday on draft legislation to prohibit surprise medical bills and raise the legal age to purchase tobacco to 21. The agreement raises the odds of Congress clearing measures intended to lower some health care costs before the end of the year.

NATO Conference Is Canceled After U.S. Ambassador Barred a Trump Critic
Mariel Padilla, The New York Times

The United States ambassador to Denmark barred an American NATO expert critical of President Trump from speaking at an international conference hosted by the American embassy and a Danish think tank, prompting the event’s cancellation, organizers said. The expert, Stanley R. Sloan, was scheduled to give a keynote speech at the conference, which was celebrating the 70th anniversary of NATO, on Tuesday.

As impeachment hurtles forward, a plea for legal help for government witnesses
Lisa Rein, The Washington Post

The setting was a drawing room in McLean, Va., 14 miles from the White House, in the home of a late congressman who was a leading voice on foreign affairs. A small crowd of gray-haired members of the Washington establishment sipped wine and scotch and nibbled on hummus and baba ganoush.

Democrats leveraged Trump’s fixation on Space Force to pursue parental-leave victory for federal workers
Jeff Stein et al., The Washington Post

When Congress took up a must-pass defense bill earlier this year, President Trump saw it as a rare opportunity to win approval for the Space Force — his proposed sixth branch of the military — ahead of the 2020 election. White House advisers, told by the president to make the Space Force the top priority in negotiations, were prepared at times to consider dramatic concessions.

North Korea calls Trump ‘erratic’ old man over tweets
Kim Tong-Hyung, The Associated Press

North Korea insulted U.S. President Donald Trump again on Monday, calling him a “heedless and erratic old man” after he tweeted that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wouldn’t want to abandon a special relationship between the two leaders and affect the American presidential election by resuming hostile acts. A senior North Korean official, former nuclear negotiator Kim Yong Chol, said in a statement that his country wouldn’t cave in to U.S. pressure because it has nothing to lose and accused the Trump administration of attempting to buy time ahead of an end-of-year deadline set by Kim Jong Un for Washington to salvage nuclear talks.

White House & Administration

Barr Allows for Release of Additional Details About Ex-Spy Behind Steele Dossier
Katie Benner, The New York Times

Attorney General William P. Barr recently approved making public new details about a former F.B.I. informant at the heart of conservatives’ allegations about the Russia investigation, deciding to release information that had been blacked out in a highly anticipated inspector general’s report due out on Monday. A representative from the office of the Justice Department inspector general, Michael E. Horowitz, told the former F.B.I. informant, Christopher Steele, on Sunday that the Justice Department had decided to allow for the release of the information, two people briefed on the situation said late on Sunday.

Barr Dives Into the Culture Wars, and Social Conservatives Rejoice
Jeremy W. Peters and Katie Benner, The New York Times

When President Trump nominated William P. Barr as attorney general a year ago, establishment Republicans who had chafed at Mr. Trump’s takeover of their party were relieved. Between Mr. Barr’s work in the Reagan White House and his fast-track career under George Bush, he could be a bridge to the Republican Party they knew — and preferred.

Possible pardons loom for former Trump aides
Darren Samuelsohn and Meridith McGraw, Politico

Roger Stone’s supporters are making a pardon pitch everywhere President Donald Trump looks: Fox News, InfoWars, Twitter, even the White House driveway. Michael Flynn abruptly hired a bombastic lawyer who spouts Trump-friendly theories about FBI duplicity that are widely seen as a pardon play.

Trump’s defense of Saudis grows more isolated after deadly shooting on military base
Toluse Olorunnipa and Josh Dawsey, The Washington Post

After a Saudi gunman killed three people at a naval base in Pensacola, Fla., some of President Trump’s Republican allies took to the airwaves to condemn the attack as an act of terrorism, call for a halt to the training program that admitted the shooter and sharply press the Saudi government to cooperate in the investigation. Trump did none of that.

FBI’s Chris Wray Tries to Steer Bureau Past Politics
Byron Tau et al., The Wall Street Journal

Since Christopher Wray was appointed director of the FBI in August 2017, he has tried to move the nation’s premier law-enforcement agency past controversies stemming from the 2016 election. A highly anticipated watchdog report—20 months in the making—is expected to highlight just how complicated that job is turning out to be.

Medicare chief asked taxpayers to cover stolen jewelry
Dan Diamond, Politico

A top Trump health appointee sought to have taxpayers reimburse her for the costs of jewelry, clothing and other possessions, including a $5,900 Ivanka Trump-brand pendant, that were stolen while in her luggage during a work-related trip, according to documents obtained by POLITICO. Seema Verma, who runs the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, filed a $47,000 claim for lost property on Aug. 20, 2018, after her bags were stolen while she was giving a speech in San Francisco the prior month.

Epic Sunday: Trump goes all-in on the tweets
Rishika Dugyala, Politico

President Donald Trump had a quiet Sunday schedule, with just one afternoon event in the Blue Room. But by midnight, he had fired off 105 tweets and retweets, going for the usual suspects — Democratic rivals, the impeachment inquiry and allegations of fake news by the mainstream media.

Senate

Senate braces for brawl on Trump impeachment rules
Jordain Carney, The Hill

Senators are bracing for a partisan brawl over the rules of President Trump’s looming impeachment trial. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) will try to negotiate a deal on ground rules, similar to the arrangement made before the 1999 trial of then-President Clinton.

Cruz promotes conspiracy that Ukraine “blatantly interfered” in U.S. election
Jacob Knutson, Axios 

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday that Ukraine “blatantly interfered” in the 2016 election, repeating a conspiracy theory that experts warn has been promoted by Russian intelligence services. Cruz is one of several Republican senators who have refused to disavow the allegations that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 election, despite receiving a briefing from intelligence officials that this is an alternative narrative being propagated by Russian security services.

Trump could make WNBA ownership tricky for new Georgia senator
Clyde McGrady, Roll Call

The WNBA has a frosty relationship with Donald Trump. That’s not exactly surprising.

House

House Impeachment Case Against Trump Goes to Closing Arguments
Billy House, Bloomberg

House investigators give their closing summations Monday in the Democrats’ case against President Donald Trump as they continue debating how far they want to go in drafting articles of impeachment later this week. Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler said Sunday his panel is on track to decide on what charges will be brought against the president, setting up an historic vote on impeachment in the full House before Congress leaves for a scheduled holiday break on Dec. 20.

Florida congressman challenges Saudis on Pensacola shootings
Rishika Dugyala, Politico

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) said Sunday the deadly shooting at a Navy base in Florida should “inform our ongoing relationship with Saudi Arabia,” calling for an investigation with Saudi cooperation and for greater vetting of U.S.-based Saudi nationals and trainees. A Saudi aviation student training at Naval Air Station Pensacola shot three people to death on Friday and wounded at least eight others before he was killed by police.

2020

Biden Rejects Calls For Impeachment Testimony As A Trump Ploy To ‘Divert Attention’
Rachel Martin and Bobby Allyn, NPR News

Joe Biden is dismissing calls from President Trump and his allies that Biden testify during an impeachment trial in the Senate, saying any effort to compel his testimony should be viewed as part of a strategy to distract from the president’s conduct. “No, I’m not going to let you take the eye off the ball here. Everybody knows what this is about,” the former vice president told NPR when asked if he would cooperate with a subpoena.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren earned nearly $2 million consulting for corporations and financial firms, records show
Annie Linskey, The Washington Post

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) earned nearly $2 million working as a consultant for corporations and financial firms while she was a law professor at Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania and other law schools, according to records her campaign abruptly released Sunday evening. Warren’s consulting work often involved companies dealing with bankruptcy, which was her specialty as an academic.

AP Interview: Warren says voters are ready for female ticket
Meg Kinnard, The Associated Press

Elizabeth Warren said Sunday she believes Americans are ready for a presidential ticket with two women at the top, rejecting concerns from some Democrats that a woman can’t beat President Donald Trump. “Sure, why not?” the Democratic presidential candidate told The Associated Press in an interview ahead of a town hall campaign event in Charleston.

How the Cool Kids of the Left Turned on Elizabeth Warren
Ruairí Arrieta-Kenna, Politico

Millennial socialists’ favorite magazine is breaking up with Elizabeth Warren. But it’s saying: It’s not me. It’s you.

Mayor Pete Turns to God to Win Over Black Supporters
Scott Bixby, The Daily Beast

As Mayor Pete Buttigieg kickstarts his campaign to win over African-American voters who are skeptical of his spotty track record on issues of concern to black communities—or who are entirely unfamiliar with him at all—the millennial mayor is returning to one of the touchstones of his early campaign: his faith. “It’s not for nothing that a lot of my experiences even back home addressing black voters, specifically, is in church,” Buttigieg recently told reporters aboard his campaign bus in New Hampshire, in response to a question about what “clicks” with African-American audiences.

Mike Bloomberg’s money buys him a very different kind of campaign. And it’s a big one.
Isaac Stanley-Becker and Michael Scherer, The Washington Post

After two weeks in the presidential race, Mike Bloomberg now employs one of the largest campaign staff rosters, has spent more money on ads than all the top-polling Democrats combined and is simultaneously building out ground operations in 27 states. But when the former New York mayor showed up to get the endorsement of Augusta Mayor Hardie Davis Jr. on Friday, only two of the 10 chairs initially placed before the lectern were occupied.

Pierce Bush to file for suburban Houston congressional seat
Abby Livingston and Patrick Svitek, The Texas Tribune

The grandson of the late President George H.W. Bush, nonprofit executive Pierce Bush, will announce his candidacy for Congress on Monday morning, according to an email written by his father, Neil Bush. Bush will enter an already crowded GOP primary for Texas’ 22nd District, the suburban Houston-area seat retiring U.S. Rep. Pete Olson currently holds.

States

Chemical Companies Are Building Their Plants Overseas and Shipping Them Back In. They Still Get State Tax Breaks.
Sara Sneath, ProPublica

Twice during the last decade, chemical giant Methanex has disassembled a massive methanol plant located at the southern tip of Chile and moved it to Louisiana. Each time, pieces of the facility weighing up to 1,500 tons — the equivalent of eight single-story houses — were loaded onto barges, which were then parked on top of a huge ship designed to carry offshore drilling platforms.

North Dakota county may become US’s 1st to bar new refugees
James MacPherson, The Associated Press

Reuben Panchol was forced to leave war-torn Sudan decades ago as a child, embarking on an odyssey that eventually brought him to the American Midwest and left him eternally grateful to the country that took him in. “I am an American citizen, a North Dakotan,” said Panchol, a 38-year-old father of four.

Advocacy

How a closed-door meeting shows farmers are waking up on climate change
Helena Bottemiller Evich, Politico

The meeting last June in a wood-beamed barn in Newburg, Md., an hour due south of Washington, had all the makings of a secret conclave. The guest list was confidential.

Ron Lauder Pledges $25 Million for Anti-Semitism Campaign
Shane Goldmacher, The New York Times

Ronald S. Lauder, the cosmetics billionaire and president of the World Jewish Congress, is setting aside $25 million of his own money to start a new organization devoted to rooting out what he sees as the growing tide of anti-Semitism in American politics. Mr. Lauder is a longtime Republican donor, but he said he plans to use the organization to go after both Democrats and Republicans who traffic in anti-Semitic language and tropes.

Opinions, Editorials and Perspectives

The Path to Solving the Student Debt Crisis Starts With a Small Step
Anthony Noto, Morning Consult

Student debt is one of the greatest threats to long-term economic prosperity facing the United States. The impact is vast – more than a trillion dollars of outstanding student debt is preventing individuals from buying a car, saving for a home, starting a new business or securing their finances for retirement. 

It’s Not Over After All
Katie Hill, The New York Times

On Nov. 6, 2018, I was elected to Congress; at 31, I was one of the youngest women ever elected to the House of Representatives. One year later, I was sitting on a train to New York to meet with my lawyers about suing The Daily Mail for cyber exploitation — and I was no longer a member of Congress.

Research Reports and Polling

As Impeachment Moves Ahead Trump Surges in Battleground States
Firehouse Strategies

This week we continued our quarterly battleground polling series in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin asking likely 2020 general election voters their political opinions on President Trump, the 2020 presidential election, and impeachment.  We polled voters through a combination of live landline, live cell, and peer-to-peer text message to web survey modes from December 3rd to December 5th.

Morning Consult