| GOP. Rep. Ratcliffe suggested Ukraine wasn't worried about its missing aid. This impeachment witness wasn't having it. Posted: 20 Nov 2019 04:57 PM PST ![GOP. Rep. Ratcliffe suggested Ukraine wasn't worried about its missing aid. This impeachment witness wasn't having it.]( "GOP. Rep. Ratcliffe suggested Ukraine wasn't worried about its missing aid. This impeachment witness wasn't having it.") GOP Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) just blew his attempt to brush off the impeachment hearings' latest bombshell.In the second of Wednesday's hearings, Defense Department official Laura Cooper revised her previous closed-door testimony to say Ukrainian officials noticed their U.S. security aid was held up months earlier than she previously said. Ratcliffe then tried to lead Cooper into saying that was no big deal, but she didn't give in to his loaded question.Cooper recently learned Ukraine had inquired about withheld U.S. security aid as early as July 25, she said Wednesday in a revision from her earlier testimony. That's the same day President Trump asked Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate the Bidens and the 2016 election -- an alleged quid pro quo. Republicans have tried brush off that alleged exchange, saying a quid pro quo couldn't have happened if Ukraine didn't know the aid was being held up.Cooper's statement bucked that notion, so when Ratcliffe got a chance to question her, asked a series of questions in which he tried to get Cooper to claim Ukraine's inquiries about the aid were no big deal. The inquiries from Ukraine about the aid asked about the "assistance," not necessarily the "hold," Ratcliffe asked. "Not necessarily," Cooper agreed after a pause, mirroring his statements as he continued. But when Ratcliffe tried to tie it all together and say it's "not unusual" for countries to ask about aid, Cooper used her "experience with the Ukrainians" to say that's just not the case. Watch that moment below. > GOP Rep. Ratcliffe: "It's not unusual...for foreign countries to inquire about foreign aid?" > > Laura Cooper: "In my experience with the Ukrainians, they typically would call about specific things, not just generally checking in on their assistance package." https://t.co/9xNcgadn90 pic.twitter.com/kmNx7hDcBq> > -- Evan McMurry (@evanmcmurry) November 21, 2019More stories from theweek.com Ken Starr on the Sondland testimony: 'It's over' Putin says the Ukraine scandal has distracted the U.S. from Russian election meddling: 'Thank God' Sondland just obliterated Trump and put the entire White House in peril
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| Vindman's lawyer requests Fox News issue retraction over guest's espionage allegation Posted: 20 Nov 2019 04:15 PM PST ![Vindman's lawyer requests Fox News issue retraction over guest's espionage allegation]( "Vindman's lawyer requests Fox News issue retraction over guest's espionage allegation") A lawyer for Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman sent a letter to Fox News on Wednesday, requesting that the network either retract or correct a "deeply flawed and erroneous" segment that aired during the Oct. 28 episode of The Ingraham Angle.Vindman is the National Security Council's Ukraine expert, and the segment aired prior to his closed-door testimony as part of the House impeachment inquiry. Host Laura Ingraham said it was "kind of an interesting angle" that Vindman "is advising Ukraine, while working inside the White House, apparently against the president's interest, and usually, they spoke in English." Yoo replied, "I found that astounding. Some people might call that espionage."In his letter, lawyer David Pressman wrote that Vindman "had never in his 20-year career of service to his country been accused of having dual loyalties or committing espionage," which is a felony punishable by death. This falsehood was repeated by others, Pressman said, and Vindman, a Purple Heart recipient who served in Iraq, and his family "have been forced to examine options, including potentially moving onto a military base, in order to ensure their physical security in the face of threats rooted in the falsehood that Fox News originated."In a statement, Fox News said that "as a guest on Fox News, John Yoo was responsible for his own statements, and he has subsequently done interviews to clarify what he meant." Yoo told The New York Times in an email that he "didn't say that Lt. Col. was a spy or that he had committed espionage. I had no reason to question that he was doing his duty as an officer. But I think the Ukrainians are engaged in espionage against us." That argument, Pressman said, is "as legally irrelevant as it is factually incredible."More stories from theweek.com Ken Starr on the Sondland testimony: 'It's over' Putin says the Ukraine scandal has distracted the U.S. from Russian election meddling: 'Thank God' Sondland just obliterated Trump and put the entire White House in peril
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| Impeachment witness says Ukraine knew its security aid was held up on July 25 — the day of the Trump–Zelensky call Posted: 20 Nov 2019 03:57 PM PST ![Impeachment witness says Ukraine knew its security aid was held up on July 25 — the day of the Trump–Zelensky call]( "Impeachment witness says Ukraine knew its security aid was held up on July 25 — the day of the Trump–Zelensky call") Impeachment testimony changes are turning out to be game changers.In the second of Wednesday's back-to-back impeachment hearings, Defense Department official Laura Cooper had something to revise from her closed-door testimony right off the bat. While Cooper originally testified Ukrainian officials started asking about withheld security aid on Sept. 5, she said Wednesday she's since heard from aides that Ukrainians had inquired months earlier.The withholding of aid to Ukraine is a major part of the impeachment inquiry into President Trump. It's one half of the quid pro quo Trump has denied, allegedly withheld by the Trump administration until the Ukrainian government agreed to announce an investigation into the Bidens. Several officials have testified the aid was held up for this reason, but one major point made by Republicans has been that the aid was eventually released, and that the Ukrainians didn't even know it was missing until after Trump's infamous July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky where he requested the Biden investigation.Cooper's testimony undercuts that narrative. She said Wednesday she'd since seen emails provided by staffers showing Ukrainian officials asked about the aid on July 25, the day of the call where Trump asked Zelensky to "do me a favor." If that's true, it would be much harder to claim the Ukrainians didn't feel pressured by Trump's request.More stories from theweek.com Ken Starr on the Sondland testimony: 'It's over' Putin says the Ukraine scandal has distracted the U.S. from Russian election meddling: 'Thank God' Sondland just obliterated Trump and put the entire White House in peril
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| U.S.-China Trade Deal Inches Ahead, Shadowed by Failure Risk Posted: 20 Nov 2019 03:54 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Terms of Trade is a daily newsletter that untangles a world embroiled in trade wars. Sign up here. After almost two years of negotiations and escalations -- and plenty of false dawns -- trade negotiators from the U.S. and China are making progress in key areas even as concerns grow that efforts to nail down the first phase of a broader deal are stalling.Some people close to the talks describe them as being in a sensitive, make-or-break stage and caution that what President Donald Trump proclaimed as a done deal a month ago, sending U.S. stocks soaring to records, could still easily fall apart.Hanging over the discussion is the deteriorating situation in Hong Kong -- and a push by the U.S. Congress to send a bill to Trump for his signature that would require annual reviews of the territory's special status and sanction officials deemed responsible for undermining the city's autonomy. The House approved the measure Wednesday and Trump said he would sign it, though China has threatened to retaliate.That means less than a year from the 2020 presidential elections, Trump's push to rewire the world's most important economic relationship is simultaneously close to yielding its first narrow victory and teetering on the edge of a collapse.The latter outcome would trigger another round of tit-for-tat tariffs, the potential consequences of which were on display Wednesday when the president visited an Apple Inc. factory in Texas.Apple has said producing its high-end Mac Pro laptop at the plant was only possible because of the exemption of key components from existing tariffs and Trump during his visit raised the possibility of further exemptions.But if efforts to reach a "phase one" deal fail before Dec. 15, Trump has threatened to impose 15% tariffs on some $160 billion in imports from China including smartphones and laptop computers -- two key Apple products. Stocks gyrated Wednesday on conflicting reports about the timing of any pact.People close to the discussions insist negotiators so far have been able to avoid having growing areas of friction, like Hong Kong, infect the talks. The looming December tariffs, meanwhile, have replaced a canceled Nov. 16-17 summit in Chile at which Trump and China's Xi Jinping were expected to sign a deal as a hard deadline.During a video conference late last week between Robert Lighthizer, Trump's trade representative, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and China's lead negotiator, Vice Premier Liu He, the two sides agreed to accelerate efforts to reach a deal to avoid the new tariffs taking effect, according to people briefed on the discussions.During that call and others in recent days, officials from the two sides have made some progress on issues ranging from the parameters of a Chinese crackdown on intellectual-property theft to how a deal might be enforced, according to officials and other people briefed on the discussions.They have struggled, however, to find agreement over the details of other commitments that Trump wants to be part of an initial agreement including the schedule of agricultural purchases he is demanding and exactly which tariffs to remove, those people say.Trump has sought to maintain pressure on China in public. "China would much rather make a trade deal than I would," he told reporters on Wednesday. "I don't think they're stepping up to the level that I want."The Asian country's media, meanwhile, has continued to take a tough line. "Few Chinese believe that China and the U.S. can reach a deal soon," Hu Xijin, editor of the state-run Global Times, tweeted on Wednesday. "China wants a deal but is prepared for the worst-case scenario, a prolonged trade war."One thing that has become increasingly less likely is a face-to-face meeting between Trump and Xi before the year's end.The Chinese Communist Party's flagship newspaper, the People's Daily, earlier this week described Xi's recently concluded visit to Brazil as his "final foreign trip this year," indicating there are no plans now to venture overseas for a signing ceremony in the closing weeks of 2019.In response, officials on both sides have begun to discuss the possibility that ministers sign a deal instead of opting for a more logistically complicated ceremony involving the two leaders.People close to the talks in China say Liu could be given the title "special envoy" to sign the deal, pointing to 2016 and the fact that then-Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli acted as Xi's special envoy to sign the Paris Agreement on climate change on behalf of China.But the priority before those details are worked out remains overcoming the final sticking points.Farm PurchasesChina's reluctance to agree to the detailed commitments on agricultural purchases that Trump has said he wants to see double from pre-trade war levels to as much as $50 billion annually within a couple of years is based in part on the difficulty of reaching those heights. Chinese officials continue to insist any purchases would have be market-based and comply with World Trade Organization rules.Officials in Beijing are continuing to push for all additional tariffs to be rolled back, and both sides indicated they would accept an enforcement mechanism that could see duties reimposed if differences can't be resolved through negotiation, according to people briefed on the talks.China is insisting that tariff moves have to be "reciprocal," borrowing a key word from Trump's trade lexicon.How the deal would be enforced was one of the main sticking points when talks fell apart in May, and Beijing faulted the Trump administration for violating its sovereignty by forcing the country to change its laws and sign up to a one-way enforcement regime.The negotiating teams are using their failed May proposal as a benchmark for how much a phase-one deal covers of the once-near agreement and how much tariffs will be removed as part of the initial deal.Observers SkepticalThose difficult issues are just one of the reasons some close observers of the talks remain skeptical that even the once-promising initial deal will surface.Scott Kennedy, an expert on U.S.-China economic relations at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said Trump's escalation over the summer had been ill-conceived and signs of progress seemed more targeted at calming markets than resolving significant structural problems like China's vast web of industrial subsidies."We're far beyond, 'The boy who cried wolf,'" Kennedy said. "Someone now could write a new story, 'The leader who called 'deal.'"(Updates with President Trump comments in 12th paragraph)\--With assistance from Miao Han, Dandan Li, Zoe Schneeweiss and Jordan Fabian.To contact the reporters on this story: Shawn Donnan in Beijing at sdonnan@bloomberg.net;Jenny Leonard in Washington at jleonard67@bloomberg.net;Steven Yang in Beijing at kyang74@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Murray at brmurray@bloomberg.net, ;Margaret Collins at mcollins45@bloomberg.net, Ana MonteiroFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| China Risks Hurting Itself by Hitting U.S. Over Hong Kong Bill Posted: 20 Nov 2019 03:37 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Terms of Trade is a daily newsletter that untangles a world embroiled in trade wars. Sign up here. China had a swift and forceful response on Wednesday after the U.S. Senate passed legislation supporting Hong Kong's pro-democracy protesters, with multiple government agencies threatening some sort of unspecified retaliation."Don't say I didn't warn you," said a statement issued by the foreign ministry's office in Hong Kong, using a Chinese phrase that prior to this year was used only in rare cases like before a 1962 war with India.But President Xi Jinping's government has a problem: Any strong measures against the U.S. also risk backfiring on China. That's particularly dangerous as he struggles to contain escalating violence in Hong Kong and negotiates a trade pact with the U.S. all while the economy grows at its slowest pace in decades.China's retaliation since President Donald Trump kicked off a trade war last year has mostly been tit-for-tat tariffs, and always with the caveat that it was left with no other choice. In other areas where it's been hit by the U.S. -- Taiwan arms sales, sanctions over human-rights abuses in the far west region of Xinjiang, putting Huawei Technologies Co. on a blacklist -- China has held fire despite threats to hit back."It's worth noting that the U.S. can do more damage to China than China can do to the U.S.," said Shi Yinhong, an adviser to China's cabinet who is a professor of international relations at Renmin University in Beijing.The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act would require the State Department to determine each year whether the city remains sufficiently autonomous from Beijing to justify special trade privileges. It also outlines potential sanctions on mainland officials who suppress human rights.The biggest concern among those in the markets is whether the bill will derail talks on a phase one trade deal that are entering their final stages. Stocks in Europe and Asia fell along with American equity-index futures on Wednesday on concerns it could lead to further delays."The imminent retaliation from China would be on the on-going trade talks," said Huiyao Wang, another adviser to China's cabinet and founder of the Center for China and Globalization in Beijing. "The Hong Kong bill will do tremendous damage to the prospect of a trade deal and stall the negotiation process as China's side won't engage positively with U.S. counterparts."Trump DilemmaFor Trump, that presents a dilemma. A major reason he wants a deal now is so China can buy large amounts of agricultural products from swing states he needs to win re-election next year. If that doesn't happen, his own political future is in doubt.His position is even trickier because Congress would easily be able to override any veto. If he signs the bill, he could torpedo the trade talks, while refusing to sign it would give his political opponents a chance to attack him for being weak on China.As a one-party state, China doesn't have to worry about that type of electoral pressure. But it also wants to stop the bleeding and avoid more tariff increases, including one still due to take place in December. And Xi may be under pressure within the Communist Party: A rare leak to the New York Times this week of internal documents showing human-rights abuses in Xinjiang signaled some dissent in China's opaque political system.Beyond delaying trade talks, China has a number of options. It could hit out at U.S. companies, halt cooperation on enforcing sanctions related to North Korea and Iran, recall the Chinese ambassador to the U.S. or downgrade diplomatic relations.China's Trump Retaliation Options Range From Soybeans to BoeingIn May, after the U.S. blacklisted Huawei, China signaled it would curb exports to the U.S. of rare earths that are critical to everything from smartphones to electronic vehicles to wind turbines. The government also said it will establish a list of so-called "unreliable" entities it says damage the interests of domestic companies, a sweeping order that could potentially affect thousands of foreign firms.Around that time, the flagship People's Daily even used the same phrase "don't say I didn't warn you" that at one time carried enormous weight. Yet China still hasn't implemented those measures, preferring instead to head back to the negotiating table.'Cry Foul'When it comes to Hong Kong, Trump already has enormous leverage. Under the Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992, the U.S. president can issue an order removing the special trading status that underpins its economy, potentially with devastating consequences.Beijing realizes the U.S. is unlikely to do that, so is likely to limit itself to "very high-sounding, rhetorical responses" rather than concrete actions hitting American economic interests, according to Willy Lam, an adjunct professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong's Centre for China Studies, who has authored numerous books on Chinese politics."The Chinese will, of course, cry foul, but the real reaction may not be that severe," Lam said. "They will watch the situation and make a judgment later."To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Iain Marlow in Hong Kong at imarlow1@bloomberg.net;Dandan Li in Beijing at dli395@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Daniel Ten Kate, Karen LeighFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Trump Expected to Sign Hong Kong Bill Despite China Threats Posted: 20 Nov 2019 03:31 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump is expected to sign legislation passed by Congress supporting Hong Kong protesters, setting up a confrontation with China that could imperil a long-awaited trade deal between the world's two largest economies.The bill, approved unanimously by the Senate on Tuesday, passed the House 417-1 on Wednesday and could go to Trump as soon as Thursday. A person familiar with the matter said Trump plans to sign the bill."The Congress is sending an unmistakable message to the world that the United States stands in solidarity with freedom-loving people of Hong Kong and that we fully support their fight for freedom," Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on the House floor. "This has been a very unifying issue for us."The remarkable bipartisan support for a tough U.S. stance with China creates one of the toughest economic and foreign policy challenges of Trump's presidency. He'd like to sign what he calls "phase one" of a China trade deal in order to resolve economic uncertainly stemming from his trade war with Beijing as he ramps up his campaign for re-election."After the Senate unanimously passed our Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, I applaud Speaker Pelosi for taking swift action to send this bill directly to President Trump's desk for signature," Senator Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican and a sponsor of the Senate legislation, said in a statement. "I urge the president to sign this critical bill into law as soon as possible."QuickTake: Why Hong Kong's 'Special Status' Is Touchy TerritoryThe bill, S. 1838, would require annual reviews of Hong Kong's special trade status under U.S. law and sanction officials deemed responsible for human rights abuses and undermining the city's autonomy.'Ramifications' for CrackdownTrump has been largely silent on the Hong Kong protests as they escalated into violence in recent weeks, even as lawmakers of both parties demanded action. Chinese officials quickly responded to the bill's Senate passage Tuesday, saying Beijing "firmly" opposes the congressional action and calling it a grave violation of international law."We stand in solidarity with the people of Hong Kong," said Republican Representative Chris Smith, who has been pushing the legislation since Hong Kong protests in 2014. "There will be strong sanctions, other ramifications for this crackdown."The House also passed another Senate bill, S. 2710, to ban the export of crowd-control items such as tear gas and rubber bullets to Hong Kong police.The Democratic-led House used an expedited process to quickly act on the Senate bill rather than trying to reconcile it with a slightly different version the House unanimously passed last month. That was the quickest way to approve the legislation before Congress recesses for Thanksgiving next week.Republican senators have been among the loudest voices calling for harsh consequences for China's crackdown on protesters in Hong Kong. Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, wrote to United Nations Ambassador Kelly Craft asking for a resolution "to condemn and hold accountable the People's Republic of China" for human rights violations in Hong Kong.Craft said in an emailed statement that she is "committed to supporting human dignity and advancing the cause of human rights at every available opportunity."Trade Deal RisksSenate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called on Trump to speak out, saying Monday that "the world should hear from him directly that the United States stands with" the protesters.Vice President Mike Pence, however, said it would be difficult for the U.S. to sign a trade agreement with China if demonstrations in Hong Kong are met with violence."The president's made it clear it'll be very hard for us to do a deal with China if there's any violence or if that matter is not treated properly and humanely," Pence said Tuesday in a radio interview.Trade negotiators are still making delicate progress on an accord, according to people close to the talks, who describe the negotiation as entering a make-or-break stage.Trump's central argument to voters is the strength of the U.S. economy under his presidency and his ability to cut deals with other countries. Signing the Hong Kong bill could harden China's negotiating position as the U.S. asks China to buy more agricultural products and Beijing insists that the U.S. reduce tariffs on Chinese goods.China "condemns and firmly opposes" the legislation that Trump plans to sign, according to a statement from Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang after Tuesday's Senate vote."The U.S. should immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs and China's other internal affairs, or the negative consequences will boomerang on itself," the statement said. "China will have to take strong countermeasures to defend our national sovereignty, security and development interests if the U.S. insists on making the wrong decisions."(Updates with lawmaker comments and trade deal beginning in the 11th paragraph.)\--With assistance from Jordan Fabian, Shawn Donnan, Jenny Leonard and Steven Yang.To contact the reporters on this story: Daniel Flatley in Washington at dflatley1@bloomberg.net;Justin Sink in Washington at jsink1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, Alex WayneFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Putin: U.S. political drama diverting attention from Russia Posted: 20 Nov 2019 03:15 PM PST  Russian President Vladimir Putin says he's pleased that the "political battles" in Washington have put on the back-burner accusations that Russia interfered in U.S. elections. Some Republicans have used the public hearings to tout a discredited conspiracy theory that blames Ukraine, not Russia, for interfering in the 2016 presidential election in which Donald Trump defeated Democratic candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton. In the impeachment hearings, Democrats in Congress say Trump pressured his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden while withholding U.S. military aid to Kyiv, and argue that may be grounds for removing Trump from office.
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| Saudi king urges Iran to quit 'harmful' expansionism Posted: 20 Nov 2019 02:49 PM PST  Saudi Arabia's King Salman urged arch-rival Iran on Wednesday to abandon an expansionist ideology that has "harmed" its own people, following violent street protests in the Islamic republic. "We hope the Iranian regime chooses the side of wisdom and realises there is no way to overcome the international position that rejects its practises, without abandoning its expansionist and destructive thinking that has harmed its own people," the king told the consultative Shura Council. "The kingdom has suffered from the policies and practises of the Iranian regime and its proxies," King Salman said, quoted by the foreign ministry, reiterating that Riyadh does not seek war but is "ready to defend its people".
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| Huawei asks Canadian court to stay extradition process for CFO to United States Posted: 20 Nov 2019 02:38 PM PST  Huawei spokesman Benjamin Howes said in an email that the company believes the extradition fails to meet the Canadian standard of double criminality. The standard means the alleged conduct for which Meng was arrested in 2018 has to be illegal in both countries for her to be extradited. Meng, 47, was arrested at the Vancouver International Airport on Dec. 1 at the request of the United States, where she is charged with bank fraud and accused of misleading the bank HSBC about Huawei Technologies' business in Iran.
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| Putin says the Ukraine scandal has distracted the U.S. from Russian election meddling: 'Thank God' Posted: 20 Nov 2019 02:33 PM PST ![Putin says the Ukraine scandal has distracted the U.S. from Russian election meddling: 'Thank God']( "Putin says the Ukraine scandal has distracted the U.S. from Russian election meddling: 'Thank God'") At least one person is happy about everything that's going on in Washington, D.C.As everything that went down between President Trump and Ukraine comes to the surface, Russian President Vladimir Putin is literally saying "thank God" that eyes aren't on him anymore. "No one is accusing us of interfering in the U.S. elections anymore," he said at a Wednesday economic forum in Moscow, per NBC News. "Now they're accusing Ukraine."Intelligence officials have concluded Russia meddled in the 2016 election and will try to do so again, but Trump has ignored that and instead pushed the idea that Ukraine is somehow even more to blame. He explicitly told Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky that he'd like to see Ukraine investigate the 2016 election and baselessly claimed the country has a physical server holding the hacked Democratic National Committee emails. These unfounded claims have led to the ongoing impeachment inquiry into Trump and apparently left Putin thrilled that he's out of the conversation.Just because Russia is out of the spotlight doesn't mean the country isn't still attempting to interfere in the 2020 presidential elections. Special Counsel Robert Mueller relayed a warning about Russian election interference during his congressional hearing back in April, saying it was likely happening as he testified. Putin himself seemingly joked last month that he's going to get meddling soon, though if we're being honest, that's probably not a joke.More stories from theweek.com Ken Starr on the Sondland testimony: 'It's over' Sondland just obliterated Trump and put the entire White House in peril White House and Trump campaign officials are reportedly 'freaking out' about Sondland's testimony
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| Evo Morales backers claim Bolivia's interim government is circulating a fake audio recording of the ousted president Posted: 20 Nov 2019 02:19 PM PST ![Evo Morales backers claim Bolivia's interim government is circulating a fake audio recording of the ousted president]( "Evo Morales backers claim Bolivia's interim government is circulating a fake audio recording of the ousted president") As Bolivia's political situation intensifies, the country's interim government Wednesday produced audio it says consists of former exiled President Evo Morales ordering a blockade to prevent food from entering Bolivian cities. But Morales' supporters have dismissed the recording as fraudulent."Brother, don't led food into the cities, we are going to do a blockade, a true siege," someone whom the government says is Morales is heard saying in what is allegedly a phone call he made from exile in Mexico. "From now it is going to be fight, fight, fight."The audio was released by Interior Minister Arturo Murillo one day after the military clashed violently with Morales' supporters who were reportedly blocking fuel from reaching the capital, La Paz, which along with several other cities throughout the country has been facing a food and fuel shortage since the standoff between the protesters and interim government began, per The Wall Street Journal. Morales' backers, who have accused the military of orchestrating a right wing coup to remove the socialist Morales from power, argue that the government released the video in an attempt to distract the country as it conducts a crackdown on protesters who are demanding Morales' return.Meanwhile, morales activists have reportedly shared videos showing soldiers firing live rounds at protesters. Morales called upon the interim government Wednesday to "stop this massacre of indigenous brothers who ask for peace, democracy, and respect of life in the streets." Read more at The Wall Street Journal.More stories from theweek.com Ken Starr on the Sondland testimony: 'It's over' Putin says the Ukraine scandal has distracted the U.S. from Russian election meddling: 'Thank God' Sondland just obliterated Trump and put the entire White House in peril
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| Biegun confident on Korea, Japan troops talks, but no 'free ride' Posted: 20 Nov 2019 02:17 PM PST ![Biegun confident on Korea, Japan troops talks, but no 'free ride']( "Biegun confident on Korea, Japan troops talks, but no 'free ride'") "I'm confident we can do this through negotiations, but these are going to be tough negotiations," Stephen Biegun, the current special representative for North Korea, told a Senate Foreign Relations Committee nomination hearing. Asked if he would continue to advocate for the presence of U.S. military personnel in South Korea if confirmed as Deputy Secretary of State, Biegun said he believed the United States should continue to station troops there.
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| Millie Bobby Brown Speaks Up Against Bullying Posted: 20 Nov 2019 02:07 PM PST  The actor recalled her experience being picked on at school during a speech at the United Nations.
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| Corbyn Unveils Manifesto to Rile U.K.’s Bankers and Billionaires Posted: 20 Nov 2019 02:00 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Sign up to our Brexit Bulletin, follow us @Brexit and subscribe to our podcast.Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will urge voters in the U.K. election to take down bankers and billionaires who "profit from a rigged system."Corbyn will launch an all-out assault on the wealthiest people in Britain on Thursday, when he unveils an election manifesto promising radical change across the economy.Speaking in Birmingham, central England, Corbyn will say the fury of the "rich and powerful" at Labour's policies is the best demonstration they are on the side of ordinary voters."If the bankers, billionaires and the establishment thought we represented politics as usual, that we could be bought off, that nothing was really going to change, they wouldn't attack us so ferociously," he will say.Corbyn's populist pitch for the Dec. 12 election is aimed at voters frustrated and exhausted by a decade of post-financial crisis austerity. At every turn, he's trying to define himself against his privately educated opponent Boris Johnson whose main pitch is to deliver Brexit.That even extends to Corbyn breaking with protocol Tuesday by criticizing Prince Andrew, following revelations over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. On Wednesday, the prince stepped down from public duties, saying the controversy had disrupted his work and that of the royal family.Branding his plans a "manifesto for hope" that are fully costed, Corbyn will promise tax increases that target only the top 5% of taxpayers, while protecting everyone else.But he will also promise to "go after the tax dodgers, the bad bosses and the big polluters," with a 10-pound ($13) minimum wage, more power for renters, stronger unions, and a levy on the biggest polluters that will be used to tackle climate change. He's also promised to take utilities into public ownership, including BT Group Plc's Openreach unit."You really can have this plan for real change because you don't need money to buy it. You just need a vote -- and your vote can be more powerful than all their wealth," he will say.Corbyn's rivals in the Conservative Party attacked his efforts to avoid the issue of Brexit. In a debate with Johnson on Tuesday, Corbyn repeatedly refused to say how he would campaign in a second referendum."He refuses to mention Brexit because he can't even tell the public if he'd back leave or remain in his second referendum," said Health Secretary Matt Hancock.To contact the reporter on this story: Jessica Shankleman in London at jshankleman@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Robert JamesonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Ready for change? Britain's Labour unveils 'radical' manifesto Posted: 20 Nov 2019 02:00 PM PST ![Ready for change? Britain's Labour unveils 'radical' manifesto]( "Ready for change? Britain's Labour unveils 'radical' manifesto") Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will unveil his opposition party's election manifesto on Thursday, setting out how in government he plans to transform Britain with "the most radical and ambitious plan" in decades. With three weeks before Britain votes in its second election in just over two years, Corbyn will press his message that only Labour can challenge the status quo, fighting for ordinary people against "bankers, billionaires and the establishment". Lagging in the polls, the 70-year-old socialist will hope his message of change will drown out criticism of his Brexit stance, which even some in his party say lacks the clarity of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's vow to "get Brexit done".
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| White House and Trump campaign officials are reportedly 'freaking out' about Sondland's testimony Posted: 20 Nov 2019 01:53 PM PST ![White House and Trump campaign officials are reportedly 'freaking out' about Sondland's testimony]( "White House and Trump campaign officials are reportedly 'freaking out' about Sondland's testimony") White House aides and Trump campaign officials were "freaking out" after being "blindsided" by European Union Ambassador Gordon Sondland's testimony on Wednesday, which contained allegations of quid pro quo and pointed fingers at the president and other top administration officials, CNN's Jim Acosta reports.The White House had attempted to get an "early peek" at Sondland's remarks during the jittery hours before the impeachment hearing began, due to the perception that he was a "wild card" witness, The Washington Post reports. Sondland's attorney had refused those attempts.It became clear during the testimony, though, that Sondland's confirmation that "everyone was in the loop" was bad news for Republicans, who pivoted to attempting to distance Trump from what Democrats say was an attempt to pressure Ukraine into digging up dirt on Hunter Biden, the son of his potential 2020 rival. Trump's campaign specifically zeroed in on Sondland saying that Trump "directly told him he wanted nothing from Ukraine," although Sondland did confirm that the requests of Trump's personal lawyer and fixer Rudy Giuliani "were a quid pro quo for arranging a White House visit" for the Ukrainian president, and that "Mr. Giuliani was expressing the desires of the president of the United States."Trump campaign spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany maintained that "over and over we've heard from Democrats and the media that the next hearing, the next witness, the next testimony would be the bombshell they've been promising, only to have it fizzle out like all the rest. It has happened yet again." But Ken Starr, the lead prosecutor during the Bill Clinton impeachment hearings, begs to differ: "This obviously has been one of those bombshell days," he told Fox News.More stories from theweek.com Ken Starr on the Sondland testimony: 'It's over' Putin says the Ukraine scandal has distracted the U.S. from Russian election meddling: 'Thank God' Sondland just obliterated Trump and put the entire White House in peril
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| Halkbank seeks to challenge U.S. jurisdiction before entering plea to charges Posted: 20 Nov 2019 01:52 PM PST  Turkey's state-owned Halkbank , which U.S. prosecutors have criminally charged with helping Iran evade sanctions, said it should be able to challenge whether U.S. courts can hear the case at all before it entered a formal plea, according to a court filing made public on Wednesday. The bank also rejected prosecutors' claim that it was a "fugitive" for refusing to appear in federal court in Manhattan to enter a plea, and said that appearing there might be construed as accepting the court's jurisdiction. "As a corporation, Halkbank cannot be a 'fugitive' since it has no physical body to present," the bank said.
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| Marie Kondo opens an online store full of stuff that 'sparks joy' for her Posted: 20 Nov 2019 01:34 PM PST ![Marie Kondo opens an online store full of stuff that 'sparks joy' for her]( "Marie Kondo opens an online store full of stuff that 'sparks joy' for her") Have you followed Marie Kondo's advice and thrown out everything in your residence that doesn't spark joy? Great! Now it's time to fill your residence back up again -- and as long as your shelves are bare, why not buy all that stuff directly from Marie Kondo's online store?And if you think it's a little hypocritical for the self-styled de-cluttering guru to sell you a bunch of overpriced junk, we're sure a sip from your $98 gem-infused water bottle will clear those bad vibes right up. Read more at The Wall Street Journal.More stories from theweek.com Ken Starr on the Sondland testimony: 'It's over' Putin says the Ukraine scandal has distracted the U.S. from Russian election meddling: 'Thank God' Sondland just obliterated Trump and put the entire White House in peril
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| Trump tops all 4 leading Democratic candidates in new Wisconsin poll Posted: 20 Nov 2019 01:16 PM PST ![Trump tops all 4 leading Democratic candidates in new Wisconsin poll]( "Trump tops all 4 leading Democratic candidates in new Wisconsin poll") Democrats might want to shield their eyes from the latest poll from Marquette Law School released Wednesday.President Trump was shown leading all four of the party's top primary contenders -- former Vice President Joe Biden; South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg; and Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) -- in head-to-head matchups in Wisconsin, which many analysts regard as one of the most important states in the 2020 election. Last month, three of the four, save for Buttigieg (whose deficit increased) had small leads over the president.> Here's the new Marquette Law Wisconsin poll: > > Trump 47% > Biden 44% > > Trump 48% > Sanders 45% > > Trump 48% > Warren 43% > > Trump 47% > Buttigieg 39%https://t.co/zhOQbZ8JL3> > -- Steve Kornacki (@SteveKornacki) November 20, 2019Of course, like all polls there's probably not any reason for Democrats to panic, just as there was no reason for Republicans to worry too much about the October survey. With the exception of Buttigieg again, Trump's leads are all either within in or nearly within the poll's margin of error or 4.1 percentage points.Biden, meanwhile, was leading the Democratic field among Wisconsin voters with 30 percent of the vote, followed by Sanders at 17 percent, Warren at 15 percent, and Buttigieg at 13 percent.The Marquette Law School poll was conducted between Nov. 13-17. The sample consisted of 801 registered Wisconsin voters who were interviewed over the phone. The margin of error was 4.1 percentage points. Read the full poll here.More stories from theweek.com Ken Starr on the Sondland testimony: 'It's over' Putin says the Ukraine scandal has distracted the U.S. from Russian election meddling: 'Thank God' Sondland just obliterated Trump and put the entire White House in peril
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| European centre-right's new leader vows to fight populism Posted: 20 Nov 2019 01:10 PM PST  Former EU Council president Donald Tusk pledged Wednesday to fight political populism as he was elected leader of Europe's main conservative parties during their group meeting in Croatia. The former Polish prime minister will be tasked with boosting the fortunes of the European People's Party (EPP) -- which includes German Chancellor Angela Merkel's CDU and France's Republicans. The EPP is still the largest group in the European Parliament but is under increasing pressure from far-right, liberal and green blocs, which all made gains at the last elections.
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| Biden just sent out a post-debate email hours before the debate starts Posted: 20 Nov 2019 12:54 PM PST ![Biden just sent out a post-debate email hours before the debate starts]( "Biden just sent out a post-debate email hours before the debate starts") Former Vice President Joe Biden is getting a little ahead of himself.Hours before the fifth Democratic debate was set to begin, Biden's campaign on Wednesday sent out a fundraising email obviously not intended for release until the debate ended. The message hit inboxes roughly eight hours early."I'm leaving the fifth Democratic debate now," read the very first sentence of this email, sent long before the debate even started. "I hope I made you proud out there and I hope I made it clear to the world why our campaign is so important." Well, he made clear why sending prepared emails at a time that actually makes sense is so important, at least.> Looks like Biden's campaign has accidentally sent a post-debate fundraising email out early. It suggests he may target Warren again tonight. > > "We need more than plans... We need to reach across the aisle and demand that our leaders do what's right." pic.twitter.com/7YSvzy1bGm> > -- Jess Bidgood (@jessbidgood) November 20, 2019Spoiler alert: expect some more slams on Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) from Biden this evening, something supporters were presumably supposed to have already seen before they read, "we need more than plans" in his emailWith the White House having accidentally sent talking points to Democrats at least two times in recent months, should Biden defeat President Trump in 2020, the White House tradition of totally incompetent email use may continue for years to come.More stories from theweek.com Ken Starr on the Sondland testimony: 'It's over' Putin says the Ukraine scandal has distracted the U.S. from Russian election meddling: 'Thank God' Sondland just obliterated Trump and put the entire White House in peril
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| Macron’s Freelancing on EU Policy Earns a Swift German Rebuke Posted: 20 Nov 2019 12:44 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Emmanuel Macron has spent weeks rubbing European Union allies the wrong way. Germany has finally had enough.Angela Merkel, usually measured, deployed the full power of her words on Wednesday night to say she would exert intense pressure on France to allow two western Balkan nations to begin negotiations to join the EU. This came after Macron had vetoed their accession efforts and moved to make it tougher for the bloc to accept new members."I want to tell the states of the western Balkans that they too have a prospect for membership in the European Union. That's what they should know from here, from Zagreb," Merkel said from the Croatian capital. "We will live up to that, we will make that happen."The rebuke comes as the French leader seeks to exert greater influence on EU policy. In addition to blocking the start of accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia, Macron went against all his counterparts earlier this year in objecting to a long extension of the Brexit deadline.And in an interview this month, he further angered his allies by calling for a wholesale change in Europe's security architecture and questioning the efficacy of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's collective defense clause.The timing of Merkel's comments is significant, mere days before her domestic party convention and ahead of NATO's anniversary summit in London. Her voice once carried more weight than anyone else in the 28-nation bloc, but Macron is vying for that role. Her political career is coming to an end while his is taking off. Together, Germany and France, have dominated the EU agenda.Nations with complicated histories that aspire to join the bloc look to Merkel, who grew up under Communism, for support.Macron wielded a veto last month to block the EU's plan to start membership negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania during a meeting of the bloc's leaders. Macron argued that no date should be set for opening accession deliberations until the EU revamps its entire enlargement approach.European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker called the inconclusive EU summit a "major historical error." European Council President Donald Tusk, who chaired the meeting, sought to reassure the Balkan nations not to give up. "Both countries have the right to start EU negotiations," Tusk said.Germany has argued that the prospect of EU entry talks for the two nations would bolster geopolitical stability in the historically volatile Balkans. Merkel said on Wednesday that the Western Balkan countries needed to have a realistic accession perspective."We must now talk with France, and we will do this very intensely, about which elements exactly will have to be improved or changed in the accession process," Merkel told reporters. "We want an agreement about this as soon as possible so that we will be able to make progress in the concrete cases."Strengthening NATOSeparately, on the same day, her top diplomat brought Germany's own ideas about reforming NATO -- that were a far cry from the radical rethink Macron envisions. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas suggested a group of experts could offer advice on transatlantic security challenges: "We want above all in this process to make clear that NATO functions and has a future."In an interview with The Economist, Macron memorably said that "what we are currently experiencing is the brain death of NATO."The effort to bolster the organization comes after the U.S. withdrew forces from northeastern Syria, giving Turkey a green light to get involved. Neither country consulted with their fellow NATO partners before acting -- and that infuriated Macron.But Merkel was not on board with the French president's damning assessment. For her, NATO remains "irreplaceable.""The French President has chosen drastic words," she said earlier this month. "This is not my view of cooperation within NATO."\--With assistance from Caroline Alexander.To contact the reporters on this story: Arne Delfs in Berlin at adelfs@bloomberg.net;Ian Wishart in Brussels at iwishart@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Richard Bravo, Flavia Krause-JacksonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Democratic congressman unleashes on Gordon Sondland over amended testimony Posted: 20 Nov 2019 12:42 PM PST ![Democratic congressman unleashes on Gordon Sondland over amended testimony]( "Democratic congressman unleashes on Gordon Sondland over amended testimony") Rep. Sean Maloney (D-N.Y.) brought the fireworks late during U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland's public impeachment testimony Wednesday.Maloney drew applause from the audience after he got Sondland to admit that hypothetically President Trump would be the one to benefit from an investigation into his domestic rivals, such as former Vice President Joe Biden.> "There we go, that wasn't so hard!" Maloney exclaims, prompting a smattering of applause from public present in the room. https://t.co/n5SOKrylbi> > -- Olivia Gazis (@Olivia_Gazis) November 20, 2019But things got more heated when Sondland expressed displeasure with Maloney's line of questioning, arguing that he had done his best to be forthright during the hearing. Maloney took that comment and ran with it. He grilled Sondland about how Wednesday's testimony was the ambassador's third opportunity to provide truthful information to Congress referring to his initial deposition and then an amended version of that testimony. "All due respect sir, we respect your candor, but let's be really clear what it took to get it out of you," Maloney said. Yikes. > After @RepSeanMaloney finally gets Sondland to admit Trump stood to benefit from Biden investigations, the audience breaks out in applause > > Sondland then tells Maloney he "resents" what Maloney did & has been "forthright" > > "This is your 3rd try to do so," Maloney retorts. pic.twitter.com/gOW38FPJLP> > -- Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 20, 2019More stories from theweek.com Ken Starr on the Sondland testimony: 'It's over' Putin says the Ukraine scandal has distracted the U.S. from Russian election meddling: 'Thank God' Sondland just obliterated Trump and put the entire White House in peril
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| Eric Trump uses the impeachment hearing to hawk Trump wine Posted: 20 Nov 2019 12:16 PM PST ![Eric Trump uses the impeachment hearing to hawk Trump wine]( "Eric Trump uses the impeachment hearing to hawk Trump wine") Things were not looking great for President Trump on Wednesday as the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, testified before the House Intelligence Committee. Even by Fox News' generous assessment, Sondland had all but "[taken] out the bus and [run] it over President Trump, Vice President Pence, Mike Pompeo, John Bolton, Rudy Giuliani, Mick Mulvaney."But Eric Trump, not to be discouraged, saw the hearing not as a "bombshell" that all but ensures "articles of impeachment," but as an opening. The president's second son boldly took to Twitter to respond to the Sondland testimony ... with an ad for his family's winery:> It is a perfect day for a nice bottle of this. These people are -- insane.... @TrumpWinery pic.twitter.com/lkMVEorYKb> > -- Eric Trump (@EricTrump) November 20, 2019You know what they say: When life hands you lemons, use the opportunity to sell some Cabernet Sauvignon.More stories from theweek.com Ken Starr on the Sondland testimony: 'It's over' Putin says the Ukraine scandal has distracted the U.S. from Russian election meddling: 'Thank God' Sondland just obliterated Trump and put the entire White House in peril
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| Sondland just obliterated Trump and put the entire White House in peril Posted: 20 Nov 2019 12:06 PM PST ![Sondland just obliterated Trump and put the entire White House in peril]( "Sondland just obliterated Trump and put the entire White House in peril") U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland delivered Wednesday the most explosive and damaging testimony of the week-old impeachment hearings into President Trump's alleged Ukraine bribery and extortion scheme. Frequently struggling to contain a smirk, Sondland methodically dismantled nearly every strained Republican talking point offered in defense of Trump's conduct and offered little in the way of wiggle room under often confused and halting cross examination from GOP counsel Steve Castor and others.Unlike prior witnesses, Sondland had spoken personally with both the president and his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, and used his recollections to confirm the president's worst-case scenario: that Trump ordered Giuliani to execute an extortion and bribery scheme which would force the new president of Ukraine to announce phony investigations into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter as well as Ukraine's imagined interference in the 2016 presidential election. Sondland said that he, former Ukraine envoy Kurt Volker, and Energy Secretary Rick Perry were operating "under the express direction of the president" in carrying out the scheme.Sondland had extensive documentary evidence that a White House visit -- which committee chairman Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) was careful to characterize as "an official act" -- was conditioned on the announcement of these investigations. And he argued that by early September, he had realized that the weeks-long hold placed on nearly $400 million in military assistance to Ukraine was also contingent on Zelensky going on TV and announcing the investigations.Not content merely to knife his former comrades in smarm, Sondland also chose to highlight the Trump administration's efforts to obstruct the impeachment inquiry in general, and to prevent him in particular from giving accurate testimony. Announcing that he is "not a note-taker," the ambassador complained that he couldn't access his own State Department records "that in fairness ... should have been made available." This was an early clue that Sondland was about to turn decisively against his Trumpworld patrons and that he did not intend to go down for these crimes without taking a lot of other people with him. If this were a movie, that was the moment where the camera would have cut to Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) loosening his tie. (That moment came later.)Sondland sought to distance himself from Giuliani. He said that "if I had known of all of Mr. Giuliani's dealings or of his associations with individuals now under criminal indictment," that he would not have agreed to work with him to extract phony investigations from the Ukrainian government. He said that "relevant decisionmakers at the National Security Council and State Department knew the important details" of their efforts, and produced emails to prove it.That's a clear shot across the bow for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, among others, who Sondland insisted were "in the loop" throughout the escapade. Sondland had more bad news for Pompeo when he revealed that Kurt Volker had spoken to Giuliani on Sept. 24, long after the scandal broke, at the explicit direction of Pompeo himself. Sondland even had a Whatsapp message to prove it.The ambassador also confirmed that President Trump instructed him to "talk to Rudy" about what was needed for Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky to secure a phone call and a White House visit. He noted that "Mr. Giuliani emphasized that the president wanted a public statement from President Zelensky committing Ukraine to look into corruption issues. Mr. Giuliani specifically mentioned the 2016 election (including the DNC server) and Burisma as two topics of importance to the President."Later, he noted that "He had to announce the investigations. He didn't actually have to do them, as I understood it." In other words: Trump himself knew that there was nothing to these allegations and all he wanted was the political damage inflicted on Democrats.Sondland, in essence, tossed a number of high-ranking officials including the president and the secretary of state, under an oncoming bus in broad daylight and then held their blood-smeared political corpses up for an international audience on live television. Republicans, both in the room and elsewhere, were shell-shocked. If you were watching Fox News in the immediate aftermath of Sondland's first bloc of testimony this morning, you knew that it was both explosive and very bad for President Trump. Even Clinton inquisitor Ken Starr admitted that "it doesn't look good substantively for the president."Republicans were left flailing. Nunes did his tiresome shtick about Hunter Biden and Ukrainian election interference. Castor tried desperately to get Sondland to say that his Sept. 9 phone call with the president was exculpatory, without success. Sondland, for his part, was clearly trying to justify his partipation in the scheme as part of a sincere effort to, as he put it repeatedly, "break the logjam" that was holding up the White House meeting and the aid. Your mileage may vary on the extent to which you believe him about that.Republicans also seized on Sondland's admission that he had no direct proof that the aid was being held up and became fixated on proving that Sondland's work with Perry, Giuliani, and Volker was totally normal and not part of an "irregular channel," which Sondland also maintains. But it all added up to very little, and the demeanor of Nunes, Jordan and others suggested that they were all coping with the realization that one of the key participants in a criminal conspiracy involving the president just basically admitted to everything on camera.There's really only one move from here for the Republicans. They can no longer credibly claim that Trump did not attempt to condition at least a White House visit on the announcement of phony investigations. The public wasn't buying it before today, with 70 percent of Americans believing that the President did something wrong, and they certainly won't be more inclined to believe it after Sondland's testimony. Republicans, instead, will have to argue that Giuliani himself was freelancing this whole affair, and that Trump never ordered him to extort the Ukrainians into announcing these investigations. Democrats, curiously, have not actually subpoenaed Giuliani, and so Republicans could theoretically spend hours grandstanding about how no one yet has any concrete, documentary evidence that Trump ordered his personal lawyer to do these things.Yet doing so will risk flipping Giuliani, who has loudly and repeatedly proclaimed on national television about all the incriminating text messages he has. Giuliani's new centrality to the proceedings points to a contradiction in the Republican defense strategy from the get-go. On the one hand, the White House and the State Department are withholding all cooperation in the impeachment hearings. They are hiding Mulvaney. They are hiding Perry. They are hiding Pompeo. They are hiding Trump himself, of course. No documents. No cooperation. Total stonewalling.On the other hand, Nunes and Jordan and others have made sure to complain about how Democrats won't call people like Hunter Biden and Alexandra Chalupa to testify about Burisma and Republican fever dreams related to the 2016 election. Democrats at this point really should be willing to make that trade -- Biden and Chalupa for Mulvaney, Giuliani, Perry and the president himself, provided the latter cohort goes first. Call the bluff.There's no reason to wrap everything up by Christmas. Democrats are doing real damage to President Trump, and Republicans are in obvious disarray. Every day, seemingly, brings fresh revelations about both wrongdoing and attempted cover-ups. And most important, the American people deserve to know the full truth about what transpired.What I really want to know, though, is what Sondland will be drinking on his flight to Brussels tonight after publicly playing Judas to President Trump. I'm guessing it will be a Screwdriver.Want more essential commentary and analysis like this delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for The Week's "Today's best articles" newsletter here.More stories from theweek.com Ken Starr on the Sondland testimony: 'It's over' Putin says the Ukraine scandal has distracted the U.S. from Russian election meddling: 'Thank God' White House and Trump campaign officials are reportedly 'freaking out' about Sondland's testimony
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| Haley More Than Closes Her Distance From Trump Posted: 20 Nov 2019 12:03 PM PST  WASHINGTON -- During her two years serving in the Trump administration, Nikki Haley, the former ambassador to the United Nations, managed to toe a tougher line on Russia than her boss while also never straying from his good graces."We don't trust Russia. We don't trust Putin," Haley said in an interview in July 2018, days after President Donald Trump met with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, in Helsinki. "They're never going to be our friend."By the time Haley left the administration nearly a year ago, she seemed to have perfected an almost impossible dance: distancing herself from some of the president's most criticized positions while staying publicly loyal. She managed to leave on her terms and on good terms with the president.It was a balancing act that did not go without notice, and Haley, a woman of color and a former governor of South Carolina, was widely seen as preserving her options for a return to politics, perhaps as a post-Trump presidential candidate.Last summer, she challenged the president once more after he had trumpeted the fact that the Baltimore home of Rep. Elijah Cummings, a critic of Trump, had been broken into."This is so unnecessary," Haley wrote on Twitter in August, infuriating the president, according to aides.But now, Haley appears to have made the political calculation to go all in supporting the president, rather than defining herself in contrast to him.In a media blitz timed to the release of her new book, "With All Due Respect: Defending America With Grit and Grace," Haley has consistently echoed White House talking points about how there is no case for impeachment and unequivocally defended Trump's character."In every instance I dealt with him, he was truthful, he listened and he was great to work with," Haley told NBC's Savannah Guthrie.In her book, Haley does not criticize the president but does take on two targets who have fallen out of favor with him and with whom she clashed repeatedly: John Kelly, the former chief of staff, and Rex Tillerson, the former secretary of state.She praises the president as a leader who always treated her with respect and describes an honest relationship in which he would sometimes change course based on her counsel.In describing the announcement of her resignation in October 2018, when Trump praised her for her service, she writes that the president was "the man I'd seen many times, the man he too often doesn't let the country see."She even tries to explain his continuing flattery of Putin, describing a conversation with him after the Helsinki meeting."To his credit," she writes, "the president soon issued additional remarks, saying he had misspoken." She adds: "I was glad he made that clarification, and I understood what he had been trying to do. He was trying to keep communication open with Putin."She also credits Trump with learning from the experience of Charlottesville, Virginia, and handling synagogue shootings in Pittsburgh and near San Diego "with great sensitivity and appropriateness."Haley's loyalty to Trump's view of the world has been rewarded with a presidential endorsement. "Make sure you order your copy today, or stop by one of her book tour stops to get a copy and say hello. Good luck Nikki!" Trump wrote on Twitter.For Haley, an Indian American Tea Party activist who became a two-term governor of South Carolina known better as a voice of moderation on racial issues in the South, the reaction to her tweet about Cummings was a rude reminder of how she risks losing the Trump base when she puts distance between herself and the president.Trump, aides said, wanted to respond to her himself but was talked out of doing it. Instead, Kellyanne Conway, a top adviser who is close with Vice President Mike Pence, shot back at Haley in a tweet that was sanctioned from the top. "THIS is so unnecessary Trump-PENCE2020," Conway wrote, an allusion to the rumors that Haley had been positioning herself to replace Pence on the ticket in 2020.Haley remains close with the president's daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, and they warned her to be more careful talking about President Trump, according to two people familiar with the conversation. A spokeswoman for Haley denied such a warning.Her subsequent pivot can be seen as a recognition of the reality confronting anyone contemplating a future in today's Republican Party -- there is little future after distancing yourself from Trump."It is Trump's party today and, more likely than not, it will be Trump's party 10 years from now," said Kevin Madden, a political strategist and former adviser to Mitt Romney's presidential campaign. "Trump will cast a long shadow over the party's profile and will be a litmus test for the party's most active base voters for years to come."For Republicans like Haley, Madden said, the relationship with Trumpism would continue to be a balancing act."Stray too far and you run the risk of inviting scorn from his biggest defenders," he said. "Go lockstep with him and, as we've seen with the 2018 midterm test and the 2019 contests in key states like Virginia, the potential is there to alienate voters in suburbs who are making and breaking elections right now."Haley has been relatively removed from public life in the year since she left the administration. She joined the board of Boeing and is reportedly being paid $200,000 a speech on the speaking tour.But her forays into politics show someone who is tacking toward Trump while leaving herself room for daylight between them in the future.She has held a fundraiser for the president and plans to do more, according to an aide. Haley, who still lives in New York City but plans to return to South Carolina after her son graduates from high school, has also started a nonprofit organization called Stand for America.The group's website describes America's prosperity being threatened by "socialist schemes" of higher taxes, regulations and "unsecure borders," echoing the language and themes of Trump's own reelection campaign. She has campaigned for Republicans like Sens. Joni Ernst of Iowa and Cory Gardner of Colorado.But she also appears to be stirring the pot on Twitter in a way that is intended to grab Trump's attention and stay in the news.On Monday, she targeted George Conway, the outspoken, Trump-hating husband of Kellyanne Conway, who has drawn the president's own ire."George Conway is the last person that can call someone 'trash'. Pathetic,'" Haley wrote on Twitter, criticizing Conway for an attack on Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who emerged during the first week of televised impeachment hearings as a moderate turned Trump defender."You'll say anything to get the vice-presidential nomination, won't you?" George Conway fired back.Haley, who declined to comment for this article, has in the past denied that she is seeking to replace Pence.But White House advisers loyal to Pence have long faulted Haley for stoking the rumors that she could potentially replace him on the 2020 ticket -- something they see as beneficial to an out-of-office politician who needs a way to stay relevant until the next presidential race.Some have noted with frustration that it was Pence who first advocated Haley joining the administration, even though she had been tacitly critical of Trump during her 2016 response to President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address and had supported Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida during the 2016 Republican primary.For now, friends said, with plenty of time for another pivot down the line, supporting Trump makes sense."Having that tweet from Donald Trump is going to be very, very important, promoting the book," said Bakari Sellers, the former South Carolina state legislator who ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor and is now a CNN commentator. "She got what she wanted."Sellers, a Democrat who said he considered Haley a friend, said that in her balancing act he saw someone who had plenty of time to recalibrate. Haley, he predicted, would have a longer political story to tell."Donald Trump is going to be a footnote in her political career," Sellers predicted. "It won't be defining."This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2019 The New York Times Company
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| Syrian shelling of camp housing displaced people kills 15 Posted: 20 Nov 2019 11:45 AM PST ![Syrian shelling of camp housing displaced people kills 15]( "Syrian shelling of camp housing displaced people kills 15") Syrian government troops bombarded a camp hosting displaced people near the Turkish border in the country's northwest Wednesday, striking an area close to a maternity hospital and killing at least 15 people, including six children, Syrian opposition activists said. The latest attacks show that a nearly three-month fragile truce has collapsed as violence has intensified in and around Idlib province, the last major rebel stronghold in the war-torn country. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said government forces shelled camp Qah, killing 15 and wounding others.
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| UN Security Council members rebuke US on Israel settlements Posted: 20 Nov 2019 11:13 AM PST  In a sharp rebuke to the Trump administration, the 14 other U.N. Security Council members on Wednesday strongly opposed the U.S. announcement that it no longer considers Israeli settlements to be a violation of international law. The council's monthly Mideast meeting, just two days after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's announcement, was dominated by negative reaction to the new American policy from countries representing all regions of the world who said all Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. Only Israel's U.N. ambassador, Danny Danon, who is not a council member, spoke in support of the U.S. action, saying it "rights a historical wrong." He also called the criticism an "obstacle to peace" that is "preventing direct negotiations" between Israelis and Palestinians.
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| Rudy Giuliani is now demanding an apology from the Republican counsel Posted: 20 Nov 2019 11:08 AM PST ![Rudy Giuliani is now demanding an apology from the Republican counsel]( "Rudy Giuliani is now demanding an apology from the Republican counsel") President Trump's personal lawyer and fixer, Rudy Giuliani, found himself at the heart of the impeachment hearing on Wednesday after the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, implicated him in allegedly setting up a quid pro quo between the White House and Ukraine. Giuliani, needless to say, was not having it, going as far as to demand an apology from the GOP's own attorney.Republicans had attempted to dismiss Giuliani's activities in Ukraine as nothing but self-interested meddling, as to distance Trump from the possible scheme to pressure Ukraine into investigating the Bidens. That was the line of questioning the GOP counsel, Steve Castor, pursued on Wednesday: "Granted, Mr. Giuliani had business interests in Ukraine," Castor suggested, prompting Sondland to answer "now I understand he did; I didn't know that at the time."> GOP counsel Steve Castor now advances the argument that Giuliani was acting on his own, and invokes his two indicted associates. Of course, throughout all of this Giuliani was Trump's lawyer and clearly acting on his behalf. pic.twitter.com/YMj1eTEPJi> > -- Oliver Willis (@owillis) November 20, 2019Giuliani hit back on Twitter: "Republican lawyer doesn't do his own research and preparation, and is instead picking up Democrat lies, shame," he tweeted. "Allow me to inform him: I have NO financial interests in Ukraine, NONE! I would appreciate his apology."Giuliani spent the day on the defensive on social media, tweeting earlier that "I never met with [Sondland]" and that there was "no quid pro quo." He later deleted that tweet. Read more about Giuliani's alleged interests in Ukraine here.More stories from theweek.com Ken Starr on the Sondland testimony: 'It's over' Putin says the Ukraine scandal has distracted the U.S. from Russian election meddling: 'Thank God' Sondland just obliterated Trump and put the entire White House in peril
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| The conspiracy-theorist-in-chief tries his hand at conspiring Posted: 20 Nov 2019 11:04 AM PST ![The conspiracy-theorist-in-chief tries his hand at conspiring]( "The conspiracy-theorist-in-chief tries his hand at conspiring") Gordon Sondland drew a blank. The details of his July 26 call with President Trump, conducted on a cell phone in a restaurant in Kyiv, Ukraine, are fuzzy, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union testified Wednesday at the fourth day of public hearings in the House impeachment inquiry. Yet he has "no reason to doubt that this conversation included the subject of investigations" Trump allegedly pressured the Ukrainian president to conduct, Sondland said. "Actually, I would have been more surprised if President Trump had not mentioned investigations."And well he should be, for Trump has spent years yammering on about conspiracies. It would be surprising if he didn't bring that obsession into the White House, if he failed to seize the unique opportunities of his office both to probe at least some of the conspiracy theories he believes to be true -- most obviously here, that a hacked DNC server is located in Ukraine -- and to conspire himself.Conspiracy theories are rarely necessary to understand our world -- simple self-interest, cruelty, and incompetence usually have more explanatory power -- but they are demonstrably attractive to the president. Trump's infamous years-long fixation on former President Obama's birth certificate is just the start.During the 2016 election, recall, Trump suggested the father of his then-rival, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), was involved in the assassination of former President Kennedy. He retweeted birther allegations against Cruz and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). He claimed the Islamic State attacked him at a campaign rally. He ran ads proposing Syrian refugees "could be ISIS." He promoted a theory that Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was murdered by being smothered with a pillow. He raised the possiblity that a Clinton aide who died in 1993 was also murdered. He had a dalliance with the antivax movement.And that's just during the last election! In the years before, he proposed climate change might be a Chinese hoax. He called regulations against asbestos a "great con" perpetrated by the mob. In the time since, he has intimated MSNBC host Joe Scarborough murdered an intern. More seriously in terms of national politics, he has repeatedly claimed his loss of the popular vote was due to widespread election fraud. And all three of these lists are inevitably incomplete, for conspiracy theories are a structural component of Trump's mental blueprints. He loves them, and he didn't stop loving them when he got elected president.The trouble for Trump is that many of the people whose help he would need to turn the administrative branch into his personal conspiracy theory investigation machine are not Trump people. That's not to say, as he likes to complain, that they are never-Trumpers, just that they're career civil servants. Ordinary bureaucrats more than political appointees. They were there before Trump got elected, and they'll probably be there after he leaves office. They are unlikely to be enthusiastic about tracking down evidence for presidential daydreams, especially daydreams already debunked in whole or part by other federal investigations. That's where Rudy Giuliani comes in.Sondland hinted as much in his testimony Wednesday, describing the president's personal attorney as the tugboat pushing a disinterested barge of federal bureaucracy into conducting Trump's desired bribery scheme with Ukraine. "Secretary [of Energy Rick] Perry, [former Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt] Volker and I worked with Mr. Rudy Giuliani on Ukraine matters at the express direction of the president of the United States," Sondland said. "We did not want to work with Mr. Giuliani. Simply put, we played the hand we were dealt." In Sondland's telling, Giuliani served as a de facto Secretary of the Conspiracy Theories, arranging a quid pro quo with the Ukrainian president at Trump's request.This is what makes Sondland's testimony so easily plausible to me: Why would a President Trump not retain the conspiracy theory obsession of real estate developer, reality star, and candidate Trump?Again and again, Trump has called for state investigations of his conspiracy theories du jour. Now he is head of state. Are we supposed to think he just lost interest? Trump's own public comments since taking office show that is not the case. He clearly still thinks in conspiratorial terms.With Ukraine, it seems Trump saw a chance to get to the bottom of some of his present pet theories, theories he may sincerely believe (or at least hopes to be true). And it also seems he was willing to conspire to get what he wanted.More stories from theweek.com Ken Starr on the Sondland testimony: 'It's over' Putin says the Ukraine scandal has distracted the U.S. from Russian election meddling: 'Thank God' Sondland just obliterated Trump and put the entire White House in peril
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| Austria is turning site of Hitler's birth into a police station to repel neo-Nazis Posted: 20 Nov 2019 10:35 AM PST ![Austria is turning site of Hitler's birth into a police station to repel neo-Nazis]( "Austria is turning site of Hitler's birth into a police station to repel neo-Nazis") Austria's Interior Minister Wolfgang Peschorn announced Tuesday that the country will turn the birthplace of Adolf Hitler into a police station in the hopes of preventing it from becoming a neo-Nazi shrine."The future use of the house by the police should send an unmistakable signal that the role of this building as a memorial to the Nazis has been permanently revoked," Peschorn said in a statement. Neo-Nazis have reportedly long frequented the house in downtown Braunau am Inn, turning it into a pilgrimage site of sorts. The government has tried to step in and stop that from happening for quite a while, but the building's owner had refused sell it even though the interior ministry had taken over the main lease in 1972. The owner also refused to renovate the building, which meant it was difficult to rent to tenants who would turn it into an administrative, educational, or social services building as required by the government. So it remained challenging to prevent Hitler's admirers from flocking to it, even as support for Nazism dwindled. But the government seized the building in 2017, and will now hold a redesign competition for architects that will begin this month as the building transitions into the hands of law enforcement.The timing of the announcement is not insignificant, as some far-right parties have continued to make gains in Europe. Read more at The New York Times.More stories from theweek.com Ken Starr on the Sondland testimony: 'It's over' Putin says the Ukraine scandal has distracted the U.S. from Russian election meddling: 'Thank God' Sondland just obliterated Trump and put the entire White House in peril
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| Devin Nunes claimed Democrats would smear Sondland. He was smeared by the Republican counsel instead. Posted: 20 Nov 2019 09:56 AM PST ![Devin Nunes claimed Democrats would smear Sondland. He was smeared by the Republican counsel instead.]( "Devin Nunes claimed Democrats would smear Sondland. He was smeared by the Republican counsel instead.") The U.S. ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, is a key witness in the ongoing House impeachment hearings, and before he testified Wednesday, both Democrats and Republicans were well aware he could make or break their cases. Ranking House Intelligence Committee member Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) nevertheless appeared confident in his opening remarks, noting that he anticipated Sondland would have his reputation "smeared" by the Democrats over the course of the next several hours.The GOP's tone swiftly changed when Sondland was given his turn to speak. The ambassador confirmed a quid pro quo between the Trump administration and Ukraine, and said he was following orders from the president to pressure Kyiv into opening an investigation into the Bidens. Clinton impeachment prosecutor Ken Starr went as far as to call Wednesday a "bombshell day" due to Sondland's dramatic flip.Republicans, naturally, didn't feel so peachy about Sondland by the time it was their turn to speak. Steve Castor, the Republican attorney, went as far as to -- yep -- smear Sondland's credibility. "You don't have records, you don't have notes because you don't take notes, you don't have recollections," he bashed. "This is a trifecta of unreliability."It didn't matter that the smear was coming from his own party; Sondland wasn't having any of it. Watch below. > Republican Counsel Castor: "You don't have records. You don't have your notes because you didn't take notes. You don't have a lot of recollections. This is like the trifecta of unreliability. Isn't that true? > > Ambassador Gordon Sondland: "I think I filled in a lot of blanks." pic.twitter.com/0pQc4zP4nD> > -- CSPAN (@cspan) November 20, 2019More stories from theweek.com Ken Starr on the Sondland testimony: 'It's over' Putin says the Ukraine scandal has distracted the U.S. from Russian election meddling: 'Thank God' Sondland just obliterated Trump and put the entire White House in peril
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| Year-end could see return to North Korea 'provocations,' says U.S. envoy Posted: 20 Nov 2019 09:55 AM PST ![Year-end could see return to North Korea 'provocations,' says U.S. envoy]( "Year-end could see return to North Korea 'provocations,' says U.S. envoy") U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun said on Wednesday a year-end deadline North Korea has set for Washington to show more flexibility in nuclear talks was an artificial one, but could mean a return to "provocative" steps that preceded the past two years of diplomacy. North Korea has been demanding that Washington lift sanctions hobbling its economy, and its leader Kim Jong Un set the deadline for Washington to show more flexibility in April, raising concerns that he could resume nuclear and long-range missile testing suspended since 2017.
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| Johnson Pledges Tax Cut to Regain Campaign Momentum: U.K. Votes Posted: 20 Nov 2019 09:49 AM PST ![Johnson Pledges Tax Cut to Regain Campaign Momentum: U.K. Votes]( "Johnson Pledges Tax Cut to Regain Campaign Momentum: U.K. Votes") (Bloomberg) -- Sign up to our Brexit Bulletin, follow us @Brexit and subscribe to our podcast.Boris Johnson promised to cut taxes for working people as the centerpiece of his campaign to win a majority in Britain's general election. Johnson is well ahead in the polls, but his Conservative Party is haunted -- and his opponents energized -- by Theresa May's failure to hold onto her similar lead in the 2017 election.The Liberal Democrats, who were excluded from the debate, sought to capitalize on the negative view of both leaders by saying their manifesto will offer a brighter alternative when it's published later.Must Read: The Beginning of the End of the U.K. May Come on Dec. 12Key Developments:Liberal Democrats unveil their election manifestoThe Brexit Party holds a campaign event in east LondonYouGov conducted a snap poll on Tuesday night's debate, giving it to Johnson by the narrowest margin: 51% to 49%. The full report digs into audience impressionsJohnson Sows Confusion over Tax Pledge (5:40 p.m.)Boris Johnson caused confusion over the Tory pledge to raise the threshold for national insurance (see 4 p.m.) when he incorrectly said that the initial change would be worth 500 pounds to every worker. The Institute for fiscal studies said the real figure would be about 80 pounds."If we're lucky enough to be re-elected, in the budget we will go up to the 9,500 threshold and that will put 500 pounds in the pocket of everybody," Johnson said. "We want to operate in a prudent way, but we do want to help now with the cost of living."His party later sent out a statement saying that the 500 pound cut was a long term aspiration and that the saving as a result of the first change, due in a budget next next year, would be much smaller."The initial change would save you 70 or 80 pounds," IFS Director Paul Johnson told BBC TV. "You'd have to go the whole way to save 500 pounds."Swinson Pitches Lib Dems as the Future (5:20 p.m.)Speaking at the launch of the Liberal Democrat manifesto, party leader Jo Swinson pitched herself as the voice of Remain and the champion of younger voters. Jeremy Corbyn is stuck in the 1970s and Johnson in the 1870s, she told activists.Brexit has stopped the country from tackling a range of issues facing voters, including poverty, homelessness and flooding, she said. "We have wasted the last three and a half years."Swinson also attacked Boris Johnson for gaining support from far right campaigner Tommy Robinson, Donald Trump and Nigel Farage. Denouncing him as a liar, she said he can't be trusted to avoid a no-deal split from the EU.Further Details of Johnson Tax Cut (4 p.m.)Boris Johnson's Conservatives have given further details of their plans to cut national insurance for employees, starting next year (see 2 p.m.).The first phase of the cut, which would be delivered by raising the threshold at which the tax is paid to 9,500 pounds ($12,267) from 8,632 pounds currently, would come into effect in 2020, a Tory official said. The cost to the Treasury would be 2.2 billion in 2021, with 31 million people benefiting.The aspiration is to raise the threshold to 12,500 over time, according to the official. At that rate it would be worth 500 pounds, the official said.Johnson Pledges Tax Cuts (2 p.m.)Boris Johnson seemed to reveal a line from his Conservative Party's manifesto when he told engineering workers during a campaign visit to Teesside that he plans changes to national insurance contributions, and appeared to make a reference to the threshold at which the tax is paid."We're going to be cutting national insurance up to 12,000, we're going to be making sure that we cut business rates for small businesses," Johnson said after he was asked if his proposed tax cuts would just be for the rich. "We are cutting tax for working people."The current threshold for paying national insurance for the majority of employees is earnings of 8,632 pounds ($11,150) a year. The Conservatives didn't immediately respond to a request for clarification. The party said at the weekend that they would cut the national insurance contributions for employers, but made no mention of the part of the tax paid by workers.The prime minister also said he plans to boost shipbuilding, a totemic industry in the northeast of England. "My dream is to have a shipbuilding renaissance in this country," he said. "I see a big future for shipbuilding in this country, and we're going to be investing in it."Swinson Pledges 'Remain' Spending Boost (1 p.m.)Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson made a direct appeal to voters put off by both Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson in Tuesday night's debate as she prepares to reveal her party's manifesto later."Our politics has been dominated by the two, tired old parties for too long. This election provides an opportunity to change the future of our country and build a brighter future with the Liberal Democrats," she said in a statement. "This manifesto is a bold plan to build a brighter future for our country, and that starts with stopping Brexit."As well as stopping the U.K.'s departure from the EU, the party will pledge to ensure 80% of energy comes from renewable sources by 2030, recruit 20,000 more teachers and upgrade mental health provision in the National health Service, it said.The party says it would have 50 billion pounds ($65 billion) more to spend than the other parties over the next five years as a result of growth not being pegged back by Brexit. "Labour and the Conservatives can't offer the country a brighter future because they both want Brexit. We know that will be bad for our economy, bad for our NHS and bad for our environment," Swinson said.Sturgeon: Independence Easier Than Brexit (12:35 p.m.)Nicola Sturgeon, leader of the Scottish National Party, said those wanting to support independence for Scotland shouldn't be put off by the quagmire that has engulfed the U.K.'s departure from the European Union."Let us not let the charlatans who were so dishonest with people over Brexit somehow suggest that constitutional change has to be that way," Sturgeon said at a campaign event in Dundee. "It's that way on Brexit because of their dishonesty and their lack of planning, these are mistakes the independence campaign didn't make in 2014 and won't make in future."Sturgeon is demanding another referendum on independence after the failed attempt five years ago and said the election offers an opportunity "to secure the right to choose our own future."Rabb: Voters 'Don't Give a Toss' About Twitter Row (Earlier)Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab defended the Conservative Party's re-branding of its Twitter account during Tuesday night's debate to pretend it was a fact-checking service, after the social media company warned the party for attempting to "mislead" voters."I knock on doors every day. No one gives a toss about the social media cut-and-thrust," Raab told the BBC. "What they care about is the substance of the issues."He refused to apologize for changing the name of the party's official Twitter account to FactcheckUK, saying the party did it as a way to rebut Labour's claims about its plans. "It was pegged to the CCHQ account. No one who looked at it for more than a split-second would have been fooled," he said. "We are holding Labour to account for the nonsense that they systematically and serially put out in relation to Conservatives."Twitter warned the party not to repeat the stunt. "We have global rules in place that prohibit behavior that can mislead people, including those with verified accounts," it said in a statement. "Any further attempts to mislead people by editing verified profile information -- in a manner seen during the U.K. election debate -- will result in decisive corrective action."Lib Dems Pledge 'Emergency Cash' for Schools (Earlier)The Liberal Democrats, who launch their manifesto later Wednesday, promised to plow "an emergency cash injection" into schools to recruit more staff and fund teacher pay rises. The extra cash would come from the 50 billion pound "Remain bonus" which the party says would come from its flagship policy of staying in the European Union."School leaders that I've spoken to would very much welcome this money," the party's education spokeswoman, Layla Moran, told BBC Radio. She defended the 50 billion pound estimate as based on independent forecasts. "We know that by stopping Brexit there will be an uptick to our economy," she said. "There is no independent forecast which doesn't suggest that's true."Earlier:The Beginning of the End of the U.K. May Come on Dec. 12Corbyn Holds Johnson to Debate Draw: U.K. Campaign TrailLabour Plan to Raise Tax on Top 5% in U.K. Called Into Question\--With assistance from Joe Mayes.To contact the reporters on this story: Thomas Penny in London at tpenny@bloomberg.net;Tim Ross in London at tross54@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Stuart Biggs, Thomas PennyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| US envoy says time running short for North Korea deal Posted: 20 Nov 2019 09:35 AM PST  The U.S. official in charge of talks with North Korea said Wednesday that time is running short to achieve a deal, but not because of the end-of-year deadline set by the North's leader, Kim Jong Un. A crisis or any other distraction could derail talks to end North Korea's nuclear weapons program despite the historic meetings between Kim and President Donald Trump, according to Stephen Biegun, the administration's special representative for North Korea. "The window is still open but they need to seize the moment," Biegun told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which was holding a hearing on his nomination to be deputy secretary of state.
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| Putin says US ‘political dramas’ diverting focus from Russia Posted: 20 Nov 2019 09:33 AM PST  Russian President Vladimir Putin says he's pleased that the "political battles" in Washington have put on the back-burner accusations that Russia interfered in U.S. elections. Some Republicans have used the public hearings to tout a discredited conspiracy theory that blames Ukraine, not Russia, for interfering in the U.S.'s 2016 presidential election. In the impeachment hearings, Democrats in Congress say U.S. President Donald Trump pressured his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, to investigate former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden while withholding U.S. military aid to Kyiv, and argue that may be grounds for removing Trump from office.
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| Trump reads comically large notes declaring 'I want no quid pro quo' amid Sondland testimony Posted: 20 Nov 2019 09:31 AM PST ![Trump reads comically large notes declaring 'I want no quid pro quo' amid Sondland testimony]( "Trump reads comically large notes declaring 'I want no quid pro quo' amid Sondland testimony") Amid the bombshell impeachment hearing Wednesday, President Trump is declaring victory -- and reading from some comically large notes.Trump spoke to reporters as U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland confirmed in his public testimony before Congress a quid pro quo with Ukraine that was pushed by Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who was "expressing the desires of the president of the United States."But Trump was quick to rush out to explain to reporters how the hearing is actually going great for him, pointing to Sondland having testified that he spoke with the president in September and that Trump told him, "I want nothing. I want nothing. I want no quid pro quo." Insisting this was the true takeaway from the hearing, Trump on Wednesday read from his notes quoting Sondland quoting him.> Have to say this is a weird Christmas list. pic.twitter.com/QPGt3QxerM> > -- Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) November 20, 2019"That means it's all over," Trump claimed after shouting this exchange recounted by Sondland very loudly, adding he immediately "turned off the television" after hearing it, having evidently tuned out nearly every other damaging moment of the hours-long hearing.Trump did, however, have one objection to Sondland's characterization of this call he claims clears him: that Sondland testified Trump wasn't in a good mood during it. "I'm always in a good mood," Trump claimed. "I don't know what that is." > President Trump reacts to Ambassador Sondland's ImpeachmentHearings Testimony > > "I don't know him very well. I have not spoken to him much. This is not a man I know well. He seems like a nice guy though." pic.twitter.com/eijyVKWQ2b> > -- CSPAN (@cspan) November 20, 2019More stories from theweek.com Ken Starr on the Sondland testimony: 'It's over' Putin says the Ukraine scandal has distracted the U.S. from Russian election meddling: 'Thank God' Sondland just obliterated Trump and put the entire White House in peril
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| EU’s Tusk Damns Populists in Veiled Reference to Hungary’s Orban Posted: 20 Nov 2019 09:23 AM PST ![EU's Tusk Damns Populists in Veiled Reference to Hungary's Orban]( "EU's Tusk Damns Populists in Veiled Reference to Hungary's Orban") (Bloomberg) -- Outgoing European Council President Donald Tusk slammed "populists, manipulators and autocrats" in a veiled attack on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, calling on mainstream leaders to take the fight to nationalist politicians.As he made his bid Wednesday to be named head of the pan-European group of center-right parties, Tusk criticized those who use fear and hatred to win votes. The group, known as the European People's Party, suspended Orban's Fidesz in March, citing Orban's erosion of democratic standards, opposition to immigration and criticism of EU institutions and personalities."I deeply believe that only those who want and are able to give people a feeling of safety and security, preserving at the same time their freedoms and rights, have a mandate to run for power," Tusk, a former Polish prime minister, told EPP delegates at the group's congress in Zagreb. "Under no circumstances can we give away the sphere of security and order to political populists, manipulators, and autocrats, who believe that freedom cannot be reconciled with security."The EPP is preparing a report on the further status of Fidesz in the group, Croatian Premier Andrej Plenkovic told reporters at the congress earlier.In June, Orban rejected the criticism, saying in a letter to the EPP that Hungarian legislation fully complies with EU laws. He reiterated his belief that his nation's culture is based on Christianity and family values.Fidesz's membership of the EPP became increasingly strained as populist parties took power in Italy. At the same time, ruling groups in Hungary, Poland and Romania took steps toward greater political control over state institutions, sparking fears of a return to authoritarian rule 30 years after the collapse of communism.Tusk also spoke about the EU's efforts to mitigate the recent migrant crisis, praising German Chancellor Angela Merkel "for the great role" she played but again appearing to criticize Orban as "someone, who also worked hard, but only on his narrative and self-creation, putting up a fence and billboards with anti-migration propaganda."To contact the reporters on this story: Ian Wishart in Zagreb at iwishart@bloomberg.net;Jasmina Kuzmanovic in Zagreb at jkuzmanovic@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Andrea Dudik at adudik@bloomberg.net, Michael WinfreyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Mike Pence's office says discussion with Gordon Sondland about quid pro quo 'never happened' Posted: 20 Nov 2019 09:10 AM PST ![Mike Pence's office says discussion with Gordon Sondland about quid pro quo 'never happened']( "Mike Pence's office says discussion with Gordon Sondland about quid pro quo 'never happened'") In what is becoming common practice for the Trump administration, Vice President Mike Pence's office responded critically Wednesday to an impeachment witness' public sworn testimony while a hearing was ongoing.Pence's Chief of Staff Marc Short released a statement denying U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland's claim that he brought up concerns he had that U.S. military aid to Ukraine was "tied to investigations" directly with Pence in September. That would mean Sondland directly discussed a potential quid pro quo with the vice president.Short said that the "alleged discussion recalled by Ambassador never happened" and that Sondland was "never alone with" Pence while the two were on a trip to Warsaw, Poland, in September, when Sondland testified the conversation took place. > Marc Short, the chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, just released a statement contradicting Sondland's sworn testimony ImpeachmentHearing pic.twitter.com/TrDosITSHl> > -- Bloomberg TicToc (@tictoc) November 20, 2019More stories from theweek.com Ken Starr on the Sondland testimony: 'It's over' Putin says the Ukraine scandal has distracted the U.S. from Russian election meddling: 'Thank God' Sondland just obliterated Trump and put the entire White House in peril
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| Ken Starr on the Sondland testimony: 'It's over' Posted: 20 Nov 2019 08:57 AM PST ![Ken Starr on the Sondland testimony: 'It's over']( "Ken Starr on the Sondland testimony: 'It's over'") Ken Starr, the former solicitor general who headed the investigation that led to the impeachment of former President Bill Clinton, called Wednesday's testimony by U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland "obviously ... one of those bombshell days."Speaking on Fox News, Starr agreed with the hosts that things now do not "look good for the president substantively." Sondland's testimony, Starr said, confirmed that there was a quid pro quo between Trump's administration and the Ukrainian government -- which would be "bribery," in the jargon of impeachment. Sondland also said that the orders to push Kyiv to open an investigation into Trump's political rivals had come directly from the Oval Office.Starr focused specifically on the question of Trump's alleged contempt, noting that Sondland had spoken "vehemently and bitterly about his lack of access to records to help him." Additionally, the Democrats' line of questioning made clear that Sondland's attempts to refresh his memory for the testimony had been denied by the administration, which could build the Democrats' case for obstruction."There will be articles of impeachment," Starr said. "I think we've known that, it was just confirmed today. Substantively, what we heard from the chairman just now is: It's over. We now know -- this is his position -- we now know that the president in fact committed the crime of bribery." Watch below. > Ken Starr on Fox News: "It doesn't look good for the president, substantively." pic.twitter.com/kDBdx0DapS> > -- Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 20, 2019More stories from theweek.com Putin says the Ukraine scandal has distracted the U.S. from Russian election meddling: 'Thank God' Sondland just obliterated Trump and put the entire White House in peril White House and Trump campaign officials are reportedly 'freaking out' about Sondland's testimony
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| Iran blames deadly unrest on outsiders, including US Posted: 20 Nov 2019 08:51 AM PST  As a cold rain fell on a suburb of Iran's capital on Wednesday, women swallowed by black chadors and men in green military-style jackets walked alongside the flag-draped coffin of a Revolutionary Guard member, one of over 100 people reported to be killed in protests across the country. The mourners did not blame the Guard member's death on Iran's government, which increased gasoline prices amid widespread economic woes as Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers collapses. From allegations of foreigners in demonstrations to claims of outside forces being involved, Iran's government has been blaming everyone else for the violence unleashed after it raised the minimum price for gasoline by 50%.
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| SEALs face review following death of Islamic State militant Posted: 20 Nov 2019 08:46 AM PST  Navy officials on Wednesday notified a SEAL convicted of posing with a dead Islamic State militant and three of his superior officers during a 2017 deployment to Iraq that all four will face a review to determine if they should remain on the elite force. Attorneys for Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher said the Navy is trying to remove his Trident pin, designating him as a SEAL, in retaliation for President Donald Trump's decision last week to restore his rank. Gallagher was acquitted last summer of a murder charge in the stabbing death of the militant captive, but a military jury convicted him of posing with the corpse while in Iraq in 2017.
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| Brexit Bulletin: Spend, Spend, Spend and Save Posted: 20 Nov 2019 08:45 AM PST  Days to Brexit deadline: 72(Bloomberg) -- Sign up here to get the Brexit Bulletin in your inbox every weekday.Today on the campaign trail: Boris Johnson reveals tax cuts, and the Lib Dems make a £50 billion case for remaining in the EU.What's happening? U.K. political parties are ramping up their spending pledges before next month's election. The anti-Brexit Liberal Democrats promise to use a "remain bonus" to fund public services, while the prime minister gave a glimpse into Conservative plans for tax cuts for workers.After being excluded from last night's election debate, the Lib Dems — who hold 20 of 650 seats in the House of Commons — tried to break into the spotlight today with a plan that leader Jo Swinson says "starts with stopping Brexit." The party calculates that staying in the European Union would generate £50 billion more for the economy over five years than their rivals' plans — a positive twist on the usual assessments showing the damage of leaving.The Lib Dems' full manifesto, due out at 5 p.m. today, will pledge to generate 80% of energy from renewable sources by 2030; recruit 20,000 more teachers; and upgrade mental health services in the NHS. "Labour and the Conservatives can't offer the country a brighter future because they both want Brexit," Swinson said.Elsewhere on the campaign trail, in the key election battleground of northern England, Johnson seemed to reveal a key tax cut from his Conservative party's manifesto. Johnson told engineering workers in Teeside that he aimed to let workers earn more before owing any contributions to the country's national insurance benefits program, up from the current level of £8,632 for most workers. A party official later said that the plan, which will benefit 31 million people, will start at allowing £9,500 of income before the tax kicks in, with an ultimate target of £12,500 pounds — saving about £500. Labour, meanwhile, releases its manifesto tomorrow.Today's Must-ReadsWall Street says the pound is a top currency bet for 2020, assuming the Conservatives win and break the Brexit deadlock, John Ainger reports. But it may not be that simple. This campaign, which was supposed to settle questions over Brexit, could instead mark the beginning of the end of the U.K. as we know it. Looking further ahead, the Financial Times is starting to talk about the brutal reckoning that awaits Britain once it enters talks with the EU over a future trade deal.Brexit in BriefDebate Verdict | A snap poll showed Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn effectively tied in last night's first TV debate, in which 6.7 million viewers saw the two clash over trustworthiness, Brexit and the NHS. A fuller report digs deeper into audience impressions.Which is Worse? | Bloomberg Opinion's Therese Raphael writes that both party leaders are in thrall to a central idea — a hard Brexit or state socialism — that will carry a hefty cost for Britain.Taxing Questions | Corbyn's plan to make the top 5% of earners pay more income tax could raise less than the party thinks, according to a leading think tank. The Institute for Fiscal Studies said the proposal could "raise up to around £6 billion or cost around £1 billion."SNP View | At a campaign event in Dundee, Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon said Scottish independence supporters shouldn't be put off by the Brexit quagmire. "It's that way on Brexit because of their dishonesty and their lack of planning," she said. "These are mistakes the independence campaign didn't make in 2014 and won't make in future."Anti-Social Behavior? | Twitter warned that the Conservative Party was attempting to "mislead" voters by rebranding its account during the debate, pretending it was a fact-checking service. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab defended the move. "I knock on doors every day. No one gives a toss about the social media cut-and-thrust," he told the BBC. "What they care about is the substance of the issues."Want to keep up with Brexit?You can follow us @Brexit on Twitter, and listen to Bloomberg Westminster every weekday. It's live at midday on Bloomberg Radio and is available as a podcast too. Share the Brexit Bulletin: Colleagues, friends and family can sign up here. For full EU coverage, try the Brussels Edition.For even more: Subscribe to Bloomberg All Access for our unmatched global news coverage and two in-depth daily newsletters, The Bloomberg Open and The Bloomberg Close.To contact the author of this story: David Goodman in London at dgoodman28@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Lisa Fleisher at lfleisher2@bloomberg.netFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Devin Nunes' face after Gordon Sondland's testimony says it all Posted: 20 Nov 2019 08:45 AM PST ![Devin Nunes' face after Gordon Sondland's testimony says it all]( "Devin Nunes' face after Gordon Sondland's testimony says it all") Right before a much needed 10-minute break, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), revealed quite a bit about how U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland's public impeachment testimony was playing out with just one look. Hint: it's not going super well. > when it's going great pic.twitter.com/HeL6qRKipv> > -- Kathryn VanArendonk (@kvanaren) November 20, 2019> quick someone throw the Curb Your Enthusiasm theme over this https://t.co/jgPPIVe4Ld> > -- Sam Adams (@SamuelAAdams) November 20, 2019More stories from theweek.com Ken Starr on the Sondland testimony: 'It's over' Putin says the Ukraine scandal has distracted the U.S. from Russian election meddling: 'Thank God' Sondland just obliterated Trump and put the entire White House in peril
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| Even Fox News thinks Sondland's testimony 'took out the bus and ran it over President Trump' Posted: 20 Nov 2019 08:32 AM PST ![Even Fox News thinks Sondland's testimony 'took out the bus and ran it over President Trump']( "Even Fox News thinks Sondland's testimony 'took out the bus and ran it over President Trump'") Fox News is reeling after the opening hours of testimony from Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union and a key figure in the Trump administration's alleged effort to pressure Ukraine's government to investigate the Bidens. Sondland confirmed Wednesday morning that the Trump administration partook in a "quid pro quo", and pointed his finger directly at the president."This, on its face, is very damaging to some of the arguments the GOP has been making," Fox News host Bret Baier confirmed after the opening round of Democrats' questioning. "I think it's going to be fascinating to see, in cross-examination, how they go."Fox News' Chris Wallace also didn't have a positive spin for the network's viewers. Sondland "took out the bus and ran it over President Trump, Vice President Pence, Mike Pompeo, John Bolton, Rudy Giuliani, Mick Mulvaney," Wallace said. "He implicates all of them."Sondland had repeatedly stressed that everybody in the administration was "in the loop" about efforts to push Ukraine into announcing an investigation into the Bidens. Watch the response on Fox, below. > Fox News host Bret Baier says Sondland's testimony is "very damaging to some of the arguments the GOP has been making." pic.twitter.com/M6SE2s8z74> > -- TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) November 20, 2019More stories from theweek.com Ken Starr on the Sondland testimony: 'It's over' Putin says the Ukraine scandal has distracted the U.S. from Russian election meddling: 'Thank God' Sondland just obliterated Trump and put the entire White House in peril
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| Protest-hit Iran says 'enemy conspiracy' defeated Posted: 20 Nov 2019 08:30 AM PST  Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday the country's people had defeated an "enemy conspiracy" behind a wave of violent protests and were celebrating their victory. Rouhani blamed the deadly unrest on "anarchists" who took to the streets "based on a plot that the region's reactionary, the Zionists and Americans hatched", referring respectively to Saudi Arabia, Israel and the US. The demonstrations erupted in sanctions-hit Iran on Friday, hours after the price of petrol was raised by as much as 200 percent.
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| Sondland testifies Ukraine was being pushed to announce investigations — but not necessarily really do them Posted: 20 Nov 2019 08:29 AM PST ![Sondland testifies Ukraine was being pushed to announce investigations — but not necessarily really do them]( "Sondland testifies Ukraine was being pushed to announce investigations — but not necessarily really do them") U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland just testified that Ukraine's president was pushed to announce investigations President Trump wanted, but not necessarily to actually open them. Sondland testified as part of the impeachment inquiry into Trump, which is examining whether the president improperly pressured Ukraine into making a public announcement about the opening of investigations involving former Vice President Joe Biden and the 2016 election. A key defense from Trump has been that he was simply interested in getting Ukraine to investigate corruption, not damage his political rivals. But Sondland suggested in his testimony that Trump was seemingly less concerned about the investigations actually being conducted than he was with the investigations being announced. "He had to announce the investigations," Sondland said, referring to what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had to do to get a White House meeting. "He didn't actually have to do them, as I understood it."Sondland expanded on this later in the testimony by saying he never heard "anyone say the investigations had to start or had to be completed," and that the "only thing" he heard "was they had to be announced in some form." Sondland did add that the "way it was expressed to me was that the Ukrainians had a long history of committing to things privately and then never following through," suggesting Trump's motivation for seeking the announcement may have been so that Ukraine would, in fact, have to conduct them. Still, Sondland's emphasis on the importance of the announcement itself could also suggest Trump was primarily interested in publicly damaging his potential 2020 opponent. The Washington Post's Aaron Blake observed, "This COMPLETELY undermines the idea that this was actually about corruption -- in case there was any doubt." > "[Ukrainian President Zelensky] had to announce the investigations. He didn't actually have to do them, as I understood it," US Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland said in his testimony. https://t.co/DH5rvycKLR pic.twitter.com/KJ9EM2Jn0s> > -- CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) November 20, 2019More stories from theweek.com Ken Starr on the Sondland testimony: 'It's over' Putin says the Ukraine scandal has distracted the U.S. from Russian election meddling: 'Thank God' Sondland just obliterated Trump and put the entire White House in peril
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| UPDATE 4-Year-end could see return to North Korea 'provocations,' says U.S. envoy Biegun Posted: 20 Nov 2019 08:27 AM PST ![UPDATE 4-Year-end could see return to North Korea 'provocations,' says U.S. envoy Biegun]( "UPDATE 4-Year-end could see return to North Korea 'provocations,' says U.S. envoy Biegun") U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun said on Wednesday a year-end deadline North Korea has set for Washington to show more flexibility in nuclear talks was an artificial one, but could mean a return to "provocative" steps that preceded the past two years of diplomacy. North Korea has been demanding the lifting of sanctions hobbling its economy and its leader Kim Jong Un set the deadline for Washington to show more flexibility in April, raising concerns he could resume nuclear and long-range missile testing suspended since 2017. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly held up this suspension as a major achievement of his engagement with North Korea, but in his nomination hearing for the State Department's No. 2 post, Biegun suggested this could come to an end.
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| Gordon Sondland won't confirm or deny key details of Trump phone call at Kyiv restaurant Posted: 20 Nov 2019 08:14 AM PST ![Gordon Sondland won't confirm or deny key details of Trump phone call at Kyiv restaurant]( "Gordon Sondland won't confirm or deny key details of Trump phone call at Kyiv restaurant") United States Ambassador to the European Gordon Sondland apparently remembers everything but the Bidens.During his public impeachment testimony Wednesday, Sondland addressed previous private testimony from David Holmes, an official from the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, in which Holmes said he overheard Trump loudly ask Sondland over the phone in July at a restaurant in Kyiv if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was "going to do the investigation."In Sondland's prepared opening statement, he said he remembered the phone call but didn't find it significant at the time (Holmes did not feel the same way) and that he and Trump were primarily discussing A$AP Rocky and his legal troubles in Sweden. Sondland did say he considered most of Holmes' recollection accurate and didn't directly challenge any part of his testimony, but he was adamant that he at least doesn't remember mentioning former Vice President Joe Biden or his son, Hunter, during or after the call with Trump. Holmes, on the other hand, testified that after the call Sondland told him that Trump doesn't care about Ukraine except for "big stuff" like investigating the Bidens.During Wednesday's questioning, Sondland said he doesn't think he would have said something like that, though he couldn't recall anything specifically refuting Holmes' claims.> Holmes said Sondland specifically invoked Biden on July 26. > > Sondland says, "I have no recollection of discussing Vice President Biden or his son on that call or after the call ended." https://t.co/vDdTz7eBym> > -- Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) November 20, 2019Sondland said he "would have been more surprised if" Trump hadn't mentioned investigations, but he claimed that at the time he was not operating under the assumption that the investigations were referring to the Bidens, which he is aware of now. Though some observers aren't buying that excuse. > Sondland's testimony that he did not understand Burisma meant framing the Bidens is not credible given his exchanges with Taylor. They make no sense otherwise. Taylor specifically says "help with a political campaign." pic.twitter.com/2zBTCwEc7z> > -- Adam Serwer (@AdamSerwer) November 20, 2019More stories from theweek.com Ken Starr on the Sondland testimony: 'It's over' Putin says the Ukraine scandal has distracted the U.S. from Russian election meddling: 'Thank God' Sondland just obliterated Trump and put the entire White House in peril
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| Trump was evidently fully aware he was talking on an open line during sensitive call that Russia likely listened in on Posted: 20 Nov 2019 08:12 AM PST ![Trump was evidently fully aware he was talking on an open line during sensitive call that Russia likely listened in on]( "Trump was evidently fully aware he was talking on an open line during sensitive call that Russia likely listened in on") Wednesday's hearing for Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, largely revolved around a key July 26 phone call with President Trump. The call is important for House impeachment investigators because it seemingly links Trump directly to attempts to pressure Ukraine into opening investigations into the Bidens. One member of the Ukrainian diplomat's staff even claims to have overheard the president pushing Sondland for news about "the investigations" on the call, made in a Kyiv restaurant, and that Sondland confirmed that the Ukrainians were ready to "move forward."But what came out last week was that the phone call between Sondland and Trump -- which was already loud enough to be overheard in public -- was additionally placed on an unsecure mobile phone. Speaking Wednesday, Sondland admitted another piece of shocking news: That Trump himself knew the conversation about sensitive national security issues was being made on the open line, and proceeded anyway.Sondland, who was considered a national security risk by former National Security Council aide Fiona Hill due to his penchant for placing calls on vulnerable lines, defended his practice before Congress. "We had sensitive conversations on unsecured lines all the time," he told investigators, pointing out that "the president decides what's classified and not -- and he knew I was on an unsecured line." Trump notably ran his 2016 presidential campaign on the assurance of securing national communications, frequently blasting his opponent, Hillary Clinton, over her use of an unsecure email server.The admission that the president himself was aware of the security risk, and fine with it, is also surprising in light of the fact that former officials told CNN last week that there was "a high probability that intelligence agencies from numerous foreign countries, including Russia, were listening in on the conversation.""Why a president is talking to an ambassador on a non-encrypted telephone is crazy for today's age, and worse in public," said former FBI official Todd Carroll.More stories from theweek.com Ken Starr on the Sondland testimony: 'It's over' Putin says the Ukraine scandal has distracted the U.S. from Russian election meddling: 'Thank God' Sondland just obliterated Trump and put the entire White House in peril
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