On Politics A.M.: Ambassador to E.U. Describes Quid Pro Quo

2019年11月6日星期三

November 6, 2019

Good Wednesday morning. Here are some of the stories making news in Washington and politics today.

Gordon D. Sondland, the United States ambassador to the European Union, reversed his testimony in the impeachment inquiry, acknowledging that he told Ukrainian officials that American military aid was tied to their commitment to investigations President Trump wanted.
Democrats leading the impeachment investigation called on the president's acting chief of staff to testify, citing evidence he may have been "directly involved" in Mr. Trump's pressure campaign on Ukraine.
The House committees leading the impeachment inquiry on Tuesday released transcripts from two more closed-door depositions as the proceedings move to a more public phase. Here are the highlights.
Democrats won complete control of the Virginia government for the first time in a generation on Tuesday and claimed a narrow victory in the Kentucky governor's race, as Republicans struggled in suburbs where President Trump is increasingly unpopular. (Republicans did win the governor's mansion in Mississippi in an open-seat election.)
Shelly Simonds, a Democrat, handily won her seat in Virginia's 94th District on Tuesday, flipping the seat of David Yancey, the Republican incumbent whose name was chosen out of a bowl after she tied with him last year with 11,607 votes apiece.

Mr. Trump will ask the Supreme Court to rule on his claim that he is absolutely immune from criminal investigation while he remains in office. If the court agrees to hear the case, its decision is likely to produce a major statement on the limits of presidential power — and test the independence of the court itself.

The Supreme Court will consider this week whether to hear a case seeking to pierce firearm manufacturers' legal immunity in the aftermath of shootings.
Records show that Mr. Trump called Summer Zervos, a former contestant on "The Apprentice" who has accused him of sexually assaulting her, multiple times in 2007 and 2008, including on the day she says he forced himself on her at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
The overall United States trade deficit continued to widen in the first nine months of 2019, to nearly $500 billion, a sign that the Trump administration's approach to trade has so far done little to make a dent in the imbalance.
Farm country feeds America, but it is turning into a food desert. Many of the places losing their grocery stores are conservative towns that value industrial agriculture and low taxes. But people in these communities have also approved public money to kick-start local markets.