On Politics A.M.: Ukraine’s Attempt to Cultivate Trump From the Start

2019年11月4日星期一

November 4, 2019

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

Before the infamous July telephone call with Ukraine's president that prompted an impeachment inquiry, President Trump was exchanging political favors with a different Ukrainian leader, who desperately sought American help for his country's struggle against Russian aggression.

The whistle-blower who touched off an impeachment inquiry is willing to answer House Republicans' written questions, his legal team said on Sunday. The offer was intended to deter Republican attacks and show that the whistle-blower is above the political rancor unleashed by House Democrats' inquiry.
House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff is leading the impeachment inquiry — and depending on one's viewpoint, he will either save the republic or destroy it. Here's more about him.

What happens when Trump supporters and liberals walk into a room and try to just hear one another out? Better Angels wants to know. The group is part of a boomlet in the effort to break the partisan divide in America as the 2020 election approaches.

Elizabeth Warren's rise in the Democratic primary polls is rattling bankers, investors and their affluent clients, who see in the Massachusetts senator a formidable opponent who could damage not only their industry but also their way of life.
Ms. Warren told reporters that her plan to pay for "Medicare for all" would raise taxes only on billionaires, but that differs from the proposal she unveiled on Friday. Here's more on the proposal and Ms. Warren's changing answers.

Paula White, the newest White House aide, is a uniquely Trumpian pastor. She's a Florida televangelist and is being brought into the Trump administration to help shore up his evangelical base — even though some Christians consider her beliefs heretical.
A surge in oil output from Brazil, Canada, Guyana and Norway in the next two years could add to a global glut, slashing prices and posing a threat to producers in Saudi Arabia, Russia and the United States.

Today's On Politics briefing was compiled by Isabella Grullón Paz in New York.

Is there anything you think we're missing? Anything you want to see more of? We'd love to hear from you. Email us at onpolitics@nytimes.com.