On Politics A.M.: Senate Democratic Leadership Lays Plans for Impeachment Trial

2019年12月16日星期一

December 16, 2019

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

As the House prepared to make President Trump the third president in American history to be impeached, the Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer, laid out a detailed proposal for a Senate trial that included subpoenas for documents the White House has withheld and witnesses it has prevented from testifying.
Moderate Democrats eyeing a politically risky impeachment vote are toiling to keep their focus on legislative business and district work, hoping for legislative victories to show voters what they can get done.

The American government secretly expelled two Chinese Embassy officials this fall after they breached a sensitive military base in Virginia. Their expulsions added to tensions between Washington and Beijing.
Trump administration officials predicted big gains for the economy from a newly announced trade deal with China, but the economic losses sustained during a bruising 19-month trade war will not be easy to make up.

The former F.B.I. director James B. Comey acknowledged on Sunday that he was wrong when he said there were no problems with the warrants used to approve surveillance of an adviser to Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign.

California is spending $187 million to persuade its residents to complete the 2020 census. Texas isn’t spending a cent. There’s a reason for the difference.

In Iowa, many white Democrats feel a responsibility to identify a candidate who can win in states more diverse than their own.

Senator Cory Booker is leading the charge to change the debate rules that excluded him. He’s gotten eight Democratic presidential candidates to sign a letter urging Tom Perez, the Democratic National Committee chairman, to lower the thresholds to qualify for the party’s January and February debates.

Mr. Perez has a message for supporters of Mr. Booker who are upset that he has not qualified for the debate. Tell a pollster, not him.

Michael Bloomberg is relying on powerful city leaders as allies in his presidential campaign. Several have received grants, training and support packages totaling millions from his foundation.

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.