Tag: Donald J. Trump

Listened to Curiouser and Curiouser from On the Media | WNYC Studios

A close-up on John Solomon's role in the impeachment saga, and the black nationalist origins of Justice Clarence Thomas.

President Trump’s concerns about corruption in Ukraine began, in part, with a series of articles in a publication called The Hill. On this week’s On the Media, a close-up on the columnist whose dubious tales may lead to an impeachment. Plus, the black nationalist origins of Justice Clarence Thomas’s legal thinking.

1. Paul Farhi [@farhip], Washington Post media reporter, and Mike Spies [@mikespiesnyc], ProPublica reporter, on John Solomon's role in the impeachment saga. Listen. 

2. Corey Robin [@CoreyRobin], writer and political scientist at Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center, on all that we've missed (or ignored) about Justice Clarence Thomas. Listen. 

This is a fascinating thesis about Justice Clarence Thomas and who he really is. I totally want to read The Enigma of Clarence Thomas now.
Watched Meet the Press – 11/24/19 from NBC
House Intelligence Chair Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Commission on Security & Cooperation in Europe Co-Chair Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), NBC News Legal Analyst Neil Katyal, Fusion GPS Founders Glenn Simpson and Peter Fritsch, NBC News' Katy Tur, former Governor Pat McCrory, Washington Free Beacon's Eliana Johnson, and author Michael Eric Dyson.
Read Olivia Nuzzi on Texting With Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s Attorney (nymag.com)
Everyone who texts with Rudy Giuliani knows the hands of fate control the fingertips. Digital communication with President Trump’s 75-year-old personal attorney is a delicate exercise in optimism and patience. Or, as one longtime Giuliani associate phrased it, “This is a little bit like a baby with a hammer, or a monkey with a typewriter.” This fall, as Giuliani has emerged as a central figure in the impeachment inquiry, his clumsy phone comportment has often become worldwide news, adding extra absurd wrinkles to the already absurd saga of a quid pro quo in Ukraine and raising questions about how a chronic butt-dialer who wears his AirPods upside down could be a White House cybersecurity adviser.
She doesn’t even mention that he walked into the Apple Store to have his iPhone password fixed…
Listened to The Daily: Why Military Assistance for Ukraine Matters from New York Times
American aid has the power to tip the scales in a broader battle between authoritarianism and democracy.

Listened to The Daily: The Saga of Gordon Sondland from New York Times
How a loyal Trump donor ended up at the center of the impeachment investigation — and why Republicans now accuse him of betrayal.

Listened to The Daily: How Impeachment Consumed a Governor’s Race from New York Times
Kentucky’s unpopular Republican governor was facing a losing battle. So he turned to President Trump, and a polarized political landscape, for help.

Watched November 21, 2019 - PBS NewsHour from PBS NewsHour
Thursday on the NewsHour, another packed day of public hearings in the impeachment inquiry, including testimony from Dr. Fiona Hill and David Holmes. Plus: The impeachment inquiry in historical context, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is indicted, the fifth Democratic presidential debate, how two Nobel-winning economists are fighting poverty and high honors in the arts and humanities.
Watched PBS NewsHour West Live Episode, Nov. 20, 2019 from PBS | YouTube
Wednesday on the NewsHour, the U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland shares explosive testimony during the fourth day of the impeachment inquiry’s public hearings. Plus: Counselor to President Trump Kellyanne Conway and Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., respond to Sondland’s claims and a preview of the Wednesday night debate among 2020 Democrats.
I’m still not sure why any reputable news agency still gives Kellyanne Conway airtime, much less this much.
Liked a tweet by Michael SteeleMichael Steele (Twitter)
Watched The Trump Impeachment Hearings - Day 2 - PBS NewsHour Special from YouTube
Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine who was ousted from her position, is scheduled to testify Friday, Nov. 15, in a public hearing as part of the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump. The hearing comes the same week that two other diplomats-- George Kent and William Taylor, testified that they believed Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, tried to dig up dirt on former vice president and 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter. Kent testified that Giuliani also orchestrated a smear campaign against Yovanovitch in an attempt to force her out. The impeachment probe has entered a new, public phase and centers on Trump’s dealings with Ukraine—particularly a July phone call in which he asked Ukraine’s president to investigate the Bidens. Watch Yovanovitch’s full testimony here.