New testimony from the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine all but assures the president will be impeached, while House Republicans stage a pizza sit-in to disrupt the ongoing impeachment inquiry. Jon F. and Dan also examine why some Democratic donors are freaking out about the party’s current slate of potential presidential nominees, the importance of digital advertising to the race, and Elizabeth Warren’s next moves on Medicare for All.

Show notes

Bill Taylor’s Testimony

WaPo : Trump made Ukraine aid contingent on public pledge to investigate Bidens and 2016 election, U.S. envoy says he was told

WaPo : Opening statement of Ambassador William B. Taylor

WaPo : 5 takeaways from William Taylor’s huge opening statement

Bloomberg : Ukraine Envoy William Taylor’s Testimony to Congress, Annotated and Explained

WaPo : Here are the next shoes to drop in the Trump-Ukraine scandal

Lawfare : What William Taylor’s Testimony Adds to the Ukraine Story

Lawfare : More on the Role of OMB in Withholding Ukrainian Aid

NYT : 6 Key Revelations of Taylor’s Opening Statement to Impeachment Investigators

Vox : Trump’s defense on Ukraine has completely collapsed

The Atlantic : Impeachment Just Became Inevitable

Politico : Sondland seeks to align himself with Taylor after bombshell testimony

Bloomberg : Sondland Could Be Called to Revise Testimony: Impeachment Update

WaPo : Bill Taylor spent years fighting corruption in Ukraine. His last four months under Trump were the ‘antithesis’ of that.

WaPo : An overlooked Bill Taylor revelation hints at worse to come from Trump

The Intercept : Trump Pressed Ukraine’s President to Act Out a Fake News Script, Live on CNN

WaPo : Bill Taylor may be blowing the Trump-Ukraine scandal wide open

CNN : Dramatic deposition rocks Trump’s impeachment defense

NYT : An Envoy’s Damning Account of Trump’s Ukraine Pressure and Its Consequences

The Atlantic : William Taylor Delivers the Smoking Gun

Politico : Trump lashes out at William Taylor after damaging testimony

Politico Magazine : The President Has No Defense

WaPo : 6 defenses of Trump and Ukraine that have fallen apart — or are just plain bad

NY Mag : ‘Abuse of Power Is Not a Crime’: Trump’s Former Attorney General Defines His Credo

Vox : Trump’s latest explanation for withholding Ukraine aid is as nonsensical as his previous ones

NYT : Ukraine Knew of Aid Freeze by Early August, Undermining Trump Defense

WaPo : When did Ukraine know that Trump had frozen aid?

AP : Ukrainian leader felt Trump pressure before taking office

Axios : Trump calls Pompeo-appointed ambassador Bill Taylor a “Never Trumper”

NYT : Trump’s War on the ‘Deep State’ Turns Against Him

NYT : William Taylor, ‘Model’ Diplomat, Is at Center of Impeachment Inquiry

CNN : The top US diplomat to Ukraine came out of retirement for the job. Now he’s the next impeachment witness.

Vice : Team Trump Is Withholding Bill Taylor’s Detailed Ukraine Notes From Congress

NYT : Republicans Grind Impeachment Inquiry to Halt as Picture Darkens for Trump

WaPo : Republican protest delays impeachment testimony from Pentagon’s Ukraine expert

Politico : Impeachment deposition delayed after Republicans storm proceedings

Daily Beast : House Republicans Literally Storm the Impeachment Hearings

Mediaite : Chaos as Matt Gaetz and Dozens of GOP Lawmakers Storm Impeachment Testimony, Shut Down Secure Hearing

WaPo : Why Republicans are holding up the impeachment inquiry

Vice : House Republicans Threw a Pizza-Fueled Tantrum to Distract from the Damning Testimony Against Trump

WaPo : Pentagon’s Ukraine expert provides impeachment testimony after Republican protest causes 5-hour delay

Politico : Pentagon official testifies about withheld military aid to Ukraine

WaPo : Here’s why the Matt Gaetz sit-in stunt was particularly weird

Politico : Republicans gripe about ‘rigged’ hearings after explosive Ukraine testimony

Axios : Adam Schiff is Democrats’ Ken Starr

The Atlantic : The Closed-Door Impeachment

BuzzFeed : Pro-Trump Twitter Accounts Are Obsessively Attacking The Lawmaker Leading The Impeachment Inquiry

Vox : House Republicans’ national security-threatening impeachment stunt, explained by an expert

BuzzFeed : Donald Trump Jr. And MAGA Twitter Are Pressuring Sen. Lindsey Graham To Defend Trump From Impeachment

NY Mag : Trump Again Accused of Making Up Quotes Praising Him

The Atlantic : Mitt Romney, It’s Time

CNN : Only 7(!) Republican senators are ruling out removing Donald Trump

USA Today : ‘Human scum:’ Donald Trump has harsh comments for ‘Never Trumper’

Politico : Republicans quit trying to rein in Trump after ‘lynching’ tweet

Politico : Trump allies rush to plug White House hole on impeachment

NYT : In Steve Bannon’s Basement, a Rogue ‘War Room’ to Fight Impeachment

NYT : If Trump Shoots Someone on 5th Ave., Does He Have Immunity? His Lawyer Says Yes

NBC News : Trump’s lawyers argue he can’t be charged while in office — even if he shoots someone

Esquire : I Feel Like It Should Get More Attention That the President*’s Lawyer Just Said He Could Shoot Someone

FiveThirtyEight : Could Executive Privilege Protect Trump In The Impeachment Inquiry?

The New Yorker : The Invention—and Reinvention—of Impeachment

NYT : Indicted Giuliani Associate Ties Case to Trump

WaPo : Giuliani associates Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman plead not guilty in campaign finance case

WaPo : U.S. judge says he will order State Dept. to begin releasing Ukraine records in 30 days

CNN : Rudy Giuliani is looking for a defense attorney, sources say

Politico : Nunes protégé fed Ukraine info to Trump

NYT : White House Aides Feared That Trump Had Another Ukraine Back Channel

WaPo : Even the undisputed facts of this scandal are damning. Here’s what we know.

Quinnipiac : October 23, 2019 – Approval Of Impeachment Inquiry Reaches 55 Percent, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Voters Disapprove Of Trump’s Decision On Syria 2-1

CNN : CNN’s latest poll on impeachment