Nov 20, 2019

Sondland says he likely told Trump that Zelensky "loves your ass"

EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland said during his impeachment testimony on Wednesday that it was likely that he told President Trump during a July 26 phone call that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "loves your ass."

The big picture: The details of the call, which Sondland testified included a discussion of Biden-linked investigations, first came to light during State Department official David Holmes' closed-door testimony. Sondland said that his statement was "putting it in Trump-speak" because the president uses "a lot of four-letter words." He added that it "meant that [Zelensky] would really work with us on a whole host of issues."

Go deeper: Live updates on Sondland's impeachment testimony

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Axios
23 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Durbin on Barrett confirmation: "We can’t stop the outcome"

Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said on ABC's "This Week" that Senate Democrats can “slow” the process of confirming Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett “perhaps a matter of hours, maybe days at the most," but that they "can’t stop the outcome."

Why it matters: Durbin confirmed that Democrats have "no procedural silver bullet" to stop Senate Republicans from confirming Barrett before the election, especially with only two GOP senators — Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine — voicing their opposition. Instead, Democrats will likely look to retaliate after the election if they win control of the Senate and White House.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Jacob Knutson, Rashaan Ayesh
Updated 46 mins ago - Politics & Policy

The top Republicans who aren't voting for Trump in 2020

Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge announced in an op-ed Sunday that he would be voting for Joe Biden.

Why it matters: Ridge, who was also the first secretary of homeland security under George W. Bush, joins other prominent Republicans who have publicly said they will either not vote for Trump's re-election this November or will back Biden.

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Axios
56 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Former GOP governor of Pennsylvania Tom Ridge endorses Joe Biden

Tom Ridge. Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Tom Ridge, the former Republican governor of Pennsylvania, will vote for Joe Biden, he announced in a Philadelphia Inquirer op-ed on Sunday.

Why it matters: Ridge, who also served as the first Secretary of Homeland Security under George W. Bush, said this would be his first time casting a vote for a Democratic candidate for president. He's now the third former Republican governor from a swing state to endorse Biden and reject Trump — joining John Kasich from Ohio and Rick Snyder from Michigan.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow