The chairs of the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight committees have subpoenaed U.S. Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland, who was blocked by the Trump administration from testifying in their Ukraine investigation on Tuesday, to turn over documents by Oct. 14 and appear at a deposition on Oct. 16.
The big picture: The chairs said in a statement that the State Department's decision to stop Sondland from testifying will be considered evidence of obstruction in their impeachment inquiry. They added that the State Department is withholding relevant messages from Sondland's personal device about the Trump administration's interactions with the Ukrainian government.
Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson told lawmakers last week that the whistleblower whose complaint about President Trump and Ukraine has set off an impeachment inquiry previously had "some type of professional relationship" with one of the 2020 Democratic candidates, the Washington Examiner first reported and Axios' Jonathan Swan has confirmed.
The big picture: Atkinson wrote in an Aug. 26 letter that the whistleblower demonstrated "some indicia of an arguable political bias ... in favor of a rival political candidate." CNN later reported that the whistleblower is a registered Democrat, which Trump allies have used in an effort to undermine their credibility. Much of the information laid out in the whistleblower's original complaint has since been substantiated.
Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) formally endorsed Joe Biden for the 2020 presidential election on Tuesday, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
What she's saying: In her statement on Tuesday, Feinstein applauded Biden's gun reform policy, describing it as "one of the pillars of his campaign." She emphasized that she believes he can get real work done in a Congress "dominated by ideological polarization," per the Chronicle.
Elizabeth Warren has taken over as the top 2020 Democrat in the national RealClearPolitics average of polls for the first time this cycle.
Why it matters: While Warren holds just a 0.2-point average lead over Joe Biden, she's led the pack in the last two Quinnipiac polls and has consistently won more positive attention online than any other candidate in recent weeks.
The House's impeachment inquiry has been driven forward by new disclosures of what exactly President Trump wanted the government of Ukraine to do — revealed in 3 key documents, but nonetheless distorted and disputed along the way.
We've gathered the key players, events and disclosures of the Trump-Ukraine saga in one place to clear up what's happened so far and examine where we go from here.
Rudy Giuliani told the Washington Post in an interview Tuesday that he will not testify or provide documents to the House Intelligence Committee until its chairman, Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), is removed and the full House votes to authorize a formal impeachment inquiry.
Why it matters: Giuliani is a central figure in the alleged campaign by President Trump and his allies to pressure Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and his son over unsubstantiated corruption allegations. The 3 House committees leading the impeachment inquiry — Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight — have given Giuliani until Oct. 15 to respond to a subpoena, but he made clear to the Post that he will not cooperate: "Let them hold me in contempt. We'll go to court. We’ll challenge the contempt."
The Trump administration apprehended a total of 1 million migrants at the southwest border of the U.S. in fiscal year 2019, Customs and Border Protection commissioner Mark Morgan told reporters at the White House on Tuesday.
Why it matters: That figure is 88% higher than it was in 2018 and the highest total of any fiscal year since 2007. However, Morgan said those numbers have declined significantly in recent months — with September marking the lowest number of apprehensions for the year. He cited President Trump's June 7 deal with Mexico to stem the flow of migration as a factor in the steep drop.
A clear divide exists among 2020 Democrats who are rolling out plans to tackle the student debt crisis, whether tuition-free or debt-free policies are the way to win voter support.
By the numbers: Student debt in the United States has reached $1.5 trillion, and it is responsible for much of millennials and Generation X's anguish.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) tweeted Tuesday that he would offer Rudy Giuliani a chance to testify before the committee about his "concerns" — which have not been substantiated — that Joe Biden pressured Ukraine to fire a prosecutor investigating his son.
"Have heard on numerous occasions disturbing allegations by @RudyGiuliani about corruption in Ukraine and the many improprieties surrounding the firing of former Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin. Given the House of Representatives’ behavior, it is time for the Senate to inquire about corruption and other improprieties involving Ukraine. Therefore I will offer to Mr. Giuliani the opportunity to come before the Senate Judiciary Committee to inform the committee of his concerns."
Joe Biden's 2020 campaign unveiled a $750 billion higher education plan Tuesday that includes tuition-free community and technical college — with the federal government picking up 75% of the cost and allowing states to cover the rest — as well as more generous federal college loan programs, per the AP.
The state of play: Biden's plan isn't as far reaching as those put forth by his opponents, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, who both offer plans exceeding $1 trillion. Sanders' plan proposes eliminating all student loan debt, while Warren calls for broad debt relief based on income.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) told reporters Tuesday that the State Department is withholding relevant messages from U.S. Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland's personal device about the Trump administration's interactions with the Ukrainian government.
The Trump administration directed the U.S. ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland not to appear for a scheduled deposition with House Democrats on Tuesday, according to the New York Times.
Why it matters: Democrats want to question Sondland about his role in President Trump's pressure campaign on Ukraine to open an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and Biden's son, Hunter.
President Donald Trump and FCC Chairman Ajit Pai had lunch at the White House the day the FCC won a major legal battle over its repeal of net neutrality regulations, according to two people familiar with the gathering.
Why it matters: Interactions between FCC leaders and the White House have drawn intense scrutiny because the FCC is an independent agency. Both people described the gathering as a "family" event.
