Bernie Sanders said he "misspoke" on Wednesday after suggesting he planned to slow his presidential campaign down following a heart attack and medical procedure, instead promising to get back to a "very vigorous campaign," NBC reports.
"I said a word I should not have said and media drives me a little bit nuts to make a big deal about it.”
President Trump criticized the NBA on Wednesday for "pandering to China" after the league issued an apology to Chinese fans over a controversial tweet from Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey supporting pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, CNBC reports.
Between the lines: Trump has made similar concessions with China before, including in June when he reportedly told Chinese President Xi Jinping that the U.S. would remain silent on Hong Kong protests while trade talks continued, according to CNN.
The whistleblower whose allegations about President Trump and Ukraine have sparked an impeachment inquiry "never worked for or advised a political candidate, campaign, or party," and spent their entire government career in apolitical positions, according to a statement released by the whistleblower's lawyers Wednesday night.
Why it matters: Republicans and the White House have been ramping up their attempts to discredit the whistleblower, seizing on an Aug. 26 letter from Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson in which he disclosed the whistleblower showed "some indicia of an arguable political bias ... in favor of a rival political candidate."
Republicans are seeking to widen their chances of winning Pennsylvania again by targeting the state's most conservative residents: the Amish, the Washington Post reports.
The big picture: In the 2016 presidential election, Pennsylvania's 20 electoral college votes went to President Trump by a margin of just 45,000 ballots. More than 75,000 Amish live in Pennsylvania, leading modest, heavily religious lives away from developed landscapes or politics. Less than 7% of Amish who are eligible to vote in Lancaster County, Pa., for example, are registered to do so. Republicans are hoping to change that.
Former Vice President Joe Biden called for President Trump to be impeached during a speech in New Hampshire on Wednesday, accusing the president of violating his oath of office and betraying his country.
National evangelical leaders condemned Wednesday President Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. forces from northern Syria following the announced start of Turkey's assault on U.S.-allied Kurdish fighters in the region.
Why it matters: More than 80% of white evangelicals voted for Trump in 2016, according to NBC News, but evangelical leaders said they consider his decision a threat to religious freedom in Syria.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) pledged in a CBS News interview on Tuesday evening that she will forgo big money events and fundraisers in the general election if she becomes the Democratic nominee.
Why it matters: Previously, the 2020 contender said the fundraising pledge only applied to the primary. Warren has risen in the polls and was a top fundraiser in the third quarter. She told CBS News: "I will not be forced to make changes in how I raise money,” and plans on sticking with her grassroots message to fight the "bazillionaires and corporate executives and lobbyists."
President Trump tweeted Wednesday that the Ukraine whistleblower claimed his July call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was "crazy, frightening, and completely lacking in substance" — a claim disproven by the whistleblower's complaint.
"The so-called Whistleblower, before knowing I was going to release the exact Transcript, stated that my call with the Ukrainian President was 'crazy, frightening, and completely lacking in substance related to national security.' This is a very big Lie. Read the Transcript!"
President Trump, while nervous about the historic stain of impeachment, is throwing everything he has into this fight: refusing all cooperation, running ads to profit politically, and torching every person who stands in opposition to him.
The big picture: When it all boils down, Trump really only trusts his own instincts. And his instincts here are the same as they were with the Mueller investigation: Fight like hell.
In an interview with Axios on Tuesday night, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) condemned President Trump in his harshest language yet for deciding to withdraw U.S. troops from northern Syria, suggesting Trump is violating his oath of office by allowing Turkey to move in and attack the Kurds.
Driving the news: Graham said Trump is making the biggest mistake of his presidency, against the advice of his national security team, and putting his presidency in peril. "I think he's putting the nation at risk, and I think he's putting his presidency at risk," Graham said. "And I hope he will adjust his policies like he did before. That would actually be a sign of real leadership."
