House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) opened the second impeachment hearing of the day on Wednesday with a short opening statement outlining why the two officials testifying before the committee are important.
The big picture: Defense Department official Laura Cooper testified in her closed-door deposition that the order to freeze military aid to Ukraine came from the White House. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale testified that the State Department declined to put out a statement of support for former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, who was removed after a smear campaign promoted by Rudy Giuliani and right-wing media.
Republicans are no longer arguing the "quid pro quo" on Ukraine, focusing instead on denying that it came from President Trump himself.
Why it matters: Democrats see EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland's testimony today as a tipping point, even though he has trouble recalling events exactly as they happened.
The House voted 417-1 on Wednesday evening in favor of the Senate's unanimously-passed Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, sending the bill to President Trump's desk. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) was the sole "no" vote.
The big picture: The bill reaffirms the U.S.' commitment to supporting democracy and human rights in Hong Kong as it relates to city's autonomy. The legislation comes amid months of violent clashes between police and protestors in Hong Kong, and could set up a confrontation between the U.S. and China in the midst of Trump's high-stakes trade war. The White House has not yet commented on whether Trump intends to sign the bill.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) will become the first woman to chair the House Oversight Committee, after defeating Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) in a caucus-wide vote, Politico reports.
Why it matters: Maloney has been acting as the committee's chair since the Oct. 17 death of Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) Leading the Oversight Committee will thrust Maloney into the center of the impeachment inquiry into President Trump. The Oversight Committee is one of the congressional panels leading the probe.
A lawyer for Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman sent a letter to Fox News Wednesday requesting the network retract a segment alleging that Vindman, who was born in Ukraine and is fluent in Russian and Ukrainian, committed "espionage."
Catch up quick: Fox News' Laura Ingraham questioned Vindman's role as the National Security Council’s Ukraine expert in a segment of her show on Oct. 29, stating, “Here we have a U.S. national security official who is advising Ukraine, while working inside the White House, apparently against the president’s interest, and usually, they spoke in English. Isn’t that kind of an interesting angle on this story?”
European Union Ambassador Gordon Sondland testified Wednesday in one of the week's most-anticipated impeachment hearings.
Driving the news: In his opening statement, Sondland said that he worked with Rudy Giuliani "at the express direction" of President Trump on matters involving Ukraine.
EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland said during his impeachment testimony Wednesday that President Trump would stand to benefit from a Ukrainian investigation into the Biden family.
The big picture: Sondland's answer came during a heated line of questioning from Rep. Sean Maloney (D-N.Y.) over the impact that might stem from an alleged quid pro quo on frozen military aid. Sondland testified earlier that he never heard directly from Trump that the military aid was conditioned on an announcement of investigations, saying that assumption was his "own personal guess."
President Trump told reporters outside the White House on Wednesday that he "doesn't know" EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland "very well."
Why it matters: It's the latest walk-back from the president about his relationship with Sondland, who donated $1 million to Trump's inaugural committee.
EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland refused to say during his impeachment testimony Wednesday whether he believed President Trump's assertion in a Sept. 9 phone call that there was no quid pro quo linking frozen military aid for Ukraine and a Ukrainian investigation into the Biden family's business dealings there.
The big picture: Sondland's conversation with Trump came just before he texted Bill Taylor, the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, that the president "has been crystal clear no quid pro quo's of any kind." Sondland testified that he was "just trying to convey what [the president] said on the phone."
Miramar Mayor Wayne Messam (D-Fla.) announced on Wednesday that he is dropping out of the 2020 presidential race.
The big picture: Messam got into the race after Southbend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg's announcement, however, the small-town Florida mayor failed to gain the momentum that Buttigieg's campaign achieved. Messam did not make it on to any debate stage and struggled to see significant gains in polling.
EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland testified Wednesday that a quid pro quo conditioning a White House meeting for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on a Ukrainian investigation into the Biden family's business dealings "reflected President Trump's desires and requirements."
Why it matters: This key point in Sondland's impeachment testimony could potentially be a turning point for Trump's support among Senate Republicans. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told Axios' Jonathan Swan last month: "If you could show me that, you know, Trump actually was engaging in a quid pro quo, outside the phone call, that would be very disturbing."
As lawmakers and regulators zero in on issues around Chinese tech companies and U.S. tech companies' ties to China, the longstanding low U.S. profile of Chinese tech brands is beginning to change.
The big picture: Our devices are made in China but our software and services, for the most part, aren't. TikTok is a big exception — and now the video-sharing network is under fire amid concerns over its Chinese ownership and the potential for censorship or risks to user data.
New York Rep. Elise Stefanik has opposed President Trump on Vladimir Putin, women, tariffs, the travel ban and the border wall — and then impeachment made her a star Trump defender and unlikely fundraising juggernaut.
Why it matters: Stefanik has become the youngest, most moderate example of voter-driven Trumpification of the GOP.
Former President Obama's aides denied a claim made by Trump administration press secretary Stephanie Grisham on Tuesday that they left disparaging notes in the White House for incoming staff.
Driving the news: Grisham said in a radio interview that upon arriving at the White House, "every office was filled with Obama books and we had notes left behind that said, 'You will fail,' and 'You aren’t going to make it.'" She has yet to present evidence to support her claim.
