President Trump broke his personal record for most tweets or retweets in a day Wednesday, reaching a total of 141 by 6 pm ET.
Why it matters: The bulk of Trump's tweets are impeachment related and underscore his occupation with the Senate's impeachment trial, even as he attends the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The tweets and retweets range from attacks on House impeachment managers to cable news clips of Republicans coming to his defense.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters Wednesday that the idea of a "witness trade" that involves calling Hunter Biden in exchange for former national security adviser John Bolton is "off the table."
Why it matters: Some Democratic senators had reportedly expressed openness to the idea of calling Hunter Biden if it meant moderate Republicans would vote in favor of subpoenaing Bolton, who is believed to have key insights into the allegations at the heart of the impeachment inquiry.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel to Ukraine on Jan. 31 to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky, BuzzFeed News reported Wednesday, citing three diplomatic sources with knowledge of Pompeo's schedule.
Why it matters: It's the first time a member of the U.S. cabinet will meet Zelensky since the House voted to impeach President Trump on charges that he sought to pressure his Ukrainian counterpart to announce investigations into his political rivals.
The Office of Management and Budget released a trove of documents related to Ukraine military aid to American Oversight on Tuesday following an FOIA request.
Why it matters: Allegations that Trump froze nearly $400 million of congressionally approved military aid in order to pressure Ukraine to investigate a potential 2020 rival are central to the case against the president in the Senate impeachment trial. Trump denies any wrongdoing over the aid.
Lead House impeachment manager Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said during opening arguments in the Senate trial Wednesday that "three days in July" — the 24th, 25th and 26th — tell "so much of the story" about President Trump's alleged attempts to solicit foreign election interference.
Lead House impeachment manager Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said Wednesday that senators shouldn't entertain the idea of calling Hunter Biden to testify at President Trump's impeachment trial in exchange for other administration witnesses, telling reporters: "This isn't like some fantasy football trade."
D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine filed a lawsuit against President Trump's inaugural committee and business Wednesday, claiming that the committee "abandoned" its purpose as a nonprofit by improperly overpaying to book event space at Trump's D.C. hotel.
The big picture: The lawsuit alleges the committee coordinated with the Trump family to "grossly overpay" for event space in the hotel without considering other venues. The committee allegedly ended up paying a total of $1 million for the space, including on days it wasn't used.
2020 Democratic contender Tulsi Gabbard filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Hillary Clinton for defamation over the former secretary of state's implication that the Hawaii congresswoman is a "favorite of the Russians" during an October interview.
The big picture: In the suit, Gabbard claims that her "political and personal reputation" was damaged by the comment and that it caused her to drop in the polls in key primary states.
President Trump met with about three dozen tech leaders for about half an hour in Davos on Wednesday morning, discussing education and the economy.
Why it matters: Apple CEO Tim Cook — who is tussling with the administration over law enforcement access to encrypted iPhones — delivered brief remarks, sources tell Axios. That suggests the controversy has strained their relationship, but not yet wrecked it.
The Democratic National Committee announced Wednesday that it will invest millions of dollars into six states in preparation for the 2020 general election, CNN reports.
Why it matters: It's the committee's first major political expense in the 2020 election cycle and targets competitive battleground states that President Trump won in 2016: Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Florida, North Carolina and Arizona.
With the "phase one" trade deal signed, major asset managers have taken their eyes off the trade war a bit and begun to focus on the upcoming U.S. presidential election.
Why it matters: The outcome of November's election is now investors' top concern, according to the results of Bank of America Securities' latest global fund manager survey.
President Trump said Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that he'd "rather go the long way" with his Senate impeachment trial and have former national security adviser John Bolton testify — but argued that national security concerns preempt it.
"If you think about it, John, he knows some of my thoughts. He knows what I think about leaders, what happens if he reveals what I think about a certain leader and it's not very positive and then I have to deal on behalf of the country, it's going to be very hard, going to make the job very hard."
Yes, we know how this is going to end. But some developments along the way to President Trump’s acquittal will matter more than others and leave a lasting impact long after the trial ends.
The big picture: We’re all going to be flooded with information and distractions over the course of the trial. Here’s what deserves your attention.
The first day of the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump saw a series of procedural clashes over the rules at the heart of the proceeding on Tuesday.
What happened: Senators ultimately approved Senate Majority Leader's Mitch McConnell's proposed roadmap for the trial after a series of votes initiated by Democrats to include more witnesses and evidence failed along party lines.
Democratic women are gearing up to become even more engaged around the 2020 election than they've been in recent years, according to a new survey by American University's Women & Politics Institute and the Barbara Lee Family Foundation provided exclusively to Axios.
Data: Benenson Strategy Group online poll of 800 likely 2020 presidential voters conducted December 5–12, 2019. Margin of error ±3.39 percentage points; Chart: Naema Ahmed/Axios
The Office of Management and Budget released 192 pages of documents related to Ukraine military aid late Tuesday, two minutes before the midnight deadline, following an American Oversight FOIA request.
Jonathan Turley, a law professor who served as the sole Republican witness at the last House Judiciary hearing on impeachment, lamented part of President Trump's legal defense in a Washington Post op-ed on Tuesday.
What he's saying: "The White House is arguing that you cannot impeach a president without a crime. It is a view that is at odds with history and the purpose of the Constitution."
