Axios

Elizabeth Warren reached 3 million donations faster than any other first-time presidential candidate, per a person familiar with the campaign's fundraising.

Why it matters: She reached this milestone today — about one week before Sen. Bernie Sanders did the same in 2016. While donations come from all over the country, the last-minute surge before the Iowa caucuses suggests growing momentum for Warren before the first nominating contests of 2020.

Lead House impeachment manager Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) lamented during Thursday's portion of the Senate impeachment trial that Russian President Vladimir Putin should not be "thanking God" for President Trump.

A new Trump administration regulation that will make it harder for some pregnant women to receive tourist visas, first reported by Axios, is now in the Federal Register and will go into effect on Friday.

Why it matters: It is one of the first efforts by the Trump administration to chip away at the ability of foreigners to take advantage of birthright citizenship.

Former 2020 Democratic candidate Marianne Williamson said in a series of Instagram posts on Friday that she's lending her support to Andrew Yang in next month's first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses.

The big picture: Williamson, who suspended her campaign earlier this month, stopped short of a full endorsement — noting her affection for Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders — but said she wanted to help Yang "get past the early primaries" while highlighting "the breadth of his intellect and the expansiveness of his heart."

Go deeper: Andrew Yang on the issues, in under 500 words

To beat President Trump, Mike Bloomberg wants to be candidate Trump.

The state of play: Axios visited Bloomberg's new campaign HQ in Times Square yesterday, and we were struck by how much his 1,000+-person team is learning from — while trying to surpass — the Trump campaigns of 2016 and 2020.

The second day of the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump on Wednesday saw a full dose of opening arguments from Democratic House impeachment managers.

What happened: Lead House impeachment manager Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) walked through an extensive timeline of the actions by both Trump and other administration officials toward Ukraine. Many of the key facts were pulled from the House's public impeachment hearings, which Schiff admitted may not have been watched in full by many Americans — including the senators themselves.

Republicans say they're growing tired of Democrats repeating the same arguments, as the GOP continues to block Democrats' efforts to seek new evidence.

What's happening: Senate Democrats have repeatedly pushed to subpoena new documents and witnesses in the impeachment trial. But Republicans, led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have blocked efforts to do so until after they've heard opening arguments, if ever.

Lead House impeachment manager Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) accused President Trump of trying to "cheat" in the 2020 election by withholding aid to Ukraine in an alleged attempt to pressure the country's president to investigate political rival Joe Biden.

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.

Go deeper ... Tweet by tweet: Trump praises Trump 2,026 times

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.

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.

Go deeper:

• OMB releases trove of Ukraine aid documents to American Oversight
• Trump-Ukraine scandal: All the key players, dates and documents

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."