Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told his caucus Tuesday that Republicans currently lack the votes needed to block witnesses from being called in the impeachment trial against President Trump, but are hopeful they could get there by Friday, three sources familiar with the closed-door meeting tell Axios.
The big picture: Most Republicans have tried to avoid calling witnesses, and just a few days ago it looked like their efforts would be successful. But bombshell revelations from former national security adviser John Bolton's forthcoming book have swayed more GOP senators in recent days, with some signaling they're more likely to vote for witnesses than before.
President Trump's legal team closed out its opening arguments during the seventh day of his Senate impeachment trial on Tuesday.
The big picture: Republicans spent their three days of arguments lamenting the facts that form the basis of the trial — claiming they don't rise to the level of an impeachable offense — and accusing Democrats of pushing forward a plot to subvert the will of American voters and remove the president from office.
President Trump described his long-awaited Middle East peace plan as a "realistic two-state solution," but it's being hailed as a victory by Israel and emphatically rejected by the Palestinians.
The state of play: As the plan was released publicly, U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman told reporters that the areas of the West Bank envisioned as Israeli territory can be immediately annexed. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already called on his Cabinet to endorse annexation plans this Sunday.
Retired Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher, who was acquitted of war crimes and had a minor charge cleared by President Trump last year, launched a scathing socialmedia attack on members of his platoon who testified against him at his San Diego court-martial last June.
Why it matters: Gallagher referred to some of his former platoon members as "cowards" in a three-minute video posted Monday, which included clips from Navy investigators' interviews of his SEAL teammates. The video highlights the names, photos, duty status and current units for some members of his former platoon, a move that "former SEALs say places those men — and the Navy’s mission — in jeopardy," writes the San Diego Union-Tribune, which first reported on it.
Former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly is backing claims made by John Bolton in a new book about President Trump, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Why it matters: Bolton alleges in his upcoming book that Trump told him he needed to freeze military aid to Ukraine until the country opened an investigation into Democrats, including the Bidens, the New York Times reported on Sunday.
President Trump referenced Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's conflict with NPR's Mary Louise Kelly during Tuesday's announcement of the Israeli-Palestinian peace plan, saying that he "did a good job on her, actually."
"That reporter couldn't have done too good of a job on you yesterday. Think you did a good job on her, actually. ... Are you running for Senate? I guess the answer is no after that, huh?"
The backdrop: Pompeo accused Kelly of lying while setting up the terms of their interview, but did not deny her account of the post-interview conversation — namely, that he forced her to point out Ukraine on an unlabeled world map and shouted expletives at her.
President Trump slammed Fox News on Tuesday, attacking the network for inviting Democrats as guests and singling out anchor Chris Wallace.
"So, what the hell has happened to @FoxNews. Only I know! Chris Wallace and others should be on Fake News CNN or MSDNC. How’s Shep Smith doing? Watch, this will be the beginning of the end for Fox, just like the other two which are dying in the ratings. Social Media is great!"
2020 Democratic contender Amy Klobuchar said Tuesday on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" that her rival Michael Bloomberg should be on the primary debate stage "instead of just putting [his] money out there."
The state of play: Billionaires Bloomberg and Tom Steyer have been criticized by their rivals for blanketing television airwaves — even beyond the early primary states — with huge ad buys. Unlike Steyer, however, Bloomberg's campaign has refused to accept donations, which prohibits him from reaching the debate stage under current DNC qualification rules.
President Trump's tariffs have notably increased the price of aluminum for U.S. businesses and consumers, a study provided first to Axios shows.
Why it matters: Trump has insisted the cost of the tariffs would be borne by China and other exporters, but the data shows that Americans are paying the costs.
Bipartisan bills to protect kids online, promote and secure new technologies like 5G and autonomous vehicles, and restrain tech giants' power are a real possibility in 2020 — despite a presidential election and impeachment proceedings preoccupying Washington.
The big picture: Sweeping legislation will still struggle to gain traction, but narrower measures on issues like privacy and antitrust could help lawmakers show they can work across a bitter political divide.
While some of the lower-spending 2020 Democrats are investing most of their dollars in digital ads, the biggest spenders — Michael Bloomberg and Tom Steyer — are overwhelmingly spending more on television ads as a percentage of their budgets.
Why it matters: Their ad spend stands in stark contrast to that of the Trump campaign, which is investing much more heavily in digital advertising, especially on Facebook.
Just days ago, Republicans were optimistic President Trump’s defense team could cruise to an acquittal by the end of this week, but many believe his lawyers now face a steep climb to stop a vote to allow new witnesses and drag out the impeachment proceedings.
The bottom line: Allegations in excerpts of former national security advisor John Bolton's forthcoming book — leaked to the New York Times for a story published Sunday night — have shifted the dynamic of the impeachment trial and threaten to upend Republicans' plans.
Amid the impeachment trial, a new independent expenditure group called Fix Our Senate will launch on Tuesday to go after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, organizers tell Axios.
Why it matters: As a national political figure, McConnell is both extremely powerful and highly unpopular, with a favorability rating of 29.8% in the latest average of polls tracked by Real Clear Politics.
If at least four Senate Republicans decide to vote with Democrats this week to subpoena witnesses and documents in President Trump's impeachment trial, Hill Republicans fear a potential domino effect, with additional GOP senators — especially those up for reelection in November — falling.
What they're saying: “You don’t want to be one of the first four. But no one gives a f*** about the fifth vote,” a GOP senate aide told Axios. “Especially for all of the 2020-ers. If it turns into a free vote, why wouldn’t you vote for witnesses?”
Mike Bloomberg is releasing his LGBTQ equality plan on Tuesday, aligning with other Democratic presidential candidates' calls to return to Obama-era protections that President Trump has moved to undo.
Why it matters: One aspect of the platform shared with Axios — calling for law enforcement training to protected transgender people of color — may have particular resonance given Bloomberg's past support of "stop and frisk" policing, which hindered his early standing with minority voters.
President Trump's legal team continued its opening arguments on the sixth day of his Senate impeachment trial on Monday.
The big picture: Trump's defense team hit hard on historical precedents, the Bidens, Burisma and the House impeachment managers. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ended the day grinning broadly during Alan Dershowitz's remarks that the articles are not crimes, receiving handshakes from several GOP senators after, in addition to Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.)
The health care industry has dramatically increased its federal lobbying under President Trump, and it has paid off for those companies.
Why it matters: The influence economy has only gotten bigger over the past three years, despite Trump's calls to "drain the swamp." Lobbying expenses have soared, and in the process, the health care industry has largely gotten what it wanted in Washington.
Confidence in the U.S. economy is boosting President Trump's re-election chances despite the Senate impeachment trial and his continued unpopularity, an ABC/Washington Post poll published Monday finds.
Details: 56% of those surveyed approve of his handling of the economy, "up 10 points since early September to a career high," the poll notes. 49% of those polled expect Trump to win the election in November, while 43% back his Democratic challenger.
Former national security adviser John Bolton received scathing criticism for writing a "tell-all" book on his time in the Trump administration by Fred Fleitz, former NSA chief of staff in a Fox News op-ed Monday.
What he's saying: "Given the importance of protecting a president's confidential discussions with his senior advisers, I strongly disagree with Bolton's decision to release the book before the November presidential election and call on him to withdraw it from the publisher immediately," said Fleitz, who also served in 2018 as deputy assistant to the president.
