Tipsheet: Trump opens new line of impeachment attack for Democrats

View in your browser     Trump opens new line of impeachment attack for Democrats BY MORGAN CHALFANT AND BRETT SAMUELS President Trump opened himself up to a new line of attack from Democrats by vigorously criticizing the record of a former ambassador to Ukraine who he ousted earlier this year after she faced a smear campaign from his personal lawyer.   Trump took to Twitter Friday morning to claim that “everywhere” U.S. ambassador Marie Yovanovitch went “turned bad” and suggested she was to blame for the situation in Somalia, where she did her first tour. Yovanovitch was asked to react to the tweets during the hearing on Friday which was being carried live on air, and described them as “intimidating.” Read the full story here     Five takeaways from ex-ambassador's dramatic testimony BY MIKE LILLIS AND SCOTT WONG Marie Yovanovitch, the former ambassador to Ukraine, told House impeachment investigators Friday that President Trump’s side-channel foreign policy in Kyiv “knee-capped” U.S. anti-corruption efforts, deflated morale at the State Department and struck a blow to career diplomats fighting to advance U.S. policy around the globe. Read the full story here     Yovanovitch impeachment testimony gives burst of momentum to Democrats BY OLIVIA BEAVERS AND MORGAN CHALFANT  Democrats’ impeachment inquiry received a boost of momentum from the Friday testimony of Marie Yovanovitch, who faced public attacks by President Trump as she detailed in personal terms how a shadowy smear campaign successfully led to her removal as the top U.S. diplomat to Ukraine. Read the full story here     New witness claims first-hand account of Trump's push for Ukraine probes BY TAL AXELROD AND MIKE LILLIS House impeachment investigators on Friday heard from a new witness claiming first-hand knowledge of President Trump's effort to enlist Ukrainian leaders to dig up dirt on his domestic political opponents. Read the full story here       Jury finds Stone guilty of lying to Congress BY HARPER NEIDIG Roger Stone, the right-wing provocateur and longtime associate of President Trump, was convicted on Friday of lying to Congress and witness tampering related to his efforts to feed the Trump campaign inside information about WikiLeaks in 2016. Read the full story here     Trump asks Supreme Court to block House Democrats' subpoena for financial records BY JOHN KRUZEL   President Trump on Friday filed an emergency request to the Supreme Court to block a subpoena from House Democrats for his financial documents, the second time Trump asked the justices to shield his records in as many days Read the full story here     Trump grants pardons to two service members in war-crimes cases BY MORGAN CHALFANT President Trump on Friday granted pardons to two U.S. service members in cases involving allegations of war crimes. Read the full story here     Buttigieg surges ahead of Iowa caucuses BY AMIE PARNES Pete Buttigieg is surging in the 2020 primary, capitalizing on a Democratic Party wrestling with its political identity.  Read the full story here     Warren promises gradual move toward 'Medicare for All' in first 100 days BY NATHANIEL WEIXEL Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) plans to use a fast track maneuver to pass legislation to dramatically increase health insurance coverage during her first 100 days as president. Read the full story here     Bloomberg does not file to run in New Hampshire primary BY TAL AXELROD Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg did not file to run in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary before Friday’s 5 p.m. deadline. Read the full story here     Highly irregular: Rudy, the president, and a venture in Ukraine BY JAMES PARDEW Opinion | Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, was — according to Trump — engaged in promoting a specific political objective of the U.S. president in Ukraine throughout 2019. He did so outside the normal foreign policy and national defense structure of the United States. Read the full story here     What are Democrats going to do once Donald Trump leaves office? BY MICHAEL STARR HOPKINS Opinion | Democrats may be focused on 2020 and removing President Trump from office, but after the election is over and all the votes have been cast, the party of Barack Obama has a problem that even winning the White House will not solve: Democrats do not have a plan after Trump leaves office. Read the full story here     The Wall Street Journal: Struggling Farmers Are Key to Trump’s Hopes in Minnesota BY KRIS MAHER Many of the struggling farmers in southern Minnesota who voted for President Trump in 2016 say they plan to do so again next year, which would be key for him as he hopes to flip a state he narrowly lost in 2016. Read the full story here     The New York Times: Ex-Envoy to Ukraine ‘Devastated’ as Trump Vilified Her BY SHERYL GAY STOLBERG As Marie Yovanovitch testified, President Trump tweeted insults at her, drawing charges of witness intimidation. Read the full story here     Reuters: Trump ex-aide Gates faces December 17 sentencing after being star witness BY JAN WOLFE President Donald Trump’s former deputy campaign chairman Rick Gates, who gave crucial testimony as a prosecution witness that helped convict former Trump advisers Paul Manafort and Roger Stone, will be sentenced on Dec. 17 in his own criminal case, a court filing showed on Friday. Read the full story here     The Washington Post: Trump’s Doral resort was a last-minute addition in search for G-7 site, email shows BY DAVID A. FAHRENTHOLD AND JOSH DAWSEY Secret Service agents had identified four U.S. sites as finalists for next year’s Group of Seven summit — but then they were told to add a new finalist: President Trump’s Doral resort, according to an internal Secret Service email released late Friday. Read the full story here     The Associated Press: Biden, Warren absence at California gathering irks top Dems BY KATHLEEN RONAYNE AND MICHAEL R. BLOOD The decisions by Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren to skip a weekend gathering of thousands of fervent California Democrats less than three months before voting begins have frustrated and puzzled some party leaders. Read the full story here   Did a friend forward you this email? 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