Prime - 2020
01.20.20 | 5:30 pm
Pre-Impeachment Inside Briefing Prime Badge

Tomorrow, an hour before the impeachment trial gets started in the Senate, join Josh Marshall, Josh Kovensky and Matt Shuham in TPM’s New York office for a briefing on what to expect and a look back at the new evidence against the president that emerged last week through congressional document dumps and Lev Parnas’ media tour.

Click here to register and join us on Tuesday at 12 p.m. EST.

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01.21.20 | 10:13 am
Where Things Stand: Trump Will Have Loudest Cheerleaders On His Team During Sham Trial Prime Badge
This is your TPM mid-morning briefing.
WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 20: Rep. Elise Stefanik, (R-NY),  left, and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), right, speak with reporters following the testimony of Gordon Sondland, the U.S ambassador to the European Union, before the House Intelligence Committee in the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill November 20, 2019 in Washington, DC. The committee heard testimony during the fourth day of open hearings in the impeachment inquiry against U.S. President Donald Trump, whom House Democrats say held back U.S. military aid for Ukraine while demanding it investigate his political rivals. (Photo by Alex Edelman/Getty Images)

The Senate impeachment trial will officially begin this afternoon with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) officially placing his rules for the trial on the Senate floor. The rules are designed to push the proceedings through the upper chamber quickly, with each side getting just 24 hours to make their opening arguments within two calendar days. McConnell is also barring any House evidence from entering the record automatically — everything must be approved by vote.

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01.21.20 | 4:00 pm
Thoughts Prime Badge

So far, I would say Chairman Schiff has done a good job at putting Senate Republicans on trial. As I’ve suggested previously, I don’t expect this will shift their views. But it will put their participation in this cover-up in stark relief. And that is a story for the November election.

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01.21.20 | 6:44 pm
What We Think Sekulow May Have Been Referencing With ‘Lawyer Lawsuits’ Tirade Prime Badge
UNITED STATES - JANUARY 21: Jay Sekulow, an attorney for President Donald Trump, arrives to the Capitol for the impeachment trial of Trump on Tuesday, January 21, 2020. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

A very amped-up Jay Sekulow ended his argument against Sen. Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) latest amendment with a diatribe against what Rep. Val Demings (D-FL) had said about “lawyer lawsuits.” His repeated comments about “lawyer lawsuits” appeared to prompt confusion on the House managers table in the well of the chamber, where the House members are joined by lawyers who have been working on the House inquiry.

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01.21.20 | 6:59 pm
Inside Briefing: Impeachment Gets Underway Prime Badge

Just as the Senate impeachment trial got underway, Josh Marshall, Josh Kovensky and Matt Shuham did an Inside briefing on what to expect, and the continually mounting evidence agains the President. They discussed Lev Parnas’ recent revelations and years-long back story, and the implications for President Trump and U.S. politics more broadly if — and probably when — Senate Republicans let him off the hook.

You can watch that briefing here.

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01.22.20 | 10:03 am
Where Things Stand: Senate GOP Appears To Lean Toward Acquittal At Trial Prime Badge
This is your TPM mid-morning briefing.

After a late night of proceedings in the Senate, in which the majority party shot down each and every one of the minority’s amendments to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) rules for the impeachment trial, we were expecting Senate Republicans to file procedural motions this morning, including a possible motion to dismiss. It’s just after 10 a.m. ET and we’ve seen nothing, meaning Senate Republicans likely lack the votes to support an outright dismissal. Here’s more on that and other stories we’re following:

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01.22.20 | 2:19 pm
This Is Super Big and It’s Not Impeachment Prime Badge

Everything today is impeachment. We sit here listening to Adam Schiff make the House’s opening statement. But even with that I want to flag your attention to this story about the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and the hacking of Jeff Bezos’s cell phone.

At one level it is a tabloid story. Bezos’s phone was allegedly hacked and the hackers discovered evidence of an affair. Evidence was later shared with The National Enquirer. They published it. Bezos’s was embarrassed and he and his wife announced they were divorcing.

But this is a much, much bigger deal than the marital embarrassment of the richest man in the world.

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01.22.20 | 3:11 pm
Why Was Ron Johnson Shaking His Head? Prime Badge

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), a witness to the late stages of Trump’s hold on Ukraine military assistance, visibly shook his head in apparent disagreement as Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) described the major points of that phase of the pressure campaign.

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