Trump Dump
“Trump blasted Williams in a tweet as part of a band of ‘Never Trumpers, who I don’t know & mostly never even heard of.'” Trump has lashed out (shocker) at another impeachment witness. It’s (surprise) a woman. This time the woman is an official at his State Department and an advisor to VP Pence. Neither Pence nor Pompeo (stunner) has come to Jennifer Williams’ defense. (Trump attacks never-Trumpers as his actions suggest everyone should be one. Irony should be an impeachable offense.)
+ Jennifer Williams and Alexander Vindman are the next two witness who will testify publicly. NPR: Who Is Testifying And What Happens Next?
+ The president says he’d consider answering questions (how could anyone not take him at his word?) and the House is investigating whether Trump lied to Mueller (see previous parenthetical). Here’s the latest on the impeachment from CNN and WaPo.
+ In other Trump news…
+ “Lawyers hover in the background of many combat decisions. Before bombs are dropped, lawyers confirm that the target is legal. But these crimes do not involve close calls, legally. The decision to blow a hole the size of an apple into the torso of an unarmed teenage girl does not require legal evaluation so much as psychiatric evaluation.” Graeme Wood on the president’s war crime pardons that the Pentagon didn’t ask for (or want). War Crimes Are Not Difficult to Discern.
+ After North Korea called Joe Biden a ‘rabid dog’ who should be ‘beaten to death with a stick,’ Trump reacted sort of jovially via Twitter telling his favorite genocidal maniac, “See you soon!” Meanwhile, according to WaPo, North Korea says it doesn’t want Trump meeting if it’s just something for him to brag about. Meanwhile, “U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Sunday the United States and South Korea have indefinitely postponed a joint military exercise in an ‘act of goodwill’ toward North Korea.” (Art of the Deal abridged: Give a lot. Get nothing. Repeat.)
+ “Trump reversed course — this time on a plan to address a major public health problem because of worries that apoplectic vape shop owners and their customers might hurt his reelection prospects.” Trump backs off flavored vape ban he once touted.