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New evidence and whistleblowers further incriminate the President, Republicans are running out of believable excuses, and Joe Biden’s campaign weighs the best response. Then Federal Election Commission Chairwoman Ellen Weintraub talks to Jon about the crime of soliciting foreign interference in a U.S. election.

Show notes

• ABC News: 2nd whistleblower comes forward after speaking with IG: Attorney 
• WaPo: Whistleblower’s attorney says team now representing ‘multiple’ officials 
• NBC News: Second whistleblower comes forward in Trump-Ukraine scandal
• NYT: 2nd Official Is Weighing Whether to Blow the Whistle on Trump’s Ukraine Dealings  
• Axios: Second Ukraine whistleblower has “firsthand knowledge” of Trump allegations
• WaPo: Mounting evidence buttresses claims in whistleblower complaint
• Roll Call: How a Trump whistleblower claim spun (out of control)
• AP: AP FACT CHECK: Trump’s fiction about whistleblower complaint
• NBC News: Fact check: Were whistleblower rules changed before Ukraine complaint? 
• Politico: Lindsey Graham decries whistleblower complaint as ‘all hearsay’
• Politico: Republican senators accuse whistleblower of ‘hearsay’
• The Guardian: Stephen Miller blamed impeachment on Deep State – Bannon says that’s for ‘nut cases’
• NYT: False ‘Coup’ Claims by Trump Echo as Unifying Theme Against Impeachment
• The Guardian: Five fantasies Trump is pushing about the Ukraine scandal – and the truth
• Axios: Without evidence, Stephen Miller claims whistleblower is a “deep-state operative”
• Daily Beast: Pro-Trump Media Grasps at Conspiracy Theories Over Impeachment News
• WaPo: Officials’ texts reveal belief that Trump wanted probes as condition of Ukraine meeting
• NYT: Trump Denies Quid Pro Quo for Ukraine, but Envoys Had Their Doubts
•  NYT: Texts From Top Diplomat Described ‘Crazy’ Plan to Keep Aid From Ukraine
• WaPo: How Gordon Sondland, a wealthy hotelier turned ambassador, became the latest key player in the Ukraine inquiry
• NYT: How Gordon Sondland, a wealthy hotelier turned ambassador, became the latest key player in the Ukraine inquiry
• WSJ: Trump, in August Call With GOP Senator, Denied Official’s Claim on Ukraine Aid
• Politico: Trump’s man in Brussels at center of impeachment inquiry
• NYT: Read the Text Messages Between U.S. and Ukrainian Officials 
• Politico: Decoding the explosive Ukraine text messages 
• NBC News: Diplomats’ text messages provide powerful evidence for impeachment
• Lawfare: The Volker Texts: What Quid Pro Quo Looks Like
• WaPo: Three deeply problematic aspects of newly released text messages centered on the Ukraine scandal
• Vox: Rick Perry’s spent a lot of time in Ukraine. Now he’s caught up in the impeachment inquiry
• NY Mag: What We Know About Trump’s Bizarre Attempt to Blame Rick Perry for the Ukraine Call
• Axios: Scoop: Trump pins Ukraine call on Energy Secretary Rick Perry 
• Politico: Perry pressed Ukraine on corruption, energy company changes
• Roll Call: Impeachment panels demand Rick Perry travel, meeting records
• Politico: Energy Secretary Rick Perry eyeing exit in November 
• Politico: Democrats turn eye to Rick Perry in Ukrainian probe

GOP Response 

• NYT: Facing Fresh Revelations, Republicans Struggle to Mount a Defense of Trump
• WaPo: ‘Out on a limb’: Inside the Republican reckoning over Trump’s possible impeachment 
• Politico: Republicans rush to defend Trump as Ukraine scandal deepens
• The Atlantic: Republicans Don’t Want to Talk About It 
• Courier Journal: In campaign ad, Mitch McConnell says impeachment will fail ‘with me as majority leader’ 
• NYT: These Republicans May Not Endorse an Impeachment Inquiry. But They Aren’t Saying No. 
• WaPo: ‘Where is the line?’: A Joni Ernst town hall questioner sums up the GOP’s Trump dilemma
• Bloomberg: Trump’s Impeachment Turmoil Follows GOP Senator on 2020 Ballot 
• Some have tried silence 
• HuffPo: White House Officials Absent From Sunday Shows As Ukraine Controversy Grows 
• Axios: Susan Collins condemns Trump’s call for China to investigate Bidens 
• The Hill: Key Republicans split with Trump on Biden investigation push 
• WaPo: Trump uses vulgarity, calls for Romney’s impeachment after senator criticizes president’s China, Ukraine appeals 
• AP: Romney ramps up rhetoric on Trump, but what’s his next move?
• Politico: Trump unloads on Romney as Ukraine crisis deepens
• Vox: Romney slammed Trump on Ukraine and China. Now Trump wants Romney impeached. 
• NYT: As Republicans Face Impeachment Dilemma, Romney Is a Lonely Voice of Concern 
• Tampa Bay Times: Marco Rubio shrugs off Trump asking China to investigate Bidens
• Axios: Jim Jordan suggests Trump was joking about China investigating Bidens 
• Daily Beast: GOP Sen. Ron Johnson Loses It on ‘Meet the Press’: I Do Not Trust the FBI or CIA 
• NY Mag: Senator Ron Johnson Goes Conspiracist Route Defending Trump, Claims He Doesn’t Trust FBI or CIA
• WaPo: Barr’s review of Russia investigation wins Trump’s favor. Those facing scrutiny suspect he’s chasing conspiracy theories.
• WaPo: ‘Who leaked?’ An analysis of Republican Sen. Ron Johnson’s conspiracy-filled defense of Trump.
• New Yorker: The Invention of the Conspiracy Theory on Biden and Ukraine  
• Daily Caller: Tucker And Patel: The Truth About Impeachment 
• NYT: The ‘Never Trump’ Coalition That Decided Eh, Never Mind, He’s Fine
• WaPo: ‘Coup’ talk is proliferating on Fox as the impeachment inquiry ramps up
• NY Mag: Is There Any Chance the GOP Is About to Turn on Trump?
• The Atlantic: Unfit for Office 

Biden Response

• NYT: Biden Faced His Biggest Challenge, and Struggled to Form a Response 
• Bloomberg: Biden Won’t Say If He’d Vote to Convict Trump: Campaign Update 
• Bloomberg: Biden Reassures Top Donors He’s Ready to Battle Donald Trump 
• NBC News: Biden said he was prepared for Trump attacks, but now he’s struggling to respond 
• WaPo: Joe Biden tries to turn attention to ‘wholly unfit’ President Trump 
• NYT: Top Biden Donors Gather Amid Storm Clouds Over Campaign
• National Journal: Joe Biden’s Missed Opportunity 
• WaPo: Joe Biden: Trump won’t destroy me, and he won’t destroy my family 
• The Hill: Fox News poll: Trump trailing Biden, Sanders and Warren in Wisconsin 
• Fox News: Fox News Poll: Biden expands lead among South Carolina Democrats
• Fox News: Fox News Poll: Biden bests Trump by nine points in Wisconsin
• Fox News: Fox News Poll results September 29-October 2, 2019, South Carolina
• USA Today: Perilous times for Trump: By 45%-38%, Americans support impeaching him over Ukraine allegations, poll finds
• Investors Business Daily: Americans Back Trump Impeachment Inquiry — And Biden Probe: IBD/TIPP Poll 
• WaPo: The Ukraine story appears to be hurting Trump — and possibly Biden, too 
• CNN: Trump’s approval rating shows there’s no sign yet of impeachment backlash against Democrats 
• FiveThirtyEight: Is Impeachment More Popular Because Of Ukraine? Or Because Voters Are Sheep?
• Politico Magazine: Biden’s Most Formidable Opponent Is Not Another Democrat  
• The Atlantic: Why Trump’s Favorite 2016 Map Should Scare Him 
• CNN: Why Trump’s impeachment inquiry will be more divisive than Nixon/Clinton
• WaPo: The Trailer: Harris’s struggles nationally play out in her home state