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Multiple Trump officials agree to testify for the impeachment inquiry, Trump’s call with Erdogan leads to disaster in Syria, and the Democratic candidates prepare for their fourth and largest debate yet. Then Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ronan Farrow talks to Jon Lovett about his new book, Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators.

Show notes

Impeachment 

• NYT: Ukraine Envoy Says She Was Told Trump Wanted Her Out Over Lack of Trust
• Vox: The former ambassador to Ukraine says she was ousted because of her anti-corruption work 
• WaPo: Why Trump can’t stop all witnesses from testifying in Congress’s impeachment inquiry 
• Esquire: The Latest Hero Exposing Trump’s Corruption Has a Name, and She Is Not F*cking Around. 
• Guardian – Marie Yovanovitch’s testimony on Trump cracks the wall of silence
• NYT Op-Ed: Marie Yovanovitch Fought Corruption, Then Lost Her Post 
• WaPo: A local reporter grilled Mike Pompeo about Ukraine. He accused her of working for the DNC. 
• WaPo: Trump’s envoy to testify that ‘no quid pro quo’ came from Trump 
• CNN: Washington Post: US envoy to the European Union to tell Congress Trump relayed to him ‘no quid pro quo’ text 
• NBC News: Ambassador to E.U. to testify he doesn’t know why Ukraine aid was held up
• WaPo: Gordon Sondland is about to blow a hole in Trump’s Ukraine defense 
• CNN: Trump’s former top Russia adviser to testify she was unaware of some aspects of Ukraine scandal, source says 
• NBC News: Trump’s former Russia aide set to give revealing testimony on Giuliani, Sondland 
• NYT: Subpoenas and Requests for Evidence in the Trump Impeachment Inquiry
• Politico Magazine: The Russia Hawk in the White House 
• Politico: Adam Schiff says whistleblower may not testify in impeachment probe More: 
• Axios: House Democrats’ impeachment roadmap
• Politico: Polo ponies and private planes: Trump impeachment fight deepens a rift among ambassadors 
• NYT: Giuliani Is Said to Be Under Investigation for Ukraine Work 
• CNN: Rudy Giuliani tells CNN he’s unaware he’s under investigation for Ukraine involvement
• NYT: 2 Giuliani Associates Arrested With One-Way Tickets at U.S. Airport
• WSJ: Indicted Florida Pair Known for Flashy Style, Claim of Trump Ties 
• WaPo: How two Soviet-born emigres made it into elite Trump circles — and the center of the impeachment storm
• NYT: Amid Show of Support, Trump Meets With Giuliani Over Lunch
• WaPo: Trump defends Giuliani amid reports of federal investigation 
• Vox: As the Ukraine probe heats up, Trump and Giuliani are sticking together. Mostly.
• Politico: ‘Stop talking’: Trump advisers want Giuliani dumped 
• WaPo: Hunter Biden says he will resign from Chinese company board and won’t take foreign work if his father is president

Syria 

• NYT: Defense Secretary Announces Withdrawal From Northern Syria 
• WaPo: Deepening disarray in northeast Syria as Turkish troops advance, U.S. troops pull back and Kurdish defenses crumble 
• Daily Beast: U.S. ‘Withdraws’ Forces to Let Turks Advance on America’s Allies
• Reuters: Exclusive: U.S. could pull bulk of troops from Syria in matter of days 
• CNN: Exclusive: Pro-Turkish forces cut off main road to Kurdish city of Kobani 
• CNN: Turkey claims its first town as offensive into northern Syria intensifies 
• CBS Face the Nation: Transcript: Secretary of Defense Mark Esper on “Face the Nation,” October 13, 2019
• WaPo: Unswayed by top advisers, Trump doubles down on decision to withdraw troops 
• AP: Turkish invasion threatens to escalate; US orders pullback
• WaPo: Trump faces bipartisan criticism for Syria withdrawal
• Politico: Amid chaos, U.S. to pull last troops out of northern Syria
• Axios: Behind the scenes of the Trump bluff that kicked off Turkey’s invasion
• NYT: Syrian Arab Fighters Backed by Turkey Kill Two Kurdish Prisoners
• NYT: The Kurds’ Prisons and Detention Camps for ISIS Members, Explained
• NYT: Hundreds of ISIS Supporters Flee Detention Amid Turkish Airstrikes – AKCAKALE, Turkey 
• NYT: America’s Former Allies in Syria Team Up With Damascus Government
• WaPo: U.S. forces say Turkey was deliberately ‘bracketing’ American troops with artillery fire in Syria 
• WaPo: Turkish-led forces film themselves executing a Kurdish captive in Syria r
• Independent: ‘Civilians have become the fuel in this terrible war … to be consumed and burned’ 
• NYT: Pullback Leaves Green Berets Feeling ‘Ashamed,’ and Kurdish Allies Describing ‘Betrayal’ 
• WaPo: European leaders criticize Turkish offensive in Syria as U.S. accelerates pullout
• NYT: 12 Hours. 4 Syrian Hospitals Bombed. One Culprit: Russia. 
• CNN: Trump and Mnuchin ramp up threats of sanctioning Turkey. Here are the facts
• Axios: Lindsey Graham threatens Turkey with “most crippling sanctions” since Iran
• US News: As Options Narrow on Syria, Trump Prepares to Drop Sanctions Hammer on Turkey
• Politico: Lindsey Graham: Trump’s vow to sanction Turkey ‘a game changer’
• Vox: Trump says he’s ending the US role in Middle East wars. He’s sending 1,800 troops to Saudi Arabia. 
• Slate: Trump Wants to Stop “Endless Wars.” He’s Making That Impossible.
• NYT: Trump Orders Troops and Weapons to Saudi Arabia in Message of Deterrence to Iran
• NYT: Trump’s Abrupt Shifts in Middle East Unnerve U.S. Allies
• The Atlantic: Top Military Officers Unload on Trump 

2020

• CBS News: CBS News Battleground Tracker: Warren extends lead across early states, New Hampshire and draws even with Biden in Iowa
• NYT: October Democratic Debate: The Biggest Stage Ever
• NYT: The Times and CNN Will Host the Next Democratic Debate in Ohio
• Time: Everything You Need to Know About the October Democratic Debate
• NYT: What, Exactly, Is Tulsi Gabbard Up To?
• NYT: Democrats Will Hope for a ‘Bump’ at Next Week’s Debate. What’s It Worth?
• NYT: Why Populist Democrats Have Gained the Upper Hand in the 2020 Race
• Politico: Tulsi Gabbard’s return sets stage for debate fireworks
• Politico: Dems are grumbling about crowded debate stage
• ABC News: Bernie Sanders draws contrast with Elizabeth Warren: She says ‘she is a capitalist through her bones. I’m not.’
• Politico: Buttigieg elbows Warren and Sanders on health care — and Biden too
• The Hill: Klobuchar takes shots at health and education plans supported by Sanders and Warren
• Boston Globe: Elizabeth Warren picks her battles as attacks against her increase
• Axios: Warren overtakes Biden in RealClearPolitics national poll average
• Daily Beast: Elizabeth Warren’s Rivals Start to Turn on Her
• WaPo: The Democratic presidential field finds a new target: Elizabeth Warren
• Politico: Giuliani bungling gives Biden a new punchline
• WaPo: Hunter Biden says he will resign from Chinese company board and won’t take foreign work if his father is president
• Yahoo News: Democrats don’t plan to attack Biden over son’s business during October debate
• Bloomberg: Biden Camp Warns Rivals Off Attacks on His Family in Ohio Debate
• NYT: Tiptoeing Around Hunter Biden
• WaPo: Tuesday’s debate: A moment of truth for Sanders
• ABC News: Bernie Sanders draws contrast with Elizabeth Warren: She says ‘she is a capitalist through her bones. I’m not.’
• Politico: Bernie Sanders: Voters have a ‘right to know’ about my health
• The Guardian: Bernie Sanders says he has no plans to slow down campaign: ‘I misspoke’
• The Hill: Sanders ‘getting stronger every day,’ promises quick return to campaign after heart attack
• NYT: Highlights From the L.G.B.T.Q. Town Hall, Where Protesters Took the Spotlight