* Donald Trump’s defense team pushed a debunked conspiracy implicating Joe Biden, implied that Barack Obama was more deserving of impeachment than Trump is and argued — despite precedent— that nothing short of a serious crime is grounds for impeachment of any president.
* Among the lawyers who presented arguments today were Alan Derschowitz — a Harvard professor who gained notoriety for defending Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein — and Ken Starr, who spearheaded the investigation thatlef to Bill Clinton’s impeachment.
* One topic Trump’s lawyers largely avoided: John Bolton. Amidst mounting pressure from Democrats and a few Republicans to call the former national security adviser to testify, the president’s defense ignored new reports that Bolton claimed in an unpublished manuscript of his forthcoming book that Trump directly hinged military assistance to Ukraine on investigations of Democrats.
* The state department has removed an NPR reporter from the pool of journalists traveling to Europe and Asia with Mike Pompeo, following the secretary of state’s public feud with the news organization.
* Trump said he’ll announce an Israeli-Palestinian peace plan tomorrow, as the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his election opponent Benny Gantz visit Washington.
3h ago 02:52
Representative Doug Collins — a staunch Trump ally — is expected to run for Senate
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