Sande: November 2019

Friday, November 29, 2019

Weekend!

Have an excellent weekend and see you bright and early Monday morning.

work by Odilon Redon pastels on paper

As Is Everyone Else In The Entire World

CNN: House GOP members are 'absolutely disgusted and exhausted' by Trump's behavior, former GOP congressman says By Kate Sullivan

Trump Beats Lincoln!

Check out this chart. On the second line highlighted in yellow, you will see that Republicans believe that Trump is/was a better president than Lincoln. Click the image to see a larger version.

Mall

Washington Post: Malls are dying. The thriving ones are spending millions to reinvent themselves. By Abha Bhattarai

Those that are thriving are spending millions reinventing themselves as integrated lifestyle hubs — adding yoga studios, medical clinics and microbreweries — populated with more upscale shops.

Resilience

Get Pocket: Resilience Is About Recharging, Not Endurance - Research has found that there is a direct correlation between lack of recovery and increased incidence of health and safety problems. Harvard Business Review

Trump Confusion

NY Times: In Afghanistan, Trump Creates Confusion Over U.S. Policy on Taliban - The president said stalled talks with the militant group were back on and called for a cease-fire — something his negotiators had deemed unrealistic. By Mujib Mashal

“They didn’t want to do a cease-fire, but now they do want to do a cease-fire, I believe,” he (Trump) said. “And it will probably work out that way. And we’ll see what happens.”

The Taliban seemed surprised by Mr. Trump’s declaration.

MSNBC - Trump Kept Two Sets Of Books For Trump Tower

TEDx - How To Triple Your Memory By Using This Trick

Desperate

The Palmer Report: Donald Trump just gave away how desperate he is by Bill Palmer

Good Story

Guardian UK: O'Malley slams acting DHS deputy: ‘You cage children for a fascist president’ - Former Maryland governor and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate forced Ken Cuccinelli to leave Capitol Hill bar

Ohio Goes Nuts

Guardian UK: Ohio bill orders doctors to ‘reimplant ectopic pregnancy’ or face 'abortion murder' charges - Ohio introduces one of the most extreme bills to date for a procedure that does not exist in medical science

Whatever

Washington Post: Trump makes surprise visit to U.S. troops in Afghanistan, says he has reopened peace talks By Missy Ryan and Philip Rucker

Rudy's Web

Washington Post: The complicated web of Ukraine-focused relationships that has Giuliani at its center By Philip Bump

Kamala

NY Times: How Kamala Harris’s Campaign Unraveled - Ms. Harris is the only 2020 Democrat who has fallen hard out of the top tier of candidates. She has proved to be an uneven campaigner who changes her message and tactics to little effect and has a staff torn into factions By Jonathan Martin, Astead W. Herndon and Alexander Burns

Andrew

NY Times: Donald Trump, Meet Your Precursor - Andrew Johnson pioneered the recalcitrant racism and impeachment-worthy subterfuge the president is fond of. By Manisha Sinha - Ms. Sinha is the author of “The Slave’s Cause: a History of Abolition.”

Both Johnson and Mr. Trump amply displayed their unfitness for the presidency before getting the job. Johnson so fortified himself with whiskey on taking his oath of office for the vice presidency that his rambling, drunken speech mortified all who were present....Mr. Trump is a teetotaler but ran a presidential campaign full of grotesque insults, ridicule, lies and vulgarity.

Good morning. At 9:00 a.m. ET DOW futures are -47 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open moderately lower. The market closes at 1 p.m today.

CNN: For the next 26 days, retailers will be after your wallet By Julia Horowitz

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Most

From last year

Newsweek: Donald Trump Says He's Most Thankful for Himself on Thanksgiving By Alexandra Hutzler

Pamela Taylor

Blavity: Woman Who Called Michelle Obama An Ape Sentenced To Prison For Embezzling Funds - Pamela Taylor was sentenced to 10 months in prison for stealing flood recovery funds.

Meal

Axios: The economics of a Thanksgiving meal

Cut NATO

CNN: Trump administration to cut its financial contribution to NATO By Ryan Browne

Worry

CNN: Worry rises in military over Trump's decision-making By Barbara Starr and Nicole Gaouette

The Onion - Thanksgiving Conversation Devolves Into Just Stating Things Dog Is Currently Doing

The Onion: Thanksgiving Conversation Devolves Into Just Stating Things Dog Is Currently Doing

Poetic

Richard Spencer

Washington Post: Richard Spencer: I was fired as Navy secretary. Here’s what I’ve learned because of it.

So Much For Trump's North Korea Love Letters

AP: Seoul says North Korea has fired 2 short-range projectiles By HYUNG-JIN KIM

Reminder

This is from early 2018, a reminder of the type of people connected to Trump.

Source: Donald Trump’s Former Campaign Manager Tim Nolan Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Child Sex Trafficking by Jason Cordne

Rudy

NY Times: Giuliani Pursued Business in Ukraine While Pushing for Inquiries for Trump - The president’s private lawyer explored agreements with Ukrainian officials for hundreds of thousands of dollars. By Ben Protess, William K. Rashbaum and Michael Rothfeld

As Rudolph W. Giuliani waged a public campaign this year to unearth damaging information in Ukraine about President Trump’s political rivals, he privately pursued hundreds of thousands of dollars in business from Ukrainian government officials, documents reviewed by The New York Times show.

Lacking

"It is clear that something is seriously lacking in the way we humans are going about things. But what is it that we lack? The fundamental problem, I believe, is that at every level we are giving too much attention to the external, material aspects of life while neglecting moral ethics and inner values. By inner values, I mean the qualities that we all appreciate in others, and toward which we all have a natural instinct, bequeathed by our biological nature as animals that survive and thrive only in an environment of concern, affection, and warm-heartedness – or in a single word, compassion. The essence of compassion is a desire to alleviate the suffering of others and to promote their well-being. This is the spiritual principle from which all other positive inner values emerge." - The Dalai Lama

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everybody! Safe travels and have a wonderful day.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Your Voice

Get Pocket: The Real Reason the Sound of Your Own Voice Makes You Cringe - Does the sound of your own voice make you want to cover your ears? You are not alone.

Nunes

MSNBC: Nunes now implicated in Ukraine scandal

Sondland

ProPublica: Multiple Women Recall Sexual Misconduct and Retaliation by Gordon Sondland- Three women recall Sondland made unwanted sexual contact in business settings. One says he exposed himself. All recall professional retaliation after they rejected him. Sondland denies the allegations. by Julia Silverman, Kelly Clarke, and Fiona McCann, Portland Monthly, with Maryam Jameel and Doris Burke

Contradiction

CNN: Trump contradicts testimony -- and himself -- by claiming he never directed Giuliani on Ukraine By Maegan Vazquez

Nope

NY Times: Russia Inquiry Review Is Expected to Undercut Trump Claim of F.B.I. Spying - The F.B.I. never tried to place undercover agents or informants inside the Trump campaign, a highly anticipated inspector general’s report is expected to find. By Adam Goldman

Weather

NY Times: Thanksgiving Travel and Weather: Snow Disrupts Plans Across U.S. - Two major storm systems have paralyzed a vast area of the nation just ahead of Thanksgiving. Though the storms were weakening some, holiday travel issues were likely continue into the weekend. By Karen Zraick, Derrick Bryson Taylor and Daniel Victor

Science

Vox: Most people are bad at arguing. These 2 techniques will make you better. Argue better — with science. By Brian Resnick

Graham's Fake News

Salon: Are Lindsey Graham's stupid stunts just meant to keep Daddy Trump quiet? None of Graham's Trump-friendly investigations actually seem to happen. Is it all theater for his father figure? by Heather Digby Parton

Rudy Off The Rails

As Rudolph W. Giuliani waged a public campaign this year to unearth damaging information in Ukraine about President Trump’s political rivals, he privately pursued hundreds of thousands of dollars in business from Ukrainian government officials, documents reviewed by The New York Times show.

Help!

Trump's Latest Tweet

This is not a farce. Trump Tweeted this out Wednesday, today, before noon.

Pema Chodron's Advice

Cultivating Forgiveness

"There is a simple practice we can do to cultivate forgiveness. First we acknowledge what we feel—shame, revenge, embarrassment, remorse. Then we forgive ourselves for being human. Then, in the spirit of not wallowing in the pain, we let go and make a fresh start. We don’t have to carry the burden with us anymore. We can acknowledge, forgive, and start anew. If we practice this way, little by little we’ll learn to abide with the feeling of regret for having hurt ourselves and others. We will also learn self-forgiveness. Eventually, at our own speed, we’ll even find our capacity to forgive those who have done us harm. We will discover forgiveness as a natural expression of the open heart, an expression of our basic goodness. This potential is inherent in every moment. Each moment is an opportunity to make a fresh start."

Aldi

Green And Growing: Grocery Chain Aldi Goes Full Organic and Pesticide-Free In Addition To Other Major Changes

Have An Excellent Wednesday

photography by Ferdinando Scianna

Chris Hayes - Devin Nunes Now Implicated In Ukraine Scandal

MSNBC - The Danger Of The Trump WH’s Credibility Problem

Stephen Colbert - Judge Rules 'Presidents Are Not Kings,' Meaning Don McGahn May Be Compelled To Testify

Bait

The Palmer Report: Is Donald Trump about to take the bait? by Bill Palmer

Intense Weather

The Denver Channel: Series of intense weather systems continue to wreak havoc with Thanksgiving travel plans

Worn Out Bullshit

Guardian UK: At Florida 'homecoming' rally, Trump wields well-worn impeachment attacks - Rally in Florida comes weeks after Trump announced he was changing his primary residence from New York to Mar-a-Lago

“Ridiculous. They’re pushing this witch-hunt. Everyone’s saying that’s really bullshit,” he added, drawing chants of support from a crowd of about 20,000.

The Supremes

Washington Post: As Trump cases arrive, Supreme Court’s desire to be seen as neutral arbiter will be tested By Robert Barnes and Ann E. Marimow

Resigned

Washington Post: Two OMB officials resigned in part over concerns about Ukraine aid hold, official testifies - ≤Mark Sandy, a career official at the White House Office of Management and Budget, revealed the resignations in testimony to impeachment investigators By Erica Werner and Felicia Sonmez

Joker Jared

NY Times: Jared Kushner Fails Up, Again - Having solved the Middle East, the president’s son-in-law tackles the border wall. By Frank Bruni

The Empty Suit

NY Times: When Trump Was Only Funny Mean - Dating back to “The Apprentice,” he has long grasped that cultural loyalties can animate Americans far more than high-minded principles. By Talmon Joseph Smith - Mr. Smith is on the editorial staff of the Opinion section.

The Market On Wednesday

Good morning. At 8:45 a.m. ET DOW futures are +1 and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market is poised to open flat.

CNN: The Cheesecake Factory's biggest challenge is getting you to the mall By Paul R. La Monica

'What Happens To The Heart'

Leonard Cohen

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

He Knew

NY Times: Trump Knew of Whistle-Blower Complaint When He Released Aid to Ukraine - White House lawyers briefed President Trump in late August about the complaint, people familiar with the matter said. By Michael S. Schmidt, Julian E. Barnes and Maggie Haberman

Trump Begins Throwing Rudy Under The Bus

He Reads?

Axios: Official says Trump raised questions about Ukraine aid after reading media report

Psycho

Don't forget, stable genius wants this guy to appear with him on the campaign trail.

The San Diego Union-Tribune: Navy Judge says SEAL charged with war crimes threatened to kill teammate who turned him in

First - December 4th

Axios: House Judiciary Committee announces first impeachment hearing

Lawlessness And Lunacy

Salon: Press Watch: Political reporters still can’t handle the GOP’s moral and ethical collapse - The modern Republican Party has descended into lawlessness and lunacy. Most mainstream reporters won't say that by Dan Froomkin

The Onion - Facial Recognition Software Knows It Has Seen Man Before But Can’t Remember His Name

The Onion: Facial Recognition Software Knows It Has Seen Man Before But Can’t Remember His Name

The Outline

Click the image to see it larger. It's almost comical how Trump releases the money to Ukraine two days after the House launches it's impeachment probe. Trump is like a little school boy caught red handed cheating on an exam.

Pigs Fly, Kennedy Is A POS

On Sunday Senator Kennedy goes on FOX News and tell Chris Wallace that nobody knows who hacked the DNC server. He tells Wallace it could be Russia or it might be Ukraine, nobody knows, in spite of all American intelligence agencies saying it was Russia. Now Monday night Kennedy goes on CNN and tells Cuomo, he was wrong, that it was Russia who hacked the DNC. However, Kennedy is once again lying for political reasons. No one who watches FOX News, Trump TV, would watch CNN and hear Kennedy say he was wrong. Kennedy already did his damage on FOX on Sunday. Someone who never watches FOX like myself would see clips of Kennedy anywhere but FOX saying his nonsense to Wallace and then after CNN with his admission might think, oh good man, he's admitting his mistake. Wrong. Kennedy knows full well no one from FOX cares about his CNN spot. This is a sleaze bag scumbag asshole talking out of both sides of his mouth to try to win approval from both sides.

CNN: GOP senator backtracks on Ukraine hacking claim: 'I was wrong' By Devan Cole

"I was wrong," Kennedy told CNN's Chris Cuomo on "Cuomo Prime Time." "It was Russia who tried to hack the (Democratic National Committee) computer. I've seen no indication that Ukraine tried to do it."

Impeach

Have An Excellent Tuesday

work by Françoise Gilot

Rachel Maddow - Mueller Investigation Did Not Follow The Money On Trump

Stephen Colbert - Robert De Niro - Donald Trump Is 'A Fake President'

Stephen Colbert - Devin Nunes Refuses To Answer Questions About His Trip To Vienna

Boatload

If Giuliani goes down, it will be one of the most delicious events of the Trump debacle.

The Palmer Report: Grand jury targets Rudy Giuliani on a boatload of charges by Bill Palmer

The Rot In The White House

Guardian UK: Trump's impeachment shows US officials at their best and his allies at their worst by Robert Reich - Fiona Hill, Alexander Vindman, Marie Yovanovitch and more stand against the rot in the White House. They must be saluted

Liar

Guardian UK: Self-confessed liar Sarah Sanders says: 'I don't like being called a liar' - Trump’s ex-press secretary says: ‘I was attacked for everything’ - Sanders admitted Comey statement was ‘founded on nothing’

The Trump Legacy

Washington Post: Power Up: Climate catastrophe alert: Emissions spiked under Trump and the world is taking notice By Jacqueline Alemany

Bleak

Washington Post: In bleak report, U.N. says drastic action is only way to avoid worst effects of climate change - “We need to catch up on the years in which we procrastinated,” a top official says. By Brady Dennis

The world has squandered so much time mustering the action necessary to combat climate change that rapid, unprecedented cuts in greenhouse gas emissions offer the only hope of averting an ever-intensifying cascade of consequences, according to new findings from the United Nations.

Do Not Share

NY Times: Trump and the Military Do Not Share the Same Values - The armed forces are not an extension of the White House. By Richard J. Danzig and Sean O’Keefe - Mr. Danzig and Mr. O’Keefe were Navy secretaries under, respectively, Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush.

No Immunity

NY Times: Donald McGahn Must Testify to Congress, Judge Rules; Administration Will Appeal - A judge rejected the Trump administration’s argument that senior White House officials were immune from congressional subpoenas. Democrats want to talk to Donald McGahn, the former White House counsel, about President Trump’s efforts to impede the Russia investigation. By Charlie Savage

The former White House counsel Donald F. McGahn II must testify before House impeachment investigators about President Trump’s efforts to obstruct the Mueller inquiry, a judge ruled on Monday, saying that senior presidential aides must comply with congressional subpoenas and calling the administration’s arguments to the contrary “fiction.”

The Market On Tuesday

Good morning. At 8:40 a.m. ET DOW futures are +27 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open modestly higher.

CNN: Bernard Arnault could surpass Jeff Bezos to become the world's richest person By Paul R. La Monica

Monday, November 25, 2019

The Big Lie

NY Times: Republicans’ Big Lie About Trump and Russia - Collusion wasn’t a hoax and Trump wasn’t exonerated. By Michelle Goldberg

Phillip And Holly Interview - This Morning's First Robot Guest Sophia

How Indeed

Salon: Final, final Republican defense strategy for Trump: Don the tinfoil, join the conspiracy - How can we expect Republicans to judge Donald Trump fairly? At this point, nearly all of them are in on the crime by Amanda Marcotte

More Complications

CNBC: Giuliani associate Parnas wants to testify that Nunes aides hid Ukraine meetings on Biden dirt from Schiff

Syria

NY Times: U.S. Resumes Large-Scale Operations Against ISIS in Northern Syria - After a lull of several weeks, American troops and Syrian Kurdish fighters are once again conducting large-scale counterterrorism missions.

Deprogramming

Yahoo: ‘Wake up!’ Former Moonie says the ‘Cult of Trump’ needs ‘deprogramming’ by Shawn Langlois

Points

Lawfare: Some Relevant Points of Law on Impeachment By Robert S. Litt

Power Play

Salon: Trump pardons and emboldens war criminals — and the corruption of Trumpism spreads - Trump clears three accused war criminals and forces out the secretary of the Navy. It's a vicious, ugly power play by Heather Digby Parton

The Onion - Groundbreaking Chef Transforms Culinary World With Choice To Use Fresh, High-Quality Ingredients

The Onion: Groundbreaking Chef Transforms Culinary World With Choice To Use Fresh, High-Quality Ingredients

Polymath

BBC: Why some people are impossibly talented

'May You Always Walk In Sunshine'

The McGuire Sisters

Read The Letter

Yahoo: 'The rule of law is what sets us apart': Read Richard Spencer's scathing final letter as Navy secretary

Have An Excellent Monday

work by Nicolas de Staël 1914-1955

'Bad Day'

Pomplamoose with Daniel Powter

MSNBC - 'Miserable' - Trump On Edge As House Dems Draft Blueprint For Impeachment

Parnas

The Palmer Report: LEV PARNAS??? by Bill Palmer

Determined To Reject The Evidence

Guardian UK: Not just the facts: Republicans' top six impeachment falsehoods - Despite damning evidence from dramatic hearings, the GOP seems determined to reject the evidence of its eyes and ears

Impeachment Is Failing

Sorry to say, the country doesn't care if false information and lies take center stage.

Guardian UK: Trump impeachment: Republicans dig in as hopes of bipartisan support dashed - Schiff readies report and White House prepares for trial

Hong Kong Becomes The New Model For Democracy

Washington Post: In Hong Kong elections, big defeat for elites pressures Beijing to rethink approach by Shibani Mahtani, Simon Denyer and Tiffany Liang

Emails

Washington Post: White House review turns up emails showing extensive effort to justify Trump’s decision to block Ukraine military aid By Josh Dawsey, Carol D. Leonnig and Tom Hamburger

Why

NY Times: Why Giuliani Singled Out 2 Ukrainian Oligarchs to Help Dig Up Dirt By Jo Becker, Walt Bogdanich, Maggie Haberman and Ben Protess

It Matters

NY Times: Why President Trump’s Ukraine Scheme Matters - It’s what the founders warned us about. By The Editorial Board

The Market On Monday

Good morning. At 8:55 a.m. ET DOW futures are +71 and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market is poised to open moderately higher.

CNN: Merger Monday: Three major deals and one that could turn hostile By Julia Horowitz

Friday, November 22, 2019

Weekend!

Have an excellent weekend and see you bright and early Monday morning.

work by Nicolas de Staël 1914-1955

Read This

Explaining one important aspect of what the Dems are doing on impeachment

TPM: Read This

Here We Go Again

Yahoo News: Mystery grows over Trump administration hold on Lebanon aid by MATTHEW LEE

Russian Operation

NY Times: Charges of Ukrainian Meddling? A Russian Operation, U.S. Intelligence Says - Moscow has run a yearslong operation to blame Ukraine for its own 2016 election interference. Republicans have used similar talking points to defend President Trump in impeachment proceedings. By Julian E. Barnes and Matthew Rosenberg

Defenders

Washington Post: How Trump keeps making it tougher for his GOP impeachment defenders

Of Course

Axios: Trump repeats Ukraine conspiracy theory on 53-minute "Fox & Friends" call

The Liar In Chief

NY Times: Trump Attacks Impeachment Inquiry and Accuses a Witness of Lying - Mr. Trump said a career diplomat made up a conversation between him and his ambassador to the European Union, dismissing a critical detail in the Democrats’ impeachment inquiry. By Eileen Sullivan

...Mr. Trump accused David Holmes, a political counselor to the American ambassador in Ukraine, of fabricating a phone call between Mr. Trump and the American ambassador to the European Union.

“I guarantee you that never took place,” Mr. Trump said.

Don't Stop

Salon: Don't quit now, Democrats: Wrapping up impeachment early is the dumbest idea ever - Pence, Mulvaney, Pompeo, Bolton and numerous others were clearly involved. What's the point of stopping now? by Heather Digby Parton

The Onion - Plan B Unveils New Line Of Space-Time Wormholes To Prevent Intercourse From Ever Happening

The Onion: Plan B Unveils New Line Of Space-Time Wormholes To Prevent Intercourse From Ever Happening

Evidence

Get Pocket: Believing Without Evidence Is Always Morally Wrong - When beliefs dictate actions, you owe it to yourself to demand proof.

Have An Excellent Friday

work by Jim Sande

Rachel Maddow - Russian Propaganda Seen Fusing With Republican Ukraine Narrative

Seth Meyers - Second Week of Impeachment Testimony Ends With More Damning Evidence

Stephen Colbert - Stephen's Catchy Jingle Makes The Trump Impeachment Inquiry Easy To Understand

'Take The A Train'

Charles Mingus Sextet - Featuring Eric Dolphy

Fantasy

The Palmer Report: Donald Trump has been reduced to fantasizing out loud about his escape plan by Bill Palmer

Hill

Guardian UK: Impeachment hearings: Sondland was ‘involved in domestic political errand’, Hill testifies – as it happened - Russia expert says she ‘had a couple testy encounters’ with Sondland and warned him ‘this is going to blow up’

Impeach

Guardian UK: Trump suggests he wants to be impeached and says 'I want a trial' – President sounded off on public hearings on Fox & Friends, praised Giuliani as ‘one of the great crime fighters’ and called Pelosi ‘crazy as a bedbug’

Unite

Washington Post: ‘The picture has been painted’: Hearings unite Democrats behind impeachment By Mike DeBonis and Rachael Bade

Apple

Washington Post: Apple says its App Store is ‘a safe and trusted place.’ We found 1,500 reports of unwanted sexual behavior on six apps, some targeting minors. - The prevalence of unwanted sexual content raises questions about whether Apple can continue to offer a protective cocoon to its customers as its platform grows.By Reed Albergotti and Al Johri

Dream World

NY Times: The Double-Barreled Dream World of Trump and His Enablers - They wanted to take down Biden. But they also wanted to absolve Moscow of election meddling. By Glenn R. Simpson and Peter Fritsch - Mr. Simpson and Mr. Fritsch are the founders of Fusion GPS.

Mr. Trump and his enablers — Rudolph Giuliani foremost among them — have scrambled all year to do two deeds at once. They want to besmirch Joe Biden, without foundation, for supposedly using his office as vice president to protect his son Hunter, who served until recently on the board of a Ukrainian gas company. And they want to reinvent what happened in 2016 so as to switch the blame for the election meddling from Moscow to Kyiv.

Corrupt

NY Times: Trump and His Corrupt Old Party - For Republicans, there is no bottom. By Paul Krugman

On one side, I don’t think most observers realize, even now, the extent to which many Republicans view their domestic opponents not as fellow citizens but as enemies with no legitimate right to govern.

The Market On Friday

Good morning. At 8:45 a.m. ET DOW futures are +35 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open moderately higher.

CNN: It's 'Groundhog Day' for the trade-war-obsessed markets - Analysis by Christine Romans

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Imagine

Washington Post: Imagine defending Trump after this week’s hearings. Oh, wait… By Eugene Robinson

Thanks For Nothing GOP

Republicans at today's Congressional hearings seemed to imply that they believe that Russia interfered in the 2016 elections. This is fine except for a few points.

- Trump has not done anything to prevent Russia from interfering in the next election, nor has he expressed the belief that Russia is culpable.
- The GOP led Senate has done nothing in terms of passing legislation that will help to secure our elections.

It appears that the GOP has moved to possibly acknowledging Russia was involved yet they're not quite ready to take appropriate action to prevent it from happening again. Is this what it means to be a conservative? You say oh yes there's a problem, but we're just going to sit around and maybe watch it once in a while.

Trump walked in front of the news cameras and took credit for the plant, suggesting it had opened that day. “For me, this is a very special day,” he said. Cook stood next to him, stone-faced.

The plant has been making Apple computers since 2013.

NY Times: Impeachment Inquiry Live Updates: Fiona Hill and David Holmes to Testify - The former top Europe and Russia expert at the National Security Council will denounce the “false narrative” promoted by President Trump and Republicans that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 election, calling it a dangerous story planted by Russia that plays into Moscow’s hands. Witnesses have testified that Mr. Trump was preoccupied with getting Ukraine to announce it was investigating the claim. By Michael D. Shear

The Market On Thursday

Good morning. At 9:15 a.m. ET DOW futures are +4 and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market is poised to open flat.

CNN: The world's best pension system is being pushed to the brink By Julia Horowitz

NY Times: Impeachment Hearing Live Updates: Sondland Says ‘We Followed the President’s Orders’ on Ukraine - Gordon D. Sondland testified that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo signed off on the pressure campaign, and that he told Vice President Mike Pence about an apparent link between military aid for Ukraine and investigations of Democrats. Mr. Sondland confirmed there was a “clear quid pro quo” for a White House meeting between President Trump and Ukraine’s president. By Peter Baker and Michael S. Schmidt

NY Times: Why Discrepancies in Gordon Sondland’s Testimony in the Impeachment Inquiry Loom Large - Gordon D. Sondland, the United States ambassador to the European Union set to testify in a public hearing Wednesday, has a lot of explaining to do. By Michael S. Schmidt and Nicholas Fandos

Sondland

NY Times: Impeachment Hearing Updates: Gordon Sondland Ties Trump to Ukraine Pressure Campaign - Gordon D. Sondland will testify that he pressured Ukraine for investigations at President Trump’s “express direction,” and with signoff from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The ambassador also says he raised concerns with Mike Pence about an apparent linkage between Ukraine’s military aid and the investigations. By Peter Baker and Michael S. Schmidt

Could It Be Our Diet

CNN: Anal cancer rates and deaths are climbing in the US, study says By Kristen Rogers

The Market On Wednesday

Good morning. At 8:55 a.m. ET DOW futures are -70 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open significantly lower.

CNN: Target is one of the hottest stocks of 2019 By Nathaniel Meyersohn

NY Times: Officials Testify That Trump Requests on Ukraine Call Were Inappropriate - In the second week of impeachment hearings, two White House national security aides recalled their concerns after the president’s call with his Ukrainian counterpart. By Nicholas Fandos and Michael D. Shear

Two White House national security officials testified before the House’s impeachment inquiry on Tuesday that President Trump’s request to Ukraine’s president to investigate Democratic rivals was inappropriate, and one of them said it validated his “worst fear” that American policy toward that country would veer off course.