Sad news
Rep. Elijah Cummings, one of the most powerful Democrats in Congress, has died. He was 68 [AP].
Impeachment
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tells Republicans to prepare for an impeachment trial for President Donald Trump as soon as Thanksgiving and be over by Christmas [Washington Post].
The White House strategy of blocking administration officials from testifying before Congress in the impeachment inquiry is not working as several current and former officials are talking to investigators [New York Times].
House lawyers accused President Trump of trying to “obstruct his own impeachment” in a court filing as they sought to force former White House Counsel Don McGahn to testify [Politico].
A former top State Department aide says he quit his job because the Trump administration sidelined key diplomats on Ukraine policy [New York Times].
Trump vs. Pelosi
Democratic leaders stormed out of a meeting over the situation in Syria after President Trump called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a “third-rate politician” while Democrats say Trump had a “meltdown” [Politico].
Syria
President Trump is lashing out after House Republicans joined Democrats in a vote to condemn his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from northern Syria [New York Times].
President Trump sent a letter to Turkish President Erdogan warning him to “Don’t be a tough guy” and “don’t be a fool” by launching a military operation against the Kurds in northern Syria. Erdogan reportedly threw the letter in the trash [BBC].
