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A Democratic debate, in the shadow of impeachment
Amber Phillips shares her takeaways from the fourth Democratic presidential debate. Aaron Davis explains the ascent of the U.S. ambassador to the E.U. And Keith Alexander describes how D.C. changed during the reign of drug kingpin Rayful Edmond III.
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Moderate Democrats shift their focus from Joe Biden to Elizabeth Warren
On Tuesday night, 12 Democratic presidential candidates debated for more than three hours in Westerville, Ohio, to discuss impeachment, butt heads over subjects such as Medicare-for-all and pile onto Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
After four debates, those who emerged toward the top of the field at the start of the primary campaign — Warren, former vice president Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — remain in the top tier, while struggling candidates continue their slog.
But the debates have revealed the disparate personalities seeking the nomination, says political reporter Amber Phillips.
“They still have deep ravines between the moderates and the liberals on big issues,” Phillips says. “On politics, I think last night’s debate shifted things fairly dramatically, and what I mean by that is the candidates – almost all of them except for Elizabeth Warren – decided, ‘Let’s go after each other.’ ”
More on this topic:
- Winners and losers from the October Democratic debate
- Warren faces first sustained attack in debate that begins with unified condemnation of Trump
- The Democratic debates haven’t changed much? Oh, yes they have.
Why a Seattle millionaire is at the center of the impeachment inquiry
The U.S. ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, intends to tell Congress this week that text messages in which he denied that President Trump had offered Ukraine a quid pro quo arrangement were simply Sondland relaying a message that Trump told him over the phone.
“It’s only true that the president said it, not that it was the truth,” a person familiar with Sondland’s planned testimony told investigative reporter Aaron Davis.
Until revelations about the president’s phone call with Ukraine became public three weeks ago, Sondland was a relatively quiet public figure. Now, many are wondering how a man with no prior diplomatic experience could ascend so high in the administration.
“Having been a very successful hotelier, he was worth tens of millions of dollars,” Davis says. “He had lots of friends who were millionaires. He would hold fundraisers in his home and invite lots of other millionaires and then bundle all of these donations into six- and seven-figure contributions that would get the attention of candidates running for office” — in hopes of one day becoming an ambassador.
More on this topic:
- ‘Disruptive diplomat’ Gordon Sondland, a key figure in Trump impeachment furor, long coveted ambassadorship
- Trump’s envoy to testify that ‘no quid pro quo’ came from Trump
Why a drug lord who devastated D.C. is back in court
Even after he was sent to prison for life, drug kingpin Rayful Edmond III remained a legend to some in Washington.
“He had a following,” says crime and courts reporter Keith Alexander. “He had a fan base. I mean, this was a young man who was 22, 23, 24 years of age, and he had chauffeur-driven limousines. He was always buying diamonds. He would give money to little league baseball teams, pay the rent for individuals in his neighborhood, for their mothers.”
But Edmond oversaw a crack cocaine epidemic in the late 1980s that devastated the District and helped make it the murder capital of the country. And this week, a judge could decide that he’ll be released from federal prison with time served.
More on this topic:
- After 30 years behind bars, ‘80s D.C. drug kingpin Rayful Edmond III returns to court in hopes of early release
- A prosecutor said he would recommend that Rayful Edmond III get timed served for cooperating
- D.C. residents split nearly evenly on whether ’80s drug kingpin Rayful Edmond’s prison sentence should be shortened
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A Democratic debate, in the shadow of impeachment
Amber Phillips shares her takeaways from the fourth Democratic presidential debate. Aaron Davis explains the ascent of the U.S. ambassador to the E.U. And Keith Alexander describes how D.C. changed during the reign of drug kingpin Rayful Edmond III.
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Moderate Democrats shift their focus from Joe Biden to Elizabeth Warren
On Tuesday night, 12 Democratic presidential candidates debated for more than three hours in Westerville, Ohio, to discuss impeachment, butt heads over subjects such as Medicare-for-all and pile onto Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
After four debates, those who emerged toward the top of the field at the start of the primary campaign — Warren, former vice president Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — remain in the top tier, while struggling candidates continue their slog.
But the debates have revealed the disparate personalities seeking the nomination, says political reporter Amber Phillips.
“They still have deep ravines between the moderates and the liberals on big issues,” Phillips says. “On politics, I think last night’s debate shifted things fairly dramatically, and what I mean by that is the candidates – almost all of them except for Elizabeth Warren – decided, ‘Let’s go after each other.’ ”
More on this topic:
- Winners and losers from the October Democratic debate
- Warren faces first sustained attack in debate that begins with unified condemnation of Trump
- The Democratic debates haven’t changed much? Oh, yes they have.
Why a Seattle millionaire is at the center of the impeachment inquiry
The U.S. ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, intends to tell Congress this week that text messages in which he denied that President Trump had offered Ukraine a quid pro quo arrangement were simply Sondland relaying a message that Trump told him over the phone.
“It’s only true that the president said it, not that it was the truth,” a person familiar with Sondland’s planned testimony told investigative reporter Aaron Davis.
Until revelations about the president’s phone call with Ukraine became public three weeks ago, Sondland was a relatively quiet public figure. Now, many are wondering how a man with no prior diplomatic experience could ascend so high in the administration.
“Having been a very successful hotelier, he was worth tens of millions of dollars,” Davis says. “He had lots of friends who were millionaires. He would hold fundraisers in his home and invite lots of other millionaires and then bundle all of these donations into six- and seven-figure contributions that would get the attention of candidates running for office” — in hopes of one day becoming an ambassador.
More on this topic:
- ‘Disruptive diplomat’ Gordon Sondland, a key figure in Trump impeachment furor, long coveted ambassadorship
- Trump’s envoy to testify that ‘no quid pro quo’ came from Trump
Why a drug lord who devastated D.C. is back in court
Even after he was sent to prison for life, drug kingpin Rayful Edmond III remained a legend to some in Washington.
“He had a following,” says crime and courts reporter Keith Alexander. “He had a fan base. I mean, this was a young man who was 22, 23, 24 years of age, and he had chauffeur-driven limousines. He was always buying diamonds. He would give money to little league baseball teams, pay the rent for individuals in his neighborhood, for their mothers.”
But Edmond oversaw a crack cocaine epidemic in the late 1980s that devastated the District and helped make it the murder capital of the country. And this week, a judge could decide that he’ll be released from federal prison with time served.
More on this topic:
- After 30 years behind bars, ‘80s D.C. drug kingpin Rayful Edmond III returns to court in hopes of early release
- A prosecutor said he would recommend that Rayful Edmond III get timed served for cooperating
- D.C. residents split nearly evenly on whether ’80s drug kingpin Rayful Edmond’s prison sentence should be shortened
Previous Episode
Douglas MacMillan explains how colleges track potential students before they even apply. Alex Andrejev follows a video-game designer’s path from refugee to CEO. And Louisa Loveluck on the young people who feel locked out of Iraq’s political system.
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Next Episode
Tony Romm examines what Facebook sees as its role in policing speech ahead the 2020 election. Jenna Portnoy and Paul Kane recount the life and legacy of Rep. Elijah Cummings. And Simon Denyer on the cultural tradition behind Japan’s dolphin hunt.
Thursday, October 17, 2019
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