Newsletter: Trump-Appointed Diplomat Implicates Trump

Gordon Sondland
U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland arrives to testify before the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019, during a public impeachment hearing of President Donald Trump's efforts to tie U.S. aid for Ukraine to investigations of his political opponents. Andrew Harnik / Associated Press
Gordon Sondland
U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland arrives to testify before the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019, during a public impeachment hearing of President Donald Trump's efforts to tie U.S. aid for Ukraine to investigations of his political opponents. Andrew Harnik / Associated Press

Newsletter: Trump-Appointed Diplomat Implicates Trump

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Hey there, it’s Wednesday. And my brain has so many wrinkles . Here’s what you need to know today. (PS: You can have this delivered to your inbox by subscribing here.)


1. Top diplomat points finger directly at Trump

Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, today directly implicated President Donald Trump and other top officials in an effort to pressure Ukraine to launch investigations into the president’s political rivals, saying, “Everyone was in the loop.”

Sondland said Trump and his personal lawyer, Rudolph Giuliani, tied a White House meeting with Ukraine’s new leader to their demands for politically advantageous investigations, acknowledging there was a quid pro quo. [NPR]

Democrats have touted Sondland as a key witness in the impeachment inquiry, but his testimonies have included a number of discrepancies. [New York Times]

Meanwhile, tomorrow’s public hearing will include Fiona Hill, a former top Russia specialist on the National Security Council. Hill previously told investigators that she raised concerns about Giuliani’s parallel foreign policy channel. [NPR]

WBEZ will air live coverage of tomorrow’s public hearing beginning at 8 a.m. CST.

2. Illinois will take “emergency action” to stop schools from illegally locking kids in rooms

The news comes a day after a ProPublica Illinois and Chicago Tribune investigation found kids were illegally being locked alone in rooms across the state, a practice that’s only supposed to be used when children pose a threat to themselves or others.

Calling the investigation “appalling, inexcusable and deeply saddening,” the Illinois State Superintendent of Education Carmen Ayala said steps would be taken against “any school district that is violating the law.” [Capitol Fax]

3. Jussie Smollett sues Chicago

The actor, who allegedly faked his own hate crime earlier this year, is setting up a new act in his legal drama with the city. Smollett filed a counterclaim this week in federal court that argues the prosecution against him caused economic harm, “humiliation, mental anguish and extreme emotional distress.”

Smollett’s counterclaim comes as the city of Chicago seeks to recover $130,106 for the police investigation into his allegedly false claims that he was the victim of a hate crime attack. Smollett argues he doesn’t owe the city any more money because he paid $10,000 at the end of the criminal case. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Smollett’s counterclaim also comes a day after Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said she could have handled the Smollett case better. [Chicago Sun-Times]

4. About 50,000 food stamp recipients in Cook County might have to find jobs

State officials are bracing for what’s being called a major policy change to food stamps.

Starting on Jan. 1, food stamp recipients who are able-bodied, under the age of 50 and don’t have kids will have to work or participate in a job-training program for at least 80 hours a month. If they don’t, they’ll see their access to food stamps limited to three months within a three-year period.

Some local officials are worried people who struggle to find jobs will lose their access to food stamps, and with just weeks before the change goes into effect, they’re reaching out to food stamp recipients to connect them to work and training programs. [WBEZ]

5. The Michael Ferro era comes to an end

Millionaire entrepreneur Michael Ferro sold his leading stake in the Chicago Tribune’s parent company to Alden Global Capital, a hedge fund known for making huge layoffs in newsrooms.

The sale means Ferro’s tumultuous tenure at Tribune Publishing is over. Ferro had briefly changed the company’s name to the much-ridiculed Tronc. He stepped down as chairman of Tribune Publishing last year after Fortune published a report on two women who accused Ferro of sexual harassment. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Here’s what else is happening

  • Another Democratic presidential primary debate is tonight. Here’s how you can watch. [NPR]

  • The feds appear to be everywhere in Chicago. [Chicago Tribune]

  • A task force will focus on updating Chicago’s affordable housing rules. [WBEZ]

  • Almost 15,000 same-sex couples have been married in Cook County since marriage equality came to Illinois. [Chicago Tribune]

Oh, and one more thing …

Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang says if he’s elected, he will play Dungeons & Dragons in the White House. In the video interview included in the link below, Yang said his favorite character was an elf named Storm who lost a hand.

As someone who used to cover politics (long, long sigh), I couldn’t help but wonder if Yang put that bit of info in front of any focus groups. [Bell of Lost Souls]

Tell me something good …

Thanksgiving is coming up, and I’d like to know what plans you’ve got cooking.

Melissa Smejkal writes:

“I’ll be eating turducken on 7 mile beach in Negril, Jamaica after spending the day swimming and lounging at the beach.”

What are your plans for Thanksgiving? Feel free to email at therundown@wbez.org or tweet to @whuntah.

Have a nice night! I’ll see you tomorrow. And if you like what you just read, you can subscribe to the newsletter here and have it delivered to your inbox.