RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Three new pages of testimony within the impeachment inquiry towards President Trump are altering the image on quid professional quo.
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
That is proper. So U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland has, quote, “refreshed” his reminiscence. And in his up to date testimony, he provides some new particulars about his function within the occasions which can be on the coronary heart of this inquiry.
In newly launched transcripts of his testimony, Sondland undercut a key Republican protection within the investigation. Sondland now says that he informed a Ukrainian official that army assist doubtless hinged on the investigations that President Trump wished.
MARTIN: NPR congressional reporter Claudia Grisales has been digging into the a whole lot of pages of transcripts launched this week and is in our studio. Hello, Claudia.
CLAUDIA GRISALES, BYLINE: Hello there.
MARTIN: So Gordon Sondland amended his unique deposition with a three-page letter dated November 4. This was 18 days after he testified. What did he embrace in that new assertion?
GRISALES: So Sondland talks about this significant date of September 1. He remembers it was on that date he informed a high aide to the Ukrainian president that army help was predicated on investigations into corruption by the nation. So Sondland recalled he delivered this quid professional quo message to the Ukrainians.
He testified he informed an official, who’s the aide to the president, Andriy Yermak, quote, “I now recall talking individually with Mr. Yermak, the place I mentioned the resumption of U.S. assist would doubtless not happen till Ukraine supplied the general public anti-corruption assertion that we had been discussing for a lot of weeks.”
MARTIN: So he’s primarily describing a quid professional quo – looks as if a reasonably necessary factor to have omitted from his unique deposition. I imply, it stands in distinction to what he mentioned at first, proper?
GRISALES: Proper. This contradicts that unique testimony. He mentioned his reminiscence was jogged by witness testimony that got here after his and contradicted him. He mentioned these witnesses’ recollection of army assist being held up refreshed this recollection. In his unique testimony, he mentioned he had no thought there was a quid professional quo. However on this new testimony, he mentioned that this was principally laying out the very definition of a quid professional quo. He mentioned that investigations had been demanded in change for this assist.
MARTIN: And to be clear, what did Sondland perceive these investigations to be? As a result of that is additionally necessary right here.
GRISALES: Proper. So he thought this was a basic corruption probe. He didn’t make the connection between Biden and Burisma. In a single change with investigators, he was requested about all of the media protection. Was he conscious of the studies on Giuliani? For instance, had he seen him on Fox Information or in a New York Instances story documenting his efforts in Ukraine?
However Sondland mentioned he was too busy to look at TV at night time. However after persistent questioning, he lastly conceded he watches TV generally, telling investigators that, quote, “I watch HBO.”
MARTIN: So primarily he simply stored saying, I had no concept that when Rudy Giuliani mentioned Burisma, this Ukrainian power firm, that it was code for Hunter Biden, who sat on the board. He maintains that he wasn’t in a position to make that connection.
GRISALES: Proper.
MARTIN: In order that’s the primary investigation, however there’s one other one, proper?
GRISALES: Proper.
MARTIN: This one’s about Ukraine’s alleged function within the 2016 U.S. election.
GRISALES: Sure. And in reference to this, one other witness, this former particular envoy – Kurt Volker – to Ukraine, confirms that there was no proof that hacked emails for the Democratic Nationwide Committee through the election had been related to Ukraine. It debunked this ongoing idea that they had been concerned in that electronic mail hacking.
MARTIN: And that revelation from Kurt Volker got here out in a transcript of his testimony that was additionally launched yesterday…
GRISALES: Appropriate.
MARTIN: …In addition to Sondland’s. So how are President Trump’s allies responding to all this new data?
GRISALES: Properly, the White Home mentioned the transcripts present there’s even much less proof for this, quote, “illegitimate impeachment sham than beforehand thought.” Additionally they mentioned that Sondland states he does not know when, why or by whom the help was suspended. And in the case of Volker, he mentioned there was no quid professional quo.
MARTIN: All proper. NPR’s Claudia Grisales. Thanks a lot, Claudia.
GRISALES: Thanks for having me.
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MARTIN: Democrats scored some huge wins in state-level elections final night time. What may all of it imply within the lead-up to 2020?
GREENE: That is proper. So Democrats are claiming victory yesterday within the governor’s race in conservative Kentucky. And the social gathering can also be taking management of the Virginia legislature for the primary time in 20 years. That is Virginia’s Democratic Governor Ralph Northam celebrating final night time.
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RALPH NORTHAM: I’ve one query for you. Do you all like the colour blue?
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NORTHAM: I mentioned, do you want the colour blue?
(CHEERING)
NORTHAM: As a result of I am right here to formally declare in the present day, November 5, 2019, that Virginia is formally blue. Congratulations.
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GREENE: So what classes would possibly there be right here for each events about what’s forward for 2020?
MARTIN: NPR’s Sarah McCammon is in Richmond masking all of it. Hello, Sarah.
SARAH MCCAMMON, BYLINE: Good morning, Rachel.
MARTIN: The governor there very excited, thinks his state goes to remain blue. I imply, it’s a historic shift in Virginia. How did this occur?
MCCAMMON: It’s. I imply, initially, Virginia’s off-year elections at all times get loads of consideration – proper? – as a result of there’s not lots else occurring these years. However that was very true this 12 months coming off of 2017, when Democrats right here made some huge beneficial properties within the state Home however did not fairly take it over.
So flipping Virginia was an enormous aim for Democrats nationally, particularly with your complete legislature up this 12 months. And this comes, Rachel, on the finish of what I am certain you’ll recall has been a tricky 12 months for Virginia Democrats.
MARTIN: Certainly.
MCCAMMON: It began with that sequence of simply cascading scandals from the manager department starting with the blackface picture that surfaced in Governor Northam’s med faculty yearbook. And at the moment, there was loads of concern amongst Democrats about what this might all imply for this necessary election. However they’ve pulled out an enormous victory right here in Virginia.
MARTIN: Properly, let’s speak about among the different states that had races. A good race, as David talked about, in Kentucky; additionally in Mississippi, races for the governor’s mansion.
MCCAMMON: Yeah. There was some excellent news for Republicans in Mississippi, a deeply crimson state, in fact, with an open seat for governor this 12 months. The Republican, Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves, received, preserving that state within the crimson column. However in Kentucky, one other conservative state, the Democratic legal professional basic, Andy Beshear, is claiming victory over the incumbent, Republican Governor Matt Bevin.
Now, Bevin hasn’t conceded but, however Beshear made a victory speech final night time the place he sounded, Rachel, lots like a Democrat in a crimson state.
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ANDY BESHEAR: And tonight, I believe we confirmed this nation that in Kentucky, we will disagree with one another whereas nonetheless respecting each other.
MCCAMMON: Reaching throughout the aisle there. And if his lead holds – if Beshear’s lead holds, it might be an enormous loss for Bevin in a state that Trump received by near 30 factors. However Bevin has been very unpopular. He is recognized notably for his fights with lecturers unions. And we should always add, it is not completely uncommon, particularly in a 12 months and not using a huge Republican identify on the high of the nationwide ticket, for a Democrat to win in Kentucky. In actual fact, Beshear’s personal father, additionally a Democrat, was the governor simply earlier than Bevin.
MARTIN: Proper. However as you level out, these are off-year elections. How a lot can they actually inform us about 2020? Despite the fact that everybody’s determined – what can it say? What sort of bellwether is it? I imply, does it actually inform us something?
MCCAMMON: Yeah. I imply, that is the massive query. I imply, total, in fact, it is a lot of excellent information for Democrats – proper? – particularly in Virginia. Leaders of each events had been framing these off-year elections as an opportunity to weigh in on President Trump and the path of the nation. And so I might anticipate to listen to much more of that message from Democrats after the night time that they had final night time.
However you possibly can solely glean a lot from off-year elections. Turnout is decrease. None of those states are actually swing states – even Virginia, arguably, now.
MARTIN: Proper.
MCCAMMON: However anticipate each events, you already know, to look laborious at these outcomes for indicators of what labored, what did not. And there may be nonetheless loads of distance, in fact, between now and Election Day subsequent 12 months.
MARTIN: NPR’s Sarah McCammon. Thanks, Sarah.
MCCAMMON: Thanks, Rachel.
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MARTIN: For the reason that 1970s, the federal Clear Water Act has ruled air pollution in U.S. waters. However now there’s this case involving a wastewater plant in Hawaii that would truly reshape these guidelines.
GREENE: Yeah. And the Supreme Courtroom goes to listen to oral arguments on that case in the present day. It includes whether or not Maui County can proceed to inject wastewater underground. Though groundwater is just not lined by the Clear Water Act, that waste ended up within the Pacific Ocean, and that is a physique of water that’s lined by these guidelines. Environmentalists sued, citing proof that the air pollution is killing coral reefs.
MARTIN: Ryan Finnerty of Hawaii Public Radio has been following the Supreme Courtroom case and joins us now from Honolulu. Good morning, Ryan.
RYAN FINNERTY, BYLINE: Good morning, Rachel.
MARTIN: Clarify the case. What’s in dispute right here?
FINNERTY: So nobody’s disputing that this wastewater is definitely reaching the ocean. The query is whether or not or not that air pollution falls beneath the purview of the Clear Water Act. And that regulation solely covers particularly discharge of pollution straight into floor waters like lakes, rivers and the ocean.
On this case, the wastewater from a Maui County facility is being injected underground, in a roundabout way into the ocean. And a 2013 Obama-era EPA examine discovered that the discharge was finally reaching delicate coral reefs off shore. Craig Glenn is a College of Hawai’i geologist who led that examine. And he summed up the outcomes fairly succinctly.
CRAIG GLENN: Undebatable proof that the wastewater was reaching from these wells to the shoreline.
FINNERTY: And so the findings from that examine type the premise for the present lawsuit wherein a gaggle of native Hawaii conservation teams are arguing that as a result of the injection properly discharge does finally hook up with the ocean, it ought to be lined beneath the Clear Water Act.
MARTIN: So what is the federal authorities’s argument right here?
FINNERTY: Properly, the federal authorities is just not truly making an argument on this case. The lawsuit is between these conservation teams and the county of Maui. However there was a major change in federal coverage beneath the Trump administration. I spoke with one of many attorneys on the case for the plaintiffs. And he makes a speciality of environmental regulation and informed me that each earlier administration, each Republican and Democrat, has agreed that, in precept, floor water air pollution that occurs through groundwater is roofed by the Clear Water Act.
It is not particularly specified by the regulation, nevertheless it’s type of an interpretation of the regulation by the manager department. The Trump administration has reversed course on that and is supporting the defendants on this case, that are Maui County. That is Earthjustice legal professional David Henkin, who’s representing the plaintiffs within the case.
DAVID HENKIN: Actually, it is each administration for the reason that enactment of the Clear Water Act versus the Trump administration.
MARTIN: So, I imply, clarify how the courtroom’s determination would possibly find yourself simply altering the act altogether.
FINNERTY: So if the courtroom guidelines firmly in a single path or one other, it may broaden – in the event that they aspect with the plaintiffs – broaden the Clear Water Act to cowl any such air pollution, which it is not presently specific in regulation. In the event that they aspect with the defendants, it may restrict the best way the Clear Water Act could be utilized in future instances.
MARTIN: All proper. Hawaii Public Radio’s Ryan Finnerty. Ryan, thanks in your reporting on this. We actually admire it.
FINNERTY: Certain factor, Rachel.
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