Down The Middle News: News Brief: Impeachment Probe, Ukraine Cease-Fire, College Admissions Suit

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Quote, “This isn’t a contented day.” That’s what reporters heard from Home International Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel final evening as he signaled plans by fellow Democrats to unveil articles of impeachment in opposition to President Trump.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

We count on to study this morning what these articles say. They’re prone to deal with the president’s push to get Ukraine to make bulletins that will embarrass Democrats. Daniel Goldman is a lawyer for a Home committee.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

DANIEL GOLDMAN: President Trump’s persistent and persevering with effort to coerce a overseas nation to assist him cheat to win an election is a transparent and current hazard to our free and truthful elections and to our nationwide safety.

MARTIN: Becoming a member of us now, NPR senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro, who listened in to the listening to yesterday. Hey, Domenico.

DOMENICO MONTANARO, BYLINE: Hey there, Rachel.

MARTIN: So what did we study from yesterday’s listening to that might present some clues about which articles of impeachment we would see in the present day?

MONTANARO: Nicely, I imply, the purpose of yesterday’s listening to was for representatives of the Intelligence Committee to current the findings of their report back to the Judiciary Committee. You had one which was a majority report. You had one with a minority report. He had attorneys presenting this to the Judiciary Committee ‘trigger the Judiciary Committee has a duty to put in writing these articles of impeachment. And what it comes right down to, actually, is that this. I imply, we count on there will be at the very least two articles of impeachment, one associated to abuse of energy and bribery and one on obstruction of Congress.

Democrats really feel like they’ve made the case, that they’ve introduced overwhelming and compelling proof that the president abused his energy by pressuring a overseas nation to assist examine a political rival to assist his 2020 reelection. That is basically what it comes right down to for them. Republicans assume that that is simply not true. They mentioned that Ukrainian leaders say there was no stress. The aide was finally launched. And, you realize, in the event you’ve been following each twist and switch, you most likely did not hear rather a lot that was new yesterday. However it was actually an opportunity for them to boil down their arguments.

MARTIN: So how did they go about doing that? As a result of although individuals have been following this incessantly, might have heard a few of these arguments, that is actually an opportunity for them to attempt to create one thing actually succinct, to crystallize it within the public’s thoughts, proper?

MONTANARO: Yeah. And you did not have to go a lot additional than the opening statements from Congressman Jerry Nadler, who’s the Home Judiciary Committee chairman. He opened the listening to, received proper to the purpose. He summed up what he sees because the president’s guilt this fashion.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

JERRY NADLER: The proof reveals that Donald J. Trump, the president of the USA, has put himself earlier than his nation. He has violated his most simple obligations to the individuals. He has damaged his oath.

MONTANARO: Yeah, I imply, after all, Republicans didn’t agree with that. Rating member Doug Collins of Georgia – he was fairly animated by a lot of the listening to. He accused Democrats of pursuing a private vendetta. And right here he was, saying that impeaching President Trump is all about politics.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

DOUG COLLINS: On the finish of the day, all that is about is a few clock and a calendar as a result of they cannot recover from the very fact Donald Trump is president of the USA. They usually haven’t got a candidate that they assume can beat him.

MARTIN: So, Domenico, you mentioned at the very least two articles of impeachment about abuse of energy and obstruction. However nonetheless, we do not actually have an thought of the scope of those, proper?

MONTANARO: Proper. We count on to listen to later this morning what the precise articles will likely be. One sticking level with Democrats has been whether or not to carry an obstruction of justice article that hinges on cases of potential obstruction that was specified by the Mueller Russia investigation – provides a little bit of a flip as a result of it would not must do with this Ukraine stress marketing campaign. However count on Democrats to say what Trump has completed as half of a bigger sample of habits. So we count on a vote within the Judiciary Committee that might happen by the top of this week, then a full vote within the Home that Democrats are aiming to get completed earlier than Christmas, establishing a Senate trial in January.

MARTIN: All proper. NPR’s Domenico Montanaro, thanks. We recognize it.

MONTANARO: You are welcome.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

MARTIN: OK. So whereas the Home is asserting articles of impeachment in opposition to President Trump for actions that finally benefited Russia, Trump will likely be assembly with Russia’s overseas minister, Sergey Lavrov.

INSKEEP: Russia is all through this story, is not it? President Trump delayed U.S. navy support to Ukraine. That support is taken into account important to Ukraine because it pushes again in opposition to a Russian incursion into its territory that started in 2014. Now, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, met nose to nose for the primary time yesterday in Paris. And after that assembly, they introduced a cease-fire that’s imagined to take maintain on the finish of the month.

MARTIN: We have got NPR’s Eleanor Beardsley on the road. She’s protecting this historic assembly. Hello, Eleanor.

ELEANOR BEARDSLEY, BYLINE: Hello, Rachel.

MARTIN: So that is the primary time these two presidents, Zelenskiy and Putin, have met. It is type of a high-intensity second for these two leaders to simply have, like, a meet-and-greet, proper?

BEARDSLEY: Completely. And, you realize, the conferences went on for hours and broke up after midnight. In order that they held their press convention after midnight. And also you had this younger, you realize, neophyte politician assembly with the sturdy man who’s run Russia for 20 years, you realize, and continues to create havoc in, you realize, Zelenskiy’s nation, Ukraine. So everybody was watching faces and physique language. And proper after host Macron spoke, Zelenskiy spoke. And he and Putin had been at far ends of the desk, you realize, separated by President Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. So, you realize, Zelenskiy appeared nervous, however what he mentioned appeared heartfelt. You possibly can take heed to him right here.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKIY: (Non-English language spoken).

BEARDSLEY: So, you realize, he mentioned he had all of Ukrainians with him in Paris, and he felt their help. He mentioned he had reality with him and the need for justice and peace in his personal nation. In order that was very highly effective. He mentioned the conferences had been lengthy, however they had been concrete and vital and that the dialogue had been unblocked. And Zelenskiy additionally said that Ukraine was an unbiased and free nation and that its future will likely be determined by Ukrainians. And he asserted that the Donbass – that is the jap Ukraine – and Crimea are a part of Ukraine. Now, bear in mind, Russia took Crimea away from Ukraine 5 years in the past…

MARTIN: Proper.

BEARDSLEY: …And continues to be destabilizing the east.

MARTIN: So how did Vladimir Putin reply to that?

BEARDSLEY: Nicely, he sat on the reverse finish of the desk. He type of – he checked out his notes. He did not give a lot facial features. He spoke at one level of the 38 million Russian-speaking Ukrainians who wanted consideration. And, you realize, bear in mind, Russia – it is in its curiosity to maintain a continuing state of chaos and insecurity and limbo in Ukraine, to verify Ukraine would not go together with the West, get its act collectively, you realize? And so Putin desires, you realize, Ukraine in its sphere. However there is a new wind blowing, Rachel. Russia could be very a lot struggling underneath the sanctions that the West imposed after it took Crimea. And analysts say that Putin could also be prepared to offer a bit of to perhaps get one thing again from the West.

MARTIN: Fascinating. OK, so the cease-fire got here out, imagined to take maintain on the finish of the month.

BEARDSLEY: Yeah.

MARTIN: Some other large selections?

BEARDSLEY: Yeah, nicely, the cease-fire – let’s be mindful there’ve been 20 of them. So will this one maintain? In all probability probably the most concrete and vital measures is they are going to change all of their prisoners earlier than New Yr’s Eve, as nicely. And that will likely be one thing that may actually measure. After which by subsequent March, they are saying they may withdraw all forces from three battle zones. And this disaster group will meet in 4 months and hold going.

MARTIN: OK. Nicely, we’ll see. NPR’s Eleanor Beardsley in Paris, thanks.

BEARDSLEY: You are welcome.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

MARTIN: Anybody who’s ever utilized to go to varsity might be accustomed to this type of dread.

RAINA ETTIS: My anxiousness was actually excessive. , it is arduous for me to calm myself down, however I knew I needed to calm myself down in order that I can excel on this check.

INSKEEP: Raina Ettis (ph) is a highschool senior in Santa Ana, Calif. And the check she’s referring to is the SAT. After taking that check thrice, she nonetheless will not be positive that she’s going to get the scores she must get into faculty as a pre-med pupil. Plaintiffs in a lawsuit argue she shouldn’t be dealing with such anxiousness. The go well with, to be filed in the present day, seeks to get rid of SAT and ACT check rating necessities for the College of California system.

MARTIN: We have got NPR’s Elissa Nadworny in studio to speak about it. Hello, Elissa.

ELISSA NADWORNY, BYLINE: Hey, Rachel.

MARTIN: Oh, man. That was bringing again my very own anxiousness.

NADWORNY: (Laughter).

MARTIN: I needed to take that check at the very least twice. So I really feel for Raina. Who precisely is bringing the go well with?

NADWORNY: Yeah. So the lawsuit’s being filed by the professional bono agency Public Counsel on behalf of scholars and plenty of advocacy organizations. The criticism attracts closely on analysis that reveals a a lot stronger connection between check scores and revenue relatively than faculty success. And it is basically saying requiring these exams in admissions – it is not a coverage determination. It is now a authorized one. The go well with claims that by requiring these exams, the admissions course of is illegally discriminating in opposition to candidates on the idea of race and wealth. And subsequently, it is denying them equal safety underneath the California Structure.

MARTIN: As a result of individuals with extra entry to assets to arrange for the check had a bonus.

NADWORNY: …Get higher scores.

MARTIN: Yeah. So, I imply, may this actually power the UC system to desert the exams? That will be enormous.

NADWORNY: Probably, yeah. So what’s fascinating is that about 50 years in the past, the College of California was one of many first faculties to undertake the SAT as a requirement for admissions. Truly, the businesses behind the SAT lobbied them fairly arduous again then. And in doing so within the late ’60s, they signaled to different faculties throughout the nation to do the identical. In order that they set this nationwide precedent. And again then, there was a number of debate throughout the system whether or not or not they need to require these exams. Simply final 12 months, the president of the UC system ordered a job power to review using standardized exams in admissions. A number of leaders have come out in opposition to together with these exams, just like the chancellor of UC Berkeley. A spokesperson for the UC president says they’re ready for the outcomes of that job power earlier than they make any large modifications.

MARTIN: What in regards to the corporations who make these standardized exams? I wager they’ve an opinion right here?

NADWORNY: The ACT people say the check will not be biased, that, quote, blaming standardized exams for variations in instructional high quality and alternatives won’t enhance instructional outcomes. The School Board, which is behind the SAT, says grades and check scores are all items of the puzzle. Faculties should not take one metric in isolation.

MARTIN: So is the go well with actually crucial? As a result of aren’t there are a number of faculties already dropping the standardized exams?

NADWORNY: Yeah. So 2019 was a giant 12 months for faculties going test-optional. Practically 50 faculties introduced new insurance policies forgoing the check. If the College of California, which is a giant system with greater than 250,000 college students, had been to observe go well with, that will be a extremely large deal. However the check – going test-optional – it is only one piece. So your entire admissions course of is rife with inequality. Quite a lot of it stems from Ok-12. , we all know that faculties that serve nonwhite college students are likely to have fewer assets and never as many AP or superior programs.

MARTIN: NPR’s Elissa Nadworny. Thanks a lot, Elissa.

NADWORNY: Thanks. Transcript offered by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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