Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff, undercut on Thursday President Trump’s long-maintained position that there was no quid pro quo with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during their phone call in July. Mulvaney’s admission stunned White House officials, and Trump himself, who later authorized a second statement which tried to walk back Mulvaney’s damaging comments.
The coverage of politics in late-night television has long offered Americans a source of comedic relief as they navigate the week’s news. But after House Democrats announced a formal impeachment inquiry last month, some late-night comedians have been using their platforms not just to entertain,
At the end of his daily broadcast on Friday, veteran Fox News anchor Shepard Smith told viewers he was leaving the network. The abrupt announcement sent shock waves throughout the media industry, and led many staffers and reporters at Fox to worry about the news division’s future.
After President Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani propogated unsubstantiated accusations of corruption against him, Joe Biden’s campaign circulated a letter to the broadcast networks, demanding that they stop booking Giuliani. The letter is the latest effort by Biden’s campaign to shape the narrative about the Trump-Ukraine scandal.
On Wednesday, the White House released a document it called a “transcript” of President Trump’s conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. While some reporters were quick to point out the document was not a verbatim transcript and had been edited by White House officials, many in the news media continued to use the misleading phrasing.