The calm before the impeachment storm

IMPEACHMENT. 2020 ELECTION. WASHINGTON. AND MORE FROM THE POLITICS WORLD.

Tuesday, November 12

Bill Taylor, the highest ranking U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, arrives on Capitol Hill on Oct. 22, 2019.

Public hearings start Wednesday and President Donald Trump has been trying to build unity within the GOP. Here's your impeachment inquiry news.

Happy Impeachment Public Hearings Eve, On Politics readers.

First and foremost, we send our thoughts and prayers to former President Jimmy Carter, who is recovering after undergoing a procedure to relieve pressure on his brain, the latest health episode for the 95-year-old after sustaining injuries after a couple of falls last month. The Carter Center said there were "no complications" from the surgery and that Carter will remain at the facility "as along as advisable for observation."

Many eyes in the world of politics also were focused on the Supreme Court today as an extended, 80-minute oral argument was held inside a packed courtroom to discuss the future of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program. That program lets nearly 700,000 young, undocumented immigrants live and work in the USA without fear of deportation. Until now, nearly every federal judge to hear the dispute has sided with the so-called DREAMers , leaving the program intact nationwide. But the Supreme Court's decision in June to hear the case signaled a potential win for the Trump White House. The court's ruling is expected to be handed down next spring.

In response to the high court hearing the case, hundreds of activists, supporters and "DREAMers" came to Washington to have their voices heard.

On the impeachment front, here is the latest news:

Donald Trump has been working to boost GOP unity in face of impeachment inquiry

Since the controversy with Ukraine surfaced in September, President Donald Trump has been nurturing his friendships with allies in an effort to keep his party united. He also has spoken directly or in groups with at least 120 House Republicans and, by the end of the week, will have talked with 40 GOP senators to outline his defense against the accusations lodged by Democratic critics, two senior administration officials told USA TODAY.

Poll: Nearly half of Americans say whistleblower should be forced to come forward publicly

Trump and many of his Republican supporters have demanded the name of the whistleblower whose complaint helped spark the impeachment inquiry be publicly revealed, arguing the president has a right to face his accuser. Forty-seven percent agree and say any whistleblowers in the case should be "forced to be made public," and 53% say they should be allowed to remain anonymous, according to a poll from CBS News and YouGov.

Looking ahead to Wednesday

The House is kicking off its public phase of the impeachment inquiry into Trump on Wednesday at 10 a.m. EDT with the hearing of State Department official George Kent and Ambassador Bill Taylor, the current top diplomat in Ukraine. The two testified behind closed doors last month about their knowledge of Trump's efforts to have Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky open investigations into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, and the 2016 election. Here is what the two men said in their depositions:

Throughout his testimony, Kent described Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani's active involvement in Ukraine relations, noting that Giuliani was "unmissable" starting in March 2019. Kent also testified that Giuliani led a "campaign of slander" against former Ukraine Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch that was "without basis, untrue, period." Read the transcript of George Kent's testimony.

Taylor detailed a second channel of nontraditional foreign affairs actors. He recalled sensing something odd when working with U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland to set up a phone call with Zelensky; he said Sondland suggested leaving "most of the regular interagency participants" off the call and "requested that the call not be transcribed." Read the transcript of Ambassador Bill Taylor's testimony.

If you need to catch up or if you want to follow along with all the names that are sure to come up during the public testimony this week, these are the 15 witnesses in the Trump impeachment inquiry who have testified so far.

Also, if you need a reminder on where we go from here, this refresher explains how it works and where we are.

- Until tomorrow when everything changes, OP readers