Welcome to Wednesday, November 13th, great and so-so Gatsbys...

Today's the impeachment probe's initial public offering.

The U.S. House of Representatives holds its first public impeachment hearing against President Donald Trump at 10 a.m. ET this morning.

Appearing live: Bill Taylor, the top U.S. diplomat for Ukraine; and George Kent, the deputy assistant secretary of state for for European and Eurasian affairs.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Ranking Member Devin Nunes (R-CA) will each have 45 minutes to ask questions. After this, the other lawmakers on the Intelligence Committee will be allowed to question the witnesses.

A whistleblower complaint, which led to the impeachment inquiry, accuses White House officials of trying to conceal "politically sensitive" information about President Trump's July 25th phone call with Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelensky. During the phone call, Trump asked Ukraine's leader to "do us a favor" and work with Attorney General William Barr and Trump's personal attorney, Rudolph Giuliani, to "look into" former Vice President Joe Biden and his family.

Click here to watch and comment live.

How do you feel about the first public impeachment hearings?

On the Radar

Sandy Hook Families v. Remington

The Supreme Court announced Tuesday it won't stop a lawsuit brought by Sandy Hook victims' families against Remington Arms Co., the manufacturer of the military-style rifle used in the 2012 school shooting that left 26 students and educators dead in Newtown, Connecticut.

The lawsuit alleges that the company marketed its rifles "for use in assaults against human beings," running ads like these:

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Congress passed a law in 2005, hailed by the National Rifle Association, that protects gun manufacturers from wrongful death lawsuits. Survivors and families of the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre are attempting to bypass this law by targeting the company’s marketing strategy.

Should families of mass shooting victims be allowed to sue gunmakers?

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Under the Radar

Defense Chief Warns of Short-Term Spending Bills

With the federal government lurching toward a potential government shutdown next Friday, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper took to Twitter to warn lawmakers that their reliance on short-term continuing resolutions (CRs) undermines the military’s readiness and national security:

"Threats to the United States don’t wait around for funding -- and neither should our warfighters. As the CR expiration looms, I again urge Congress to pass a budget ASAP -- our warfighters need consistent, reliable funding as they face adversaries across the globe."

He added:

"CRs harm national security & deny our brave service members the funding they need against our fully funded adversaries."

The federal government is funded through Thursday, November 21st, and the House is expected to vote on another short-term CR this week ― although the bill hasn’t been introduced yet.

In late September, Congress passed a seven-week CR to extend funding to November 21st to prevent a partial government at the outset of fiscal year 2020.

Should Congress stop relying on short-term CRs to provide funding certainty for the military?

Your Gov't At a Glance

The White House: President Trump in D.C.

At 12:10pm EST, the president and first lady will meet with the president of Turkey and his wife.
At 12:30pm EST, the president will participate in a restricted bilateral meeting with the president of Turkey.
At 1:00pm EST, the president will participate in an expanded working luncheon with the president of Turkey.
At 2:00pm EST, the president will participate in a legislative engagement with select members of the Senate.
At 3:10pm EST, the president will participate in a joint press conference with the president of Turkey.

The House: In

Voting on a bill to give citizenship to children born abroad to U.S. military & civil service personnel.
Voting on a bill to provide security for Supreme Court justices whenever they travel.
Voting on a bill to expand a Small Business Administration loan program to help employers whose military reservist employees are called up to active duty.

The Senate: In

Voting on the confirmation of Chad Wolf to be an under secretary at the Dept. of Homeland Security.
Taking a procedural vote on the nomination of Steven Menashi to be a judge on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

What You're Saying

Here's how you're answering Should Fallen Soldier Displays be Allowed in National Cemeteries?

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Also Worth a Click

And, in the End...

On this date in 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down laws that allowed for racial segregation on public buses.

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In December 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested and fined for refusing to yield her bus seat to a white man. Four days later, the Montgomery Bus Boycott began, and would last for over a year. A Montgomery federal court ruled that racial segregation on city buses was unconstitutional, but the city appealed to the Supreme Court, which upheld the lower court's ruling.

Rock out with your glockenspiel out for Symphonic Metal Day,

—Josh Herman

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