npr--2020-01-27--Trump Tries To Hold On To Spotlight As Impeachment Enters Week 2

Trump Tries To Hold On To Spotlight As Impeachment Enters Week 2 As the Senate impeachment trial begins its second week , President Trump is making sure not to fully cede the spotlight to Democrats ' effort to oust him .
Trump is set to meet Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then Netanyahu 's political rival , Benny Gantz , as the administration plans to release its plan for Middle East peace .
On Wednesday , Trump is expected to sign a much-anticipated trade deal with Mexico and Canada in a White House ceremony .
And he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ travel ban , adding new restrictions for travelers from additional countries .
He says it 's a matter of national security .
Hogan Gidley , the White House deputy press secretary , also cited the recent signing of `` phase 1 '' of a trade deal with China and the president 's trip to Davos , Switzerland , where Trump touted the United States ' economic accomplishments at the World Economic Forum .
`` It 's very clear that in this process , as the president continues to rack up victory after victory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people , '' Gidley said , `` [ House Speaker ] Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats continue to put their own selfish interests , their own political desires , above the needs of the American people .
And that 's a shame . ''
Even as Trump grows frustrated with efforts to oust him , his schedule offers him an opportunity to promote issues that are important to him and his Republican base .
Critics accuse Trump of trying to distract from his impeachment trial .
Matt Bennett , who worked on former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , calls Trump a master at using his official powers — as well as Twitter account — to get people talking about something else .
`` It is absolutely not a coincidence or a surprise that he 's rolling out a lot of big things on the very week in which the Senate [ may vote ] on impeachment , '' Bennett said .
`` The notion that he would allow the Senate to vote on removing him from office without doing something completely different , to show that he is , you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is moving on , is to ignore three years of history with Trump as president . ''
Trump 's peace plan may not solve the deep divisions between Israel and the Palestinians .
( Trump has said the administration will talk with Palestinians at a later time . )
And his partial trade deal with China does n't address the root causes of the trade war .
But both have proven a great opportunity for Trump to grab attention , at least temporarily , away from impeachment .
It would not be the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the day 's news .
Earlier this month , at the same time that the House was voting to send its articles of impeachment to the Senate , Trump held a more-than-hour-long ceremony to celebrate the partial trade pact with China .
Much of that time was spent reading out names and thanking people who were there — and others who were not — for their support .
On the night in December he was impeached , Trump flew to Michigan and held a widely televised campaign rally .
`` By the way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'm being impeached , '' he told the raucous crowd .
And this week , Trump holds two rallies , including one in Des Moines , Iowa , on Thursday — just days before the Democratic caucuses there .
Alex Conant , a Republican strategist , said there is no question the White House wants to present the president as being focused on doing his job while Congress is focused on impeachment .
Conant said all these issues — from global trade to peace in the Middle East , as well as Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — are important issues to wide swaths of conservative voters .
They also help ease uncertainty among Republicans members of Congress about the allegations against him .
`` Trump 's actions in Ukraine make a lot of Republicans very uncomfortable , especially congressional Senate Republicans , '' Conant said .
`` But then when they see him pushing these conservative policies and being their champion on issues they really care about , whether it 's trade or immigration or abortion , it reminds them that at the end of the day , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican strategist Ryan Williams is impressed with what he called the `` incredibly choreographed '' rollout of successive agreements and meetings with foreign leaders .
The challenge he sees is whether Trump can stick to the plan his aides created .
Or will he become distracted by the impeachment drama , respond in an aggressive fashion , and then draw attention away from his policy wins ?
`` He needs to remain disciplined , '' Williams said .
`` Everybody needs to be singing from the same song sheet in order to drive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is tweeting or talking about something else , he 's undercutting the message that his advisers and his administration are trying to drive . ''

Trump Tries To Hold On To Spotlight As Impeachment Enters Week 2
Enlarge this image toggle caption Steve Helber/AP Steve Helber/AP
As the second week of the Senate impeachment trial begins, President Trump is making sure not to fully cede the spotlight to Democrats' effort to oust him.
Trump is set to meet Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then Netanyahu's political rival, Benny Gantz, as the administration plans to release its plan for Middle East peace.
On Wednesday, Trump is expected to sign a much-anticipated trade deal with Mexico and Canada in a White House ceremony.
And he has teased plans to expand his so-called travel ban, adding new restrictions for travelers from additional countries. He says it's a matter of national security.
Hogan Gidley, the White House deputy press secretary, also cited the recent signing of "Phase 1" of a trade deal with China and the president's trip to Davos, Switzerland, where Trump touted U.S. economic accomplishments at the World Economic Forum.
"It's very clear that in this process, as the president continues to rack up victory after victory to improve the lives of the American people," Gidley said, "[House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats continue to put their own selfish interests, their own political desires, above the needs of the American people. And that's a shame."
Even as Trump grows frustrated with efforts to oust him, his schedule offers him an opportunity to promote issues that are important to him and his Republican base.
Critics accuse Trump of trying to distract from his impeachment trial.
Matt Bennett, who worked on former President Bill Clinton's two presidential campaigns, calls Trump a master at using his official powers — as well as Twitter account — to get people talking about something else.
"It is absolutely not a coincidence or a surprise that he's rolling out a lot of big things on the very week in which the Senate [may vote] on impeachment," Bennett said. "The notion that he would allow the Senate to vote on removing him from office without doing something completely different, to show that he is, you know, completely unaffected by this and is moving on, is to ignore three years of history with Trump as president."
Trump's peace plan may not solve the deep divisions between Israel and the Palestinians. (Trump has said the administration will talk with Palestinians at a later time.) And his partial trade deal with China doesn't address the root causes of the trade war.
But both have proved to be great opportunities for Trump to grab attention, at least temporarily, away from impeachment.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Susan Walsh/AP Susan Walsh/AP
It would not be the first time the president offered counterprogramming to the day's news.
Earlier this month, at the same time the House was voting to send its articles of impeachment to the Senate, Trump held a more-than-hour-long ceremony to celebrate the partial trade pact with China. Much of that time was spent reading out names and thanking people who were there — and others who were not — for their support.
On the night in December he was impeached, Trump flew to Michigan and held a widely televised campaign rally.
"By the way, it doesn't feel like I'm being impeached," he told the raucous crowd.
And this week, Trump holds two rallies, including one in Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday — just days before the Democratic caucuses there.
Alex Conant, a Republican strategist, said there is no question the White House wants to present the president as being focused on doing his job while Congress is focused on impeachment.
Conant said all these issues — from global trade to peace in the Middle East, as well as Trump joining Friday's March for Life rally — are important issues to wide swaths of conservative voters. They also help ease uncertainty among Republican members of Congress about the allegations against him.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Evan Vucci/AP Evan Vucci/AP
"Trump's actions in Ukraine make a lot of Republicans very uncomfortable, especially congressional Senate Republicans," Conant said. "But then when they see him pushing these conservative policies and being their champion on issues they really care about, whether it's trade or immigration or abortion, it reminds them that at the end of the day, the Trump presidency is worth it."
Republican strategist Ryan Williams is impressed with what he called the "incredibly choreographed" rollout of successive agreements and meetings with foreign leaders.
The challenge he sees is whether Trump can stick to the plan his aides created. Or will he become distracted by the impeachment drama, respond in an aggressive fashion, and then draw attention away from his policy wins?
"He needs to remain disciplined," Williams said. "Everybody needs to be singing from the same song sheet in order to drive a message. And if the president is tweeting or talking about something else, he's undercutting the message that his advisers and his administration are trying to drive."


npr--2020-01-27--Canada Wins, U.S. Loses In Global Fight For High-Tech Workers

Canada Wins , U.S. Loses In Global Fight For High-Tech Workers Hundreds of tech workers pack an auditorium for a recent networking event in Toronto .
The evening 's host glides around the room on a hoverboard , equal parts game show host and tech bro .
`` Who here is new to Canada ? ''
asks Jason Goldlist , the co-founder of TechToronto , an organization that helps newcomers navigate the city 's fast-growing tech ecosystem .
Dozens of hands shoot up in the air — one belonging to Alok Chitnis , who moved to Canada last year .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ went to graduate school in the U.S. and found a job in Colorado .
But last May , he moved to Canada to launch his own startup .
`` It 's vibrant .
It 's very welcoming for immigrants , '' Chitnis says .
`` There are a lot of services by the government to help newcomer entrepreneurs especially .
So the whole ecosystem is pretty welcoming compared to the U.S. '' If there is a war for global tech talent , right now Canada is winning — and the U.S. may be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ biggest growth in technology jobs of any North American city over the past five years , outpacing San Francisco , New York and Seattle .
Vancouver also made the top five .
The tech industry across Canada is booming .
And one of the biggest reasons is U.S. immigration policy .
The Trump administration has made it harder for high-skilled workers to get visas .
It also has blocked entrepreneurs from some majority-Muslim countries altogether under the travel ban , which it 's moving to expand to more countries .
Canada , meanwhile @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tech workers to immigrate there .
A new streamlined visa in Canada has brought in more than 40,000 tech workers from around the world in the past two years alone .
`` While the States has gone , 'Let 's make it difficult to get the employees here on a visa , ' Canada 's gone the exact opposite , and it 's beneficial for Canada , '' says Alex Norman , the other co-founder of TechToronto .
`` You had a fast-growing ecosystem here that 's been getting a shot of steroids @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high-skilled workers are getting rejected at a higher rate .
In 2015 , 92 % of new H-1B visa applications were approved .
But in the last two years , the approval rate dipped to only 75 % .
Immigration authorities say they 're trying to ensure that companies follow the rules .
Employers are required to show that hiring a foreign worker will not hurt Americans .
`` You know , I have a high regard — as does the president — for protecting U.S. workers , '' said Ken Cuccinelli , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S .
Citizenship and Immigration Services , in an interview last year .
Cuccinelli was asked about the need to crack down on fraud and abuse .
`` The H-1B program has been controversial in this regard , '' he said .
`` And it is concerning . ''
Meanwhile , U.S. tech companies complain that they ca n't find enough qualified candidates to fill all their open jobs .
More than a dozen hiring managers from tech startups recently squeezed into a private dining room at Del Posto , a high-end New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was Susan Riskin , the head of human resources at Bitly , which is well-known for making Web addresses shorter .
`` We doubled the size of our technology team in the last year , '' Riskin said .
`` And we feel like we have exhausted New York and Denver .
And now it 's like we 're trying to figure out where to go next , what we need to do . ''
All of the hiring managers at the table were confronting a similar problem .
They came for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — but also to hear a business pitch from Irfhan Rawji , the founder of a Canadian company called MobSquad .
`` If you 'd rather fill a job than go without , call us , '' Rawji said .
`` We 'll open a virtual subsidiary for you in Canada .
You get access to the world . ''
Rawji 's pitch , in a nutshell , is this : Say your firm wants to hire an international tech worker , but the worker 's visa application is rejected or the application @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` The next-best solution to keeping them here in the U.S. , if you ca n't do that , is to put them in Canada , '' Rawji said .
`` The flights are an hour and a half to two hours .
It 's the same business culture .
And we try to match or beat the total cost for you here . ''
U.S. tech companies have long relied on a steady stream of engineers and software developers from China , India and elsewhere .
The process of getting an H-1B @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says Meagan Soszynski , the head of human resources for an advertising app called Yieldmo .
But at least it was predictable .
`` You followed a certain process , you paid a premium , but you pretty much always got the outcome that you wanted , '' says Soszynski .
She says that 's not the case anymore .
`` In the last year , I would say every one of my H-1B cases have been met with some sort of delay , '' Soszynski says .
`` So the immigration changes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the front lines . ''
The U.S. remains a popular destination for international workers .
The number of applicants for H-1B visas stills exceed the annual cap of 85,000 .
But in recent years , fewer are applying .
`` The biggest thing that 's going to hurt the U.S. competitiveness is the overall rhetoric or tone '' on immigration , says William Kerr , a professor at Harvard Business School and the author of The Gift of Global Talent , who also serves on the board of MobSquad .
`` If you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a choice to come and invest in their lives , whether for school or for work , and they want to have long-term opportunities , '' Kerr says .
`` And the uncertainty and the hostility really dampen that enthusiasm . ''
President Trump says he understands the problem .
`` We have to allow smart people to stay in our country , '' Trump said in an interview with Laura Ingraham on Fox News this month .
`` We do n't have enough of them .
And we have to be competitive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Trump said .
But global tech workers say the Trump administration 's policies make the U.S. less attractive .
Ozge Yoluk started a new job in Toronto this month .
She was born in Turkey and studied in Europe .
Yoluk worked as a postdoctoral researcher in computational biology at the University of Maryland in Baltimore .
She says the field is `` like playing video games '' — except in these games , the characters are proteins and experimental drugs .
The company she joined , ProteinQure , is using @ @ @ @ @ @ @ companies in the U.S. are doing similar work .
But Yoluk says she did n't even bother applying for those jobs .
`` Getting a visa in the U.S. is not easy , '' Yoluk says .
`` And it 's really costly , not just for the companies but also for the person itself . ''
Yoluk says the higher rejection rate for work visas has made U.S. companies more reluctant to sponsor foreign workers — and foreign workers more reluctant to go through the process .
`` I said I will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the States , '' Yoluk said .
`` Whereas in Canada , the process was easy . ''
Yoluk says she got her Canadian visa approved in about two weeks .
She did n't even need a lawyer to navigate the process .
A few blocks away , I met Milad Zabihi at a coffee shop in downtown Toronto .
Zabihi is the CEO of a startup called Peekage , which helps companies target customers .
Zabihi immigrated to Canada from Iran .
Several of the company 's other co-founders are also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of friends from university time , '' Zabihi says .
`` We were thinking of like , you know , starting something new . ''
Zabihi says they wanted to locate this new venture in the United States .
But then , Trump 's travel ban blocked most immigrants and visitors from Iran and several other Muslim-majority countries .
`` Everyone 's like , OK , the U.S. is not an option , '' Zabihi says .
`` Especially we like , you know , what is happening right now with the new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ basically thinking of , like , what would be the best next option . ''
Now big U.S. tech firms are following global tech workers north of the border .
Google , Microsoft , Intel and Uber have either opened or announced plans for new offices in Canada .
`` Toronto 's now the fastest-growing tech city in North America , '' said Yung Wu , the CEO of the MaRS Discovery District , a technology hub in Toronto that 's home to 150 tech startups .
It takes up most of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by a soaring glass atrium .
Wu says the Toronto tech industry has been growing for a while .
But the U.S. immigration crackdown accelerated that growth .
`` Look , every time Trump tweets , we get another sort of injection , which is all good from my perspective , '' Wu says .
`` Companies are locating here because they can get access to foreign talent faster . ''
Wu says hiring the right people at the right time can be the difference between a company that succeeds and one that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it .

Canada Wins, U.S. Loses In Global Fight For High-Tech Workers
Enlarge this image toggle caption Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images
Hundreds of tech workers pack an auditorium for a recent networking event in Toronto. The evening's host glides around the room on a hoverboard, equal parts game show host and techie.
"Who here is new to Canada?" asks Jason Goldlist, the co-founder of TechToronto, an organization that helps newcomers navigate the city's fast-growing tech ecosystem.
Dozens of hands shoot up in the air — one belonging to Alok Chitnis, who moved to Canada last year. Chitnis is originally from India. He went to graduate school in the U.S. and found a job in Colorado. But last May, he moved to Canada to launch his own startup.
"It's vibrant. It's very welcoming for immigrants," Chitnis says. "There are a lot of services by the government to help newcomer entrepreneurs especially. So the whole ecosystem is pretty welcoming compared to the U.S."
If there is a war for global tech talent, right now Canada is winning — and the U.S. may be losing its edge. Toronto saw the biggest growth in technology jobs of any North American city over the past five years, outpacing San Francisco, New York and Seattle. Vancouver also made the top five.
The tech industry across Canada is booming. And one of the biggest reasons is U.S. immigration policy. The Trump administration has made it harder for high-skilled workers to get visas. It also has blocked entrepreneurs from some majority-Muslim countries altogether under the travel ban, which it's moving to expand to more countries.
Canada, meanwhile, has been making it easier for tech workers to immigrate there. A new streamlined visa in Canada has brought in more than 40,000 tech workers from around the world in the past two years alone.
"While the States has gone, 'Let's make it difficult to get the employees here on a visa,' Canada's gone the exact opposite, and it's beneficial for Canada," says Alex Norman, the other co-founder of TechToronto. "You had a fast-growing ecosystem here that's been getting a shot of steroids."
Under the Trump administration, high-skilled workers are getting rejected at a higher rate. In 2015, 92% of new H-1B visa applications were approved. But in the last two years, the approval rate dipped to only 75%.
Immigration authorities say they're trying to ensure that companies follow the rules. Employers are required to show that hiring a foreign worker will not hurt Americans.
"You know, I have a high regard — as does the president — for protecting U.S. workers," said Ken Cuccinelli, who was then the acting head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, in an interview last year.
Cuccinelli was asked about the need to crack down on fraud and abuse. "The H-1B program has been controversial in this regard," he said. "And it is concerning."
Meanwhile, U.S. tech companies complain that they can't find enough qualified candidates to fill all their open jobs.
More than a dozen hiring managers from tech startups recently squeezed into a private dining room at Del Posto, a high-end New York City restaurant. One of them was Susan Riskin, the head of human resources at Bitly, which is well-known for making Web addresses shorter.
"We doubled the size of our technology team in the last year," Riskin said. "And we feel like we have exhausted New York and Denver. And now it's like we're trying to figure out where to go next, what we need to do."
All of the hiring managers at the table were confronting a similar problem. They came for the New York strip steak and Italian wine — but also to hear a business pitch from Irfhan Rawji, the founder of a Canadian company called MobSquad .
"If you'd rather fill a job than go without, call us," Rawji said. "We'll open a virtual subsidiary for you in Canada. You get access to the world."
Rawji's pitch, in a nutshell, is this: Say your firm wants to hire an international tech worker, but the worker's visa application is rejected or the application process is dragging on for months.
"The next-best solution to keeping them here in the U.S., if you can't do that, is to put them in Canada," Rawji said. "The flights are an hour and a half to two hours. It's the same business culture. And we try to match or beat the total cost for you here."
U.S. tech companies have long relied on a steady stream of engineers and software developers from China, India and elsewhere. The process of getting an H-1B visa was often expensive and slow, says Meagan Soszynski, the head of human resources for an advertising app called Yieldmo. But at least it was predictable.
"You followed a certain process, you paid a premium, but you pretty much always got the outcome that you wanted," says Soszynski.
She says that's not the case anymore.
"In the last year, I would say every one of my H-1B cases have been met with some sort of delay," Soszynski says. "So the immigration changes are certainly being felt by us on the front lines."
The U.S. remains a popular destination for international workers. The number of applicants for H-1B visas stills exceeds the annual cap of 85,000. But in recent years, fewer are applying.
"The biggest thing that's going to hurt the U.S. competitiveness is the overall rhetoric or tone" on immigration, says William Kerr, a professor at Harvard Business School and the author of The Gift of Global Talent, who also serves on the board of MobSquad.
"If you think about migration, people are making a choice to come and invest in their lives, whether for school or for work, and they want to have long-term opportunities," Kerr says. "And the uncertainty and the hostility really dampen that enthusiasm."
President Trump says he understands the problem.
"We have to allow smart people to stay in our country," Trump said in an interview with Laura Ingraham on Fox News this month.
"We don't have enough of them. And we have to be competitive with the rest of the world too," Trump said.
But global tech workers say the Trump administration's policies make the U.S. less attractive.
Ozge Yoluk started a new job in Toronto this month. She was born in Turkey and studied in Europe. Yoluk worked as a postdoctoral researcher in computational biology at the University of Maryland in Baltimore. She says the field is "like playing video games" — except in these games, the characters are proteins and experimental drugs.
The company she joined, ProteinQure, is using tech to design new treatments. Pharmaceutical companies in the U.S. are doing similar work. But Yoluk says she didn't even bother applying for those jobs.
"Getting a visa in the U.S. is not easy," Yoluk says. "And it's really costly, not just for the companies but also for the person itself."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Joel Rose/NPR Joel Rose/NPR
Yoluk says the higher rejection rate for work visas has made U.S. companies more reluctant to sponsor foreign workers — and foreign workers more reluctant to go through the process.
"I said I will not waste my time applying for positions in the States," Yoluk said. "Whereas in Canada, the process was easy."
Yoluk says she got her Canadian visa approved in about two weeks. She didn't even need a lawyer to navigate the process.
A few blocks away, I met Milad Zabihi at a coffee shop in downtown Toronto. Zabihi is the CEO of a startup called Peekage, which helps companies target customers. Zabihi immigrated to Canada from Iran. Several of the company's other co-founders are also Iranian.
"We are a bunch of friends from university time," Zabihi says. "We were thinking of like, you know, starting something new."
Zabihi says they wanted to locate this new venture in the United States. But then, Trump's travel ban blocked most immigrants and visitors from Iran and several other Muslim-majority countries.
"Everyone's like, OK, the U.S. is not an option," Zabihi says. "Especially we like, you know, what is happening right now with the new administration and Islam. So we were basically thinking of, like, what would be the best next option."
Now big U.S. tech firms are following global tech workers north of the border.
Google, Microsoft, Intel and Uber have either opened or announced plans for new offices in Canada.
"Toronto's now the fastest-growing tech city in North America," said Yung Wu, the CEO of the MaRS Discovery District, a technology hub in Toronto that's home to 150 tech startups. It takes up most of a city block, with multiple buildings connected by a soaring glass atrium.
Wu says the Toronto tech industry has been growing for a while. But the U.S. immigration crackdown accelerated that growth.
"Look, every time Trump tweets, we get another sort of injection, which is all good from my perspective," Wu says. "Companies are locating here because they can get access to foreign talent faster."
Wu says hiring the right people at the right time can be the difference between a company that succeeds and one that doesn't.
Canada is betting on it.


npr--2020-01-27--What To Watch For As Trump's Legal Team Resumes Its Impeachment Defense

What To Watch For As Trump 's Legal Team Resumes Its Impeachment Defense President Trump 's defense team on Monday will continue its arguments in the Senate impeachment trial , expected to maintain that the president was legally justified in freezing military assistance to Ukraine and that the case against Trump presented by Democrats does not clear the bar of an impeachable offense .
The arguments come a day after a report by the New York Times that Trump directly told his former national security adviser John Bolton that he would hold up aid to Ukraine until the country launched @ @ @ @ @ @ @ military assistance and the desired investigations are at the heart of the impeachment proceedings .
Democrats say Trump 's actions constitute a clear case of abuse of power , with Trump placing his personal interests over the country 's .
The legal team representing Trump in the Senate trial argues that the president had justifiable concern about corruption in Ukraine .
The aid was ultimately released without the probes .
Lawyers for the president offered a brief glimpse of their defense Saturday , minimizing the evidence House investigators gathered before the Democratic-led chamber @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obstruction of Congress .
Pat Cipollone , the White House counsel , claimed Democrats ' push to remove Trump from office is aimed at overturning the result of the 2016 election , and `` tearing up [ voters ' ] ballots '' months before the 2020 election .
After a day off Sunday , Trump 's defense lawyers will resume their impeachment defense at 1 p.m .
ET .
Watch the trial live here when it begins .
On Sunday , Alan Dershowitz , another member of the defense team , said on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does not have a case that passes constitutional muster .
`` They completely failed to meet that high constitutional standard , and therefore it would be unconstitutional to remove a president based on the allegations that were made against him , '' Dershowitz said .
`` They imposed very stringent criteria for impeachment that have n't been met in this case , '' citing the founders ' standard for impeachment , which is `` treason , bribery and other high crimes and misdemeanors . ''
In December , the House passed two articles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ power and obstruction of Congress .
The vote for impeachment followed hours of testimony , in private and in public , with more than a dozen witnesses during the House impeachment inquiry .
Trump 's legal team is also expected to take aim at the president 's potential political opponent , Joe Biden , and his son Hunter , making the case that Trump had good reason to want Ukrainian investigators to launch criminal probes into the activities of the Bidens in Ukraine .
( While Joe Biden was vice president , Hunter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a gas company in Ukraine . )
The full-throated defense of Trump comes after the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office declared that the president broke the law in ordering a hold on nearly $ 400 million in security assistance to Ukraine .
Because the Trump administration refused to participate in the House impeachment inquiry , the president 's defense in the Senate is the first time Trump 's team will present a lengthy rebuttal to the charges against him .
Over three days of arguments last week , House impeachment managers outlined their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to help him cheat in the 2020 election and then has tried to cover it up .
They 've said that the president 's conduct is the `` worst nightmare '' of the nation 's framers .
The Trump legal team is facing a mostly sympathetic group of jurors in the Republican-controlled Senate .
An acquittal on the two articles of impeachment is all but guaranteed , since the Democratic caucus would need 20 GOP members ' support in order to have the two-thirds majority needed to convict and remove the president .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , is whether Democrats will be able to recruit enough Republicans in order to call witnesses for the trial .
That vote has a lower threshold than the one required to remove the president from office .
At least four GOP senators would have to cross party lines in order to call witnesses or subpoena documents .
In light of the New York Times report Sunday about a draft of Bolton 's forthcoming book , Democrats were quick to reiterate that Bolton should testify .
`` The Senate trial must seek the full @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to provide , '' the House impeachment managers said in a statement .
NPR has not seen a draft of the manuscript and can not vouch for the accuracy of the report on Trump 's comments to the former national security adviser .
House Democrats had asked Bolton to testify during the impeachment inquiry , but did not issue him a subpoena .
The White House had ordered senior officials to not testify .
Any vote on witnesses and new evidence would come after the defense team rests ( it has up to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and after senators have a chance to ask questions in writing of both House prosecutors and Trump 's legal team .
The questions will be read out loud by Chief Justice of the U.S. John Roberts , who 's presiding over the trial .
While Trump has not attended the Senate proceedings , and is not expected to , the president has been disparaging Democrats leading the prosecution .
On Sunday , Trump tweeted that lead impeachment manager , Rep. Adam Schiff , D-Calif. , `` has not paid the price , yet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our country ! ''
Speaking on NBC 's Meet the Press Sunday , Schiff said Trump is `` wrathful and vindictive '' and he believes the president 's tweet was `` intended to be '' a threat .

Trump Defense: 'Nothing In The Bolton Revelations' Rises To The Level Of Impeachment
Enlarge this image toggle caption J. Scott Applewhite/AP J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Updated at 9:15 p.m. ET
As President Trump's legal team pressed the case for acquittal on Monday, they repeatedly made two points: the charges against Trump do not meet the constitution's criteria for impeachment. And if the president is removed from office for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, it will set a "dangerous" precedent.
"You cannot turn conduct that is not impeachable into impeachable conduct simply by using words like quid pro quo," said one of Trump's lawyers, Alan Dershowitz, calling the charges "vague, indefinable."
Said Dershowitz on the impeachment charges sent to the Senate by House Democrats: "This is a realistic threat to all future presidents."
Trump's lawyers maintain that the president was legally justified in freezing military assistance to Ukraine and that the case against Trump presented by Democrats in the Senate last week does not constitute a crime and thus cannot trigger removal from office, a notion that has received strenuous skepticism from legal scholars.
Most impeachment trial watchers on Monday, however, were following a major development that occurred outside of the Senate chamber.
A report in The New York Times about the alleged conversation between Trump and former National Security Adviser John Bolton — contained in a draft of the former national security adviser's book manuscript — shifted the focus to whether senators would vote to call witnesses, including Bolton, as part of the proceedings.
The report was based on Bolton's forthcoming book, a draft of which had been sent to the White House as part of a standard review process.
As speculation grew about whether Republicans would support calling Bolton, Dershowitz referenced the former top Trump official and dismissed the portions of his yet-to-be-published book that have grabbed the headlines.
"Nothing in the Bolton revelations, even if true, would rise to the level of an abuse of power or an impeachable offense," he said.
Two Republican senators, Mitt Romney of Utah and Susan Collins of Maine, said Monday that the revelations about Bolton's book have made it more likely that senators will want to call Bolton to testify.
"I think it's increasingly likely that other Republicans will join those of us who think we should hear from John Bolton," Romney said, noting that he would make his final decision on the issue after hearing from Trump's defense.
Collins tweeted that the reports about Bolton's book "strengthen the case for witnesses and have prompted a number of conversations among my colleagues."
Two others who are seen as more open to calling witnesses — Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee — were tight-lipped.
Alexander said senators will decide "to call witnesses or other documents if we needed them after we hear all the arguments." Murkowski said in a tweet that while she was "curious" about what Bolton had to say, there is "an appropriate time for us to evaluate whether we need additional information."
Jay Sekulow, Trump's personal attorney, argued that the president "was at all times" acting under his constitutional and legal authority by withholding aid to Ukraine, saying that Trump's impeachment is about "deep policy concerns."
Ken Starr, the former independent counsel who led the impeachment efforts against President Bill Clinton in 1998 and is now part of Trump's defense team, began his arguments by reciting a history of impeachment and declared, "Like war, impeachment is hell." He said, "It divides the country like nothing else. Those of us who lived through the Clinton impeachment understand that in a deep and personal way. "
Starr went on to accuse the House of abusing its power by approving article 2, which charges that Trump obstructed Congress.
"Here, we have, tragically for the country and, I believe, tragically for the House of Representatives, in article 2 of these impeachment articles, a runaway House," Starr said. "It has run away not only from its long-standing procedures — it has run away from the Constitution's demand of fundamental fairness."
Another of Trump's attorneys, Jane Raskin, spoke to defend Rudy Giuliani, Trump lawyer who was painted by the House managers as leading a rogue foreign policy operation by pursuing information against former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, as well as pressuring to remove former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch.
Giuliani, said Raskin, was the House's "colorful distraction," and, "a shiny object designed to distract you."
She said the "House managers may not like his style, you may not like his style. But one might argue, that he is everything that Clarence Darrow said a defense lawyer must be, outrageous, irreverent, blasphemous, a rogue, a renegade."
Later in the afternoon, Trump attorney Pam Bondi, a former Florida attorney general, rose to attack former Vice President Biden and his son Hunter's dealings in Ukraine. The younger Biden was hired to sit on the board of a Ukrainian gas company Burisma at the same time his father was the Obama administration's point man in fighting corruption there. In the infamous July 25th phone call, Trump asked Ukraine's president to "do us a favor, though" and investigate the Bidens. The first article of impeachment charges Trump with abusing the power of his office by asking for the investigation in return for releasing nearly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine. Trump denies any such link was made, though Bolton's book appears to undercut that assertion.
Bondi said the younger Biden was paid $83,000 a month to sit on the Burisma board, and played a news clip in which Hunter was asked if would have been hired by the firm if his last name wasn't Biden. "I don't know, I don't know, he responded. Probably not."
The push for witnesses
Over three days of arguments last week, House impeachment managers outlined their case that Trump enlisted a foreign power to help him cheat in the 2020 election and then has tried to cover it up. They've said that the president's conduct is the "worst nightmare" of the nation's Framers.
Trump's legal team is facing a mostly sympathetic group of jurors in the Republican-controlled Senate. An acquittal on the two articles of impeachment is all but guaranteed, since the Democratic caucus would need 20 GOP members' support to have the two-thirds majority needed to convict and remove the president.
More up in the air, however, is whether Democrats will be able to recruit enough Republicans to call witnesses for the trial. That vote has a lower threshold than the one required to remove the president from office. At least four GOP senators would have to cross party lines to call witnesses or subpoena documents.
In light of the Times' report on Sunday, Democrats were quick to reiterate that Bolton should testify.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Monday that the revelations should remove the GOP resistance against witnesses. He said details in the book provide "further evidence that a large number of people were in the loop" on Trump's alleged pressure campaign on Ukraine.
Schumer said there seems to be a "giant cover-up" within the White House and added that if Republicans don't vote to call witnesses, including Bolton, "they are going to be part of the cover-up too."
Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, told NPR on Monday that up to 10 Republican senators could vote for witnesses following the Times' report about the Bolton manuscript.
"I'm already hearing a number of Republicans who are moving toward voting to at least hear from John Bolton, if not other witnesses," he said. When asked if four Republicans would vote for witnesses, he said: "I think there'll be more. My bold prediction will be five or 10."
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the lead impeachment manager, linked testimony from Bolton to the very notion of a fair trial. "To say we will blind ourselves from a witness who has so clearly relevant testimony to one of the central most serious allegations against the president — I don't see how we can have a fair trial without testimony like that," he told reporters on Monday before the White House lawyers continued their arguments.
House Democrats had asked Bolton to testify during the impeachment inquiry but did not issue him a subpoena. The White House had ordered senior officials to not testify.
Any vote on witnesses and new evidence would come after the defense team rests (it has up to 24 hours over three days) and after senators have a chance to ask questions in writing of both House prosecutors and Trump's legal team. The questions will be read out loud by Chief Justice John Roberts, who's presiding over the trial.
Bolton's manuscript
NPR has not seen a draft of the manuscript and cannot vouch for the accuracy of the report on Trump's comments to the former national security adviser. A spokesman for the National Security Council said no one at the White House other than people at the NSC had reviewed Bolton's book.
"Ambassador Bolton's manuscript was submitted to the NSC for pre-publication review and has been under initial review by the NSC," NSC spokesman John Ullyot said in a statement. "No White House personnel outside NSC have reviewed the manuscript."
Trump denied Bolton's account in a series of tweets.
"I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens," he said. "If John Bolton said this," Trump continued, "it was only to sell a book."
The military assistance and the desired investigations are at the heart of the impeachment proceedings. Democrats say Trump's actions constitute a clear case of abuse of power, with Trump placing his personal interests over the country's. The legal team representing Trump in the Senate trial argues that the president had justifiable concern about corruption in Ukraine.
The aid was ultimately released without the inquiries.
The constitutional standard
Lawyers for the president offered a brief glimpse of their defense Saturday, minimizing the evidence that House investigators gathered before the Democratic-led chamber impeached Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Pat Cipollone, the White House counsel, claimed Democrats' push to remove Trump from office is aimed at overturning the result of the 2016 election and "tearing up [voters'] ballots" months before the 2020 election.
On Sunday, Alan Dershowitz, another member of the defense team, said on Fox News Sunday that the Democratic-led prosecution does not have a case that passes constitutional muster.
"They completely failed to meet that high constitutional standard, and therefore it would be unconstitutional to remove a president based on the allegations that were made against him," Dershowitz said. "They imposed very stringent criteria for impeachment that haven't been met in this case," citing the Founders' standard for impeachment, which is "treason, bribery and other high crimes and misdemeanors."
In December, the House passed two articles of impeachment against Trump: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The vote for impeachment followed hours of testimony, in private and in public, with more than a dozen witnesses during the House impeachment inquiry.
Trump's legal team is also expected to take aim at the president's potential political opponent, Joe Biden, and his son, Hunter Biden, making the case that Trump had good reason to want Ukrainian investigators to launch criminal probes into the activities of the Bidens in Ukraine. (While Joe Biden was vice president, Hunter Biden took a position as board member of a gas company in Ukraine.)
The full-throated defense of Trump comes after the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office declared that the president broke the law in ordering a hold on nearly $400 million in security assistance to Ukraine.
Because the Trump administration refused to participate in the House impeachment inquiry, the president's defense in the Senate is the first time Trump's team is presenting a lengthy rebuttal to the charges against him.
Loading...
NPR's Roberta Rampton and Deirdre Walsh contributed to this story.


npr--2020-01-27--Billie Eilish Sweeps Grammys In Ceremony Clouded By Controversy And Mourning

Billie Eilish Sweeps Grammys In Ceremony Clouded By Controversy And Mourning By the end of the 62nd Grammy Awards on Sunday evening , a major star had been crowned : 18-year-old singer Billie Eilish , who swept all four of the night 's biggest prizes — Best New Artist , Song of the Year , Record of the Year and Album of the Year — along with honors for Best Pop Vocal Album .
But that rush of awards came only at the tail end of a long , strange and emotionally ambivalent ceremony held Sunday night at the Staples @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was far from the fizzy , uplifting celebration that the music industry , and the Recording Academy , the organization that gives out the prizes , had anticipated just a few weeks ago .
But the organizers of the ceremony seemed to still be pressing towards joy , no matter what .
The death of Los Angeles basketball legend Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash just hours before the awards , coupled with an ongoing scandal within the Recording Academy that has rocked the music business , meant that this year 's televised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than usual — and the flames onstage during several of the live performances were nothing compared to the fire that the Academy is attempting to douse behind the scenes , which include explosive allegations , including sexual misconduct and financial and voting improprieties , levied by the organization 's recently suspended CEO , Deborah Dugan , who was placed on leave earlier this month .
In recent years , especially as major black musicians like Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar have lost out in the top categories , the Grammys have become a target @ @ @ @ @ @ @ falling out of touch — or worse , using stars to boost ratings without acknowledging their art .
If anything , the 2020 awards were supposed to be a celebration of younger talent — and most especially female and diverse artists , with serious contenders for major awards that also included Lizzo , Lil Nas X , Ariana Grande , H.E.R .
and Lana Del Rey .
It initially felt as if Lizzo might carry the night , especially after a joyous , triumphant opening medley and an early win , for Best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ past , picking up five total Grammys , becoming the youngest-ever winner of the Album of the Year and Record of the Year prizes and the first female artist to sweep all `` Big Four '' categories .
( She is only the second person ever to do so , after Christopher Cross in 1981 . )
Throughout the proceedings , winners , presenters and even the evening 's host , Alicia Keys , made reference to the pall cast on the ceremony , which also included a musical tribute to the late @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who was killed last April .
Despite the clouds hanging over the awards , Eilish and her brother and creative partner , Finneas O'Connell , who performed two of her songs together earlier during the ceremony , appeared genuinely starstruck when they began picking up trophies .
( O'Connell also broke boundaries with another win on Sunday night : At age 22 , he became the youngest-ever winner of the Producer of the Year , Non-Classical prize . )
`` I never thought this would happen in my whole life , '' Eilish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Year award .
`` I grew up watching them [ the Grammys ] .
...
I 'm so honored and grateful to be here , amongst all of you .
I love you to my core , I grew up watching all of you . ''
The behind-the-scenes allegations roiling the Grammys are messy and complicated , and have grown more so on a nearly daily basis .
10 days ago , the president and CEO of the Recording Academy , Deborah Dugan — who was installed in August , and whose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ widely seen as a corrective for an institution struggling with perceptions that it was too male , too white , too old and too insular — was suspended for an accusation that she had bullied the executive assistant of her predecessor , Claudine Little .
Dugan claims that her suspension had nothing to do with the alleged bullying — which she has denied — but was in retaliation for a number of extremely serious accusations she made , some initially in a December memo she sent to the Academy 's HR department , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Equal Employment Opportunity Commission discrimination complaint that was filed last Tuesday .
The EEOC complaint includes several bombshell accusations , including that Dugan 's predecessor , Neil Portnow , raped a female artist in New York ; that Dugan was pressed to hire Portnow as a consultant for $ 750,000 by the Academy 's then-board chair , John Poppo ; and that the Academy 's general counsel and former board chair , Joel Katz , sexually harassed Dugan in May 2019 , as she was being courted for the top Academy job .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's allegations .
In the EEOC complaint , Dugan also alleged major financial self-dealing and improprieties at the Academy — a public , non-profit organization — as well as vote rigging for the awards themselves , and an unwillingess on the part of board members to act upon a number of urgent recommendations made by a diversity and inclusion task force , who released a report of their work in December .
The Recording Academy denies those allegations .
In a statement released Sunday morning , the Academy 's board chair and interim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the Academy will take up many of diversity goals immediately , including hiring a dedicated diversity and inclusion officer within the next 90 days .
( In a counter-statement released hours later , Dugan 's lawyer , Douglas Wigdor , said in part : `` If the past 10 days have shown anything , it is that the current Chair is not the appropriate individual to effectuate meaningful change at the Academy .
This is the same Chair that put Ms. Dugan on leave because she was calling for increased diversity and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interest . ''
) About 20 minutes into the show , Keys lightly alluded to Dugan 's accusations , saying knowingly , `` It 's been a hell of a week .
Damn !
This is a serious one . ''
But Keys also equivocated , seeming to try to balance the honors bestowed at the awards with a genuine acknowledgment of the need for progress : `` I 'm proud to be here as an artist ...
It 's time for newness , and we refuse the negative energy , '' she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We refuse the old systems .
... We want to be respected and safe in our diversity .
We want to be shifting to realness and inclusivity . ''
Lizzo also acknowledged the odd tenor of the night while accepting the prize for Best Pop Solo Performance , during her only televised win of the night : `` I realize there are people hurting right now ... Let 's continue to reach out , hold each other down and lift each other up . ''
It was one of three wins for Lizzo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Contemporary Album for Cuz I Love You and Best Traditional R & B Performance , for `` Jerome . ''
The Academy 's priority was likely always going to be to forge on in order to deliver a big show to a global audience , including what the organization likes to call `` Grammy moments , '' including Lil Nas X 's performance of `` Old Town Road , '' joined by BTS , Billy Ray Cyrus , Mason Ramsey and Diplo , as well as a feel-good reunion between Aerosmith and Run-DMC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Still , hard realities intervened , even for host Alicia Keys — an Academy stalwart who won five Grammys , including Best New Artist , at the 2002 awards .
As she bade the audience good night , she said : `` We got a lot to change .
We got a lot to do . ''

Billie Eilish Sweeps Grammys In Ceremony Clouded By Controversy And Mourning
Enlarge this image toggle caption Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images
By the end of the 62nd Grammy Awards on Sunday evening, a major star had been crowned: 18-year-old singer Billie Eilish, who swept all four of the night's biggest prizes — Best New Artist, Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Album of the Year — along with honors for Best Pop Vocal Album.
But that rush of awards came only at the tail end of a long, strange and emotionally ambivalent ceremony held Sunday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The evening was far from the fizzy, uplifting celebration that the music industry, and the Recording Academy, the organization that gives out the prizes, had anticipated just a few weeks ago. But the organizers of the ceremony seemed to still be pressing towards joy, no matter what.
The death of Los Angeles basketball legend Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash just hours before the awards, coupled with an ongoing scandal within the Recording Academy that has rocked the music business, meant that this year's televised ceremony was straining under a heavier load than usual — and the flames onstage during several of the live performances were nothing compared to the fire that the Academy is attempting to douse behind the scenes, which include explosive allegations, including sexual misconduct and financial and voting improprieties, levied by the organization's recently suspended CEO, Deborah Dugan, who was placed on leave earlier this month.
In recent years, especially as major black musicians like Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar have lost out in the top categories, the Grammys have become a target of critics arguing that the Academy was falling out of touch — or worse, using stars to boost ratings without acknowledging their art. If anything, the 2020 awards were supposed to be a celebration of younger talent — and most especially female and diverse artists, with serious contenders for major awards that also included Lizzo, Lil Nas X, Ariana Grande, H.E.R. and Lana Del Rey.
It initially felt as if Lizzo might carry the night, especially after a joyous, triumphant opening medley and an early win, for Best Pop Solo Performance. But Eilish pushed past, picking up five total Grammys, becoming the youngest-ever winner of the Album of the Year and Record of the Year prizes and the first female artist to sweep all "Big Four" categories. (She is only the second person ever to do so, after Christopher Cross in 1981.)
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images
Throughout the proceedings, winners, presenters and even the evening's host, Alicia Keys, made reference to the pall cast on the ceremony, which also included a musical tribute to the late L.A. rapper and philanthropist Nipsey Hussle, who was killed last April.
Despite the clouds hanging over the awards, Eilish and her brother and creative partner, Finneas O'Connell, who performed two of her songs together earlier during the ceremony, appeared genuinely starstruck when they began picking up trophies. (O'Connell also broke boundaries with another win on Sunday night: At age 22, he became the youngest-ever winner of the Producer of the Year, Non-Classical prize.)
"I never thought this would happen in my whole life," Eilish said as she accepted the Song of the Year award. "I grew up watching them [the Grammys]. ... I'm so honored and grateful to be here, amongst all of you. I love you to my core, I grew up watching all of you."
YouTube
The behind-the-scenes allegations roiling the Grammys are messy and complicated, and have grown more so on a nearly daily basis. 10 days ago, the president and CEO of the Recording Academy, Deborah Dugan — who was installed in August, and whose appointment as its first female chief was widely seen as a corrective for an institution struggling with perceptions that it was too male, too white, too old and too insular — was suspended for an accusation that she had bullied the executive assistant of her predecessor, Claudine Little.
Dugan claims that her suspension had nothing to do with the alleged bullying — which she has denied — but was in retaliation for a number of extremely serious accusations she made, some initially in a December memo she sent to the Academy's HR department, and then reiterated and expanded in an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission discrimination complaint that was filed last Tuesday.
The EEOC complaint includes several bombshell accusations, including that Dugan's predecessor, Neil Portnow, raped a female artist in New York; that Dugan was pressed to hire Portnow as a consultant for $750,000 by the Academy's then-board chair, John Poppo; and that the Academy's general counsel and former board chair, Joel Katz, sexually harassed Dugan in May 2019, as she was being courted for the top Academy job.
Both Portnow and Katz have denied Dugan's allegations.
In the EEOC complaint, Dugan also alleged major financial self-dealing and improprieties at the Academy — a public, non-profit organization — as well as vote rigging for the awards themselves, and an unwillingess on the part of board members to act upon a number of urgent recommendations made by a diversity and inclusion task force, who released a report of their work in December. The Recording Academy denies those allegations.
In a statement released Sunday morning, the Academy's board chair and interim leader, Harvey Mason Jr., said that the Academy will take up many of diversity goals immediately, including hiring a dedicated diversity and inclusion officer within the next 90 days. (In a counter-statement released hours later, Dugan's lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, said in part: "If the past 10 days have shown anything, it is that the current Chair is not the appropriate individual to effectuate meaningful change at the Academy. This is the same Chair that put Ms. Dugan on leave because she was calling for increased diversity and the end to self-dealing and conflicts of interest.")
About 20 minutes into the show, Keys lightly alluded to Dugan's accusations, saying knowingly, "It's been a hell of a week. Damn! This is a serious one."
But Keys also equivocated, seeming to try to balance the honors bestowed at the awards with a genuine acknowledgment of the need for progress: "I'm proud to be here as an artist... It's time for newness, and we refuse the negative energy," she said early in the show. "We refuse the old systems. ... We want to be respected and safe in our diversity. We want to be shifting to realness and inclusivity."
Lizzo also acknowledged the odd tenor of the night while accepting the prize for Best Pop Solo Performance, during her only televised win of the night: "I realize there are people hurting right now ... Let's continue to reach out, hold each other down and lift each other up." It was one of three wins for Lizzo; the others were for Best Urban Contemporary Album for Cuz I Love You and Best Traditional R&B Performance, for "Jerome."
YouTube
The Academy's priority was likely always going to be to forge on in order to deliver a big show to a global audience, including what the organization likes to call "Grammy moments," including Lil Nas X's performance of "Old Town Road," joined by BTS, Billy Ray Cyrus, Mason Ramsey and Diplo, as well as a feel-good reunion between Aerosmith and Run-DMC for "Walk This Way."
Still, hard realities intervened, even for host Alicia Keys — an Academy stalwart who won five Grammys, including Best New Artist, at the 2002 awards. As she bade the audience good night, she said: "We got a lot to change. We got a lot to do."


npr--2020-01-27--Democrats Renew Demand For Bolton Testimony In Senate Trial After New Report

Democrats Renew Demand For Bolton Testimony In Senate Trial After New Report Updated at 1:20 a.m .
ET Democrats are pressing the Senate to call former national security adviser John Bolton to testify in President Trump 's impeachment trial following a new report that House impeachment managers describe as `` explosive . ''
The New York Times reported Sunday evening that Bolton wrote in a forthcoming book that the president told him in August he wanted to continue withholding close to $ 400 million in military assistance to Ukraine until that country 's government agreed to launch investigations of former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hunter .
The Times report cited accounts from multiple unnamed sources who said they had seen drafts of a manuscript from Bolton 's book about his time in the White House .
NPR has not seen a draft of the manuscript and can not vouch for the accuracy of the report .
Bolton 's lawyer , Charles Cooper , said in an emailed statement to NPR that he had submitted a copy of the manuscript to the National Security Council on Dec. 30 to ensure that no classified information was disclosed .
Cooper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would not be disclosed to officials not regularly involved in the review process .
`` It is clear , regrettably , from The New York Times article published today that the prepublication review process has been corrupted and that information has been disclosed by persons other than those properly involved in reviewing the manuscript , '' Cooper said .
`` I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats , including the Bidens , '' he wrote .
`` If John Bolton said this , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' The Times ' report landed as Trump 's defense team prepares to argue against the president 's removal in his Senate impeachment trial on Monday .
Democratic House impeachment managers argue that the story bolsters their argument to have the Senate call Bolton as a witness at the trial , and to provide his notes and documents .
`` The Senate trial must seek the full truth and Mr. Bolton has vital information to provide , '' the House impeachment team said in a statement .
`` Americans know that a fair @ @ @ @ @ @ @ witnesses blocked by the President — that starts with Mr .
Bolton . ''
`` John Bolton has the evidence , '' Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer , D-N.Y. , tweeted .
`` It 's up to four Senate Republicans to ensure that John Bolton , Mick Mulvaney , and the others with direct knowledge of President Trump 's actions testify in the Senate trial . ''
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif. , said in a tweet that the Times report provides Republican senators with a choice between `` our Constitution or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inquiry had asked Bolton to testify , but did not issue him a subpoena .
Although the White House had ordered senior officials not to testify , Bolton said earlier this month that he would comply if the Senate issued a subpoena for his testimony .
Bolton and his deputy Charles Kupperman had wanted a federal court to rule on whether they should follow the House request or the White House order , but the House withdrew a subpoena for Kupperman and did not pursue the matter in court .
The White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to requests for comment from NPR .

Democrats Renew Demand For Bolton Testimony In Senate Trial After New Report
Enlarge this image toggle caption Carolyn Kaster/AP Carolyn Kaster/AP
Updated at 1:20 a.m. ET
Democrats are pressing the Senate to call former national security adviser John Bolton to testify in President Trump's impeachment trial following a new report that House impeachment managers describe as "explosive."
The New York Times reported Sunday evening that Bolton wrote in a forthcoming book that the president told him in August he wanted to continue withholding close to $400 million in military assistance to Ukraine until that country's government agreed to launch investigations of former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
The Times report cited accounts from multiple unnamed sources who said they had seen drafts of a manuscript from Bolton's book about his time in the White House. NPR has not seen a draft of the manuscript and cannot vouch for the accuracy of the report.
Bolton's lawyer, Charles Cooper, said in an emailed statement to NPR that he had submitted a copy of the manuscript to the National Security Council on Dec. 30 to ensure that no classified information was disclosed. Cooper said his understanding was that the manuscript would not be disclosed to officials not regularly involved in the review process.
"It is clear, regrettably, from The New York Times article published today that the prepublication review process has been corrupted and that information has been disclosed by persons other than those properly involved in reviewing the manuscript," Cooper said.
In a post-midnight tweet, Trump denied the account.
"I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens," he wrote. "If John Bolton said this, it was only to sell a book."
The Times' report landed as Trump's defense team prepares to argue against the president's removal in his Senate impeachment trial on Monday.
Democratic House impeachment managers argue that the story bolsters their argument to have the Senate call Bolton as a witness at the trial, and to provide his notes and documents.
"The Senate trial must seek the full truth and Mr. Bolton has vital information to provide," the House impeachment team said in a statement. "Americans know that a fair trial must include both the documents and witnesses blocked by the President — that starts with Mr. Bolton."
Other senior Democrats backed the House impeachment managers' demand.
"John Bolton has the evidence," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., tweeted. "It's up to four Senate Republicans to ensure that John Bolton, Mick Mulvaney, and the others with direct knowledge of President Trump's actions testify in the Senate trial."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a tweet that the Times report provides Republican senators with a choice between "our Constitution or a cover-up."
The House impeachment inquiry had asked Bolton to testify, but did not issue him a subpoena. Although the White House had ordered senior officials not to testify, Bolton said earlier this month that he would comply if the Senate issued a subpoena for his testimony.
Bolton and his deputy Charles Kupperman had wanted a federal court to rule on whether they should follow the House request or the White House order, but the House withdrew a subpoena for Kupperman and did not pursue the matter in court.
The White House and National Security Council did not respond to requests for comment from NPR.