Analyzing Trump's Ukraine call, UK Parliament returns, Caroline Calloway speaks out
THE BIG STORY
Democrats say Trump's Ukraine call was "far more damning" than they expected
Quick recap: This week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked six House committees to investigate the president under the umbrella of impeachment. This news came after a series of reports that Donald Trump withheld aid from Ukraine and pressured its president to investigate Joe Biden's family ahead of the 2020 election.
Where are we now? Trump released a transcript of his call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, promising that it would make clear that he did nothing wrong. Spoiler alert: it did not. There are at least five moments in the call that could fuel the impeachment investigation.
Trump's explicit ask that the Ukrainian president help dig up dirt on Joe Biden is "exactly the crime that we were concerned about," one House Democratic leader said.
So far, many Republicans have argued the call proves Trump did nothing wrong. But not Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, who said it was "deeply troubling." Democrats are hoping Romney will take on Trump.
The things unsaid: Trump didn't explicitly threaten to withhold military aid in his call with Zelensky — and he didn't have to. An explainer of the relationship between the US and Ukraine.
Life comes at you fast: When Trump's lawyers argued for blocking a Congressional subpoena of the president's financial records, they said House Democrats hadn't given a valid reason for demanding the documents. It's not like the House was looking to impeach Trump, they argued.
Zelensky and Trump meet in New York, Sept. 25. Saul Loeb / AFP / Getty Images STAYING ON TOP OF THIS The UK Parliament returned for a toxic day of frustration, bitterness, and fury
After the UK Supreme Court ruled that Prime Minister Boris Johnson unlawfully suspended parliament, MPs returned to Westminster and tensions were high, but few could have predicted the outpouring of fury that followed.
Johnson dared Labour to call a vote of no confidence in him to force a general election. He asked so often that it became rather desperate. But it was his failure to show any contrition and use of phrases such as "surrender" and "betrayal" that angered MPs on all sides of the House, who accused him of further stoking division in the country.
Here's a rundown of the day.
SNAPSHOTS Former French president Jacques Chirac has died. Chirac served two terms as French president between 1995 and 2007, taking the country into the single European currency and staunchly opposing the Iraq War. He died at his home, surrounded by his family. He was 86.
The feds are suing Match.com for tricking users into paying for subscriptions. Officials are suing the popular dating website's owner for allegedly tricking customers into signing up for paid subscriptions and then keeping them as subscribers through "deceptive" cancellation policies.
The Trump administration has created a Central American barrier for asylum-seekers with a new Honduras deal. The deal will force asylum-seekers who travel through Honduras to first seek protection there. Critics say the Trump administration is forcing people fleeing violence and poverty to go back to countries that have a weak asylum system and are unable to protect their own people, let alone immigrants.
Amazon announced AirPod and HomePod competitors. The company showed off a slew of new products, including Echo Buds — wireless earbuds with Bose noise cancellation — and Echo Studio, a high-definition Alexa-controlled speaker. The details are here.
Controversial influencer and podcaster Jackie O said she's not sorry for suggesting shootings are more common in cheaper movie theaters. Jackie Oshry is responding to pushback from fans over a comment in her podcast where she argued that mass shootings are less likely to happen in nicer theaters.
THE WRONG KIND OF VIRAL Caroline Calloway wants to talk about why you love to hate her
Caroline Calloway probably didn't want to go viral like this. But two times this year, her name ricocheted around the internet — neither time for something good.
Both times, the influencer/internet personality was accused of being a scammer. Both times, she was held up as the example of influencer culture gone too far.
As you can imagine, she had a few things to say about this. "I think that is people wanting to condemn young white girls with lots of Instagram followers," she said. "Our culture fucking loves to hate them."
Reporter Stephanie McNeal spent a whole day with Calloway ("We took a break when I walked her to and from her therapy session, and another when I accompanied her to a local wine shop to buy a bottle of Riesling. She never changed out of her pajamas."). Read the fascinating profile.
By the way: if you crave more of the twists and turns of the world of influencers, friend, sign up for the Please Like Me newsletter. As a bonus, this week you'll get all the ~extra deets~ that McNeal couldn't fit into her story about Calloway. LIFE FINDS A WAY The original Jurassic Park cast are reuniting for a new film
Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, and Laura Dern, the stars of the original Jurassic Park film, will return for the upcoming third installment of the Jurassic World series.
It was revealed that the trio will be returning in "major roles," not just cameos. The three haven't been in the same film together since the first Jurassic Park.
Life really does find a way.
Wishing you clarity in organizing your priorities today, Elamin BuzzFeed, Inc.
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