Impeachment Inquiry Hearings Begin: Will Dems Win the Battle but Lose the War?

The Critical Hour

Did the Democrats advance their position that US President Donald Trump has abused his power as president, or did Republicans defend their position that this impeachment inquiry is a politically motivated witch-hunt intended to overturn the 2016 election? I have no doubt that the Democrats will get articles of impeachment out of the House. Those articles will go forward to the Senate, where they will die their natural death. The Senate is controlled by the Republicans, and Chief Justice John Roberts will oversee the trial. Was anything provided Wednesday that is going to shift anyone’s position either way?
"Bolivian Senator Jeanine Añez, a leader of the nation's right-wing opposition party, declared herself interim president of the country Tuesday night despite lacking the constitutionally required number of lawmakers to approve her appointment," Common Dreams reported Wednesday. "'I assume the presidency immediately and will do everything necessary to pacify the country,' declared Añez, who has a history of racist attacks against indigenous Bolivians." This sounds eerily reminiscent of Venezuela and Juan Guido.
"Comcast's Supreme Court battle with Byron Allen may make racial discrimination harder to fight," read the headline for a Wednesday editorial for NBC News by legal analyst Maya Wiley. "The case isn't just about the cable company and one media mogul. The results of the company's legal strategy could be devastating to civil rights law." Who is Byron Allen, and why is this case so important?
GUESTS:
Ray Baker — Political analyst and host of the podcast Public Agenda.
David Schultz — Professor of political science at Hamline University.
Nino Pagliccia — Activist and freelance writer based in Vancouver. A retired researcher from the University of British Columbia, Canada, Pagliccia is a Venezuelan-Canadian who follows and writes about international relations with a focus on the Americas, and is also the editor of the book “Cuba Solidarity in Canada – Five Decades of People-to-People Foreign Relations.”
Jackie Luqman — Co-editor-in-chief of Luqman Nation and the co-host of the Facebook livestream "Coffee, Current Events & Politics."