Special edition: Sondland stuns and Democrats debate

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VIEW IN BROWSER | SUBSCRIBE WED, NOV 20, 2019 CNBC POLITICS EDITOR'S NOTE Hello,   Welcome to a special midweek edition of the CNBC Politics newsletter. So much news went down Wednesday, from blockbuster impeachment testimony to the latest Democratic presidential debate, that we thought it was important to keep you updated.   Here are some of the day's developments:   U.S. Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland implicated Mike Pompeo, Rick Perry, Rudy Giuliani, Vice President Pence and President Trump in a scheme to pressure Ukraine into announcing an investigation into Trump's political foes. Christina Wilkie and Kevin Breuninger break it down.  In the Democratic debate, Elizabeth Warren set the tone early by pushing her wealth tax as a way to unite a country divided into fierce partisan camps. Jacob Pramuk reports. Joe Biden again said he backs impeaching Trump, but when it comes to the question of prosecuting Trump after he leaves office, the former vice president took the high road. "Look, I would not direct my Justice Department like this president does. I would let them make their independent judgment," Biden said during the debate. Tucker Higgins reports.   Thoughts on impeachment and the state of the 2020 race for the White House? Email me at CNBCPolitics@nbcuni.com.   Thanks for reading.    Have friends or colleagues who might like this newsletter? They can sign up here. For more on the intersection of business and politics, sign up for the weekly Capital Exchange newsletter here. Mike Calia @Michael_Calia KEY STORIES  Here are the top moments from the fifth Democratic debate Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg and other Democratic presidential contenders took to the debate stage after a momentous day of impeachment testimony. 3 things we learned in Gordon Sondland's Trump impeachment testimony The testimony of EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland contained several revelations that could alter the course of the Trump impeachment inquiry. Elizabeth Warren pushes her wealth tax plan as a way to unite the country Asked about what she would do to unite the country, Elizabeth Warren pointed to her wealth tax plan and other proposals targeting the rich. Trump ordered Ukraine 'quid pro quo' through Giuliani, Sondland testifies "Mr. Giuliani was expressing the desires of the president of the United States, and we knew that these investigations were important to the president," Sondland said. 'I want nothing!' — Trump denies Sondland's claim there was a Ukraine 'quid pro quo' Trump also says of Sondland that "I don't know him very well. I have not spoken to him much," but he "seems like a nice guy, though." Joe Biden says he would let Justice Dept. decide whether to prosecute Trump Joe Biden said on Wednesday that he would not order his administration to investigate Donald Trump if the former vice president is elected in 2020. Ukraine inquired about aid the same day Trump asked Zelenskiy about Biden probe, witness says Laura Cooper testified in a impeachment hearing that members of her staff showed her emails from the State Department, both of which were received the afternoon of July 25. Cory Booker goes after Biden on race and marijuana Sen. Cory Booker expressed his shock that Biden still disagreed with legalizing marijuana because he thought it was a "gateway drug."       Unsubscribe Manage Newsletters Terms of Service Join the CNBC Panel Digital Products Feedback Privacy Policy   © 2019 CNBC LLC. All rights reserved. A property of NBCUniversal. 900 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes and Market Data and Analysis. Data also provided by THOMSON REUTERS