Justice Department inspector general to testify on FISA investigation

Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Dec. 11 about his investigation into alleged abuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) during the Russia probe, Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) announced Monday.

Why it matters: Horowitz's highly anticipated report is expected to explore, among other things, whether the FBI's court-ordered surveillance of former Trump campaign aide Carter Page was properly handled. Trump allies hope that Horowitz's report, as well as a separate investigation into intelligence collecting led by prosecutor John Durham, will undermine the findings of the Russia investigation.

Go deeper: Investigation into Trump-Russia probe said to become criminal inquiry

• Stat du jour: 🎓 International enrollment in U.S. colleges falls for 3rd straight year
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• 1 impeachment thing: 📆 The schedule for this week's hearings
• 1 2020 thing: 😳 Buttigieg campaign apologizes for Kenya stock photo, blames contractor
• 1 biz thing: 📱 T-Mobile will replace CEO John Legere
• 1 world thing: 🇮🇱 U.S. will no longer view Israeli settlements in West Bank as illegal

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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s announcement today on Israeli settlements was a major shift in U.S. policy and gives the settlements project diplomatic backing, but otherwise has few practical implications.

Why it matters: What the decision will do is deepen the divide between Democrats and Republicans on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The shift on the legal status of the settlements will continue to erode bipartisan support for Israel — especially with the U.S. entering an election year.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) on Monday sent a letter to House Intelligence Ranking Member Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) and House Oversight Ranking Member Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) outlining his account of President Trump's dealings with Ukraine.

Why it matters: Johnson has previously said that he "winced" when EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland told him President Trump would likely unfreeze nearly $400 million in military aid if Ukraine announced an investigation into the 2016 election. In the letter, however, Johnson said that Trump vehemently denied there was any link between the investigations and the aid and that the president said he barely knew Sondland.

The House Intelligence Committee will begin its second week of public hearings in its impeachment inquiry on Tuesday, holding five hearings with eight witnesses over three days.

The big picture: Unlike last week's testimonies from Bill Taylor, George Kent and Marie Yovanovitch, this week will see testimony from officials who directly listened in to President Trump's July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — as well others with direct knowledge about the alleged withholding of military aid to Ukraine.

David Holmes, a State Department official working at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, will testify publicly in an impeachment hearing on Thursday alongside President Trump's former Russia adviser Fiona Hill, according to House officials.

Why it matters: In a closed-door deposition, Holmes testified that he overheard a phone call between EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland and Trump on July 26, the day after the infamous call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Holmes claimed he heard Trump ask Sondland, "So, he's gonna do the investigation?" to which Sondland responded, "He's gonna do it," adding that Zelensky would do "anything you ask him to."

Pete Buttigieg, who recently rocketed to the top of polls in Iowa, released a $500 billion college affordability plan today, which would make public college tuition free for households earning under $100,000 and inject $120 billion into federal Pell Grants.

The big picture: It contrasts with more expansive proposals from Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, who want to wipe out all college tuition and debt — though nearly every 2020 contender has their own ideas.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Monday that the U.S. will no longer view Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Golan Heights and East Jerusalem as "inconsistent with international law."

Why it matters: This move is an important shift because it cancels a legal position held by the U.S. State Department since 1978, when the Carter administration determined that the settlements were a violation of international law.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo dodged multiple questions at a press conference Monday about why he has declined to offer public support to State Department employees, like former Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, who have been caught up in impeachment proceedings.

Why it matters: President Trump has attacked career civil servants in general — and Yovanovitch in particular — as "Never Trumpers" determined to remove him from office. Former diplomats have warned that such rhetoric is inflicting lasting damage on the foreign service, and Pompeo's silence on the issue has been met with significant criticism.

The Supreme Court on Monday issued an administrative stay blocking House Democrats' subpoena for President Trump's tax returns until both sides can file the necessary legal papers.

Why it matters: The lower court order compelling Trump's longtime accounting firm Mazars USA to turn over the president's financial records will be delayed until the Supreme Court decides whether to take up Trump's appeal. Trump has requested that the Supreme Court protect his financial records from both House investigators and the Manhattan district attorney's office, which is conducting a criminal investigation.

The House is investigating whether President Trump lied in his written answers to special counsel Robert Mueller in the wake of new revelations from Roger Stone's trial, CNN reports.

Why it matters: House Democrats had previously suggested in a court filing in September that Trump may have lied, but they drew "new focus" to the allegations during opening arguments Monday in a case involving the Judiciary Committee's request to unseal grand jury materials from the Mueller report, per CNN.

Private equity's loudest political antagonists were back at it over the weekend, wrongly arguing that Taylor Swift's contract dispute is illustrative of the industry's rapaciousness.

What happened: While Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Alexandia Ocasio-Cortez each tweeted that private equity must be "reined in," they'll need to publicly wrestle at some point with how private equity is fueled by public pension systems that they otherwise support.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting in early May with his top aides to seek advice on how to navigate pressure from the Trump administration to investigate Joe Biden, two people with knowledge of the briefings told AP.

Why it matters: The sources said Zelensky was concerned that the White House wanted him to take action that could influence the 2020 presidential race — well before the July 25 call with President Trump that's at the heart of the ongoing impeachment inquiry.

As giant tech firms fight for the attention of their industry, they're putting more money and effort into transforming their conferences into mindshare-grabbing shows.

Why it matters: Tech firms use these events to woo business partners, inspire users, reward loyal developers and attract programming talent. For a wildly profitable industry, they're also becoming a new arena of excess.

House Republicans are asking Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) for "firsthand information" about Ukraine-related meetings, briefings and conversations with President Trump and EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland.

What's happening: A letter from Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, who's leading the GOP case, and Rep. Devin Nunes of California, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, asked Johnson for his recollections after attending the inauguration of Ukraine's president in May.

California’s unprecedented law requiring all public companies headquartered there to have at least one female board member by 2020 is drawing lawsuits.

Why it matters: Pressure to diversify corporate boards has historically come from shareholders and special interest groups. With California's law poised to take effect — and at least three states weighing similar legislation — critics are raising the question of government overreach.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren's two-part plan to pass a public option as a transition into Medicare for All — and then full-blown Medicare for All a few years later — has revealed the difficulty of appealing to both the pragmatic and progressive wings of the party.

The big picture: Warren's already being criticized by progressives for not being a Medicare for All purist, and because of the realities of governing, they may have a point: Passing two major health reforms in one term is unheard of.

Forget the campaign trail and Congress. The real debate on climate change is happening in the courtrooms.

The big picture: With federal policy gridlocked, advocates are pushing an ever-growing list of long-shot lawsuits blaming big oil companies and the government for the planet’s hot mess.

Gordon Sondland, U.S. ambassador to the EU, briefed senior administration officials on efforts to get Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden ahead of President Trump's July 25 call with the Ukrainian leader, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Why it matters: Emails allegedly sent by Sondland that were obtained by WSJ indicate that several other officials can confirm what some witnesses have testified to already about a Trump administration request to investigate Burisma, the gas company with ties to Biden's son.

Police in Fresno, California, said at least four people were killed and six others wounded in a backyard shooting on Sunday evening, local news outlets first reported. "No suspect is in custody," AP reports.

Details: Fresno Police Lt. Bill Dooley said in an initial briefing that the suspect had entered the property in the city that's southeast of Sacramento and opened fire during a football watch party about 6 pm. Deputy Chief Michael Reid later told reporters that three people died at the home, where "at least 35 people" were present.

Police surrounded Hong Kong Polytechnic University Monday after trying to storm the campus by repeatedly firing tear gas and water cannon at the building — hours after threatening to use live bullets against dissidents, Reuters and AP report.

The latest: "Dozens" of demonstrators attempted to leave the university campus in the morning after days barricaded inside, but police used rubber bullets and tear gas to prevent them, the BBC notes.