Tue Jan 28 2020

A firsthand account by John R. Bolton, the former national security adviser, directly linked President Trump to a quid pro quo in the Ukraine affair, undercutting a central plank of the defense’s argument. What could that mean for the final phase of the impeachment trial? Guests: Maggie Haberman, who covers the White House and Michael S. Schmidt, who covers national security and federal investigations for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.  Background reading: A Times investigation revealed that Mr. Bolton privately expressed concern to the attorney general last year that the president was effectively granting personal favors to autocratic leaders around the world.Republican senators had been ready to swiftly acquit President Trump. But Mr. Bolton’s revelations in the manuscript of his new book could change the calculus.