Today's Headlines and Commentary

The first open hearing in the impeachment inquiry into President Trump began at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday with testimony from William B. Taylor Jr., the acting ambassador to Ukraine, and George Kent, deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, reports the Washington Post. Lawfare is livestreaming the hearing here.

On Tuesday, the House Intelligence Committee announced a new set of public hearings with eight witnesses for next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, according to Politico.

The New York Times reports that President Trump has considered firing the intelligence community’s inspector general Michael Atkinson due to his conclusion that the whistleblower complaint was credible.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is scheduled to visit the White House on Wednesday, reports the Post. Prior to the visit, President Trump offered Erdogan a package of inducements to improve U.S.-Turkey relations.

The Palestinian death toll increased to 23 over a two-day escalation in violence with continued Israeli airstrikes since the IDF’s targeting of an Islamic Jihad commander, according to Reuters.

Bolivian opposition senator Jeanine Áñez declared herself interim president after Evo Morales’ resignation, and her appointment was endorsed by Bolivia’s Constitutional Court, reports the BBC.

The F.B.I. said that criminal attacks motivated by bias or prejudice in 2018 reached their highest point in the past 16 years, with a significant increase in attacks against Latinos, according to the Times.

ICYMI: Yesterday on Lawfare

Margaret Taylor and Benjamin Wittes created a cohesive narrative on the Ukraine scandal based on the collection of released depositions.

Quinta Jurecic posted the transcript from the impeachment inquiry deposition of Catherine Croft.

Jurecic also posted the transcript of Christopher Anderson.

Mikhaila Fogel shared a memo from House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff that outlines the procedures for public hearings related to the impeachment inquiry.

Jeb Rubenfeld continued his discussion on Google and Facebook being state actors with commentary on what First Amendment forums these companies operate.

Alan Z. Rozenshtein argued that Google and Facebook are not state actors contrary to the pieces by Rubenfeld.

Gordon Ahl posted the plea agreement and affidavit of a member of the white supremacist organization Atomwaffen Division on firearm possession charges.