Not. But we start with breaking news and a new investigation for President Trump. The house now wants to know if the president lied when he provided written testimony to special counsel Robert Muellers team. We have pamela brown with us. Shes here with her reporting. And Elliott Williams has the legal angle on this. Pamela, some people would say, what . Robert miller is so this summer. Whats going on, whats this about and why now . There was a court filing from the democrats house lawyer telling the judge that basically, look, we really need to see this grand jury information that was given to Robert Mueller, because there is growing concern that the president lied in his written answers to muellers investigators. And they point to information that has come out during the roger stone testimony, who we know efhe was just recently convicted and an associate of trump. As you know, rick gates had testified the president had just gotten off the phone with roger stone and told him more information would be coming. He also said that paul manafort, the campaign chairman, had been briefing the president about efforts to get the wikileaks emails. What is interesting about that is in light of what the president said in his written answers to mueller, as youll recall, which is a key word in his written answers. He said it, i think, more than two dozen times. In this one he says, i do not recall that anybody in the campaign, robert mule or anyone in the campaign, had discussion with any of the entities naming the discussion regarding the content or release of hacked emails. So democrats are now seizing on this and saying, look, we have reason to believe the president wasnt telling the truth here. What this does is add new urgency to the democrats argument that the president may have lied. Its an argument theyre making for a while and theyre now filing it in court. They want to see this grand jury testimony, obviously, that theyre not privy to at this point in time. Are they going to get this grand jury testimony from the Mueller Investigation . They should, and there is a big reason why. The lower court that first addressed this question was really looking at the question of whether impeachment is a, quote, legitimate legal proceeding that would allow well, it is, under the eyes of the law that would allow the transfer of grand jury materials. If they have grand jury material and you as a reporter ask for them, youre not allowed to see them, theyre secret. They can only be shared with another active judicial proceeding. So the court found recently, about a couple weeks ago, that it was. That its legitimate. Thats counter to what the white house thinks. You dont have to believe the president ought to be impeached, you dont have to agree legally that he should be removed. But the question is, is the proceeding itself a relatively legal one, and thats in the eyes of the law. The whole United States versus nixon hinged president Richard Nixon on the question of whether the proceedings were legitimate. I want to say the attorney jay sekulow said, read the answers to the questioned, they speak for themselves. The president said he did not lie. But its interesting the scrutiny in his answers to mueller in light of the president saying today, yeah, maybe i will take up nancy pelosi on her offer to provide testimony to impeachment investigators. Hard to believe he would do that. All right, you guys, stand by for me. Now to the impeachment inquiry and a deep bench of witnesses ready to take the stand this week. There are eight in all. Tomorrow youll see four testify. Jennifer williams is Senior Adviser to Vice President mike pence. Lieutenant colonel michael vindman, hes a director on the National Security council. And kurt volker is the special envoy for ukraine, and tim morris morrison, the National Security council top adviser on russia and europe. Morrison testified that he was told by Ambassador Gordon Sondland that the military aid from the u. S. To ukraine was directly tied to ukraine announcing an investigation into the biden family. Williams, vindman and morrison were all on that phone call that President Trump had with ukranian president zelensky. Wednesday well be hearing from sondland, from ambassador sondland. He has a bhowhole lot to answer for. Because out of this group, hes the only one that had direct contact with President Trump on ukraine, and also very importantly, those investigations that the president wanted. Sondland previously indicated that there was, indeed, a quid pro quo after he revised his earlier deposition before House Democrats and republicans. Also on wednesday, well be seei seeing laura cooper, the Deputy Assistant of defense. And on thursday, fiona hill, President Trumps former top russia adviser. Announcer this is cnn breaking news. All right, we have some breaking news right now. The Supreme Court is blocking the release this week of the president s taxes to a house committee. The president s attorneys asked the court to step in ahead of a wednesday deadline. There is an Accounting Firm that was used by President Trump that had been ordered to turn over these financial records. I want to bring in Jessica Schneider to talk about this. This is very fresh, this is just in. Tell us what this decision means. Tell us, did the house fight the temporary order . Reporter so this is just in from the Supreme Court, and this is something we had been expecting, brianna. Because under the lower courts decision, they wanted these documents, these financial records, released by wednesday. But, of course, President Trumps lawyer stepped in here saying, hey, Supreme Court, were appealing to you to put a hold on these documents, these financial records, being released as of this wednesday deadline. So thats what the Supreme Court has done here. Theyve stepped in and said, no, you will not be getting these financial records by wednesday. Were going to put that deadline essentially on hold while this sort of plays out and the supreme coukorcourt decides wher not to hear the broader issues in this case. We pretty much knew that could potentially happen here, because President Trumps lawyers went to the Supreme Court asking the Supreme Court to step in. What weve just learned is that the Supreme Court has, in fact, stepped in. These financial records will not be released. The house does have to respond to this, this effort to block this subpoena. That will be to the Supreme Court and that needs to be submitted by thursday at 3 00 p. M. So, really, this is an ongoing process here in this battle by House Democrats to get the president s financial records. They thought maybe there was a slim chance they might get them by wednesday because of an Appellate Court order, but now the Supreme Court saying it will not happen by wednesday. We need to continue to evaluate how this case will proceed and potentially get to the merits of this case. So we wont see anything this week, brianna. Jaessica schneider, thank yo so much for that report. I want to bring in dana bash to discuss this. I suppose this isnt particularly surprising, dana, just because once these records are out, you cant put them back in, right . No, you cant. So there has to be a final decision, and until then, these tax returns arent going to be out there. I think the key is its not a no, its a not yet. The president , who has fought tooth and nail releasing these tax returns, that we should remind people the tradition is for president ial candidates to always release their tax returns since Richard Nixon. He might win at the Supreme Court, he might not win at the Supreme Court. The fact that the court wants to take time, maybe as you said, is kind of pro forma. Its the president of the United States. This is unprecedented in every way. But the fact theyre not saying, were not even going to hear this, were not going to deal with this, is also significant. Even though there is a Public Interest in seeing the tax returns, again, regardless of where you are on the president. Like you said, the president has an issue releasing president ial tax returns. Parties have rights, and thats not to be irreparably harmed by the release of a document theyre still trying to protect. So i think, yes, its not uncommon to stay the release of them, but not yet, dana. Why are they fighting so hard for them not to be out there . Its interesting, because this isnt the only case surrounding his tax returns, right . There is also the case of prosecutors who want to see their tax returns for their investigation. Thats something that went to the Supreme Court. Well see if they make a landmark decision on that. But the president has made broad arguments that he should not have to turn over his tax returns, that he is immune, so it would be a significant landmark decision, potentially, on separation of powers. Its not just immune from criminal prosecution, its immune to the critical process. They made an argument that you cannot even ask the president questions even if youre not committing a krichl. Could he plead the fifth . Could he refuse to answer . A key witness has some work to do. Is the white house telling the truth about an unannounced hospital visit . Chevy earned more j. D. 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Ambassador Gordon Sondland will testify wednesday in the impeachment inquiry hearing. He said he was being e mailed up to date for investigations by ukraine into the 2016 election and into the biden family. The journal reports those went to mick mulvaney, chief of staff, and rick perry. Kylie, tell us about this. What more do we know about this information between sondland and perry and mulvaney . Mulvaney, being the president s acting chief of staff, and secretary perry, the secretary of energy, they arent going to provide any testimony atz part of this house impeachment inquiry. Thats why its so important that Gordon Sondland, the u. S. Ambassador to the eu, who has been involved knees discussiin discussions is heading up the impeachment inquiry this week. One of the things to realize is the wall street journal reporting is very important. It said that the ambassador was keeping mulvaney and perry apprised of this effort to push for negotiations by the ukranians leading up to that july 25th phone call. But during his testimony, his closed door testimony, ambassador sondland tried to distance himself from the contents of that july 25th phone call. I want to read you something that he said during his closed door testimony. He said, quote, none of the brief and general call summaries i received contained any mention of burisma or former Vice President biden, noreen suggested that President Trump had made any kind of request of president zelensky. I heard afterwards that the july 25th, 2019, call went well in solidifying a relationship between the two leaders. Therefore, hes really trying to say that he had nothing to do with any contents of that phone call. That is a disparate with what we are learning now from the wall street journal. So another quote from what he told lawmakers behind closed doors is he said, quote, let me state clearly, inviting a Foreign Government to undertake investigations for the purpose of influencing an upcoming u. S. Election would be wrong. So lawmakers are definitely going to want to ask ambassador sondland about that. But the bottom line here is that we have heard from a number of other u. S. Officials as part of this impeachment inquiry. What they keep saying is that ambassador sondland had a direct line to President Trump. And tim morrison, who is the senior russia director at the National Security council, he said this in his testimony before lawmakers. He said, he related to me, he being Ambassador Gordon Sondland, that he was discussing these matters with the president. Therefore, he was told by sondland that he was calling up President Trump to discuss these investigations. We heard a similar thing from fiona hill. She was also a Senior Adviser to President Trump on russia. She actually got into a little bit of a tiff with Gordon Sondland, because she said to him at one point, youre not in charge of ukraine, him being the ambassador to the eu. And the response that she got was, quote, he related to me im sorry, he said fiona hill said to back to him, who has said youre in charge of ukraine, gordon . And he said, the president. Well, that shut me up because you cant really argue with that. A number of officials here, brianna, repeatedly saying that Gordon Sondland told them he was in charge of this policy. Its really important to note that there have been discrepancies in what those folks have told lawmakers and what Gordon Sondland is. There are questions about the authenticity of what he has told. So there are going to be a number of questions, and, of course, he could plead the fifth if he wants to. Brianna . He could. Kylie, thank you so much for breaking all that down for us. Very instructive as we bring in our chief political correspondent, dana bash, back with us and elliot williams. I just loved that being laid out, because you see witness, witness, witness, making it very clear, and it was known among all of them that sondland was basically spearheading this request, or was such an integral part of asking ukraine, were laying this out that the president wants these investigations. Were going to see a lot of testimony, a lot of names that will be suddenly familiar to people who are glued to this impeachment process. But none is more important, as far as we know now, is as important as Gordon Sondland. Because he is the lynch pin. Hes the guy who talked to the president. Hes the guy who, according to what kylie was just reporting, reported back on the investigations he was trying to get, allegedly, in exchange for a white house meeting and, more importantly, the military aid from the United States. And the fact that he was reporting back, apparently, to mick mulvaney, the president s chief of staff, to the almost former energy secretary, rick perry, it is so significant. There is a very widely played parlor game right now in washington, though. The question is whether or not sondland is actually going to show up, because hes literally going to be dancing on the head of a pin in that hearing room. You can see why, right . Because since he was deposed behind closed doors, we have learned from other witnesses here that he had spoken on the phone with the president and that there were three state department aides, or three aides who overheard that conversation, which was specifically about these investigations. So its really hard for him to kind of plead the ignorance that we saw him pleading in his deposition. What does he do . The thing is, not testifying or pleading the fifth is disastrous for him and disastrous for the president. Because what it ultimately is is a concession that hes done something perhaps illegal. So what he has to do is come and testify and say, look, i believed things slightly differently than people have previously testified. This is what i believe to have been can he come in and say, i recall this differently and i dont necessarily take issue with what theyre saying, and thats his way out . Its theyre not wrong, but thats not quite how i remember it. What would that mean for the president . The president has already started distancing himself from sondland, saying he barely knows the guy. This is a classic trump move when people in his circle get in trouble. Paul manafort. Barely know the guy. Exactly. But its going to be hard for the president to keep that going when and if sondland testifies about his conversations with the president. Not just the one that he talked about in the deposition where the president said no quid pro quo, no quid pro quo, but more importantly, the one we found out about last week. You mentioned the one in the restaurant. And maybe others we just dont know about that could come out in this hearing. Jennifer williams were going to hear from. Shes testifying tomorrow. The president had actually hacked her on twitter, which is awful considering he is the Vice President s aide even though the president keeps saying she isnt. Notice you havent heard from Vice President pence from this, and even before this broke, the president said, you should talk to pence and get his answers. So what does the Vice President know . What does the president of the United States know . You see the brilliance of the houses strategy to putting the fact witnesses up first, the people who could say this happened, and now a number of witnesses that theyre basically baiting the president into attacking, many of whom are sympathetic like williams who is a woman and a white house staffer. Its a credible strategy and quite deliberate why shes going third or fourth. This is one of those moments that beverage every day where we have to stop and take a step back and say, this is not normal. For the president this weekend, to attack somebody who works for his Vice President on twitter who is going to testify before an impeachment inquiry, there are no words. And the standard isnt, did the president commit a crime or not. Thats the question were asking. If the only question youre asking is, was it a crime or not, and if its not a crime, its okay, weve fallen completely as a government. Elliot, dana, thanks so much to both of you. We have more breaking news. The president blocking the house from getting his tax returns. Plus the president made an unannounced visit to the hospital that didnt follow protocol. The white house says, nothing to see here, but there are many red flags. How did you find greatgrandmas recipe . Were related to them . Were portuguese . I thought we were hungarian . Grandpa, can you tell me the story again . Behind every question is a story waiting to be discovered. 9. 95 . No way. . Behind every question 9. 95 . Thats impossible. Hi, im jonathan, a manager here at Colonial PennLife Insurance company, to tell you it is possible. If youre age 50 to 85, you can get Life Insurance with options starting at just 9. 95 a month. Okay, jonathan, im listening. Tell me more. Just 9. 95 a month for Colonial Penns number one most popular whole Life Insurance plan. There are no Health Questions to answer and there are no medical exams to take. Your acceptance is guaranteed. Guaranteed acceptance . I like guarantees. Keep going. 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But a source tells cnn the unannounced visit did not follow protocol for a routine visit like that one, and the president s last yearly checkup was only nine months ago. Here for me to discuss is chief medical correspondent dr. Sanjay gupta. You know, sanjay, the White House Press secretary is basically accusing the media of cooking up conspiracy theories here, but this is a white house that lacks credibility because it has verifiably lied on multiple occasions, and the president has a history of misleading the media about his health. Even when Melania Trump, for instance, went into the hospital last year for a kidney condition that seemed very benign by mention from the white house, it wasnt your typical hospital stay there. What red flags does this raise to you . A president ial visit to the hospital is a big thing, and it sounds like the staff didnt necessarily know. Some staff probably knew, but not everybody. They typically all know because its a pretty big event. They also say a quick exam and labs. Thats what he had done at the hospital, quick exam and labs. Those things are often done at the white house medical unit. There is a medical unit within the white house. They can do quite a bit there, including things like this. So what was it, i guess, is the question that he needed to go to the hospital for specifically . Was it a specific test, was it Something Else . We dont know. As you know, Stephanie Grisham has been clear that there were no symptoms that prompted this visit, but i think any medical professional who hears about a patient going to a hospital in sort of a surprise way like this, that would be the question. I will say that im glad he got it checked out, whatever it was, and he was only in the hospital for a couple of hours, from what i understand. So, you know, if it were something more intensive, you would think that the doctors would have kept him longer. But again, we dont know. We dont know what it is, we dont know what he had done there, and we dont know why it was done so early. The president said that this visit was only phase 1 of his yearly physical. Its worth noting he had his last physical about nine months ago. It did not have multiple phases. What do you make of this explanation . I never heard of a multiplephased physical examination. In some ways its not helpful, even, because if you get the labs done early there is a reason you wait a year to check the blood again. You want to see if the certain modifications youre making by meds or lifestyle are making a difference. So getting him checked three or four months early really doesnt serve any purpose. He would probably have to have those repeated, anyway, in february. So physical exams, they take a few hours, typically. I think his last one took four hours. He was there for two hours on saturday. I talked to a few other colleagues. Phased physical exams routine are just not done. We do know, and i remember we spoke about this several months ago from his last physical, that he actually has a common form of heart disease, that hes been taking medication for high cholesterol. You mentioned the doctors would want a year to see how things kick in there. What complications could arrive from that condition . Thats probably one of the big ones here. Again, he has this issue with high cholesterol for which hes taking the medications. He is clinically obese by virtue of his height and his weight there, and he has a common form of heart disease. Thats certainly got to be one of the things at the top of the list to be concerned about, and everybody, really, in their 70s who make a surprise visit to the hospital. Thats one of the areas you look. I will say again, brianna, just in the bucket list of things that dont make much sense, two hours in the hospital. If it were a more serious heart condition or something intensive, you would think he would be there longer. But its very hard to piece this all together. That past medical history, though, i do think is relevant here. Great talking to you, son jay. President trump said to be retreating on his ban of flavored vaping, despite Melania Trump initially pushing him on this ban and his promises. Plus, were the russians listening to the infamous phone call of the president allegedly talking about biden investigations. This will play a key role in this weeks hearings. So what are you working on . Im searching for info on options trading, and look, it feels like im just wasting time. Wasted time is wasted opportunity. Exactly. Thats why Td Ameritrade designed a firstofitskind, personalized education center. See, you just oh, this is easy. Yeah, and thats oh, just what i need. Courses on options trading, webcasts, tutorials. Yeah. Their awardwinning content is tailored to fit your investing goals and interests. And it learns with you, so as you become smarter, so do its recommendations. 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A Medicare Supplement plan helps pay some of what medicare doesnt. You know, the pizza slice. It allows you to choose any doctor, who accepts medicare patients. And these are the only plans of their kind endorsed by aarp. Whew call unitedhealthcare today and ask for this free decision guide. Despite a big push from the first lady to ban flavored ecigarettes that appeal to children, the New York Times is reporting that President Trump may be changing his mind on the issue. Back in september Melania Trump appeared with the president when he made this announcement on new strong recommendations, as he called them, on vaping. Rarely commenting on political issues, the first lady was very interested. She tweeted about her interest in the topic. We have cnn reporter kate bennett to talk about this. Youre trying to figure out whats going on here, right, because if he is pushing back on it and me lathe first lady is v much for it, what do you think . Melania trump does not believer any of these Nicotine Products should be marketed or sold to children. Which is kind of towing the line here, but that came together about a day after the first lady first tweeted about this, and thats when we kept hearing about the deaths that could be associated with vaping happening across the country. Clearly this was something she really cared about and wanted to get. Then the mill fallout happened and the president started hearing from people who were pro vaping, people who could be in his base. Skbrim skpr jim acosta was saying, hey, this ban on ecigarettes could be bad for you in 2020. The first lady doesnt appear to be backing down on what she feels is really a negative impact on children. Again, not to forget that the president and the first lady have a 13yearold son. We remember that from that press conference where she said, we have a son, together we ever a son, awkward moment, and of course its affecting kids everywhere. It will be interesting to see how the political impact affects this issue for Melania Trump. It doesnt say ban in that statement, kate. I know youll be getting to the bottom of, what does she mean exact s exactly . Just hours after roger stone was found guilty, the president issues controversial pardons, and one of those pardoned military officers is speaking out. Also Carl Bernstein is why the pardons sent a message to the impeachment scandal. So on behalf of chevrolet, i want to say thank you, real people. Youre welcome. Were gonna need a bigger room. When youyou spend lessfair, and get way more. So you can bring your vision to life and save in more ways than one. For small prices, you can build big dreams, spend less, get way more. Shop everything home at wayfair. Com wwithout it, i cannot write myl tremors wouldname. Xtreme. I was diagnosed with parkinsons. I had to retire from law enforcement. It was devastating. One of my medications is three thousand dollars per month. 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Leavenworth, kansas, lawrence is speaking out about the military leadership that advised President Trump against the pardon. I think folks that start putting stars on their collar, anybody thats got to be confirmed by the senate for a promotion, theyre no longer a soldier, theyre a politician. And so i think they lose some of their values. And they certainly lose a lot of the respect from their subordinates when they do what they did to me, which was, you know, throw me under the bus, mr. President me. I wish you had a better team around you. You need more people watching your back. And i think you dont have a lot of that. Now, President Trump also pardoned army major matthew goldstein, who was awaiting trial on a murder charge of an unarmed afghan man. That happened in his 2020 employment. And Caesar Gallagher had been demoted regarding the death of an isis prisoner. Lets talk about this now. I want to bring in rachel van handringham. She now teaches law at a law school. The pentagon is staunchly opposed to this move. You say this is a terrible move. There are many folks who are experts on Civil Military relations who are former military who say this is a bad idea. Tell us why. It demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of how the u. S. Military fights, and it demonstrates a complete disregard and disrespect for the entire military chain of command. President trump is challenging the credibility of his commanders. So unlike what lieutenant lawrence just said about generals lose respect when they pin on their stars, we depend on senior level commanders within the military to lead our troops, to make life and death decisions to protect our servicemembers and to protect our country. And we trust them to make solid, good decisions based on the evidence and on the facts, how to dispose of credible allegations of misconduct. Id like to add in response to lieutenant lawrences comment that while some general put him in jail, there is an entire system here at stake, and that system is the military justice system. The criminal law system is set up by congress with tremendous oversight by congress to allow commanders to provide fair and just accountability for soldier misconduct. He said anyone who has to be confirmed by the senate in the military is a politician. Thats tens of thousands of people. Thats not just generals, right . Thats i mean, someone at your level would be confirmed. Obviously there would be people even a couple ranks below you who would be confirmed. There are a lot of people who are confirmed that definitely not theyre not politicians. That s. Hes taking attention away from the fact that its fellow Service Members that sit in judgment. Fellow Service Members that came forward to testify against him. It was Service Members sitting on that panel that had to decide beyond a reasonable doubt. Because every doubt should go to the lieutenant. In all criminal law. Were dealing with complexities. Those who sat in judgment of him are familiar and said there is no reasonable doubt. He crossed the line here, he dishonored the uniform, he dishonored the United States, he committed murder, he did not commit lawful killing in war. What does this do for commanders who have to keep order . It makes it tougher. They already have a tough job. President trump made it tougher. It undermines strategic lidge massey. They do fight with moral courage and fight with restraint and allows them to win. Thats a dangerous road weve gone down. Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you, brianna. More on our breaking news. Why the house is investigating whether the president lied to Robert Mueller under oath. The Supreme Court blocking the house from getting the president s tax returns. The pain and swelling. The psoriasis. Cosentyx treats more than just the joint pain of active Psoriatic Arthritis. 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Weve been tracking an unintended consequence of the tax reform bill passed by congress in 2017 and signed into law by President Trump. Children who have lost a parent to war or other service relates injury or illnesses were hit with a huge new tax on their monthly Survivor Benefits. This was a tax that was meant for recipients of trust funds and inheritances. Recently i spoke with one gold star widow who is struggling to pay this new expense known as the kiddie tax for her children. Her husband was a bomb disposal technician in the marines and he was killed by an ied in iraq in 2006 when malia was 28 years old and her children were 2, 7 and 9 years old. They have seen their taxes on this go from about 150 per child to 1,000 per child. All of this stems from the widow tax. Something where gold star spouses transfer their Survivor Benefits to their kids so they dont lose these benefits. These benefits expire when the kids come of age. If congress has not fixed the widows tax, what does that mean for you financially . I will have to sell my house, the house i bought after he died that i moved to and raised our children from the ages of 2, 7 and 9 i will have to sell it and move because i will not be able to afford to stay here. Thats what thats going to mean . Are you hopeful congress will finally deal with it . Or are you worried theyre not going to . If you had asked me the first of the year, i was hopeful, but the closer we get and the closer we get to time being up the more afraid i am that its just going to be another year that were cut from their agenda, that were not important enough for them to help. And so i cant say that im hopeful because they cut us so many times. There is a small hope inside me that theyll do the right thing, that theyll fix this. Congress is trying to fix the kiddie tax and the widow tax, which is not, in which congress has tried and failed again and again to fix. The kiddie tax is attached to a bigger bill on Retirement Savings that is stalled. And the widow tax fix which by the way has unanimous support in the senate is attached to the bill that funds the entire defense department. That funding is due to expire on thursday. And Congress Still has not moved this forward. So when gold star families start filing their taxes, as some people do as early as january, february, march, these kids are going to get hit with this tax increase, this huge tax increase for a second Year Unless Congress does what it says it wants to do. Well be tracking that, and you can fined that column and others at homefront. That is at on cnn. Com home front. And also, please share your comments or story ideas. You can send me your story idea at cnn. Com. That is it for me. Newsroom with Brooke Baldwin starts right now. Theyre the top aids, ambassadors and security officials. Several are currently on the job in the trump administration. This week, eight men and women will be heading out of their respective offices and over to capitol hill to testify into this impeachment inquiry. It all kicks off tomorrow. Also Lieutenant Colonel vin man, the ukraine expert who sat in on that july 25th phone call between President Trump and his counterpart president zielinski. It wraps up with the president s top adviser fiona hill. Smack dab in between is a hearing that will have lawmakers and pundits and even the president himself glued to their screens. That