Element of Shock: The impeachment inquiry reaches a critical phase today with the scheduled appearance of Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, who might confirm that President Trump withheld military aide to Ukraine in exchange for an investigation of Vice President Joe Biden and his son.

  Sondland, who has previously changed his testimony, will be asked to confirm the damning testimony of other witnesses.  

  Tim Morrison, a hard line senior national security aide and Trump loyalist in the White House testified yesterday that he was told by Gordon Sondland that the Trump administration wanted an investigation of Vice President Joe Biden and his son in order to release $400 million in security aid approved by Congress.

   Morrison told the House Intelligence Committee that he was told by Sondland that, “The Ukrainians would have to have the prosecutor general make a statement with respect to the investigations as a condition of having the aid lifted.”

  It’s a stunning piece of testimony.

  Two other witnesses in the House impeachment hearings say it was clear to the Ukrainians that the United States was withholding military assistance and that even some Trump administration officials had questioned the legality of doing that. 

  Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman said he was so shocked by what he heard President Trump say on the phone to the president of Ukraine that, “I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.” Vindman is a wounded Iraq war veteran who appeared before the House Intelligence Committee in his Army dress blues. “It was probably an element of shock,” he said, “that maybe, in certain regards, my worst fear of how our Ukraine policy could play out was playing out, and how this was likely to have significant implications for US national security.”

  Jennifer Williams, an aide to Vice President Mike Pence who also listened in on the July 25^th call, said she found Trump’s conversation with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky “unusual and inappropriate.” She said she was surprised to hear Trump pressing a foreign leader about personal domestic politics.

  Unable to fight the facts, Republican questioners resorted to splitting hairs about words and sliming the credibility of witnesses. They’d say, “thank you for your service,” then attack. 

  After the Democrats said Trump could be accused of bribery under the Constitution, the Republicans asked the witnesses whether anyone had tried to get them to commit bribery — using that word — and of course they had not.

  Some questions targeted Vindman’s loyalty to the US. He was born in Ukraine and came to this country at age 3. Vindman, a career Army officer who said the best thing that happened in his life was becoming an American citizen, bristled when Republican Rep. Devin Nunes addressed him as “Mr.” He said, “Ranking member, it’s Lieutenant Colonel Vindman, please.”

Dishonor: The Navy is moving to eject a member of the SEALs who was pardoned for war crimes by President Trump. Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher was jailed for killing unarmed civilians and a prisoner. Gallagher is planning to retire, but the Navy wants to take back his Trident pin, the symbol of the SEALs and a treasured possession for a combat veteran.

Black and White and Read All Over: The merger of newspaper chains Gannett and GateHouse Media became final yesterday, creating a newspaper behemoth of 263 daily papers.

  Company executives promise a stronger print and digital news operation in a business that has been both shrinking and cannibalizing itself at the same time. Print advertising is disappearing and newspapers have had difficulty getting readers to pay for their news online. A lot of local papers have a skeleton staff of reporters putting out a thin product.

  Both Gannett and Gatehouse are notorious cost-cutters. Gannett was rationing notebooks as far back as the 1970s and just in this past year the two companies have laid off roughly 250 employees between them. And any time there’s a merger, more layoffs can be expected in what business people like to call “synergies.”

Debatable: Ten Democratic presidential candidates take the stage for debate in Atlanta tonight, down from 12 in the last show.

  The 10 are: Vice President Joe Biden; Sen. Cory Booker, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Sen. Kamala Harris, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Sen Bernie Sanders, Tom Steyer, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Andrew Yang.  

The Bulletin Board: Two federal guards in a Manhattan jail on duty the night sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide have been indicted after an investigation showed they were shopping and cruising online, sleeping, and failing to make their regular rounds. The actual charges are conspiracy and falsifying records. — Two US service members were killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. — Students at Syracuse University are conducting a sit-in after a series of overtly racist incidents on campus. A racist manifesto was air-dropped to cell phones in the library. All fraternity events have been cancelled. 

Short Order:  A vegan man has sued Burger King claiming they had cooked his meat-free Whopper on the same grill where they do the beef. It wasn’t his way.

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