MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
We're going to begin this hour with a recap of where things stand with the impeachment inquiry.
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AMNA NAWAZ: On the record, the first transcripts of testimony from the impeachment inquiry are released.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #1: House Democrats just announcing when the first public hearing will be happening.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #2: President Trump unleashing on Democrats' impeachment inquiry ahead of next week's public hearings.
MARTIN: We know that lots of names, dates and updates keep flying around, and we know it can be hard to keep up, so we're going to start by reviewing some of the important moments from the week. This week was notable for who did not testify before Congress - a number of key members of the National Security Council, former National Security adviser John Bolton and acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, who technically also still heads the Office of Management and Budget.
Another big development - the transcripts of closed-door testimony were made public. Together, they total more than 2,000 pages. They don't reveal a lot of new information, but they are important because some of the testimony does corroborate key details from the whistleblower complaint. One of those key details was that there was some kind of quid pro quo involved with Ukraine, and that came about in a dramatic way. Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the EU and one of the people President Trump trusted to handle Ukraine policy, changed his testimony.
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UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #3: Sondland revealed that he told a Ukrainian military official the country would likely not receive American military aid unless it publicly committed to the investigations President Trump wanted.
MARTIN: That development even made for fodder with the late-night comedy shows.
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STEPHEN COLBERT: Now, why did Sondland decide to revise his statements to Congress? According to him, incriminating testimony from other witnesses like Bill Taylor refreshed my recollection...
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COLBERT: ...About certain conversations. Huh. You know what? That testimony I just heard really refreshed the old noodle here.
MARTIN: Another development involves former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, who says she felt threatened.
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NORAH O'DONNELL: Marie Yovanovitch told congressional investigators she was warned by Ukrainian officials last winter to watch her back because the president's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, was planning to do things, including to her.
MARTIN: She's one of the key witnesses who's scheduled to testify publicly next week. Despite these claims, President Trump maintains that there was no quid pro quo.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I'm not concerned about anything. The testimony has all been fine. I mean, for the most part, I've never even heard of these people. I have no idea who they are.
MARTIN: And that leads us to today. Republicans have submitted their witness requests for next week's impeachment hearings. House intelligence chair Adam Schiff says they are evaluating those requests.
(SOUNDBITE OF CHROME SPARKS' "STILL THINK") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.