Trump reportedly urged Ukraine to investigate Biden's son eight times

Plus, a historic day in climate protests. [View in browser]( [Image]( SEPTEMBER 20, 2019 The main topic of [Day 974 of the Trump presidency]( is the mystery around what the president said during a phone call with the leader of [Ukraine](. It is believed to be troubling enough to have caused a whistleblower complaint by an intelligence officer. [Brian Williams reports on the 11th Hour](: The [Wall Street Journal]( reported Friday that in a July phone call, President Trump repeatedly pressured the president of Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden's son, asking eight times for him to work with Rudy Giuliani on the inquiry that could damage his chief Democratic opponent. This afternoon at the White House, Trump was asked about the new revelation. The president said his conversations with leaders are "[always appropriate.](" He contended that the whistleblower was a "partisan" before telling reporters he did not know the identity of the person. Jeremy Bash, former chief of staff at both the CIA and the Department of Defense [told MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace]( that he thinks the president could be facing potential legal trouble: "Assuming the reporting is true, I see three crimes here: (1) extortion by the president which is basically using a threat of withholding aid to obtain something of value, (2) a second crime is conspiracy to engage in extortion between the president and Rudy Giuliani, and (3) conspiracy to violate federal election law between the president and Rudy Giuliani to obtain foreign interference in the U.S. election." NBC's [Ken Dilanian reports]( that other legal scholars such as Harvard's Jack Goldsmith, are making a [broader argument in the other direction](: that the president can say and do anything he wants in the conduct of foreign relations, which is purely an executive branch function. Late Friday afternoon, Biden issued a statement. "If these reports are true, then there is truly no bottom to President Trump's willingness to abuse his power and abase our country." [Image]( Photo: Samuel Corum / GettyImages On Friday, the crisis of climate change became the biggest story on the face of the planet. It was a huge day of protests across the globe, [millions of people]( participating in coordinated actions in more than 150 countries. "It was both exhilarating and heartbreaking," says Varshini Prakash of the Sunrise Movement about the participating in [the strike](. [In an interview with The Last Word,]( she said it simply: "All these children are asking for is a shot at a livable future." In case you missed it: Videos [Image]( [Trump slammed by his own staff for whistleblower complaint]( President Trump and the Department of Justice are under fire for attempting to hide information from Congress regarding the whistleblower complaint. John Flannery, former federal prosecutor, argues the DNI had “absolutely no discretion to withhold this information from the House or the Senate." (The Beat) [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Image]( [Trump’s long record of staying strange things to world leaders on the phone]( President Trump has said odd things to world leaders during phone calls. Former FBI assistant director Frank Figliuzzi, former deputy assistant attorney general Harry Litman, The Daily Beast’s Sam Stein, and NYT’s Nick Confessore discuss. (Deadline: White House) [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Image]( [12-year-old activist: science-based climate plan needed]( Levi Camden Draheim is worried his Florida hometown on the beach faces harm from extreme weather and sea level rise. So he’s suing the government. (All In Climate Special) [Facebook]( [Twitter]( Climate forum 2020 Day Two [Image]( - Steve Bullock: Elected reps waste half their time campaigning when they could be effecting change ([Video]() - Cory Booker: 'I do not have a radical vegan agenda' ([Video]() - Pete Buttigieg: Why the climate crisis is an issue of faith ([Video]() - Tom Steyer: In 100 years, we're going to look back and wonder how we were so 'braindead' to not act faster ([Video]() - Bill Weld: On climate change, Trump tells followers drink the Kool-Aid ([Video]() Quote of the day “[The president expects that we will all be exhausted by all of this, and that we will turn away. But for the sake of our democracy, we cannot turn away.](” — Ambassador Wendy Sherman, former Under Secretary of State for political affairs ([Video]() Other top news [How a British teen model was lured into Jeffrey Epstein's web]( Anouska De Georgiou was living a charmed life in the mid-1990s. A teenage model from an affluent family in London, she had a future as bright as her mega-watt smile. But then De Georgiou got sucked into Jeffrey Epstein's orbit through well-connected friends. They met for the first time in London. In time Epstein was flying her to his properties around the world, including his private island in the Caribbean, on his dime. [Walmart to stop selling e-cigarettes amid national outbreak of vaping illnesses]( Walmart announced Friday it will phase out sales of electronic cigarettes in all stores, including Sam's Club stores. The retail giant detailed the plan in an internal memo, which reads in part, "Given the growing federal, state and local regulatory complexity and uncertainty regarding e-cigarettes, we plan to discontinue the sale of electronic nicotine delivery products." [Doctors trained to spot child abuse can save lives. But when they get it wrong, families are torn apart]( In their zeal to protect children, some child abuse pediatricians also have implicated parents who appear to have credible claims of innocence, leading to traumatic family separations and questionable criminal charges, an investigation by NBC News and the Houston Chronicle has found. [De Blassio: Why I'm ending my 2020 presidential campaign — and what I promise to do next]( This campaign has been a profound experience for me. I saw America in full — not as it appears on Twitter and cable news, where we’re constantly shown a country hamstrung by our differences and unable to tackle the problems we face. We have more in common than we realize — and more and more of us across the country are overcoming our divisions and standing up for working people. By [Mayor Bill de Blasio](. This weekend on MSNBC This Sunday, Richard Engel [presents a look at ISIS](, the most brutal terrorist group in modern history. How do they recruit, and have they really been defeated? Watch [On Assignment: The Rise and Fall of ISIS]( Sunday at 9pm Eastern, only on MSNBC. [Image]( This newsletter was prepped for you by Cameron Taylor Oakes and Sam Go. Tell us what you think of the news and [drop us an e-mail](mailto:msnbc.digital.editors@nbcuni.com?subject=MSNBC Daily). Check out [our new YouTube feature](, "The Day That Was," a review of MSNBC's primetime coverage. Videos will be posted mornings at 7:30a.m. ET. Were you forwarded this email from a friend? [Subscribe here](. Follow MSNBC [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( [LinkedIn]( Check out the MSNBC channel on Apple News Download the NBC News Mobile App and watch MSNBC [Image] [Image] [Privacy]( [Unsubscribe](listvar=sub_daily)