Under surveillance

New evidence emerges in the Ukraine scandal; the Russian government resigns. Tonight's Sentences was written by Cameron Peters. TOP NEWS New documents bring startling revelations in the Ukraine scandal [Lev Parnas with his wife Svetlana Parnas.]( Drew Angerer/Getty Images - New evidence of alleged corrupt dealings by President Trump and his associates emerged on Tuesday night after the House Intelligence Committee released a tranche of documents related to the Ukraine scandal. [[Vox / Andrew Prokop](] - The documents suggest there may have been multiple quid pro quos at play in the Trump team’s Ukraine outreach: In WhatsApp messages, former Ukrainian prosecutor Yuri Lutsenko appears to offer dirt on Hunter Biden in exchange for the removal of the US ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch. [[Slate / Elliot Hannon](] - A letter signed by the president’s attorney Rudy Giuliani also states that Giuliani was in Ukraine and pursuing a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with Trump’s “knowledge and consent.” [[NPR / Bill Chappell](] - The documents were turned over by Giuliani confederate Lev Parnas, who is under federal indictment on charges of campaign finance violations. The cache included a note handwritten by Parnas: “Get Zelensky to announce that the Biden case will be investigated.” [[Politico / Andrew Desiderio](] - Menacing text messages between Parnas and Republican congressional candidate Robert Hyde also seem to suggest that the pair were surveilling Yovanovitch in Ukraine. [[CNN / Manu Raju, Jeremy Herb, and Erica Orden](] - The release of the documents represents a new development in the impeachment inquiry, which focused on Trump’s conduct toward Ukraine. A Senate trial is expected to get underway next week. [[NYT / Nicholas Fandos](] A major shake-up in the Russian government - Principal members of the Russian government resigned en masse on Wednesday in advance of President Vladimir Putin’s attempt to push a package of constitutional changes that would strengthen the office of the prime minister. [[NPR / Colin Dwyer](] - Putin has said that his proposed set of constitutional reforms, which stand to increase the power of the Russian parliament, would be subject to a nationwide referendum. [[NBC News / Yuliya Talmazan and Tatyana Chistikova](] - While the proposed changes would reduce the power of the presidency, some observers have speculated that they will also help extend Putin’s hold on power after his presidential term ends in 2024. He will be constitutionally prohibited from serving a third consecutive term. [[CNN / Mary Ilyushina and Sheena McKenzie](] - Putin has selected Mikhail Mishustin to replace Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who led the Russian cabinet until Wednesday. [[Washington Post / Isabelle Khurshudyan](] - Constitutional changes of the magnitude Putin is calling for would be the first such overhaul since 1993, when President Boris Yeltsin deployed troops to force a constitutional referendum. [[NYT / Andrew Higgins](] MISCELLANEOUS In Australia, wildfires have become severe enough to generate their own weather. [[NBC News / Denise Chow](] - Australia's health care system offers choice, but also inequity. [[Vox / Dylan Scott](] - Capitol Police will impose an unprecedented set of restrictions on press coverage of the Senate impeachment trial. [[Roll Call / Katherine Tully-McManus](] - The Bobblehead, the Roadkill, the 50/50 — what's your airplane sleeping position? [[Washington Post / Natalie B. Compton](] - A new book proposes scrapping high school and college algebra II curriculums, which some research has shown increases dropout rates. [[Slate / Dana Goldstein](] VERBATIM “There is a lot of affection and respect among Democrats for Biden. He is popular. Gratuitous attacks on him are not well received. And in an environment in which defeating Trump is the urgent concern of many Democrats, Biden seems like the safest, least risky choice.” [[Former Obama strategist David Axelrod on Joe Biden’s durability in the polls / Politico Magazine](] LISTEN TO THIS Why Cory Booker says he never stood a chance. [[Spotify / Sean Rameswaram and Ella Nilsen](] [Read more from Vox](#) [The hottest new thing in sustainable building is, uh, wood]( [The many places you can buy Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, in one chart]( [The case for Elizabeth Warren]( [A Trump tweet revealed the absurdity of the legal case against Obamacare]( [Talking about the Warren and Sanders handshake keeps us from having to talk about sexism]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Manage your [email preferences](, or [unsubscribe]( to stop receiving all emails from Vox. View our [Privacy Policy]( and our [Terms of Service](. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2020. All rights reserved.