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 | | | Quid pro WHOA | | Sondland confirms a "quid pro quo." Prince Andrew steps away from royal duties. It's Wednesday's news. | | |
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| An ambassador gives a bombshell impeachment inquiry testimony, and Prince Andrew cancels himself from royal duties. |
| It's Ashley. Here's the news to know today. |
| But first, storytime: Years ago, singer Harry Connick Jr. says Frank Sinatra kissed his wife "right on the mouth" in an elevator. |
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Sondland spells out 'quid pro quo' |
| U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland confirmed Wednesday the existence of a "quid pro quo" in which military aid to Ukraine was tied to President Donald Trump's call for an investigation of his political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden. In a dramatic impeachment inquiry testimony, Sondland said Trump directed him and others to work with his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, to pressure Ukraine to publicly announce an investigation of Biden, and his son, Hunter, in exchange for the release of military aid the country desperately wanted. Don't feel like catching up on hourslong testimony? We've got you covered with key takeaways. |
| What did Trump have to say about Sondland's testimony? |
| He doesn't really know him. Sound familiar? Trump dismissed Sondland's testimony about a "quid pro quo" and downplayed his ties to the guy altogether. "I don't know him very well. I have not spoken to him much," Trump said, reading from handwritten notes (that everyone else could read, too 👇👇). |
 | | President Donald Trump speaks to the media about the impeachment proceedings on the South Lawn of the White House on Nov. 20, 2019. Trump recounted Ambassador Sondland's testimony, repeatedly saying 'I want nothing' in return for aid to Ukraine. | | JIM LO SCALZO, EPA-EFE | |
 | | A sneak peek at President Donald Trump's notes as he speaks to the media about the impeachment proceedings. | | JIM LO SCALZO, EPA-EFE | |
Is Prince Andrew just going by 'Andrew' now? |
| Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, is stepping away from public duties as a royal for the "foreseeable future" following the fallout from his past friendship with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. "I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission," Prince Andrew said in a statement. "I continue to unequivocally regret my ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein." The move comes after Andrew's disastrous interview with the BBC over the weekend regarding his relationship with Epstein in which he denied once again that he slept with one of Epstein's alleged "sex slaves" when she was 17. |
 | | Britain's Queen Elizabeth II (L) and Prince Andrew (R) stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on Jun. 8, 2019. | | NEIL HALL, EPA-EFE | |
What everyone's talking about |
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Lori Loughlin says she's not guilty of bribery in college admissions case |
| Actress Lori Loughlin – aka Aunty Becky from "Full House" – and her fashion designer husband are contesting expanded charges against them in the college admissions bribery scandal. Lawyers for Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli entered not guilty pleas on their behalf Tuesday to charges of conspiracy to commit federal program bribery. Loughlin and Giannulli are accused of paying $500,000 to get their two daughters into the University of Southern California as fake athletic recruits (they don't attend the school anymore). The celebrity couple has maintained innocence throughout the admissions scandal and previously pleaded not guilty to fraud and money laundering. |
 | | Lori Loughlin (C) and her husband Mossimo Giannulli (L) leave the John J Moakley Federal Court House after facing charges in a nationwide college admissions cheating scheme in Boston. (Photo: Katherine Taylor, EPA-EFE) | | | |
Lizzo's feeling 'good as hell' |
| Turns out Lizzo is 100% that Grammy nominee. The truth-telling, flute-playing, meme-spawning breakout is the most nominated artist at the 2020 Grammy Awards, leading the pack with eight nods, including album, record and song of the year. The singer is also up for best new artist, joined by dark-pop wunderkind Billie Eilish who, like Lizzo, is Grammy-nominated for the first time this year. Eilish, 17, joins Lizzo, 31, in the album-of-the-year category and is also up for record and song of the year, making her the youngest nominee in Grammy history to be nominated in all four major categories. There were also many, many juicy Grammy nomination snubs. |
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 | | Lizzo performs onstage during the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards. | | Kevin Mazur, WireImage | |
Real quick |
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Alex Trebek on cancer battle: 'It's wearing on me' |
| "Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek is ready to host the "Jeopardy!" Greatest of All Time tournament, but he bravely continues to battle Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, which has sidelined him at times and led the show to shift its production schedule to accommodate him. Sounding upbeat in a recent phone interview, he said: "Some days are better than others … It's wearing on me. but I don't have any choice." Trebek, 79, says pure adrenaline is keeping him going. "I leave home and I'm in terrible shape sometimes," he said. "And then I get here, and I get in the studio … and the adrenaline kicks in and I go out onstage and it's exciting for me." |
 | | "Jeopardy" host Alex Trebek opens up about his cancer battle: "It's wearing on me ... but I just have to stick with it." | | NINA PROMMER, EPA-EFE | |
A break from the news |
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| This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. |
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