Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas says Russia is waging a “shadow war” against the West.

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)WASHINGTON, DC The House impeachment hearings are entering a crucial second week as Democrats are set to hear from eight additional witnesses about President Donald Trumps dealings with Ukraine. Whats ahead on the impeachment schedule:A PARADE OF WITNESSESThe House intelligence committee, which is conducting the impeachment hearings, has set a breakneck schedule ahead of the Thanksgiving recess. Morrison will testify alongside Volker, who was also involved in White House meetings. "There was no ambiguity," said Vindman, an Army officer detailed to the White House who showed up at the deposition in his military uniform. House Democrats are hoping to finish the process by the end of the year.

An estimated 13.8 million people watched live coverage of diplomats William Taylor and George Kent on the first day of the Houses public impeachment hearings on President Donald Trump. Former special counsel Robert Mueller had 12.9 million viewers in July. Fox News Channel was the most popular network for hearing coverage, even though its prime-time opinion hosts have consistently derided the impeachment inquiry. Nielsen said an estimated 2.9 million people watched Foxs coverage, making it the networks third most-watched day of the year. MSNBC was second with 2.69 million, ABC had 2.01 million, CBS had 1.97 million, CNN had 1.84 million and NBC had 1.68 million, Nielsen said.

(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)Congress behaved itself as Americans and the world tuned in for the first time to the impeachment hearings against President Donald Trump. Boring, as the presidents son Eric tweeted, served both parties during only the fourth presidential impeachment proceedings in the nations history, on the cusp of the 2020 election year. In this case, most of that information was known by the time Schiff, the House Intelligence Committee chairman, gaveled open the hearing. One who stayed for hours was Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, who had some things to say about the hearing and the impeachment effort. When Schiff said he didnt know the name of the whistleblower who sparked impeachment, Gohmert laughed out loud.

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)The online spin and dissembling began even before Wednesdays impeachment hearing got underway. Moments before House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff could welcome witnesses to the first public hearing of the impeachment inquiry, President Donald Trump took to Twitter to dismiss the New Hoax. Even before the Democratic House investigators counsel Daniel Goldman could end his first round of questioning, Trump backers labeled the hearing an inconsequential #Snoozefest. Taylor said the staffer asked Sondland what President Trump thought about Ukraine. Lets keep it going! Scott Dworkin, co-founder of the Democratic Coalition Against Trump, cheered on Twitter.

Diplomats and career government officials, they're little known outside professional circles, but they're about to become household names testifying in the House impeachment inquiry . Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch. "I discovered a weird combination of encouraging, confusing and ultimately alarming circumstances," Taylor testified on Oct. 22. Kent testified on Oct. 15 there were three words Trump wanted to hear from the Ukraine president: "Investigations, Biden and Clinton." Known as Masha, Yovanovitch testified on Oct. 11 that she was told that people were "looking to hurt" her.

Both Democrats and Republicans see the televised impeachment hearings starting this week as their first and best opportunity to shape public opinion about President Donald Trump's dealings with Ukraine. Democrats plan a narrow focus in the hearings, and a narrative retelling of Trump's pressure on Ukraine to investigate Democrats as his administration withheld military aid to an Eastern European ally on Russia's border. Democrats say their best evidence isn't even from the witnesses themselves, but from the rough transcript of that July call between Trump himself and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. A White House official said Bondi and Seyegh have not started yet and may not be in place before the Wednesday hearings, owing to paperwork associated with entering White House employment. The RNC also will be coordinating surrogate bookings and local TV hits, with an emphasis on putting pressure on vulnerable House Democrats.

House impeachment investigators released a transcript from Kent, a career official at the State Department on Nov. 7. He testified that he was told to "lay low" on Ukraine policy as the Trump administration, and the president's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, were interacting with Ukraine outside of traditional foreign policy channels. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)WASHINGTON, DC There were three words President Donald Trump wanted to hear from the Ukraine president: Investigations, Biden, Clinton. That's according to the transcript, released Thursday, of an impeachment inquiry interview with career State Department official George Kent. Kent told investigators that that was his understanding of what Trump wanted Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to say in order to unlock U.S. military aid, as relayed to the official by others, including those in direct contact with the president.

WASHINGTON, DC House Democrats have announced they'll hold the first public hearings next week in their impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump. Three State Department officials will testify in hearings Nov. 13 and Nov. 15, according to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff. Schiff tweeted that top Ukraine diplomat William Taylor, career department official George Kent and former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch will testify. Yovanovitch was ousted in May at Trump's direction. The Democrats are investigating Trump's dealings with Ukraine and his requests for politically motivated investigations as the U.S. withheld military aid from the country.

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, arrives at a closed door meeting on the ongoing House impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)WASHINGTON, DC The Latest on President Donald Trump and the House impeachment inquiry (all times local):1:55 p.m.House investigators have released another transcript in the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump. Taylor told impeachment investigators that Trump had been holding back military aid for Ukraine until the country agreed to investigate Democrats and a company linked to Joe Biden's family. Taylor is scheduled to testify in public next week as Democrats hold the first public hearings on impeachment. __11:32 a.m.House Democrats have announced they'll hold the first public hearings next week in their impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump.