Pelosi: Our democracy is what is at stake

Hello again, OnPolitics readers! The House Judiciary Committee's first hearing in the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump on Wednesday provided drama that has carried over into Thursday as we have a lot of news to cover.

Pelosi: House will draft impeachment articles against Trump

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Thursday that Congress had to act in the Trump impeachment inquiry because of his failure to faithfully execute the law.

"The president abused his power for his own personal political benefit," Pelosi said. "The president's actions have seriously violated the Constitution."

"Today I am asking our chairmen to proceed with articles of impeachment," she added.

Later Thursday, after finishing her weekly press conference and while walking away from the lectern, Pelosi stopped when Sinclair Broadcast Group reporter James Rosen shouted the question: "Do you hate the president?"

Pelosi then pointed at him and said, "I don't hate anybody. We don't hate anybody. Not anybody in the world. Don't accuse me."

During the exchange, Pelosi clarified that she thought Trump was a "coward" on the issue of gun violence, specifically, but that she did not hate him.

Trump and his spokeswoman speak out

Stephanie Grisham, a White House spokeswoman, said in a tweet that Trump had done nothing but lead the country in a booming economy with more jobs and a stronger military and that: "We look forward to a fair trial in the Senate."

Before Pelosi made her statement Thursday, Trump told House Democrats in two tweets that if they want to impeach him, go ahead and "do it now, fast, so we can have a fair trial in the Senate, and so that our Country can get back to business."

Trump and his team likely feel confident about impeachment since Republicans hold a 53 to 47 majority in the Senate, and it would take a two-thirds majority to vote to remove the president.

Trump creates more problems overseas instead of easing old ones

As USA TODAY's David Jackson and John Fritze explain, Trump and his aides saw this week's NATO meeting as a chance to showcase his leadership on the world stage and rise above the political fray. 

It didn't work out quite that way.

Instead, Trump was mocked by some world leaders in a moment captured on video, fought openly with others, misstated U.S. policy on Iran and canceled a highly anticipated news conference, all obscuring his message on global leadership, amplifying his problems back home and giving political ammunition to his critics.

Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden used the video of the world leaders as the basis of an intense ad torching Trump.

"The world sees Trump for what he is: insincere, ill-informed, corrupt, dangerously incompetent, and incapable, in my view of world leadership," Biden's voice says.

Trump asks Supreme Court to take tax case

Trump and some of his associated businesses asked the Supreme Court again Thursday to shield the president's tax returns and financial documents from investigators prying into his affairs.

The legal filing from Trump's personal lawyers was the latest development in a fast-moving battle between Trump, Democrats in Congress and a New York prosecutor that could wind up before the high court during the 2020 election campaign.

The high court traditionally has shown great deference to Congress' role in overseeing the executive branch. It's also worth noting that if the court refuses to step in, Trump's tax returns and financial records will be fair game. 

Americans see our angry political debate as 'a big problem'

As USA TODAY's Susan Page notes, Americans are united on this: They are sick and tired of being so divided.

The divisive national debate over just about everything has convinced many that the country is heading in the wrong direction even as their own lives are going well, the inaugural Public Agenda/USA TODAY/Ipsos poll finds.

By overwhelming margins, those surveyed said national leaders, social media and the news media have exacerbated and exaggerated those divisions.

The poll's findings, and focus groups convened in three U.S. cities launch an election-year project by USA TODAY and Public Agenda, a nonpartisan research organization. The Hidden Common Ground initiative will explore areas of agreement on major issues facing the nation and also spotlight how local communities have worked across divisions to solve problems.

• The Backstory: America is divided, causing anxiety and gridlock. How USA TODAY will help.
• Let's talk: Join our conversation about these issues

Welcome to the Lightning Round

We want to be in and out with a flash, so here are some more politics stories we think you'll appreciate.

• As the release of the anticipated report from the Justice Department's inspector general on potential surveillance abuses by the FBI draws near, it appears the review will not be the life preserver Trump was seeking. Now he is hyping the promise of another probe into the same territory overseen by Attorney General William Barr and federal prosecutor John Durham. 
• Biden lashed out at a voter at an Iowa campaign event Thursday, calling him "a damn liar" for accusing him of "selling access" to the presidency in Ukraine.
• Democratic presidential candidate and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders may not be polling in first place, but he has the field's firmest base, according to a new poll. Now, the campaign is working to turn an enthusiastic base into caucus victory. 
• African-American leaders gathered Wednesday night in South Bend, Indiana, to counter what they said was a narrative that Mayor Pete Buttigieg has little support from black city residents. But protesters from Black Lives Matter South Bend frequently interrupted the event, yelling things to contradict the speakers.

- Until Friday, OP readers