Another week of the impeachment inquiry into President Trump wraps up.

Here are some news developments to keep you up to speed.

On Thursday, the Washington Post reported that House Republicans have a new plan

for how to shield President Trump from impeachment.

To instead focus on three deputies, that's U.S. Ambassador to the European Union, Gordon

Sommland, Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, and acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney,

who House Republicans say could have acted on their own to influence Ukraine policy.

All three of these men occupy a special place in the Ukraine narrative

as the people in most direct contact with Trump.

Also Thursday, a lawyer for the whistleblower whose complaint ultimately led the House to open

an impeachment inquiry sent a cease and desist letter to Trump. In that letter to the White House,

the lawyer demanded that Trump stop calling for the publication of the whistleblower's identity,

and the lawyer alleged that Trump's quote, reckless and dangerous comments have already intimidated

his client. And on Friday, Mick Mulvaney defied a subpoena from House investigators and skipped

a scheduled closed-door deposition. Mulvaney's defiance comes as Democrats released even more

transcripts from previous deputies and planned to hold public hearings next week.

Now, next week's public impeachment inquiry hearings led by the House Intelligence Committee

marked the beginning of the next phase in this process. But what exactly does this next phase

look like? How long will it last, and when might the inquiry ultimately wrap up? We'll walk you

through the next few weeks or potentially months so you know what to watch for as public hearings unfold.

This is Ken Hewdo that, a podcast that explores the powers and limitations of the American presidency,

and what happens when branches of government collide. I'm Allison Michaels.

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