* Jennifer Hassan and Josh Dawsey report on the president’s gobsmacking attempt to play Jerry Springer:

The parents of British teenager Harry Dunn met with President Trump at the White House on Tuesday, only to be told that the woman British police say was involved in the car crash that killed their son was in the same building and ready to meet them.
Dunn, 19, was killed Aug. 27 when his motorcycle was struck by a car that police say was driven by 42-year-old American Anne Sacoolas, who was driving on the wrong side of the road at the time. Sacoolas, the wife of a U.S. government official, claimed diplomatic immunity under international law, which allowed her to return to the United States.
White House officials were skeptical of having Dunn’s parents and Sacoolas in the West Wing at the same time, but Trump was keen on having a “hug and make up moment,” according to a person with knowledge of the discussions. [...]
“We’ve said all along we are willing to meet her, but it has to be with therapists and mediators. And that’s not just for us; it’s for her as well,” said Charles, the mother. “To be thrown into a room together with no prior warning, that’s not good for her mental health, and it’s certainly not good for ours.”
“There was a bit of pressure, but we stuck to our guns,” added Dunn, the father, explaining that Trump asked them two or three times to meet with Sacoolas.

I just don’t have words to describe this.

* Carol Morello and John Hudson report that the secretary of state’s former top aide is talking about how awful things have gotten at the department:

Michael McKinley, the former senior adviser to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo until his sudden resignation last week, told House impeachment investigators Wednesday that career diplomats were mistreated during his tenure and that some had their careers derailed for political reasons, according to people familiar with his testimony.
McKinley said his concerns culminated with the recall of the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, a punitive action he and many other rank-and-file diplomats viewed as wholly unjustified.

Pompeo is yet another administration figure who is deeply involved in the Ukraine scandal.

* A new Gallup poll shows a majority of Americans saying Trump should be impeached and removed from office.

* Evan Perez, Sara Murray, and Shimon Prokupecz report that investigators are not only examining Rudy Giuliani’s finances but are conducting a counterintelligence probe of his activities.

* Leigh Ann Caldwell reports that Democrats have asked State Department official Bill Taylor, who texted that it would be “crazy” to withhold aid from Ukraine to get them to help Trump’s reelection, to testify next Tuesday.

* Anne Gearan reports on all the ways Trump’s moves in Syria and Ukraine help Vladimir Putin.

* Nicholas Fandos and Adam Goldman report that Fiona Hill testified that she worried that Ambassador to the E.U. Gordon Sondland was a security risk because he occupied such an important position despite having zero diplomatic experience.

* David Dayen and Ryan Grim tried to see if anyone could back up Joe Biden’s claim that he “got votes” for the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Board, and came up empty.

* Timothy O’Brien explains how Trump has been cheating on his taxes by undervaluing properties for his entire career.

* Devlin Barrett reports that a fourth man has been arrested in the case involving Rudy Giuliani’s associates.

* Hamed Aleaziz reports that hundreds of Department of Homeland Security asylum officers have signed a brief urging a court to strike down the Trump administration’s policy making asylum all but impossible to obtain at the southern border.

* Gabe Ortiz notes that CNN asked no questions about immigration at Tuesday’s debate but did air an ad from an extremist anti-immigrant group.

* Joan Walsh reminds us that Attorney General Barr has been devoted to destroying the wall between church and state for decades.

* And Amanda Marcotte suggests that progressives got so mad at Anderson Cooper’s question to the candidates about unlikely friendships because they’re always being asked to forgive Trump supporters.