Speaker NANCY PELOSI spoke this morning with MARGARET BRENNAN on CBS NEWS’ “FACE THE NATION” about everything from Trump’s tweets to when the inquiry will be finished to whether the government will shutdown. While all signs indicated that Democrats would move in mid-December to vote on impeachment, Pelosi was noncommittal and said “maybe they have more hearings” and that she has to work with all six chairmen to decide how Democrats will proceed.
THE HIGHLIGHTS:
-- ON WITNESS INTIMIDATION: BRENNAN: “Do you think that was witness intimidation in your book?” PELOSI: “I haven't had a lot of time to pay attention to the president's tweets and the legal implications of them. I just think that was totally wrong and inappropriate and typical of the president.”
-- ON WHEN IMPEACHMENT WILL BE WRAPPED UP: BRENNAN: “Do you expect that to be wrapped up before the end of the year?” PELOSI: “I have no idea. Again, I …” BRENNAN: “No timetable for that?” PELOSI: “No, I mean, it is self-evident that we have open hearings for the next week. I don't know if there are any beyond that. Then we're out for Thanksgiving. Doesn't mean depositions couldn't be taken during that time. And then when we come back by then, maybe a decision or maybe they have more hearings. And then I have six committees who have been working on all of this, and those six chairmen have been very involved in what the, how we will proceed.”
-- ON TRUMP INNOCENCE: BRENNAN: “Well, you point out factually, right, that vote has not taken place to proceed necessarily with impeachment. But do you think you'll go through all of this and not vote to impeach the president?” PELOSI: “The fact [is] if the president has information that demonstrates his innocence in all of this, which we haven't seen.
… If he has information that is exculpatory, that means ex, taking away, culpable, blame, then we look forward to seeing it.”-- ON A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN: BRENNAN: “Are you confident you can avoid one?” PELOSI: “Well, let us hope left to their own devices, the appropriators can avoid that.” BRENNAN: “Does that mean Democrats will provide funding for the border wall?” PELOSI: “No, no. That's-we have well over a trillion dollars worth of decisions to make. I don't know why we would go to that. The president hasn't built any new wall in a whole term of office. I think that his comments about the wall are really an applause line at a rally, but they're not anything that he's serious about.”
BRENNAN spoke with REP. JIM JORDAN (R-Ohio) after the Pelosi interview: BRENNAN: “As you heard from the speaker in that interview, she argues that the aid to Ukraine was only released because of the whistleblower. What reason were you given that the aid to Ukraine … was eventually released?
JORDAN: “Because President Zelensky met five times with senior U.S. officials. One, of course, was the phone call with President Trump. And then four meetings, actually face to face meetings, with U.S. senators, ambassadors, with Vice President Pence. And in each of those meetings, never was it talked about linking the security assistance dollars to any type of investigations.
“But what did happen in those meetings is they all became convinced Zelensky’s the real deal. Remember, we're talking about Ukraine. One of the three most corrupt countries on the planet. And we're talking about the hard earned tax dollars of the American people. So, they became convinced that this media star, this new guy to politics, his party just won an overwhelming majority in their parliament, was the real deal. And he was legit and he was worth the risk … and they said we’ll release the aid.”
ABOUT LAST NIGHT … ALEX ISENSTADT: “Louisiana delivers Trump a black eye”: “President Donald Trump campaigned hard in three conservative Southern states this fall, aiming for a string of gubernatorial wins that would demonstrate his political strength heading into impeachment and his own reelection effort. The plan backfired in dramatic fashion.
“The latest black eye came on Saturday, when Trump's favored candidate in Louisiana, multimillionaire businessman Eddie Rispone, went down to defeat. The president went all-in, visiting the state three times, most recently on Thursday. Earlier this month, Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin lost reelection after a similar presidential effort on his behalf. Of the candidates Trump backed, only Tate Reeves in Mississippi won.
“The losses raise questions about Trump’s standing as he heads into what will be a grueling 2020 campaign. By throwing himself into the three contests — each in states that Trump won by double-digits in 2016 — the president had hoped to gain a modicum of political momentum at a perilous moment of his presidency.
“Those close to the president argue that he can’t be faulted for the Kentucky and Louisiana outcomes. Bevin was one of the country’s least popular governors, while Rispone was a relatively unknown political newcomer who was facing a popular incumbent in Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards. While the president can help, they contend, he can’t always be expected to pull flawed candidates over the finish line.” POLITICO … More from Daniel Strauss
-- CHRIS WALLACE spoke with House Minority Whip STEVE SCALISE (R-La.) on FOX NEWS’ “FOX NEWS SUNDAY” about the Republican loss: WALLACE: “You had an election yesterday in Louisiana and the Democratic governor, John Bel Edwards, was reelected. President Trump was in there campaigning hard, multiple times, and said look, if Eddie Rispone, the Republican doesn't win it's going to make me, Trump, look bad because I don't have any coattails. Does it make him look bad?
SCALISE: “What he said was he'd be made to look bad whether he came in the state or not. Eddie Rispone made up about a 22-point disadvantage over the last month because of President Trump's involvement. So, Eddie Rispone was at about 27 in the primary. He ended up at 49. So clearly President Trump's involvement made a big difference at helping close that massive gap and look, the governor's polling showed he was above 50 before President Trump first started getting involved. That forced a runoff.”
Good Sunday morning. NEW … THE PRESIDENT’S WEEK AHEAD: TUESDAY: The president will hold a Cabinet meeting and have lunch with VP Mike Pence. WEDNESDAY: Trump will visit the Apple manufacturing plant in Austin. THURSDAY: Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will present the National Medal of Arts and the National Humanities Medal. FRIDAY: The president will participate in the NCAA Collegiate National Champions Day.
TRUMP BECOMES A BIDEN DEFENDER? -- @realPresidentTrump at 9:58 a.m.: “Mr. Chairman, Joe Biden may be Sleepy and Very Slow, but he is not a “rabid dog.” He is actually somewhat better than that, but I am the only one who can get you where you have to be. You should act quickly, get the deal done. See you soon!”
SUNDAY BEST … CHUCK TODD spoke with SEN. CHRIS MURPHY on NBC’S “MEET THE PRESS” about impeachment: MURPHY: “And if there were no consequences, then the message would be clear, that this president, and any other president, can use the power of the oval office in order to try to advance themselves politically or financially, and so I think Representative Schiff is right. If you don’t use impeachment for this type of offense, then I am not sure what you use it for.”
-- MURPHY also spoke to JAKE TAPPER on CNN’S “STATE OF THE UNION” about Ambassador Gordon Sonland: “Mr. Sondland has to decide whether his primary loyalty is to America or whether his primary loyalty is to the president of the United States because it seems clear that he was in fact talking pretty regularly, potentially, with the president directly. And if that were the case then he needs to explain that. Ultimately this is about his legacy. And if it comes out that he misled the committee in his initial testimony or outright lied there are real consequences for him down the line.”
-- TAPPER also interviewed REP. MIKE TURNER (R-Ohio): TAPPER: “Does it concern you at all that a witness found what President Trump tweeted to be intimidating?” TURNER: “Well, I mean, Jake, I think, along with most people, I find the president's tweets generally unfortunate. … It's certainly not impeachable, and it's certainly not criminal, and it's certainly not witness intimidation. It certainly wasn't trying to prevent her or would it have prevented her from testifying. She was actually in the process of testifying.”
-- ON FOX NEWS: “Steve Scalise: Trump's military pardons boost troop morale,” by Evan Semones: “House Minority Whip Steve Scalise on Sunday voiced his support for President Donald Trump’s pardons of two Army officers who were accused of war crimes, arguing the move boosts morale in the military.” POLITICO
THE LATEST ON IMPEACHMENT …
-- “Pence aide testified that Trump’s efforts to pressure Ukraine were 'inappropriate',” by Andrew Desiderio and Melanie Zanona: “A top national security aide to Vice President Mike Pence told House impeachment investigators that President Donald Trump’s efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate his political opponents were ‘unusual and inappropriate,’ and ‘shed some light on possible other motivations’ for the president’s order to freeze military aid to the U.S. ally.
“Jennifer Williams, who serves as Pence’s special adviser for Europe and Russia, told investigators in early November that she took notes while she listened in on Trump’s July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from the White House Situation Room, adding that she viewed Trump’s requests for investigations as politically motivated.” POLITICO
-- “Sondland said he was acting on Trump’s orders, aide told investigators,” by Kyle Cheney and Blake Hounshell: “Tim Morrison, a top White House national security aide, told impeachment investigators that Gordon Sondland — a U.S. ambassador at the center of the Ukraine scandal imperiling Donald Trump’s presidency — claimed to be acting on Trump’s orders, and in fact was regularly in touch with him.
“Though other impeachment witnesses have suggested Sondland has overstating his relationship with the president, Morrison said he was repeatedly able to confirm that the envoy did speak directly with the Trump. ‘Every time you went to check to see whether he had, in fact, talked to the president, you found that he had talked to the president?’ one lawmaker wondered, according to a transcript of Morrison’s testimony released Saturday. ‘Yes,’ Morrison replied.
“Sondland’s direct access to Trump is a crucial aspect of the House’s impeachment inquiry. Officially the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, he played an unofficial role in channeling and conveying the president’s demands of Ukrainian leaders.” POLITICO
-- “Bolton and Trump Met Privately Over Withheld Aid, White House Official Testified,” by NYT’s Nick Fandos and Sheryl Gay Stolberg
ON THE GROUND: “In a battleground town, sharp divisions over impeachment but few changed minds,” by WaPo’s Griff Witte in Nazareth, Pa.
THE PRESIDENT’S DEFENDERS: “Giuliani: Democratic investigation ‘a travesty’,” by David Cohen: “Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, tweeted early Sunday that the House investigation into President Donald Trump is ‘a travesty.’ After 3 witnesses no evidence has been presented of any offense. The first two permanent diplomats had no direct knowledge just overhearing things. The third one had no knowledge not even hearsay. This is a travesty,’ he tweeted.” POLITICO
-- GEORGE STEPHANOPOLOUS spoke with REP. CHRIS STEWART (R-Utah) on ABC’S “THIS WEEK”: STEPHANOPOLOUS: “The evidence is building about the campaign to trade military aid and a White House meeting to investigations directly to President Trump. It's tied directly now to President Trump, isn't it?”
STEWART: “I disagree with you, George. I don't think the evidence is building at all. And I'm being sincere in this, I think the evidence is crumbling. I think the Democrats know they're in trouble on this, which is why we keep moving the goalposts. We went from some supposed quid pro quo, and as you said tying these investigations to withholding military aid, but we know that didn't happen.
“And now Mrs. Pelosi comes and says, well, we're going to impeach and remove the president for bribery, but, you know, we didn't play this clip where I asked the ambassador if you have any evidence at all the president committed bribery or was involved with that. She said no. Do you have any evidence at all that the president did anything criminal or illegal? And the answer is no. And, again, I think the longer this hearing goes on I think the less the American are going to support impeachment, I think the evidence just doesn't support it.”
-- NYT’S CATIE EDMONSON: “Some of the nation’s leading conservative groups — the Club For Growth, FreedomWorks, Citizens United, and Tea Party Patriots — have locked arms to serve as an unofficial war room for the president during the impeachment inquiry, the third such proceeding in modern history, but the first of the social media age.
“The coalition of more than 100 organizations, including traditional conservative fund-raisers and public relations firms, is banking on a coordinated divide-and-conquer strategy that seeks to harness its grass-roots networks’ outrage — and raise money crucial to its own survival.” NYT
HMM -- “Trump Went for a Medical Checkup That Was Not on His Public Schedule,” by NYT’s Neil Vigdor: “President Trump underwent a two-hour doctor’s examination on Saturday at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, which the White House said was part of a routine annual physical and included lab work. The appointment was not on the president’s schedule, in contrast to a previous physical that Mr. Trump had in February, also at Walter Reed outside Washington.
“In a statement, Stephanie Grisham, the White House press secretary, said Mr. Trump, 73, was taking advantage of a free weekend to begin portions of his annual physical, and was anticipating a busy schedule in 2020. She did not specify what types of tests Mr. Trump had.
‘The president remains healthy and energetic without complaints, as demonstrated by his repeated vigorous rally performances in front of thousands of Americans several times a week,’ Ms. Grisham said.” NYT
KNOWING DON JR. -- “Don Jr. is on a mission to recruit Trump culture warriors,” by Tina Nguyen
2020 WATCH …
-- “CBS News Battleground Tracker: Buttigieg rises in Iowa and New Hampshire, Biden back atop delegate hunt,” by Anthony Salvanto, Jennifer De Pinto, Kabir Khanna and Fred Backus: “The Democratic nomination race remains unsettled because many voters are conflicted between what they want and whether they think can win. Some candidates who generate excitement are also seen as risky. Progressive policies are popular but might be too liberal to win swing voters. And while voters say they are satisfied with their current selection of candidates, very few have actually settled on one.
“So, across the early primary and caucus states through Super Tuesday, voters' top pick continues to swing back and forth between Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren, with neither able to break away.” CBS
-- “Iowa Poll: Pete Buttigieg rockets to the top of the 2020 field as a clear front-runner,” Des Moines Register’s Brianne Pfannenstiel: “Pete Buttigieg has rocketed to the top of the latest Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa Poll in the latest reshuffling of the top tier of 2020 Democratic presidential candidates.
“Since September, Buttigieg has risen 16 percentage points among Iowa’s likely Democratic caucusgoers, with 25% now saying he is their first choice for president. For the first time in the Register’s Iowa Poll, he bests rivals Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, who are now clustered in competition for second place and about 10 percentage points behind the South Bend, Indiana, mayor.
“Warren, a U.S. senator from Massachusetts, led the September Iowa Poll, when 22% said she was their first choice. In this poll, her support slips to 16%. Former Vice President Biden, who led the Register’s first three Iowa Polls of the 2020 caucus cycle, has continued to slide, falling 5 percentage points to 15%. Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont, also garners 15% — a 4 percentage point rise.” Des Moines Register
-- “Patrick’s first win: Not getting booed at California’s Democratic convention,” by David Siders in Long Beach, Calif.
-- “AP Interview: Steyer’s fortune fuels underdog 2020 campaign,” by Steve Peoples
TRUMP’S SUNDAY -- The president has nothing on his public schedule.
BRYAN BENDER, WES MORGAN and DANIEL LIPPMAN: “Trump’s ‘West Point Mafia’ Faces a Loyalty Test”: “On May 28, 1986, newly commissioned 2nd Lt. Michael Pompeo stood at attention in Michie Stadium at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, first in his class. The career he was about to launch would take him from commanding a tank platoon in Germany to a seat in Congress, and ultimately to the right hand of President Donald Trump as secretary of State.
“Also on the field that day was classmate Mark Esper, who this July landed right next to Pompeo in Trump’s Cabinet, confirmed as secretary of Defense. Their West Point classmates Ulrich Brechbuhl and Brian Bulatao also hold senior State Department posts as Pompeo’s top lieutenants, while at the other end of the National Mall, inside the Capitol, classmate Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee has emerged as one of Trump’s leading defenders on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.
“Thanks in part to Trump’s fixation on appointing current and former military officers to key posts, and in part to his tendency to take advice from a small circle of advisers, the West Point class of 1986 has grown into a profoundly influential cohort in American foreign and military policy. In the annals of the military service academies, its rise to the top puts it on a par with the class of 1915, which bred the commanders of World War II and a U.S. president.
“The link that brought them into Trumpworld is David Urban, the lobbyist, CNN commentator and Trump confidant—and another member of the West Point class of ‘86—whose support of his fellow cadets helped Pompeo and Esper land their Cabinet posts.” POLITICO
WASHINGTON INC. -- “'Barbarians' go to war with Warren,” by Zachary Warmbrodt
The private equity industry, under attack from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, is defending itself with the Popeyes chicken sandwich.
“The industry is touting the fast food craze as a success attributable to private equity-backed Popeyes as it tries to ward off a bipartisan Capitol Hill assault led by Warren, including legislation that would increase the firms’ liability for the companies they take over. The industry is also facing two congressional probes and a House hearing this week as lawmakers raise concerns about its impact on workers and consumers.
“Private equity’s lobbying arm is trying to make the case that the iconic Wall Street industry — once dubbed ‘Barbarians at the Gate’ from a bestselling book for its no-holds-barred corporate raids — is good for America and that it is everywhere, including in fast food.
“The industry is running ads and op-eds touting private equity-backed jobs in Iowa and Ohio and pouring tens of thousands of dollars in contributions into the election campaigns of Warren's rivals in the Democratic primary.” POLITICO
-- “How FedEx Cut Its Tax Bill to $0,” by NYT’s Jim Tankersley, Peter Eavis and Ben Casselman
MEDIAWATCH -- “In Prime Time, Two Versions of Impeachment for a Divided Nation,” by NYT’s Michael M. Grynbaum
-- NBC’s Hallie Jackson announced on “Sunday TODAY with WIllie Geist” that she and Frank Thorp, NBC News Capitol Hill producer and reporter, are expecting a baby girl in April. “Frank and I have had some incredible adventures together, but I predict parenthood will be our happiest, craziest one yet. And it’s a bonus that we both cover Washington politics, since it means we’re already used to sleepless nights and lots of crying,” Jackson said. Pic
BONUS GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Daniel Lippman (@dlippman):
-- “‘Absolutely No Mercy’: Leaked Files Expose How China Organized Mass Detentions of Muslims,” by NYT’s Austin Ramzy and Chris Buckley in Hong Kong: “More than 400 pages of internal Chinese documents provide an unprecedented inside look at the crackdown on ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang region.” NYT
-- “The Strange Life and Mysterious Death of a Virtuoso Coder,” by Brendan Koerner in Wired: “Jerold Haas was on the brink of blockchain riches. Then his body was found in the woods of southern Ohio.” Wired
-- “Is Olana 19th Century America’s Greatest Work of Visual Art?” by The Daily Beast’s Malcolm Jones: “Wandering through Olana, inside and out, you grow more aware with each step that you’ve never experienced a place quite like this.” Daily Beast
-- “The Power of Boundaries,” by Sara Eckel in Psychology Today: “Sharing personal information brings people together and helps them like one another more. But in an age of self-disclosure, how do you know when you’ve gone too far—or when someone else has ulterior motives?” Psychology Today (h/t Longreads.com)
-- “Stop Trying to Raise Successful Kids,” by Adam Grant and Allison Sweet Grant in The Atlantic’s December issue: “And start raising kind ones.” Atlantic
-- “The great American tax haven: why the super-rich love South Dakota,” by Oliver Bullough in The Guardian -- per TheBrowser.com’s description: “Eye-opening account of how South Dakota has turned itself into the world’s top tax haven for super-rich individuals. The state government has legalised and deregulated perpetual trusts; it levies no taxes on incomes, or estates, or capital gains; there are no disclosure or reporting requirements; even if there were, America does not share information with foreign tax authorities; and everybody in South Dakota seems positively pleased to be prospering at the expense of other countries’ tax revenues.” Guardian
-- “Flint’s Children Suffer in Class After Years of Drinking the Lead-Poisoned Water,” by NYT’s Erica Green: “The city’s schools, stretched even before the lead crisis, are struggling with demands for individualized education programs and behavioral interventions for children with high lead exposure.” NYT
-- “How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Elite” -- Washingtonian: “Joel Stein, the legendary humor writer, has launched a second life as a champion of America’s aristocrats. It all started on Election night. Seriously.” Washingtonian
-- “The Disrupter: Award-winning chef and restaurateur Spike Gjerde ’85 seeks to subvert the American industrial food system,” by Dale Keiger in Middlebury Magazine: “Gjerde has staked his livelihood on fostering a food community that doesn’t ruin the soil, doesn’t needlessly pump carbon into the atmosphere, and doesn’t breed flavor and nutrients out of food in favor of durability so it can be shipped 3,000 miles.” Middlebury Magazine
-- “The Final Frontier,” by Michael Chabon in The New Yorker: “I love Mr. Spock because he reminds me of you, I told my father. For the first time that night, I considered the possibility that he was going to survive it.” New Yorker
-- “The Everything Town in the Middle of Nowhere,” by The Verge’s Josh Dzieza: “How the tiny town of Roundup, Montana, became a hub in Amazon’s supply chain.” The Verge (h/t Longform.org)
-- “Can Marriage Counseling Save America?” by Andrew Ferguson in The Atlantic’s December issue: “Borrowing techniques from couples therapy to bring liberals and conservatives back together.” Atlantic
Send tips to Eli Okun and Garrett Ross at politicoplaybook@politico.com.
SPOTTED: Roger Stone at Da Hong Pao on Saturday night. … Justice Clarence Thomas at the University of Nebraska’s Devaney Center in Lincoln on Saturday night to watch the Nebraska Cornhuskers volleyball team take on the Iowa Hawkeyes.
SPOTTED at the Trump hotel Friday celebrating Chad Wolf’s swearing-in as acting DHS secretary: Hope Wolf, Chris Krebs, Sean Doocey, Dan Kaniewski, Anne Marie Hoffman, Tyler Houlton, Molly Harper, Dan Roehl, Matt Green, Tom Craig, Jana and John Murphy, Michael Bars and Cherie Short, Hannah Hummelberg, Emily Scala and Adam Stahl.
SPOTTED at a book party for Kathryn Jean Lopez’s “A Year with the Mystics” ($9.98 on Amazon) at Barry Jackson’s home Friday night: Ramesh and April Ponnuru, Emily Lampkin, Fred Barnes, Adam Laxalt, Peggy Noonan, Maria Dino, Kathryn Lehman, Jeanne Mancini, Erin DeLullo, and Brian and Ashley McGuire.
TRANSITIONS -- Josh Goldstein will be director of media and policy communications at S&P Global. He previously was communications director at the AFL-CIO. … James Davis has launched Touchdown Strategies, a communications firm. He most recently was president of Stand Together and is an RNC and DOD alum. PRWeek … Background from POLITICO last month
WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- Ryan Taylor, VP of public affairs at Forbes Tate Partners, and Bevin Taylor, director of federal government relations at the Tennessee Valley Authority, welcomed Charlotte Azby Taylor on Friday afternoon. She came in at 7 lbs, 12 oz and 20.5 inches.
BIRTHDAYS: John Boehner is 7-0 … Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) is 85 ... Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) is 58 … U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad is 73 … Howard Dean is 71 … POLITICO’s Helena Bottemiller Evich … Jarrod Agen, VP for communications at Lockheed Martin, is 42 … Noah Oppenheim, NBC News president … Susan Rice is 55 (h/t Ben Chang) … Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf is 71 … Charmaine Yoest, VP of the Institute for Family, Community and Opportunity at the Heritage Foundation … Fox News’ Chris Stirewalt … PhRMA’s Paul Lindsay … Arielle Mueller, press secretary for Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) … Brian Jones, partner at Black Rock Group … Halie Soifer, executive director of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, is 41 … Denver Peacock … Rick Dunham is 63 … MSNBC’s Lily Corvo …
… Felicia Schwartz, WSJ Israel/Palestinian Territories correspondent … Howard Fineman is 71 … Suzan G. LeVine is 5-0 … Mike Ricci, communications director for Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan … Sarah Gibbens … Quartz’s Chase Purdy … Jeff Watters of the Ocean Conservancy … Isaac Baker, partner at AKPD … Linda Moore, president and CEO of TechNet … Diana Aviv (h/ts Jon Haber) … Harry Jaffe … Lea Anne Foster … Ralph Posner … Martin Fackler … Chris Sloan … Kellie Boyle of Boyle Public Affairs … Lucas Fleischer … Erika Compart … Kara Harner (h/ts Tom and Sarah Fanning) … Marty Reiser … Russ Grote … Michele Tasoff … Alex Gallo … Greg Croft … Carly Montoya … David Kurtz … Andrew Hinkebein … Mike DeFilippis … Ada Waelder … Mike Maloof … Allison Hayward … Michael Ostrolenk is 49 … Gordon Whiting … Lorne Michaels is 75
Article originally published on POLITICO Magazine