10 things you need to know today: September 27, 2019

1. Whistleblower: Officials tried to hide Trump request for Ukrainian interference

Congressional leaders on Thursday released the whistleblower complaint detailing allegations that President Trump abused his power by soliciting "interference from a foreign country" in the 2020 elections during a phone call with Ukraine's president. The document also says the White House tried to "lock down" records of Trump's actions and cover them up by inappropriately storing the information on a computer system for national security secrets. The release of the complaint was expected to bolster an impeachment inquiry House Democrats launched after a rough account of the call, in which Trump pressed for Ukraine to investigate 2020 Democratic candidate Joe Biden, was released this week. Trump lashed out at whoever told the whistleblower about the call. "That's close to a spy. You know what we used to do in the old days" to spies, Trump said.

The Associated Press The New York Times

2. Senate approves stopgap spending bill in time to avert shutdown

The Senate on Thursday passed a stopgap spending bill that will keep the government funded through Nov. 21 and avoid a possible partial government shutdown. The 82-to-15 vote beat a Sept. 30 deadline when the current funding legislation runs out. The House passed the stopgap bill last week, so the legislation now goes to President Trump for his expected signature. The temporary reprieve is intended to give lawmakers more time to reach a compromise on $1.4 trillion worth of spending bills for the 2020 fiscal year. The bipartisan support for the measure came despite mounting tensions on Capitol Hill over the impeachment inquiry of Trump launched by House Democrats this week.

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The Washington Post

3. Acting director of national intelligence testifies on whistleblower complaint

Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire testified on Capitol Hill on Thursday, defending his decision not to immediately relay to Congress a whistleblower complaint stemming from President Trump's phone call with Ukraine's president. In the call, Trump asked for Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter. Maguire said he first had to consult with White House and Justice Department officials about whether the complaint contained material protected by executive privilege. The Justice Department received two criminal referrals but dismissed them, saying Trump's call did not rise to a criminal level. Maguire testified that he found the whistleblower's complaint "credible" and believed the official was acting in "good faith" in reporting the concern. He called the matter "unprecedented."

The Washington Post The New York Times

4. Poll: Support for impeachment inquiry rises

Support for starting impeachment proceedings against President Trump surged after widespread coverage of a whistleblower complaint alleging that Trump pressured Ukraine's president to investigate a political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, according to a Politico/Morning Consult poll released Thursday afternoon. The new poll showed that 43 percent of voters believe Congress should start the impeachment process, up seven points from a poll conducted late last week. Thursday's poll found that 43 percent of voters oppose launching impeachment proceedings, down from 49 percent last week. Thirteen percent of voters are undecided. The new poll was conducted after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced on Tuesday she was opening a formal impeachment inquiry.

Politico

5. Senate confirms Eugene Scalia as labor secretary

The Senate on Thursday confirmed Eugene Scalia as labor secretary. Scalia, son of late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, will take over a job vacated by Alex Acosta, who resigned in July under intense criticism for his role back in his days as a prosecutor in a lenient plea deal for multimillionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein recently committed suicide in prison awaiting trial on new charges of sex trafficking. Scalia is a lawyer in a Washington firm that has represented giant companies including Walmart, Ford, and UPS in worker-rights cases. Democrats opposed Scalia's confirmation in the 53-to-44 vote, arguing that he had shown himself to be "anti-worker" when he represented big corporations. Scalia said he was an advocate of workers.

The Washington Post

6. Vaping deaths rise to 12 as hundreds more illnesses reported

The number of deaths linked to vaping has risen to 12, with a total of 805 confirmed and probable cases of mysterious respiratory illnesses, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday. Last week, the CDC said there were seven deaths and 530 cases overall. Public health officials are investigating the severe lung illnesses that have sparked efforts to curb vaping. The cases have not been linked to any single vaping product, but they have fueled efforts by state and federal officials to curb or ban sales of flavored e-cigarettes, which have been tied to rising vaping among young people. Investigators suspect vaping oils containing either the marijuana ingredient THC or vitamin E acetate as possible factors in the illnesses.

Reuters

7. U.S. income inequality surges to record level

U.S. income inequality grew last year to its highest level in the more than 50 years the government has tracked the data, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures released Thursday. The Gini Index, which measures the gap between the haves and have-nots, rose from 0.482 in 2017 to 0.485 in 2018. On the scale, a score of 0 would indicate perfect and total wealth equality. A 1 would mean a single household has all the income. "Top income earners got even larger increases in their income, and one of the reasons for that might well be the tax cut," said Hector Sandoval, a University of Florida economist. The change came as median household income rose to nearly $62,000, a record high in the American Community Survey.

The Associated Press

8. Former Ukraine prosecutor says Hunter Biden 'did not violate anything'

Former top Ukrainian prosecutor Yuri Lutsenko said Thursday that Hunter Biden, son of former Vice President Joe Biden, "did not violate anything" related to Ukrainian laws. During a phone call, President Trump pressed Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky to investigate, as a "favor," the younger Biden, as well as his father's role in getting a former Ukraine prosecutor fired due to widespread suspicion that he was corrupt. Lutsenko's remarks contradict Trump and his lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who have said the Bidens, not Trump, should be investigated for wrongdoing related to Ukraine. Hunter Biden has denied wrongdoing. Joe Biden is a leading candidate for the Democratic nomination to challenge Trump in the 2020 election.

The Washington Post

9. Former French leader Jacques Chirac dies at 86

Jacques Chirac, a former prime minister and president of France, died Thursday at his Paris home. He was 86. Chirac served 18 years as mayor of Paris and used that job as a stepping stone toward becoming one of France's most dominant leaders in recent decades. The conservative Chirac served two terms as president starting in 1995 after serving as prime minister under both centrist and Socialist presidents. Chirac ran France when power was split between the left and the right. One of his most memorable battles was his defiant refusal to back the U.S.-led war in Iraq after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. In 2011, his reputation was tarnished when he was convicted of embezzlement and misusing public funds during his time as Paris' mayor.

The New York Times

10. Trump cuts number of refugees allowed into U.S.

President Trump has cut the number of refugees to be accepted into the U.S. to 18,000 over the next 12 months, down from the previous ceiling of 30,000, the State Department announced Thursday. The Obama administration let up to 110,000 refugees into the U.S. in 2016, former President Barack Obama's last year in office. The State Department said many of the limited number of slots will be set aside for Iraqis who have worked with the U.S. military, persecuted people from Central America, and religious minorities. It will now be harder for people fleeing war to find a safe haven in the U.S. There is a backlog of nearly one million cases in immigration courts, and the State Department said the "current burdens on the U.S. immigration system must be alleviated before it is again possible to resettle large numbers of refugees."

NPR The New York Times