10 things you need to know today: October 7, 2019

1. Trump green-lights Turkish invasion of Kurdish-held Syrian enclave

The White House said late Sunday that the 1,000 U.S. troops stationed in northeastern Syria are moving out ahead of an incursion of Turkish forces into the area, which now is held by America's Kurdish allies. U.S. forces "will not support or be involved in the operation," the White House said. The statement came after President Trump spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan, who views Kurdish fighters as a threat, has long vowed to launch a military offensive across the border, and demanded that the U.S. step up cooperation to establish a "safe zone" in the area where Turkey could resettle up to 2 million Syrian refugees. Republicans and Democrats have warned Turkish attacks against the Kurds would have a chilling effect on U.S. allies worldwide.

The Associated Press Reuters

2. Lawyer says 'multiple' whistleblowers have come forward

"Multiple" whistleblowers now have come forward with information about President Trump's push for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, a lawyer for the original whistleblower said Sunday. Another lawyer confirmed earlier that the legal team is representing a second whistleblower with first-hand knowledge about Trump's phone call with Zelensky, which was the subject of the original whistleblower complaint that prompted House Democrats' impeachment inquiry. Another lawyer said the second whistleblower had spoken with the intelligence community's inspector general. Trump dismissed the whistleblowers and lawyers as partisan. "All support Obama and Crooked Hillary," Trump tweeted. "Witch Hunt!"

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The Washington Post

3. Iraqi police kill 8 more protesters, pushing death toll above 100

Iraqi security forces fired on protesters Sunday, killing at least eight people. The latest anti-government demonstrations marked a sixth straight day of unrest that has claimed at least 100 lives and left more than 6,000 people wounded. The unrest marks the greatest security challenge yet for Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi's year-old government. Sunday's demonstrations came hours after the government announced reforms designed to address public disgust with corruption and frustration over high unemployment. The government said after a Saturday emergency cabinet meeting that it would implement a 17-point plan including increased subsidized housing for the poor and stipends and training programs for jobless people.

Reuters NPR

4. Diplomats to testify as House impeachment inquiry continues

The House impeachment inquiry into President Trump's actions continues this week with planned closed-door testimony from several U.S. diplomats. One of them, U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, was involved in the push to get Ukraine to investigate Trump political rival former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, who was a board member at a Ukrainian energy company. Former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Masha Yovanovitch, who was recalled in May after Trump allies questioned her loyalty to Trump, also is scheduled to appear. The White House this week also could formally tell House Democrats that it plans to withhold documents on the Ukraine matter, which were demanded by House committees, until Democrats hold a House vote to formally approve the launch of impeachment proceedings.

Reuters

5. 3 scientists share Nobel Prize in Medicine

The Nobel Prize in Medicine has been awarded jointly to three scientists "for their studies of how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability," the Nobel Assembly announced in Stockholm on Monday. The winners are William G. Kaelin, Jr. of Harvard University, Sir Peter J. Ratcliffe of Oxford University, and Gregg L. Semenza of Johns Hopkins. "Oxygen sensing is central to a large number of diseases," the Nobel Committee said. "The discoveries made by this year's Nobel Prize laureates have fundamental importance for physiology and have paved the way for promising new strategies to fight anemia, cancer, and many other diseases." The prize for physics will be announced next, on Tuesday. The Nobel Peace Prize winner will be revealed on Friday in Norway.

NPR The New York Times

6. Supreme Court starts new session in tense election year

The Supreme Court on Monday starts an election-year term in which it will consider cases on abortion, immigration, and other divisive issues. The court will hear arguments Monday in a death-penalty case that could determine whether states can scrap the insanity defense. This term is the second with President Trump's appointees, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. Legal analysts are expecting indications about the effects of Trump's strengthening of the court's 5-4 conservative majority. Chief Justice John Roberts has indicated he wants to distance the court from Washington politics, although this term the court could be called to rule on disputes between congressional Democrats and the White House during the impeachment inquiry of Trump.

The Associated Press

7. Pope Francis opens meeting where bishops will discuss celibacy requirement

Pope Francis on Sunday formally opened a meeting of bishops in the Vatican to discuss whether the Catholic Church should ease the longstanding celibacy requirement for priests. Over the next three weeks, the bishops will discuss a number of controversial issues, including whether the church should consider ordaining married men in South America's isolated Amazon region, which is facing a dire shortage of clergy. Many church leaders are adamantly opposed to easing the church's 1,000-year-old celibacy requirement for priests. Francis, in a Sunday homily, avoided mentioning celibacy directly but called for innovation to keep the church from being "smothered by the ashes of fear and concern for defending the status quo."

The Wall Street Journal CNN

8. Hong Kong activists return to streets after 18th straight weekend of protests

Hong Kong anti-government protesters gathered for a fourth straight day of demonstrations on Monday, forcing an unprecedented extension of subway closures after a weekend of clashes, some of which turned violent. Activists took to the streets in the 18th straight weekend of protests newly energized by Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam's decision to ban masks, invoking an emergency powers law dating to the time when Hong Kong, now a semi-autonomous Chinese territory, was a British colony. Many of the protesters wore masks over the weekend, in defiance of the ban. "To me, banning the masks is an erosion of our basic rights," said 60-year-old Fred Wong, who marched over the weekend wearing a green surgical mask.

CNN The Washington Post

9. Joker leads box office with best October debut ever

Joker dominated the domestic box office with $93.5 million in ticket sales over the weekend, the best October debut ever. The Warner Bros. film's haul was the fourth-best ever for an R-rated film, according to Comscore. Joker's performance far exceeded analysts' expectations of $80 million. The film, written and directed by Todd Phillips, grossed $140.5 million overseas, nearly twice as much as expected. The latest DC Comics movie tells the back story of the notorious Batman villain, with Joaquin Phoenix portraying him as a failed stand-up comic named Arthur Fleck. The film's dark tone and graphic violence made it controversial, but Comscore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian said the debate "clearly enhanced" Joker's appeal to movie buffs.

Los Angeles Times

10. Naomi Osaka beats Ashleigh Barty to win China Open

Naomi Osaka came from behind to beat Ashleigh Barty, the world No. 1 in women's tennis, to win the China Open on Sunday. The 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory was Osaka's second straight title after her Pan Pacific Open victory in September. The Australian Barty, 23, replaced Osaka at the top of the world rankings earlier this year, but Osaka, currently ranked No. 4, has now won 10 straight matches since getting knocked out of the U.S. Open in the tournament's round of 16. The Japanese Osaka said she was not as calm as usual in this tournament, noting that she had thrown her racquet in every match. "I was telling myself to keep fighting even though my attitude was really trash," Osaka said. "I just really wanted to win here."

BBC News