10 things you need to know today: October 24, 2019

1. GOP lawmakers storm closed-door impeachment deposition

A group of Republican lawmakers led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and including House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) barged into a closed-door impeachment-inquiry hearing on Wednesday. Several brought cellphones, which are prohibited in the secure area. "Voting members of Congress are being denied access from being able to see what's happening behind these closed doors, where they're trying to impeach the president of the United States with a one-sided set of rules," Scalise said. Dozens of Republicans were authorized participants in the hearing. Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary Laura Cooper, who was on Capitol Hill to testify, reportedly left the deposition room while the more than 20 conservative lawmakers refused to leave for several hours. The House Parliamentarian has reportedly ruled the lawmakers violated the House's deposition rules.

The Hill CNN

2. Trump lifts sanctions on Turkey, saying ceasefire now 'permanent'

President Trump announced Wednesday that he would lift sanctions on Turkey after the country's leaders told him their ceasefire in northern Syria would be "permanent." Vice President Mike Pence announced the initial five-day ceasefire last week after meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Russia then brokered an extension, and agreed to take control of the area jointly with Turkey. Turkey launched its incursion into areas held by U.S.-allied Kurdish militias after Trump cleared the way by moving out U.S. forces who had fought alongside the Kurds against the Islamic State. Trump's decision drew sharp bipartisan criticism, some of which was muted after Trump imposed sanctions on Turkey. Trump said the news of the ceasefire extension showed his Syria policy was a "big success."

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3. House ethics panel investigating allegations against Rep. Katie Hill

The House Ethics Committee said Wednesday it had started an investigation into allegations that freshman Rep. Katie Hill (D-Calif.) had an improper sexual relationship with a male congressional staffer. Hill denies the allegations. She told Politico she is involved in a bitter divorce and her "abusive husband' is behind the controversy. In a letter sent to constituents, Hill revealed that during her 2018 campaign, she did have a relationship with a female staffer. Hill, who identifies as bisexual, said she knows that "even a consensual relationship with a subordinate is inappropriate, but I still allowed it to happen despite my better judgment. For that, I apologize." Hill also said U.S. Capitol Police are looking into how a nude photo of the congresswoman was released and posted to a conservative website.

Politico The Washington Post

4. Trump attorney says president can't be investigated while in office

President Trump's private attorney, William Consovoy, said in a hearing about a subpoena of Trump's tax records that a president can't be investigated or charged with a crime until he leaves the White House. Judge Denny Chin pressed Consovoy on the matter, and asked whether that meant a president wouldn't even face justice for shooting somebody in the middle of Fifth Avenue. Consovoy replied: "That is correct." Consovoy made the claim of "temporary presidential immunity" in his bid to get the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit to block a subpoena issued by New York prosecutors for Trump's private financial records. The prosecutors are investigating hush-money payments Trump made before the 2016 election to two women claiming to have had affairs with him years earlier.

The Washington Post

5. Judge says State Department must hand over Ukraine documents

A judge said Wednesday that the State Department must give an ethics watchdog documents regarding the Trump administration's dealings with Ukraine starting within 30 days. The watchdog group, American Oversight, filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the material. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper said he agreed with the group's argument that the records are of tremendous public importance. The records could include emails and text messages with Trump personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who sidestepped U.S. diplomats to press Ukraine to investigate Democrats, including former Vice President Joe Biden. American Oversight has requested documents relating to Giuliani and the recall of former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch.

NBC News

6. Poll: Support for Trump impeachment inquiry jumps

A Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday found 55 percent of U.S. voters support the House's impeachment inquiry of President Trump, a jump of 4 percentage points from Quinnipiac's previous poll, released just last week; 43 percent disapprove. A 48 percent plurality of voters want Trump impeached and removed from office, Quinnipiac found, while 46 percent disagree; last week, those numbers were reversed. Trump's job approval in the new poll was 38 percent, tying for a record low net approval. In FiveThirtyEight's poll aggregation, support for the impeachment inquiry is now at 51.1 percent, with 42.7 percent not supportive, while 48.7 percent back impeaching Trump and/or removing him from office versus 43.4 percent who don't. Quinnipiac's poll, conducted Oct. 17-21 among 1,587 registered voters, has a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points.

Quinnipiac University FiveThirtyEight

7. U.K. authorities arrest driver after 39 bodies found in container truck

British authorities on Wednesday arrested the driver of a container truck on suspicion of murder after 39 dead bodies were found inside. The discovery was made after an unidentified person called police and urged them to look inside the vehicle. The 25-year-old driver was from Northern Ireland. Investigators believed the Bulgarian-registered tractor entered the country through a port in Wales, while the container it was pulling arrived at Purfleet, a shipping port near Grays. "This is a tragic incident where a large number of people have lost their lives," Chief Superintendent Andrew Mariner of the Essex Police said in a statement. "Our enquiries are ongoing to establish what has happened."

The New York Times

8. PG&E cuts power in parts of California due to fire risk

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. cut power to the first of an expected 179,000 customers in 17 Northern and Central California counties on Wednesday due to the danger that high winds could knock trees into power lines and other equipment and cause wildfires. It is the utility's second intentional blackout in two weeks to prevent fires. PG&E started shutting down parts of the grid over objections from Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and other officials. The company said on its website that there was an "elevated" chance power would have to be cut power to hundreds of thousands more customers through the weekend, but it also said it should be able to restore power to "the vast majority of customers within 48 hours after the weather has passed."

The Sacramento Bee

9. Tesla shares jump as profit crushes expectations

Tesla shares surged by nearly 21 percent in after hours trading on Wednesday after the electric car maker reported quarterly earnings that smashed expectations. Tesla said it made a profit of $1.86 per share, far beyond the 42 cents per share analysts had expected. The company reported record deliveries in the quarter, along with significant cost cuts. Last quarter the company lost $1.12 per share. The company also said its Model Y crossover was ahead of schedule and should be launched by next summer. Tesla also said it planned a limited run of its Tesla Semi next year.

Reuters CNBC

10. World Series Game 2: Nationals defeat Astros 12-3

The Washington Nationals trounced the Houston Astros 12-3 in Game 2 of the World Series on Wednesday night, jumping to a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Game 3 is scheduled for Friday night in Washington, D.C. Catcher Kurt Suzuki put the Nationals ahead with a solo homerun in a breakout seventh inning. His teammates added five more runs in the inning to give the Nationals a huge lead. The Nationals extended their lead with three more runs in the eighth inning. The Nationals have now won eight straight games in October. Despite the loss, Astros Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Justin Verlander broke the record for most all-time strikeouts in the playoffs, passing John Smoltz.

CBS Sports