10 things you need to know today: October 26, 2019

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1. Judge: No impeachment inquiry vote needed, House can access Mueller docs
2. Former Trump adviser files lawsuit over whether he must testify in impeachment inquiry
3. U.S. to send troops to protect eastern Syrian oil fields
4. GM-UAW contract ends 40-day strike
5. Federal deficit soars to $984 billion
6. Millions in California may lose power amid continued fire risks
7. Cummings eulogized by Clintons, Obama
8. The Trump Organization reportedly willing to sell its Washington hotel
9. John Bolton's lawyers reportedly arranging impeachment deposition
10. Kanye West releases new album Jesus Is King

published 26 October 2019

1. Judge: No impeachment inquiry vote needed, House can access Mueller docs

Washington's top federal judge ruled Friday that the House does not need to vote to launch an official impeachment inquiry against President Trump, striking down Republican arguments and handing a major victory to Democrats. Judge Beryl Howell also ruled that because the inquiry is legitimate, the House should get to see the previously withheld grand jury evidence from ex-Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. The Justice Department will have to hand over the evidence by Oct. 30. House Democrats sued the DOJ for access to the redacted evidence in July. Howell's ruling will ensure Democrats don't have to "redo the nearly two years" of Mueller's work, she wrote in her decision, also saying "a House resolution has never, in fact, been required to begin an impeachment inquiry."

Charles Kupperman, President Trump's former deputy national security adviser, filed a lawsuit Friday asking a federal judge to rule whether he must testify in the congressional impeachment inquiry. House Democrats subpoenaed Kupperman, but the White House instructed him not to appear before Congress, arguing he — along with Trump's other close advisers — is immune from testifying. "Dr. Kupperman cannot satisfy the competing and irreconcilable demands of both the Legislative and Executive Branches, and there is no controlling judicial authority definitively establishing which Branch's command should prevail," Kupperman's lawyer, Charles Cooper, said in a statement. Kupperman is expected to testify Monday. He was on the July phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, making him the first witness with firsthand knowledge of the call to testify in the impeachment inquiry.

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The U.S. will send combat troops and armored vehicles into eastern Syria, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Friday. The decision was made to prevent oil fields in the region from potentially falling into the hands of the Islamic State, and it will take place in coordination with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. No details were provided on how many or what kind of forces will be deployed, though The Associated Press noted it could take several hundred soldiers to oversee the armored vehicles. The decision will not affect the withdrawal of nearly all 1,000 U.S. troops from northeast Syria. President Trump, meanwhile, tweeted Friday that the oil is secure and U.S. forces were coming home from Syria.

The United Auto Workers and General Motors have agreed to a four-year contract to end workers' six-week strike, UAW announced Friday. The two parties reached a tentative contract last week, and 57 percent of UAW members voted to approve it. The contract includes a benefits package, "annual lump-sum bonuses," and an additional $11,000 ratification bonus for all members. Still, UAW will not block GM's plans to close four plants across the U.S. More than 50,000 GM workers nationwide had been on strike since mid-September. They will now report to work as soon as this weekend, at GM's request. UAW says it now intends to bargain with Ford.

The federal deficit has jumped from $779 billion in fiscal year 2018 to $984 billion in 2019, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin revealed in a Friday statement. That's a 26 percent jump, and the deficit's highest point since it was coming down from the recession in 2012. The deficit saw a massive jump as the recession kicked in from 2008 to 2009, and that number hasn't been replicated since. Still, the deficit has purely been on an upward swing under President Trump, and has only increased more dramatically since the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was passed. The GOP tax package was expected to help push the deficit over $1 trillion by 2020, and that now looks unavoidable. Trump has on multiple occasions pledged to cut the federal deficit and national debt.

About 50,000 people evacuated regions in Los Angeles County on Friday as a wildfire rapidly spread, fueled by powerful wind gusts. Pacific Gas & Electric said about 850,000 customers, which is roughly 2 million people, in northern and central California could lose power over the weekend because of the risk of sparks that could make another fire in the region more severe. Firefighters have scrambled to contain the blaze as hot, windy, dry conditions continue to add to the threat. The Tick Fire, near Los Angeles, has expanded to 4,300 acres and has set several homes ablaze. The Kincade Fire in northern Sonoma County erupted and spread quickly on Thursday, prompting Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) to declare a state of emergency.

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), who died last week, was eulogized at his funeral on Friday by Hillary Clinton, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. The Maryland Democrat's funeral was held in his Baltimore hometown, after he lay in state in the Capitol on Thursday, the first black lawmaker to receive that honor. Cummings "weathered storms and earthquakes but never lost his faith," said Hillary Clinton in her eulogy, also comparing him to the prophet Elijah who "stood against corrupt leadership of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel." Obama commended Cummings' strength in his "kindness and compassion." Cummings was 68 and died after longstanding health issues.

The Trump Organization is looking into selling the rights to its Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., having hired a real-estate firm to market it, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday. "People are objecting to us making so much money on the hotel, and therefore we may be willing to sell," Eric Trump told the Journal. The president has faced criticism and lawsuits from those who argue that profiting off of the hotel where foreign officials can stay is a violation of the Constitution's emoluments clause. The Trump Organization is reportedly seeking more than $500 million for the lease rights. The federal government leases the building to the company. The D.C. hotel is one of the Trump family's largest sources of revenue.

Former National Security Adviser John Bolton's lawyers are reportedly in talks with the House to arrange a deposition in President Trump's impeachment inquiry, multiple news sources reported Friday. Impeachment investigators have reportedly been talking with Bolton to plan a closed-door testimony. There's also a chance Bolton would be up for a live, on-camera impeachment interview, seeing as his former aide Fiona Hill reportedly testified that she and him were "alarmed" by Trump's pressuring of Ukraine. Former U.S. diplomat to Ukraine Bill Taylor told Congress the same thing about Bolton. Bolton had seemingly been on bad terms with Trump in the months before his departure, and is reportedly working on a book detailing his tumultuous time in the White House.

Kanye West has finally released his highly-anticipated new album Jesus Is King after numerous delays. West's album was originally expected to be released on Sept. 27, only for it to be delayed until Sept. 29, and then delayed again to Oct. 25. On Thursday, West said the album would be available at midnight on Friday, but fans were disappointed when it did not arrive at that time. Jesus Is King was released about 12 hours later. In the lead-up to the album, West has described recently converting to Christianity, calling himself an "evangelist" who is "here to save souls." West says he plans to release another album titled Jesus Is Born on Christmas.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.