10 things you need to know today: November 1, 2019

1. House approves public impeachment process in party-line vote

The House on Thursday approved Democrats' plan for the public portion of the impeachment inquiry against President Trump, clearing the way for televised hearings to start in mid-November. Just two Democrats opposed the plan in the 232-196, mostly party-line vote. Republicans had criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for approving the inquiry without a formal House vote, but again questioned the proposed resolution ahead of the Thursday vote. The White House said the resolution failed "to provide any due process whatsoever" and was "unconstitutional." The resolution provides an impeachment "road map" that lets House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) call for hearings with witnesses and lets Republicans request subpoenas, among other things. It includes increased rights for Trump, provided he stops trying to block witnesses from testifying.

The Washington Post USA Today

2. ISIS confirms Baghdadi's death and names successor

The Islamic State on Thursday for the first time confirmed the death of its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, five days after he killed himself with a suicide vest as U.S. special forces raided his hideout in northwest Syria. In an audio recording uploaded on the Telegram app, ISIS mourned Baghdadi, as well as his spokesman Abu Hassan al-Muhajir, a potential successor who was killed the same weekend in a separate operation. The group said that another ISIS figure, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Qurashi, had replaced Baghdadi as the Islamist extremist group's new leader and "caliph." ISIS said Hashemi is a "prominent figure in jihad," although the name is not known to security forces.

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3. NSC official confirms quid pro quo but says it was no crime

National Security Council aide Timothy Morrison testified on Thursday that he heard of a possible quid pro quo between the White House and Ukraine, corroborating a key detail at the center of President Trump's House impeachment inquiry. Morrison resigned from the NSC on Tuesday. He was on the call between Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, and said in his opening statement that he had "promptly asked the NSC legal adviser and his deputy to review" the conversation. Morrison said his concerns were about a possible leak and its effects on Congress and Ukrainian relations. "I was not concerned that anything illegal was discussed," he said. Diplomat William Taylor also previously testified he'd heard the White House planned to hold back Ukrainian military assistance until the country's government agreed to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden.

The New York Times

4. Power lines suspected of starting some of California's latest wildfires

Investigators suspect wind-damaged power lines contributed to the starting of half of the dozen fires that have spread fast in several parts of California, including the massive Northern California Kincade fire, now the largest in Sonoma County wine country history, and Southern California fires that threatened the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and the Getty museum. State officials are looking into whether utilities' use of preemptive power shutdowns to keep downed electricity lines from starting fires is working. "It's really too early to tell as far as the effectiveness of the utility shutdowns," said Scott McLean, spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. "We are definitely delving into that."

The Mercury News

5. Chicago Teachers Union agrees to deal to end 11-day strike

The Chicago Teachers Union reached an agreement with the city Thursday to end its 11-day strike. Teachers will return to school and classes will resume Friday for the more than 300,000 students affected. Union President Jesse Sharkey called the deal "a return to work agreement," and the union said negotiations would continue. Union officials negotiated with Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot in an hours-long meeting to reach what Lightfoot called a "compromise" made in the "interest of our students and our parents who have been suffering." Discussions hit a snag Wednesday when teachers demanded they be able to make up all 11 days lost to the strike, but Lightfoot conceded to only five. The 25,000-member union eventually agreed.

Chicago Tribune Chicago Sun-Times

6. U.S. troops move into Syria to protect oil fields from ISIS

Dozens of American soldiers entered Syria with armored vehicles on Thursday to secure oil fields, and make sure Islamic State forces don't take control of them. The mission marked the first time U.S. forces had used armored equipment in the five-year fight against ISIS. Previously, U.S. forces relied on airstrikes in their effort to support local forces in Syria. The U.S. troops, with fewer than 10 Bradley armored fighting vehicles, were deployed in northeastern Syria less than a week after American special forces conducted a raid that left ISIS founder and leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi dead.

USA Today

7. 12th UAW official charged in corruption investigation

Federal prosecutors charged a 12th United Auto Workers official with alleged corruption Thursday. The union official, Edward Robinson, was accused of conspiring with colleagues to embezzle more than $1.5 million in union money to fuel "lavish lifestyles," and to defraud the U.S., both felonies punishable with up to five years in prison. The alleged crimes occurred between 2010 and this year. Robinson led a union community action program council where UAW President Gary Jones served as director. Investigators in the widening corruption scandal raided the homes of Jones and his predecessor, Dennis Williams, in August.

CNBC

8. Protesters call for Pakistan's prime minister to resign

Tens of thousands of protesters rallied Friday in Pakistan's capital city, Islamabad, to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Imran Khan. The head of one of Pakistan's biggest religious parties, Fazl-ur-Rehman, is leading the demonstrations with support from the country's two main opposition groups. The protesters say Khan's government is illegitimate and is being propped up by the military, and warned of chaos if Khan doesn't step down. Khan, who took office vowing to end corruption and create jobs as the country faces an economic crisis, dismissed demands for his resignation. The government warned it would not tolerate disruptive protests. The military, which ruled for half of Pakistan's history, has denied it is meddling in politics.

Reuters

9. Altria slashes value of its Juul investment due to vaping backlash

Tobacco giant Altria Group said Thursday that it had taken a major hit from its investment in e-cigarette maker Juul Labs due to the recent backlash over vaping problems. Marlboro-maker Altria, which invested $12.8 billion in Juul in December 2018, said it was devaluing its 35 percent stake in the company by $4.5 billion. Altria said the move reflected the "increased likelihood" that the Food and Drug Administration would "remove flavored e-vapor products from the market." Juul has struggled in the last year as it was targeted in new federal and state investigations into how its marketing practices affected the sharp rise of vaping by teenagers. Also, state and local authorities have issued vaping bans due to an outbreak of lung injuries and deaths linked to vaping-product use.

The New York Times The Associated Press

10. Trump changes residency from New York to Florida

President Trump, a lifelong New Yorker, and first lady Melania Trump have filed paperwork to change their residency from Manhattan to Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, The New York Times reported Thursday, citing court documents filed in September. As president, Trump has spent 99 days at Mar-a-Lago and 20 at Trump Tower in Manhattan, according to NBC News. Trump confirmed the move. "I cherish New York," he tweeted. But, "I have been treated very badly by the political leaders" there. Trump reportedly is mad about the Manhattan district attorney's attempt to get his tax returns, but his family also stands to benefit from Florida's lack of income and inheritance taxes. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) tweeted, "Good riddance."

The New York Times