10 things you need to know today: December 18, 2019

1. Trump writes to Pelosi calling impeachment vote an 'attempted coup'

President Trump on Tuesday accused Democrats of running a "partisan impeachment crusade" against him. Trump said in a scathing six-page letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) that the scheduled Wednesday vote on two articles of impeachment amounted to an "attempted coup" against him that would hurt Democrats in next year's elections. "History will judge you harshly as you proceed with this impeachment charade," Trump wrote. Trump also lashed out at leaders of the FBI, calling them "totally incompetent and corrupt." Trump ignored testimony from witnesses within his own government who described his alleged effort to pressure Ukraine into investigating Democrats, and said he never abused his power. Pelosi called the letter "ridiculous." The full House is expected to vote along party lines to impeach Trump.

The New York Times

2. Rick Gates sentenced to 45 days behind bars

Rick Gates, who served as an aide on President Trump's 2016 campaign, was sentenced to 45 days in jail on Tuesday after pleading guilty last year to lying to the FBI and Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team. Gates also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy against the U.S. The close associate of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort cooperated with the federal investigation into Russian election meddling. He could have faced nearly six years in prison, but his sentencing was delayed because he cooperated with investigators. His lawyers last week asked that he be sentenced only to community service and probation, because of his "extraordinary assistance" to Mueller's investigators.

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Axios The Washington Post

3. FISA court orders FBI, DOJ to fix problems with warrant application process

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court on Tuesday ordered the FBI and the Justice Department to describe reforms they will enact in response to a highly critical report from the DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz. In the report, Horowitz said he found "significant errors or emissions" made by FBI agents applying for warrants to surveil Carter Page, a former adviser to President Trump's 2016 campaign. Horowitz reported that he found instances in which agents seeking warrants on Page failed to pass on potentially exculpatory evidence, behavior that was "antithetical to the heightened duty of candor" expected in FISA dealings. The FBI reacted to the FISA order by saying that FBI Director Christopher Wray already "ordered more than 40 corrective steps to address" Horowitz's recommendations.

ABC News

4. McConnell, Schumer spar over impeachment trial rules

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) clashed on Tuesday over how President Trump's likely impeachment trial would work. McConnell, the Senate's top Republican, flatly rejected Schumer's request to subpoena new witnesses. McConnell said Schumer was "dead wrong" on how the proceedings should go. Schumer said Republicans hadn't provided "one solid reason, one simple reason" for refusing to have Trump administration witnesses testify. The dynamic differed sharply from the one between the leading Democrats and Republicans in then-President Bill Clinton's trial in 1999, when the two sides negotiated a bipartisan process in a bid to protect the integrity of the Senate.

The Washington Post

5. Manafort hospitalized for 'cardiac event'

Paul Manafort, who once served as President Trump's campaign manager, has been hospitalized for what was described as a "cardiac event," his lawyer said Tuesday. Manafort, 70, is serving a seven-and-a-half-year prison sentence for financial crimes uncovered in former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election meddling. He reportedly has been in the hospital since Thursday. Manafort has a court appearance scheduled for Wednesday, but his attorney, Todd Blanche, said he would not be able to go. News of his illness came hours after his former deputy, Rick Gates, was sentenced to 45 days in jail for making false statements to the FBI. He got a light sentence after cooperating with Mueller's investigators.

Politico

6. Congress approves military housing reforms

Congress on Tuesday approved more than $300 million to fund military housing reforms in a bid to end complaints of slum-like conditions for some of the 200,000 military families living on bases. The measures were included in the National Defense Authorization Act, an annual military spending bill. The reforms amount to the biggest overhaul to the military's housing system in two decades, Reuters reported. The changes include ways to prevent landlord fraud, and protection from retaliation for people who report problems. The reforms came after complaints about problems including mold and pest infestations, and Reuters reporting on poor living conditions. "This would not have happened if the military had not turned its eye away from managing these contracts," Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said.

Reuters

7. DNC confirms Thursday debate after labor problem cleared up

The Democratic National Committee announced Tuesday that the party's next presidential debate will take place Thursday as scheduled following the resolution of a labor dispute at Loyola Marymount University, where the event will be held. The clash between hospitality workers at the university and Sodexo, a food service provider that employs workers at the university, had threatened to disrupt the debate. After Unite Here Local 11, the union representing the workers, informed Democratic candidates last week about a strike, all of the debate participants said they would boycott the forum to avoid crossing the picket line. The union said in a statement that it had reached a tentative agreement with Sodexo, including "a 25 percent increase in compensation" and "a 50 percent drop in health-care costs."

Politico Los Angeles Times

8. House approves $1.4 trillion 2020 spending package

The House on Tuesday signed off on a $1.4 trillion spending deal aiming to prevent a possible government shutdown. The legislation would keep the government funded through September. The Senate still has to pass the legislation and get it to President Trump for his signature before midnight Friday to avoid a partial government shutdown. The spending package is split into two bills, one focused on the military and national security, and the other on domestic programs. Along with wrapping up all 12 federal appropriations bills, the package includes a grab-bag of policy changes, including raising the tobacco-purchase age to 21 and funding gun safety research. Also, the Senate cleared a defense policy bill earlier Tuesday that will create Trump's Space Force and give federal workers paid parental leave.

The Washington Post

9. Fiat Chrysler, PSA Peugeot sign merger deal

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Peugeot on Wednesday signed a deal to merge the two companies, creating the world's fourth-biggest automaker. The $50 billion merger was described as a 50-50 tie-up when the companies unveiled it in October, but Peugeot will get one more seat on the board, and its CEO, Carlo Tavares, will lead the combined company. Fiat Chrysler CEO Mike Manley will have a role, but it was not immediately announced. The new company's scale will create $4.1 billion in annual savings and help the car manufacturers face challenges, such as meeting tougher emissions rules and shifting to new driving technology. "The merged entity will maneuver with speed and efficiency in an automotive industry undergoing rapid and fundamental changes," the companies said in a joint statement.

The Associated Press Reuters

10. Pro-impeachment groups stage hundreds of protests

Liberal groups held demonstrations in cities across the country on Tuesday on the eve of the House vote on impeaching President Trump. Protesters in New England chanted "Dump Trump," and counterparts in Florida waved signs with slogans such as "Impeach Putin's Puppet." Organizers said there were more than 600 protests from Hawaii to Maine − mostly small groups but with a crowd estimated in the thousands in New York's Times Square − aiming to show "our lawmakers that their constituents are behind them to defend the Constitution." In Tucson, hundreds of protesters were met by a smaller group of pro-Trump counterprotesters wearing red "Make America Great Again" hats. The two sides exchanged chants of "lock him up" and "four more years."

The Washington Post The New York Times