10 things you need to know today: December 19, 2019

1. House impeaches Trump on abuse of power, obstruction charges

The House voted to impeach President Trump on Wednesday after hours of bitter debate. All but two Democrats backed the article of impeachment accusing Trump of abusing his power by trying to pressure Ukraine into investigating Democrats to help him win re-election. All but three Democrats backed the other article, accusing Trump of obstructing Congress. Every Republican voted against both articles. The votes made Trump the third president in U.S. history to be impeached. The Senate could hold a historic trial in January, although House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) suggested she could delay the process until Republicans guarantee a "fair" process. The Republican-controlled Senate is expected to acquit Trump, who has called the impeachment process an "attempted coup" and repeatedly insisted he "did nothing wrong."

The Washington Post The New York Times

2. Trump blasts impeachment as 'lawless partisan' attack on his presidency

President Trump held a rally in Michigan after the House impeached him on Wednesday, lashing out at Democrats for what he described as a baseless, politically motivated attempt to destroy his presidency. Trump said the impeachment would backfire on Democrats in the next elections. "This lawless partisan impeachment is a political suicide march for the Democrat Party," he told supporters. "Have you seen my polls in the last four weeks?" The White House issued a statement calling the impeachment process "illegitimate" and a "sham." "Today marks the culmination in the House of one of the most shameful political episodes in the history of our nation," the White House said.

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3. Pelosi wants to see trial plans before sending impeachment to Senate

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said shortly after the House impeached President Trump that she might delay sending the case to the Senate until Republican leaders there set "fair" rules for the trial. The House vote set the stage for the Senate to examine the charges of power abuse and obstruction of Congress, and determine whether to remove Trump from office. But first Pelosi must name the House's managers, who will present the case against Trump. "We cannot name managers until we see what the process is on the Senate side," she said. "So far we haven't seen anything that looks fair to us." Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) wants new witnesses to testify, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has rejected the idea.

The Washington Post Politico

4. Appeals court rules ObamaCare mandate unconstitutional

A federal appeals court on Wednesday ruled that the Affordable Care Act's individual insurance mandate is unconstitutional, striking down a key provision of ObamaCare. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that the ACA could not require people to have health insurance, but sent the case back to a lower court in Texas to determine what the decision means for the rest of the health-care law. The Supreme Court upheld the individual mandate in 2012, but because Congress repealed the tax law that allowed the mandate and the Trump administration has opted not to defend the ACA, the mandate was re-examined. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D) vowed to appeal the ruling, so the Supreme Court could wind up hearing the case next year.

The New York Times The Hill

5. Judge rules government entitled to Snowden's memoir proceeds

A federal judge has ruled that the federal government is entitled to any proceeds from the new memoir of former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, who leaked top-secret documents about National Security Agency surveillance programs in 2013. Judge Liam O'Grady in Virginia said Snowden did not submit the material in the book, Permanent Record, to federal agencies in advance, as required under agreements he signed with the CIA and the NSA promising them the right to review disclosures he intended to make public. O'Grady also said the government was entitled to money from paid speeches Snowden made. Snowden's lawyer argued that it was "far-fetched to believe that the government would have reviewed Mr. Snowden's book or anything else he submitted in good faith."

The New York Times

6. New York judge throws out state fraud charges against Manafort

A New York judge on Wednesday dismissed state mortgage fraud charges against Paul Manafort on double-jeopardy grounds, saying the allegations against President Trump's former campaign chairman were too similar to federal charges that already sent him to federal prison. The office of Manhattan's Democratic district attorney, Cyrus Vance Jr., said it planned to appeal. Manafort, 70, did not attend the hearing because of health problems. Vance's state case against Manafort has been interpreted as an attempt to make sure he would be held accountable for his crimes even if Trump pardons him for his federal convictions. Defense lawyer Todd Blanche said Vance should never have pursued the case because the overlap in the federal and state cases "is extensive — if not total."

The Associated Press

7. Democrats head into final 2019 debate in wake of impeachment

Seven Democratic presidential contenders will meet Thursday for the party's sixth and final debate of 2019. The televised forum will provide a high-profile opportunity to stand out in the wake of the House vote to impeach President Trump. The participants will include former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), businessman Andrew Yang, and billionaire philanthropist Tom Steyer. There still is no clear frontrunner in the narrowing field vying for the party's nomination to challenge Trump next year. Despite the high stakes, the Los Angeles debate could continue the trend of declining viewership seen in each of the previous rounds of debates, especially since this time voters will be distracted by the holidays.

The Associated Press

8. More teens vaping and smoking pot, fewer drinking

There was a "significant" rise in high schoolers vaping and smoking marijuana in 2019, while teen drinking fell significantly and opioid abuse dipped slightly, according to a report Wednesday from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). One in five high school seniors said they vaped weed in the last year and 14 percent did it the previous month, both numbers double the rate from two years ago, the NIDA reports. But there was a 14-point drop in 10th and 12th graders who drank alcohol in the past year, to 37.7 percent from 52.1 percent five years ago. The rise in vaping, both nicotine and THC, has worried some public health officials; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has counted 2,409 cases of vaping-related lung injury and 52 deaths.

USA Today

9. Uber settles EEOC sexual harassment investigation

Uber on Wednesday reached a settlement in the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's investigation into complaints about the ride-hailing company's workplace culture. The EEOC said it "found reasonable cause to believe that Uber permitted a culture of sexual harassment and retaliation against individuals who complained about such harassment." Uber said that under its settlement with the agency it would establish a $4.4 million fund to cover payments to current and former employees subjected to sexual harassment at work. It also agreed to three years of monitoring to make sure it changes its ways. More than 20 employees have been fired since a former employee triggered scrutiny of Uber with an essay describing the problems. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi took over in 2017 promising to "do the right thing."

The New York Times

10. Heat wave brings Australia its hottest day ever

Australia this week experienced its hottest day ever, with the average national temperature reaching 105 degrees, the nation's Bureau of Meteorology said Wednesday. "This hot air mass is so extensive, the preliminary figures show that yesterday was the hottest day on record in Australia, beating out the previous record from 2013 and this heat will only intensify," bureau meteorologist Diana Eadie said in a Wednesday video statement. Despite the record-high nationwide average, the record for the highest heat in a single location remained untouched. That record, 123 degrees, was set in the desert settlement of Oodnadatta in South Australia's outback in 1960. Tuesday's highest temperature was 115 degrees.

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