Wednesday Morning Briefing: Pentagon official overseeing Ukraine and Russia to testify in impeachment inquiry

Politics

A top Pentagon official who oversees policy on Ukraine and Russia is expected to testify before the U.S. House of Representatives panels leading an impeachment inquiry of Republican President Donald Trump. Support for impeaching Donald Trump surged among political independents and rose by three percentage points overall since last week, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released. More Americans also said they disapproved of the president’s handling of foreign threats.

Two foreign-born Florida businessmen who helped Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani investigate political rival Joe Biden are expected to make their first New York court appearance to face charges of illegally funneling money to a pro-Trump election committee and other politicians. Their arraignment before U.S. District Judge Paul Oetken in Manhattan comes as federal prosecutors are examining Giuliani’s interactions with Parnas and Fruman. Giuliani has denied wrongdoing.

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Hong Kong’s legislature formally withdrew planned legislation that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, but the move was unlikely to end months of unrest as it met just one of five demands of pro-democracy protesters. A murder suspect whose case was used by the Hong Kong government to push for a controversial extradition bill walked free from jail as the city’s authorities squabbled with Taiwan over how to handle a promised voluntary surrender.

EU leaders should delay Brexit after Prime Minister Boris Johnson paused legislation on his deal following a parliamentary defeat, EU Council President Donald Tusk said, as Britain spins towards a possible election to break the impasse. Will the other members of the European Union grant Britain an extension to leave the bloc beyond its Oct. 31 deadline and if they do, what will the delay look like?

Russia warned Syrian Kurdish YPG forces they face further armed conflict with Turkey if they fail to comply with a Russian-Turkish accord calling for their withdrawal from the entire length of Syria’s northeastern border with Turkey. Moscow’s warning came shortly before Russian and Syrian security forces were due to start overseeing the removal of YPG fighters and weapons at least 19 miles into Syria, under the deal struck by presidents Vladimir Putin and Tayyip Erdogan.

Business

Tesla has been conducting trial production runs at its new $2 billion China factory for the past several weeks and will sell some of the first cars from the plant to its employees, sources told Reuters. Whether Elon Musk’s flagship company can start mass production quickly enough to hit stated targets is the question investors will want an answer to when Tesla announces third-quarter results.

Exclusive: Nissan Motor is likely to axe its Datsun brand, drop some unprofitable products and close a number of assembly lines worldwide as it seeks to boost profits by getting smaller, two company sources with direct knowledge of the matter said.

Facing off against a plaintiff’s lawyer for the first time about Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder, the company’s Chief Executive Alex Gorsky earlier this month insisted that the company’s iconic brand was safe. “We unequivocally believe that our talc and our baby powder does not contain asbestos,” Gorsky testified in an Oct. 3 deposition in a case involving a retired Indiana college professor who alleges his cancer was caused by the Baby Powder he used for decades. The deposition has not been previously reported.

Shrimp farming is booming in this western Venezuelan city, but little of the shellfish is destined for tables in this malnourished nation. About 90% of this shrimp is headed for Europe and Asia - with the blessing of President Nicolas Maduro. Venezuela’s leader has lauded food exports on television as a way to raise hard currency to stabilize an economy in crisis.

World

In Mexico, El Chapo's sons add brash new chapter to crime family

The mug shot-style photo of Ovidio Guzman that appeared as he was apprehended oozed defiance. Chin jutting out, eyes trained on the camera, the handsome youth bore a strong resemblance to his infamous father, jailed drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. He had reason to be cocksure. In response to his capture in an upscale neighborhood, hundreds of heavily-armed Sinaloa Cartel henchmen, guns blazing, were pouring into Culiacan, briefly taking the modern city of about a million people near Mexico’s Pacific coast hostage.

8 min read

British police find 39 bodies in a truck container

British police found the bodies of 39 people inside a truck container believed to have come from Bulgaria at an industrial estate to the east of London. Here are some incidents involving mass fatalities of migrants or suspected migrants in Europe in recent decades.

2 Min Read

'Baby Shark' song used to soothe toddler becomes rallying cry in Lebanon

A popular children’s song became a rallying cry in Lebanon after protesters in Beirut spontaneously sang the hit to calm a toddler caught in the midst of a noisy demonstration. Lebanese army troops scuffled with demonstrators as they struggled to unblock main roads, after economic reforms proposed by the government failed to stem a historic wave of protests against the political elite.

2 min read

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Russia, Turkey agree to joint patrols on Syria border

New charges in U.S. college admissions scandal