Your Tuesday Evening Briefing

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October 29, 2019

Your Tuesday Evening Briefing

By remy tumin and hiroko masuike

Good evening. Here's the latest.

Erin Schaff/The New York Times

1. House impeachment investigators heard from their first current White House official.

We're only beginning to hear what Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council, told lawmakers today — including how he twice reported his concerns to a White House lawyer about how President Trump and his inner circle treated Ukraine. Here's the latest, but please check back.

An active-duty Army officer and Purple Heart recipient, Colonel Vindman has been under sharp criticism from conservative corners since we published a copy of his opening statement last night, with his firsthand account of hearing — and reporting — Mr. Trump asking Ukraine's president to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden.

Also, House Democrats unveiled rules for taking the impeachment inquiry public, to be voted on Thursday.

Eric Thayer for The New York Times

2. More trouble is coming for California.

High winds — some nearing hurricane strength — are expected late tonight, raising the prospect of more fires and the rapid growth of existing blazes. Above, Windsor, Calif.

Here's the latest.

As the climate warms, these fierce winds — known as Santa Ana in Southern California and Diablo in the northern part of the state — may shift along with precipitation in a way that could lead to more intense fires later in the year.

And in today's Debatable from Opinion: What can California do to manage its wildfire crisis?

Anna Moneymaker/The New York Times

3. Boeing's chief executive testified before Congress for the first time since the deadly crashes of two of its 737 Max jets.

Dennis Muilenburg admitted to U.S. lawmakers that he had learned of a test pilot's warnings about problems with a new system in the aircraft before a second crash that was tied to the faulty system. Above, family members of victims from both doomed flights confronted Mr. Muilenburg before the start of the hearing.

Mr. Muilenburg also outlined changes being made to the plane and the company. "We've been challenged and changed by these accidents," he said. "We made some mistakes, and we got some things wrong."

Isabel Infantes/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

4. Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain won backing to hold a general election on Dec. 12, throwing the Brexit debate back to the British people.

The 438-20 vote in Parliament came after the opposition Labour Party dropped its resistance to an early election. Mr. Johnson is likely to make a case for a swift Brexit, while the opposition is likely to propose holding a second referendum about whether to leave at all.

Mr. Johnson is hoping that his party can convert its current polling lead into a parliamentary majority that could smooth the Brexit process in the months ahead. But first: A six-week campaign lies ahead.

Luis Antonio Rojas for The New York Times

5. The U.S. detained a record number of minors traveling alone — 76,020 — as they tried to cross the southern border from October 2018 to September 2019. Most came from Central America.

The number surpasses the surge of unaccompanied minors apprehended during the Obama administration that set off a crisis. Above, young migrants at a shelter in Tenosique, Mexico.

In the same period, Mexico detained about 40,500 underage migrants traveling north without their parents — pushing the total number of detained children in the region to more than 115,000.

6. Rising seas could affect three times as many people by 2050 than previously thought, according to new research. Southern Vietnam, for example, above, could all but disappear.

The standard way of calculating land elevation is based on satellite readings, but they often don't differentiate true ground level from the tops of trees or buildings. Researchers with the New Jersey-based science organization Climate Central used artificial intelligence to determine the error rate and corrected for it.

Their findings show that some 150 million people are now living on land that will be below the high-tide line by midcentury.

Eric Gay/Associated Press

7. The Houston Astros are one win away.

After falling to the Washington Nationals in the first two games of the World Series, the Astros clinched Games 3, 4 and 5 at Nationals Park. Tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern, they'll try for their second title, at home in Houston, above.

We'll have live updates and analysis of Game 6 here.

Losing three games in a row hasn't put a dent in the Nationals' positivity. Washington has been on the brink before this season.

For older Washington fans, baseball came and went — for a long time. Last week, a Times editor who grew up in Washington reflected on the old teams and his developing passion for the Nationals.

Ellen Silverman for The New York Times

8. "After I've paid, there is the unshakable sense that I've been scammed."

Our restaurant critic says Peter Luger, one of New York's iconic steakhouses, has lost its sizzle. He awarded it zero stars.

Better food news: Washington is a great restaurant city. The capital's dining scene still chafes under a bad rap as stodgy, status-driven and lacking a strong identity, but these restaurants prove otherwise.

Chris Pizzello/Invision, via Associated Press

9. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" has met its #MeToo match.

For his new seasonal album, John Legend teamed with Kelly Clarkson (above in 2018) for an updated version of the 75-year-old holiday standard, removing lyrics that some considered an allusion to date rape. Gone: "Say, what's in this drink?" New: "It's your body, and your choice."

Separately, when Harvey Weinstein showed up at a bar in New York last week, the comedian Kelly Bachman made note of it in her set. In an Op-Ed, she writes about why she spoke up, and why it matters.

Pete Kiehart for The New York Times

10. And finally, slow and steady smokes 'em all.

As our international sports correspondent Andrew Keh prepared to leave his current assignment, he reflected on "the deeper understanding of sports at their essence, of the heart of why people everywhere gather to compete."

In that spirit, he decided to go to the Cigar Smoking World Championship.

Competitors are allowed two matches and one minute to light up, and the goal is to smoke a cigar the slowest. The world record is 3 hours 52 minutes 55 seconds.

Have a leisurely night.

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