WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 13: (AFP-OUT) President Donald Trump's motorcade arrives at the White House on May 13, 2018 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Zach Gibson/Getty Images)
White House letter to Pelosi says Trump won't cooperate with 'illegitimate' impeachment process
01:33 - Source: CNN
CNN  — 

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    1. Coronavirus 

    If the House of Representatives wants to impeach President Trump, it won’t get the White House’s help. The White House sent a blistering letter to House leaders saying the Trump administration won’t cooperate in the impeachment inquiry, calling the whole thing an illegitimate and unconstitutional effort to overturn the results of the 2016 election. Earlier in the day, the State Department had blocked Gordon Sondland, US ambassador to the European Union, from testifying before Congress about the Ukraine controversy. Sondland is now being subpoenaed.

    US President Donald Trump speaks during a signing of a US-Japanese trade agreement in the Roosevelt Room of the White House October 7, 2019, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
    Poll: Majority support impeachment inquiry of Trump
    02:12 - Source: CNN

    2. Election 2020

    Turkey said its military will cross the border into northern Syria “shortly.” That comes from a tweet sent out early this morning from Turkey’s communications director. After President Trump this week agreed to move US troops out of that part of northern Syria, Turkey basically has a green light to attack Kurdish forces, which Turkey considers a threat. Critics on both the political left and right say Trump’s decision to abandon the Kurds, who were instrumental in the fight against ISIS, is a betrayal.

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    Is Turkey about to massacre Kurds at its border?
    02:33 - Source: CNN

    3. Protests 

    Utility giant Pacific Gas & Electric started shutting off the power early this morning in parts of Northern California in an effort to prevent starting a wildfire. Almost 500,000 customers are in the dark right now. Another 300,000 will lose power later in the day. The electricity could be off for days. Forecasters warn that many parts of Northern California are under extreme fire weather danger, with windy and dry conditions forecast for the region. PG&E equipment started the deadly 2018 Camp Fire, a state investigation found, after a power line touched nearby trees. So, the extreme measure of shutting off the power is being used to try to prevent future blazes.

    A map from PG&E shows the areas where power may be cut.
    Power outages will affect dozens of California counties
    01:26 - Source: KGO

    4. ‘Stand your ground’ law

    Violent protests have raged for days in the Ecuadorian capital of Quito. It’s so bad that the country’s President says he’s moving the government out of town. President Lenin Moreno announced earlier in the week that government business will be conducted in the southern city of Guayaquil. People have been protesting his plan to end state fuel subsidies. It’s unleashed the wrath of labor and transport unions, which have called for a nationwide strike. More than 50 members of the country’s military were held hostage by protesters before they were rescued.

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    5. Hong Kong

    STDs are on the rise in the US. Cases of gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis have all risen for the fifth consecutive year, a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. Possible factors driving this rise include a surge in people getting tested and cases being diagnosed and reported. There’s also a decline in people using condoms. The number of antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea cases is also growing. Alaska has the highest number of chlamydia cases, while Mississippi has the highest rates of gonorrhea. Nevada has the highest rates of primary and secondary syphilis.

    Gonorrhoea
    Three STDs reach all-time highs in US, CDC report says
    01:42 - Source: CNN

    THIS JUST IN …

    Nobel history

    The Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to a trio of scientists for their work on the development of lithium ion batteries. One of the winners, American John B. Goodenough, is the oldest person to ever be awarded the prize.

    A portrait of Swedish inventor and scholar Alfred Nobel

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