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| Ukraine, Virginia, College Football: Your Wednesday Briefing | Ukraine, Virginia, College Football: Your Wednesday Briefing |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| (Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the sign-up.) | (Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the sign-up.) |
| Good morning. | Good morning. |
| We’re covering a major reversal in the impeachment inquiry, election results from several states and a fatal stabbing over a Popeye’s sandwich. | We’re covering a major reversal in the impeachment inquiry, election results from several states and a fatal stabbing over a Popeye’s sandwich. |
| Gordon Sondland, a crucial witness in the impeachment inquiry, reversed himself this week, acknowledging to investigators that he had told a top Ukraine official that U.S. military aid was contingent on the country’s public commitment to investigations that President Trump wanted. | Gordon Sondland, a crucial witness in the impeachment inquiry, reversed himself this week, acknowledging to investigators that he had told a top Ukraine official that U.S. military aid was contingent on the country’s public commitment to investigations that President Trump wanted. |
| That admission, included in a four-page sworn statement released on Tuesday, contradicted what Mr. Sondland told investigators last month, when he said he “never” thought there was any precondition on the aid. It gives Democrats a valuable piece of evidence for their abuse-of-power case, as Mr. Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, is a political supporter of Mr. Trump who has interacted directly with him. | That admission, included in a four-page sworn statement released on Tuesday, contradicted what Mr. Sondland told investigators last month, when he said he “never” thought there was any precondition on the aid. It gives Democrats a valuable piece of evidence for their abuse-of-power case, as Mr. Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, is a political supporter of Mr. Trump who has interacted directly with him. |
| Quotable: “I said that resumption of the U.S. aid would likely not occur until Ukraine provided the public anticorruption statement that we had been discussing for many weeks,” Mr. Sondland said. | Quotable: “I said that resumption of the U.S. aid would likely not occur until Ukraine provided the public anticorruption statement that we had been discussing for many weeks,” Mr. Sondland said. |
| Context: Our reporters analyzed key components of the testimony from Mr. Sondland and from Kurt Volker, the former special envoy to Ukraine. | Context: Our reporters analyzed key components of the testimony from Mr. Sondland and from Kurt Volker, the former special envoy to Ukraine. |
| What’s next: Investigators have summoned Mick Mulvaney, Mr. Trump’s acting chief of staff. He is unlikely to cooperate. | What’s next: Investigators have summoned Mick Mulvaney, Mr. Trump’s acting chief of staff. He is unlikely to cooperate. |
| Related: Mr. Trump will ask the Supreme Court to rule on his claim that he is absolutely immune from criminal investigation while in office. If the court hears the case, its decision is likely to produce a major statement on the limits of presidential power. | Related: Mr. Trump will ask the Supreme Court to rule on his claim that he is absolutely immune from criminal investigation while in office. If the court hears the case, its decision is likely to produce a major statement on the limits of presidential power. |
| By capturing both chambers of the legislature in Virginia for the first time in a generation, Democrats cleared the way for Gov. Ralph Northam to press for measures that have been stymied by legislative Republicans, including tightening access to guns and raising the minimum wage. | By capturing both chambers of the legislature in Virginia for the first time in a generation, Democrats cleared the way for Gov. Ralph Northam to press for measures that have been stymied by legislative Republicans, including tightening access to guns and raising the minimum wage. |
| In Kentucky, Gov. Matt Bevin, a Republican, refused to concede to his Democratic challenger, Attorney General Andy Beshear. With 100 percent of the precincts counted, Mr. Beshear was ahead by 5,100 votes. Daniel Cameron, a former lawyer for Senator Mitch McConnell, was elected attorney general, the first black person to do so in the state. | In Kentucky, Gov. Matt Bevin, a Republican, refused to concede to his Democratic challenger, Attorney General Andy Beshear. With 100 percent of the precincts counted, Mr. Beshear was ahead by 5,100 votes. Daniel Cameron, a former lawyer for Senator Mitch McConnell, was elected attorney general, the first black person to do so in the state. |
| Republicans did win the governor’s race in Mississippi: Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves defeated Attorney General Jim Hood by about five percentage points. | Republicans did win the governor’s race in Mississippi: Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves defeated Attorney General Jim Hood by about five percentage points. |
| Related: Ballot questions took center stage in New York City, and Airbnb suffered a defeat in Jersey City. | Related: Ballot questions took center stage in New York City, and Airbnb suffered a defeat in Jersey City. |
| Read more: Here’s a recap of Election Day. | Read more: Here’s a recap of Election Day. |
| The members of the LeBarón family were driving along a familiar rural road in northern Mexico when the gunmen attacked, riddling the three-car convoy with bullets. When the shooting stopped, six children and three women were dead, all dual U.S.-Mexican citizens who lived in a fundamentalist Mormon community. | The members of the LeBarón family were driving along a familiar rural road in northern Mexico when the gunmen attacked, riddling the three-car convoy with bullets. When the shooting stopped, six children and three women were dead, all dual U.S.-Mexican citizens who lived in a fundamentalist Mormon community. |
| Mexicans seemed taken aback by the brutality and by the government’s seeming inability to do much about the violence. It also added to the pressure on President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to fulfill a promise to curb the killings that he made when he took office nearly a year ago. | Mexicans seemed taken aback by the brutality and by the government’s seeming inability to do much about the violence. It also added to the pressure on President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to fulfill a promise to curb the killings that he made when he took office nearly a year ago. |
| Background: Fundamentalist groups that split from the Mormon Church have navigated life amid the drug war in northern Mexico for years. | Background: Fundamentalist groups that split from the Mormon Church have navigated life amid the drug war in northern Mexico for years. |
| Apple pledged $2.5 billion this week to help make housing more affordable in California. Facebook has already offered $1 billion, as has Google. | Apple pledged $2.5 billion this week to help make housing more affordable in California. Facebook has already offered $1 billion, as has Google. |
| The companies have said little about where, how and when this money will be spent. But in the context of California’s housing problems — which are rooted in intransigent local politics, not a lack of money — even tech companies’ billions can seem inconsequential. | The companies have said little about where, how and when this money will be spent. But in the context of California’s housing problems — which are rooted in intransigent local politics, not a lack of money — even tech companies’ billions can seem inconsequential. |
| Closer look: Development is slowing in California, with some projects suspended because costs are so high that even multimillion-dollar condos and $4,000-a-month one-bedrooms won’t yield a profit. | Closer look: Development is slowing in California, with some projects suspended because costs are so high that even multimillion-dollar condos and $4,000-a-month one-bedrooms won’t yield a profit. |
| Quotable: “For 50 years, California has been designed around the idea that everyone will have a single-family home with a yard, that they will drive everywhere — and that geometry no longer works,” one state lawmaker said. | Quotable: “For 50 years, California has been designed around the idea that everyone will have a single-family home with a yard, that they will drive everywhere — and that geometry no longer works,” one state lawmaker said. |
| Six months after the coronation of King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun of Thailand, aide after aide has been ousted and denounced, even as the monarch moves to bolster his authority. Thailand has strict laws against criticism of the royal family, and offenders face 15 years in prison. The 67-year-old king, who has been married four times, has assembled a court whose intrigue frequently spills onto the pages of the Royal Thai Government Gazette. Last week, four courtiers were removed for “extremely evil misconduct.” | Six months after the coronation of King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun of Thailand, aide after aide has been ousted and denounced, even as the monarch moves to bolster his authority. Thailand has strict laws against criticism of the royal family, and offenders face 15 years in prison. The 67-year-old king, who has been married four times, has assembled a court whose intrigue frequently spills onto the pages of the Royal Thai Government Gazette. Last week, four courtiers were removed for “extremely evil misconduct.” |
| Hate crime charges: A man pleaded guilty in an attack on a 17-year-old Syrian refugee who was speaking Arabic on the San Diego Trolley. | Hate crime charges: A man pleaded guilty in an attack on a 17-year-old Syrian refugee who was speaking Arabic on the San Diego Trolley. |
| Trade gap: The U.S. deficit widened to nearly $500 billion in the first nine months of 2019, suggesting that the trade wars haven’t had the desired effect. | Trade gap: The U.S. deficit widened to nearly $500 billion in the first nine months of 2019, suggesting that the trade wars haven’t had the desired effect. |
| 2020 election: Joe Biden escalated a war of words with Elizabeth Warren, seeking to cast her as elitist. | 2020 election: Joe Biden escalated a war of words with Elizabeth Warren, seeking to cast her as elitist. |
| Stabbing at Popeyes: The authorities in Maryland are searching for an unidentified man who they say killed another man who cut in line for a chicken sandwich. | Stabbing at Popeyes: The authorities in Maryland are searching for an unidentified man who they say killed another man who cut in line for a chicken sandwich. |
| Attack in Hong Kong: A pro-Beijing lawmaker was stabbed in Hong Kong on Wednesday, the latest episode of political violence in a city convulsed by protests. | Attack in Hong Kong: A pro-Beijing lawmaker was stabbed in Hong Kong on Wednesday, the latest episode of political violence in a city convulsed by protests. |
| Snapshot: Above center, Melpomeni Dina, 92, was reunited in Jerusalem with the two surviving members of the Jewish family she and her sisters helped escape from the Nazis. | Snapshot: Above center, Melpomeni Dina, 92, was reunited in Jerusalem with the two surviving members of the Jewish family she and her sisters helped escape from the Nazis. |
| Playoff rankings revealed: The College Football Playoff committee announced its first rankings of the season. The critical top four spots did not include Clemson, the defending national champion. | Playoff rankings revealed: The College Football Playoff committee announced its first rankings of the season. The critical top four spots did not include Clemson, the defending national champion. |
| 52 Places traveler: Our columnist made a spiritual connection in Russia on an island in Lake Baikal. | 52 Places traveler: Our columnist made a spiritual connection in Russia on an island in Lake Baikal. |
| Late-night comedy: “O.K., if that’s something you just remembered,” Seth Meyers said about Gordon Sondland’s reversed testimony, “just think of all the small stuff you’re forgetting. Somewhere, there’s a 40-year-old man still waiting to be picked up from soccer.” | Late-night comedy: “O.K., if that’s something you just remembered,” Seth Meyers said about Gordon Sondland’s reversed testimony, “just think of all the small stuff you’re forgetting. Somewhere, there’s a 40-year-old man still waiting to be picked up from soccer.” |
| What we’re reading: This essay in GQ-UK, by a reporter for The Times of London, who found a British girl in Syria who was an ISIS bride at 15. He reflects on “how his interview wrecked what was left of her life,” writes our national correspondent Ellen Barry. | What we’re reading: This essay in GQ-UK, by a reporter for The Times of London, who found a British girl in Syria who was an ISIS bride at 15. He reflects on “how his interview wrecked what was left of her life,” writes our national correspondent Ellen Barry. |
| Cook: French onion macaroni and cheese fuses two classic comfort foods. | Cook: French onion macaroni and cheese fuses two classic comfort foods. |
| Watch: The comically harrowing, rudely melancholy British show “The End of the ____ing World” started its second (and reportedly final) season. | Watch: The comically harrowing, rudely melancholy British show “The End of the ____ing World” started its second (and reportedly final) season. |
| Eat: Uogashi, in Manhattan’s Theater District, offers sushi that’s unusually good for the price. It’s a critic’s pick. | Eat: Uogashi, in Manhattan’s Theater District, offers sushi that’s unusually good for the price. It’s a critic’s pick. |
| Smarter living: If you want to buy any of these things, wait until Black Friday. | Smarter living: If you want to buy any of these things, wait until Black Friday. |
| College football generates billions of dollars each year in the U.S. But the game looked very different 150 years ago. | College football generates billions of dollars each year in the U.S. But the game looked very different 150 years ago. |
| Rutgers and Princeton, two New Jersey colleges, faced off in the first match on Nov. 6, 1869, in front of about 100 spectators. Each team had 25 men on the field, and the ball couldn’t be carried or thrown — players advanced by kicking or batting it with their hands and feet. | Rutgers and Princeton, two New Jersey colleges, faced off in the first match on Nov. 6, 1869, in front of about 100 spectators. Each team had 25 men on the field, and the ball couldn’t be carried or thrown — players advanced by kicking or batting it with their hands and feet. |
| The rules had been established a few years earlier by the London Football Association — meaning they were a lot closer to what the rest of the world would call football and Americans would call soccer. The game also featured elements of rugby. | The rules had been established a few years earlier by the London Football Association — meaning they were a lot closer to what the rest of the world would call football and Americans would call soccer. The game also featured elements of rugby. |
| The play was frantic and rough, and the men wore no padding or helmets. At one point, a distressed professor waved his umbrella and shouted, “You will come to no Christian end!” | The play was frantic and rough, and the men wore no padding or helmets. At one point, a distressed professor waved his umbrella and shouted, “You will come to no Christian end!” |
| Princeton had more muscle, but Rutgers was faster and better organized, according to an account in the Rutgers student newspaper. Rutgers won, 6-4. | Princeton had more muscle, but Rutgers was faster and better organized, according to an account in the Rutgers student newspaper. Rutgers won, 6-4. |
| A correction: Tuesday’s briefing misattributed a late-night comedy line. Jimmy Fallon made the joke about daylight saving time, not Jimmy Kimmel. | A correction: Tuesday’s briefing misattributed a late-night comedy line. Jimmy Fallon made the joke about daylight saving time, not Jimmy Kimmel. |
| That’s it for this briefing. See you next time. | That’s it for this briefing. See you next time. |
| — Claire | — Claire |
| Thank youMark Josephson and Eleanor Stanford provided the break from the news. Tom Wright-Piersanti wrote today’s Back Story. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com. | Thank youMark Josephson and Eleanor Stanford provided the break from the news. Tom Wright-Piersanti wrote today’s Back Story. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com. |
| P.S.• We’re listening to “The Daily.” Today’s episode is on how impeachment consumed a governor’s race.• Here’s today’s Mini Crossword, Thanksgiving vegetable (three letters). You can find all our puzzles here. • The New York Times Book Review, working with the New York Public Library, chose the 10 Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2019. |