10 things you need to know today: October 20, 2019

1.

President Trump announced Saturday night that he is no longer planning to host the 2020 Group of Seven summit at the Trump National Doral Miami resort near Miami, Florida. In a series of tweets Trump explained that his decision was the result of the backlash he received, a fair amount of which was centered around accusations of self-dealing corruption. Trump did not give up the plan lightly, however. In the tweetstorm, he blamed the media and the Democratic party for their "Crazed and Irrational Hostility" and maintained he thought he was "doing something very good for our Country" and was not seeking any profit. The president also said the White House will begin searching for another host site immediately, and Camp David, a presidential retreat in Maryland, is under consideration. [The Washington Post, The New York Times]

2.

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson sent an unsigned letter to the European Union on Saturday evening requesting another Brexit delay after Parliament passed an amendment requiring him to do so before voting on the deal he brokered with the EU on Thursday. Johnson reportedly included a second letter, which he did sign, saying that he believes a delay would be a mistake. EU Council President Donald Tusk confirmed the letter had arrived and said he would consult with other EU leaders on how to react. The British government insisted Sunday that Brexit will happen on Oct. 31 regardless of the letter Johnson sent, though opposition MPs have warned Johnson that if he tries to circumvent Parliament, he may find himself in court. Johnson has maintained he will move forward with his Brexit legislation next week. [BBC, Reuters.]

3.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Saturday that all U.S. troops leaving Syria will be re-stationed in western Iraq where they will continue to conduct preventative operations against the Islamic State, and he did not rule out counterterrorism missions from Iraq into Syria. The plan calls for about 1,000 troops to head to Iraq, adding to the more than 5,000 troops currently in the country. "Things could change between now and whenever we complete the withdrawal, but that's the game plan right now," Esper said. The secretary added that he will talk with U.S. allies at a NATO meeting next week to discuss how to handle military operations to block any resurgence from ISIS. [NBC News, The Associated Press]

4.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) led a bipartisan congressional delegation to Jordan, a staunch U.S. ally in the Middle East, on Saturday for an unannounced visit to discuss the Turkish military offensive in northern Syria with Jordan's King Abdullah II. "With the deepening crisis in Syria after Turkey's incursion, our delegation has engaged in vital discussions about the impact of regional stability, increased flow of refugees, and the dangerous opening that has been provided to ISIS, Iran, and Russia," Pelosi's office said in a statement. The delegation also reportedly touched on a broader range of topics including counterterrorism and security, the Middle East peace process, and economic development. [The New York Times, The Guardian]

5.

Thousands of pro-democracy, anti-Beijing protesters gathered once again Sunday in Hong Kong to march in defiance of a police ban, marking the 20th consecutive of weekend of protests. After a peaceful start, the demonstrations grew increasingly violent throughout the day, and a group of protesters reportedly hurled petrol bombs at a police station. Some protesters reportedly used an electric chainsaw to cut down a CCTV camera, while others vandalized businesses. Meanwhile, Hong Kong police fired tear gas and also admitted in a statement that they accidentally fired a water cannon filled with colored water that affected the entrance of Hong Kong's Kowloon mosque, calling the incident "most unfortunate." [BBC, The South China Morning Post]

6.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces on Saturday accused Turkey of violating the cease-fire agreement orchestrated between Washington and Ankara on Thursday. The SDF said Turkish strikes killed at leas 20 civilians and 14 of its fighters in northern Syria since the deal was struck, though it reportedly couldn't be determined whether the strikes were carried out by Turkish forces or allied Syrian rebel groups. Kurdish forces also said Turkey was blocking their withdrawal from the border region. Turkish officials maintained Turkey was in compliance with the cease-fire and blamed the SDF and the YPG, a Kurdish militia, for launching multiple attacks against Turkish troops. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also warned Saturday that Ankara would move forward with its military offensive in northern Syria if the deal was not fully implemented. Light fighting reportedly resumed Sunday in a border town. [The Wall Street Journal, Reuters]

7.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) held his first presidential rally since suffering a heart attack earlier this month, delivering a speech to an estimated 26,000-person crowd in Queens. If the numbers are accurate, it would serve as the largest crowd any Democratic presidential candidate has held this year, eclipsing the number of people who gathered to see Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) speak in New York in September. "To put it bluntly," Sanders said, "I am back." He was joined on stage by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), a popular progressive freshman congresswoman, who, as expected, officially endorsed Sanders for president at the rally. [Politico, The New Yorker]

8.

Rep. Francis Rooney (R-Fla.) said Saturday he does not plan to run for re-election. Rooney said he accomplished his goals in Congress, namely getting money for Everglades projects and passing an offshore drilling ban to protect Florida. Rooney also said he wanted to be a "model for term limits" and that people need to realize "this is public service not public life." Rooney, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, made the announcement that he will likely retire from the House after he recently said he was still considering voting to impeach President Trump because he didn't think it was feasible to rule it out "until you know all the facts." [CNN, USA Today]

9.

A bulletproof marker was reportedly dedicated Saturday to Emmett Till — a 14-year-old black teenager who was kidnapped, beaten, and lynched in Mississippi in 1955 for allegedly whistling at a white woman — after previous ones had been vandalized by gunfire. Members of Till's family, including one cousin who was present the night Till was kidnapped and is last living witness to the incident, attended the ceremony at the site where Till's body was pulled form the Tallahatchie River. Till's murder was a major catalyst of the civil rights movement, and the Justice Department reopened the investigation into his death last year after reportedly receiving new information. [CBS News, Fox News]

10.

The Houston Astros are returning to the World Series for the second time in three seasons after defeating the New York Yankees, 6-4, in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series. It was a tightly contested game, as both teams utilized their bullpens to the max. Houston jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, but the Yankees clawed their way back, eventually tying the game in the top of the 9th inning behind a two-run home run from first baseman D.J. LeMahieu. But Astros second baseman and the series' Most Valuable Player José Altuve launched a two-run walkoff homer in the bottom half of the inning off Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman to seal the series victory. Houston will host the National League Champion Washington Nationals in the World Series, which begins Tuesday. [ESPN, MLB.com]