1 New Fire Explodes Overnight In CA
A wildfire is spreading rapidly in Southern California. The Ventura County fire Department says the ‘Maria Fire’ charred just under four-thousand acres in a matter of hours and now stands at nearly twice that size. There's no word on what sparked the fire – but 75-hundred people are under evacuation orders In better news, more progress is being made on the massive Kincade wildfire in Northern California. Cal fire says the blaze is 65% contained as of last night thanks to lighter winds. The fire has now burned over 77-thousand acres and destroyed more than 160 homes. Still, officials say repopulation planning efforts are still being worked on and there's hope the fire can be fully contained by November 7th. Similarly, crews are getting an upper hand on the Getty fire as well. Officials say the fire is now at 52% containment. Still, winds may be dying down...but red flag warnings remain in effect across the state.
2 House Impeachment Process Gains Momentum With Passage Of Dem Resolution
For weeks, President Trump has complained that the impeachment inquiry wasn’t fair – because it’s a “hoax” and because hearings have been held behind closed doors. As of yesterday, he’ll only have one issue to be upset about as the House voted to move the impeachment inquiry forward – and go public. Televised hearings will highlight the next phase of the process – and word is that they could begin within the next few weeks. As part of that, the Trump administration officials who have been deposed in private sessions will be asked to testify publicly. Transcripts of the depositions are also expected to be publicly released in coming weeks. Not surprisingly, the vote was clearly drawn along party lines. The Democratic House resolution passed on a vote of 232-196. Similarly, the arguments for and against what’s happening depend largely on your political persuasion. Republicans accuse Democrats of leading an unfair process against President Trump, while Dems argue that no one is above the law, including the President. What’s the White House say? The White House claims President Trump has done nothing wrong and is being smeared. White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham has issued a statement saying there was no quid pro quo in Trump's dealings with Ukraine. She wrote the inquiry is based on triple hearsay and selective leaks behind closed doors. Grisham said it is a “waste of taxpayer money and time.”
3 Troops Begin Arriving In Syria To Guard Oil Fields
American Troops are arriving in Syria to begin protecting oil fields from falling into the hands of ISIS. The first batch of armored vehicles have pulled into the country's largest city today. This is the first move since President Trump pulled a thousand troops from the area earlier this month. At least 200 were kept at a base and this new deployment could add 500 more. Elsewhere in the region, ISIS is warning America not to be happy about attacking their leader last weekend in Syria. The group has broken its silence to confirm the death and name a replacement. Several experts say they don't really know much about the new leader – and ISIS did not release details. They did however boast about disciples and expanding to the West. The seven-minute recording also took aim at the President saying quote "an old and crazy man controls your fate, whose opinion changes between morning and evening."