CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The regional bureau of The Associated Press shares 10 things you need to know Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019. Look for full stories on these late-breaking news items and much more in West Virginia newspapers.
1. TRUMP ON BRINK OF IMPEACHMENT The House will debate charges that he abused power and obstructed Congress ahead of votes that will leave a defining mark on his tenure at the White House.
2. WHAT TO WATCH ON HISTORIC IMPEACHMENT VOTE A daylong showdown that’s been boiling for years between Republicans loyal to Trump and Democrats who say his conduct toward Ukraine makes him unfit for office.
3. CANDIDATES TEST DIFFERENT PATHS IN CALIFORNIA Bernie Sanders has hired 80 staffers to knock on doors and organize volunteers to promote a “political revolution,” while Michael Bloomberg is spending millions of dollars on TV ads.
4. AUTO COMPANY GIANTS MERGE Fiat Chrysler and PSA Peugeot would create the world’s fourth-largest automaker with the scale to confront the challenges of stricter emissions and the transition to new driving technologies.
5. INDIA DELAYS CITIZENSHIP LAW HEARINGS Critics say that the new law is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist-led government’s agenda to marginalize India’s 200 million Muslims.
6. ‘WE DO WHAT WE CAN’ A grassroots movement of health professionals and medical students from both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border battle to keep asylum seekers healthy and safe, AP learns.
7. BREXIT STILL MENACES KEY UK INDUSTRIES Britain’s financial services industry is seeking assurances from the government that they won’t lose unfettered access to European markets.
8. FOR BRAZILIANS, DAM A MIXED BAG The hydroelectric dam in the Amazon bolstered the country’s faltering electricity grid but displaced tens of thousands and failed to deliver on promised jobs and economic development, critics say.
9. ‘RISE OF SKYWALKER’ A SOUR END TO GRAND SAGA AP’s film writer calls it a spirited, hectic and ultimately forgettable conclusion to the epic started 42 years ago by George Lucas.
10. BALTIMORE DOMINATES PRO BOWL ROSTERS Lamar Jackson and 11 Ravens teammates make the NFL’s all-star showcase, tying the record for Pro Bowl players set by Miami in 1973.
The Associated Press