• President Donald Trump ordered the withdrawal of U.S. military personnel in northern Syria as Kurdish forces — a longtime American ally — announced a deal with Syria’s government that clears the way for President Bashar al-Assad’s forces to return to the region to try to push out Turkish forces. Trump has repeatedly claimed that the United States removed the worst Islamic State detainees from Syria in order to prevent them from escaping, but American officials say the U.S. military has only removed two British detainees. (The New York Times)

• China is seeking more trade talks before it signs on to the “phase one” deal recently announced by Trump, according to sources. China, which has not confirmed the elements of the agreement that were laid out by Trump, is said to be considering sending a delegation to finalize an agreement that could be signed by Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit next month in Chile. (Bloomberg)

• House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said the testimony of the whistleblower at the center of the House’s impeachment inquiry might not be needed, raising the prospect that the person might not testify over safety concerns. Trump has increased his attacks on the whistleblower, and Democrats are said to be concerned that congressional Republicans might try to reveal that person’s identity, endangering his or her safety. (Politico)

The Immigrants Trump Denounces Have Helped Revive the Cities He Scorns
Emily Badger and Quoctrung Bui, The New York Times

President Trump has turned repeatedly throughout his tenure and his re-election campaign to two targets: immigrants whom he has described as “invading” the country, and American cities he has called out of control. Through his language, the two are linked. 

James Comey Would Like to Help
Matt Flegenheimer, The New York Times

James Comey slumps strategically in restaurants — all 6-foot-8 of him, drooping faux-furtively with his back to the room — and daydreams about deleting the civic-minded Twitter feed where a bipartisan coalition pronounces him a national disgrace. He sleeps soundly — nine hours a night, he ballparks — and organizes the self-described “unemployed celebrity” chapter of his life around a series of workaday goals.

U.S. Moves to Restart Taliban Peace Process
Jessica Donati, The Wall Street Journal

U.S. officials and representatives of the Afghan Taliban have begun discussing ways to revive a peace process after talks fell apart last month, according to people familiar with the discussions. The top U.S. envoy for Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, met international diplomatic counterparts in New York in late September and met with the Taliban in Pakistan earlier this month.

WTO body formally OKs US sanctions against EU in Airbus case
The Associated Press

The World Trade Organization has formally given the go-ahead for the United States to impose trade sanctions on up to $7.5 billion worth of European Union goods following a ruling that European plane maker Airbus received illegal subsidies. The move by the trade body’s dispute settlement body was largely a formality after the long-awaited Oct. 2 ruling by a WTO arbitration panel.

Pence revs up communications operation to combat impeachment
David M. Drucker, The Washington Examiner

Vice President Mike Pence has beefed up his West Wing communications team as he confronts an accelerating impeachment inquiry into President Trump and an unpredictable 2020 reelection campaign. Pence is under pressure to answer questions about Trump’s actions and own his role in the administration’s dealings with Ukraine, which are the focus of a widening investigation by Democrats in the House of Representatives.

Polo ponies and private planes: Trump impeachment fight deepens a rift among ambassadors
Nahal Toosi, Politico

Some have private planes. Others brag about their polo ponies.

Inside Trump’s Botched Attempt to Hire Trey Gowdy
Maggie Haberman and Annie Karni, The New York Times

For 24 hours last week, Trey Gowdy, the former South Carolina congressman best known for leading congressional investigations of Hillary Clinton, was the new face of President Trump’s outside legal defense and a symbol of a streamlined effort to respond to a fast-moving impeachment inquiry. A day later, the arrangement fell apart, with lobbying rules prohibiting Mr. Gowdy from starting until January, possibly after the inquiry is over.

Amid Show of Support, Trump Meets With Giuliani Over Lunch
Kenneth P. Vogel and Maggie Haberman, The New York Times

President Trump had lunch on Saturday with Rudolph W. Giuliani amid revelations that prosecutors were investigating Mr. Giuliani for possible lobbying violations, and speculation that his position as the president’s personal lawyer was in jeopardy. The lunch, at Mr. Trump’s golf course in Sterling, Va., was among several shows of the president’s support for Mr. Giuliani on Saturday.

Behind the scenes of the Trump bluff that kicked off Turkey’s invasion
Jonathan Swan, Axios

President Trump had been calling Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s bluff for more than 2 years, and some senior administration officials thought Erdoğan would never actually go through with his long-threatened Syria invasion, according to 6 sources with direct knowledge of the situation. Trump would tell Erdoğan that if he wanted to invade Syria he would have to own whatever mess ensued, according to these sources.

Democrats to offer resolution demanding Trump reverse Syria decision
Jordain Carney, The Hill

Congressional Democrats will offer a resolution urging President Trump to reverse his decision to pull back troops from northern Syria, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on Sunday. Schumer told reporters during a press conference in New York that he had spoken with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and that they would be offering a joint resolution that would touch on Trump’s decision and Turkey’s military actions in Syria.

Ambassador expected to testify key assurance came from Trump
Eric Tucker et al., The Associated Press

 A U.S. ambassador is expected to tell Congress that his text message reassuring another envoy that there was no quid pro quo in their interactions with Ukraine was based solely on what President Donald Trump told him, according to a person familiar with his coming testimony in the impeachment probe. Gordon Sondland, Trump’s hand-picked ambassador to the European Union, is among administration officials being subpoenaed to appear on Capitol Hill this week against the wishes of the White House.

House Democrats’ impeachment roadmap
Alayna Treene, Axios

Ahead of this week’s subpoenas and depositions, new documents obtained by Axios show how Democrats are taking the impeachment inquiry in two tightly focused directions: Ukraine and obstruction of justice. Why it matters: There are new temptations for Democrats to broaden the scope of their inquiry after developments last week including President Trump’s gift to Turkey, new questions about coordination with the Chinese over Hunter Biden, and the dramatic airport arrests of two of Rudy Giuliani’s associates with Eastern European backgrounds and their indictments on campaign finance violations.

U.S. House Poised to Vote on Bills Supporting Hong Kong Protests
Daniel Flatley, Bloomberg

The U.S. House is poised take up three bills aimed at supporting pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong when lawmakers return to work next week, potentially raising tensions with China amid Trump administration negotiations with Beijing on trade. The main focus for House lawmakers is the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019, which would require annual assessments of whether Hong Kong is sufficiently autonomous from Beijing to justify the city’s special trading status under U.S. law.

Congress Probes Bot-Generated Social-Media Messages About E-Cigarettes
John D. McKinnon, The Wall Street Journal

A congressional committee and the Massachusetts attorney general are investigating whether millions of bot-generated social-media messages about e-cigarettes have been misleading consumers about safety and health issues. In information requests to five big manufacturers of vaping products in August, House investigators asked each of the firms whether it had used social media bots to market its products.

‘Faithless Electors’ Could Tip the 2020 Election. Will the Supreme Court Stop Them?
Adam Liptak, The New York Times

On Dec. 19, 2016, a little more than a month after the presidential election, members of the Electoral College gathered around the nation to cast their votes. Ten of them went rogue. 

Harry Reid warns Democrats: Trump is a ‘very, very smart man’ who won’t be easily beaten in 2020
Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN

Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has a new assessment of President Donald Trump as “a very, very smart man” who won’t be easy for Democrats to defeat in the 2020 election. “I used to think that Donald Trump was not too smart. I certainly don’t believe that anymore,” Reid, a Nevada Democrat who served in Congress for decades until his retirement in 2016, told “Axe Files” host David Axelrod in an interview airing Saturday at 7 p.m. ET on CNN.

Biden’s new ethics plan includes constitutional amendment to publicly finance elections
Mike Memoli, NBC News

Seeking to turn the page from what he called this week the most corrupt administration in American history, former Vice President Joe Biden is set to roll out a new comprehensive ethics plan that includes a constitutional amendment to publicly finance elections. It also calls for a ban on lobbying by foreign governments and stricter protocols to ensure a firewall between the White House and prosecutorial decisions at the Justice Department.

Macabre Video of Fake Trump Shooting Media and Critics Is Shown at His Resort
Michael S. Schmidt and Maggie Haberman, The New York Times

A video depicting a macabre scene of a fake President Trump shooting, stabbing and brutally assaulting members of the news media and his political opponents was shown at a conference for his supporters at his Miami resort last week, according to footage obtained by The New York Times. Several of Mr. Trump’s top surrogates — including his son Donald Trump Jr., his former spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders and the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis — were scheduled to speak at the three-day conference, which was held by a pro-Trump group, American Priority, at Trump National Doral Miami.

Elizabeth Warren is still Trumpworld’s dream candidate
Alayna Treene and Alexi McCammond, Axios

President Trump’s allies still fear a general election matchup against a banged-up Joe Biden more than a run against an invigorated Elizabeth Warren, people close to the president tell Axios. Driving the news: Warren has surpassed Biden in some primary polls, seemingly helped by the early coverage of Trump’s efforts to get Ukraine to investigate conspiracy theories involving Biden and his son Hunter.

Sanders draws line between himself and Warren: A ‘capitalist to her bones’
Allan Smith, NBC News

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders sought to differentiate himself from his 2020 rival Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., by taking aim at her progressive bonafides during an interview that aired Sunday. Sanders, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, told ABC’s “This Week” that he is the more progressive candidate in the race compared to Warren, who he noted once described herself as a “capitalist to my bones.”

Sanders details plan to ‘end corporate greed’
Will Weissert, The Associated Press

Bernie Sanders has released a major proposal to “end corporate greed and corruption” by requiring large companies to give ownership stakes to their workers. The proposal also would ensure that many of the nation’s most profitable firms pay more in federal taxes and government authorities do more to target monopolies and halt mergers that may harm consumers.

Republicans to unleash new ad blitz targeting swing-district Democrats on impeachment
David Lightman, McClatchy DC

Republicans are planning to target Democrats in swing districts with a new round of ads on impeachment this week as lawmakers return from their fall recess. The Republican National Committee will spend $350,000 on a multi-media buy as part of a strategy that includes digital ads, text messages and phone calls starting Tuesday calling on Democratic House members to “stop the madness.”

Warren Escalates Fight With Facebook Over Political Ads
Patience Haggin, The Wall Street Journal

Sen. Elizabeth Warren sought to turn Facebook Inc.’s political ad policy against it, running an ad with a false claim about Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg to highlight complaints about the social-media giant’s handling of misinformation. The ad, which the Warren presidential campaign ran on Facebook, says Mr. Zuckerberg endorsed President Trump’s re-election, and shows an image of the two men shaking hands.

Census Bureau seeks state data, including citizenship info
Mike Schneider, The Associated Press

The U.S. Census Bureau is asking states for drivers’ license records that typically include citizenship data and has made a new request for information on recipients of government assistance after the U.S. Supreme Court blocked plans to include a citizenship question in its 2020 population count. The two approaches, documented by The Associated Press, alarm civil rights activists.

Trump and Pence plan 11th-hour mission to save Kentucky governor
Alex Isenstadt, Politico

The White House is planning an 11th-hour push to stave off an embarrassing defeat for the Republican governor of Kentucky, with President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence expected to make separate trips to the state in the runup to the Nov. 5 election. Trump is expected to travel to the state to stump for Gov. Matt Bevin the day before Election Day, according to two people familiar with the planning for the event.

Dems scramble to counter Trump with grassroots impeachment campaign
Maggie Severns, Politico

More than 100 Democrats gathered on a Wednesday call to get the party organized on an existential question: How to sell the public on impeaching President Donald Trump. For several years, the impeachment push has been defined by activists beating the drum on Trump — and powerful Democrats in Washington ignoring their calls.

Giuliani Reportedly Under Investigation For Violating Lobbying Laws
NPR News

Former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara talks with NPR’s Lulu Garcia-Navarro about his former office’s indictment against two associates of Rudy Giuliani.

China is waging war with U.S. businesses. And it’s winning.
Ben Sasse, The Washington Post

If you want to understand what’s happening in the National Basketball Association, turn off SportsCenter and pick up “The Art of War.” More than 2,000 years ago, the Chinese general Sun Tzu wrote that “the skillful strategist defeats the enemy without doing battle, captures the city without laying siege, overthrows the enemy state without protracted war.”

Beijing Tries To Bully Congress
Sean Patrick Maloney, The Wall Street Journal

China took the extraordinary step earlier this month of denying visas to a bipartisan American congressional delegation. We were barred from the country for one reason only—our planned visit to Taiwan.

Big Moves among Early State Democrats
Firehouse Strategies

This year, Firehouse Strategies has been partnering with the data analytics team at 0ptimus to learn more about what early state primary voters think about their presidential candidates and key issues. Our fourth wave of polling in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina was conducted between Tuesday, October 8th and Thursday, October 10th, and the results are summarized below.