'Start Here': Pelosi announces impeachment inquiry of Trump, 'No one is above the law'
Here's what you need to know to start your day.
It's Sept. 25, 2019. Let's start here.
1. Impeachment inquiry
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has announced a formal impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump, accusing him of violating the constitution by pressuring the leader of Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, a potential 2020 challenger.
"The president must be held accountable," she said on Tuesday. "No one is above the law."
Trump has acknowledged he ordered the White House to block nearly $400 million in aid to Ukraine before speaking to President Volodymyr Zelensky in a summer phone conversation at the center of a whistleblower complaint, but insists, "There was no quid pro quo."
The president's admission is what spurred Pelosi to act after months of being cautious about supporting an impeachment inquiry, according to ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Mary Bruce on "Start Here."
"That was what changed everything," she says. "The calculus here on the Hill for Pelosi, and these scores of other Democrats... both progressives and moderate members who now back this push to finally move and impeach the president."
Trump responded to news of the impeachment inquiry, tweeting "PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT," while Biden said he would support impeaching the president if he stonewalled Congress in their investigative efforts.
2. Boris and Brexit
Britain's highest court has ruled unanimously that Prime Minister Boris Johnson's suspension of Parliament was unlawful.
Johnson, in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, said he disagreed with the ruling and was still intent on the U.K. leaving the European Union, with or without a deal.
"The fact is that the Brexit deadline is Oct. 31," ABC News Foreign Correspondent James Longman says. "What's happened over the last 24 hours makes that much less likely and it makes an election more likely. After that, who knows?"
Parliament is set to reconvene today in the wake of the ruling.
3. Out of WeWork
WeWork co-founder Adam Neumann is stepping down as CEO of the shared-office startup amid an uncertain future over the company's initial public offering, investor wariness, and employee turnover.
Neumann, a 40-year-old Israeli businessman, was once heralded for his eccentric personality, but under increased scrutiny of his company and his behavior, it ultimately led to his undoing, according to ABC News Chief Business and Economics Correspondent Rebecca Jarvis.
"Suddenly those very personality traits that were being celebrated are now feared, which is part of why he got pushed out," she tells "Start Here."
Neumann will stay on as non-executive chairman of the board with WeWork CFO Artie Minson and former vice chairman Sebastian Gunningham named as co-CEOs.
"Start Here," ABC News' flagship podcast, offers a straightforward look at the day's top stories in 20 minutes. Listen for free every weekday on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn or the ABC News app. Follow @StartHereABC on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for exclusive content and show updates.
Elsewhere:
'She is really shook up': A real estate agent was attacked and allegedly sexually assaulted by a man during an open house in Encino, California, over the weekend and the entire ordeal was caught on camera.
'Children have died': Massachusetts went a step further than most states as their governor announced a ban on all vaping products for four months in the wake of nationwide concern over illnesses and deaths from the products.
'Now is the time to come together as a crew': The unrelated deaths by suicide of three sailors serving aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush last week have led the ship's commanding officer to urge his crew to come together and help shipmates in need.
'I'm sick of being part of the problem': Employees at an Idaho business got the news of a lifetime this week. Workers making $40,000 -- the company's current minimum salary -- would get an immediate $10,000 raise and that within five years, the minimum salary would increase to $70,000.
From our friends at FiveThirtyEight:
'Pelosi had largely held the reins against impeachment': Rather suddenly, we are on a trajectory toward the potential impeachment of President Trump.
Doff your cap:
During a portion of Gucci's spring/summer 2020 show featuring utilitarian uniforms, model Ayesha Tan-Jones held up both of her hands with the message "Mental health is not fashion" written on her palms. She was protesting a straitjacket-type design that was featured.
On Instagram, she posted a snapshot of her statement-making moment along with a powerful caption.
"I want to use this opportunity to remind people that this sort of bravery, is only a simple gesture compared to the bravery that people with mental health issues show every day," Tan-Jones said.
The luxury retailer also posted a statement regarding this portion of the show explaining "Uniforms, utilitarian clothes, normative dress, including straitjackets, were included in the #GucciSS20 fashion show as the most extreme version of a uniform dictated by society and those who control it."
The caption went on to say, "These clothes were a statement for the fashion show and will not be sold."
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