'Start Here': US repositioning troops in Syria and key diplomat to testify in impeachment probe
Here's what you need to know to start your day.
It's Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019. Let's start here.
1. 'We need to secure the oil.'
The 120-hour ceasefire between Turkish and Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria is set to expire Tuesday, weeks after President Donald Trump’s decision to pull troops out of the region cleared the way for Turkey to attack.
Trump was asked Monday if the U.S. was going to maintain a limited number of forces in Syria.
"I don't think it is necessary, other than that we secure the oil," Trump said. "It is in a little different section, but we need to secure the oil."
ABC News Chief Global Affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz explains that military officials continue to push for a continued presence: "Please leave some forces behind in Syria or all the work that we have done with the Kurds will be for nothing and that ISIS will return."
2. Taylor to testify
Bill Taylor, the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, is set to testify Tuesday as part of House Democrats' ongoing impeachment inquiry.
In text messages to a group of American diplomats over the summer, Taylor wrote, "I think it's crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign.”
ABC News' Katherine Faulders tells "Start Here" that the White House will watching to see if he reveals any specifics about holding back that aide: "They're most worried about what Bill Taylor will reveal today in terms of the timeline, and if that contradicts anything that the White House has said on the record."
3. No more Netanyahu?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that he failed to form a unity government with his chief rival Benny Gantz, throwing his political future into doubt.
ABC News’ Jordana Miller joins "Start Here" from Jerusalem and explains that a government without Netanyahu could become more secular.
"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:
Censure standoff: Republicans moved to censure California Rep. Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, on Monday over comments he made in a hearing last month. The vote, not surprisingly, failed -- with everyone coming down along party lines (besides one Republican who abstained).
'Our lives have been changed forever': The prosecution is asking for a 15- and 16-year-old to be charged as adults after they allegedly attacked a 59-year-old man and killed him after he declined to give them a dollar at a local fair.
'She's not a Russian agent': Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard is receiving support from an unlikely ally: President Donald Trump. The president came to her defense Monday, but only so he could get a jab in at a familiar foe.
'The force will be with you ... always': The final trailer for the final film in the Skywalker Saga, "The Rise of Skywalker," premiered last night and if you haven't already seen it, you need to remedy that deficit. Dec. 20 is just 60 short days away.
From our friends at FiveThirtyEight:
Which Of The NFL’s Top Teams Are For Real?: The Pats are the top Super Bowl contender -- even before a drubbing of the Jets on Monday Night Football -- but the league's other undefeated team may not be so super.
Doff your cap:
If you can beat cancer -- four times -- then stepping on a football field in front of tens of thousands of people is nothing.
Casey O'Brien was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a bone cancer, when he was a freshman in high school. It stopped the previously active kid from playing football. But he joined the University of Minnesota football team as a walk-on nonetheless.
4-time cancer survivor takes college football field for 1st time
After chemotherapy and 14 surgeries, O'Brien stepped on a field for the first time over the weekend as holder on an extra point during a big win against Rutgers.
The kick -- as perfect as O'Brien's comeback.
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