'Start Here': House releases impeachment transcripts and Kentucky's close governor's race
Here's what you need to know to start your day.
It's Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019. Let's start here.
1. Impeachment transcripts
House Democrats on Monday released transcripts from closed-door depositions of Marie Yovanovitch, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and Michael McKinley, former senior adviser to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
ABC News Senior Editorial Producer John Santucci walks "Start Here" through the key revelations, "These are people that have committed their lives to public service on behalf of the United States. These are not political appointees. And that is why, frankly, we saw them comply with congressional requests to show up and have those depositions."
The hundreds of pages of transcripts are just the first wave of documents to be released. Today, Democrats are expected to release transcripts from Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, and former U.S. special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker.
2. Election Day
Voters will cast their ballots today in tight gubernatorial elections in Kentucky and Mississippi, and general assembly elections in Virginia and New Jersey.
President Donald Trump was in Kentucky last night rallying for Republican Gov. Matt Bevin's re-election in a race that the GOP is paying close attention to, according to ABC News Deputy Political Director MaryAlice Parks.
"That race will be really interesting for Washington because if the Republican were to lose in an upset you can imagine that would just send shivers down Mitch McConnell's spine," she says.
3. FBI: Thwarted synagogue plot
An alleged plot to attack a Pueblo, Colorado synagogue was foiled, according to federal authorities who say 27-year-old Richard Holzer, a suspected white supremacist, was behind the plan and allegedly preparing for "a racial holy war."
ABC News' Clayton Sandell breaks down the sting operation by the FBI that led to Holzer's arrest on "Start Here."
Holzer was charged with attempting to obstruct religious exercise by force using explosives and fire. He has not yet entered a plea.
4. Apple housing
Apple is committing $2.5 billion to combat California's housing crisis, pledging to create an affordable housing fund and make land it owns in San Jose available for the development of low-income housing.
"I think the issue now is that it's so expensive to live in California, especially places like San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, and it's pushing service industry employees out of living in these areas," ABC News' Robert Zepeda says. "This is a move that these tech companies are seeing as a move that needs to happen and it needs to happen quick."
"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:
'He knows what he did': A 28-year-old man was stabbed to death at a Popeyes in Maryland on Monday night after a fight over the restaurant's chicken sandwich, police said.
'Promote white supremacy': FBI officials said they have arrested a 27-year-old suspected white supremacist who was allegedly planning a bombing at a Colorado synagogue.
'Fun-loving little girl': Police are asking for help locating an Atlanta college student who vanished last week.
'Ecstatic!': In what lawmakers are calling a historic day for criminal justice reform, more than 450 inmates in the Oklahoma prison system were freed Monday, including about 70 women from the Dr. Eddie Warrior Correctional Facility, after a bill passed earlier this year took effect Nov. 1.
From our friends at FiveThirtyEight:
'Out of the process': When it comes to impeachment, there aren’t any protections for the president laid out in the Constitution.
Doff your cap:
As Southern California residents continue to recover from the devastating effects of recent wildfires, firefighters were sent on a heartfelt mission to return a beloved item that survived the flames in the Getty Fire.
On Wednesday, a Los Angeles Fire Department crew located a small ring box in front of a charred home that was destroyed in the blaze, the department posted on Facebook.
They came to find out the ring survived two separate wildfires that erupted decades apart: the Getty Fire in 2019 and the Bel Air Fire in 1961. The property was among hundreds destroyed in the Bel Air Fire, with the ring the only possession to survive. Years later, the property was rebuilt only to be destroyed in the Getty Fire. The ring survived the flames yet again. Firefighters say the homeowner and her mother are "beyond happy" and "speechless" to have their ring back.