'Start Here': Republicans storm SCIF amid impeachment process questions and Trump taxes in court
Here's what you need to know to start your day.
It's Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019. Let's start here.
1. Storming the SCIF
A group of House Republicans stormed a secure hearing room Wednesday, delaying a witness deposition in the ongoing impeachment inquiry.
ABC News’ Turner says the group continues to take issue with the way these depositions are being conducted behind closed doors: “If you are a Republican ally of this president, you are looking for a way to defend him.”
2. Trump taxes in court
The legal team for President Donald Trump and New York prosecutors were in court Wednesday as part of a lawsuit filed by the president to block a subpoena seeking Trump’s tax returns as part of an investigation into hush money payments to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal.
"It's clear that the district attorney just wants to present his tax returns," Trump's attorney, William Consovoy, said during Wednesday's hearing. "We're objecting to the entirety of the subpoena. It's the entire subpoena, this entire fishing expedition that's improper here."
ABC News Senior Investigative reporter Aaron Katersky tells “Start Here” that the legal team invoked Trump’s remark about shooting someone on Avenue when discussing if the president should be shielded from criminal proceedings while in office: “It was an incredible claim of blanket immunity.”
3. Russia moves in
Russian troops have moved into northeastern Syria after the country struck a deal with Turkey to share control of the border.
ABC News’ Terry Moran explains to “Start Here” that this a big win for Russia: “It is a triumph for Vladimir Putin that he could not have imagined a few years back.”
"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:
'The documents are of critical importance': A federal judge has directed the State Department to begin delivering documents to a watchdog group that requested records related to the Trump administration’s interactions with the president’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, about Ukraine.
'Oops, Joe forgot': Former Vice President Joe Biden announced the Latino voter outreach program "Todos Con Biden," but didn't purchase www.todosconbiden.com or lock down the @TodosConBiden Twitter handle -- prompting the president's reelection team to scoop them up and troll the candidate.
'A nasty group of people': President Trump used a taxpayer-funded speech at an energy conference in Pittsburgh Wednesday to blast Democrats carrying out an impeachment inquiry in the House.
From our friends at FiveThirtyEight:
FiveThirtyEight's Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux looks at whether executive privilege could protect Trump in the impeachment inquiry.
Doff your cap:
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One-year-old Exton Black of Opelika, Alabama, loves the "Baby Shark" song. Just watch this sweet video: