Monday, Sep 30, 2019 | View in browser

Good morning.

We’re covering developments in the impeachment inquiry, the bankruptcy filing by the retailer Forever 21, and another horse death at Santa Anita racetrack in California. We’d also like to wish a happy Jewish new year to those who are celebrating.

By Chris Stanford

Speaker Nancy Pelosi said of the impeachment inquiry: "I always said we will follow the facts where they take us, and when we see them, we will be ready. And we are ready." Michelle Gustafson for The New York Times

Subpoenas are coming in impeachment inquiry

Rudolph Giuliani, President Trump’s personal lawyer, is among several people who could be subpoenaed this week in the House’s growing investigation of Mr. Trump, according to Representative Adam Schiff, the chairman of the Intelligence Committee.

Mr. Schiff also said on Sunday that the whistle-blower who prompted the inquiry would testify “very soon.”

His remarks came on the same day that Thomas Bossert, Mr. Trump’s first homeland security adviser, said he was “deeply disturbed” that the president had shared a conspiracy theory about Ukraine in a July phone call with that country’s leader.

Mr. Trump had embraced the theory — which holds that Ukraine, not Russia, intervened in the 2016 election and did so on behalf of Democrats — despite repeated warnings from his staff that it had been “completely debunked,” Mr. Bossert said.

Related: Joe Biden’s presidential campaign urged TV networks to keep Mr. Giuliani off the air because of what it called misleading comments about the Biden family and Ukraine. Mr. Giuliani has alleged that Mr. Biden intervened in Ukraine to assist his son’s business interests. No evidence has surfaced to support those claims.

What’s next: Congress is on a two-week recess, which will double as a crucial time to frame the debate over impeachment and the country’s priorities.

From The Times: We’re starting an email newsletter with the latest developments in the impeachment inquiry. Sign up here.

The Canadian Center for Child Protection

Stolen innocence gone viral

A warning: This article is about one of the most sinister corners of the internet and contains graphic descriptions.

There has been a boom in the online trading and sharing of images and videos of children — some just 3 or 4 years old, some even younger — being sexually abused and tortured.

Last year, tech companies flagged a record 45 million illegal images, more than double what they had found the previous year, and a Times investigation found a response system that’s unable to keep up.

While global in scope, the problem is rooted in the U.S. because of the role Silicon Valley plays in the spread and detection of the material. Here are takeaways from the investigation.

How we know: The Times reviewed over 10,000 pages of police and court documents; conducted software tests to assess the availability of the imagery through search engines; accompanied detectives on raids; and spoke with investigators, lawmakers, tech executives and government officials.

The reporting also included conversations with an admitted pedophile who concealed his identity and who runs a site that has hosted as many as 17,000 such images.

Police officers arrested antigovernment protesters in Hong Kong on Sunday. Lam Yik Fei for The New York Times

Hong Kong’s neutral status is at risk

The territory has long been an oasis of stability, close enough to be a base for investors in China yet beyond the reach of the Communist Party.

That status is now in doubt as China’s trade war with the U.S. has dented Hong Kong’s value as a commerce hub and amid a crackdown on pro-democracy protests.

Yesterday: Demonstrators battled the police, two days before China celebrates 70 years of Communist rule.

Go deeper: As the party tightens its grip over daily Chinese life, business has become a tool for control, with the state media increasingly willing to threaten or humiliate business leaders who stand in the way. This article is the latest in our series about the intersection of technology, business and politics in China and across Asia.

If you have 8 minutes, this is worth it

Soweto, once united, now has a wealth gap

Joao Silva/The New York Times

Soweto, once South Africa’s largest black township, used to be a symbol of united resistance to the apartheid regime, and the home of Nelson Mandela.

Today, a growing wealth gap — where flashy cars and sprawling villas are juxtaposed with shanty towns and a challenging job market — has divided the populace.

Here’s what else is happening

Riskier tactics for migrants: Blocked by tougher U.S. immigration policies, many Central Americans told our reporter in Mexico that they had considered life-threatening border crossings.

Forever 21 in bankruptcy trouble: The retailer that helped popularize fast fashion said it would close up to 178 stores in the U.S. and cease operations in 40 countries.

“A February storm in September”: More than 40 inches of snow fell in parts of Montana, breaking century-old records.

A political dilemma in Austria: Sebastian Kurz, the former chancellor, won a snap election, but he needs a coalition partner to form a government: either a far-right party or the Greens.

Pool photo by Vincenzo Pinto

Snapshot: Above, Pope Francis at the unveiling of a monument to migration on Sunday in St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City. The sculpture depicts 140 migrants and refugees from various historical periods, including Indigenous people, the Virgin Mary and Joseph, and Jews fleeing Nazi Germany.

Another horse death: The latest fatality at Santa Anita racetrack came days after Gov. Gavin Newsom of California called the situation a “disgrace.” Thirty-two horses have died at the track since December.

In sports: What did we learn in Week 4 of the N.F.L.? There’s hope for Cleveland Browns fans. Separately, the Washington Mystics beat the Connecticut Sun in the first game of the best-of-five W.N.B.A. finals, and the Major League Baseball playoffs begin on Tuesday.

Metropolitan Diary: In this week’s column, a visit to the D.M.V., relishing long-distance warnings, and other reader tales of New York City.

What we’re looking at: These environmental drawings by the Barcelona-based street artist Pejac, collected by the national magazine of the Sierra Club. Our climate reporter Kendra Pierre-Louis calls them “stunning.”

Now, a break from the news

Andrew Purcell for The New York Times. Food Sylist: Barrett Washburne.

Cook: An easy chicken schnitzel with pan-roasted grapes goes nicely with a salad.

Watch: The sitcom “Sunnyside” is about trying to navigate the U.S. citizenship process, but its aims are more comic than didactic.

Read: A debut collection of short stories by Zadie Smith is on our list of 18 books to watch for in October.

Go: In an installation opening this week at the Tate Modern in London, Kara Walker examines the British Empire, the debate over memorials and the murder of Emmett Till.

Smarter Living: A new review of scientific studies concludes that looking on the bright side may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and early death. Optimists are likelier to exercise and eat better, and their outlook may have direct biological effects in the form of “less inflammation and fewer metabolic abnormalities.”

And some scientists think eating insects may be the key to a sustainable food future.

And now for the Back Story on …

Cars and rockets

Elon Musk isn’t the first auto executive to turn his attention to rockets.

In 1928, Fritz von Opel ran publicity for the German car company Opel Automobile, founded by his grandfather.

Fritz von Opel in his "rocket car" in Berlin in 1928. Opel, via Associated Press

He liked speed, and began experimenting with solid rocket fuel in automobiles. His first “rocket car” hit an astounding 62 miles per hour, and his second broke through 140 m.p.h., both feats performed in front of journalists and cheering onlookers.

He also created a rocket motorcycle and a rocket railway car, before turning his attention to airplanes.

Ninety years ago today, he became the first person to fly a rocket plane. His low-altitude flight of 1.25 miles in 75 seconds ended in a fiery crash. Unhurt, he focused on his triumph.

“I myself can scarcely grasp my joy!” he wrote in a first-person account for The New York Times.

But the next month’s stock market crash set off the Great Depression, bringing the pioneer and his car company back to earth — and back to focusing on gasoline-powered cars.

That’s it for this briefing. See you next time.

— Chris

Thank you
Melina Delkic and Alisha Haridasani Gupta helped compile today’s briefing. Mark Josephson and Eleanor Stanford provided the break from the news. Victoria Shannon wrote today’s Back Story. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com.

P.S.
• We’re listening to “The Daily.” Today’s episode is about the whistle-blower’s complaint.
• Here’s today’s Mini Crossword, and a clue: Santa’s surname (five letters). You can find all our puzzles here.
• In the second episode of “The Daily” for kids, meet a 9-year-old who learned to face her fears. (The first kids’ episode followed twin 10-year-old girls as one joins the Boy Scouts.)