October 27, 2019

Your Weekend Briefing

By Remy Tumin

Here are the week's top stories, and a look ahead.

Tom Brenner for The New York Times

1. This week, a top American diplomat told impeachment investigators that the Trump administration had made repeated quid pro quo demands to Ukraine. Now, all eyes are turning to John Bolton.

There may be no witness investigators want to question more than Mr. Bolton, above, the president's former national security adviser. Mr. Bolton was charged with managing the government's foreign policy apparatus, yet President Trump and his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, worked around him to try to pressure Ukraine to investigate Democrats. Speculation is growing on what Mr. Bolton might say.

Here's what else happened in the impeachment inquiry this week.

Separately, the Times editorial board analyzed the whistle-blower complaint against Mr. Trump and found that nearly all of it had been corroborated. Here's an annotated look.

Have you been keeping up with the headlines? Test your knowledge with our news quiz. And here's the front page of our Sunday paper, the Sunday Review from Opinion and our crossword puzzles.

Delil Souleiman/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

2. The fallout of President Trump's abrupt pullout of American troops from northern Syria continued this week.

Mr. Trump heralded an agreement between Turkey and Russia to police northeast Syria, cementing Russia's strategic advantage in the region. On Friday, defense officials said that the Pentagon was considering sending additional troops to guard eastern oil fields in Syria, above, against the Islamic State.

How the U.S. might benefit from those oil reserves is unclear.

Max Whittaker for The New York Times

3. Pacific Gas and Electric, California's largest utility, will cut power to almost 1 million customers. Officials told 50,000 Sonoma County residents to evacuate as the Kincade Fire, above, threatened to grow.

The intentional power shut-off by PG&E, an attempt to avoid more fires, would be the largest for a wildfire prevention measure in California history. It could affect as many as 2.7 million people. The Kincade blaze has consumed more than 25,455 acres since it began on Wednesday, one of 1,300 wildfires to ignite in California over the past two weeks.

In a fire-scarred state, these days, "if you're told to go, you go," one resident said.

And a new trend is emerging: A small but growing number of wealthy people are hiring their own teams of firefighters.

Michelle Gustafson for The New York Times

4. Joe Biden's team is racing to address a cash crunch as his campaign spends more money than it takes in, unlike top rivals.

In a confidential memo to top donors this week, the former vice president's campaign manager sought to allay growing concerns that his candidate wouldn't be able to stay competitive with his rivals on the airwaves and on the ground.

Four polls out this week presented a muddled picture of how the Democratic primary is unfolding. Here's what the latest numbers show and what else happened in the race this week.

Mustafa Hussain for The New York Times

5. Nearly 900 children in a small Pakistani city tested positive for H.I.V. Health workers pointed to the reuse of syringes.

The real scope of the outbreak is likely larger. Less than a quarter of the residents of the city of Ratodero, above, have been tested. Officials say one doctor is behind many of the cases.

Separately, a U.S. government research program was charged with identifying animal viruses that might infect humans and heading off new pandemics. Now the U.S. has cut off its funding.

Brittainy Newman/The New York Times

6. 1.5 million packages a day.

That's how many parcels are delivered in New York City, where, like other urban areas around the world, the internet economy has made life convenient. But it has also created enormous challenges, and has had a stark impact on gridlock, roadway safety and pollution.

"There is just not enough room for all the trucks that need to make deliveries, the cars that need to get past them and the people who live here," a City Council member said.

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

7. The World Series returned to the nation's capital for the first time since 1933.

The Houston Astros defeated the Washington Nationals to even the series at 2-2. President Trump plans to attend Game 5 tonight, but he won't be throwing out the first pitch. He told reporters he was worried the Kevlar vest he would have to wear would make him "look too heavy."

Calling Washington a fun-loving city might be a stretch, but with the prospect of a World Series title, fans have painted the town red, our sports columnist writes.

Susan Wright for The New York Times

8. A multiyear restoration project aims to protect Pompeii. But with a record number of tourists headed there, some worry that the ancient Roman site could slide back into disrepair.

The Great Pompeii Project, scheduled to wrap up at the end of this year, has secured many of the site's threatened buildings, led to important discoveries and significantly improved the experience for tourists. Yet challenges — high costs and troublesome visitor behavior — remain.

Also from our Travel desk: There's no place like home for the holidays — or is there? Here are five ideas for bucking tradition.

Everett Collection

9. Something wicked this way comes.

From watching "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" to reading "Wounds: Six Stories From the Border of Hell," we asked writers, directors and other creators how they spend the scariest night of the year.

We also rounded up the latest crop of horror fiction (some new, some reissued) and had our crime fiction columnist pick some of her favorite real-life chronicles of violence, madness and appalling misbehavior. Speaking of real life: Did you hear the one about the fungus that turns ants into zombies?

And for trick-or-treating parents: No, your children won't overload on peanut butter cups. Yes, you can eat their Snickers.

Rozette Rago for The New York Times

10. And finally, dig into one of our Best Weekend Reads.

This week we went inside ISIS prisons, taste-tested plant-based burgers, and spoke with a slew of celebrities, including Robert De Niro and Al Pacino; Alyssa Milano, above; and Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers.

For more ideas on what to read, watch and listen to, may we suggest these 10 new books our editors liked, a glance at the latest small-screen recommendations from Watching, and our music critics' latest playlist. Kanye West also dropped a new gospel album, which he promoted via a roving purple bus in Manhattan.

Foliage is lovely this time of year, but so is the odor of the katsura, also known as the "caramel tree." Have a sweet week.

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