Historic Trump impeachment hearings open: Your Wednesday evening roundup

The impeachment battle, like so many fights in Washington, could well hinge upon competing versions of reality.  [Evening roundup]( 11/13/2019 By Wayne Carter Good Evening! Here is a look at the top headlines of the day. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [here.]( Daniel Goldman (left), director of investigations for the House Intelligence Committee majority staff, questions William Taylor, the top U.S. envoy to Ukraine, and career Foreign Service officer George Kent during the first public impeachment hearing of President Donald Trump Wednesday on Capitol Hill. (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press) IMPEACHMENT HEARING [As historic impeachment hearings open with competing plots: Is Trump villain or victim?]( A top U.S. diplomat on Wednesday offered new evidence that President Donald Trump sought to pressure Ukraine to investigate one of the president’s political rivals, providing a dramatic twist on the first day of Democrats’ public impeachment hearings. William Taylor, the acting ambassador to Ukraine, said that one of his aides in July overheard a call in which Trump asked another key U.S. diplomat for an update on the "investigations," including a probe into former Vice President Joe Biden over Biden’s son’s business dealings. Democrats zeroed in on that revelation, pointing to it as another example of Trump’s direct involvement in the machinations. Republicans all but ignored it, ripping their Democratic counterparts for relying on hearsay to build an impeachment case against Trump. Just further proof that the impeachment battle, like so many fights in Washington, [could well hinge upon competing versions of reality.]( ADVERTISEMENT  CRIME & COURTS [Man accused of brutal attack in downtown Dallas garage back in jail on federal charge]( A Laredo man who has twice bonded out of the Dallas County jail after being accused of brutally assaulting a woman in a downtown Dallas parking garage in September is now in federal custody. David Cadena, 25, made his initial appearance in federal court Tuesday [after being charged with carjacking.]( He also faces state counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated robbery in connection with the Sept. 21 attack.  And: A pair of murder arrests included a Dallas father [who accused the victim of exposing himself to kids.](   Also: An Arlington man has been sentenced to death [for beheading his roommate and killing the man’s girlfriend]( in a gruesome 2017 double slaying.  SPORTS [SMU was left out of the CFP rankings. The AAC commissioner says it’s ‘ridiculous’]( commissioner Mike Aresco was frustrated after watching the College Football Playoff rankings show on Tuesday evening. Even as Memphis, Cincinnati and Navy all moved up – [there was one glaring omission that caused him to feel doubt in the CFP committee process.]( "I’m upset, and why wouldn’t I be?" Aresco told The Dallas Morning News. "I don’t criticize the committee personally, but I certainly can criticize their methodology and their conclusions."  Mavericks roundtable: Should Dallas be worried about [Kristaps Porzingis’ inconsistent performance]( ten games into the season?   Rangers' future: Why the path to catching the Astros [will take more than some lying, cheating, and stealing.](  ADVERTISEMENT (Ashley Landis/Staff Photographer) PHOTO OF THE DAY Visitors view the Nine Ladies Dancing gazebo, part of "The 12 Days of Christmas" exhibit Tuesday night at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. The gazebos are elaborately decorated in Victorian style with whimsical animals and mechanical characters that move to festive music. At night, [the displays are elegantly lighted and holiday music can be heard throughout the gardens.](  "The 12 Days of Christmas" runs from Nov. 9 to Dec. 31 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. "The 12 Days of Christmas" at night runs Wednesdays through Sundays Nov. 13 through Dec. 29 from 6 to 9 p.m. EDITORS' PICKS - Editorial: Cutting immigration [won’t help the Texas economy.]( - Pan pick: Pizza joint Fireside Pies is opening Nov. 19 [near Lake Highlands’ Alamo Drafthouse.]( - From the Archives: Before Disney+, there was the Disney Channel — [and Dallas missed out on the launch.]( FINALLY... [2 months after a damning Petland report, here’s what Frisco needs to do to protect dogs and cats]( From Metro columnist Sharon Grigsby: My taste in dogs runs more to the Heinz 57 variety — mixed-breed mutts in shelters or with rescue groups and desperate for permanent loving homes. For those of you intent on owning a purebred puppy, you’ll find plenty of responsible breeders operating within the law. But when it comes to the retail sale of dogs and cats by businesses such as Petland, whose Frisco location was recently found to have several problems by the Humane Society of the United States, I’m increasingly skeptical. Municipal ordinances with even the sharpest teeth [seem unable to prevent potential harm to both pets and the people who buy them.]( 👋 That's all for this afternoon! For up-to-the-minute news and analysis, check out [DallasNews.com](. Share the love! If you like this newsletter, please forward this email to a friend and [check out our other newsletters here](. Do you have feedback? Send your thoughts, questions, praise and corrections to [newsletter-feedback@dallasnews.com](mailto:newsletter-feedback@dallasnews.com?subject=). STAY CONNECTED WITH US [Unsubscribe]( | [Free newsletters]( | [Dallasnews.com]( | [Subscriber login]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Contact us]( Copyright 2019 - [The Dallas Morning News, 1954 Commerce Street, Dallas, TX 75201, United States](