Impeachment Poll; Taliban Prisoner Exchange; Jeffrey Epstein’s Guards Indicted

Plus, the 50th anniversary of Apollo 12, the forgotten moon-landing mission. by Jill Hudson and Korva Coleman First Up [Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, National Security Council director for European Affairs, arrives to testify before the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.]( Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Here's what we're following today. Four witnesses are scheduled to testify today before the House Intelligence Committee in the impeachment inquiry. Lawmakers will be hearing from people who were assigned to listen to [President Trump’s July phone call]( to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Swedish prosecutors are dropping an investigation into sexual assault claims against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has repeatedly denied the accusations. Assange is currently jailed in Britain and is [fighting extradition to the United States](. Federal prosecutors in New York have filed criminal charges against two officers who were assigned to guard Jeffrey Epstein on the night he was found dead in his jail cell of an apparent suicide. Authorities say Michael Thomas and Tova Noel [neglected to check on Epstein]( every 30 minutes, then falsified jail logs to make it appear as if they were keeping an eye on him. House lawmakers are hoping to quickly pass a short-term spending bill to fund the government through Dec. 20. Federal agencies are [set to run out of money]( on Thursday. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Monday the Trump administration’s latest pro-Israel change in U.S. policy on settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Critics say the move is [inconsistent with international law](. The change follows the White House’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. An American and an Australian have been freed in Afghanistan as part of a prisoner swap with the Taliban. It could be a sign of [movement on peace negotiations](. On Monday, Brazilian authorities released a report that revealed the highest rate of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest in a decade — partly due to [a recent surge in wildfires]( throughout the region. --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- Impeachment Update The overwhelming majority of Americans across parties say [nothing they hear in the live congressional inquiry]( will change their minds on impeachment, according to a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll. President Trump said Monday that he will “strongly consider” testifying in the impeachment inquiry — and [he might do it in writing](. Democratic lawmakers have released the closed-door testimony of [David Hale]( the third-highest-ranked official at the State Department. He allegedly knew about the effort to oust the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch. --------------------------------------------------------------- The Daily Good After historic flooding in Italy, volunteers wade in to help. [Volunteers set up a footbridge across Venice's flooded Riva degli Schiavoni embankment on Nov. 13.]( Marco Bertorello / AFP via Getty Images A disaster is unfolding in Venice, Italy, which is reeling from a week in which floodwaters damaged parts of the centuries-old city built atop small islands and laced with canals. Three record-high tides coming in short order have submerged St. Mark’s Square, homes and businesses. Now Italy is rallying to save Venice as [waves of volunteers have arrived to help](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Listens Gene-edited “supercells” make progress in the fight against sickle cell disease. [As part of a clinical trial to treat sickle cell disease, Victoria Gray (center) has vials of blood drawn by nurses Bonnie Carroll (left) and Kayla Jordan at TriStar Centennial Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn.]( Meredith Rizzo/NPR Researchers edited the DNA in bone marrow cells taken from a Mississippi woman with sickle cell disease to produce a treatment that could alleviate the excruciating effects of her inherited illness. (Listening time, 6:57) [► LISTEN]( Britain’s Prince Andrew is under fire after BBC Epstein interview. [Prince Andrew also answered questions about Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre, but he maintained that he "had no recollection" of meeting her.]( Dan Kitwood/Getty Images The prince has been dogged for years by allegations that convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein forced a teenage girl to have sex with the royal in 2001. In an interview with the BBC on Saturday, Prince Andrew denied those claims, though many are skeptical of his explanations. Prince Andrew’s problems deepened today as British charities and companies considered cutting ties with him. (Listening time, 4:03) [► LISTEN]( Apollo 12 — the forgotten moon-landing mission. [From NASA: Apollo 12 commander Charles "Pete" Conrad unfurls the United States flag on the lunar surface during the first extravehicular activity on Nov. 19, 1969.]( NASA Today is the 50th anniversary of the second time humans set foot on the moon. But it seems this moon mission is overshadowed by the more famous Apollo 11 and Apollo 13 landings. (Listening time, 3:01) [► LISTEN]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Before You Go [Mike Posner, photographed on September 14, 2018 in New York City. The pop artist spent much of 2019 walking across the Unites States, from New Jersey to California.]( Rob Kim/Getty Images - Surrounded by death and dreading the idea of promoting an album, pop star [Mike Posner]( decided to walk across the United States. The experience ended up changing the way he sees his country and himself. - What are [your favorite songs of the 2010s]( All Songs Considered is seeking your opinion. - A new United Nations report says the U.S. has [the highest child incarceration rate]( in the world. - The Trump administration’s plan to ban most [flavored vaping products]( has evaporated, at least for the moment. --------------------------------------------------------------- We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [dailynewsletter@npr.org](mailto:dailynewsletter@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Music, Politics, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Daily News emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy](