Thursday morning news: October 31, 2019

Another wildfire whips up north of Los Angeles » Flames whipped through the parched hills north of Los Angeles on Wednesday, as strong winds fueled another outbreak of wildfires.

A brush fire erupted before dawn, and exploded to more than 1,300 acres—forcing another 26,000 people to evacuate. Ventura County Fire Incident Commander Chad Cook…

COOK: The fire outflanked us very rapidly today, pushed by those 40 to 50 mile an hour winds. We did experience gusts up to 65 miles an hour this morning.  

Helicopters and airplanes attacked the blaze from the sky, dropping fire retardant chemicals as some 800 firefighters battled it on the ground. 

The flames threatened thousands of homes and ranches and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

But Cook said they were able to defend the facility, which is partially protected by a buffer zone chewed by goats. 

Other blazes continue to burn across the state, including the massive Kincade fire north of San Francisco.

Lawmakers press State Dept. officials on Ukraine » A State Department Foreign Service officer told lawmakers Wednesday that former national security adviser John Bolton cautioned him about Rudy Giuliani. WORLD Radio’s Leigh Jones has details. 

LEIGH JONES, REPORTER: House lawmakers questioned Christopher Anderson as part of the impeachment inquiry. He said Bolton told him that the president’s personal lawyer “was a key voice with the president on Ukraine” and could complicate U.S. goals in the country.

Another Foreign Service officer, Catherine Croft, also testified behind closed doors Wednesday. 

Meanwhile, the No. 2 official at the State Department faced tough questions in the Senate. Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan is President Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Russia. In his confirmation hearing, he said he did not know of any attempt to press Ukraine to open a corruption probe into Joe Biden’s son, Hunter.

Reporting for WORLD Radio, I’m Leigh Jones. 

White House hopes to sign “phase one” of China trade deal next month » The White House says it wants to sign the first phase of a new China trade deal next month. President Trump said this week that negotiators were—quote—“ahead of schedule” as they work to accomplish at least some of the administration’s trade objectives with China. 

TRUMP: We’ll call it phase one, but it’s a very big portion. It would take care of the farmers. It would take care of some of the other things. It will also take care of a lot of the banking needs. 

The president had planned to travel to Santiago, Chile, in November to sign the preliminary deal with China’s Xi Jinping. But Chile’s president announced Wednesday that he’s cancelling the summit amid nationwide protests in his country over economic inequality.

The White House said the two sides may pick a new host city.

NCAA to let athletes profit … but how? » The NCAA and its member schools are facing a new challenge this week after voting to let college athletes profit from their fame. WORLD Radio’s Kristen Flavin has more. 

KRISTEN FLAVIN, REPORTER: The National College Athletic Association has voted to let college athletes—quote—“benefit from the use of their name, image and likeness.”

The move came after California passed a law that would make it illegal for NCAA not to allow that.

But now officials have to figure out how to allow athletes to profit while still maintaining rules regarding amateurism.

Among the questions they’re still trying to answer: What regulations should it put in place? What markets should athletes be allowed to access? And should schools themselves be able to provide funds to athletes through licensing deals?

Many worry the influx of cash will open the door to corruption and that college recruiters will dangle lucrative sponsorships in front of athletes.

Reporting for WORLD Radio, I’m Kristen Flavin. 

Nats down Astros win first World Series in franchise history » AUDIO: [Sound of celebration]

For the very first time, the Washington Nationals are celebrating a World Series championship!

AUDIO: [Sound of celebration]

The Nats beat the Astros in game-7 in Houston last night in dramatic fashion. Washington trailed for the first 6 innings, but took a 3-2 lead with one swing of the bat from designated hitter Howie Kendrick. 

GAME: That’s down the right field line into the corner. This ball is … gone for a homerun! 

The Nats added 3 more runs and held on for a 6-2 win.

This was the first World Series appearance in franchise history dating back a half-century. The team entered the league in 1969 as the Montreal Expos. They changed their name and moved to Washington in 2005.

And this was the first 7-game series in big league history in which the road team won every game.

(AP Photo/ Christian Monterrosa) Firefighters try to save a home on Tigertail Road during the Getty fire, Monday, Oct. 28, 2019, in Los Angeles, Calif. 

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