Wednesday morning news: November 6, 2019

Democrats win in VA, KY, while GOP holds governorship in MS » Voters went to the polls in several states last night, including Kentucky … where Democrat Andy Beshear appears to have defeated GOP Governor Matt Bevin in a photo finish. 

[Start crowd noise under at start of above paragraph]

BESHEAR: I stand her tonight grateful, grateful to the Commonwealth of Kentucky and its great voters. [applause under and very slowly out]

Andy Beshear is the son of the state’s last Democratic governor, Steve Beshear. 

With almost 1-and-half-million votes cast … his apparent margin of victory was about 5,000 votes. And Governor Bevin told supporters last night … he won’t call it quits before looking into what he called some irregularities. 

BEVIN: We are not conceding this race by any stretch. Not a chance. 

Meantime in Virginia, Democrats took control full control of the statehouse for the first time in more than two decades. And the party will control the legislature and the governorship for the first time in 26 years. 

But it was a different story in Mississippi, where Republican Tate Reeves will be the next governor, after holding off Democratic challenger Jim Hood. 

Trump offers to help “wage war” on Mexican cartels following attack on U.S. citizens » President Trump offered on Tuesday to help the Mexican government—quote— “wage war on drug cartels.” That offer came after gunmen ambushed a group of U-S citizens living in northern Mexico. 

The attackers opened fire on the SUVs they were traveling in, killing at least six children and three women. Officials said they may have mistaken the vehicles for those of rival gangs. 

But President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador turned down Trump’s offer. 

OBRADOR (Spanish): [up from 3-6 sec mark]

He said he does not believe using “force, blood, and fire will solve the problem.” 

But Utah Senator Mitt Romney said Mexico should reconsider the offer. 

ROMNEY: This has been something that Mexico’s been working on for a long, long time, and there’s still a problem, and it’s getting worse. And so the president said, look, let’s get serious about it, and has indicated that he’d be willing to help, and I think that’s the right sentiment. 

The victims were part of a religious group that broke away from the Mormon church. Some of them have family ties in Utah.

Eight children escaped the vehicles alive. At least five had bullet wounds or other injuries and were taken to Phoenix for treatment.

Top diplomat revises testimony in impeachment inquiry » A top diplomat has revised his testimony in the House impeachment inquiry.

U-S Ambassador Gordon Sondland said he now recalls telling a top aide to Ukraine’s president … that military aid to the country likely would not resume … until Ukraine had provided a public anti-corruption statement.

The change appeared in a three-page update inside hundreds of pages of sworn testimony. 

But House Minority Whip Steve Scalise said Sondland’s testimony doesn’t really matter.

SCALISE: The bottom line is they’re trying to remove a sitting president for something President Trump did in a conversation with President Zelensky that neither side felt was inappropriate. Zelensky never felt pressured, Ukraine got the money. And yet they still want to remove a sitting president. 

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff on Tuesday continued to hammer the Trump administration over no-show witnesses … suggesting the White House has something to hide. 

Meantime, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell chimed in on Tuesday. He said Democrats aren’t providing the same kind of due process rights that were provided both Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton.

Hong Kong, central Chinese governments signals crackdown on protests » Embattled Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said Tuesday that she has received the backing of Chinese President Xi Jinping in her handling of anti-government protests. 

Xi and Lam unexpectedly held talks Monday on the sidelines of a trade event in Shanghai. That came amid signals from China’s central government that it may tighten its grip on Hong Kong to quell the unrest.

Lam told reporters that the Chinese president expressed “care and concern” during their brief meeting. She vowed that the government will strive to stamp out violent or destructive protests with strict law enforcement. That even as pro-democracy demonstrators continue to demand investigations into police abuse of peaceful protesters. 

Study: Drinking water unsafe in parts of many Canadian cities » Hundreds of thousands of Canadians have been unknowingly exposed to high levels of lead in their drinking water. That according to an investigation made public this week. WORLD Radio’s Anna Johnansen has that story. 

ANNA JOHANSEN, REPORTER: More than a hundred journalists conducted a yearlong investigation … studying drinking water in 11 Canadian cities.  

The study found that contamination in several cities … was consistently higher than it ever was in Flint, Michigan. That included some homes in Montreal.

The investigation found some schools and day care centers had lead levels so high that researchers noted it could impact children’s health. Making matters worse, many water providers aren’t testing drinking water at all.

Canada does not regulate legal standards for drinking water at the federal level … and critics say some provinces completely ignore the problem. 

Reporting for WORLD Radio, I’m Anna Johansen.

Kentucky Attorney General and democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Andy Beshear stands with his wife, Britainy as he delivers a speech at the Kentucky Democratic Party election night watch party, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston)

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