Here's what you need to know to start your day.
December 13, 2019, 10:06 AM
5 min read
It's Friday, Dec., 13, 2019. Let's start here.
1. Impeachment vote
After a fiery session that went late into Thursday night, the House Judiciary Committee has delayed a vote to pass two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump until today at 10 a.m.
A full House vote on impeachment is expected next week, but some moderate Democrats in key swing districts are on the fence, according to ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Mary Bruce on "Start Here."
"They are concerned that if they support impeachment, it will come back to bite them and could hurt them politically in the next election," she says. "It won't prevent Democrats from passing impeachment ... what it does is give Republicans a talking point."
2. Brexit and Boris
Brexit was on the line in Britain's high-stakes general election on Thursday, but exit polls suggest that Prime Minister Boris Johnson succeeded in securing a massive majority for the ruling Conservative party and a likely withdrawal from the European Union.
ABC News Foreign Correspondent James Longman breaks down the results and what's next for plans to leave the European Union: "The next big stage is actually negotiating and the possibility of a no-deal. Brexit is still very much on the table."
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrives with his dog Dilyn at a polling station, at the Methodist Central Hall, to vote in the general election in London, England, Dec. 12, 2019.
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrives with his dog Dilyn at a polling station, at the Methodist Central Hall, to vote in the general election in London, England, Dec. 12, 2019.Henry Nicholls/Reuters
3. MLB drug changes
Major League Baseball has become the first major American sports league to remove marijuana from its list of drugs of abuse.
The move opens the door for players "to have a little bit more control of their bodies and agency over who they are," according to Clinton Yates, reporter for "The Undefeated."
MLB also announced the beginning of testing for the presence of opioids, fentanyl, cocaine and synthetic THC, but players will not be suspended unless they do not work with the league on a treatment plan. The changes go into effect when spring training begins in 2020.
Commissioner Rob Manfred speaks during the Major League Baseball winter meetings, Dec. 11, 2019, in San Diego.
Commissioner Rob Manfred speaks during the Major League Baseball winter meetings, Dec. 11, 2019, in San Diego.Gregory Bull/AP
"Start Here," ABC News' flagship podcast, offers a straightforward look at the day's top stories in 20 minutes. Listen for free every weekday on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn or the ABC News app. Follow @StartHereABC on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for exclusive content and show updates.
Elsewhere:
'Evangelicals for Trump': President Donald Trump's reelection campaign is planning a massive effort to court religious voters in 2020.
'Great physical shape': Former New York City mayor and current 2020 presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg is in "outstanding health," his doctor says.
'A snapshot of those incarcerated': China and Turkey were the world’s most prolific jailers of journalists in 2019, according to a special report released by the press freedom watchdog Committee to Protect Journalists.
From our friends at FiveThirtyEight:
FiveThirtyEight's Daniel Cox and Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux look at why millennials are leaving religion and not coming back.
Doff your cap:
Think that getting a Christmas tree from one of those big tree farms is an impersonal experience? Not at Holiday Tree Farms in Corvallis, Oregon.
The 7,500-acre operation is one of the largest Christmas tree farms in the world -- and yet it's a family business that's been owned and operated by the Schudel family since 1955.
Once the trees are cut, they are wrapped and sent to a warehouse in Los Angeles where they are then distributed to tree stands and farms everywhere.
Once the trees are cut, they are wrapped and sent to a warehouse in Los Angeles where they are then distributed to tree stands and farms everywhere.ABC News
The farm, which originally harvested around 30,000 to 40,000 trees yearly, today ships around a million trees per year.
"There's a little bit of horticulture, a little bit of agriculture and a little bit of magic that goes into the whole thing," nursery manager Scott Godwin tells ABC News.
