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Thursday's Mini-Report, 10.17.19

Today's edition of quick hits.

Today's edition of quick hits:

* A giant exits the stage: "Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings, the sharecroppers' son who fought for racial justice in his beloved Baltimore and in recent years took on the Trump administration, died Thursday. He was 68."

* I'll have more on this in the morning: "Vice President Mike Pence announced Thursday that the United States reached a cease-fire agreement with Turkey to suspend its military operation in Syria to allow Kurdish forces to retreat from a designated safe zone."

* Will Parliament approve? "The United Kingdom and the European Union announced Thursday they had agreed to a new Brexit divorce deal, a potentially key breakthrough ahead of the Oct. 31 deadline for Britain to leave the bloc."

* Oh, Rudy: "In the spring of 2017, former U.S. attorney general Michael Mukasey met with representatives of the Iranian dissident group Mujahedeen e-Khalq (MEK), a State Department-designated foreign terrorist organization until 2012. Mukasey wasn't alone. Joining him at the meeting was another high-profile American political figure: Rudy Giuliani."

* Keep an eye on the Halkbank story: "After repeated appeals to President Trump by Turkey's president to avoid charges against a state-owned Turkish bank, Attorney General William P. Barr oversaw an effort earlier this year to negotiate a settlement with the bank, two people with knowledge of the matter said."

* A Trump target: "U.S. Postmaster General Megan Brennan plans to retire in January, officials said Wednesday, following months of complaints from President Trump that the Postal Service was losing too much money and should be charging retail giant Amazon more for package delivery."

* Not great: "American shoppers pulled back on spending in September, signaling a key support for the U.S. economy this year could be softening amid a broader global economic slowdown."

* Trump really didn't handle this well: "The family of a British teenager killed in a wrong-way crash involving the wife of an American diplomat said President Donald Trump dropped a 'bombshell' during a meeting at the White House, revealing that the woman was waiting to meet them in the room next door."

* "When you're the father and your son's entire career is dependent on that," Donald Trump Jr. said, "they own you." Noted without comment.

See you tomorrow.