5 things to know for October 10: Turkey, impeachment, Germany, California, storms

Check out the ski slope in Copenhagen that’s built atop a power plant.

Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door. (You can also get “5 Things You Need to Know Today” delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.)

1. Turkey

Turkey launched its military offensive into northeastern Syria, hammering Kurdish forces with airstrikes and artillery fire. Reports on the ground paint a chaotic scene, with roads gridlocked with people trying to flee to safety. There are also reports of civilian causalities, as some worry that this could be the start of a “humanitarian catastrophe.”

The Kurdish forces have dropped their counter-ISIS operations to focus on the Turkish offensive, raising fears that all this could lead to a resurgence of ISIS. US officials have also expressed concern that thousands of ISIS fighters may escape from prisons in Syria. Asked about that, President Trump essentially shrugged it off, saying it’s not America’s problem, since the fighters would be “escaping to Europe.” Click here to keep up with the latest on the offensive.

2. Impeachment inquiry

House Democrats are prepping a wave of subpoenas after the Trump administration said it would ignore them. Democrats are now threatening to subpoena associates of Rudy Giuliani and State Department officials. That would include former US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch. She’s set for an interview Friday, but she may not appear because she’s still a State Department employee.

Democrats are also debating whether to hold a vote to formally authorize the impeachment inquiry. The White House and Trump’s GOP defenders say until that happens, the entire effort is invalid; the Dems say it’s not required under the Constitution. A new poll shows more than half of US voters want the President impeached and removed from office. Meantime, former Vice President Joe Biden for the first time called for Trump’s impeachment.

3. German synagogue attack

A gunman’s attack in the eastern German town of Halle was horrifying. But it could have been a lot worse if he’d been able to break down a synagogue’s doors. The gunman, who was arrested, killed two people: one right outside the synagogue and one at a nearby shop. But he couldn’t get through the doors of the synagogue, and that likely spared the lives of the 70 to 80 people inside for Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. The attack was apparently livestreamed on Twitch, a platform owned by Amazon, and bore a striking similarity to the live video of the Christchurch attack in March in New Zealand.

4. California power outages

Long days of darkness continue for almost 800,000 PG&E customers in Northern California, after the utility giant cut off power in several counties to reduce the risk of setting off wildfires with electrical lines. The outages could last as long as a week for some. A forecast of strong winds is posing a major fire danger, but the winds are expected to subside tomorrow. Then PG&E crews will examine their system for damage and start turning the power back on.

5. Weather

It’s going to be a wet and windy end of the workweek and weekend on the East Coast, as a fall nor’easter — with wind gusts approaching tropical-storm-force — slams an area stretching from Delaware to Massachusetts. Meanwhile in the north-central US, temperatures are expected to plummet as much as 50 degrees in 24 hours ahead of an intense and potentially historic fall snowstorm. Temps in Denver were in the 80s yesterday, but they’ll be below freezing today. Snow is expected in Colorado, the Dakotas, Wyoming, Montana and parts of Idaho, and it could shatter records for this time of the year.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

It’s gotta be a curse

Atlanta sports fans didn’t think anything could be worse than the infamous “28-3” Super Bowl. Then, the Atlanta Braves said, “Hold my beer.”

Pricey purchase

If you want to own that fuzzy, olive-green cardigan that the late Kurt Cobain wore on “MTV Unplugged,” be prepared to cough up as much as $300,000.

Look what we can do

Humans can’t regrow amputated limbs like salamanders can, but we apparently can regrow damaged cartilage, a new study says.

Bravery in bronze

Want to see a statue of the first African-American fighter pilot? Take a trip down to Georgia.

TODAY’S QUOTE

“I just couldn’t be a sellout.”

Singer Rihanna, telling Vogue magazine she turned down a chance to perform in the Super Bowl halftime show as a sign of solidarity with exiled NFL QB Colin Kaepernick

HAPPENING LATER

Candidates forum

Nine Democratic presidential candidates will talk LGBTQ issues during a CNN town hall. The event airs tonight at 7:30 ET on all CNN platforms.

Cuba Gooding Jr.’s trial begins

The Oscar-winning actor, accused of groping a woman in a Manhattan bar, faces two misdemeanor charges. He denies the allegations.

AND FINALLY

Grab an apron

Let’s spend some time in the kitchen with the woman known as the “Blind Cook” and find out how she became a culinary sensation. (Click to view.)