Schiff calls whistleblower testimony "redundant and unnecessary"

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff speaks to the media in the Capitol Visitor Center last Monday. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff said in a letter Saturday that the whistleblower's testimony is "redundant and unnecessary" because the impeachment inquiry has gathered evidence that "not only confirms, but far exceeds" information in the original complaint.

Why it matters: Schiff's letter to Rep. Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, comes after Nunes complained that Democrats had yet to treat President Trump with "fairness" in the impeachment process, directing witnesses not to answer questions from GOP committee members and withholding transcripts.

In light of the President's threats, the individual's appearance before us would only place their personal safety at grave risk."

Read the letter:

Go deeper: Schiff rebuffs call for Bidens, whistleblower to testify in impeachment probe

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Rebecca Falconer, Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath
Updated 20 mins ago - Science

Deadly Hurricane Zeta slams U.S. Gulf Coast

A satellite image of Hurricane Zeta. Photo: National Hurricane Center/NOAA

Hurricane Zeta has killed at least one person after a 55-year-old man was "electrocuted by a downed power line" in Louisiana as the storm caused widespread power outages Wednesday night, per AP.

What's happening: Zeta made landfall south of New Orleans as a Category 2 hurricane earlier Wednesday before weakening to Category 1. But it was still "battering southeastern Louisiana and southern Mississippi with life-threatening storm surge, high winds, and heavy rain" late Wednesday, per the National Hurricane Center.

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Axios
Updated 43 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Politics: Biden ahead in Wisconsin, Michigan as cases surge in the Midwest.
  2. Health: Fauci says U.S. may not return to normal until 2022 — Trump's testing czar: Surge "is real" and not just caused by more tests — Some coronavirus survivors have "autoantibodies."
  3. Business: Consumer confidence sinking — Testing is a windfall.
  4. World: Europe faces "stronger and deadlier" wave — France imposes lockdown — Germany to close bars and restaurants for a month.
  5. Sports: Boston Marathon delayed — MLB to investigate Dodgers player who joined celebration after positive COVID test.
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Axios
1 hour ago - Health

Fauci says U.S. may not return to normal until 2022

Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Anthony Fauci, testifies during a September Senate hearing on COVID-19 in Washington, D.C. Photo: Graeme Jennings/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

NIAID director Anthony Fauci told the Journal of the American Medical Association on Wednesday he doesn't expect a COVID-19 vaccine to be ready until January 2021 or later.

What he's saying: Fauci said during the interview that the U.S. was in a "bad position" after failing to keep case numbers down post-summer. "We should have been way down in baseline and daily cases and we’re not," he said.

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