5 things for November 3: It’s here, but taxing questions remain

President Donald Trump’s Twitter account went down for a few minutes Thursday night, and Twitter says it was the work of an employee on the last day at the company. Talk about going out with a bang! 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. Tax reform

It’s finally here. House Republicans revealed their new tax bill Thursday, and though President Donald Trump has voiced his approval, he admits there is “much work left to do.” 

Major provisions of the bill include decreasing the number of tax brackets from seven to four, reducing the top corporate income tax rate and increasing the standard deduction, which could affect some popular tax breaks for individuals such as mortgage interest, state and local taxation, charitable giving and student loan interest.

Republican leaders acknowledge the fight ahead but insist that, overall, this is a plan that will give a generational lift to the middle class — despite Democratic assertions it is just another disguised giveaway to the GOP’s rich friends.

2. Democratic National Committee

Sen. Elizabeth Warren says she believes that the Democratic National Committee was “rigged” in favor of Hillary Clinton during the 2016 primary.

Warren said so Thursday after being asked by CNN’s Jake Tapper whether she believes that the Democratic campaign organization was tipped in favor of Clinton over her primary opponent, Sen. Bernie Sanders

Her comments came in response to an excerpt from a new book by Donna Brazile, former interim chair of the Democratic National Committee, detailing the final months of the 2016 campaign. In the excerpt published in Politico this week, Brazile says Clinton’s team was given operational control over the party committee before Clinton was the nominee because of the massive amounts of funds they raised for the DNC.

Brazile’s story points to a longstanding rift among Democrats that casts concern over how the party will handle their opportunities in the 2020 election.

3. The Weinstein effect

Another day, and more allegations. Kevin Spacey is now facing a series of accusations from employees on the set of the Netflix show “House of Cards.” Eight people who currently work on the show or have worked on it in the past told CNN that the star turned the set into a “toxic” work environment through sexual harassment and abuse. One former production assistant told CNN that Spacey sexually assaulted him during one of the show’s early seasons. Earlier this week, actor Anthony Rapp accused Spacey of making sexual advances to him when Rapp was 14 years old.

Spacey issued an apology in response to Rapp’s account. When asked about the new allegations, Netflix said in a statement to CNN that it sent a representative to the “House of Cards” set Monday. Spacey did not respond to CNN’s request for comment about the latest accusations.

Meanwhile, director and producer Brett Ratner has filed suit against a woman he says defamed him by alleging he raped her. Six women have come forward saying Ratner harassed or assaulted them, but the woman in question is an additional accuser who accused Ratner of rape in a Facebook post. Ratner denied the other accusations earlier through his attorney.

These allegations come in the wake of last month’s New York Times story detailing numerous accusations of sexual misconduct against movie producer Harvey Weinstein. More than 40 women have accused Weinstein of inappropriate behavior, ranging from sexual harassment to rape. Weinstein has “unequivocally denied” all allegations of rape.

4. Russian investigation

Former Trump foreign policy adviser Carter Page privately testified Thursday to lawmakers  that he mentioned to Jeff Sessions he was traveling to Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign — as new questions emerge about the attorney general’s earlier comments to Congress about Russia and the Trump campaign.

Page’s testimony will likely fuel further scrutiny about what Sessions knew about connections between the Trump campaign and Russia — and communications about Russia that he did not disclose despite a persistent line of questioning in three separate hearings this year.

5. Trump in Asia

After a tumultuous week in Washington, Trump will embark today on a critical 12-day diplomatic trip to Asia. There he will meet with the leaders of China, South Korea and Japan before traveling south to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Da Nang, Vietnam, and then visiting the Philippine capital of Manila for meetings with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. 

North Korea and the state of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement will be hot topics on the trip. The President also has assured Japan that he understands Tokyo’s concern over North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and he calls the US ally a “warrior nation.”

BREAKFAST BROWSE

People are talking about these. Read up. Join in.

iPhone X goes on sale worldwide.
Oh good! We’ve been wondering what to do with an extra $1,000 lying around.

Lego’s “Women of NASA” toys are a big hit.
The play set immortalizes four women who played key roles in the US space program and is a lot cheaper than a new iPhone.

Scientists discover mysterious “void” in Great Pyramid of Giza.
Let the conspiracy theories run wild.

Mexican lawmaker suggests keeping rapists away with chicken wire.
Uh, not surprisingly the suggestion prompts an angry response from Mexico and beyond.

Melania Trump will be protected by an all-female Japanese police squad.
We smell another awesome Lego set coming.

AND FINALLY …

Sorry to make you cry so early in the morning
This orangutan was fascinated by a baby bump, and even gave it a few kisses.