promoearn: Russia? Settled. Cue Ukraine

Sunday, September 22

Here's the biggest news you missed this weekend

Trump-Ukraine developments, and Antonio Brown's NFL departure: Here's the weekend's top news.

Trump's secret whistleblower complaint and a phone call with Ukraine

Once again, President Donald Trump faces explosive allegations of encouraging foreign meddling to help him win a presidential campaign. On Sunday, Trump confirmed that he had discussed Democratic presidential frontrunner Joe Biden during a phone call on July 25 with the new Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky. The conversation was largely about corruption, he told reporters, "all of the corruption taking place, largely the fact that we don't want our people like Vice President Biden and his son creating to the corruption already in the Ukraine."

A still-unnamed administration official was so alarmed by Trump's interactions with a foreign leader that he or she filed a whistleblower complaint. But the substance of the complaint remains shrouded in secrecy. The administration has enraged congressional Democrats by refusing to turn that complaint over to oversight committees in Congress, as the law requires. That has stoked new demands for the president's impeachment.

Antonio Brown is saying goodbye to the NFL

Antonio Brown says he will no longer play in the NFL. The former New England Patriots receiver voiced his displeasure with his recent release from the Patriots amid sexual assault allegations in a string of tweets Sunday morning. Brown, who was released by the Oakland Raiders and Patriots within two weeks, also criticized NFL owners. "These owners can cancel deals do whatever they want at anytime," Brown wrote. The Patriots released Brown on Sept. 20 after personal trainer Britney Taylor alleged in a federal lawsuit that Brown had sexually assaulted her on three occasions in 2017 and 2018. A league investigation into the claims is still ongoing.

FILE - In this Sunday, Sept. 15, 2019, file photo, New England Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown (17) stands on the sidelines during the first half at an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins in Miami Gardens, Fla. Nike has dropped New England Patriots receiver Antonio Brown, Nike spokesman Josh Benedek told The Associated Press on Friday, Sept. 20, 2019. The move comes after a second woman accused Brown of sexual assault. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

The Associated Press

Elizabeth Warren leads Iowa Poll for the first time

Elizabeth Warren has surged in Iowa, narrowly overtaking Joe Biden and distancing herself from fellow progressive Bernie Sanders, the latest Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa Poll shows. Warren now holds a 2-percentage-point lead, with 22% of likely Democatic caucusgoers saying she is their first choice of president. But the race is far from settled: Just one in five likely Democratic caucusgoers say their minds are made up, while 63% say they could still be persuaded to support a different candidate. What does this mean for the U.S. senator from Massachusetts? If she's on the rise, so is the criticism from her Democratic rivals.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren speaks at the Polk County Democrats Steak Fry, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019, in Des Moines, Iowa.

Charlie Neibergall, AP

Jonathan Van Ness reveals HIV diagnosis

Jonathan Van Ness, the sassy groomer on Netflix's "Queer Eye," revealed that he's HIV positive ahead of his memoir release. "At the beginning (of "Queer Eye") I was really kind of nervous to talk about my HIV status," Van Ness told USA TODAY: "It just became more clear to me that I wanted to be totally open with my story and be able to talk about it especially in the face of (the Trump) administration." In his new memoir, "Over the Top," Van Ness details everything from being sexually abused at a young age at church to his struggle with addiction. Van Ness uses the memoir as an opportunity to educate people on what having HIV means, what it's like to date and how you're treated in the U.S. and across the world.

Jonathan Van Ness speaks onstage during the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards.

Jeff Kravitz, FilmMagic

Real quick

•	It's day seven of UAW's nationwide strike against GM and union members say the automaker's profit sharing offer falls short of their demands
•	Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trump held a rally in Houston ahead of the United Nations General Assembly.
•	Florida school resource officer who arrested two kids, ages 6 and 8, is under investigation.
•	Friday's global strike was likely the largest climate rally ever and estimates of total crowd sizes are still rolling in — some as high as 4 million.
•	Former Ole Miss, Texas quarterback Jevan Snead was found dead in Austin, report says.

Iranians are 'looking for war,' Pompeo says

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday accused Iranian leaders of being "bloodthirsty" and eager for war and suggested Trump would take additional steps to retaliate against Tehran for its alleged role in attacks on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities. "This was an attack by Iran on the world," Pompeo asserted in an interview with CBS' Face the Nation. "Apparently the Iranians are bloodthirsty and looking for war," Pompeo said. His red-hot rhetoric seemed out of sync with Trump's stance on the Sept. 14 attack, which temporarily slashed Saudi Arabia's oil-producing capacity. Unlike Pompeo, Trump has so far declined to directly accuse Iran of being behind the strikes. And Trump has not likened the incident to an act of war.

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 16: U.S. President Donald Trump listens to a presentation about prescription drugs during a cabinet meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L), acting Defense Secretary Richard Spencer and others at the White House July 16, 2019 in Washington, DC. Trump and members of his administration addressed a wide variety of subjects, including Iran, opportunity zones, drug prices, HIV/AIDS, immigration and other subjects for more than an hour. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 775374453 ORIG FILE ID: 1162404480

Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images

3 dead, 4 hospitalized after doing drugs together in Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh authorities are concerned that a deadly, tainted batch of drugs could still be circulating in the community after three people who attended an event Saturday night died of overdoses and another four were hospitalized. The victims, all men, were wearing orange wristbands apparently distributed by a venue in the city, police spokesman Chris Togneri said. The victims later took the narcotics at about the same time, he said. Five of the victims were found in an apartment, one in an elevator outside the apartment and one on a nearby street. "We remind the public not to use drugs. Simply put: You do not know what's in that drug," Togneri said.

Investigators gather outside an apartment building on Pittsburgh's South Side where police say multiple people died and others were hospitalized Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019.

Gene J. Puskar, AP

It's time for the Emmys

Winter is coming, and so are the 71st Primetime Emmys. One of television's biggest nights premieres on Fox tonight at 8 p.m. EST. HBO's "Game of Thrones" is expected to dominate in many of its categories with 32 nominations. More of a "Veep" fan? Read the full nominations list. There will be no host for the Emmys this year, following in the footsteps of the Oscars, which went hostless after Kevin Hart pulled out following the resurfacing of controversial remarks. Curious about who will (and who should) win? Check out our predictions.