Good morning from Washington,

Mike Bloomberg, Patti Harris and Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser opened CityLab DC today where mayors from around the world, policymakers & business leaders, artists & activists are convening to share the most effective solutions to pressing issues facing city leaders.

In an opening interview this morning with CBS News anchor Margaret Brennan, Mike Bloomberg discussed why Bloomberg Philanthropies was hosting the event, saying “Cities are where the action is, and these are the people who lead them.”

Asked whether he would still run for president in 2020, Bloomberg said, “I don’t know, ask Judge Judy,” jokingly referring to the daytime TV judge’s recent comments that he should run for president.

On the impeachment inquiry into President Trump, Bloomberg said that while he previously sided with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in treading lightly on launching a formal impeachment trial.

He says he now feels “at this point there’s been so much information it leads one to think there’s reasonable chance something wrong was done, we should have a trial.”

Read and watch: Michael Bloomberg Has “Reservations” About 2020 Primary Field, Now Supports Impeachment Inquiry (CBS News)

Bloomberg Philanthropies and OECD Map Innovation Investments in Cities Worldwide (Bloomberg.org)

Mike Bloomberg said the aim of the program was “to help city leaders find new, more effective ways to govern – and to help spread those innovations around the world.”

Brexit latest.

EU Grants Brexit Extension to Jan. 31 as Boris Johnson Pushes for Snap Election (Bloomberg)

Catch Up: Brexit Twists Point to Election. Here’s How It Would Work (Bloomberg QuickTake)

Today in Washington.

Admiral James Stavridis: Baghdadi Is Dead But Islamic State Is Not (Bloomberg Opinion)

We should be particularly mindful that if Baghdadi is truly dead, there will be a tendency on the part of ISIS to “swing for the fences,” and accelerate any operations they have in the pipeline simply to show they are still in the game. Even after the last bit of territory from the “caliphate” was taken back from ISIS early this year, the terrorists were still able to plan, launch and conduct the Easter bombing operation in Sri Lanka, killing hundreds and injuring thousands at several churches.

Must Read on Impeachment: Nearly All of Whistle-Blower’s Assertions Have Been Confirmed (New York Times Editorial)

The New York Times Sunday published a full page editorial that annotated the whistle-blower’s assertions on President Trump’s dealings with Ukraine.

Book: Trump told Secretary Mattis to ‘Screw Amazon’ Out of $10 Billion Pentagon Cloud Contract (CNBC)

The contract is capped at $10 billion over the next ten years. If it ends up being worth that much, it would likely be a bigger deal to Microsoft than it would have been to Amazon.

President Trump Greeted with Boos and Chants of ‘Lock Him Up’ at World Series Game in DC (Sports Illustrated)

Today in Financial News.

Spending Alarm: U.S. Annual Budget Deficit Nears $1 Trillion With 26% Rise (Bloomberg)

The U.S. deficit is nearing a 7 year high after tax cuts and higher government spending, confirming that the deficit under Trump is on pace to expand to historic levels.

U.S. Debt Winners: World’s Most Elite Bond Club Is Getting Its Mojo Back (Bloomberg)

Primary dealers get to sell Treasuries directly to the Fed, and as the U.S. borrows more and more to fund its ballooning deficit, having a captive buyer to offload all those Treasuries could hardly have come at a more opportune time.

JPMorgan Army of Coders Gains Deep Foothold on Trading Floor, Winning Licenses to Deal in Equities (Bloomberg)

JPMorgan Weighs Shifting Thousands of Jobs Out of New York Area (Bloomberg)

Xi’s Blockchain Push Triggers Frenzy in China Technology Stocks (Bloomberg)

South America election news.

Fernandez Wins in Argentina as Voters Rebuff Macri’s Austerity (Bloomberg)

Voters in Argentina opted for left-wing populism over pro-market policies to combat the country’s economic crisis, with a better-than-expected showing by Macri’s party in several districts. Although a key question will be how Fernandez interacts with his powerful vice president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, who was president from 2007 to 2015 and handed Macri an economy damaged by years of Peronism.

Bogota Colombia Elects First Woman Mayor; Alvaro Uribe’s Party Suffers Setback in Regional Vote (Associated Press)

With her victory, Claudia López also becomes the first openly lesbian mayor of a capital city in Latin America, a region slowly advancing in improving LGBT rights. Conservative former President Álvaro Uribe acknowledged his party’s setbacks across the country, stating on Twitter that “I recognize the defeat with humility.”

Climate Watch.

Mass Evacuations in California as Sonoma Fire Burns 84 Square Miles, Twice Size of San Francisco (New York Times)

The Kincade Fire in Sonoma County, north of San Francisco, doubled in size during a 24-hour period over the weekend. It’s now burning 84 square miles — an area nearly twice the size of San Francisco — and it is continuing to grow.

Los Angeles Orders Evacuations as Getty Fire Spreads West (Bloomberg)

The mandatory evacuations affected residents including Los Angeles Lakers basketball star LeBron James, who said he struggled to find housing for his family immediately after the order to leave.

Future of Aviation.

Electric Planes on the Rise: Orders for a New All-Electric Airplane Now Top 150 (Bloomberg)

Charging infrastructure for Massachusetts-based Cape Air is already being installed at airports on the East and West coasts of the U.S. to accommodate the new electric aircraft.

Best of late night.

“I saw that CNN made a guide to help people figure out if their Halloween costume is appropriate or not. Here’s a tip: if you need to use the guide, it’s probably not appropriate.”
— Jimmy Fallon

“UFC star Connor McGregor announced today that he will come out of retirement for a fight in Las Vegas next January. It will be McGregor’s first fight since, I don’t know, last night?”
— Seth Meyers

“Researchers in Virginia announced this week that they have successfully trained rats to drive tiny cars. Said New Yorkers, ‘Great, maybe they’ll stop taking the subway.’”
— Seth Meyers

And finally…

Watch: SNL’s cold open this weekend featured Alec Baldwin in his Donald Trump role as he holds a rally in Albuquerque, New Mexico, or as he calls it, ‘the great city of Albacore, the tuna capital of the United States.’