Buckle up: It's election day in Canada

Canada elections...Protests...Brexit...Impeachment inquiry...California wildfires

view in browser Monday 10.21.19 Have you ever wondered why so many creative bigwigs seem to sport black turtlenecks? Thank the French. Here's what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door. By AJ Willingham Canada elections    Canadians are going to the polls today to vote in their general election, and all signs point to it being quite the fight.  The two top contenders are current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is Liberal, and Conservative leader Andrew Scheer. Through it all, they've been virtually deadlocked in a tie for the popular vote. That's complicated enough, but remember that Canada operates on a parliamentary system. There are 338 seats across the country up for vote, and 170 seats are needed to form a majority government. Polls show neither Trudeau nor Scheer are anywhere near that threshold, so the winner of the populat vote still may not have the support needed to actually fulfill that requirement. Both of the main candidates have had major challenges leading up to the election. Trudeau has been beset by flubs and scandals in recent months. In September, he admitted to wearing blackface during a school event two decades ago. Scheer, meanwhile, surprised voters during the campaign when he disclosed the fact he is actually an American citizen, with dual citizenship in Canada and the US. It doesn't disqualify him, it's just an interesting thing to be noting years into one's career as a Canadian politician.  Protests   Violent protests across the globe are continuing to threaten lives and cripple major cities. Over the weekend in Santiago, Chile, three people died in a supermarket fire that was linked to dayslong protests over a proposed hike in public transport costs. Weekend unrest moved the Chilean government to instate a city-wide curfew, and on Saturday Chilean President Sebastian Piñera said that ministers will suspend the plan to increase the price of subway tickets. Spain is entering its second week of protests over a court ruling regarding Catalan politicians. Last Monday, the politicians were handed heavy sentences by the Spanish Supreme Court for their role in an independence movement that tried to separate Catalonia from the rest of Spain two years ago. Meanwhile, violent protests in Hong Kong have entered their 20th week. Chinese state media drew parallels among the protests, saying Chilean and Spanish protesters were mimicking Hong Kong tactics.  Brexit    A "Super Saturday" in the UK has led to a messy Monday. A rare, emergency sitting of Parliament was called this weekend to vote on whether to approve Prime Minister Boris Johnson's new Brexit deal. The verdict? Nay. After the thumbs-down, Johnson was forced to request an extension on Brexit -- scheduled for October 31 -- from EU leaders. However, Johnson has made it clear he really, REALLY didn't want a Brexit extension, so he's bringing his deal back to the table today to see if he can get it approved by Parliament. Meanwhile, EU leaders are getting antsy. The French Secretary of State for European Affairs Amélie de Montchalin implored British lawmakers to make a decision before the end of the month, saying the uncertainty could cause serious economic woes.  Impeachment inquiry    The White House may start the week in damage-control mode after acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney spent the weekend trying to walk back comments he made last week that seemed to reveal a quid pro quo between Trump and Ukraine. He told reporters on Thursday that the Trump administration "held up the money" for Ukraine because the President wanted to investigate "corruption" in the country related to the 2016 election. On Sunday, several sources told CNN Mulvaney faced internal efforts to oust him before House Democrats moved ahead with their impeachment inquiry against President Trump. Meanwhile, a new parade of current and former US officials are expected to offer testimony this week, including Bill Taylor, the top US diplomat in Ukraine.  California wildfires   Less than two weeks after it shut off power to hundreds of thousands of customers, California's largest utility may leave parts of the state in the dark again. Pacific Gas & Electric, known as PG&E, said Sunday it was monitoring extreme weather conditions forecast for later this week, and may shut off power to 17 California counties to help prevent wildfires. The company has come under scrutiny for the role its equipment played in a series of catastrophic fires in 2017-18. In February, the company warned it could proactively cut power more often and to more customers during risky weather conditions as a means of preventing wildfires, which can sometimes be caused by high winds downing live power equipment. Advertisement People are talking about these. Read up. Join in. A cockroach hanging on to a cigarette is New York City's new unofficial mascot  Though nothing will ever replace Pizza Rat. (Side note: New Yorkers, are you okay?!)  A business in Ohio has turned into a 'haunted car wash' of Halloween  It actually looks terrifying, and not just because it will remind you of all the errands you need to do.  Jennifer Lawrence got married over the weekend  Good for her! Egypt unveils the discovery of 30 ancient coffins with mummies inside  Around Halloween? Spooky AND historically significant!   34 The number of horses that have died at California's Santa Anita Park since last December. The latest death came this weekend when a gelding broke his ankle during a race and had to be euthanized. The park has undergone a series of investigations to determine the reason for the abnormal amount of horse injuries and deaths.  In that time, I felt compassion for him. A lot of times, especially when you're young, you don't realize what you're doing until it's over.   Keanon Lowe, a high school football coach in Portland, Oregon, who is being hailed as a hero after emotional security footage showed him disarming and embracing a student who had brought a gun to school.  Shall we dance?  Let's start this week on a classical note. This is one of my favorite pieces of music -- the Russian Dance from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake." Ahh, pure bliss. (Click here to view)  Advertisement Share Tweet ALL CNN NEWSLETTERS update preferences or unsubscribe CNN Five Things shows up in your inbox every weekday at 6AM ET and Sundays at 9AM ET. Like what you see? Don't like what you see? Let us know. We're all about self improvement. Did a friend forward you this newsletter? Sign yourself up! Sign up to get updates on your favorite CNN Original Series, special CNN news coverage and other newsletters. Copyright © 2019 Cable News Network, Inc. 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