5 things you need to know Wednesday

Judge to hear arguments against Trump over Emoluments Clause

A federal court in New York is set to hear arguments on Wednesday in a lawsuit alleging that President Trump's business dealings with foreign countries violate the Constitution. The suit, filed by the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, contends that business done by Trump International Hotels in Washington, D.C. and Trump Tower in New York violates the Constitution's Emoluments Clause, which bars federal officials from receiving benefits from foreign governments. Trump said after taking office that he would relinquish management of his global business empire to his sons but retain ownership. Critics contend Trump's failure to divest raises ethical questions in his role as president.

Jeff Sessions to face tough questions from Senate panel committee

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is set to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Justice Department oversight Wednesday as his department oversees high-profile issues. The routine hearing, which is Sessions' first appearance on Capitol Hill since his June testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee investigating Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, affords senators an opportunity to question Sessions on his previous correspondences with Russian officials. Apart from Russia, the attorney general is expected to be grilled on a constellation of recent Justice Department actions — from its management of immigration enforcement issues to the agency’s rollback of Obama administration civil rights policy.

Cruz vs. Sanders: Senators to debate Trump's tax plan

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., will debate President Trump's tax plan from Washington, D.C., on Wednesday in a town hall event on CNN (9 p.m. ET). Sanders and Cruz, the runners-up for the Republican and Democratic presidential nominations in 2016, will also field questions from voters around the country, according to CNN . Trump's plan, which the president has said will help working families, would not only reduce corporate tax rates and revamp individual tax brackets, but also eliminate some common tax deductions. Here's how the plan would affect you — and what we still don't know about it.

China's Xi takes on another 5-year term

Xi Jinping cemented his place Wednesday as the most powerful man to rule China in at least a generation after the Communist Party convened to select the head of the country to another five-year term. The 64-year-old politician was guaranteed a second term as party general secretary, but the party's semi-secretive meeting also gives him a chance to strengthen his already powerful position by maneuvering loyalists into other key roles within the leadership. A compromise candidate when he came to power in 2012, Xi did not get to choose most of his colleagues within the party's top leadership. 

MLB Playoffs: Pivotal Game 5 in New York; Dodgers look for clean sweep

MLB’s League Championship Series are heading in opposite directions Wednesday as the road to the World Series heats up. The New York Yankees rallied to tie the ALCS against the Houston Astros at two games apiece, leaving some to question if the Astros are headed for another playoff collapse. Game 5's first pitch in Yankees Stadium is scheduled for 5:08 p.m. ET. Meanwhile, in the National League, the Los Angeles Dodgers are one win away from its first World Series trip since 1988 after defeating the Chicago Cubs 6-1 on Tuesday. Game 4 at Wrigley Field begins at 9:01 p.m. ET.

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