They made him believe he was talking to the Turkish defense minister. It worked.
The callers wanted him to believe he was talking to the Turkish defense minister. It worked. CHIP SOMODEVILLA / GETTY IMAGES

Gordon Sondland bucks up: The State Department has forbidden Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the European Union, to testify about the Ukraine scandal and help the impeachment proceedings. But Sondland has agreed to defy the Trump administration and testify. All right, Gordy! He will appear before three committees next Thursday. Sondland made multiple trips to Ukraine, despite Ukraine not being in the EU, which was Sondland's whole focus, and text messages between other ambassadors and Sondland suggest he was a key player in getting Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and Hunter Biden on Trump's behalf.

Boeing and the FAA both at fault: For certifying the 737 MAX 8 planes that kill hundreds in two plane crashes. Boeing didn't fully explain the new flight-control system to federal regulators. The Federal Aviation Administration also did not fully comprehend what Boeing did share about the plane. These findings were summarized in a report released by a multiagency task force in charge of investigating the certification process of the deadly aircraft.

Turn over those financial records, baby! The US Court of Appeals just rejected an appeal by Donald Trump to a subpoena for his financial records. Receipts! We need 'em!

Tunnel trial wages on: We're still fighting over the Highway 99 tunnel construction, because the state refuses to settle with the tunnel company. In a trial where $300 million could be on the line, Washington State is accusing Seattle Tunnel Partners of making mistakes that led to Bertha, the tunneling machine, breaking down and causing year-long delays to the tunnel that was supposed to be drivable in May 2016. The tunnel company says it wasn't their negligence that broke down Bertha, but a pipe (which the state says "was nothing more than a toothpick") left in the ground by the state that Bertha got caught on. The state says otherwise.

Traffic woes this weekend: Closures abound this weekend! Highway 520 and Highway 99 will be blocked due to construction. It's the westbound 520 and northbound 99. Meanwhile, light rail service will be interrupted, as well. Riders will not be able to ride through downtown. Westlake, University Street, Pioneer Square, International District, and Stadium Stations will be closed as crews build a platform in the Pioneer Square station to prep for the next Seattle Squeeze in January.

A lovely fall day ahead:

No "Purple Rain" for Donald: Prince's estate keeps having to tell Donald Trump to not play Prince's music. The most recent chastizing came after Trump played "Purple Rain" at his Minneapolis rally.

Speaking of Minneapolis: Have you seen their hot mayor? I don't mean to make it all about looks, but Mayor Jacob Frey looks like a hotter, younger David Duchovny mixed with Patrick Dempsey, and I would let him eliminate single-family zoning and increase density all over me (not just near transit).

NBA keeps quiet: The National Basketball Association will not be talking anymore while on its China trip. Games will still go on as scheduled but there will be no media availability before or after. This decision comes after the fallout from a pro-Hong-Kong-protest tweet made by the general manager of the Houston Rockets. On Thursday, the Chinese stopped coaches and players from talking. Now the NBA is making the same call.

Oh no: There's a 4,600 acre fire in Los Angeles. It's in the San Fernando Valley, where I grew up and where the hills are basically made of matchsticks. Mandatory evacuations are in place. The fire, now called the Saddleridge Fire, is 0 percent contained.

Syrian situation continues: And worsens. Civilians are fleeing—thousands of them. The Kurds were running prison camps that held thousands of ISIS fighters and their relatives. Part of the struggle with this Turkish invasion (besides the whole death and destruction thing) is holding down the camps and preventing prisoners from escaping. Many of the guards have been reassigned to help fight. There have already been attempts by prisoners to escape.

Ignore that this is from Barstool Sports: This video of a little brother and sister absolutely gutted me.

Lindsey Graham fell for a prank call from two Russians: They were pretending to be Turkey's minister of defense. This happened in August. Graham allegedly voiced how he really felt about the Kurds, calling them a "threat to Turkey." The best part, despite Graham's hypocrisy, is that his office issued this statement in response: "We have been successful in stopping many efforts to prank Senator Graham and the office, but this one slipped through the cracks," Graham spokesman Kevin Bishop said. "They got him."

Paralympian sticks to climate fight: The paralympian cyclist James Brown, who is blind, climbed on top of a British Airways plane as part of an Extinction Rebellion demonstration about how we need to stop flying so much. This was just one protest from multiple protesters at London City Airport.

A fun fact for your Friday: A beer-drinking goat is the mayor of Lajitas, Texas, a small border town along the Rio Grande. His name is Clay Henry. He is the third beer-drinking-goat mayor of Lajitas.

This weekend's EverOut picks are: The grand opening of the new Burke Museum, Autumn Knight's new interactive theater work M_ _ _ ER, and an Earshot Jazz Festival concert with DJ J-Justice and Afrocop. See more on our EverOut Things To Do calendar.