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BY BRIAN BEUTLER, PRIYANKA ARIBINDI & CROOKED MEDIA Tuesday, September 3, 2019 |
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| —Bernie Sanders (we think, apologies in advance if this is wrong) |
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| CATCH MY GRIFT? |
| President Trump brought the summer to an unofficial close by intensifying his efforts to profit from the presidency.
What now? This week, Vice President Mike Pence and his entourage visited Ireland on official business, but instead of staying in the capital city of Dublin, where his meetings were scheduled, they stayed at Trump’s golf resort on the other side of the country, and flew across the island for meetings—all at Trump’s request. Thus, much of the money the government had to spend on lodging, food, and other expenses, plus private spending by the U.S. delegation, flowed directly into Trump’s bank account. We also had to pay for Pence to commute to Dublin by plane.
Trump, of course, has funneled government money and campaign donations into his pocket for his entire presidency, but it’s getting worse.
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| British Prime Minister Boris Johnson abruptly lost his majority in parliament and says he will call for a new general election, after his effort to force the U.K. out of the European Union without a transition plan in place generated widespread backlash. The quick reversal of fortune happened as Johnson's opponents and several members of his own party teamed up to pass a critical motion to block a no-deal Brexit.
Opposition members and defectors from Johnson’s party can now attempt to postpone Brexit beyond the current October 31 deadline, and another new prime minister will soon inherit this mess. |
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| Friend of the pod and activist Ady Barkan has a new video series with the 2020 presidential candidates, "Uncovered.” This project elevates the stories of Americans who have experienced our unjust health-care system firsthand.
Today Ady released interviews with Bernie Sanders and Cory Booker.
See more → crooked.com/beahero |
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| Hurricane Dorian stalled over the Bahamas as a Category 5 storm over the weekend, killing at least five people and destroying as many as 13,000 homes. The storm has been downgraded to a Category 3 as it crawls west. Millions of residents in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina face mandatory evacuation orders.
A gunman armed with an assault-style rifle killed seven people and injured 22 in Midland and Odessa, TX, on Saturday. The 36-year-old killer previously failed a background check to obtain a firearm, but obtained this weapon in a private sale, making the purchase exempt from the background-check system.
Walmart will stop selling handgun ammunition, ammunition that can be used in military-style weapons, and end handgun sales (which the company only offers in Alaska). It has also requested that customers stop openly carrying firearms in stores, even in states where open-carry is legal. Two shootings at Walmart stores this summer have left 24 people dead.
The Trump administration claims it will reconsider its decision to force immigrants receiving treatment for life-threatening medical conditions to leave the U.S. Remember, it isn’t that they have consciences, it’s that good reporting led to a public outcry and intense political pressure. Keep it up.
A panel of three judges has ruled that North Carolina’s legislative maps are illegally gerrymandered to benefit Republicans, and that new districts need to be redrawn ahead of the 2020 election. It’s weird when there are multiple stories in this newsletter that can fit into “is that hope I feel.”
The top American envoy to Afghanistan said the U.S. reached an agreement “in principle” with the Taliban to pull 5,400 troops from five bases across the country in 135 days. A total of 14,000 U.S. troops remain stationed in Afghanistan.
French President Emmanuel Macron has proposed a $15 billion letter of credit to Iran for lost oil sales if its leaders agree to comply with the 2015 nuclear accord once again. The credit would give Iran access to money at a time when its economy is suffering under harsh U.S. sanctions and most of its funds are frozen in banks around the world.
The founder of one of the country’s largest conversion therapy organizations came out as gay and apologized for what he promoted. Eighteen states and at least 50 cities and counties across the U.S. have laws or regulations against conversion therapy.
Asked about his campaign trail gaffes and factual errors, Joe Biden told NPR that “Details are irrelevant in terms of decision making.” Hmm… what about his gaffe gaffes?
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| Ohio is scheduled to purge 235,000 supposedly “inactive” voters from the state’s rolls this Friday. In Ohio, citizens who go six years without voting and don’t respond to mailed confirmation letters can be removed from voter rolls. Activists there claim to have found errors in multiple counties, suggesting large numbers of eligible voters will be wrongfully and unknowingly removed from registration lists.
In response, the group All Voting is Local texted 103,000 Ohioans and urged them to update their voter registrations this week. Ohio’s Democratic party sued to stop the state’s Republican elections chief from conducting the purge, but a federal judge denied the request.
Now sounds like a good time to check up on your voter registration status. It takes 30 seconds and a couple clicks → votesaveamerica.com/register
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| After defeating 15-year-old Coco Gauff at the U.S. Open on Saturday, defending champ Naomi Osaka consoled Gauff, who was visibly upset, and invited her to participate in interviews with the press.
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