News Dump

House will vote next week to hold Barr and Ross in criminal contempt over census
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/452625-pelosi-house-will-vote-next-week-to-hold-barr-and-ross-in-criminal-contempt

Trump expected to end his fight to add citizenship question to census (this morning he was ready to sign executive order to order the Census Bureau to add the question)
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-expected-end-fight-add-citizenship-question-census/story?id=64262805

Second federal judge blocks Justice Dept. bid to replace census attorneys
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/second-federal-judge-blocks-justice-dept-bid-to-replace-census-attorneys/2019/07/10/4a82fb80-a35a-11e9-b732-41a79c2551bf_story.html?utm_term=.766149a00bb6

Oregon governor to use executive powers to pass climate legislation after GOP walkout
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/451424-oregon-governor-prepared-to-use-executive-powers-to-pass-climate

There’s An Environmental Disaster Unfolding In The Gulf of Mexico: A slow-moving flood of polluted Mississippi River water is causing serious damage to Gulf species, and a major storm threatens to make it worse.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mississippi-louisiana-gulf-coast-environmental-disaster_n_5d262c42e4b0583e482b28ed

Jeffrey Epstein's attorneys propose home detention at his $77 million mansion ahead of bail hearing
https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/11/us/jeffrey-epstein-bail/index.html

Jeffrey Epstein Violated Sex Offender Check-In Order 34 Times
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jeffrey-epstein-violated-his-sex-offender-registry-34-times-report_n_5d273fbbe4b07e698c46ae32

Plastic straws are 0.03% of total plastic waste by mass. Meanwhile, 46% of ocean debris is abandoned fishing equipment. If you want to be trendy, boycott straws. If you want to save the ocean, boycott fish.
https://twitter.com/MackenMurphy/status/1127703883546021888

Endangered rhino numbers ‘soar by 1,000%’ in Tanzania after crackdown on poaching gangs - And elephant populations have risen by nearly half in five years, thanks to a blitz on illegal ivory hunters, the president’s office said.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/rhino-endangered-numbers-tanzania-poaching-elephant-horn-ivory-china-a8999821.html

Not only should we stop opening more private prisons and private immigrant detention centers but we should eliminate those that exist in this country today.
https://twitter.com/BetoORourke/status/1149098270737801216

Trump cut a deal with China to mute US support for Hong Kong protests in exchange for progress in the trade war
https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-xi-jinping-soften-hong-kong-criticism-trade-talks-report-2019-7

Brazil deforestation 88% higher in June than last year, data shows. (a hundred years of environmental activism involding millions of people destroyed in a handful of months, a hundred years of environmental protection in Brazil destroyed in a handful of months, millions of people who dedicate their lives to fighting for environmental protection in activism fought for nothing, the damage is irreversible)
https://www.nzgeo.com/audio/brazil-deforestation-88-higher-in-june-than-last-year-data-shows

Donald Trump has withdrawn antisemitic cartoonist Ben Garrison's invitation to the White House, but he can't conceal the rise of antisemitism
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/trump-ben-garrison-antisemitism-labour-panorama-iris-annabel-goldsmith-a8998861.html

Sanders deeply satisfied to see his 2016 ideas in 2020 candidates
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/sanders-deeply-satisfied-to-see-his-2016-ideas-in-2020-candidates-63630405955

Would making Election Day a holiday increase voter turnout? Some city councilors think so
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/07/11/would-making-election-day-holiday-increase-voter-turnout-some-city-councilors-think/yI7QDPbwR22jQnsZlXlgXL/story.html

We're getting numb to Trump's lawlessness. That's very dangerous
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-ol-le-trump-hatch-act-lawless-20190707-story.html

The American Federation of Teachers union sued Education Secretary Betsy DeVos Thursday, alleging that the department has mismanaged a federal program that grants teachers and other public service workers loan forgiveness after they make 10 years of payments. About 1% of the more than 73,000 borrowers who have applied for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program have been granted relief since the program was created in 2007, according to department data. The lawsuit blames the Department of Education for denying applicants "on arbitrary and capricious grounds" and failing to put a process in place to review erroneous decisions or ensure loan servicing companies provide accurate guidance to borrowers about their eligibility. "Instead of helping the millions of Americans owed debt relief under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, DeVos has hurt and pauperized them. And instead of working with lawmakers to improve the program that millions of teachers, firefighters, nurses and first responders deserve, DeVos has vandalized it," said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, in a statement.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/11/politics/betsy-devos-teachers-union-lawsuit/index.html

Teachers union Sue U.S. Over Student Loans That Weren't Forgiven
https://www.npr.org/2019/07/11/739860400/broken-promises-teachers-sue-u-s-over-student-loans-that-werent-forgiven

Trump endorses far-right leaders then hails himself as 'great looking and smart' in bizarre Twitter tirade.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-news-live-election-2020-alex-acosta-epstein-tweets-today-kidney-heart-a9000156.html

Congressman Horsford Calls for Resignation of Secretary Rick Perry in Wake of Unapproved Nuclear Waste Dumping in Nevada.  Today, Governor Sisolak revealed that the Department of Energy under Secretary Rick Perry had been shipping and disposing of unapproved low-level radioactive waste at the Nevada National Security Site, violating the established NNSS Waste Acceptance Criteria. Congressman Horsford released the following statement about this development: “I am outraged and shocked to hear about the Department of Energy’s repeated transgressions on the people of Nevada. Today we found out that, against the will and consent of Nevadans, the Department of Energy has been covertly shipping dangerous radioactive waste into our state. While the DOE has long claimed it supports collaboration with the state of Nevada, today’s findings, like those of the recent past, prove otherwise. Secretary Perry has repeatedly disrespected the people of Nevada and eroded the public trust in his ability to abide by established rules for waste disposal. His failure to disclose these actions amount to their lying to a federal judge, our Nevada Congressional delegation and our state’s Governor repeatedly about his agency’s activities in our state. Secretary Perry must resign immediately. To add insult to injury the DOE reluctantly admitted that the waste shipped to Nevada was incorrectly labelled as low-level radioactive waste, when it was in fact mixed low-level radioactive waste. The implications could be significant for both our environment and public health. Whether it was through negligence, or outright trickery, Nevada has been unjustly coerced into storing MLL waste, in violation of various state and federal laws and regulations. DOE actions must be swiftly addressed and justified. The DOE has violated the trust and safety of Nevadans. As Representative of District 4 of Nevada, which is home to the National Nuclear Security Site, I vow to investigate the past and current conduct of the DOE and hold them accountable for their dismissal of the law and blatant disregard for the safety of Nevadans. The people of Nevada adamantly oppose the storage of nuclear waste in Nevada. It is opposed by every member of the Nevada delegation, on both sides of the aisle, and has been opposed by the last five Governors of Nevada, Democrat and Republican.”
https://horsford.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-horsford-calls-resignation-secretary-rick-perry-wake-unapproved

White House Republicans kills plan to lower drug prices by ending hidden rebates, complicating its bid to make health care a focus of 2020 race
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2019/07/11/white-house-kills-plan-to-lower-drug-prices-by-ending-hidden-rebates-complicating-its-bid-to-make-health-care-a-focus-of-2020-race/

Trump literally does not have the money to add citizenship to the census: “Can you lend me $114 million?”
https://qz.com/1664018/trump-doesnt-have-the-money-to-add-citizenship-to-the-2020-census/

Trump Didn’t Appoint Chris Christie As AG Because He’d ‘Prosecute My Own Kids’
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-appoint-chris-christie-ag-prosecute-my-own-kids

(no really??? LOL) Foreign ambassadors working in Washington have revealed they share similar views to British envoy Sir Kim Darroch, who described Trump’s administration as “inept” and “dysfunctional” in leaked diplomatic cables.
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/ambassadors-we-all-share-similar-views-on-donald-trump-to-sir-kim-darroch-a4187586.html

(no really??? LOL) Former ambassador to US says Boris Johnson is a 'paid-up member of the Trump fan club' who risks doing 'great harm' to UK
https://www.businessinsider.com/boris-johnson-is-in-trump-fan-club-and-risks-doing-great-harm-to-uk-2019-7

Saudi Arabia is reportedly axing laws which give men legal control over whether women can leave the country, after a global backlash to the government's Absher app
https://www.businessinsider.com/absher-saudi-arabia-axes-guardianship-travel-laws-reprt-2019-7

Trump refused to sign a 2018 spending bill unless Paul Ryan let him build suspense over it on Twitter
https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-wouldnt-sign-bill-unless-paul-ryan-let-him-tweet-2019-7

Kentucky governor accidentally makes the case for McConnell to step down
https://thinkprogress.org/pro-mcconnell-governor-matt-bevin-kentucky-makes-case-against-career-politicians-5086d82254c9/

Kenya's first coal plant construction paused in climate victory
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/jul/11/kenya-first-coal-plant-construction-paused-climate-victory

Deutsche Bank's week from hell just got worse after reported links with Epstein and a US probe into its role in the Malaysia 1MDB scandal
https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/deutsche-bank-weathers-epstein-links-doj-investigation-1mdb-2019-7-1028345284

AAU youth basketball and the like has led to kids being broken physically by the time they enter college and possibly contributed to the rise in injuries in young players in the NBA
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/27125793/these-kids-ticking-bombs-threat-youth-basketball

Indian Railways has launched ‘Plan Bee’ to prevent elephants getting hurt on rail tracks - Bee sounds can be heard from 600 metres away, as the train approaches the vulnerable gangway, thereby reducing the elephant death toll.
https://www.businessinsider.in/indian-railways-introduce-buzzing-bees-to-keep-elephants-away-from-train-tracks/articleshow/70169025.cms

In New Book, Paul Ryan Admits He Was a Fraud All Along
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/07/paul-ryan-admits-he-was-a-fraud-all-along-tim-alberta-book

Deutsche Bank is being slammed for paying $52 million 'golden parachutes' to fired execs — right after managers got lavish suits made while thousands got the axe | Markets Insider
https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/deutsche-bank-slammed-paying-52-million-golden-parachutes-fired-execs-2019-7-1028341305

Robot umpire calls first professional baseball game
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/07/11/robot-ump-calls-first-professional-game-with-one-hitch-no-controversy/?utm_term=.25594cd2c5e2

France approves digital tax on American tech giants, defying US trade threat
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/11/france-passes-digital-tax-on-us-tech-firms-despite-trade-threat.html

Kamala Harris proposes investing $1 billion to end rape kit backlog nationwide
https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/11/politics/kamala-harris-rape-kit-backlog-proposal/index.html
Former Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller, III testifies Wednesday, July 17, 2019
https://judiciary.house.gov/legislation/hearings/oversight-report-investigation-russian-interference-2016-presidential-election

10 Ways Andrew Wheeler Has Decimated EPA Protections in Just One Year. | 1. Sidelined Scientists | 2. Proposed to Restrict the Use of Scientific Data | 3. Gutted the Coal Ash Rule | 4. Recommended Unsafe Levels of Drinking Water Contaminants | 5. Rolled Back Clean Water Act Protections | 6. Suppressed an Inconvenient Formaldehyde Report | 7. Ignored EPA Scientists’ Advice to Ban Asbestos | 8. Weakened the Mercury Emissions Rule | 9. Slammed Vehicle Emission Rules Into Reverse | 10. Rescinded the Clean Power Plan
https://truthout.org/articles/10-ways-andrew-wheeler-has-decimated-epa-protections-in-just-one-year/

German electric utility E.ON, one of the UK’s largest renewable energy generators, announced Tuesday that it had transitioned all of its residential customers in Britain to 100% renewable electricity at no extra cost, a move which now provides more than 3.3 million British households with 100% renewable electricity. E.ON UK announced on Tuesday that the electricity supply to all its British customers would be matched by renewable sources including wind, biomass, and solar. According to the company, this is the largest such switch from traditional electricity generating sources to renewables in the UK to date, transitioning more than 3.3. million homes to 100% renewable electricity supply.
https://cleantechnica.com/2019/07/10/e-on-transitions-3-3-million-customers-to-100-renewable-electricity-at-no-extra-cost/

The House approved a measure Thursday that would force President Donald Trump to end U.S. military support of Saudi Arabia's military operations in Yemen. Next up is a proposal that would bar Trump from launching a military strike against Iran, which supporters predict will pass in a vote set for Friday. The twin legislative actions represent a new level of congressional push back against Trump's foreign policy, as Democrats use their House majority to rebuke the president over his aggressive stance toward Iran and his cozy ties with Saudi Arabia. Both amendments are being considered as part of a broader defense bill. The Senate approved its version of the defense bill last month without those contentious add-ons. The two chambers will have to reconcile the competing versions in the coming weeks.

Joe Manchin Keeps Realizing He Shouldn’t Have Voted For Trump’s Nominees. “Knowing what we know today, if it all proves to be accurate ... then I would not have supported him, and I’m not even sure Alex would have made it through the vetting process,” Manchin said. “That didn’t come out till after he had already been confirmed.” “If it proves accurate, I’d have made a mistake and I would not have voted for Alex,” Manchin added.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/joe-manchin-trump-nominees-alex-acosta_n_5d274323e4b0583e482d2e2c?14p

Falcon has landed: Japan's Hayabusa2 probe touches down on asteroid
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jul/11/falcon-has-landed-japans-hayabusa2-probe-touches-down-on-asteroid