Light News Dump

'Starving’ dogs and puppies found in cages at Polish fur farm
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/puppy-farm-dog-fur-poland-pets-foxes-cage-a9104956.html

Trump admits to discussing Biden in scrutinized call with Ukrainian president
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-claims-no-quid-pro-quo-when-he-discussed-biden-n1057376

Trump Acknowledges Discussing Biden in Call With Ukrainian Leader
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/22/us/politics/trump-ukraine-biden.html

LOL^INFINITY: Pompeo: 'It wouldn't be appropriate' to release transcript of Trump conversation with Ukrainian president
https://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/462498-pompeo-it-wouldnt-be-appropriate-to-release-transcript-of-trump

Schiff: Impeachment may be the only remedy if Trump pressured Ukraine on Biden
https://www.axios.com/adam-schiff-impeachment-ukraine-biden-5ccffeff-08a9-4ef2-98ad-8713efa5191a.html

Unvaccinated Children Are Now Barred From Going To School In New York — And Their Anti-Vax "Parents" Are Really Mad
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ellievhall/vaccination-school-law-new-york-anti-vaxx-parents

Health care benefits are really important to many union workers -- important enough to give up pay raises or even to walk off the job to keep the coverage they've negotiated. Now the future of those benefits is at the heart of an emerging split among 2020 Democratic candidates over how to remake American health care. Former Vice President Joe Biden says union members shouldn't have to give up their employer plans if they like them, while Sen. Bernie Sanders is arguing that union workers would still come out ahead under "Medicare for All," which would shift all Americans into a government-run plan. The fight puts Sanders, a declared democratic socialist, at odds with some in the labor movement, where many union workers already have insurance with pretty good benefits. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who is also seeking the nomination, is in a similar situation because of her support for both Medicare for All and organized labor. | Roughly 10.5% of workers -- or 14.7 million people -- were union members in 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's about half the share that were unionized 35 years earlier. Some 95% of union workers had access to employer medical benefits in 2019, compared to 68% of non-union workers, according to the bureau's data. And they were more likely to participate in the plans, with 84% of union staffers signing up, compared to 54% of their non-union counterparts.
"Bargaining for health benefits is a distinguishing characteristic that labor unions hold out as an important variable as to why you would want to be a union member," said David Brenner, national director of multi-employer consulting at Segal Consulting, a leader in the field.  | A Warren aide told CNN recently that the campaign is talking with labor leaders about how unions with negotiated health care plans will be guaranteed a chance to rework their agreements during a Medicare for All transition. That may not be enough for some unions, though. "There has to be a role for the hard-fought, high-quality plans that we've negotiated," AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka told Fox News earlier this month. "If there isn't some way for us to have our plans integrated into the system, then we would have a hard time supporting it."
https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/22/politics/union-health-care-medicare-for-all/index.html

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Says Democrats’ Failure to Impeach Trump Is Its Own Scandal
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-22/aoc-says-democrats-failure-to-impeach-trump-is-its-own-scandal

Senator Hirono calls for impeachment into Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh
https://www.kitv.com/story/41055571/senator-hirono-calls-for-impeachment-into-supreme-court-justice-kavanaugh

Alaska Republican Party cancels 2020 primary
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/462482-alaska-republican-party-cancels-2020-primary

Mike Pence takes eight-vehicle motorcade across island where cars have been banned for a century
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/mike-pence-mackinac-island-cars-banned-motorcade-fournier-michigan-a9115631.html

Secretary of State Pompeo said he approves of Giuliani's push for Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden
https://www.businessinsider.com/pompeo-rudy-giuliani-calling-ukraine-investigate-biden-2019-9

The federal Bureau of Land Management has signed a lease for a new headquarters building near the Grand Junction Airport with fellow tenants including oil and gas interests regulated by the agency.
https://www.cpr.org/2019/09/20/the-blm-just-announced-its-grand-junction-address-it-shares-the-building-with-several-oil-and-gas-companies/

U.S. Military Apologizes for Tweet Threatening to Use Stealth Bomb on Area 51 Protesters
https://www.thedailybeast.com/us-military-apologizes-for-tweet-threatening-to-use-stealth-bomb-on-area-51-protesters

ICE to resume family detentions at Texas facility
https://thehill.com/latino/462472-ice-to-resume-family-detentions-at-texas-facility

Germany to join alliance to phase out coal
https://www.dw.com/en/germany-to-join-alliance-to-phase-out-coal/a-50532921

Here’s a lesson for Democrats on how to have courage—and what happens when you quit cowering and take a stand. A week ago Thurs at the ABC News Democratic presidential debate, candidate Beto O’Rourke made this proclamation, one that no Democratic prez candidate had EVER made:
https://twitter.com/MMFlint/status/1175516735660875776

“Hell yes we are going to take away your AR-15, your AK-47s!” The audience in Houston went crazy w/ wild applause, many leaping to their feet to show their approval of what he just said. But the Democratic Party establishment was aghast. They went into immediate damage control...
https://twitter.com/MMFlint/status/1175516739238531075

...dispatching their pundits to the talk shows to try to distance the Party from O’Rourke’s comments. They were convinced that his bold warning to gun nuts would hurt the Democrats in November2020. For years the Dems have been afraid 2 b seen as anti-gun. Dem candidates always...
https://twitter.com/MMFlint/status/1175516740647890949

...make sure they do photo ops firing guns to show their support for the 2nd Amendment. O’Rourke just came out & said it: I’m going to do everything I can to stop the sales of military weapons to civilians. If you have one of these mass-killing guns we will buy it back from u...
https://twitter.com/MMFlint/status/1175516741788688384

...But make no mistake: AR-15s, just like tanks, rocket launchers & weapons-grade plutonium are not “arms” protected by the constitution and u will have to turn them over if you possess them. Fellow Dems immediately attacked him—EVEN THOUGH 78% OF AMERICANS DO NOT OWN A GUN...
https://twitter.com/MMFlint/status/1175516743097311234

...Dem Party leaders are afraid to do anything more than background checks (which nearly all mass shooters would’ve passed).
Yet, just 1 week after Beto said what the majority of Americans want, this announcement came from the headquarters of Colt Guns, the maker of the AR-15:
https://twitter.com/MMFlint/status/1175516744439521280

“We will no longer sell the AR-15 to the public.” -Colt. BOOM! Barely a week after Beto said it, the AR-15 was taken off the market. The connection was crystal clear: Once it got said out loud, and the threat made by Beto to Colt to end the AR-15 was cheered on by the public...
https://twitter.com/MMFlint/status/1175516745945272320

...Colt read the writing on the wall — get in front of this now or the American people will be coming to ban more than just the AR-15. And thus the lesson for the Democrats & everyone else was so obvious: Sometimes change can occur when just ONE person has the guts to say it.
https://twitter.com/MMFlint/status/1175516747279097856

(Duly note Colt never said they are never manufacturing or selling the AR-15 again, they said since they have a surplus amount of them in the market (and in warehouses) and a down-turn in sales they are suspending production of them for now.)

Since my time on the El Paso City Council, I've been advocating for legalizing marijuana. We will never erase the damage done by the War on Drugs—the lives lost, the years spent behind bars—but we can end the cruelty today and begin to right the wrongs of our past.
https://twitter.com/BetoORourke/status/1175548310788235265?s=09

You mean calling our votes "rigged", bashing the Party we built, erasing our hard work to win back the House, and watching gleefully while his staff and supporters harass us, belittle us, discriminate against us, stalk & doxx us, didn't make us like Bernie more? SO. SHOCKED!
https://twitter.com/selena_adera/status/1175617266005815296?s=21

Questions over Boris Johnson’s relationship with ex-model ‘awarded £126,000 of public funds’ - Prime minister urged to respond to ‘grave and serious’ allegations that he failed to declare potential conflicts of interest over close friendship with American model turned entrepreneur Jennifer Arcuri​
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/boris-johnson-jennifer-arcuri-model-london-mayor-friendship-conflict-interest-a9115211.html

But on Thursday, a pollster best known for his many Fox News appearances released a poll showing that the majority of Americans actually do support his proposal for a mandatory buyback of semi-automatic assault-style rifles. Scott Rasmussen wrote: "Fifty-one percent (51%) of voters at least somewhat favor a mandatory buyback of all semi-automatic weapons. A ScottRasmussen.com nation survey found that 36% are opposed and 13% not sure."
https://shareblue.com/beto-o-rourke-buy-back-assault-weapons-poll-donald-trump/

London Student jailed after making guns with 3D printer
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/legal-first-as-man-jailed-after-making-guns-with-3d-printer-a4241786.html

In an exclusive interview with @abbydphillip, @KamalaHarris said President Trump is not a "patriot" and should be impeached for his conduct in office, including his call with the President of Ukraine where he reportedly pressed the him to investigate former VP Joe Biden.
https://twitter.com/JasJWright/status/1175849215873826816

Imagine for a moment: You've lost your job and decide to apply for SNAP (food stamps) to feed your family. You go to the county human services agency for your qualification interview. The waiting room is filled with homeless people and you worry about your life trajectory. 1/
https://twitter.com/MaxGhenis/status/1175799158101295106

You answer questions about your finances, employment, expenses, assets, and family structure. You see signage warning about jail time for exchanging SNAP for cash. You sign up for workfare so you don't lose benefits after 3 months. You're approved! 2/
https://twitter.com/MaxGhenis/status/1175799159011434496

New EBT card in hand, you go to your neighborhood grocer. You get to the front of the line with some food, and discreetly show the cashier your card. They say "We don't take EBT." You look around, embarrassed and hoping none of your neighbors behind you heard, as you get cash. 3/
1 reply 1 retweet 19 likes
https://twitter.com/MaxGhenis/status/1175799160278118400

You go home and call other nearby grocers to ask if they take EBT. There's a corner store in a run-down neighborhood a few blocks away, and a big chain about a mile away. You want to avoid the bad area but don't have a car, so you take a bus to the chain. 4/
https://twitter.com/MaxGhenis/status/1175799161947508736

You pick up some veggies, meat, and grains, but you'll cook those tomorrow--it's been a long day. For tonight, you order sandwiches from the grocery deli. When you go to pay, the cashier says "You can't buy sandwiches with EBT." Hiding your emotion, you buy them with cash. 5/
https://twitter.com/MaxGhenis/status/1175799163054739457

Discouraged and worried about your bank account, you go home and review all the minutiae of SNAP's rules. No hot foods. No medicines. No pet food. No hygiene items. And no "prepared foods fit for immediate consumption." That must have been the sandwiches. 6/
https://twitter.com/MaxGhenis/status/1175799163998466048

So again you take the bus to the chain grocer. It's been another long day (you did workfare), so you want something quick. Without the option of fresh sandwiches, you get a frozen pizza. You want your family to be healthy, but there are only so many hours and dollars. 7/
https://twitter.com/MaxGhenis/status/1175799164812218374

The next time you go, the lines are long, but self-checkout is empty. You're not sure if it takes EBT, so you just buy one item from your cart. It works! But the helper comes over to tell you to buy the rest of your items. You explain and start scanning your other food. 8/
https://twitter.com/MaxGhenis/status/1175799165659406336

You finish buying your food with EBT at the self checkout, but you still have some toilet paper. The attendant comes over again to say you need to buy that. The line is growing behind you as you explain again. Finally you buy the toilet paper with cash and leave the store. 9/
https://twitter.com/MaxGhenis/status/1175799167425269760

These are the experiences our safety net puts people through. 40 million people are on SNAP, and other programs can be even more burdensome. We gate access, we surveil, we restrict choices. We humiliate. We spend billions in administration to do this.
https://twitter.com/MaxGhenis/status/1175799168843034625

Like clockwork:
Denial - check
It happened but he didn't know - check
He knew but, it's not a big deal - check

That didn't happen     Another Fake News story out there
https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/1174696521310363649

And if it did, it wasn't that bad.     the perfectly fine and respectful conversation
https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/1175023773180932097

And if it was, that's not a big deal.     No problem! and there was nothing said wrong, it was pitch perfect!
https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/1174696521310363649
https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/1175023773180932097

And if it is, that's not my fault.     "Someone ought to look into Joe Biden," Trump told reporters
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/09/20/trump-said-doesnt-matter-if-he-asked-ukraine-investigate-biden/2383506001/

And if it was, I didn't mean it.     I would only do what is right anyway
https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/1174696521914339328

And if I did...     The president also said his conversations with world leaders are “always appropriate, at the highest level always appropriate.”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/09/20/trump-said-doesnt-matter-if-he-asked-ukraine-investigate-biden/2383506001/

You deserved it.     "... we don't want our people like Vice President Biden and his son creating to the corruption already in the Ukraine..."
https://www.axios.com/trump-biden-ukraine-phone-call-zelensky-b6aed4ba-c45d-43d6-ae2b-110fc3ed0e48.html

He is a liar. A sexual predator. A racist. Chaotic. Dangerous. Threatens our national security. Enables our enemies & alienates our allies. Ballooned deficit/debt. Starts trade wars. Eventually turns on everyone loyal to him. IMPEACH IN THE HOUSE.