News Dump

Trump is back at Trump Tower for "executive time".

Pelosi did not and has not promised a floor vote on impeachment. This is just the launch of an "inquiry." I'm told she deflected on the question of a floor vote in caucus today.
https://twitter.com/rickklein/status/1176605022735556609

Ahead of Pelosi impeachment rollout, all 13 Texas Dems now in line on Trump's possible removal
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2019/09/24/ahead-of-pelosi-impeachment-rollout-all-13-texas-dems-now-in-line-on-trump-s-possible-removal/

John Bolton and several other Trump administration officials urged Trump to send Ukraine the withheld $400 million
https://www.newsweek.com/john-bolton-ukraine-donald-trump-pay-money-foreign-policy-aid-withheld-bidens-1461037

Judge rejects Roger Stone request to suppress search warrant evidence ahead of November trial
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/judge-rejects-roger-stone-request-to-suppress-search-warrant-evidence-ahead-of-november-trial/2019/09/24/cc0eb3dc-ded9-11e9-b199-f638bf2c340f_story.html

Group Launches Fund To Protect Democrats In Swing States Who Support Impeaching Trump | Data for Progress, a left-learning think tank, is launching a project to raise money for Democrats from swing states who support impeaching President Donald Trump in an effort to protect their congressional seats in 2020.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/data-for-progress-democrats-impeachment_n_5d8a40bce4b0c2a85cb1f634
https://twitter.com/DataProgress/status/1176523972227284994

Releasing the transcript but blocking the full whistleblower complaint has echoes of Barr’s summary of the Mueller report: shape the narrative with incomplete information and hope it sticks with some members of the public even as further damaging info comes to light.
https://twitter.com/jimsciutto/status/1176599809442144258

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), chair of the House Intelligence Committee, announced on Tuesday that an intelligence community whistleblower who allegedly has information about President Donald Trump’s misconduct in office would like to speak to the committee and has asked the acting director of national intelligence how to do so. In a tweet posted Tuesday, Schiff said the Intelligence Committee is in contact with the whistleblower’s counsel and looks forward to the individual’s testimony.
https://twitter.com/RepAdamSchiff/status/1176564220407767042

The Senate unanimously agreed to Schumer's resolution calling for the whistleblower complaint to be turned over the intelligence committees immediately.
https://www.axios.com/senate-whistleblower-complaint-ukraine-38249a7e-83e9-4467-944b-8496df3157de.html

At least 13 Dems who hold seats won by Trump in 2016 have expressed support for some action on impeachment
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/meet-the-press/live-blog/meet-press-blog-latest-news-analysis-data-driving-political-discussion-n988541/ncrd1058361
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EFQfNYfWwAEolmj.jpg

China killing religious and ethnic minorities and harvesting their organs, UN Human Rights Council told. Lawyers for independent China Tribunal say UN member states have ‘legal obligation’ to act
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/china-religious-ethnic-minorities-uighur-muslim-harvest-organs-un-human-rights-a9117911.html

Trump says he authorized the release of 'complete, fully declassified and unredacted transcript' of Ukraine call
https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2019/09/24/trump-says-he-authorized-the-release-of-complete-fully-declassified-and-unredacted-transcript-of-ukraine-call.html

We have been informed by the whistleblower’s counsel that their client would like to speak to our committee and has requested guidance from the Acting DNI as to how to do so. We‘re in touch with counsel and look forward to the whistleblower’s testimony as soon as this week.
https://twitter.com/RepAdamSchiff/status/1176564220407767042

Beto is literally out there risking his life, fighting for gun reform and the banning and mandatory buybacks or weapons of war. He has crazy people showing up to his rallies, while brandishing AR-15s and with Glocks on their hips. And he still keeps fighting. THAT. IS. BOLD.
https://twitter.com/_JackMoreno/status/1176293209011576834

Beto O'Rourke on impeachment: “It’s really time for Speaker Pelosi & the House to do their job. If we allow the president to get away with the crimes that he has committed, we will have set the precedent that some people...are really above the law.”
https://twitter.com/JulesJester/status/1176513767108227074

Disney's US theme parks are going vegan. Plant-based food options will be added to every dining location in their US theme parks, more than 400 vegan dishes.
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/disney-theme-parks-vegan/index.html

Biden to Back Impeachment If Trump Ignores Document Requests
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-24/biden-to-back-impeachment-if-trump-ignores-document-requests

"Washington Post ed board on Beto's mandatory buyback push: "If you believe that weapons designed for war should be banned because of the clear & present danger they pose, it makes little sense to ignore the estimated 16M assault rifles in circulation."
https://twitter.com/robsfriedlander/status/1176288137364082688

Melania Trump's anti-bullying slogan #BeBest trends after Donald Trump mocks 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg
https://www.newsweek.com/melania-trump-best-greta-thunberg-1461040

Andrew Yang
Congrats @TulsiGabbard on making the October debate!  You earned it.  See you in Ohio.  👍😀
https://twitter.com/AndrewYang/status/1176535521515978752

"Instead of snuffing out false and misleading claims, news stories give them oxygen. Then pundits come along to fan the flames — while simultaneously bemoaning what’s happened to our democratic norms."
https://twitter.com/nmclaughlin04/status/1176540795178012672

Boris Johnson told to resign following Supreme Court defeat and become the 'shortest-serving Prime Minister ever'
https://www.businessinsider.com/boris-johnson-told-resign-as-prime-minister-supreme-court-verdict-2019-9

Suspending Parliament was unlawful, court rules | Boris Johnson's decision to suspend Parliament was unlawful, the Supreme Court has ruled. Mr Johnson suspended - or prorogued - Parliament for five weeks earlier this month, but the court said it was wrong to stop MPs carrying out duties in the run-up to Brexit on 31 October. Supreme Court president Lady Hale said "the effect on the fundamentals of democracy was extreme." Downing Street said it was "currently processing the verdict".
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-49810261

DOJ & FEC Complaints Filed Against President Trump, Rudy Giuliani and Others for Illegal Solicitation of Contribution from Ukrainian President
https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2019/09/23/doj-fec-complaints-filed-against-president-trump-rudy-giuliani-and-others

A Republican-controlled Senate Appropriations subcommittee advanced a funding bill today that would devote $5 billion to a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border in fiscal year 2020.
https://twitter.com/tedhesson/status/1176542029897183232

The U.S. should be supporting an ally in a critical region, not behaving in a way that serves Russian interests.
https://thebulwark.com/rudy-giulianis-ukraine-meddling-isnt-just-foolish-its-dangerous/

Court Says FCC Ignored Hard Data In Rush to Help Media Monopolies
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/vb5zg4/court-says-fcc-ignored-hard-data-in-rush-to-help-media-monopolies

Trump And Republicans Threaten to Cut U.S. Highway Funds From California
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/24/climate/trump-california-climate-change.html

The world's most widely used insecticide has been linked to the dramatic decline in songbirds in North America. Neonics—pesticides introduced to plants at the seed stage—act like an appetite suppressant for birds, making them lose weight within hours.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/09/widely-used-pesticide-makes-birds-lose-weight/

Rays fans, what a shame that you aren’t supporting this teamOpinion (tampabay.com)
https://www.tampabay.com/sports/rays/2019/09/24/rays-fans-what-a-shame-that-you-arent-supporting-this-team/

WOW: Boy in the Box: Memphis clue could solve 62-year-old murder mystery across the country | Romano wrote the novel "You Think I am Dead" about the unsolved case. He believes he tracked down a possible relative of the victim living in Memphis.   Romano visited him and took a DNA sample. "He was nice enough to let me swab his mouth.  I did it with the gloves and the whole thing.  Then I sent it to the laboratory, " Romano said. How did he find this possible connection to a boy whose headstone reads America's Unknown Child? Romano said he tracked down parents of children born in Philadelphia about the same time as the victim. Contacted friends and relatives. A former landlord told him about one family that left suddenly when news of the murder broke. "They left the apartment completely with furniture leftover with food, diapers and other things that were necessary for everyday life.  They just left in the middle of the night," Romano said. The family settled in Memphis. Romano noticed one similar genetic trait the victim had and so does the man in Memphis. "He has what they call a tick.  An ear that protrudes this way." We specifically asked Romano if there is a connection to this family in Memphis, he responded, "I absolutely do, but I am not going to tell you it is a 100%.  What is 100%is the DNA."
Updated: Sep 23, 2019 - 9:15 PM

A federal judge has tossed out the convictions of a one-time business partner of former national security adviser Michael Flynn who was accused of acting as a Turkish foreign agent. U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga ruled Tuesday that the evidence against Bijan Kian was insufficient to sustain a conviction even though a jury convicted him at a trial earlier this year.
https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2019/09/24/us/ap-us-trump-russia-probe-flynn.html?partner=IFTTT

ON THIS DAY in 1780 – American Revolutionary War: British officer John André was captured by Patriot) forces, thereby revealing a plot by Continental Army General Benedict Arnold to hand over West Point, New York.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolutionary_War
​
Edit: Andre was actually captured on September 23. On the 24th, he sent Washington a letter begging for his life. (http://www.taraross.com/2018/09/tdih-benedict-arnold-treachery/) He was ultimately hanged on September 29th.

Are you allowed to impeach a president for gross incompetence?
3:23 AM - 4 Jun 2014
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/474134260149157888

Massachusetts Governor declares public health emergency, orders 4-month ban on all vaping products
https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/marijuana/2019/09/24/governor-baker-make-vaping-announcement-amid-spate-lung-illnesses/o8sO6mf3GOmX4mOpLLtcEL/story.html

Governors, mayors, attorneys general, state delegations, teachers and pediatricians have flooded the Agriculture Department with comments that overwhelmingly oppose the Trump administration’s proposed rule to limit eligibility for food stamps — and cut millions from the nation’s pre-eminent food assistance program. The rule change’s public comment period ended on Monday, with more than 75,000 comments logged, 70 from mayors and 17 from governors. Congressional delegations from Vermont, Maryland and Maine also voiced opposition to changing eligibility rules for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps. The department will next have to sift through the public comments and “consider potential changes from the proposal in crafting the final rule,” the U.S.D.A. said in a statement, adding, “We do not currently have a projected completion date.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/23/us/politics/agriculture-department-food-stamp-purge.html
https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=FNS-2018-0037
https://www.usmayors.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Mayors-SNAP-Letter-Final.pdf
https://www.governor.wa.gov/sites/default/files/Govs%20SNAP%20Letter.Final%20%28003%29.pdf
https://vtdigger.org/2019/09/13/leahy-sanders-welch-we-must-protect-nutrition-assistance/
https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/americans-in-limbo-with-food-stamps/65-4f1d7b5e-086f-4d80-8f63-87d033010c3c
https://www.wabi.tv/content/news/44000-Mainers-could-lose-food-assistance-under-a-new-proposal-559498981.html

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins joined fellow Republicans on a Senate committee Tuesday to advance the nomination of Trump’s pick to lead the Labor Department and later said she will vote to confirm attorney Eugene Scalia to the post. A Senate panel approved attorney the Republican president’s nomination of Scalia, the son of the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, along party lines on Tuesday. The Republican-led Senate is expected to confirm Scalia to the post as soon as this week. Business groups viewed Scalia as a reliable opponent of regulatory overreach and urged the committee to advance him. The AFL-CIO, a coalition of labor unions, opposed Scalia, with its Maine affiliate saying he has “a long, shameful record of siding with corporations over workers.”
https://bangordailynews.com/2019/09/24/politics/susan-collins-will-vote-to-confirm-trumps-labor-secretary-nominee/

Trump has de-regulated pig slaughterhouses. Expect increased injuries to slaughterhouse workers, increase in food borne illnesses, and increase suffering from butchering mistakes.
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-administrations-new-hog-slaughterhouse-rules-may-risk-more-contamination-food-safety-1459922

We need a theory name for the ”Whatever Dems do leftists will take the opposite position and claim Dems are not only wrong but feckless” to complement the electoral Cuomo’s Law
https://twitter.com/marcushjohnson/status/1176594331643326464?s=21

We have a lawless president, who has undermined our democracy; a racist president, who has incited violence; a reckless president, who has let our planet burn and fleeced taxpayers for his own benefit. To my former colleagues in Congress: Finish the job and impeach him.
https://twitter.com/BetoORourke/status/1176604009911787520?s=20

Senate votes 100-0 to release Trump whistleblower complaint
https://theweek.com/speedreads/867423/senate-votes-1000-release-trump-whistleblower-complaint

Fox News issues apology to 16-year-old Greta Thunberg after 'disgraceful' comments
https://sports.yahoo.com/laura-ingraham-mocks-greta-thunberg-after-fox-news-issues-apology-for-guests-disgraceful-comment-085407797.html

Nate Silver: Primary is a long way from over. But Warren rising while trying to unite the various factions of the Democratic Party, and Sanders flat/falling while not playing nice with others, is a datapoint that really supports the political science view on how nominations are won.
https://twitter.com/NateSilver538/status/1176533231186980864?s=09