Light News Dump

Critically endangered Sumatran orangutan found alive after being shot 24 times. Just a few thousand individuals remain in northern Sumatra, as palm oil plantations have decimated habitat.
https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/sumatran-orangutan-shot-indonesia-sustainable-palm-oil-nestle-cadburys-unilever-a9225761.html

Borneo is burning. How the world’s demand for palm oil is driving deforestation in Indonesia.
https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2019/11/asia/borneo-climate-bomb-intl-hnk/index.html

Engineered Bacteria Produces BeeFree Honey: A team of 12 students from the Department of Biotechnology and Food Engineering at Israel's the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology has developed a bee-free honey produced by the bacterium Bacillus subtilis
http://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/article/default.asp?ID=17855
https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-possible-climate-breakthrough-israel-scientists-engineer-bacteria-to-eat-co%e2%82%82/

NO, REALLY? : Black Friday sales contribute to waste and overconsumption, a group of French lawmakers have said, arguing that the annual retail extravaganza should be banned.
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/29/french-lawmakers-hope-to-ban-black-friday-due-to-environmental-impact.html

Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi says he will submit his resignation to Parliament in the wake of anti-democracy protests which have claimed hundreds of lives.
https://apnews.com/c1aaa0b3b0ff4f4c860b781bdb1da25c

Brazil’s president blames Leonardo DiCaprio amid Amazon fires
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/brazils-president-blames-leonardo-dicaprio-amid-amazon-fires

WikiScanner founder and Ethereum employee Virgil Griffith arrested in Los Angeles for allegedly helping North Korea evade sanctions with advice on cryptocurrency and blockchain technology - DOJ
https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/manhattan-us-attorney-announces-arrest-united-states-citizen-assisting-north-korea

‘Generation Greta’ - Angry youths put heat on climate talks: 'Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of mostly young people are expected to rally in cities around the world Friday to demand that governments step up their efforts to curb climate change'
https://apnews.com/0070e5b1f63742b7a68cd7038fbde4fc

$200,000 to buy a "New York Times Best Seller" sticker on all future copies despite the fact the New York Times is fake news to them
https://thehill.com/homenews/media/472411-a-warning-replaces-donald-trump-jrs-triggered-as-no1-book-on-nyt-bestseller

Devin Nunes must stop suing fake cows and explain $60,000 Europe trip
https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/article237841409.html

From Rule 25 of the Senate impeachment trial rules: Form of a subpena to be issued on the application of the managers of
        the impeachment, or of the party impeached, or of his counsel

To ------ ------, greeting:
    You and each of you are hereby commanded to appear before
the Senate of the United States, on the ------ day of ------,
at the Senate Chamber in the city of Washington, then and there
to testify your knowledge in the cause which is before the
Senate in which the House of Representatives have impeached --
---- ------.
    Fail not.
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CDOC-99sdoc33/html/CDOC-99sdoc33.htm

TikTok, Huawei helping China's campaign to repress Uighurs
https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/tiktok-huawei-helping-china-s-campaign-to-repress-uighurs-report-20191129-p53fcs.html

Two members of the public have died in a stabbing attack at London Bridge, in which police shot dead the suspect. A further three were injured in the attack - declared a terrorist incident - and are being treated in hospital. The suspect, who died at the scene, was wearing what is believed to have been a hoax explosive device, police said.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-50604781

The citizens jumping on top of him knowing he had (what they would've thought was real) bomb jacket were incredibly brave

Nadler sets Dec. 6 deadline for White House to say if it will take part in impeachment hearings
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/472441-nadler-sets-dec-6-deadline-for-trump-to-say-whether-counsel-will-take-part-in

It’s about time Starbucks stopped charging its vegan surcharge for plant-based milk. It's so annoying. It is behind the times. There is no reason why it should not roll its milk costs into one. PETA's campaign is well short of its 200,000 signature target. Starbucks should stop penalising vegans
https://www.vegansbethechange.com/what-is-vegan/ethics/starbucks-plant-milk-surcharge/

Ridicule and disbelief as Boris Johnson insists he's never told a single lie in his whole political career - 'He was sacked twice for lying. So when he says he has never lied, he’s literally lying,' says Liberal Democrat Jo Swinson
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-lie-career-general-election-brexit-itv-a9225601.html

Vancouver hikes empty homes tax by 25 per cent - Since the empty homes tax was launched in the 2016, city hall has collected nearly $40 million in tax revenue to fund several affordable housing initiatives.
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/vancouver-hikes-empty-homes-tax-by-25-per-cent

Sale and Trade of Shark Fin Now Banned in New Jersey
https://www.livekindly.co/new-jersey-banned-shark-fin-sales/

House Democrats have passed nearly 400 bills. Trump and Republicans are ignoring them. | Congress has passed just 70 bills into law this year. Granted, it still has one more year in its term, but the number pales in comparison to recent past sessions of Congress, which typically see anywhere from 300-500 bills passed in two years (and that is even a diminished number from the 700-800 bills passed in the 1970s and 1980s).
https://www.vox.com/2019/11/29/20977735/how-many-bills-passed-house-democrats-trump
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/statistics
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/statistics

At least nine Republican Party committees, candidates, or groups with ties to President Trump are selling or promoting a new book by his son, Donald Trump, Jr., records show. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/28/us/politics/donald-trump-jr-book.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

Happy Thanksgiving 🍁! This Thanksgiving, I am especially grateful for the doctors, nurses, public health staff & vaccine workers who are vaccinating children against deadly diseases, including measles, and fighting #antivax misinformation. They're heroes. #VaccinesWork
https://twitter.com/ChelseaClinton/status/1200129462773469185

Iraqi authorities imposed a curfew on Najaf and deployed additional security forces after protesters stormed and burned the Iranian consulate in the southern Iraqi city in a show of anger against Tehran's involvement in the country's affairs
https://www.wsj.com/articles/iraqi-protesters-torch-iranian-consulate-in-city-of-najaf-11574928419

By the end of this campaign that sentence will apply to a number of candidates......: "One adviser said the fixation that some younger staffers have with liberals on Twitter distorted their view of what issues and moments truly mattered" | How Kamala Harris's Campaign Unraveled
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/29/us/politics/kamala-harris-2020.html

All three of those stabbed in The Hague are minors, say the police. Perpetrator still at large: De slachtoffers van het steekincident aan de #Grotemarktstraat zijn alledrie minderjarig. Er is contact met hun familie @PolJanHen
https://twitter.com/POL_DenHaag/status/1200533021671219200

"The Ukrainian government could still announce new investigations which could be seen as politically beneficial to the US President. However, it is unclear what exactly those potential investigations would cover or when they would be announced."
https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/29/politics/ukrainian-efforts-trump-good-graces/index.html

The attacker is understood to have been wearing an electronic tag when he staged the attack after being released from prison a year ago for terrorism related offences. He was known to the authorities at MI5 and police because of his previous conviction, sources confirm. Times reporting the London Bridge attacker was a convicted terrorist released on licence who was attending a conference on prisoner rehabilitation and I'm not posting the link because their article includes crime scene photos.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/live/2019/nov/29/london-bridge-incident-police-city

A guy who was with us at Fishmongers Hall took a 5’ narwhale tusk from the wall and went out to confront the attacker. You can see him standing over the man (with what looks like a white pole) in the video. We were trying to help victims inside but that man’s a hero #LondonBridge
https://twitter.com/theamycoop/status/1200513388889223169

Stabbing attacks in The Hague & London. Bomb discovered in Gare Du Nord station in Paris. Our European friends facing significant threats. Remember: their overwhelmed CT folks are critical line of defense to prevent terrorists from boarding transatlantic flights to attack us.
https://twitter.com/mdubowitz/status/1200522559558733826

Cardinals’ CB Josh Shaw being suspended indefinitely by the NFL for betting on games on multiple occasions is the first time in more than 35 years that a player has been banned for gambling.
https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1200539333146660865

Imagine a player on IR that had no impact on the games making a bet getting a longer suspension than players who beat women. I mean he also beat up his girlfriend in college too but he made it to the NFL regardless instead of prison.

Travis Kelce (Kansas City Chiefs) needs just 167 yards to become the first TE in NFL history to have four consecutive seasons with 1,000 receiving yards.

Patriots list 17 players as questionable on Friday injury report.
https://www.patriots.com/news/week-13-patriots-texans-injury-report

Cowboys/Bills game draws 32.538 million viewers, making it CBS' most-watched Thanksgiving game in 27 years
https://www.cbspressexpress.com/cbs-sports/releases/view?id=54073

The Cowboys have scored more points than Seattle. The Cowboys have allowed fewer points than Seattle. The Cowboys have gained more yards than Seattle. The Cowboys have allowed fewer yards than Seattle. Seattle has a much better record than the Cowboys.
https://twitter.com/fbgchase/status/1200483643178803202

Sunday will now feature the #1 offense vs the #1 defense. Ravens vs 49ers.

The Saints feasted last night and tallied 41 (!!!) total QB pressures. The most of any team in a single game this year.
https://twitter.com/PFF_Saints/status/1200458069450403843?s=19

The Atlanta Falcons have been eliminated from playoff contention

 Trump administration plans to illegally open national forests in Texas to more oil and gas drilling
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/energy/article/Trump-administration-plans-to-open-national-14867890.php

HHS documents report thousands of migrant children were sexually abused in U.S. custody
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/thousands-of-migrant-children-were-sexually-abused-in-u-s-custody-hhs-docs-say/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab6a

EPA Weakens Safeguards for Weed Killer Atrazine, Linked to Birth Defects
https://civileats.com/2019/11/20/epa-weakens-safeguards-for-weed-killer-atrazine-linked-to-birth-defects/

Anti-vaxx epidemic: Samoa buries its children as measles outbreak worsens. Four years ago, roughly 85% of one-year-olds were vaccinated, by 2018 only 31% of children under five had been vaccinated.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/30/there-are-no-words-samoa-buries-its-children-as-measles-outbreak-worsens

The "Left": THE RICH MUST PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE!"

The "Left": EXTERMINATE BUTTIGIEG FOR PROPOSING THAT THE RICH MUST PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE!"

Bernie: The rich will have to start paying their fair share. Twitter: FUCK YEAH Buttigieg: The children of the rich will also have to pay their fair share. Twitter: Heeeyyyyy hey hey hey heeeyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy theeeereeeeeeeeeeee
https://twitter.com/agraybee/status/1200527860747898885?s=20

Bernie in 1994 - Against means testing. Bernie in 1995 - says programs without means testing are "Welfare for the wealthy". How many times has he flip-flopped on this issue?
https://imgur.com/a/ifhd2kW

I really wish candidate bashing would stop. George Takei said it best. We have to stop piling on out Dem candidates. We have a looming evil we have to defeat.  For normal people, not to pay for people who don't need the help sounds fair. And it's a sign of entitlement. Tax payers' money should be used to support those who need it, not by those who are entitled.  We can’t even get public schooling right, and we want to offer free public college? Being a moderate is a legit prerogative & pointing out flaws in your opponents’ strategies is okay. BERNIE and Hillary ran on the SAME COLLEGE TUITION proposal in 20015-2016. The proposal was a state-level proposal adopted by the Obama Administration. CANCEL THE RACIST ANTISEMITIC MYGONIST PRO-PEDOPHILIA PRO-TERRORISM PRO-CRIMINAL MENTALLY ILL LEFT. GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY AND GO BACK THE GREEN PARTY.

Back in 2017, Bernard Enthusiastically Endorsed NY's Excelsior Scholarship, Which Gives Free Tuition to Families Earning up to $125,000
https://twitter.com/Sebasti42819755/status/1200537533756661765

I'm trying to wrap my mind around the fact that certain segments of the online left base their entire identities around railing against millionaires and billionaires, but then take issue when a candidate says he doesn't want the middle class to fund the upper class's education.
https://twitter.com/magi_jay/status/1200515647001780224?s=21

Palm oil is used in half of all supermarket products, from chocolate to shampoo. And the demand for it is driving deforestation in Indonesia. Experts say it's a climate bomb with disastrous consequences for the world in years to come.
https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2019/11/asia/borneo-climate-bomb-intl-hnk/index.html

Worker who survived New Orleans hotel collapse deported
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/hard-rock-hotel-collapse-worker-who-survived-new-orleans-hotel-collapse-deported-2019-11-29/

“Usman Khan was attending a program that works to educate prisoners when he launched Friday’s attack just yards from the site of a deadly 2017 van and knife rampage”
https://apnews.com/edbd48353f9b4766abc7ddb34c0300cb

These fellas are amazing. The terrorist has already killed 2 people, injured others and they chase him down with a whale tusk and a fire extinguisher. He’s wearing a suicide vest which they don’t know is fake. Incredible. True heroes. #LondonBridge
https://twitter.com/mrdanwalker/status/1200690348625944577

Soon after Jeffrey Epstein died, a mysterious man came forward. He said he had CCTV footage from Epstein's homes. He said it showed powerful men having sex and that Epstein used it for blackmail.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/30/business/david-boies-pottinger-jeffrey-epstein-videos.html

One way statistics has dumbed down our political discourse is that now you can take literally any correlate of mortality, and say that policymakers are "literally killing people" if they refuse to reduce that correlate to 0.
https://twitter.com/Noahpinion/status/1200462056199094272?s=20

London Bridge hero is actually a murderer on day release who slit a woman’s throat in 2003 | London Bridge attacker Usman Khan were former prisoners attending a rehabilitation event at Fishmongers’ Hall, including a man convicted of killing a young woman. James Ford, 42, was out on day release when he joined those who chased Khan out on to the street before he was pinned to the ground on Friday afternoon. Ford was jailed for life with a minimum of 15 years in 2004 for the murder of Amanda Champion, who had a mental age of 15.
It is thought Ford rushed to the scene and tried to save the life of a female victim of Khan. Sources said his actions during the attack had probably saved lives. But Ms Champion’s family expressed concern that Hall had been allowed on day release from prison without his victims’ relatives being informed in advance.
Ms Champion was found strangled and with her throat cut on waste ground near her home in Ashford, Kent, in July 2003.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/london-bridge-hero-murderer-day-20994055