Light News

Rand Paul blocks Senate resolution backing protection for whistleblowers
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/469303-rand-paul-blocks-resolution-backing-protection-for-whistleblowers

2014 Rand Paul: thinking about ways to "expand the whistleblower statute to government contractors.": "We’ve got so many millions of government contractors that when they see something wrong, they should be able to report it without repercussions"
https://twitter.com/jaketapper/status/1191755779675738112

Short memories on twitter. Kentucky had a Democratic Governor just 4 years ago. In fact, KY has elected only TWO Republican governors in the last 50 years - each served only a single term. McConnell is not losing sleep over Bevin's loss. State-specific dynamics still matter.
https://twitter.com/ToddEberly/status/1192198382212845571

Stone Trial Opens With Information Indicating Donald Trump May Have Lied to Robert Mueller
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/11/stone-trial-opens-with-information-indicating-donald-trump-may-have-lied-to-robert-mueller/

Socialism got rejected in Seattle, Kshama Sawant, a socialist city council member is losing to her challenger Egan Orion
https://q13fox.com/2019/11/05/egan-orion-leads-kshama-sawant-in-contentious-seattle-city-council-district-3-race/

The Student Government Association at the University of Alabama is warning groups that protesting Trump during the Tide’s Saturday game vs. LSU could result in loss of reserved seating for the remainder of the season.
https://www.al.com/news/2019/11/alabama-sga-warns-groups-protest-trump-during-lsu-game-risk-losing-reserved-seating.html

Student Government Association at the University of Alabama Backtracks, Dropping Threat: Today’s report erroneously assigned a political context to a message meant only to remind students about heightened security and the consequences of altercations or other behaviors unbecoming of a University of Alabama student

Alabama says it won't punish students who boo Trump at LSU game
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2019/11/06/trump-alabama-says-wont-punish-students-who-boo-president/2511147001/

Forget Kentucky and Virginia, the worst election news for Republicans came out of suburban Pennsylvania
https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-should-worry-about-swing-state-suburbs-in-2020-2019-11

There Were Twice as Many Republican Governors as Democrats When Trump Took Office—Now They're Almost Even | Tuesday's election built on the momentum gained during the 2018 midterm election cycle, when Democrats flipped seven governorships. The governor's mansions in Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, New Mexico, Nevada and Wisconsin all turned from red to blue that year.
https://www.newsweek.com/democrats-nearly-pull-even-republicans-governorships-2019-elections-1470158

Kentucky Governor-elect Andy Beshear plans to immediately rescind Trump Medicaid work requirements, ‘saving health care for 95,000’
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/06/kentucky-governor-elect-beshear-plans-to-rescind-trump-medicaid-work-requirements.html

Thanks to Rand Paul, Russian Media Are Naming the Alleged Whistleblower. Don Jr is has also been tweeting his name.
https://news.yahoo.com/thanks-rand-paul-russian-media-095926727.html

YEP: It's mind boggling to me that Kawhi doesn't want to play against the reigning MVP and he'd rather play against Portland the next day. Kawhi not playing is ridiculous at this point. The league should be concerned that their best players are not playing on national television."
https://streamable.com/f3dtj

The Lakers LeBron James is the oldest player in NBA history to record three consecutive triple-doubles. James is 34 years and 310 days old today, slightly older than Jason Kidd was when he recorded his third straight triple-double on Jan. 8, 2008 (34 years, 291 days).

The German Branch of a U.S. Neo-Nazi Group Has a 'Kill List' of Left-Wing Politicians - VICE
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/d3a93q/the-german-branch-of-a-us-neo-nazi-group-has-a-kill-list-of-left-wing-politicians

Boris Johnson's Conservative party have received a surge in cash from Russian donorsRussia
https://www.businessinsider.com/boris-johnsons-conservatives-receive-surge-in-cash-from-russians-2019-11

Boris Johnson 'too busy with Brexit' to read secret report on Russian interference in UK politics, Tory minister claims
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-russia-report-kremlin-mi5-general-election-brexit-a9185876.html

Senate unanimously passes bill making animal cruelty a felony
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/senate-unanimously-passes-bill-making-animal-cruelty-federal/story?id=66788673

Judge voids Trump administration’s ‘conscience rule’ letting health-care providers refuse to give care for religious, moral reasons
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/national/wp/2019/11/06/judge-voids-trump-administrations-conscience-rule-letting-health-care-providers-refuse-to-give-care-for-religious-moral-reasons/

Mike Bloomberg’s gun-control group just vastly outspent the NRA to help Democrats win in Virginia
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/06/mike-bloombergs-gun-control-outspends-nra-helps-democrats-win-virginia.html

The blue wave crashes down on Pennsylvania again, as voters from Philly to Delaware County turn back to Democrats | The political forces that shaped last year’s midterm elections showed no signs of abating Tuesday, as voters turned on Republicans from Philadelphia and Scranton to the suburbs of Delaware and Chester Counties.
https://www.inquirer.com/news/pennsylvania-2019-election-results-20191106.html

Kansas City votes overwhelming to remove Martin Luther King Jr.'s name from historic street
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kansas-city-election-voters-overwhelming-choose-to-remove-martin-luther-king-jr-from-historic-street-today-2019-11-06/

Transcripts Of Depositions Reveals Most Republicans On Impeachment Committees Aren’t Showing Up
https://www.rollcall.com/news/congress/gop-questions-private-depositions-foreshadow-public-hearings

Remember The Cyclist Who Flipped Off Trump's Motorcade? She Just Won A Virginia Election. Juli Briskman will now be on the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/juli-briskman-flipped-off-trump-motorcade-loudoun-county-supervisor-board-virginia_n_5dc1e085e4b08b735d616c7e

A Woman Who Was Fired For Flipping Off Trump's Motorcade Won An Election In Virginia
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/claudiakoerner/juli-briskman-democrat-virginia-election-flip-off-trump

Democrats just pulled off a huge win, EASILY winning control of Virginia’s state legislature. Thank Yoi Beto O'Rourke for campaigning there for candidates.
https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/policy-and-politics/2019/11/5/20944109/virginia-elections-legislature-results-democrats

Machines reportedly switching votes plagues Indiana county for second straight election
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/469137-machines-reportedly-switching-votes-plagues-indiana-county-for-second

Democrats Take Control Of Mike Pence's Hometown For First Time In Nearly Four Decades
https://www.newsweek.com/mike-pence-columbus-indiana-democrats-gain-control-city-council-1470028

Under shroud of secrecy US weapons arrive in Yemen despite Congressional outrage
https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/05/middleeast/yemen-saudi-us-arms-footage-intl/index.html

Jeff Sessions escorted from Northwestern University amid protests
https://www.axios.com/jeff-sessions-northwestern-university-protests-78b547f7-0a52-4bd5-81b3-b2ea6f54f826.html

Reading, Pennsylvania elected first Latino mayor
https://www.wfmz.com/news/area/berks/moran-declares-victory-in-race-for-reading-mayor/article_9c524c20-0018-11ea-968f-87a6c14ba8d6.html

Tucson, Arizona elected first female Latina mayor
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/469168-regina-romero-elected-first-female-latina-mayor-of-tucson

We won our case to BLOCK the Trump Admin's "health care refusal" rule. Health care is a right, not a privilege, and we will continue to fight to protect access to health care for our vulnerable communities.
https://twitter.com/NewYorkStateAG/status/1192110829040263168

Health care is a right, not a privilege, and the ‘health care refusal’ rule will give the privileged the right to impose their beliefs on women, members of the LGBTQ+ community & so many others in NY & our nation.
https://twitter.com/NewYorkStateAG/status/1185277770328412162

Brasher, if/when confirmed, will flip the 11th Circuit to a majority of judges nominated by Republican presidents (it was 8-3 majority, w/ one vacancy, of Dem picks in January 2017)
https://twitter.com/seungminkim/status/1192135014202454016

Minutes into the Roger Stone trial, prosecutors link his alleged crimes directly to Trump, saying Stone lied ‘because the truth looked bad for Donald Trump’
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/trial-opens-for-roger-stone-accused-of-lying-about-wikileaks-and-trump-campaigns-interest-in-hacked-2016-democratic-emails/2019/11/06/647bd322-ff2b-11e9-8bab-0fc209e065a8_story.html

For Third Time, Mayor Passes Over a Black Chief to Run the N.Y.P.D. | Mayor Bill de Blasio defended his choice of a white police commissioner, saying the job was a “special calling.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/05/nyregion/nypd-police-commissioner-de-blasio.html

the Candidates of color will be there. Later for the white candidates who don’t show up, they think they can win without the Black and Latino votes, but they can’t.
https://twitter.com/LadyInWaiting25/status/1191993725129506817

They are more concerned about winning republicans than black and Latino voters.
https://twitter.com/esas_lonjas/status/1192044428887838720

They expect PoC to fall in line. They expect PoC to fall in line. I will not. I will not stand in line for 4 hours because of voter suppression just to vote for mediocrity. Wasting time going after MAGA voters when you shld be solidifying the base and people who didn't vote at all
https://twitter.com/sephius1999/status/1192057311042428928

I hope these candidates listen to you, Rusty. Skipping this and just treating California like a piggy bank and a source of unpaid labor would be an unforced error.
https://twitter.com/SheuSusan/status/1191978252556001280

I’m just voting for one of the candidates who shows up for our communities eagerly, without having to be begged or threatened. #Kamala2020
https://twitter.com/SheriFlanders/status/1192102606199558144

Under shroud of secrecy US weapons arrive in Yemen despite Congressional outrage
https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/05/middleeast/yemen-saudi-us-arms-footage-intl/index.html

"Leftism" and "Socialism" was rejected in Seattle as antisemite Kshama Sawant on verge of losing to Egan Orion
https://mynorthwest.com/1585448/seattle-city-council-early-election-results/

Leaked documents show Facebook leveraged user data to fight rivals and help friends | NBC News is releasing almost 7,000 pages of leaked documents showing how Facebook treated user data as a bargaining chip with external app developers.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/all/leaked-documents-show-facebook-leveraged-user-data-fight-rivals-help-n1076986

The defense secretary is begging Trump not to pardon accused and convicted war criminals
https://www.businessinsider.com/pentagon-urging-trump-to-butt-out-of-war-crimes-cases-2019-11

Steve Bannon will testify against Roger Stone, his former Trump campaign colleague
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/roger-stone-trial-day-2-opening-arguments-for-former-trump-campaign-adviser-and-republican-operative/

Jeff Sessions will jump into the Alabama Senate race tomorrow, a GOP official familiar tells CNN. Sessions reached his decision over the last several days and hired a consulting firm today, the official said.

The Saudi government recruited two Twitter employees to get personal account information of their critics, prosecutors said Wednesday. A complaint unsealed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco detailed a coordinated effort by Saudi government officials to recruit employees at the social media giant to look up the private data of thousands of Twitter accounts. The accounts included those of a popular journalist with more than 1 million followers and other prominent government critics. It also alleged that the employees — whose jobs did not require access to Twitter users’ private information — were rewarded with a designer watch and tens of thousands of dollars funneled into secret bank accounts. They were charged with acting as agents of Saudi Arabia without registering with the U.S. government.
https://apnews.com/2a04ef6d767347b1bb4308c66e65a8c6

Democrats' wins come with a warning sign: African-American voters “Much as was the case in 2018, when Democrats took back the majority in the House, Democrats' gains were concentrated in largely white, middle-to-upper income suburbs.” | However, the results weren't as sparkling for Democrats in Mississippi, the least white state at stake in Tuesday's major contests. Plain and simple, African-American turnout there was weaker than expected — and that should serve as a warning to Democrats elsewhere. It wasn't shocking that Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves defeated Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood by six points for Mississippi's top job. But it was surprising that turnout in the Magnolia State's first competitive gubernatorial race since 2003 was so low. In Kentucky, turnout — as measured by total votes cast— surged a massive 51 percent over 2015's heated race, but in Mississippi it rose just 20 percent over 2015's uncompetitive contest. In fact, turnout in Mississippi was down from last November's special Senate election, when GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith defeated Democrat Mike Espy 54 percent to 46 percent. The reason? Hood, a conservative white Democrat who had long served as the state's attorney general, failed to mobilize Mississippi's black voters to the same extent as Espy, who is African-American and had represented the Mississippi Delta in Congress in the 1990s. | More broadly, driving up African-American voting enthusiasm in the post-Obama era is also central to Democrats' chances of defeating Trump in 2020. After all, of the six states set to decide the 2020 election — Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — black voters are a robust share of the electorate in all but Arizona. Their engagement is critical to any Democratic path to victory in the Electoral College.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/democrats-wins-come-warning-sign-african-american-voters-n1077831