Skimm Quizlets (8/19 - 11/1)

8/29 - Dogs, UK Parliament, Italy

"I'd like to be able to sit on my deck and maybe read a book and chat with a friend or have a glass of wine" - A woman who's been calling the police because dogs are barking at a dog park. ===================== *The UK's Parliament is taking some extra time off before Brexit.* It wasn't Parliament's choice. *Prime Minister Boris Johnson is committed to leaving the EU before Brexit kicks in on October 31 "do or die" - as in, whether he can get a deal he likes with the EU or not.* In the UK's case, *a deal could help it avoid trade and travel confusion when Brexit kicks in. Without a deal, the sudden exit from the EU could also lead to drug and food shortages.* *The alternative is a deal former Prime Minister Theresa May reached with the EU.* Parliament made it clear it didn't like it. *Johnson's been trying to renegotiate some of the fine print. The EU doesn't seem to be having it. So yesterday, Johnson moved to shut down Parliament for a few more days by asking for a Queen's Speech.* *It's tradition for the queen to give a speech every year or so declaring a new parliamentary session and laying out the government's agenda. By asking for the speech to happen in mid-October, Parliament will go from having about five weeks to figure out a Brexit strategy...to less than three.* *Parliament has delayed Brexit before - and Johnson doesn't want to give them the chance to do it again. Neither do pro-Brexit supporters, who are tired of waiting for lawmakers to deliver on the 2016 Brexit referendum. Critics say Johnson is making it harder for lawmakers to do their jobs, including getting to weigh in on a Brexit strategy. *Some are calling the move "undemocratic."* *Lawmakers really want to avoid a no-deal Brexit. They could try to call a no-confidence vote to replace Johnson's government. Or pass a law forcing him to request a Brexit delay. But the EU would need to sign off on a delay, anyway.* ======================== Yesterday, *two rival parties - the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and the opposition Democratic Party in Italy - said they would put aside their beef and form a coalition.* *The announcement ends the crisis over who would lead the country after Five Star's coalition with the far-right League party fell apart a few weeks ago.* *The two had been arguing over key policy issues like taxes and migration. And the League's leader thought his party had enough support to run the gov on its own, so he called for new elections.* *But in the meantime, Five Star found another coalition partner. Now, it seems that Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte - who resigned last week to avoid a no-confidence vote - will get to keep his job.*

10/11 - Trump, china

"Oh well, I'm President!" - President Trump's version of a mic drop. ============================== &Blizzard, Apple, and Google remove signs of support for pro-democracy protesters, in apparent concessions to the politics underlying the Chinese market.* *This is about Hong Kong, which, reminder: isn't fully a part of China. It enjoys some freedoms from the mainland, like free speech and its own legal system. But all that could change in 2047, when Hong Kong fully integrates with the mainland. In the meantime, every weekend since mid-June, thousands have been turning out in Hong Kong to protest what they see as eroding democratic norms there. No need to do the math, that's 18 straight weekends.* *As the world's second-biggest economy, China's got sway in everything from manufacturing to Hollywood to...the NBA. Last week, the Houston Rockets' GM tweeted in support of the protesters. The NBA apologized but it was too late: its multi-billion-dollar relationship with China took a hit. Chinese partners suspended ties with the Rockets. The state broadcaster canceled plans to air NBA preseason games played in China - leaving the NBA stuck between a rock (see: Chinese money) and a hard place (see: free speech).* It chose the rock. Well, *a lot of people weren't impressed with that - including US lawmakers. Then, after the NBA said 'we're all for free speech, promise', pro-Hong Kong protesters in the US were kicked out of an NBA game and had signs taken away in another. And a journalist was shut down from asking players how they felt about all this. Also, worth noting, it's not just the NBA who's trying to keep the cash flowing.* *Google recently pulled a game that lets people play as a Hong Kong demonstrator. And Apple shut down two apps. The first had a map that showed Hong Kong protesters where police were. The second was Quartz, a US-based news outlet that was reportedly removed in China because it contained content that's illegal there.* ==================== Today, *Ethiopia's prime minister Abiy Ahmed won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work ending the 20-year border dispute with neighboring Eritrea. Since Abiy became PM last year, he's also helped negotiate a power-sharing deal in Sudan and released thousands of political prisoners at home, among other political reforms.* *Still, parts of the country are racked by ethnic violence. This year alone, hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians were reportedly forced to flee their homes. The Norwegian Nobel Committee says it hopes that even though "some people" will think the award is premature, the move could help Abiy's government and "strengthen" his work for peace. Abiy beat out other top contenders for the prize, including 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.* *Olga Tokarczuk and Peter Handke, the 2018 and 2019 Nobel Literature prizes went to two European authors. The announcement came after last year's prize was canceled amid a sex abuse scandal involving the husband of a former academy member who helped pick winners.* =========================== *A new report from the IMF says the best way to curb climate change is to implement carbon taxes - and that such policy measures could seriously slow down how hot the planet is getting.* *More than 40 governments have some form of price on carbon, and China's on track to do the same. But some of the other biggest greenhouse gas emitters (cough, the US and India) don't. Critics say this would up people's energy bills, especially those in poverty. *The IMF says 'yea we thought about that' - but that *the gov could redistribute the revenue to poorer citizens.* ============================== *Two of Rudy Guiliani's associates were arrested for allegedly trying to funnel foreign money into US elections. And some of their alleged crimes have to do with Ukraine. The businessmen had helped Giuliani (President Trump's personal lawyer) try to dig up dirt on former VP Joe Biden.* *But they're in the hot seat for something different: illegal campaign contributions to Republicans, and for allegedly trying to get a Republican US congressman's help to try to oust the US ambassador to Ukraine at the time.* *It's unclear how this could impact the House's impeachment inquiry, though House committees issued them subpoenas.* ============================ *Energy Sec Rick Perry was also subpoenaed. He's not as random as you think. President Trump has said that Perry encouraged him to make the now-infamous call to Ukraine's president.* ======================= *Thousands of Iranian women there were allowed to attend a men's soccer game...a thing that hasn't been allowed in the country for 40 years. The change is thanks in part to FIFA, which had recently upped pressure on the Iranian gov to lift the ban for the World Cup qualifier game.* ====================== *Skimm HQ is honoring Indigenous Peoples' Day on Monday.*

8/19 - Hong Kong, Portland, Sudan

"That's no longer a kid. That's a man" - A pediatrician who has a 26-year-old patient. Don't hate the patient, hate the game. =================== Protesters in Hong Kong rallied for the 11th weekend in a row. *These protests started a few months ago against an extradition bill that some say could've tightened China's ability to crack down on dissent. They've turned into a larger calling for things like democratic reforms and accountability for alleged police brutality.* These past few weeks, protests got violent and *caused the major international airport there to temporarily shut down.* As a result, police approved there being a rally over the weekend but banned people from marching. Protest organizers said that *at least 1.7 million people said 'ban schman'* and showed up anyway - although police say turnout was more like 128,000. ======================== Over the weekend, *far-right protesters and anti-fascist counter-protesters clashed in Portland, Oregon.* these were *organized by the Proud Boys (a far-right group) that wants to get antifa (short for anti-fascists) recognized as a domestic terrorist organization.* Something two Republican senators tried to intro in a resolution about a month ago. *Far-right and antifa demonstrators both showed up. 13 people were arrested and a few others were injured. Officers had to confiscate weapons like metal poles and bear spray. The Proud Boys said it would come back to Portland every month until the city removes "violent domestic terrorists."* *But over the weekend, President Trump tweeted that "major consideration is being given to naming antifa an 'organization of terror.'" Still no word from him if the same goes for groups on the far-right.* ========================= Over the weekend, *the ruling military council and civilian leaders in Sudan signed the dotted line on a final deal to share power.* *Ever since the military ousted President Omar al-Bashir in April, things have been tense between the two as they've tried to work out a transitional process. Protests had even turned violent, including back in June when security forces killed at least 128 people.* *But last month, the two sides shook hands on a power-sharing deal. Now they've made things official, paving the way for a civilian-led government.* --------- *A sovereign council - made up of five military members, five civilians, and an 11th member both sides agree on - will run Sudan for about three years until there are elections. A military leader will lead the council for 21 months, then a civilian will lead it for 18 months.* Mixed reviews: *Some celebrated the final agreement over the weekend, but others are worried that some military members from al-Bashir's regime could threaten the path toward democracy.* =================== *Over the weekend, a suicide bomber attacked a wedding in the country's capital Kabul. At least 63 people were killed and 182 others were injured. The local Islamic State affiliate claimed responsibility.* *It was the deadliest attack in Kabul this year, and comes as the US and the Taliban are negotiating a peace deal in Afghanistan - raising concerns about how safe the country would be if US troops withdraw.* *The Taliban condemned this weekend's attack, calling it "forbidden and unjustifiable." Today, Afghanistan's president reportedly promised to "eliminate" all safe havens of the Islamic State group.*

8/20 - LOL

"Was this pizza too risky or crazy to put out?" - *A pizzeria in Las Vegas is serving lime-and-garlic-roasted grasshoppers on its pizza. What happens in Vegas definitely needs to stay in Vegas.* =================== *Planned Parenthood is pulling out of Title X, a federal program that gives money to family planning clinics that provide services to low-income Americans. It helps about 4 million women around the country get access to things like pregnancy tests and STD screenings. Planned Parenthood serves almost half of those people.* *the Trump admin recently announced some changes to the program. It said organizations that provide abortions or abortion referrals won't get Title X funding. Its reasoning: to create a "clear financial and physical separation" between those orgs and government-funded services.* *Anti-abortion conservatives supported the move, saying they didn't want taxpayer dollars going to those types of clinics. Groups like the American Medical Association have criticized it, saying the changes may harm doctor-patient relationships and deny pregnant women services that are available to them.* A *number of states and organizations have sued the admin over the changes, but a federal appeals court has ruled that the changes can take effect while lawsuits play out.* *Planned Parenthood's leaving the program, saying it was pretty much forced out and it won't "be bullied" into hiding abortion info from its patients. By leaving, it'll lose tens of millions of dollars in Title X funding.* *Other programs like Medicaid can help continue to fund the org, but this may result in a big change in how it operates.* *About 1.5 million women could be impacted by this move and states like Utah and Vermont will be without a Title X provider*. Supporters seem to be pleased that President Trump fulfilled a key campaign promise and hope that the changes could open up funding to groups like religious-based organizations. ======================= *Governor Newsom of CA signed one of the country's strictest laws on police use of deadly force. The bill only allows deadly force to be used if the officer believes it's "necessary" and there aren't any other options.* *If investigators find that officers used lethal force when there was another reasonable option, they could reportedly face things like disciplinary action or criminal charges. The bill comes as a result of deadly police encounters with unarmed black men, including the death of Stephon Clark in 2018. It will take effect in January.* =========================== Yesterday, the *NYC police officer Daniel Pantaleo accused of putting Eric Garner in a fatal chokehold in 2014 was fired.* Pantaleo had been on desk duty ever since Garner's death. But *earlier this month, a police administrative judge said that Pantaleo should be fired for his involvement. Now that he's officially been given the boot, his lawyer says he plans to appeal.* ============================ *AG William Barr removed the acting director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons more than a week after Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide while in federal custody. The DOJ's inspector general and the FBI are still investigating the death.* ============================ Yesterday, *the group representing the country's most powerful CEOs (Business Roundtable) released a statement redefining "the purpose of a corporation." The old mantra was that shareholders' interests always come first.* *Now it says companies should also focus on other things like investing in employees and delivering value to customers.* What a concept. *Some have said making shareholders a priority has contributed to today's economic inequality - which is becoming a big issue ahead of the 2020 election. 181 CEOs signed the statement, including those from Apple, AT&T, and Bank of America.* *TBD on what the group plans to actually do to implement these changes but in the meantime, the CEOs say they'll give their employees "important benefits" and use more sustainable practices to "protect the environment."* =================================== Yesterday, *Germany's central bank warned that the country could be slipping into a recession. Part of that is because of a drop in exports due to Brexit and the ongoing US-China trade war*. Experts there are saying that *a downturn in industrial production could continue into the next few months.* ------------------------ *A new survey says that a majority of economists think the US could be facing a recession as early as next year. While President Trump says the US economy is still going strong, he is calling on the Federal Reserve to continue cutting interest rates.* ================================ *Facebook and Twitter say they've removed accounts tied to a Chinese disinformation campaign about pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. It's the first time that the companies have found China to be behind this type of operation.*

8/30 - Colombia, EPA, Comey, HUrricane, Hong Kong, Sexuality, Weed

"Woman fell asleep in her parked car, woke to find it missing" - A real headline. We have questions... ================= *Almost three years after a historic peace deal, Colombia is under threat of returning to war.* *The FARC - the Spanish acronym for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - started in the '60s. The communist group wanted to redistribute land and overthrow the government.* But *it became known for drug trafficking, kidnappings, bombings, and land seizures. The more than 50-year civil war between FARC rebels and the government left more than 260,000 people dead and 7 million displaced.* *In 2016, both sides agreed on a peace deal - which earned the president at the time a Nobel Peace Prize. But Colombians gave the deal a thumbs down in a referendum, with many seeing the deal as too easy on the rebels.* *Thousands of FARC rebels have demobilized, but some decided to keep fighting and continue drug trafficking operations.* Last year, *Colombians voted in conservative Iván Duque as their new president* in the first election since the peace deal. *He campaigned saying he would make edits to the deal, including making FARC leaders face potential jail time.* *He won by about 54 percent of the vote, and tensions between the government and former FARC leaders have gotten worse since.* *In a video posted online yesterday, the former lead negotiator for the FARC stood with a group of heavily armed rebels. He said the government has failed to live up to the deal.* *And is frustrated with the killings of FARC rebels which he said have happened "for political reasons." He issued a call to arms, threatening to resume the conflict.* *He also said he would try to coordinate with the ELN - which has replaced the FARC as Colombia's largest armed rebel group. His call could bring together at least 1,500 fighters.* *The Colombian gov is downplaying the threat, accusing neighboring Venezuela of sheltering members of the FARC, and offering a nearly $1 million reward for the rebel leaders' arrest.* *Meanwhile, the leader of the FARC political party (and former FARC commander) said the vast majority of the former rebels are committed to peace.* ====================== *The Environmental Protection Agency announced plans to roll back restrictions on methane emissions. Methane: a significant contributor to climate change.* *It makes up around 10% of US greenhouse gas emissions. Some of those emissions come from cows, which - not-so-fun fact - burp it out (fact check your friends: the farts aren't the main problem)*. Moving on. *Close to a third of methane emissions in the US come from the natural gas and oil industry. Problem, because the world needs to cut emissions by around half in the coming years to avoid the worst effects of climate change.* *The Obama admin required oil and gas companies to install tech to prevent methane leaks from things like wells and pipelines. But the Trump admin sees this rule as overstepping, and is planning to take that rule, flip it and reverse it. Next, the proposed change goes through a public comment period for several weeks before it can go into effect.* ==================== Yesterday, *the Justice Department's inspector general said the former FBI director James Comey violated FBI policies when he leaked info about his convos with President Trump to the press.* *While sensitive, the info wasn't classified - and the DOJ says it won't prosecute him. But the IG says that if other current or former FBI employees pull similar moves, the agency won't be able to do its job properly*. *Since, you know, keeping secrets is supposed to be its forte.* ====================== *Hurricane Dorian is headed toward Florida, and could potentially make landfall over Labor Day weekend as a Category 4 storm.* If you're in the hurricane's path, here's how to prepare. ====================== *Hong Kong police arrested three prominent activists and banned a planned march for this weekend. This comes after months of demonstrations in the semi-autonomous city against a proposed bill that would've allowed criminal suspects to be extradited to mainland China. The protests have turned into a larger call for democracy. People are still expected to demonstrate this weekend.* ========================== But yesterday, *the largest ever genetic study on human sexuality was released. It found that no single gene can predict someone's sexuality.* *But that genetics do play a role, with a range of genes helping to explain up to 25% of people's same-sex attraction. Other factors are environmental and social.* ===================== Bring up this warning. *The US surgeon general - aka America's doctor - says there is no safe amount of weed for teens and pregnant women, and that they should steer clear. The reason: the drug could impair brain development.*

10/7 - Miley, Iraq, Syria

*"Can't I just have a kiss and an açaí bowl" - Miley Cyrus trying to live her life and date without everyone in her business.* ------------------------ *Iraq is experiencing its worst violence since its war with ISIS. Iraq declared a win over ISIS in 2017, but its infrastructure is still wrecked from that war and other conflicts (see: the 2003 US invasion of Iraq). Despite record oil output, its economy is struggling*. Last week, *thousands of people turned out to protest things like unemployment and corruption. But security forces cracked down with tear gas and live rounds. More than 100 people have been killed and more than 6,000 were injured.* But the gov is now trying to do damage control. This weekend, it lifted a curfew that many had previously ignored. And rolled out a series of promises. There are a lot. Including: *subsidized housing and land for the poor as well as unemployment benefits, job opportunities, and job-training programs. The gov's also promising to provide compensation to the families of those killed in the protests.* Many are unimpressed. That is, *those who've even heard about these promises since the gov cut off the internet for much of the country. And has yet to flick the 'on' switch.* The main thing everyone is watching is *how Iraq's powerful clerics and Iranian-linked militias respond to the protests, since they have a ton of sway - and could escalate the situation, fast. One influential cleric has called on the gov to step down and for snap elections to be held. The international community (think: the EU, UN, and others) is calling on the gov to exercise restraint with protesters.* =========================================== *In Northern Syria the Trump admin gave the green light to a Turkish operation there that could lead to fighting with US-backed Syrian Kurds.* *Separately, the Kurds (a semi-autonomous ethnic group in the region) and Turkey have been important partners to the US in fighting ISIS. The problem? Turkey sees Syrian Kurds as terrorists. The US has been trying to keep the peace between the two, but now it seems to be taking a step back* *The White House said the US "will not support or be involved in the operation," which Turkey reportedly says is focused on stopping threats from Kurdish fighters. And it looks like US forces have started to withdraw from Syria's border, leading to concerns over whether this could overturn the work that's been done there against ISIS.*

10/23 - Cosmic Crisp, Exxon & Climate Change, Turkey-Syria border

*"Cosmic Crisp" - A new type of apple that's set to shake up the produce world. You'll find them quite a-peel-ing.* ================================== Yesterday, *one of the first trials in the US around climate change kicked off.* *What's this about? Exxon Mobil. A year ago, New York's attorney general sued the oil company for allegedly lying to its own investors. The case is based on a years-long investigation into the company*, and the trial will last up to three weeks. *What did Exxon allegedly lie about? How climate change regulations could affect its business. Exxon allegedly had two sets of numbers for pricing carbon when taking potential gov regulations into account.* Investors saw the higher numbers, and Exxon internally held onto the lower numbers. Meaning that *investors were being deceived over whether Exxon was a better investment than it may have actually been. It's estimated to have cost shareholders between $476 million and $1.6 billion.* Exxon says 'don't look at us, we didn't do anything wrong' - and that the allegations are politically motivated.. Oh, that's not all. Shortly before the trial started, *a team of researchers released a new report detailing how Exxon and the fossil fuel industry knew the dangers of climate change for decades, and tried to cover them up from the public* *The report claims Exxon spent millions of dollars to try to "obscure the scientific reality" through disinformation campaigns. And compared it to the tobacco industry trying to hide the negative health effects of smoking.* =============================== *Yesterday, Russia said it would help Turkey maintain control of the area. Earlier this month, Turkey led a military offensive there against the Kurds, which the country considers a terror threat.* *While the Kurds were forced to retreat from the border area under a cease-fire, this new agreement allows Russia to help force them further away.* And to work with Turkey's forces to patrol the border starting next week. *The agreement solidifies Russia's role in the region as it buddies up with Turkey - and adds to the list of reasons why President Trump has faced criticism over his decision to pull US troops out.*

10/25 - Feetloaf, Healthcare AI, Indonesia Lion Air

*"Feetloaf" - Meatloaf shaped like feet, because Halloween. Barf-ect.* =================================== *A new study shows that a widely-used health care algorithm is hurting some of the US's sickest black patients.* *The algorithm - and others like it - are used in pretty much every aspect of the health care system, from hospitals to government agencies. It's designed to identify the most high-risk patients and suggest additional help: like more nurses and primary care appointments*. Sounds like a good plan..in theory. Doctors and other health care providers are stretched thin. So many rely on algorithms like this to figure out how to prioritize caring for patients. To put it into perspective, *roughly 200 million people in the US are assessed using tools like this each year - about two-thirds of the US population.* K. *So how is it biased against black patients? That's the thing: it's not designed to be. In fact, the algorithm explicitly ignores race. Instead, it tries to gauge how complex a patient's medical situation is by looking at their recent health care costs.* But it's not a good substitute. Why's that? *Black patients tend to engage with the health care system less than white patients. It's not clear why, but it could be because of racial bias in the health care system or challenges with health care access as a result of socioeconomic differences.* *Whatever the reason, black patients incurred fewer health care costs. And the algorithm wasn't taking that into account.* And the impact of that is...? *The algorithm flagged a white patient at the same risk level as a much sicker black patient (think: more chronic illnesses). If the bias was fixed, more than double the number of black patients could be flagged as in need of extra medical attention, up to almost 50%.* *The study's authors are working with the company behind the algorithm to get this fixed. And they want similar algorithms to make changes, ASAP.* ============================== *Investigators in Indonesia issued their final report on what caused last year's Lion Air crash.* This was the *first of two deadly crashes in a 5-month span involving Boeing 737 Max planes. Those models have since been grounded around the world.* Investigators thought that *a problem with the automated flight-control system could have played a part in both crashes. Now we're learning that's at least true for the Lion Air crash.* But that wasn't the only reason:*they also blame things like inadequate pilot training, regulatory lapses, and maintenance problems. We still don't know have final word on what caused the second crash.*

8/27 - Kim Kardashian, Hollywood, Johnson & Johnson

*"SKIMS" - The new name of Kim Kardashian West's shapewear brand. Sounds familiar...* ======================= *A new report found that Latinos are under-represented both behind and in front of the camera.* Earlier this year, *a report found that women and people of color have been making gains in the industry. Last year's top films had more diverse leads than ever before.* Not everyone is seeing the benefit of that. *A new study analyzed the 1,200 top box office movies from a 12-year period (2007 to 2018). Out of more than 47,000 speaking characters, a total of 4.5% were Latino.* *About 25% portrayed lawbreaking characters like gang members and drug dealers.* *12.5% were shown as poor or impoverished*. *And across the 100 top-grossing movies, only 3% featured Latino actors as leads or co-leads. We'll let that sink in.* Yes. *Only 3% of producers and 4% of directors were Latinos. Of those directors, 48 were male and only one was female.* *We'll drive it home: In 2018 alone, only 5% of the top-grossing movies had speaking roles for Latinos. That number was the same in 2008. It's especially disappointing considering that Latinos made up 18% of the US population last year and were 24% of the frequent moviegoers.* *It's not clear. But some worry that a lack of diverse representation in media may harm minorities' self-esteem. And that how minorities are portrayed onscreen can affect how people think about them.* *The report offered several potential solutions, including adjusting casting processes, ensuring directors from Latino backgrounds are considered for top jobs, and supporting or creating initiatives that specifically target Latino filmmakers.* ================== *Johnson & Johnson was ordered to pay $572 million for its role in the opioid crisis.* *In 2017, Oklahoma's AG sued J&J and several other big companies for allegedly fueling the crisis. He said they did things like downplay drugs' addictive potential and influence doctors to prescribe opioid products.* *Some companies - like Purdue Pharma (which makes OxyContin) and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries - settled. But J&J argued that its products were legal and FDA-approved.* Now a judge is saying 'disagree.' And is making J&J pay up. *Almost every state is suing big pharma over its alleged role in the opioid crisis. This case was the first US ruling to hold a drugmaker accountable. And could set a precedent for dozens of others making their way through the courts.*

10/31 - Climate movement, genocide

*"The climate movement does not need any more awards" - Greta Thunberg, rejecting an environmental prize. More action, less accolades.* ========================================== *Turkey is lashing out after US lawmakers formally acknowledged the Armenian genocide.* Around the turn of the 20th century, *the Ottoman Empire was crumbling. Religious minorities - including some Christians - started to rebel, and many were the subject of attacks. When the Ottomans sided with the Germans during World War I, many of them distrusted the loyalty of the Christian Armenians in the east, some of whom collaborated with the Russians.* So...*what happened? Mass killings. On April 24, 1915, hundreds of Armenian intellectuals were rounded up and ultimately executed. Others were also deported to places like Syria, and many starved to death or were killed while making the trek. In all, an estimated 1.5 million Armenians were killed. It was widely believed to be the first genocide of the 20th century. But to date, the US has been hesitant to call it that.* *Why? Turkey (aka the Ottoman Empire's successor) doesn't take lightly to acknowledgement of the genocide. It admits that Armenians were killed during World War I, but rejects that this was a systematic effort.* It has also disputed the number of people killed (though historians stand by the figure). *It's been a crime in Turkey to even bring up what happened to the Armenians.* *And the US defers to Turkey's narrative...why exactly? It's a NATO ally. And it's played a key role in US operations in the Middle East, including the fight against ISIS. So for years the gov hasn't been willing to call the genocide by its name - though lawmakers in the House have voted for it, as far back as the 1970s.* Now, *with Turkey's recent offensive against the US's Kurdish allies in Syria, there was enough bipartisan support in the House to get it passed again.* *Turkey dismissed the move as an insult and says this will damage the US-Turkey relationship.* ========================================== *Twitter said it's banning politcal ads from its platform. This is seen as a big step as tech companies try to prevent the spread of misinformation online. It's also seen as a complete 180 from Facebook's policy on political ads: that it'll keep running them, even if the ads include info that isn't true.* *Twitter's rules will apply to political ads around the world, but it'll make some exceptions (think: voter participation ads). The changes will take effect next month.* ...Oh and *speaking of things getting blocked, there's Deadspin. The site's owner told the staff to "stick to sports." That didn't end well.*

10/30 - Olivia Newton-John, NCAA, John Withersppon,

*"The pants have a broken zip" - Olivia Newton-John on her "Grease" outfit that's being auctioned off. Hopelessly devoted to...this look.* ============================= *The NCAA is letting college athletes cash in on their fame. The NCAA has long said that *the idea of college athletes making money off of their name or talent won't fly. The reason? To help separate amateur athletes from professional ones and avoid some schools getting an unfair recruiting advantage. But critics have pointed out that college athletes help the NCAA make hundreds of millions of dollars every year. And say that they deserve a cut, too.* *The NCAA is changing its tune. Yesterday, it unanimously voted to let athletes get paid for the use of their name, image, and likeness. But it's up to the three NCAA divisions to come up with new rules on this by Jan 2021.* The *NCAA has faced growing pressure from lawmakers, who recently upped the ante. Case in point: last month, California became the first state to allow college athletes to make money through endorsement deals. And states like Illinois and New York - as well as the federal gov - are considering similar legislation.* ========================================= *John Witherspoon aka "Pops.", the comedian and actor died yesterday at the age of 77.* Witherspoon *starred in many movies like the "Friday" franchise, and series like "The Tracy Morgan Show" and "The Wayans Bros."* Witherspoon was also a famous stand-up comedian who was set to take the stage later this year. *His family released a statement on Twitter saying he was "a Legend in the entertainment industry, and a father figure to all who watched him over the years." RIP.*

10/3 - Boeing 737 Max, Airbus, Boris Johnson

*A Boeing engineer claims that while the 737 Max planes were in development, the company rejected a proposed safety system as a way to cut costs. In the past year, two Boeing planes - both 737 Max 8s - were involved in deadly crashes, killing a total of 346 people. The company - and both crashes - are still under investigation. But investigators believe a single feature pushed both planes into nose dives.* *This engineer filed an internal ethics complaint that the gov has access to as part of its investigation. In the meantime, Boeing 737 Max planes have been grounded - costing the company billions as it tries to get the go-ahead from the FAA to get them in the air again.* ============================================ *The US just got the go-ahead to impose tariffs on some EU goods. Boeing (the US's leading plane maker) and Airbus (Europe's leading plane maker) are - surprise - competitors. For years, the US and the EU have accused each other of giving illegal subsidies to their respective companies. The World Trade Organization (WTO) has found shady behavior on both sides. Yesterday, the WTO said the US is entitled to tariff the EU on $7.5 billion in goods - reportedly the equivalent of what Boeing lost per year because of these subsidies.* *The EU says it wants to avoid that. But the US already has a list of EU goods it plans to impose tariffs on, including French wine, Scotch whisky, German coffee, Italian cheese, and - surprise - Airbus orders.* =================================== *Yesterday, the British prime minister proposed a new plan for the UK's very messy break up with the EU. One of the biggest issues facing Brexit has been figuring out what to do with the border between Northern Ireland (part of the UK) and Ireland (part of the EU).* *It's an area with a violent history. Johnson's new plan would keep Northern Ireland tied to EU trade rules on food and other goods. But there would still need to be some sort of customs check, and it's not clear where that would happen. Johnson assured it would be away from the border.* *The EU says the proposal represents "progress." The question now is what negotiations might look like. Johnson wants to suspend Parliament, again. ICYMI, the first time he tried to get Parliament to take some PTO, the UK's Supreme Court called it "unlawful, void and of no effect."* *Now, he's dusting himself off and trying again - this time he's cutting down his ask from five weeks to a few days.*

10/9 - Election Interference

*A bipartisan group of senators is ringing alarm bells over 2020 election interference. Let's go over this for old times' sake: the intel community found that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election to undermine Hillary Clinton and help get President Trump elected.* *Ever since those findings, lawmakers and tech companies have been trying to figure out ways to prevent meddling in upcoming elections.* *Senate Intelligence Committee dropped a report on the issue of foreign interference. It confirmed that Russia was very much Team Trump. That it was part of a bigger plan to create distrust in the government and in other Americans. That more interference is likely ahead of the 2020 election.* And that it's time to fight off that threat. Now. *Its recs are for the White House to establish a task force on this. And to warn Americans about the dangers of election interference and spreading misinformation online. For Congress to look into legislation that would add transparency around who buys online political ads.* For Silicon Valley to be more open about misinformation campaigns and to share their intel. And for political candidates to carefully vet their social media posts to prevent any potential interference.* ===================================== *House Dems subpoenaed US Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland to testify about President Trump and Ukraine.* *Sondland had originally been invited to testify because of his role as an intermediary in setting up the infamous phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. But the Trump admin said 'you can't have him' and blocked Sondland from voluntarily testifying in front of what Trump called "a totally compromised kangaroo court."* *In a shocking turn of events, Dems didn't love that. They said that amounted to "strong evidence of obstruction" and issued Sondland a subpoena.* ============================== *The White House sent a letter to House Dems saying it will not cooperate with the "partisan and unconstitutional" impeachment inquiry. Adding fuel to the already roaring fire of issues between the two. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) seemed unfazed and said the president is "not above the law" and "will be held accountable."*

10/18 - Mick Mulvaney, Rick Perry, G7

*Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney initially seemed to imply that there was, in fact, a quid pro quo between President Trump and Ukraine*. *Reminder: the House's impeachment inquiry into Trump is in part centered on the president nudging Ukraine's president to investigate former VP Joe Biden...while withholding aid for the country.* Trump has said that there was no quid pro quo (as in you give me a Biden investigation, I give you aid money). But yesterday, *Mulvaney seemed to admit there was - but that it wasn't about Biden, it was about an investigation into a DNC server. Later, he said 'scratch that, it wasn't about the server.' Do with that what you will.* ================================== *Energy Secretary Rick Perry said he was exiting the Trump administration by the end of the year. The announcement comes as the House has been focusing in part on Perry for its impeachment inquiry into Trump - who says Perry's the one who set up his highly scrutinized July 25 phone call with Ukraine's president.* Perry says he's resigning as the country has made headway on energy independence. So now he's Rick rolling on out. ============================== ...Oh and *the Trump admin also said next year's G-7 summit will go down at Trump's Miami golf resort. Democrats are saying 'corruption, much?' The admin says Trump won't profit off of it.*

8/29 - Apple, FB, Pinterest, Sen. Gillibrand, Greta Thunberg

*Apple said it will stop recording your conversations with Siri by default* (Raise your hand if you didn't know that was a thing.) *This came after a report last month found Apple contractors were listening to people's very private, very personal convos with Siri. Apple says that's not happening anymore.* =============== *Facebook announced it's tightening rules for political ads ahead of the 2020 US presidential election*. Like *requiring advertisers for political or election-related content to prove they're in the US. The goal is to avoid inauthentic ads, like we saw in 2016. It's unclear if this will help.* ================= *Pinterest announced that from now on, searches for vaccine-related terms will only show results from public health organizations. The goal is to avoid the spread of misinformation. The real question is, who was getting their vaccine info off of Pinterest?* =================== *Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). Yesterday she ended her presidential campaign after failing to qualify for the next debate. Don't worry: there are still 13+ people vying to be our next president.* ================ *Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old Swedish climate activist arrived in New York after sailing across the Atlantic. Her trip took 15 days and she did it to avoid the greenhouse gas emissions that come with flying on a commercial plane.*

10/28 - Argentina, Iraq, Chile, CA Fires, Katie Hill, perchloroethylene

*Argentinan voters went to the polls to elect a new president. They sent President Mauricio Macri packing. Instead they gave the win to Alberto Fernández, putting a populist party back in power.* Voters are hoping he can turn around *Argentina's struggling economy, which is the third largest in Latin America. It's been dealing with a recession and was bailed out by the IMF last year.* ======================================= *In Iraq, At least 50 people were killed in clashes with security forces this weekend.* This is part of ongoing *protests that started earlier this month over corruption and the lack of job opportunities there. Protesters are also calling for the Iranian-tied government to resign.* ====================================== *In Chile, this weekend, the country's President Sebastián Piñera called for his entire cabinet to resign in response to protests over inequality and high living costs.* *More than a million people protested in the capital over the weekend - more than 5% of the country's population*. *Piñera had already ended the subway fare hike that sparked the protests and promised other reforms, including raising the minimum wage. It's not yet clear if his proposed cabinet shuffle will be enough to stop the protests.* ==================================== *California Wildfires there have forced more than 200,000 people to evacuate and burned tens of thousands of acres*. Over the weekend, *the governor declared a state of emergency in Sonoma and Los Angeles Counties. PG&E - the state's largest utility - has shut off power to more than 2 million people to try to avoid the spread of fires.* That's because *with dry weather and high wind speeds, power lines could spark fires that grow out of control this time of year.* ==================================== *Rep. Katie Hill (D-CA). Yesterday, she announced she was resigning amid an ethics investigation into an allegedly inappropriate sexual relationship she had with a staffer.* =================================== *70% is The percentage of dry cleaners in the United States who use perchloroethylene as their cleaning solvent.* *Perchloroethylene (say it...one time fast) is a toxic air pollutant. Aka it's extremely not good for the environment. Oh and NBD, but it's also not great for your health.*

Mon 9/9 - Sports :(

*Bianca Andreescu,. The 19-year-old Canadian beat Serena Willams in the US Open final.* Not only did Andreescu take down the GOAT - she also became the *first Canadian to win a Grand Slam singles title...ever.* =============================================== *Rafael Nadal took down Daniil Medvedev in the US Open final and won his 19th Grand Slam.* *That puts him one behind the men's record for the most Grand Slam singles titles (psst...Roger Federer holds that record right now).* =================================== *The wide receiver Antonio Brown has been in the headlines for all sorts of drama.* *That includes: getting frostbite on his feet from cryotherapy, losing a battle over his vintage (read: unsafe) helmet, and posting a video online of his private phone call with the Oakland Raiders' coach.* *Over the weekend, the team said 'k we're done' and dropped him. But don't cry(otherapy) for Brown: hours later, he signed with the New England Patriots.* And you thought your weekend trying to cope with the White Claw shortage was crazy. ================= *Mark Sanford (Republican) former South Carolina governor and congressman announced he's joining the 2020 presidential race*, bringing the total number of candidates to 24*

10/21 - Canada

*Canada. The country's general election is going down today. In the race for PM: Liberal Party leader and current PM Justin Trudeau, and Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer. Trudeau won the 2015 election by a landslide, and has since become known around the world as a progressive leader.* But this year, he's been hit by some scandals that could *hurt his chances of being re-elected*. Think: a report *accusing him of violating ethics laws, and revelations that he wore blackface and brownface when he was younger.* On the other side, Scheer has struggled to gain momentum, *and some voters worry he wouldn't do enough to tackle climate change - one of the top issues for voters. Still, polls show that the race is really tight. Prelim results may come in as early as tonight.* *Either party would need at least 170 seats to form a majority gov, but that's not expected to happen. Meaning they'd have to combine with other parties.* =================================== *The World Series. The Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals are eyeing the title of World Series champs, with Game 1 starting tomorrow. While the Astros won back in 2017, this is the Nats' first World Series in franchise history.* ======================= *Menopause champion is A job title at a British TV station where employees going through menopause are offered paid leave and other benefits. Excuse us while we try not to ovary-act to this news.*

8/26 - Koch, Vaping

*David Koch, the billionaire conservative activist and philanthropist died at the age of 79. While a cause of death wasn't given, Koch previously battled prostate cancer and stepped down from Koch Industries because of his declining health.* *Koch and his brother Charles, known as the Koch brothers, built a large network of conservative donors and helped reshape US politics. They also founded Americans for Prosperity, the group that helped build up the Tea Party movement.* His family said they "remember his iconic laughter, insatiable curiosity, and gentle heart." ====================== *On Friday, Illinois health officials announced the first known death from a vaping-related lung illness.* *There have been at least 193 cases of severe lung disease in people who use e-cigarettes or vaping devices, spanning across 22 states.* *The most seriously affected people reportedly have had extensive lung damage that required oxygen treatment and days on a ventilator.* The CDC says more information is needed to determine what exactly is causing the illnesses. ==================== *The star quarterback Andrew Luck for the Indianapolis Colts shocked everyone and announced his retirement from the NFL at the age of 29.* *He's suffered several injuries throughout the past few seasons. He said this was the "hardest decision" of his life, and that the injuries had "taken the joy out of this game."* This happened just before *the start of the NFL season, which kicks off next week.* ==================== *Conservative radio host and former Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh. Yesterday, he announced that he's challenging President Trump for the Republican presidential nomination.* *He's the second Republican to announce a run against Trump (hi, former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld).*

10/24 - Bolivia, Turkey

*Earlier this week, people in Bolivia voted on whether to re-elect President Evo Morales for a fourth term. His supporters like the economic growth under his leadership.* *But many are concerned about gov corruption, his influence over the press, and his seeming to ignore a 2016 referendum on term limits. At first, the election looked like it could've headed to a runoff between him and the leading contender, former President Carlos Mesa.* But then, things took a dark turn...literally. *Election officials went dark on sharing results for about 24 hours. When they came back, the results showed a wider lead for Morales, causing many to say 'rigged, much?' This led to protests and calls for a runoff.* *Meanwhile, Morales has used the opportunity to declare a win and announce a state of emergency.* ================================ *President Trump announced he was lifting the sanctions imposed as punishment for Turkey's offensive in northeastern Syria.* This week, *Turkey said it stopped advancing into the area after coming to an agreement to share patrol duties with Russia. Trump gave the US "and nobody else" credit for brokering what he calls a permanent cease-fire.* But many see the whole situation as a big foreign policy fail, starting when Trump seemed to give Turkey the green light to attack the US's Kurdish Not out of the woods just yet: *Trump's announcement comes as the US envoy for Syria says war crimes may have been committed during the Turkish offensive.* ================================== *Google says it's reached peak "quantum supremacy." Google Translate: it can solve a problem in 200 seconds that would take a top-notch supercomputer 10,000 years to solve.* *IBM's saying 'OK Google, what's the definition of exaggeration?'*

10/9 - Ecuador, STDs, Vaccines

*Ecuador's President Lenín Moreno, announced he moved his government from Quito (the capital) to a port city amid massive protests in Quito. They started last week after the gov announced it'll end a decades-long fuel subsidy.* *That led to a spike in fuel prices, which upset transportation workers, young people, and indigenous groups. Protesters have blocked roads, burned tires, and clashed with riot police. Dozens have been injured, more than 500 people have been arrested and at least one person has been killed. Moreno had declared a state of emergency, and has since moved his desk away from the violence. Today, thousands of protesters are reportedly expected to show up in Quito for the seventh day of protests.* *A serious threat: Moreno has called these protests an attempted coup. And he may have a reason to be nervous. Indigenous protesters there have reportedly played a role in taking down three presidents in the past.* ================================== *STDs. A new report says combined cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis hit a record high last year. So...happy hump day. Some of the reasons include decreased condom use, more testing (leading to more results), and cuts to local and state sexual health programs.* ================================ *The CDC is urging pregnant women to get the flu and whooping cough vaccines. Currently, only around 35% of pregnant women get them. And the CDC says they could help protect the health of both mom and baby.* ============================ *Saturn moons. Scientists recently discovered 20 new moons around Saturn, bringing the total of the planet's moon entourage to 82 - a new record for our solar system. Cue (tear) drops of Jupiter.* ============================== *...Oh and speaking of the solar system, three scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics yesterday for their discoveries in cosmology. Not speaking of the solar system, today three people were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the development of lithium-ion batteries - the kind used in everything from mobile phones to electric cars.*

8/21 - Endo/Allergan, Walmart, Hasbro, California, Trump & Denmark

*Endo and Allergan, the two drugmakers have agreed to pay $15 million combined to settle lawsuits around the opioid crisis and avoid going to trial.* The opioid epidemic kills on average 130 Americans a day - and multiple drug companies have been sued over their alleged role in the crisis. One trial in Ohio includes about 2,000 cases against companies like Endo, Allergan, Purdue Pharma, and Johnson & Johnson. Endo and Allergan agreed to settle. For the others, the trial is slated to start in October.* =================== *Walmart.is suing Tesla, alleging that its solar panels have caught on fire at multiple Walmart stores. It's calling on the company to pay up for damages and remove the panels from more than 240 of its stores.* ==================== *Starting in 2020, Hasbro (which made My Little Pony) will start phasing out plastic from new product packaging. It hopes to eliminate it all by 2022.* *It says it's a "complex undertaking," but knows that consumers care about protecting the environment. Life in plastic, it's not fantastic.* =============================== *California. is reportedly going to build the world's largest animal overpass over a major highway in Los Angeles County. It's hoping this will prevent animals like mountain lions from becoming extinct by giving them more access to food and potential mates.* ============================= *President Trump is postponing his meeting with Denmark's prime minister because she has "no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland." So close, yet also not at all.*

9/23 - Ukraine, Israel

*Everyone's talking about investigating relationships with Ukraine. A whistleblower complaint. Last week, it reportedly came out that a US intelligence official filed a complaint about multiple issues involving President Trump.* *Including that Trump allegedly pressured Ukraine's then-newly elected president to investigate a company with ties to former VP Joe Biden's son.* The *acting director of national intelligence apparently found the complaint so alarming that he labeled it a matter of "urgent concern."* *Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in July. That he reportedly asked Zelenskiy eight times during this call to cooperate with his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani on investigating Biden's son Hunter.* *Trump said the convo happened while Ukraine was awaiting US military aid - but Trump claims there was no "quid pro quo." And that a few weeks later the complaint was filed.* *In 2016, Biden pressured the Ukrainian gov to fire its top prosecutor, who was widely seen as failing to fight corruption. That prosecutor had been investigating a natural gas company where Biden's son had served on the board.* *Trump claims that Biden was trying to push the prosecutor out to protect his son. Biden says 'absolutely not' and that Trump is doing this because he's scared Biden will beat him in 2020.* *He also reportedly pointed out that the international community was the one calling for the prosecutor to go.* *Usually when a complaint of "urgent concern" is filed, lawmakers are notified. But the Trump admin has refused to turn the complaint over to Congress apparently citing presidential privilege. Biden and some Dem lawmakers have called for Trump to release the transcript of the phone call.* *Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is calling for the DOJ to look into Biden's connections to Ukraine. And some Democratic reps are suggesting impeachment* ===================================== *Israel's Arab parties backed centrist Benny Gantz for prime minister. It's the first time in over 25 years that the group - which has long protested government policies toward Israeli Arabs and Palestinians - endorsed a candidate.* *It says not to take this move as support for Gantz's policies. Instead it wants to use its leverage as the country's third-largest parliamentary group to oust right-wing PM Benjamin Netanyahu*, whose party came in second after Gantz's. *It's now up to Israel's president to coordinate talks for a unity government.*

10/22 - Ohio Drug Settlement, FB

*Four drug companies reached a $260 million deal with two Ohio counties. This was set to be the first federal trial over the opioid crisis - and was supposed to serve as a test trial for the thousands of other lawsuits pending against drug companies across the country.* *Gov officials in Ohio reportedly say the settlement money will be used for social service programs and funding for first responders.* =============================== *Facebook said Iran and Russia have been involved in foreign interference campaigns on its platforms ahead of the 2020 election. But Mark Zuckerberg doesn't want you to deactivate your account just yet.* The company unveiled new plans to help fight interference. Some highlights: *labeling state-controlled media pages and banning paid ads that encourage people not to vote.* But *banning political ads that include false info is not included. It says it'll make it more obvious when something may be false or partially false*, and will let *users "decide for themselves what to read, trust and share."* ============================== *Sunday Riley, the skin care brand settled with the FTC over reports it had asked employees to post fake reviews of its products on websites like Sephora.* While Sunday Riley won't have to pay up or admit to any wrongdoing to its customers, *the FTC is requiring the brand to be transparent about endorsements.*

10/2 - Harvard, Abortion, Net Neutrality, Facebook CEO

*Harvard. Yesterday, a federal judge ruled in favor of the school's admissions process. In 2014, a group called Students for Fair Admissions filed a lawsuit arguing that the university is illegally discriminating against Asian-American applicants to allow more black and Hispanic students in.* *Harvard denies it's being discriminatory. But says it does consider race in admissions because it wants a diverse student body. Now, a judge is saying 'I second that.' If the ruling is appealed and makes its way up to the Supreme Court - which has a solidly conservative majority - it could impact a decades-old ruling on affirmative action.* ======================================== *A federal judge temporarily blocked Georgia's abortion law from going into effect in January. It bans the procedure once a fetal heartbeat is detected - which can be as early as six weeks, before many women even realize they're pregnant. This - like some of the other states that have recently passed strict abortion bans - will likely be a long court battle.* ======================================= *Net neutrality. Yesterday, a federal appeals court pretty much upheld the FCC's controversial 2017 repeal of net neutrality rules. The court says the FCC's move to end net neutrality is allowed, but states can set their own rules.* ======================================== *Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. He's saying 'lawyer up' to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) over her efforts to break up the social media company if she were elected president. Warren says 'that's fine, tough guy, see you in court.'*

10/22 - Tortoise, Israel, Canada

*He's very stealthy" - A man whose tortoise snuck into the back of his closet and slept in his wife's shoes.* =============================== *Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has failed to form a coalition gov.* *Why was he trying to? Because back in April, Netanyahu's right-wing party failed to win the 61 seats needed for a parliamentary majority. He tried to form a coalition...but that didn't work out. So, a new election was held last month. And the same thing happened: no majority, no coalition.* *So is Netanyahu giving up? Essentially. And he's blaming it on rival Benny Gantz, the leader of the centrist party. Netanyahu says his own party made "every effort" to form a gov with Gantz's but Gantz was having none of it.* Now *Israel's president said he would give Gantz a chance to try forming a coalition gov - with 28 days to get it done. Otherwise, Israel could hold its third election in less than a year.* ================================== *Looks like Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is staying put for another term.* *What's going on there, eh? Yesterday was the country's general election, with 338 parliamentary seats up for grabs.* Heading into it, *it was a tight race between Trudeau, the Liberal Party leader, and Andrew Scheer, the Conservative Party leader. Since Trudeau first came into office in 2015, he's legalized marijuana, worked out a new trade deal with the US and Mexico, and has become known as a progressive leader on the world stage.* But he's been hit by scandal after scandal this past year, including *allegations that he interfered in a corporate corruption case and revelations that he wore brownface and blackface in the past.* And some thought it might have been enough to sink him. *But his party seems to have only squeaked out a win and he's expected to lead a minority government. Meaning he'll have to team up with smaller parties to get things done.*

9/25 - Impeachment

*House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has called for a formal impeachment inquiry against President Trump. Yes in the sense that we only found out last week about the Ukraine situation. No in the sense that this is a pretty low stakes move.* *It came out last week that a US intelligence official filed a complaint about multiple issues involving Trump - including that he allegedly pressured Ukraine's president.* *Turns out that in July, Trump had a phone call with then-newly elected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Trump talked to Zelenskiy about having the country investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son for corruption.* *The convo happened while Ukraine was waiting for millions in military aid, something that was eventually provided after the call - leaving many to wonder if there was a 'quid pro quo' deal made to get a foreign country to help get dirt on a political rival.* Trump admits that *he held the aid as a negotiating tactic, but says the tactic was to get European countries to help pay up.* *We'll have a better sense today since Trump authorized the full transcript of the call to be released. In terms of the whistleblower complaint, the acting director of national intelligence has refused to turn it over to Congress.* *He's been subpoenaed to appear in front of the House Intelligence Committee tomorrow. Also, the chairman of the committee said that the whistleblower wants to speak to them and that they're expecting testimony "as soon as this week."* *Pelosi has been very hesitant to take this step before. Remember all those calls for impeachment during the Mueller investigation? She was one of the people saying 'let's chill a bit here,' thinking about how it could negatively impact moderate freshmen Dems and reps in swing districts that won her the majority in 2018.* The &Mueller investigation was seen by some as partisan and chasing things that happened before Trump was elected - so Pelosi didn't think she had enough support to launch impeachment proceedings then*. *But she sees this situation with Ukraine as a "betrayal of his oath of office" and a "violation of the law." So instead of it being a Dems v Republicans issue, Dems are positioning it as a lawmakers v abuse of power issue. AKA a constitutional crisis.* Well, *an impeachment inquiry in which six House committees will hold investigations. It's the first step to launching impeachment proceedings, but it also could stop at the inquiry phase.* (Read: This allows Pelosi to appease both the Dems that want to impeach Trump, and those that don't.) *It would be a long, long process. But what's important to note is that the House votes on whether to impeach a president and the Senate votes on whether to remove him or her from office. For reference: former President Bill Clinton was impeached by the House, and not removed by the Senate.* *As of right now, it's unclear if the impeachment effort will even make it out of the House. Pelosi seems to think she has the numbers to make it work.* *Trump called the inquiry "more breaking news Witch Hunt garbage." Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers are pretty much saying 'this won't get far,' with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) saying this "confirms that House Democrats' priority is not making life better for the American people."* *But two of the three Republicans challenging the president in the 2020 presidential race are throwing caution to the wind and going all in on Team Impeachment.*

10/4 - Iraq, MGM, James Franco, Drinking

*Iraq. At least 33 people were killed in anti-government protests that broke out this week. The protests started in Baghdad with demonstrators frustrated over unemployment, poor public services, and corruption. The country is still recovering from its war with ISIS and its infrastructure is far from repaired.* *The gov has set up a curfew and cut most of the country's internet access. But that hasn't stopped protesters. They're now threatening to take down the gov of Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi. And are calling to mind the 2011 Arab Spring protests.* ============================================ *Victims of the Las Vegas mass shooting have settled with the hotel owner MGM Resorts for up to $800 million. The attack, which happened two years ago this week, left 58 people dead as the shooter fired from his hotel room into a crowd at a country music festival.* *Survivors and family members of victims later sued MGM, the owner of the hotel where the shooting took place. They accused the hotel's owner of being negligent in allowing the shooter to stock rifles and thousands of rounds of ammunition there. The lawyer representing the victims called the settlement a milestone for their recovery.* ===================================== *Two women filed a class-action lawsuit against the actor, accusing him of sexually exploiting female students at his former acting studio. Among other things, the suit - which also targets Franco's production company and his business partners - accuses Franco of dangling the possibility of roles in exchange for getting women to engage in sex scenes and nudity in his classes. Franco's lawyer reportedly said that this "is not the first time that these claims have been made, and they have already been debunked."*' ============================= *Drinking. A new study suggests future parents should stop drinking up to a year before conception. That's because the study found a link between parents' drinking habits during that time - especially future dads - and babies' chances of having congenital heart defects.*

9/27 - Impeachment, CA

*Last week, we learned about a phone call President Trump had with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in July. This week, we saw a rough transcript: it shows Trump had urged Zelenskiy to investigate former VP Joe Biden for corruption, apparently over a Ukrainian company Biden's son had ties to.* *And the call happened while the Trump admin was withholding aid to Ukraine. Cue alarm bells over whether any of the things we just said violate the law* *The Justice Dept didn't think they violated law. And Trump says he was just withholding aid because he wanted Europe and others to contribute more.* *Not because he was trying to pressure Zelenskiy into investigating a political rival or anything. He released the aid this month...while Democrats were bringing a microscope to all this. The House has since launched an impeachment inquiry.* *We saw the complaint from the whistleblower, a CIA officer who originally flagged this phone call. The whistleblower saw it as the White House trying to solicit foreign interference in the 2020 election.* *And accuses the admin of trying to cover it up - not the first time he's said politically sensitive transcripts like this were buried.* *Meanwhile, the acting director of national intelligence had to explain why he at first didn't share the complaint with Congress. The DOJ didn't require him to, arguing it wasn't an "urgent concern."* Remember, *Trump is only the fourth president to face an impeachment inquiry. So things are about as dramatic as you'd expect. The House GOP leader accused Dems of launching the impeachment process "without one bit of evidence."* Trump says *whoever helped the whistleblower is basically a spy, and seemed to reminisce about the "old days" when spies were handled "a little differently"* - which some people took as witness intimidation. And *over 90% of Dems support (or are open to supporting) the impeachment process.* ============================================== *the EPA accused the Golden State of failing to meet water quality standards, tying it to the homelessness crisis there. CA is home to the largest homeless population of any state, with 70,000 people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco and LA county alone.* *The EPA says the state isn't doing enough to counter the effects homelessness may have on "human health and the environment." One example: human waste on sidewalks that can contaminate nearby water.* *The agency's giving CA 30 days to respond to these concerns. This comes on the heels of multiple clashes between the admin and the state. And CA's governor thinks this move is President Trump trying to "attack his political opponents."*

10/30 - Lebanon,

*Lebanese PM Saad Hariri said he's resigning after almost two weeks of protests. They started over a proposed tax on apps like WhatsApp but soon turned into anti-gov protests, with many frustrated over the country's looming economic crisis and high levels of corruption.* Hariri tried to address protesters' concerns by *offering reforms, including cutting gov officials' salaries - but protesters weren't impressed. So yesterday he said he's stepping down. While protesters may be celebrating, this isn't expected to improve the economic situation, and could shake up the political situation for better or worse.* ================================================= *Alabama's abortion law. Yesterday, a federal judge temporarily blocked the law, which would have banned abortions except for cases when the mother's life is at risk. It's the country's most restrictive abortion ban passed this year and was set to go into effect next month.* But *like the eight other abortion restriction bills that states passed this year, it's been blocked from going into effect, at least for now.* ========================================== The effects of climate change. Researchers say that *300 million people live in places that could experience annual floods by 2050 - reportedly more than three times as many as previously thought. Countries in Asia (think: Bangladesh, India, and China) may be especially at risk of rising sea levels.* *One country that's already been adjusting: Indonesia. It's moving its capital from Jakarta to a new capital city on Borneo island, in part because Jakarta is sinking.* ================================== *"Ok boomer" is Gen Z's response to criticisms from older generations. From climate change to economic inequality, Gen Zers are sick and tired of being pushed aside*. Meet, Gen Z-ero time for bullsh*t.

10/21 - Lebanon, Chile, Brexit/Chick Fil A

*Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri reportedly agreed to a set of reforms to calm a wave of unrest in the country.* *What's the unrest about? The country is suffering an economic crisis, with high unemployment and debt. Last week, Hariri introduced new austerity measures, including a proposed tax on apps like WhatsApp - which seriously upset people there.* For days, thousands of protesters have turned out across the country, calling to replace the current gov that many see as corrupt. *Who will blink first? The government. Yesterday, Hariri reportedly agreed on a set of reforms to help the dire economic conditions, including a salary cut for presidents, ministers, and lawmakers. And the privatization of the country's telecoms sector. The changes could be approved at a cabinet meeting today.* ============================= *Violent protests are continuing in Chile, despite the gov's attempts to stop them* *What's this about? Earlier this month, a subway fare hike went into effect, reportedly increasing ride costs by 4%.* *Students started protesting the hike and were joined by thousands more. Over the weekend, protesters clashed with police officers and set stores on fire. At least seven people were killed, and dozens injured.* *The president scrapped the fare hike, and the gov declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew.* But that didn't stop protesters, who are fighting against what they call rising costs of living. ================================== *Over the weekend, UK lawmakers decided to delay a vote on Johnson's Brexit deal. As a result, Johnson (by law) had to ask the EU for a three-month Brextension.* *Note: Johnson has not been subtle about the fact that he wants to exit the EU ASAP. With or without a deal in place. He's hoping he can still make it happen by Oct 31. Because if the gov can't reach a deal in three years, somehow it'll figure it out in the next 10 days.* ...Oh and that's not all that's going on across the pond. *The UK's first Chick-fil-A closed days after opening because of pushback over the company's donations to anti-LGBTQ+ groups* - something it's faced backlash for in the US too.

9/6 - Michigan State, Mugabe

*Michigan State University's Department of Education is fining the school for failing to protect students from Larry Nassar while he was a sports doctor there.* *The department had launched two investigations into how the school handled reports against Nassar - who was sentenced to up to 175 years in prison for sexually abusing dozens of women and girls* *The gov found that Michigan State failed to respond to reports of sexual misconduct against him. Now, Michigan State has to pay a record $4.5 million fine*. Education Sec Betsy DeVos says that this "must not happen again there or anywhere else." *Add that to the $500 million the school already agreed to pay to settle lawsuits with more than 300 women who say they were abused by Nassar.* ============================== *Robert Mugabe, the former prime minister and president of Zimbabwe has died at age 95. Mugabe had led the country for almost four decades*, ever since it gained independence from Britain in 1980. *In that time, he ended white-minority rule in the country but was later known to use violence to stay in power*. *Two years ago - as the country's economy was collapsing - Mugabe was forced to resign. Since then, he's believed to have traveled to Singapore for medical treatments*, though it's not clear what he suffered from. *His successor, President Emmerson Mnangagwa, confirmed his death.* ========================= *The FDA, CDC and others have been looking into hundreds of possible cases of respiratory illnesses across the US tied to e-cigarettes.* It's still unclear what exactly is causing all of those illnesses. But officials may have a breakthrough: *for cases involving e-cigarettes for weed, the oil used for vaping includes an ingredient derived from Vitamin E* It's not known to cause problems when you use it in things like skin treatments or supplements. But when you inhale it, *it can decompose and then cool and sit in your lungs* ========================== *Hurricane Dorian, the Category 1 storm has been moving along the coast of the Carolinas, sending rain, winds, and even tornadoes onto the coast.* *It's left hundreds of thousands of people there without power. Meanwhile, the death toll from the storm has gone up in the Bahamas, where it hit earlier this week.* *At least 30 people have been killed - and officials expect that number to rise* ========== India preparing for moon landing

9/10 - NRA, British Airways, UK

*NRA sued San Francisco after the city's board of supervisors declared the group a "terrorist organization" last week.* *The board had argued that the NRA promotes terrorist activity by advocating that Americans - including those who might carry out acts of terror - have access to weapons.* But the NRA dismissed the move as a political stunt and said *it would continue advocating for "the constitutional rights of all freedom-loving Americans." Now, less than a week after SF's move, the NRA is hitting back with a lawsuit.* *And accusing city officials of violating its free-speech rights by trying to blacklist people associated with the NRA.* =================================== Yesterday, *pilots for British Airways went on strike over a pay dispute. The strike - which is expected to impact travel for close to 200,000 passengers - is supposed to end today*, but *another one is expected later this month. It's the first pilot strike in the company's 100-year history.* ================================= *Parliament is going on break until mid-October after PM Boris Johnson moved to give lawmakers less time to agree on - or delay - Brexit next month.* *Meanwhile, the House of Commons Speaker [John Bercow] - who hasn't seen eye-to-eye with the PM - is retiring on October 31* ...Oh and in case you thought the drama was over across the pond, *UK lawmakers voted against the PM's request for a snap election. For the second time.*

9/20 - Vaping, Trudeau, Birds, Colt, Disney Diversity

*Officials said the FDA has launched a criminal probe into what's causing the vaping-related lung illness that's killed at least eight people.* *Authorities still don't know what's behind the outbreak. That's because there's no consistent product, substance, or brand identified in all cases. The investigation is focusing on where people are getting these vaping products and trying to identify more information about the products used.* The CDC says that *the number of cases has jumped to 530, up from 380 last week. The cases are in 38 states and the US Virgin Islands. Almost three-fourths of those who got sick are male and more than half are under 25. Authorities are warning that because some of the illnesses are so severe, more deaths are expected.* ===================================== *A photo surfaced of the Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau wearing brownface makeup in 2001 at an "Arabian Nights"-themed party.* *Trudeau apologized and agreed that the photo is racist. He also said 'by the way...it's not the only time I did it.' And said he wore blackface while singing a Jamaican folk song in high school.* *Yesterday, a video of him in blackface from the early 1990s emerged. Trudeau said that despite his past, he's still an ally. Now it's up for the voters to decide in next month's election.* ================================== *The US and Canada have lost nearly 3 billion birds since 1970. That's a 29% decline in bird populations.* There are several reasons why this could be happening, including *habitat loss and wider use of pesticides. And scientists say this points to a "widespread ecological crisis." What could help: policy changes such as banning harmful pesticides and properly funding conservation programs.* ================================== *The gun-maker Colt said its pausing production on AR-15s and other rifles for civilians - but will still make them for the military and law enforcement.* *Reminder: AR-15-style rifles have been used in mass shootings like Newtown, CT and Parkland, FL. Colt says it's still "committed to the Second Amendment" and that this is purely a business decision.* ============================ *Disney's 'Elena of Avalor' is introducing a Latina Jewish princess who celebrates Hanukkah*

Mon 9/9 - US-Taliban Peace, Hong Kong, Bosnia

*Peace talks between the US and the Taliban are over.* For almost a year now, the *two sides had been working on a peace deal in an effort to end the nearly 18-year war in Afghanistan. Last week, they seemed to reach a deal "in principle": the US would reportedly withdraw all remaining 14,000 troops from the country*. And in exchange, the *Taliban wouldn't let terror groups use Afghanistan as a base to launch attacks abroad.* *The deal is off. Over the weekend, President Trump took to Twitter to say that he'd called off peace talks. And canceled a secret meeting with Taliban leaders and the Afghan president at Camp David in Maryland.* *Camp David, or the presidential retreat was used to help set up a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel in the '70s*, among other major peace talks. So it has a ton of history to it. But *Trump canceled the meeting after the Taliban claimed responsibility for last week's attack in Kabul that killed 12 people, including a US soldier*. *Trump took issue with the Taliban's use of violence as an apparent negotiating tactic, asking "what kind of people would kill so many in order to seemingly strengthen their bargaining position?"* *Many were outraged that the Trump admin would even allow Taliban leaders on US soil in the first place, especially days before the 18th anniversary of 9/11.* *The Taliban said that canceling the meeting will show the US's "anti-peace stance" - all while the group threatened more attacks.* *And Afghanistan's gov blamed the Taliban for the canceled meeting, saying the violence was making peace talks difficult.* The US invaded Afghanistan after 9/11 to end the Taliban's rule and take down al-Qaeda there ================================== *Yesterday, tens of thousands of protesters marched to the US Consulate in Hong Kong*. Since June, *protesters have been calling on Hong Kong's leader to resign after she supported a bill that would have allowed some criminals to be extradited to mainland China. She's since said she'll withdraw that bill* *Now protesters are asking for the US's support. Specifically, they want Congress to pass a bipartisan bill that would punish China if it messes with freedoms in Hong Kong*. *The bill has been intro'd in the House, but it's unclear if Congress - which is back in session this week - will take it up.* ================================ *The conservative country Bosnia held its first Pride parade. Unlike dozens of countries, Bosnia doesn't criminalize homosexuality - but anti-gay sentiment is still widespread.* *This weekend, thousands defied threats of violence and showed up for the parade, while hundreds turned out to counter-protest. More than 1,000 police officers were on hand to ensure no one got hurt - and no one did.* *It's seen as a big win for LGBTQ+ rights there, and also for Bosnia's government - which is trying to join the EU.* This event in particular was largely seen as a test of whether Bosnia's gov can protect minority rights.

10/2 - Peru, Amber Guyger

*Peru is in the middle of its worst political crisis in decades. Peru's been plagued by corruption for years, most recently with a scandal involving Odebrecht - the Brazilian construction company that paid millions of dollars in bribes to win public works contracts in places like Peru.* *The four most recent presidents have been implicated in the scandal, and the main opposition party leader is in jail over her alleged involvement.* *Recently, lawmakers have tried to rush to replace six of the seven judges on the country's top court - something Vizcarra disagrees with. Not surprising since several of the nominees are reportedly facing charges as serious as kidnapping and extortion.* *Earlier this week, lawmakers went ahead with their plan and voted in a new member of the court. Vizcarra took it as a de facto vote of no-confidence and dissolved Congress.* *They're accusing him of violating Peru's constitution. So they said 'two can play that game,' voted to suspend him from office for a year, and nominated the VP to take his place. The VP was sworn in...then reportedly resigned. But for a minute there, technically there were two presidents* *Even though some think Vizcarra violated the constitution, others say that Congress shut down before it suspended him, meaning its vote is meaningless. Okay...so what happens now?* It's possible that *the top court will have to play middleman between Vizcarra and lawmakers. But Vizcarra is very popular there (Congress is...not), and people turned out to rally in support of him this week. Plus the military has thrown its weight behind him. So it's possible he could keep the gig until a new presidential election is held.* ============================================ *Amber Guyger, the former Dallas police officer was found guilty of murder for shooting her black neighbor Botham Jean. Last year, Guyger walked up to Jean's apartment and found the door unlocked.* *Guyger claims that she thought the apartment was hers and that Jean was an intruder. Jean was unarmed and eating ice cream when he was fatally shot.* *The shooting was another case that highlighted white police officers using fatal force against unarmed black people in the US. Guyger was convicted of murder - a rare conviction in a high-profile police shooting - and faces anywhere from five to 99 years in prison.*

10/23 - Trump Lynching

*President Trump compared the House's impeachment inquiry into him to a "lynching."* The comment sparked pushback from people across the political spectrum, and many were quick to remind the president that *a congressional inquiry is nothing like the thousands of racially motivated murders against black people in the 19th and 20th centuries.* *The White House said Trump wasn't comparing the inquiry to "one of our darkest moments in American history." And that he was explaining "the way he's been treated by the media."* The impeachment inquiry is still moving ahead. Yesterday, *a top US diplomat in Ukraine testified on Capitol Hill and said he was told that military aid to Ukraine would be released if the country publicly announced an investigation into the Bidens and the 2016 election.* *The White House called this "a coordinated smear campaign" and said there wasn't any quid pro quo.* ================================= *UK lawmakers approved PM Boris Johnson's deal to leave the EU in principle. But they rejected the timeline they had to approve all the terms and conditions. Because no one likes to be rushed.* *The European Council president also said he'll recommend giving the UK a three-month extension, meaning it's not likely Brexit will happen by next week's deadline.* =============================== *The head of Boeing's commercial airplanes. is the first high-level employee to be ousted as a result of the scandal over two deadly 737 Max plane crashes.* ...Oh and he's not the only one writing a sign-off email. Yesterday, *it was announced the CEOs of Nike and Under Armour are stepping down.* ============================ *"Catch and Kill" is A tactic in which publications buy the rights to a story, and never publish it. Essentially burying it.* *The idea is to protect the subject of the story from negative press. It's also the name of Ronan Farrow's new book.* He spoke to us about the investigative process behind breaking one of the Harvey Weinstein stories

10/8 - Syria, Climate Change

*President Trump is dealing with the aftermath of his major policy shift in northeastern Syria. the Trump admin said that Turkey would soon move ahead with an operation in Syria and that the US would stay out of it...raising alarm bells about what that means for US-backed Kurds there.* The *Kurds - an ethnic group in the region - have been a key US ally in the fight against ISIS. And have gained control of territory in northeastern Syria. But Turkey - a NATO ally - sees them as a terror threat. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has long threatened a military operation in Syria to take them down.* But *a statement from the White House Sunday seemed to give Turkey's operation the green light. Trump defended the call, saying he was elected on pulling the US out of "ridiculous endless wars" and that it's time to "bring our soldiers home." But there was pushback.* Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. But especially *Republicans. Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said the move would benefit Russia, Iran, ISIS, and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) threatened to intro a resolution in the Senate to oppose the "shortsighted and irresponsible" plan and ask for a reversal.* On top of that, *former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said leaving Kurds "to die is a big mistake." Overall, many are worried the US is abandoning a key ally and that doing that could bolster the chances of ISIS making a comeback.* Trump has also sent some mixed signals on where he stands. *He said that if Turkey does anything that his "great and unmatched wisdom" thinks is too much, the US will destroy Turkey's economy. The Pentagon said that the US doesn't condone a Turkish attack in northeastern Syria.* ================================== *Climate change protesters, hundreds of people were arrested in London and across the world. The British-based group behind these protests - Extinction Rebellion - blocked traffic to demand more action on the issue.* *The org was started last year and has since succeeded where Brexit has not: getting the UK to do something. It has called on the gov to commit to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2025*, among other goals. *After protests and meetings with British officials in the spring, the UK Parliament declared a climate emergency. It also became the first major economy to commit to net-zero emissions by 2050 - a timeframe that will still require major infrastructure changes.* Stay tuned: more protests like this are scheduled over the next two weeks.

10/4 - Medicare, Ukraine

*President Trump just said to Dems, 'I see your Medicare for All pitch and raise you this executive order.' Medicare is a gov program that provides health insurance to Americans age 65 and over, as well as some younger people with disabilities. In 2016, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) pushed the idea of Medicare for All - expanding Medicare to everyone and eliminating most private health insurance. Since then, progressive Dems have jumped on board. Yesterday, Trump signed an executive order to fight back on the issue.* *The focus is on Medicare Advantage - plans that people who qualify for Medicare can get through private health insurance providers like Aetna and Blue Cross Blue Shield. Roughly a third of the 60 million people on Medicare use these plans. The gov pays those companies a fixed amount to help cover people who may want access to more services. This executive order is designed to strengthen Medicare Advantage.* *It reportedly directs the gov to cover more things for people who opt into it - like adult day care. It's also trying to lower costs for procedures that take place in hospitals as opposed to doctor's offices.* They haven't yet. But t*he president is getting called out for framing the issue as Democrats trying to take away Americans' health care benefits, when they haven't advocated for that. Some Dem candidates (like Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)) would effectively get rid of private insurance. But other Dems (like former VP Joe Biden and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)) support the idea of a public option for those who want it.* ============================================= *In case you forgot, there's now an impeachment inquiry against Trump that centers on a phone call between him and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy this summer. New reports say Trump ordered the removal of the US ambassador to Ukraine over concerns that she was biased against him and could have blocked efforts to get Ukraine to investigate former VP Joe Biden.* *And newly released texts show that US officials worked with a Ukrainian official to get Ukraine to publicly commit to an investigation in exchange for a DC visit. But forget Ukraine for a second, because Trump is now openly suggesting that Chinese President Xi Jinping investigate Biden and his son Hunter.* *This is Trump's third known instance of encouraging foreign govs to investigate or take on a political rival (see: Russia, Ukraine, and now China).*

9/30 - HK Protests, Russia, Lebanon

*Protests in Hong Kong got violent over the weekend ahead of China's National Day. Nope. Protests have been going strong for 17 straight weekends. It all started in June over a proposed bill that would've allowed some criminal suspects to be extradited to mainland China.* *Cue people freaking out over China's growing influence before it gets full control of the semi-autonomous territory in 2047. Earlier this month, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam withdrew the bill. But protesters said 'we need more' (think: her resignation letter and democratic reforms).* *Over the weekend, thousands turned out in demonstrations that turned violent. Protesters set fires and threw bricks and petrol bombs, and police fired tear gas and water cannons. ==================================== Yesterday, *thousands turned out in Moscow to call for the release of opposition activists. Over the summer, election authorities in Moscow banned some opposition candidates from running in the city council election.* *The reason: they allegedly didn't have enough signatures to qualify. Worth noting that a pro-Kremlin party controlled all of the council seats, and all were up for grabs.* *Back in July, tens of thousands of people took to the streets calling for free and fair elections. More than 1,300 were arrested, and while many were eventually released, several are still being held. Yesterday - a few weeks after the election - about 20,000 people protested in favor of freeing those who are still detained.* ======================================= *People in Lebanon are taking a stand over the economic crisis there. That's what we're here for. The country is one of the most indebted in the world. Specifically, it owes more than 150% of its GDP. That's reportedly led to a number of issues, including financial problems (like a shortage of hard currency) and infrastructure problems (like power cuts and limited water supply)*. *Critics put the blame on government mismanagement and corruption. And some are calling for gov leaders to leave office.*

9/11 - CIA & Russia, Bolton

*Russian officials are doing damage control after reports that a CIA spy had infiltrated the Russian government. This week, reports came out that the *CIA recruited a Russian official more than a decade ago. The spy had managed to get high up in the Kremlin, working directly with a foreign policy aide for President Vladimir Putin* *He reportedly got info on the Kremlin's interference in the US's 2016 presidential election - helping the US intelligence community conclude that Putin himself ordered the DNC hack.* There *started to be concerns for his safety back in 2016, after the Obama admin said Russia was behind the DNC hack.* *They grew after a May 2017 meeting between President Trump and Russia's foreign minister, in which Trump is believed to have shared highly classified info. CNN says that meeting caused intel officials to "renew earlier discussions about the potential risk of exposure."* *So in 2017, the US got the spy out of Russia in a secret operation.* There is. And *some elements of these reports are disputed. For example, the Trump admin is denying that the president's actions led to this spy getting pulled out of Russia. And Russia is downplaying the amount of access this man had*, specifically *claiming that he didn't have contact with Putin. In any case: multiple reports have said that he had reached some of the highest levels of the Russian government.* ============================== *John Bolton, The national security adviser is out, though it's not exactly clear whose terms that was on. He was the third national security adviser under the Trump admin (remember Michael Flynn and HR McMaster? #tbt).* *Bolton was known for his hawkish stances on Iran and North Korea. He and President Trump had disagreed over those and other issues. And recently, they butted heads over Trump's effort to work things out with the Taliban.* *Trump said he'll appoint someone to take over next week, opening up questions about what direction the US's foreign policy will take.* *Bolton's exit comes the same day that the Trump admin announced an executive order expanding how the US conducts counterterrorism sanctions*. Among other things, it *allows the US to sanction terror group leaders without having to tie them to specific terror acts.* =============================== ...Oh and in news making Trump happy, *two Republicans won House seats in North Carolina's special election in a race Trump won back in 2016 (NC-9 & NC-3)* but had since become especially tight.

9/11 - Sahar Khodayari (Blue Girl) and Antonio Brown, Apple, credit score

*Sahar Khodayari aka "Blue Girl." disguised herself as a man wearing a blue outfit to sneak into a soccer stadium in Iran...because women there are banned from attending men's games.* She was arrested and detained. Last week, apparently *after finding out she could face six months in prison, she set herself on fire.* *She died from her injuries this week, prompting many around the world to speak out against what happened to her. One female Iranian lawmaker reportedly said "we are all responsible."* ============================ *Football player Antonio Brown - who recently joined the New England Patriots - was accused of rape by his former trainer. In her lawsuit, she says Brown had raped her last year, after two other instances of sexual assault.* *Brown's lawyers say his actions were consensual. The Patriots said in a statement that "we take these allegations very seriously," adding that the NFL told the team it'll be investigating.* =========================== *Apple announced its new lineup of products. For those counting, we're now up to iPhone 11, which comes in three models*. *Not everyone's a fan of the design...but they can take a bite out of Apple's new iPad and Watch. Oh, and mark your cals for Nov. 1: that's when Apple is set to launch its new streaming service.* ===================== *Ranging from 300 to 850, the average FICO credit score just hit an all-time high of 706. You can thank better overall financial health fueled by a decade of steady economic growth for that. Score.* ========================== *Ms. Monopoly is part of the new version of Monopoly where women get paid more than men when they pass 'go.' Now that's a game we can get on board with.*

9/19 - Iran, Trudeau

*Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said last weekend's attack against Saudi Arabia constitutes an "act of war." Over the weekend, projectiles hit two key oil facilities in Saudi Arabia. The attack targeted the world's largest oil processing plant and cut Saudi Arabia's oil production in half - about 5% of the world's daily oil supply.* The country's oil output is expected to be back to what it was by the end of the month. That's the key question. *The Houthis - Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen - said 'hi, that was us.' But the US and Saudi Arabia aren't buying it. They blame Iran directly, saying that physical and satellite evidence show this attack came from there. That the weapons were Iranian-made.* *And that the level of sophistication from this attack is far beyond the Houthis' capabilities. Iran's got one motto: 'deny, deny, deny.'* *President Trump ordered the Treasury Department to ramp up sanctions on Iran. Meanwhile, Pompeo has called the attack an "act of war." Language like this could ramp up the pressure on the US to respond with something potentially more serious than sanctions* (like military action). At first, Trump said the US is "locked and loaded." But yesterday, he seemed to walk that back a bit. ================================================ *TIME magazine obtained a photo of Canada's prime minister Justin Trudeau wearing brownface makeup in 2001. The picture was taken at an 'Arabian Nights'-themed party at a private school where he was teaching at the time. In response to the photo surfacing*, Trudeau apologized for his actions, agreed that the photo is racist, and said it "was a dumb thing to do." *This all came out as Canada is preparing for a general election next month. And after another political scandal this year accused Trudeau and his aides of trying to help a company avoid prosecution.*

10/31 - Federal Reserve, Fiat Chrysler

*The Federal Reserve. Yesterday, it cut interest rates for the third time this year. The goal: give the US economy a boost amid a global economic slowdown. But the Fed also hinted that it'll likely slow its roll with cuts in the near future.* That's because *issues that led to previous cuts - like the US-China trade war and Brexit - seem to be on the mend.* ================================== ...Oh and speaking of costumes, *Fiat Chrysler and PSA are going as a couple this year. Today, the two announced they were merging to create the world's fourth largest automaker.* ==================================== *Juul. The e-cigarette company is being accused of selling at least 1 million tainted nicotine pods.* Earlier this week, *a former exec sued the company for allegedly firing him after he raised flags about the "contaminated" pods. The company called the allegations "baseless." All this comes amid a vaping crisis that has been tied to hundreds of illnesses and 34 deaths across the US.* ==================================== *The Washington Nationals. Last night, they beat the Houston Astros in Game 7 of the World Series. It's the Nats' first title in franchise history. And say 'hey, pitcher, pitcher' to the new World Series MVP: pitcher Stephen Strasburg.* ====================================== *Person to know: Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman. The top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council who listened in on that July 25 phone call between President Trump and Ukraine's president. Earlier this week, he testified that he tried to revise the transcript to include details he says were omitted.* Next steps: Today, *the House is expected to hold a formal vote on how to go forward with the impeachment process. Dems think it'll pass.*

10/16 - IMF, Cuba Gooding Jr, Pixel 4

*The International Monetary Fund says that 2019 will have the weakest global economic growth since the 2008 financial crisis. Great way to start the day, right? A big reason for the downgrade is the US-China trade tensions.* *Even though both sides reached a temporary ceasefire on tariffs, they still haven't agreed on a formal deal. But the IMF is looking beyond 2019 too. Its crystal ball shows that the world economy will rebound a bit next year...but that the US economy will keep slowing down.* ======================================== *Cuba Gooding Jr. the actor pleaded not guilty to charges of sexual misconduct. But he's not in the clear yet. Prosecutors say they want to call 12 other women to testify against him.* *Their allegations range from 2001 to 2018 and involve similar behavior to what he's currently on trial for. His lawyer says he is "absolutely dumbfounded" by the allegations.* ===================================== *Google's new phone the Pixel 4 has its futuristic features. Including radar tech that can detect your movements without touching the phone for easier communication. Because actually touching your phone is so 2018.* ================================= *Chipotle expanding tuition assistance programs*

8/28 - Levandowski, Meek Mill, College Board

*The Justice Dept charged the former engineer Anthony Levandowski for allegedly stealing trade secrets from Google.* *Levandowski used to work on Google's self-driving cars, but he quit back in 2016, later teaming up with Uber. Surprise, Google caught wind of it and accused Levandowski (and Uber) of stealing its tech.* *Now the DOJ is backing Google up, accusing Levandowski of stealing around 14,000 confidential files. Levandowski's pleading not guilty.* Either way, let this be your reminder to always try to leave your job on good terms. And don't steal - even the pens. =============================== *Rapper Meek Mill pleaded guilty to a years-old gun charge, ending his involvement in the criminal justice system. Back in 2008, Meek - then 19 years old - was convicted on gun and drug charges, spending eight months in prison.* *A few years ago, he violated probation, sending him back to prison. Many spoke up in Meek's favor. Plot twist: it also came out that the officer who originally testified against him had credibility issues.* *Last month, Meek's 2008 conviction was overturned. He was granted a new trial but instead went with the plea deal, ending his case without additional prison time. As he said, "I'm extremely grateful that my long legal battle is finally behind me."* ============================== *The College Board said it was scrapping plans to try adding an "adversity score."* *The score would've let colleges know about things like the student's family income and nearby crime rates. The goal: give more context for what a student's dealing with beyond the test.* But some educators and parents didn't like the idea of trying to quantify a student's circumstances. Now the College Board is saying 'we hear you.'

10/8 - NBA, HIV

*The NBA is getting slammed for how it's handled its multi-billion-dollar relationship with China. Last week, the Houston Rockets' general manager tweeted in support of the ongoing pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. He then quickly hit 'delete' and the NBA apologized. Turns out, this whole thing ticked off...everyone.* *On one side, Chinese partners suspended ties with the Rockets, sponsors in China pulled their money, and China's state broadcaster canceled plans to air NBA preseason games being played in China. On the other, US lawmakers are calling the league out for what they see as stifling free speech and prioritizing money over human rights.* ============================================ *California's governor signed a law that lets pharmacies dispense HIV prevention pills without a doctor's prescription, and supporters say it's the first state to do so. That includes both pre- and post-exposure medications (aka PrEP and PEP).* *The law also bans insurance companies from making patients get approval to get the drugs. Supporters hope this will remove barriers for people who may need the meds (like having to wait for a doctor's appointment) and help end the stigma around the drugs.* ============================== *the Nobel Prize in medicine went to three scientists who helped discover how cells adapt to oxygen levels. ICYMI, oxygen is everything to us aerobic organisms. Knowing how cells respond to changing oxygen levels may have big implications for diseases where oxygen plays a big role, like cancer, heart attacks, and anemia.*

9/16 - Kavanaugh

*The New York Times dropped a report with new details about sexual misconduct allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.* *His confirmation process was overtaken by misconduct allegations, which he denied* *In one, Deborah Ramirez - a former classmate of Kavanaugh's at Yale - accused him of pulling down his pants at a party and thrusting himself at her. Kavanaugh denied this happened and said if it did it would have been "the talk of campus."* *Turns out, at least seven people reportedly say they remember hearing about the incident. In addition, the Times piece - adapted from an upcoming book - also covered a new allegation involving another female student in an allegedly similar situation*. A witness told the FBI and senators about the allegation, but the FBI didn't investigate. ----------- *Several Democrats running for president have called for Kavanaugh's impeachment. President Trump came to Kavanaugh's defense, calling the allegations "lies" and suggesting he sue for libel.* ===================================== *New York is set to become the second state after Michigan to ban the sale of flavored e-cigs. At least six people have already died from a vaping-related lung illness.* This comes days after the Trump admin announced plans to ban all non-tobacco flavors. ======================================== *An FDA advisory committee wants the agency to approve a treatment for peanut allergies in children. It's the most common food allergy in the US and can lead to life-threatening reactions.* *This treatment wouldn't get rid of the allergy, but would gradually expose children to doses of peanut protein to build up a tolerance, which could help them avoid severe reactions in the future. If the agency approves it, it would be the first FDA-approved drug for this type of allergy. It's expected to make a decision by January.* ============================================ *Felicity Huffman, the actress was sentenced to 14 days in prison for her role in the college admissions scandal. While she apologized to students "who work hard every day to get into college," some have brought up issues within the criminal justice system, highlighting the severe sentences people of color have gotten for similar crimes.* ================= *MOVIEPASS SHUT DOWN*

9/17 - Solomon Islands, Mid East

*The Solomon Islands' government severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan to cozy up with China. Reminder: China claims self-governed Taiwan as its territory.* *But in 2016, a pro-independence candidate became president of Taiwan. Since then, a number of Taiwan's allies have gone to Team China. Now the Solomon Islands - which had been allied with Taiwan for over three decade* - is reportedly the first country from the Pacific to leave Taiwan hanging. *Only 16 countries now recognize Taiwan.* =============================================== *Saudi Arabia said yesterday Iranian weapons were used in an attack on its oil facilities this past weekend.* *Although Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attack, the US has intel that seems to show the attack originated from Iran.* *While US oil prices spiked, President Trump said 'deep breaths, everyone' - and that the US won't be affected since it has "tremendous amounts of oil."* =============================================== *Yesterday, "Saturday Night Live" Shane Gillis fired the new cast member who was set to start on the show's next season. This was following days of controversy over his use of racial and homophobic slurs.* ====================================== *Tony Bennett, the Virginia head basketball coach was given a raise ... then he turned it down*. *Bennett asked that financial investments be made to improve the basketball program he's run for a decade, and other sports under the school's athletic program.*

9/12 - SCOTUS, Vaping, K2-18b, Kindergarten

*The Supreme Court gave the Trump admin the go-ahead to enforce its new rule barring most Central American migrants from seeking asylum in the US. A record number of people have tried to seek asylum in the US earlier this year - and the Trump admin has been trying to curb the flow of migrants.* A few months ago, the admin said 'new rule': *people who leave their country and don't claim asylum in a country they pass through don't qualify for asylum once they reach the US-Mexico border. This applies overwhelmingly to people from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.* *At first a lower court barred that rule from taking effect while it was challenged in the courts. But the Supreme Court is giving it the green light for now, while it still faces court challenges. It's the biggest change to US asylum policy in decades.* ==================================== *The Trump admin said it plans to ban most flavored e-cigarettes.* This came after news that *the sixth person in the US died from a vaping-related lung illness. Officials are investigating at least 450 similar cases across 33 states.* *Now, President Trump - along with the FDA and HHS - said the federal gov is working on rules over the next couple weeks to remove all non-tobacco flavors from the e-cig market* The goal is to *discourage kids, teens, and young adults - who are vaping in massive numbers - from taking up a potentially dangerous habit.* ====================================== *This planet K2-18b has water vapor in the atmosphere*. It's a big deal because *water, as we all know, is liiiife. And although astronomers have made similar discoveries before, this is the first such planet found in a so-called habitable zone* - a sweet spot that's not too close, not too far from a star. *Meaning, the temp is just right (which is apparently between -100°F and 150°F). But before you pack up to leave Earth, be aware that it's 110 light-years away. Researchers are hoping that a fancy new telescope will help them learn more about conditions there.* ===================================== *Boston is giving public school kindergartners there a savings account with $50 in it to help pay for college or career training down the road.*

9/27 - Refugees, Peloton, McDonald's, Income Inequality

*The Trump admin plans to cut the number of refugees allowed to resettle in the US over the next year from 30,000 to a record low 18,000. The State Dept says the country's immigration system needs to be alleviated before it can let in more refugees*, pointing to the influx of migrants coming to the US-Mexico border. *But critics say the US is ditching its moral responsibility to take in those who are forced to flee their homes.* =========================================== *Peloton, the company that charges an arm and a leg for a spin bike and treadmill went public - and had a rough first day of trading.* But it's not alone. *2019 has been a year for tech IPOs - with some like Uber and Lyft having a bumpy ride and others like WeWork saying 'IPOh wait, we're gonna need a minute.'* =============================== *McDonald's. It's testing out a PLT - a 'plant, lettuce, tomato' sandwich. The star of the dish: the Beyond Meat patty (so hot right now). The sandwiches will debut next week...in Ontario, Canada. What a PLTease.* ================================ *Income inequality. New gov data shows it's at its highest level since the 1960s. There may be a few reasons why this is happening - including the stagnant federal minimum wage ($7.25/hour) and a decline in labor union participation.*

9/30 - Immigration, Elon Musk, Forever 21

*The Trump admin suffered multiple blows to its immigration crackdown. In one case, a federal judge blocked new rules that would have allowed the gov to detain migrant children with their parents indefinitely. In another, a federal judge reportedly blocked ICE from only using flawed databases to target immigrants. And finally, a third federal judge blocked the Trump admin's expansion of letting immigration officers deport migrants before they could appear in front of a judge.* ========================================== *The Trump admin is likely to fight back Impeachment. The impeachment inquiry into President Trump is still on everyone's lips, even Robert De Niro's.* *The latest: the US's special envoy for Ukraine resigned last week, without any explanation. And House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff says the whistleblower has agreed to testify before Congress "very soon." Stay tuned.* ========================================= *Elon Musk, the SpaceX CEO unveiled new details on the Starship spacecraft. It's designed to send people and cargo into the solar system (think: the moon, Mars, or just to orbit in space). And he's hoping it can reach orbit within six months. The company plans to test out new prototypes within the next few months.* To infinity and...Mars, apparently. ============================== *Forever 21. Your favorite retailer from college filed for bankruptcy and is planning to close up to 178 stores in the US. It says this move is an "important and necessary step to secure the future" of the company. Guess those $3 T-shirts weren't gonna last Forever (21)...*

9/4 - UK Parli, HK

*The UK Parliament is in shambles over...Brexit.* Yesterday, *21 members of the Conservative Party - the one UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson belongs to - went rogue and voted to take control of Parliament's agenda.* By taking control of the agenda, lawmakers may be able to pass a bill that would *force Johnson to ask the EU for an extension if there's no deal in place by the time Brexit kicks in.* They're expected to bring it to a vote today. Maybe. *It was originally supposed to happen back in March. But because no one could agree on how to make a smooth exit, it got delayed until Oct 31.* We know, spooky. Johnson wants to make it happen, with or without a deal. Last week, *he moved to suspend Parliament. That cut the amount of time lawmakers had to potentially slow him down or steer Brexit their own way.* * One lawmaker defected from the Conservative Party during Johnson's speech in the chamber. And the Conservative Party lost its majority.* *Now he seems to be into the idea of holding a snap election in mid-October to show the British people agree with him on making Brexit happen ASAP. But even if he wants it, he would need two-thirds of Parliament to sign off.* ======================= *Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam formally withdrew a controversial extradition bill that's led to months of protests. Reminder: Hong Kong is a former British colony that was handed back to China in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" deal.* *But China's been accused of trying to hack away at Hong Kong's independence. The bill would've allowed some criminal suspects to be extradited to mainland China.* *In June, an estimated millions of people took to the streets to demand it be withdrawn. And the protests - sometimes violent - have continued pretty much ever since.* *Lam had previously said the bill was "dead" but hadn't formally withdrawn it. It's unclear if this will get protesters to back down. They have a list of other demands, like democratic reforms for Hong Kong's gov and an investigation into police tactics against protesters.*

10/18 - Venezuela, Vaping, Suicide

*The UN General Assembly voted to let the country Venezuela onto the Human Rights Council. Big deal, because the council's 47 members set the tone on human rights issues around the world, and Venezuela doesn't exactly have the cleanest record* (read: it has a history of human rights abuses that orgs and even the UN raised red flags about). *Add this to the list of reasons some are skeptical that the council has credibility on human rights.* ============================= *Juul has suspended all sales of its fruit-flavored products in the US. Last month, amid a teen vaping epidemic, the Trump admin said it was working toward banning flavored e-cigarettes. Juul has already banned some flavored e-cigs in retail stores. Now they'll no longer be available online.* ================================= *The CDC found that the suicide rate for kids and young adults (ages 10-24) went up more than 50% between 2007 and 2017. Researchers aren't sure why this is happening. But some think a rise in depression and access to guns may be factors.* =========================== *Christina Koch and Jessica Meir. The first all-women spacewalk could happen as soon as today. Get excited. Or if you've been waiting for it for decades...stay excited.*

9/4 - UN, Walmart, Kroger, US Dollar

*The UN. Yesterday, it dropped a report saying that the US, UK, and France may be complicit in war crimes in Yemen. The years-long civil war there has turned into a proxy battle between Saudi Arabia (which supports the Yemeni gov) and Iran (which supports the Houthi rebels).* *The US, UK, and France have all backed the Saudi-led coalition by providing things like weapons and logistical support. Now, the UN - which has called the war in Yemen the world's worst humanitarian crisis - says that both sides may have committed war crimes.* *Saudi Arabia and co allegedly killed civilians and denied them food as a war tactic.* *Iran and co allegedly shelled populated areas and used children as soldiers.* Where do we go from here?: The report calls for *"the immediate cessation of all acts of violence" against civilians.* No word from the US or other countries on all this though. ============================= *Walmart said it'll stop selling ammunition for handguns and assault-style weapons.* *It will also stop selling handguns in the one state it still sells them (Alaska). And it's asking customers in states that allow "open carry" to not openly carry weapons in its stores.* *This comes after numerous mass shootings recently, including one last month at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, that left 22 people dead. Walmart's CEO says it's changing things up because "the status quo is unacceptable."* *But the company says it'll still sell weapons used for hunting.* * Kroger - the US's largest grocery chain - followed Walmart's decision in asking customers not to openly carry guns in its stores.* =================================== *The US dollar briefly hit a two-year high compared to other global currencies - like the Euro and pound - that have been struggling.*

9/26 - Juul, eBay

*The head of the US's leading e-cig company Juul is out after weeks of bad PR. Hundreds of people in the US have suffered from a vaping-related lung illness.* *Multiple states (hi, Michigan, New York) banned flavored e-cig sales. The Trump admin has said it was working on rolling out a ban nationwide.* *The latest: California's warning people not to vape, period. And Massachusetts is banning all vaping products for four months. Meanwhile, Juul is hitting pause on US advertising.* ========================================= *eBay. The company you still hope will take your Beanie Babies is going through a bit of a crisis. That's because of a little company called Amazon. Example: Last year, Amazon's North America revenue alone was reportedly 13 times more than eBay's total revenue. Now, the company's doing some high-level shuffling and saying 'eBye' to its CEO.* ======================================== *With more and more restaurants taking part in the plant-based food option craze, Walt Disney World will soon join the crowd. It comes at a time when Americans who identify as vegetarian or vegan is still less than 5 percent.* *Disney Parks announced Tuesday that all major quick and table-service restaurants at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort will soon be serving hundreds of plant-based options* — along with a new plant-based menu icon coming to Disney dining. ======================================== *Mattel is probably most known for its hyper-feminine Barbie dolls -- but now, they're making something a little bit different.* Mattel launched a line of *gender-inclusive dolls Wednesday, called "Creatable World." The line's premise is all about customization -- of hair, clothes and accessories -- creating a toy that isn't dictated by gender norms*

8/27 - Newark, G7, Indonesia, MTV, Serena

*The lead crisis in Newark, New Jersey. Yesterday, officials announced a $120 million plan to speed up the replacement of 18,000 lead service lines.* *Lead contamination has been an issue there for years - not because of the water source itself but because of aging lead pipes. Late last year, officials distributed water filters (like the kind used in Flint, Michigan) to try to help, but testing showed some of the filters weren't working properly.* *And the city had to distribute out bottled water. Now, officials want to borrow $120 million from the county to cut down the time it would take to replace the service lines from 10 years to under two and a half.* City and county officials are reportedly expected to vote on the proposal today. ====================== *World leaders at the G7 summit agreed to a $20 million aid package to help Brazil and neighboring countries fight fires in the Amazon rainforest. More details on the aid package will be presented next month at the United Nations General Assembly.* ==================== *Indonesia's president announced it's moving its capital from Jakarta to the island of Borneo.* *The decision comes as Jakarta is dealing with a number of issues, including the fact that it is sinking into the sea. Really.* ==================== *The MTV Video Music Awards. Here's what you missed: Missy Elliott, full stop, end of story. Lizzo was also good as hell. Taylor Swift won video of the year*, but John Travolta almost missed it. *And Lil Nas X got his first lil moon guy. Take that to your old town road.* =================== *Serena Williams beat Maria Sharapova in straight sets - the first-ever US Open meeting between the two.*

11/1 - Chicago Strike, Cystic Fibrosis, Disney+

*Today, more than 350,000 public school students are going back to class after an 11-day teachers strike. in Chicago.* Yesterday, the *union said it had reached a deal with the city on some of its demands, including a pay bump and more funding for smaller class sizes*. It also includes *more funding to add social workers and nurses to schools across the city. The teachers' union president called it "a contract we can believe in." Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) was less positive, saying that "a lot of harm that has been done to our young people."* ======================================== *This new cystic fibrosis treatment can target the genetic cause of the disease and help treat 90% of patients.* It's reportedly seen as a *major upgrade from previous treatments, which could only help a small fraction of patients. The FDA is so hopeful, it apparently signed off on the drug therapy five months early.* =========================== *Disney+ has an estimated 1 million+ early subscribers. Check+*

10/10 - Turkey, Matt Lauer

*Turkey did exactly what it said it was going to do which is Launch a military operation against the Kurds - an ethnic group in the region. The Kurds have been a key US ally in the fight against ISIS for years. And have gained control of territory in northeastern Syria.* *But Turkey sees them as a terror threat. Earlier this week, Turkey's president told President Trump that it was getting ready to launch a military operation against them. Trump pulled troops out of the area and said the US would stay out of it.* *There's been pushback from both sides of the aisle. Trump says it's time for the US to stay out of endless wars. But many Republicans have criticized the president for abandoning the Kurds. And warned this could lead to ISIS gaining ground again.* *Because thousands of ISIS fighters are being held by Kurdish forces there. And Kurdish forces have to now drop operations against ISIS to focus on fighting the Turkish offensive. Many are worried over who will take control of the about 11,000 ISIS prisoners. Trump is saying 'Turkey will take care of it'.* *Turkey launched airstrikes, fired artillery, and started a ground offensive against the Kurds. At least eight people have died, dozens have reportedly been injured, and thousands of civilians have fled. Kurdish forces are pleading with the US and other allies to impose a no-fly zone over the area in hopes of stopping airstrikes*, saying they're "defenseless." *Trump said the US "does not endorse this attack" but didn't signal if the US will help.* ================================================ *A former NBC staffer has accused the former "Today" show host Matt Lauer of rape. She had previously filed the complaint that led to Lauer being fired two years ago, though at the time NBC only described it as "inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace."* *Now a new Ronan Farrow book provides more detail about what allegedly happened. She says Lauer raped her in a hotel room during the 2014 Winter Olympics. And that she was too drunk at the time to provide consent.* *NBC News called it "appalling, horrific and reprehensible." Lauer defended himself, saying the encounter was consensual and that he "never assaulted anyone or forced anyone to have sex. Period."*

10/17 - Child P**n, HK, Sudoku

*US officials say they've arrested hundreds of suspected users of a dark web child porn site. The site - which was run from South Korea - contained more than 250,000 videos that could be accessed through bitcoin payments. More than 300 suspects were arrested in more than a dozen countries. Officials described it as one of the largest child porn operations, and reportedly called the suspects "the bottom feeders of the criminal world."* =================================== *Hong Kong. This week, the US House passed a bill supporting pro-democracy protesters there. For months, Hong Kong's been in a political crisis over concerns about China's growing influence in the territory. The crisis has even crept into the US (see: this).* *Earlier this week, tens of thousands of people turned out to call on US lawmakers to take a stand against China. The House said 'we got you' and passed a bill that pushes the US to impose sanctions on people who try to undermine Hong Kong's autonomy or abuse human rights there.* China isn't a fan (shocking, we know), and reportedly says it "grossly interferes in China's internal affairs." Now it's up to the Senate to vote on a version of the bill. ...Oh and that's not all. *Yesterday, the House voted to condemn President Trump's withdrawal of US troops in northern Syria.* ================================== *This new study. It shows that quieter brain activity (not sudoku) may help you live longer. But it's just one study - and since it hits 'reverse' on what we thought was the case, scientists are going to look into it further.*

10/4 - Vice, TripAdvisor, Bernie, Melinda Gates

*Vice Media. Yesterday, it said it bought female-focused Refinery29. The goal is to expand Vice's audience, up its revenue, and help it compete with the Googles and Facebooks of the world. Oh, and the deal is estimated at about $400 million...so add that to Vice's Money Diary.* =========================================== *TripAdvisor says it will no longer be selling tickets to places that breed or import captive whales and dolphins (think: SeaWorld). It's the latest update to the company's 2016 animal welfare policy. Be (Trip)Advised.* ================================= *Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). The presidential candidate was hospitalized this week and treated for a blocked artery. His campaign events are canceled until further notice.* ============================= *Melinda Gates. Yesterday, the billionaire philanthropist announced her plan to spend $1 billion over the next 10 years to help promote gender equality and expand women's influence in the US.*

10/1 - WeWork IPO, Heartburn medication, Rent the Runway, Vontaze Burfict

*WeWork announced it is withdrawing its IPO because it can't make it (We)Work right now. It's been on a rollercoaster over the last few months as it has been burning through cash and couldn't get potential investors on board.* The announcement comes days after its co-founder and CEO stepped down. ====================================== *CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid will stop selling Zantac and its generic version. The reason: the medicine may contain low levels of a cancer-causing chemical. The FDA is looking into the risk for patients, but hasn't warned people to stop taking the medication right now.* ============================ *...Oh and some people are pulling Rent the Runway from their wardrobe. The company isn't taking new customers as it tries to fix operational issues that have led to order delays and cancelations.* ============================ *Vontaze Burfict. The NFL suspended the Oakland Raiders linebacker for a helmet-to-helmet hit from over the weekend. The league pointed to his "repeated violations of unnecessary roughness rules." He'll be out for the rest of the regular season and playoff games - the longest-ever suspension for an on-field incident.*

10/25 - California, UK PM Boris, Brandon Taubman, TikTok

*Wildfires in both Northern and Southern California have burned thousands of acres and caused tens of thousands of residents to evacuate.* *The largest of the fires - Kincade Fire in Sonoma County - has already burned at least 16,000 acres. Yesterday, the state's largest utility PG&E confirmed that the fire started near one of its transmission towers.* It's still not clear what started it. But *PG&E has been shutting off hundreds of thousands of customers' power to reduce the risk of fires spreading amid the state's wildfire season - a precaution it's taking after its transmission lines caused the deadliest fire in CA history last year.* If you're in the area, pay attention to evacuation orders and stay safe. ==================================== *UK PM Boris Johnson is calling for a general election on Dec 12.* UK lawmakers haven't made this easy for him: first, *he was forced to ask the EU for a three-month Brexit delay. Then lawmakers agreed to his Brexit plan in principle, but wanted more time to review it.* *So the UK likely won't leave the EU on Halloween. That's a scary thought for Johnson, who's promised to make Brexit happen by then, with or without a deal.* But since things haven't turned out as planned, *he's giving lawmakers an ultimatum: "get Brexit done" within the next two weeks or schedule an election so other lawmakers could take this up. Parliament is expected to vote on whether to hold an early election on Monday.* =================================== *Brandon Taubman. The Houston Astros assistant GM was fired after being accused of verbally accosting female reporters over the weekend.* After an Astros win over the New York Yankees on Saturday, Taubman reportedly yelled at female reporters that he was glad the team had acquired relief pitcher Roberto Osuna - who'd been suspended for violating the MLB's domestic violence policy.* *The team denied the report was true, then admitted it and apologized. Now, Taubman is going, going, gone from his post.* ====================================== *TikTok. The video app your 15-year-old cousin is obsessed with may be a "counterintelligence threat." Two senators are calling on the intelligence community to investigate whether the Chinese-owned app is a national security risk and could be a target for election interference.*

9/19 - Interest Rates, Abortion, Guns, India

*Yesterday, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates down a notch (a quarter point) to try to boost the economy.* *Earlier this year, it cut interest rates for the first time since the 2008 financial crisis. The goal was to keep the economy looking good - but economists are split on that strategy.* *Now, it's doing it again to try to keep the good times going. And to keep threats - like trade tensions with China and slower economic growth around the world - at bay. The cut could affect things like mortgages and credit card rates.* ================================= *A new report says the US abortion rate in 2017 reached the lowest level since 1973, when the Supreme Court legalized abortion nationwide. It's unclear what's causing the drop.* *While there have been recent efforts to restrict abortion in certain states, there's no known link that it's affecting abortion rates. Researchers say that the declining fertility rate and growing use of contraceptives are more likely to be connected to the drop.* =================================== *A new report on guns in the US says that in 2017, the number of people who died by guns - almost 40,000 - outpaced the number of people who died in car accidents* for the first time ever. The report also found that *most gun deaths are from suicide and that young people and people in rural areas are especially affected by gun violence.* ===================================== *India announced a ban on e-cigarette sales. E-cigarettes were promoted as an alternative to smoking - which kills close to a million people each year. But there are concerns around the potential health impacts, as at least seven people have died in the US from a vaping-related lung illness. India has been paying attention*. *It has 106 million adult smokers, the second-highest in the world (behind China). And sees vaping as a gateway to cigarettes. Its ban covers production, import, and advertising of e-cigs. Offenders could face jail time of up to three years.* *...Oh and speaking of things that don't want anything to do with vaping right now, CBS and WarnerMedia dropped all e-cigarette advertising.* =================================== *This week Kroger will start selling longer-lasting avocados treated with a plant-based solution that helps slow down decay. The fruit will be available in about 1,100 of Kroger's nearly 2,800 stores. The grocery chain also plans to sell longer-lasting asparagus and limes in a Cincinnati pilot program. *

10/15 - Barcelona

*Yesterday, thousands turned out to protest in Barcelona against prison sentences for former Catalan separatist leaders. It's been about two years since Catalonia (the semi-autonomous region in Spain that includes Barcelona) held a referendum to break up with the rest of the country.* *To which Spain's government said 'sorry but that's unconstitutional.' A group of separatist leaders were thrown in jail as a result. Yesterday, the country's supreme court found nine of them guilty of sedition and sentenced them between nine and 13 years in prison. The decisions sparked protests around the region.* That's not all: *The court also issued a new arrest warrant for the former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont who's been in self-imposed exile in Belgium. In the past, the country has refused to extradite former Catalan politicians, so don't be surprised if it doesn't help Spain out again.* ================================================ *This doctored video shows President Trump shooting and assaulting news organizations, former President Obama, and the Black Lives Matter movement. To name a few.* *It was shown at a pro-Trump conference that Trump's son and the governor of Florida were scheduled to speak at. Trump hasn't been shy about his feelings toward the media, but this suggests that his rhetoric could be influencing supporters and inciting violence* - although the creator's identity isn't known. *The White House Correspondents Association said it was "horrified" by all this and urged the president to denounce the video. The White House said Trump hadn't seen it yet, but strongly condemns it.*

10/10 - Justice Dep Leaks, Germany

*a counterterrorism analyst was charged and arrested for allegedly leaking classified info to journalists. The Justice Dept says Henry Kyle Frese spilled secret details on a foreign country's weapons system to a journalist he was romantically involved with. And gave the journalist's colleague some other info.* *Back in August, law enforcement reportedly got the go-ahead from a court to tap his phone, and found calls and texts to the journalists. The department says Frese "was caught red-handed." It's the latest crackdown on gov leaks under the Trump admin.* =========================================== *a gunman shot and killed two people outside a synagogue there that was holding a service for Yom Kippur - the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Officials believe this was an anti-Semitic attack by a "right-wing extremist." And said he live-streamed it - reminding people of the deadly shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand earlier this year. All this comes as the number of anti-Semitic attacks in Germany have been on the rise in recent years.* ========================================== *California largest utility PG&E is shutting off power for about 2 million people over concerns that extreme winds and dry weather later this week could spark wildfires if they down power lines. The blackout could last for days. This comes months after state investigators found that PG&E power lines started last year's Camp Fire that killed 85 people - making it the state's deadliest wildfire.* ============================== *123456* *The most commonly used password in the world. As in, it's used by 23.2 million people.*

9/12 - Gig Econ, HUD, EPA

This week, *California passed a bill that could reshape the gig economy (think: companies like Uber, Lyft, and Postmates). Millions of people in the US do independent contract work, including in the ride-sharing and food delivery biz.* *That gives them flexibility to do things like work their own hours. But because they're not technically employees, they aren't guaranteed things like minimum wage and paid sick leave.* And some workers have been clear they're not about that life. But *California says it has a fix: it passed a bill that would classify certain contract workers as employees. The governor said he plans to sign it into law, but indicated he's open to negotiating with businesses.* ==================================== Earlier this week, *the House passed a bill that would require carbon monoxide detectors in public housing.* *An NBC report found that at least 13 public housing residents have died from carbon monoxide poisoning since 2003. Carbon monoxide can come from a variety of sources including gas ovens and cars.* The CDC recommends that people install detectors in their homes. But *it's not currently required by the Department of Housing and Urban Development in federally subsidized housing. HUD has said it would work on changing its rules, but reportedly wants Congress to help speed things up by passing a law.* ================================== *The Environmental Protection Agency says it plans to drastically cut down on animal testing. For decades, the EPA has apparently required chemical manufacturers (like pesticide-makers) to test on animals - like rats, dogs, and others - to show that they meet safety regulations.* *But researchers have increasingly been trying out alternative test methods like using lab-grown cells and computer modeling. Now - after a 2016 law pushed the EPA to reduce animal testing - it says it's going to cut studies involving animal testing by 30% by 2025 and eliminate all animal testing studies by 2035.* But after that, animals could still be used for testing on a case-by-case basis.

10/9 - Ukraine

Yesterday, *thousands in Ukraine's capital, Kiev, turned out to protest plans to hold elections in the eastern part of the country. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was elected earlier this year, in part for his pledge to end the five-year conflict there with Russian-backed separatists that has killed more than 13,000 people.* *Last week, Zelenskiy's gov signed a deal with Russia to hold elections in the rebel-held east and potentially give the region special status. It's seen as a promising breakthrough for peace. But protesters see this as Zelenskiy giving in too much to Russia.* *All this comes as Zelenskiy is dealing with the aftermath of his phone call with President Trump that's the center of the impeachment inquiry you've been hearing about.* *There's now apparently a new whistleblower. The lawyer representing the first whistleblower says another one spoke to the intel community's inspector general and has firsthand knowledge of some of the allegations.* But no details yet on what info they have. ===================================== *On Friday, the admin said it'll deny visas to immigrants unless they can prove they have health insurance or can pay for medical costs.* *It's part of the admin's plan to curb both legal and illegal immigration - and another step that could make it harder for low-income immigrants to stay in the country. The admin says those who can't afford health care are a burden on the industry and taxpayers.* *But critics say rules like these favor wealthy immigrants and go against American values. Hundreds of thousands may be impacted. The change is set to take effect next month.* =================================== *Diahann Carroll. The pioneering actress has died at age 84. Her career was full of firsts as an African-American woman: the first to win a Tony for lead actress, to star in a sitcom in a non-servant role, and to star as a major character on a primetime soap.* *You may have seen her more recently in "Grey's Anatomy." Oprah and other celebrities have posted tributes, crediting Carroll as a trailblazer in the industry. RIP.* ============================== *On Saturday, Biles began her floor routine at the 2019 gymnastic world championships in Stuttgart, Germany by landing a triple-double, composed of a double backflip with three twists. That move will now be known as the "Biles II." *

9/10 - Antitrust, Dorian, Juul, Breast Cancer

*Pretty much every single state is investigating Google over antitrust concerns. We see what you did there. Recently, there's been a debate over whether the federal gov should regulate big tech.* *Some - including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) - argue that tech giants like Google, Facebook, and Amazon have become too big and powerful, hurting competition. Others wonder how this regulation would look in reality, since the industry is so varied and complex.* It's looking into *Google's advertising and search businesses. Texas's attorney general - who's leading the investigation - says the company "dominates all aspects" of the biz.* *50 states and territories are part of the probe - every state except Alabama and California (cough, where Silicon Valley is, cough).* We try. This latest probe means *Google's now being investigated for possible antitrust violations on both the state and federal levels. The Justice Dept is also reportedly (Google) searching into the company over antitrust concerns. And Congress has also launched its own investigations into Big Tech.* It may have something to do with recent fines against tech companies. The issue: that *these fines - which have been historically large - only represent a small fraction of tech companies' revenue (see: Facebook and Google). A few years ago, the FTC ended a similar investigation into Google with a slap on the keyboard, er, wrist*: it didn't penalize the company or lead to any regulatory reform. Either way, Texas's AG says "the facts will lead where the facts lead." ========================== *The Bahamas is still reeling from Hurricane Dorian, which killed at least 45 people and caused tens of thousands to lose homes, electricity or access to clean water.* *Now, as many flee the aftermath, the US is getting pushback for inconsistent policy toward hurricane survivors. *The US reportedly allowed hundreds of people to enter the country without visas since the hurricane hit. But in one case over the weekend, dozens were told to get off of a US-bound ferry because they didn't have visas.* *People on both sides of the aisle have been encouraging federal officials to waive visa requirements and clarify the US's stance on accepting the hurricane survivors.* *President Trump has made it clear he wants all Bahamians entering the country to have "totally proper documentation."* ============================ *The FDA warned Juul violated federal regulations by marketing its vaping products as a safe alternative to cigarettes.* Turns out, the FDA has to sign off on claims like that. *The announcement comes as there's extra scrutiny around vaping given the hundreds of possible vaping-related illnesses across the US.* *Each year, around 250,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer in the US. Of those cases, less than 1% are men. New treatments typically focus on the women, with men regularly excluded from clinical trials. Now, the FDA is calling on researchers to include men in their trials so that potential treatments can be found safe for them, too.*

8/21 - Italy / facebook

This snake did not catch his flight" - TSA after someone left a snake behind at a New Jersey airport. Good thing, otherwise Samuel L Jackson would've had a fit. ==================== *Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is stepping down after 14 months.* *the country held a national election after President Sergio Mattarella dissolved parliament.* None of the parties back then got enough support to form a government on their own, so a coalition government was formed. *Conte was put in charge of that coalition - made up of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and the far-right League party. But recently, the two parties have been arguing over some differences.* *Key policy issues, from taxes to migration...emphasis on migration. Italy's location in the Mediterranean has made it a frequent spot for migrants to try to claim asylum.* *The migrant crisis has led to a build-up of anti-immigrant sentiment across Europe - leading to the rise of the far-right in countries like Germany, France, and Italy.* *In Italy, the spotlight has been on the far-right League - led by interior minister (and apparent lover of cats) Matteo Salvini. Salvini has taken a strong stance against illegal immigration and called for deporting 500,000 migrants living in Italy illegally.* *He and the PM didn't always see eye-to-eye. And their recent beef - about a ship full of migrants that had been stranded off the coast for the last two weeks - might have tipped things over the edge.* Earlier this month, *Salvini went rogue and said two things: one, that the coalition was no longer a thing, and two: that there should be new elections. His party pushed for a no-confidence vote against Conte. The PM called Salvini "irresponsible" and accused him of trying to capitalize on his growing popularity. Instead of dealing with the drama, Conte resigned.* *Conte submitted his resignation to Italy's president, who now has to talk to party leaders to try to shore up a new majority. If he can't, he'll probably have to dissolve parliament once again and call for early elections, possibly as soon as October. Bad timing, since that would be around when Italy has to send its budget plan to the EU.* ================================ *Facebook said it's rolling out its new tool to let users have more control over their data. Some apps and websites outside of Facebook track your activity and send that info to the company for ad targeting purposes.* Cool, right? *This new tool lets you see who's doing that and sever that tie between the two. This was something CEO Mark Zuckerberg promised users last year in the aftermath of the Cambridge Analytica scandal.* *Now it's being rolled out in Ireland, South Korea, and Spain - and the company estimates other countries (like the US of A) will have it in "the coming months."* ...Oh and *Facebook is hiring veteran journalists to help out with a new tool it hopes will become a trusted place to get info. We know, we know...Facebook and trust don't really go together. But it's a start. Maybe.*

8/23 - Apple Card, Rohyinga Muslims, G7

"If your titanium Apple Card comes into contact with hard surfaces or materials, it's possible that the coating can be damaged" - Apple letting everyone know that its new credit card probably shouldn't touch anything. Sounds like a great marketing strategy. ================== *Thousands of Rohingya Muslims (a Muslim minority group that have lived in Buddhist-majority Myanmar for generations) are still refusing to go back to Myanmar.* *In 2017, Rohingya insurgents attacked Myanmar security posts. The military's crackdown in response involved mass killings and rapes that forced more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh.* *Bangladesh and Myanmar agreed to start repatriating Rohingya. But the process stalled following international outcry. And also because no one wanted to return.* *Rohingya leaders met with Myanmar officials to talk about potentially going back. But Myanmar denies Rohingya citizenship, restricts their travel, and says many are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Rohingya have said they won't return unless they're recognized as citizens, are safe, and get back their land they left behind.* *Myanmar had approved more than 3,000 Rohingya to go back yesterday. But none of them agreed to go. It seems that they're especially concerned for their safety.* *Amnesty International warned the refugees that it's not safe to go back yet. Last year, a UN report said that Myanmar's top military commanders should be investigated and prosecuted for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Myanmar dismissed the allegations. And yesterday, a new UN report said that the sexual violence carried out by Myanmar's security forces was so severe that it shows their "genocidal intent."* *Bangladesh's prime minister said that the gov won't force the refugees to go back if they're not willing. This is despite some blaming Rohingya for driving up some food prices in the country.* *The UN's refugee agency said that many of the Rohingya who have been interviewed want to return if their conditions are met.* ============================ *The G7 - *world leaders from the Group of Seven (creative, right?) are meeting up in Biarritz, France for their annual summit.* *The group's made up of the US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the UK. This year, expect them to talk about a few things: Russia, because President Trump wants to give the country a warm welcome back to the gang (apparently everyone loves that idea).* *The Amazon rainforest, because French President Emmanuel Macron said the fires there are an "international crisis."* *Brexit, because this is UK PM Boris Johnson's first time at the summit, and we're 69 days away from Brexit and there's still no deal in place.* *And trade, because Trump recently threatened the EU with new tariffs and the bloc doesn't wanna play along.**

9/13 - Houston Debate, Gun Control, EPA

Last night, *Americans tuned in to see a major face-off on TV. The third Democratic primary debate on ABC. there are nine left.* Health care...*everyone agrees on expanding Americans' access to health care. The question is how to get it done: Medicare for All - aka gov-run insurance for everyone. Or a public option.* Race...former Texas congressman *Beto O'Rourke promised to pay up on reparations. Both Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Kamala Harris (D-CA) defended their record as prosecutors and talked about racial bias in the criminal justice system. And some candidates did not mince words when it came to calling President Trump racist.* Immigration...this debate took place in *Texas - the same state where last month's mass shooting in El Paso left 22 people dead. It was the deadliest attack targeting Latinos in modern US history.* O'Rourke got praise for how he supported his El Paso community. Former *VP Joe Biden was pressed on the 3 million immigrants deported under the Obama admin. Entrepreneur Andrew Yang spoke of the need to bring immigrants to the US to keep it economically thriving* - and spoke of his own story as the son of an immigrant. Guns...everyone on stage agrees that change needs to be made. Now, *Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) made the point that it won't happen until lawmakers break up with the gun industry and the Senate filibuster. O'Rourke said "hell yes" to taking away AR-15s. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) pointed out that gun violence isn't confined to mass shootings* - for many, it's an everyday threat. Foreign policy...no one's a fan of how Trump's been dealing with China, and the trade war's cost to Americans. *South Bend, IN Mayor Pete Buttigieg is wondering what the deal is on the trade deal. Former HUD Secretary Julián Castro brought up China's imprisonment of an estimated hundreds of thousands of Uighur Muslims. Everyone's tired of endless wars. Warren said she'd pull troops out of Afghanistan even without a peace deal. Biden had to answer for his record on Iraq.* Education...*Castro said schools are segregated because neighborhoods are segregated. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) wants to cancel all student loan debt. Warren was a public school teacher, did she mention that?* I need a breather. We hear you. Here were some of the lighter moments: *Biden called Sanders "the president." Booker isn't trying to make everyone a vegan. Castro went after Biden on age...but turns out, he was the one confused.* *Sanders promises he's not like a regular socialist, he's a cool socialist. Yang is really into his giveaway. TBD if it's legal.* ===================================== *These 145 CEOs sent Senate leaders a letter calling for gun control legislation.* This comes after 53 people died in mass shootings in the US last month alone. *Now, heads of big-deal companies like Twitter, Uber, Yelp, Levi Strauss, and Dick's Sporting Goods are pushing lawmakers to take action, saying it's "simply unacceptable" to do nothing about what they call a public health crisis. Specifically, the CEOs want background checks on all gun sales and stronger "red flag" laws*- which would let courts temporarily take away weapons from people who may be a threat to themselves or others. *But don't expect any action from the Senate just yet: Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) says that it's hard to pass a law "when you have divided government."** *Stores like Walmart, Publix, and CVS are taking these matters into their own hands by asking customers not to openly carry weapons in their stores.* ====================================== *The Environmental Protection Agency said it's reversing an Obama-era rule that limited pollutants (think: chemicals) near smaller bodies of water* - like streams and wetlands. *The rule has protected sources of drinking water for about one-third of the US. But farmers near those types of water were frustrated, since the rule dictated what crops they could plant on their properties. Now, the Trump admin is saying 'farm away, my children.'* *Agricultural groups were happy. Environmental groups were not. The reversal could come within weeks.*.. .Oh and speaking of the environment, *Gucci is saying it's now carbon neutral.* So you agree? You think you look good in (carbon) neutrals?

9/17 - Israel Election, Women's Sexual Assault

Today, Israel is holding a national election for the second time in less than six months. *Back in April, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party didn't win enough parliamentary seats to govern. So he had to form a coalition. But...he didn't pull that off. So the Israeli parliament voted to dissolve itself and do the election thing all over again.* *Netanyahu is probably finding all of this a little stressful. He's Israel's longest-serving PM. But he needs to form a coalition of at least 61 lawmakers to rule, and some polls have shown that the race is tight between his party and the centrist Blue and White alliance.* And the *corruption allegations against him don't help.* *Netanyahu's been accused of things like planning to help a newspaper take down its competition to get good press in return, and getting involved with an Israeli telecom company merger in exchange for positive coverage on its news site. While Netanyahu's denied all of the allegations, Israel's attorney general could indict him after a hearing next month. Netanyahu's hoping a win could get him immunity.* *One thing some voters support is his pledge to annex all the settlements in the West Bank. Israel captured the territory in the 1967 Six-Day War and Israelis have built settlements there.* The problem: *Millions of Palestinians live in the area and want to make it part of their future state. This campaign promise could raise tensions in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.* But some just see *Netanyahu's promise as a last-ditch effort to rally voters that he could potentially walk back on.* *His biggest competition is Benny Gantz - the former military chief leading the Blue and White alliance. The pitch: he'll focus on national security (especially Iran). Also, his party doesn't have a leader facing criminal allegations.* =========================================== *The first sexual experience for about one in 16 US women was forced or coerced intercourse. Let that sink in: about 6.5% of women - more than 3 million nationwide - experienced rape as their first sexual encounter.* *Worth noting, the survey in the study didn't use the word 'rape,' but the authors say the experiences amount to it. The average victim's age was 15 (underage), while the average assailant's age was 27.* *The study also found that these women were more likely than others to suffer from health complications (think: endometriosis or pelvic problems).* *This study was conducted from 2011 to 2017, before the #MeToo movement went viral. Considering the openness around consent and sexual violence that movement spurred, researchers reportedly think the number in the study could in fact be higher.*

10/29 - Marrying, Missouri Abortion, Brexit, TPS, S&P 500, Botswana

*"Advice not taken" - What a man once sent to the dean of his college who told him not to fall in love while abroad. Marriage: 1. Advice: 0.* ===================================== *A hearing this week will determine whether a Planned Parenthood in Missouri can continue to operate.* Earlier this year, *Missouri's health department visited the St. Louis Planned Parenthood (the only abortion clinic in the state). Officials say they found health concerns like "failed abortions," where women had to have multiple procedures to complete the process*. They also claim there was *at least one case where "patient safety was gravely compromised" and one where the clinic didn't get informed consent. The state refused to renew Planned Parenthood's abortion license back in June. And says the concern here is over patient safety.* And *Planned Parenthood's response is That they've addressed these concerns. And that the state's Republican admin is trying to "weaponize" health regulations to crack down on legal abortions*. All of this comes as *Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) signed a bill earlier this year that would ban abortions at eight weeks of pregnancy, with no exceptions for cases of rape or incest. A federal judge temporarily blocked it from taking effect.* Back to this clinic. *Will it close? It's unclear. The hearing started yesterday and is expected to continue through Friday. But don't expect a ruling for a few months. In the meantime, Planned Parenthood isn't taking any risks and opened a new clinic in neighboring Illinois, 15 miles from the border.* =============================================== *The EU approved a Jan 31 "flextension" date. Meaning the UK has three more months to make a Brexit...instead of three days.* *PM Boris Johnson is still holding out hope for an early election, though - something he hopes could bring in other lawmakers to help get Brexit done.* Thing to Know: *Flextension. Aka a flexible extension on the Brexit timeline. It lets the UK leave the bloc before Jan 31 if it magically gets its sh*t together before then. Good luck with that.* ===================================== *The Trump admin said it's extending TPS work permits to tens of thousands of Salvadorans living in the US.* The program *allows people from certain countries (think: where there's violence or natural disasters) to temporarily live and work in the US. Salvadorans got TPS in 2001 following a pair of deadly earthquakes in the country*. Last year, *the admin tried to end their special status, saying that the country recovered from the earthquakes. But now the admin's changing its tune: it'll extend work protections for Salvadorans for an extra year as part of a joint effort with El Salvador to curb the flow of migrants coming to the US.* ===================================== *The S&P 500 closed at an all-time high yesterday. That's thanks in part to strong earnings and expectations that the Fed will cut interest rates this week.* ====================================== *Botswana is where scientists say that all modern humans (aka hey, us) come from. And that they lived in this "homeland" for about 70,000 years before branching out.*

10/24 - Tiffany & Co $$$ Calendar, Dem Impeachment, Mark Zuck

*"Each day holds a new luxurious surprise" - Tiffany & Co is selling an advent calendar for the holidays that costs $112,000. Ho ho holy crap that's expensive.* ============================== *House Republicans aren't pleased with the Democratic-led impeachment inquiry.* Yesterday, *about two dozen Republican lawmakers stormed a secure room for closed-door hearings, delaying a Defense Department official from testifying. Most of them aren't part of the committees conducting the inquiry - aka they weren't authorized to be there.* So why'd they do it? Because *some have said that Dems are being too secretive by holding private hearings and that they have the right to know what's going on. They've also complained that the inquiry isn't legit because the House never held a formal vote to launch it*, as it typically has done in the past. And the Dems' defense? That *closed-door hearings can be crucial for information gathering, and they prevent witnesses from coordinating their statements. And that transcripts will be made public in due time.* ============================= *Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg spent his Wed on Capitol Hill.* *If there's one thing that brings lawmakers together, it's criticizing (and barely being able to understand) Facebook. So it's not surprising that they're skeptical of its planned digital currency Libra.* Facebook thinks *the estimated 1.7 billion adults around the world who don't have access to a bank account could benefit from it. Lawmakers have been worried about a giant tech company getting more influence.* How'd it go? *Not great. Zuckerberg admitted that companies like Visa and PayPal dropped out of Libra because it was a "risky project." And that Facebook won't move forward with the project unless US regulators give it the thumbs up.* *Other topics of conversation: Russian interference, the company's diversity problems, and fighting child exploitation online.*

10/16 - Woman with Foster Dog, Dem Debate

*"It was beyond comforting" - A woman got a surprise visit from a dog she previously fostered and shared all the pics. Tissues not included.* ============================================ Last night's Democratic presidential debate was the first where impeachment wasn't just a talking point. *All of the candidates agree that the impeachment inquiry into President Trump is necessary. Things got a little awkward since former VP Joe Biden was there. He defended himself and his son, saying they didn't do anything wrong and that everyone should be focusing on the fact that Trump has called for foreign interference in our elections. Three times.* *The House is holding off on a formal vote to authorize an impeachment inquiry...even though one is already underway. The White House and Republicans have called on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to hold a vote, arguing that it's an illegitimate probe without one. *One reason why the House may hold off is to not risk losing voters ahead of 2020. Meanwhile, VP Mike Pence and Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani aren't interested in cooperating with the inquiry.* *The candidates criticized Trump for pulling US troops out of northern Syria and leaving the Kurds on their own to fight off the Turkish military offensive. Biden called it "shameful."* *Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) and South Bend, IN Mayor Pete Buttigieg - the two military veterans on the stage - faced off over US involvement in Syria. And Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) no longer considers Turkey a US ally.* *Especially since the debate was a glorious three. Full. Hours. Here are some of the other big moments...* *Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has been rising in the polls recently and others like Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) were ready to pounce.* *She fended off attacks on whether the wealth tax is the best way to handle income inequality and how she'll pay for her Medicare for All plan (something she didn't directly answer).* *Candidates criticized the red states that have passed restrictive abortion bills. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) voiced concerns that they disproportionately affect low-income women, and wants to implement a White House office to focus on abortion rights.* *Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) said she'd have the Justice Dept review state laws on this issue. Some, including former HUD Sec Julián Castro, Booker, Gabbard, Klobuchar, and Biden said they'd codify Roe v Wade.* *Biden also warned against making changes to the Supreme Court bench if it were to overturn the 1973 SCOTUS ruling.* *Guns...the debate took place 80 miles east of Dayton, OH, where a gunman killed nine people over the summer. Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-TX) wants a mandatory buyback program for assault-style weapons.* But Buttigieg says *he doesn't have a comprehensive enough plan*, and that time is running out on the issue. *Age is a number...this was Sanders' first time back since he suffered a heart attack.* *But he showed no signs of slowing his campaign down - and is expected to get a major "squad" endorsement this weekend. Biden wants everyone to know he'd be happy to turn 80 in the White House and that he can most definitely handle the job with little to no onboarding.* *Gabbard, who'd be the youngest-elected president if she won, says we should be asking who is fit to serve as commander-in-chief rather than looking at age.* *Tom Steyer is a billionaire Democrat who made the stage*

10/28 - Restaurant Owner, Al-Baghdadi, John Conyers

*"It's become a bit of a cult" - A restaurant owner is tired of "Friends" tourists crowding the neighborhood. So no one told you life was gonna be this way.* ====================================== *The world's most wanted terrorist is dead. And that would be... ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. He was responsible for taking the terror group from a little-known insurgency to a global threat.* *In 2014, he declared himself leader of a "caliphate" (Islamic state) in Iraq and Syria. At its peak, it controlled an area the size of the UK.* And the group inspired or was responsible for *multiple terror attacks under al-Baghdadi's reign - from San Bernardino, California to Nice, France and beyond - and tortured and killed American hostages. But in recent years, the group lost ground in the Middle East.* Let's go back to al-Baghdadi. What happened? *President Trump said that a team of US special forces raided a compound where al-Baghdadi was believed to be hiding in northwestern Syria. US troops attacked the compound and al-Baghdadi fled to a tunnel where he set off a suicide vest.* *Trump says the military has DNA samples to prove they really got him, despite rumors he could've been killed in the past. No US troops were killed in the raid.* All this is seen as a major foreign policy win for Trump. But *Dems aren't too happy they didn't get a heads-up about the raid. Trump has also recently faced pushback for pulling US troops from northern Syria ahead of Turkey's offensive against Syrian Kurds - a key ally in the US's fight against ISIS* *One key criticism was that the move could leave a vacuum for ISIS to regain steam. Another was that the US was leaving its ally to fend for itself in the offensive. Worth noting the Kurds assisted the US with the al-Baghdadi raid.* So what does all this mean for the future of ISIS? *The death of its leader is a major and long-sought win. But some experts warn this may not be the end of the group. Over the years, it's adapted by establishing cells across multiple countries and focusing on online radicalization.* ======================================== *John Conyers. Yesterday, the former Democratic congressman from Michigan passed away at 90 years old. Conyers had been the longest-serving black member of Congress in US history. First elected to the House in 1964, he joined only a handful of other black House members and spent decades promoting civil rights issues.* *He helped co-found the Congressional Black Caucus in 1971 and pushed to establish Martin Luther King Jr Day as a national holiday* He was also concerned with gun violence and policing issues, and had long advocated for a national health care program. *In 2017, he resigned amid accusations of sexual harassment against multiple female staffers, including allegations that he inappropriately touched women.* And a former staffer has alleged she was fired for rejecting his advances. Despite all this, the *Rev. Jesse Jackson reportedly called Conyers "one of the most consequential congressmen."*

10/17 - Brexit News Channel, GM, Chicago, Brexit, Elijah Cummings

*"Sky News Brexit-Free" - The name of a new TV channel. EU can't make this stuff up.* =============================== *GM and the automaker's 49,000 union workers are trying to make it work.* A month ago, *GM workers went on strike over things like pay, health care, and job security. And have been going off of less than $300 a week in strike pay. But now, a breakthrough.* It seems to be. Yesterday, *the union repping them said it reached a tentative deal with the company that's expected to give workers bonuses. It reportedly might also let union workers stay on their health insurance, and provide a way for part-time workers to become full-time.* But until union members sign off on it, it's not a done deal. ============================= *Today, tens of thousands of teachers are expected to go on strike in Chicago.* But *the teachers' union is also calling for smaller class sizes and better services for the city's thousands of students experiencing homelessness. The mayor says she's already offered concessions, including a big pay raise. And is blaming the union for the breakdown in negotiations - saying its demands would cost the city (read: taxpayers) billions of dollars.* *Schools are still technically open - though teachers won't be around to teach. Administrative staff will be there to watch over kids, and breakfast and lunch will still be served. But school buses won't run and after-school programs will be suspended. Parents have had to scramble to adjust.* ====================== *UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he'd reached a deal with the EU on how to carry out Brexit. Good timing, since Brexit is scheduled to kick in exactly two weeks.* *The deal still needs the go-ahead from EU leaders and UK lawmakers, which - given Johnson's tense relationship with the UK Parliament - isn't a given.* ====================== *Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), the Baltimore congressman died at age 68. It's still not clear what he died from, but his office said it was tied to longstanding health issues.* *The son of two former sharecroppers, Cummings had spent 16 years in Maryland's legislature before joining Congress. As head of the House Oversight committee, he played a lead role in the impeachment inquiry into President Trump* - and had clashed with the president on multiple occasions. *In a time of heightened partisanship, Cummings was also known for his friendship across the aisle with Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC). RIP.*

10/18 - Elton John, Turkey

*"The magic and joy were lost" - Elton John isn't a fan of the new "Lion King" movie. Can you feel the shade tonight?* ================================ *Turkey has agreed to a cease-fire in northern Syria.* *It's been nine days since Turkey launched a military offensive there. It says the goal was to take down the Syrian Kurds, a stateless ethnic group that Turkey sees as a terror threat. Awkward for the US, considering Turkey is a fellow NATO member and the Kurds have been a key US ally in fighting ISIS.* *But last week, President Trump announced he was withdrawing US troops from the area, leaving the Kurds to fend for themselves and sparking backlash from people across the political spectrum.* *Trump wrote to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, telling him not to "be a tough guy" and that it was time to work out a deal to end the offensive.* Trump sent VP Mike Pence and Sec of State Mike Pompeo to Turkey to talk things out IRL. Yesterday, after hours-long negotiations, Turkey agreed to a five-day cease-fire. *Kurds now have time to retreat roughly 20 miles from the border with Turkey. If that happens, Turkey would move forward with a permanent ceasefire, but wouldn't be required to withdraw its troops.* In return, the *US would lift recent sanctions against the country. But Turkey's been adamant that this isn't really a cease-fire, it's actually just a "pause" in its operation.* And it seems that fighting has continued there today, despite the agreement. While Trump called yesterday's news "a great day for civilization," *many see it as a win for Turkey. This offensive explicitly targeted a US ally, and as a result Turkey could control Kurdish-won territory for the foreseeable future, without giving up much in return.* US lawmakers still want to move ahead with legislation to impose sanctions on Turkey. Meanwhile, *the Kurds weren't included in the talks - and some see this move as the US essentially surrendering on the Kurds' behalf.*

9/23 - Iran, Thomas Cook, Jonathan Van Ness, Emmys, Antonio Brown

*FIFA's president said Iran will allow women to attend next month's World Cup qualification game. You know, a thing you'd already think is allowed. But in Iran, women have been banned from entering stadiums during men's sporting events for the last 40 years.* *The ban has gotten more attention recently, since a woman died earlier this month from setting herself on fire after getting arrested for attending a game disguised as a man.* Many around the world told Iran: 'not ok.' So did FIFA, which had been advocating for an end to this ban. Now *FIFA says Iran has assured it that women will be allowed to attend the qualification game in Tehran. Let's see if that actually happens.* ================================ *Thomas Cook, the 178-year-old British airline and travel company went bankrupt, leaving around 600,000 customers stranded around the world and 21,000 employees without jobs.* *Now, over the next two weeks, the UK is launching its largest ever peacetime operation to bring back more than 150,000 stranded UK citizens.* ================================ *Jonathan Van Ness, the "Queer Eye" star recently shared his HIV status, describing himself as an out-and-proud "member of the beautiful HIV-positive community."* *JVN says he hopes to break down misconceptions and stigmas about living with HIV.* ================================== *The Emmys time to watch "Fleabag." And "Chernobyl." There was clapping. It was hard.* *Billy Porter made history with his best actor win. Alex Borstein told women to step out of line. Jharrel Jerome dedicated his win to the Exonerated Five. And Peter Dinklage reminded you why you watched "Game of Thrones."* ======================================= *Antonio Brown, the wide receiver said he "will not be playing in the NFL anymore." The announcement comes as Brown faces rape and sexual assault allegations, all of which he has denied. And days after he was dropped by the New England Patriots.*

9/5 - Michigan E-Cig, NRA, YouTube, Brexit, Dorian, Chanel Miller

*Michigan just became the first state to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes.* *E-cigs have become really popular in recent years, with the FDA calling teen vaping an "epidemic."* *In 2018, more than 3 million middle and high school students used e-cigs. At least one person has died from a vaping-related lung illness.* *And the CDC and some states are investigating dozens of similar illnesses. Now, after Michigan's chief medical executive declared youth vaping a public health crisis, the governor is taking matters into her own hands.* *She's banning flavored e-cig sales in stores and online until the gov there can come up with permanent regulations.* =============================== *The San Francisco Board of Supervisors just labeled the NRA a "domestic terrorist organization."* *Back in July, a mass shooting in Gilroy, California (about 80 miles away from SF) left three people dead. So earlier this week, the city's board of supervisors unanimously passed a resolution to label the NRA as a "domestic terrorist organization."* *It's accusing the NRA of using its influence to "promote gun ownership and incite gun owners to acts of violence." The NRA reportedly says this is all just a way to distract people from other issues in SF, including homelessness and petty crime. And says it'll continue to advocate for "the constitutional rights of all freedom-loving Americans." =================================== *Google is writing a big check to the Federal Trade Commission and New York state.* *A 1998 federal law prohibits companies from collecting and sharing personal data of kids under 13 if they don't get parental consent.* But it's 2019 and tech companies aren't exactly tripping over themselves to protect your data. *The FTC and NY accused YouTube - which is part of Google - of violating the children's privacy law by collecting data from kids and using it for targeted ads.* *Now Google is paying $170 million to settle, apparently without admitting that it did anything wrong. It's also agreeing to stop collecting data on videos made for kids*. ================================ *Parliament passed a bill to avoid a no-deal Brexit on Oct. 31. Yes, that's next month. It could still happen then.* *But yesterday, lawmakers rejected Prime Minister Boris Johnson's attempt to hold a national election to get a majority in Parliament and make his Brexit dreams come true* (aka the divorce needs to happen with or without a deal). Stay tuned or, you know, don't. Brexit will or won't happen either way. *Lawmakers also agreed to an amendment that puts former PM Theresa May's Brexit deal back on the table.* ================================ *Hurricane Dorian. It's moved off Florida's east coast toward Georgia and the Carolinas, and regained strength to become a Category 3..* *The National Hurricane Center says the places in the storm's path face "destructive winds, flooding rains, and life-threatening storm surges." Meanwhile, the Bahamas is still dealing with the devastation of the storm - which killed at least 20 people there.* ======================= *Chanel Miller was sexually assaulted by Brock Turner - who could have faced 14 years in prison for his conviction* but was sentenced to six months in jail (and served only three). *She didn't reveal her name at the time but made headlines for the statement she read at the sentencing hearing. Now, after years of anonymity, she's telling her story in a memoir scheduled to come out later this month.* ======================= *Federal prosecutors have charged a man in connection with Mac Miller's death.* *The man allegedly supplied Miller with counterfeit oxycodone pills that contained fentanyl two days before the rapper died from a drug overdose.* *If convicted, the man faces up to 20 years in federal prison.*

9/16 - Saudi Oil, Purdue, GM

*The world's largest oil processing plant in Saudi Arabia was attacked. On Saturday, multiple "projectiles" hit the plant and an oil field - both of which are operated by state-owned oil giant Saudi Aramco*. The attack cut about half of Saudi Arabia's oil output - around *5% of the world's daily supply. Oil prices surged.* *Houthi rebels in Yemen have claimed responsibility. It wouldn't be the first time the Iranian-backed rebels carried out drone attacks in Saudi Arabia in response the kingdom's role in the Yemeni war.* The US isn't buying it. The Houthis aren't known to be able to carry out an attack of this scale. And *some US officials say the attacks look like they were launched from Iraq or Iran (to the north) rather than Yemen (to the south).* *The US is blaming Iran directly, with Sec of State Mike Pompeo calling it an "unprecedented attack on the world's energy supply."* *President Trump said the US is "locked and loaded" and waiting to hear who Saudi Arabia is holding accountable. Saudi Arabia says it's still investigating.* Iran's response? It's denying responsibility. One commander threatened that Iran could hit US military bases in the Middle East. *The oil industry has to bounce back from the largest sudden disruption in years. It's unclear when Aramco's facilities will be fully operational again.* *Saudi Arabia is apparently promising to tap into its reserves to keep meeting customer demand. And Trump said he authorized the US to dip into reserves of its own if needed to keep markets "well-supplied." The timing is also raising eyebrows as Aramco prepares for what could be the world's largest IPO.* ========================================== *Purdue Pharma, the maker of prescription opioid OxyContin filed for bankruptcy. When OxyContin came out in the 1990s, Purdue Pharma pushed doctors to prescribe it.* *Today, thousands in the US die each year from opioid-related overdoses. Last week, Purdue Pharma reached a tentative settlement with many state and local governments over its role in the epidemic.* *Now, it's filing for bankruptcy as part of that settlement. The chairman of its board of directors said that this "will provide billions of dollars and critical resources to communities across the country trying to cope with the opioid crisis."* ====================================== *Today, more than 49,000 General Motors workers went on strike after negotiations broke down over things like pay, health care, and job security. As part of the negotiations, GM had offered more employment opportunities, over $7 billion worth of investments, and "best-in-class wages and benefits."* *But the union didn't budge. This is the company's first strike in more than a decade.*

8/22 - DWTS, Brazil, march 4 our lives. cbo

"Dancing with the Stars" has a new contestants: Sean Spicer, former Trump administration press secretary* ======================= *Brazil has had more than 74,000 fires this year, an 84% increase from last year. That's the most since the country started keeping tabs in 2013. More than half of those fires have been in the Amazon, which is an especially big problem for the environment.* *It's crucial in the fight against climate change. The Amazon is the world's largest rainforest (about half the size of the US), and home to about 10% of the world's plant and animal species. It's sometimes referred to as the planet's lungs since it produces about 20% of the world's oxygen.* And without it, climate change could move faster. let's rewind back to January, *when Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro took office. He campaigned on exploring economic opportunities in the Amazon - something that got him support from farmers. And ever since taking office, he's rolled back protections for the environment* - including *giving less money to Brazil's environmental protection agency and making it harder for the agency to hand out fines. During the past few months, deforestation has skyrocketed in Brazil.* *a lot of these fires were reportedly started by loggers, who may have burned the land for things like agricultural use and let those fires get out of hand. And the fires have been going on for a couple weeks. Critics of Bolsonaro - including NGOs and environmentalists - blame him, saying his policies have made it easier for loggers to do this*. *But if you ask Bolsonaro, he'd say 'blame it on the NGOs.' Without providing evidence, he said he thinks they might have caused the fires to make his government look bad.* *Interesting to note: the head of the country's space agency was fired after his agency reported that deforestation increased 88% this June compared to a year earlier.* =========================== Yesterday, *the Trump admin said it'll allow migrant families who illegally cross the US-Mexico border to be held indefinitely. It gets rid of the 20-day limit for detaining migrant children that was set over two decades ago under the federal court settlement known as the Flores agreement.* *This change is all part of President Trump's plan to tackle illegal immigration.* See: last year's "zero tolerance" policy. *More recently, the admin's gotten pushback for the conditions at some migrant detention facilities. This move to end the Flores agreement needs to be approved by a federal judge, and it's expected to face legal challenges.* ============================= *March for Our Lives (founded by survivors of the Parkland, Florida shooting) proposed new gun control measures.* *This comes after the deadly shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio earlier this month that killed a total of 31 people. Here's what the group is calling for: a national licensing and registry system, a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, a mandatory gun buyback program, upping the minimum age to buy a gun to 21, and creating a new government position to oversee gun violence prevention.* *The group called on 2020 presidential candidates to endorse the plan, and former Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-TX) became the first to do so and urged other candidates to do the same.* ============================ *The Congressional Budget Office says the US budget deficit will hit $1 trillion for the 2020 fiscal year - two years earlier than expected.* *And by 2029, we could reach the highest level of debt since World War II. You can send your thank-you cards to the Hill: this is mostly because of the GOP tax cuts and a bipartisan budget deal.*

9/3 - Pope Francis, Dorian, TX, Naomi Osaka

"I had an unexpected event" - Pope Francis after getting stuck in an elevator for 25 minutes. ============================== This weekend, *Hurricane Dorian made landfall in the Bahamas as a Category 5 storm. At least five people were killed. As many as 13,000 homes were damaged or destroyed.* Many are without power. *Dorian - which has been hovering over the Bahamas for more than a day now - has been downgraded to a Category 3 storm*. As it's forecast to move closer to the US, *coastal areas in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina have been ordered to evacuate in case of things like flooding and heavy rains.* ============================= On Saturday, seven people were killed and 22 were injured in a mass shooting in West Texas. *The suspect went on a drive-by shooting after allegedly being pulled over for failing to use a turn signal. The attack is believed to have happened hours after the suspect was fired from his job. Authorities are still searching for a motive, and say the suspect had been on a downward spiral*. *Gov. Greg Abbott (R) says the suspect didn't go through a background check when obtaining the weapon used in the rampage.* =========================== *Today, UK lawmakers are voting on a bill to try to avoid a no-deal Brexit. No, it's not Groundhog Day. It just seems like it. Reminder: the UK is expected to leave the EU by October 31.* *This bill would force Prime Minister Boris Johnson to ask the EU for an extension if the UK and EU can't agree on a Brexit strategy. That's because many want to avoid a no-deal Brexit and the chaos that could come with it. But Johnson doesn't want another "pointless" delay. And last week, he moved to give lawmakers less time to agree on an alternative strategy.* *Lawmakers' power play: If lawmakers pass this bill, it could force a Brexit delay. And perhaps force Johnson to work with lawmakers on a deal.* But... Johnson's power play: If *lawmakers pass this bill, his government seems to be warning that instead of the above happening, Johnson could try to call for early elections in mid-October.* And use that as an attempt to show the public has his back to make Brexit happen ASAP. ========================== *A diving boat caught fire off the coast of Santa Cruz Island in CA, killing at least 25 people. Five crew members have been rescued. Nine other people - believed to have been sleeping below deck - are missing. It's still unknown how the boat caught fire.* Authorities are conducting search and rescue efforts. ========================== *Thousands of students in HK marked the first day of school by protesting. And hospital staff formed a human chain in support. This all started in June over a controversial bill that would have allowed for some criminals to be extradited to mainland China. Eventually, Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam said the bill was "dead" but didn't withdraw it. The protests have evolved into a pro-democracy movement that includes demands for Lam's resignation, withdrawal of the bill, and political reform.* This will be over soon: ...is what China is trying to say. *Yesterday, China's state news agency said "the end is coming for those attempting to disrupt Hong Kong." Ominous.* I wish this would be over soon: ...is what Carrie Lam is reportedly thinking. *In a leaked audio recording, Lam can be heard saying that she would quit if she had "a choice" but suggested she can't because of Chinese authorities*. Also ominous. ================================== *This clip of Naomi Osaka at the US Open convinced 15-year-old Coco Gauff to join her for a joint interview after their match - saying it's better to cry in front of people than in the shower.* By the end of it...everyone was crying. Sportsmanship FTW. *It wasn't enough though to keep Osaka in the tournament though, she lost in the next round. Serena Williams is still fighting (and winning) through an ankle injury. Defending champ Novak Djokovic is out thanks to an injured left shoulder. And Roger Federer is still in it to win it.*

9/24 - UN Gen Assembly, Google, Indonesia, Russia

*Dozens of world leaders are in New York for the annual UN General Assembly. Leave time for your commute if you live in NYC. It all kicked off with the UN Climate Action Summit yesterday - where leaders were given up to three minutes to present their plan to tackle global warming*. *16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg hit the point home that despite decades of scientific evidence, world leaders are failing to do enough to combat climate change. Unclear if anything concrete will come from yesterday's summit, but she told world leaders "we'll be watching you." So step up people.* *The general debate, starts today. Per UN tradition, Brazil's leader - in this case, Jair Bolsonaro - will give the opening talk. Then comes President Trump's speech, which tends to make a stir. He's expected to use his speech to call on world leaders to band together against Iran. *But there are a few other things to keep an eye on: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is showing up with weeks left to go before the next Brexit deadline.* *And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is in NY for his first UNGA amid questions about a phone call he had with Trump over the summer. Oh, and in case you thought that drama was over, reports yesterday say Trump ordered a freeze on military aid to Ukraine before he had that infamous call with Zelenskiy.* *Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is there despite tensions with the West. Yesterday, the UK, France, and Germany joined the US and Saudi Arabia in blaming Iran for the recent attack on Saudi oil facilities. But it looks like Iran is trying to do some damage control - it gave the go-ahead to release a British-flagged tanker it seized earlier this year.* ====================================== *Today, the EU's top court ruled that Google doesn't have to apply the bloc's "right to be forgotten" rules globally. This is about when you can ask companies to remove certain personal info from their search engine.* *In 2015, France's privacy regulator ordered Google to apply this around the world. But Google didn't and was fined over $100,000. The issue made its way to court.* *Now, Europe's highest court says there's "no obligation under EU law" for a search engine to take this beyond the EU member states. Instead, the court is calling on Google to put measures in place to stop European users from just accessing non-EU versions of the site. The ruling apparently can't be appealed.* ======================================== *Indonesia's Papua region. Racial and political tensions there have led to violence recently. Some background: One half of New Guinea island includes the country of Papua New Guinea. The western half includes the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua.* *The area used to be a Dutch colony but was transferred to Indonesia in the 1960s. Since then, many in those provinces have been pushing for independence from Indonesia.* *The Indonesian government detained Papuan students for allegedly holding a pro-independence demonstration. In response, mobs allegedly using racist language against Papuans. All that led to weeks-long protests in Papua and West Papua, which turned violent - reportedly killing at least one Indonesian soldier and four protesters.* And tensions are still rising: Things appeared to have calmed down since then. But yesterday, *hundreds reportedly showed up to another protest that turned deadly. This was over rumors that a teacher had called an indigenous Papuan student a "monkey" last week. At least 20 people were reportedly killed, and dozens more were injured.* ============================ *The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is putting Russia back on watch. Russia was banned from the 2018 Olympics and other sporting events after a major doping scandal was uncovered following the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. WADA lifted a ban on Russia's anti-doping agency last year.* *But earlier this year, WADA got access to some data from the Russian lab that had some "inconsistencies" (read: some positive drug tests were deleted). The president of Russia's Olympic Committee reportedly called the update "very serious."* *Russia now faces the possibility of being banned from next year's Olympic Games in Tokyo, and perhaps other sporting events such as the World Cup.*

8/23 - Robocalls, Overstock

*Robocalls - Telecom companies and attorneys general from every state plus DC have agreed to work together to fight those spam calls you get twice a day.* *The FCC gets over 200,000 complaints about unwanted calls per year (about 60% of all complaints it gets).* *The pact means that the companies (including AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon) will give customers free call-blocking tech and work with law enforcement to track down potential scammers*. Thanks for doing this, guys. Seriously. ================================== *Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne resigned for being "far too controversial."* His words, not ours. *Last week, Byrne put out a statement referencing the "Deep State," and said he helped "the Men in Black" otherwise known IRL as law enforcement with investigations related to the Clintons and Russian interference.* *Something else he had going: a romantic relationship with Maria Butina, a Russian agent who's in prison for trying to infiltrate US political groups. Now Byrne's saying 'and for that reason, I'm out.' After the news, the company's (Over)stock celebrated.*

9/25 - Climate Change, Boris, WeWork

*This climate change report says that oceans are in more danger than we previously thought.* *Oceans absorb more than 90% of excess heat that's trapped on Earth because of greenhouse gases. Now we're learning more about what kind of toll that's taking. Some examples: extreme floods that have typically happened about once every 100 years on some coasts could happen annually by 2050.* *By the end of the century, marine life may decline by 15% and sea levels could rise about three feet. Oh, and some of these impacts may happen even if countries curb their carbon emissions.* =============================== *the UK Supreme Court unanimously ruled Prime Minister Boris Johnson acted unlawfully when he suspended Parliament.* *Last month, Johnson moved to shut it down by asking for a Queen's Speech in mid-October. It's tradition for the queen to give a speech every year or so declaring a new parliamentary session and laying out the government's agenda. By suspending parliament, lawmakers have less time to come up with a Brexit plan.* *Now, the UK's highest court said Johnson was trying to avoid Parliamentary scrutiny over his Brexit policy and deemed the move unlawful.* *Opposition lawmakers are calling on him to resign. Johnson says 'I'm not going anywhere,' and that he will respect the ruling but that he "will not be deterred" from making Brexit happen with or without a plan in place.* *he was expected to fly back overnight because the court's ruling means Parliament's back in session today. And lawmakers now have 36 days til the divorce deadline. Tick, tock.* ================================== *WeWork's co-founder and CEO Adam Neumann stepped down. The company has been on a roller coaster ride. It had delayed its IPO because of declining valuation (think: it went from $47 billion to now about a third of that). Neumann had majority voting rights and the power to fire the board.* *And some members were trying to get him to leave. It (We)Worked. He'll become a non-executive chairman of the board.* *Now, it's unclear when the IPO could happen and there are rumors of potential layoffs that could affect as many as 5,000 employees.*

9/20 - Climate Activism, Whistleblower

*Today, millions of people in more than 100 countries are expected to leave their desks.* *16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has helped organize and inspire walkouts like these in the past. But today's could constitute the largest climate strike in history. This is happening before the UN Climate Action Summit on Monday.* *The goal is to up the pressure on politicians and people of all generations - not just teens - to see climate change as a moral issue. The UN warned last year that climate change could lead to a global crisis within our lifetimes. That could potentially include frequent droughts, coastal flooding, and poverty affecting tens of millions of people.* There are thousands happening across the world. *Hundreds of thousands of people already turned out in Australia, which saw the first protests. Workers are also expected to join from tech companies like Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and also...Amazon.* *It's Amazon's first walkout at its headquarters in the company's 25-year-history. And over 1,000 Amazon employees are expected to take part. Among their demands, employees are asking for the company to stop providing cloud services to oil and gas companies. And stop giving campaign contributions to climate change deniers.* *Amazon said it's committed to fulfilling the goals of the Paris climate agreement 10 years early. That would include getting the company to net zero carbon emissions by 2040.* *It says it will do this in part by buying up 100,000 electric delivery vans.* ===================================== *This whistleblower complaint is reportedly about President Trump making a promise to a foreign leader. When? Who knows. What kind of promise? Unclear. Which foreign leader? Again, unclear. But it was considered so credible and alarming that it was called a matter of "urgent concern." Trump denies doing anything wrong.* *Recent reports suggest this may have something to do with Ukraine. People are pointing to a situation when Trump withheld military aid from the country until last week.* Plus the fact that *House Democrats are investigating a phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.*

9/18 - CA & Trump, Snowden, Walmart, Cokie

*Today, the Trump admin is expected to formally crack down on California's car pollution standards.* *The Environmental Protection Agency dropped a draft plan to roll back Obama-era fuel-efficiency standards.* *The draft also included a plan to end California's ability to do its own thing and set its own, stricter standards on tailpipe pollution - reportedly the US's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions.* *Today, the Trump administration is expected to formally revoke CA's authority to set tailpipe pollution rules that are stricter than federal rules.* *Thirteen states plus DC follow California's rules on this.* =============================== *The Justice Department sent Edward Snowden a congrats gift...by suing him. His new memoir. Reminder: For the past six years, the ex-NSA contractor has lived in Russia after leaking hundreds of thousands of classified docs that exposed the NSA's massive phone data collection program. Russia granted him asylum as he faces federal criminal charges in the US over the leak.* *The DOJ is still suing Snowden and his publisher, arguing he violated NDAs he signed with the government. As part of the suit, the DOJ wants the gov to get all of the book's profits instead.* *Snowden tweeted that the US government "filing a lawsuit claiming your book is so truthful that it was literally against the law to write" is a great stamp of authenticity. Put that blurb on the book's cover.* ================================ *the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission had sent memos to Walmart warning it to get its practices in check.* *The EEOC - which enforces federal laws barring job discrimination - said the company had likely discriminated against dozens of female employees, doing things like paying them less or denying them promotions because of their gender.* *It's asking Walmart and the women to come to a "just resolution," which could include a settlement and changes to Walmart's practices. If not, the EEOC could file a lawsuit against the retail giant* ========================================== *Cokie Roberts, the legendary journalist and political commentator died at age 75. Over the span of her career, Roberts worked at CBS, NPR, and ABC News - earning three Emmys for her work*. *During that time, she was known for her forthright style and her expertise in the inner workings of DC. In 2008, she was named a "Living Legend" by the Library of Congress. ABC News's president called her a "true pioneer for women in journalism." RIP.* ============================================ *Israel hit the polls for parliamentary elections for the second time this year. That's because PM Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a governing coalition the first time around.* *Now, exit polls seem to show that once again, no single party - including his right-wing Likud party and lead contender Benny Gantz's centrist Blue and White alliance - got a majority.* ============================================== *The New York Giants' coach announced he's benching Eli Manning, the team's starting QB since 2004. Manning has won two Super Bowls with the team, but his performance recently has been...lacking.* *So the Giants are throwing rookie Daniel Jones into the starting spot this weekend*

DISCLAIMER (contd): I will only have one quizlet for the Skimm - it'll be updated each day here on one quizlet! (i'm using it as studying for current events)

So just scroll down and gl (this week's quiz is *10/21-10/25*)

DISCLAIMER: I cannot guarantee I will be making skimm quizlets every week because of

college apps, debate tourneys, other clubs, etc. There may be some weeks where i'm busy and won't be able to do this.

10/15 - NSYNC, Syria, Atatiana Jefferson

*"10 - 10 - 10 - 10 - 10" - *NSYNC giving high scores to the Seattle Seahawks for their "Bye Bye Bye" dance. More of this, please.* ============================================ *Syria's gov is taking advantage of the chaos going down in the country.* *ISIS used to control territory in northern Syria, but the Kurds (a semi-autonomous ethnic group and a key US ally in the region) helped kick the terror group out and detained about 11,000 ISIS fighters.* *This has always been a problem for Syria's neighbor Turkey, since it sees the Kurds as a terror threat. Last week, President Trump started pulling US troops from the area, which allowed Turkey to attack the Kurds with airstrikes and heavy artillery.* Dozens of people have been killed, and at least 160,000 others have been displaced. Abandoned by the US, the Kurds formed a new alliance over the weekend. *The Syrian government, headed by President Bashar al-Assad whose regime is responsible for chemical attacks on his own people. Now, the Russian and Iran-backed government has entered the area for the first time in years - a major shift in the country's eight-year civil war.* *Many are worried that Trump's erratic move has now bolstered a leader that the US considers a war criminal.* The *EU condemned the military offensive and promised to stop arms sales to Turkey. A spokesperson for the UN Secretary General says he's calling for "immediate de-escalation."* Trump is calling for an immediate ceasefire, raising tariffs on Turkey, and imposing sanctions on the country. *He also plans to leave some troops behind in southern Syria to make sure ISIS doesn't regain control of the region - while pulling all other troops out of the country. Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said she agrees with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) that Congress should work to overturn Trump's original decision to leave the Kurds on their own.* =========================================== *Atatiana Jefferson, the 28-year-old black pre-med grad was fatally shot by a white cop inside her home with her nephew there. Police in Fort Worth, Texas got a call that her front door was open.* When officers showed up to check in, *one cop saw her through the window and yelled at her to put her hands up - never identifying himself as a police officer. Seconds later, he shot her. The cop has since resigned and been charged with murder.* *An attorney for Jefferson's family says they're relieved the cop has been charged, and that there should be "vigorous prosecution and appropriate sentencing."* Also in Texas: *This comes about two weeks after Dallas cop Amber Guyger was sentenced to 10 years for murdering Botham Jean. Guyger has claimed she mistook his apartment for hers and thought he was an intruder.*

11/1 - George RR Martin, China 5G, Impeachment, Trump FL, Iraq PM

*"Winter is still coming" - George RR Martin says he'll finish his latest book before he even thinks about the new "Game of Thrones" prequel. Get in line, dragons.* ====================================== *China's about to become the land of 5G. 5G = fifth generation of wireless tech. It connects your phone to the internet faster than it took your friends to get through "Succession." And it could also help speed up developments with self-driving cars and robotic surgeries.* *And starting today, China's three state-owned wireless carriers will start offering 5G subscription packages - months ahead of schedule. Major cities like Shanghai and Beijing will be able to access the network first. And the goal is to have 5G service available in at least 50 cities by the end of the year.* In other words: this puts China on track to have the world's largest commercial 5G network. *The US and China are the world's largest economies, and are pretty much always in competition to one-up each other - especially when it comes to tech. And China's home to the world's largest telecom equipment maker (hi, Huawei) and biggest wireless carrier (hi, China Mobile).* So it has all the *opportunities to get ahead on this front, and could reportedly spend as much as $217 billion in the next few years to make that happen. Add that onto the fact that the US already had national security beef with Huawei.* ============================== *The House. Yesterday, it voted along party lines to give the formal go-ahead to its impeachment inquiry and outline next steps.* *The resolution calls for public hearings into President Trump, and his admin's move to withhold military aid to Ukraine while trying to get the country to investigate former VP Joe Biden.* They're hoping to *have those hearings underway before Thanksgiving.* Vibe check: *House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said that this was "not any cause for any glee or comfort" and that democracy is at stake. The White House called it a "blatantly partisan attempt to destroy the president."* ...Oh and speaking of plans, *Trump made the move to Florida, changing his state of residence from NY to FL* ============================ *Earlier this month, Iraq erupted into massive protests over things like unemployment and corruption.* Since then, hundreds of people have been killed, with thousands more injured. Now, *Iraq's president says PM Adel Abdul-Mahdi. has agreed to step down as long as there's a successor ready to replace him.* *The protests came amid a wave of anti-government protests, including in Bolivia, Chile, and Ecuador. And earlier this week, Lebanon's prime minister said he's resigning amid protests over the country's looming economic crisis.*

9/6 - African economic tension, Ghost Ship warehouse fire

There is major tension between Africa's two biggest economies, Nigeria and South Africa. *Earlier this week, people started mass rioting in places throughout South Africa, including Johannesburg and Pretoria. In what people are calling xenophobic attacks, many foreign-owned shops were looted.* At least *10 people have been killed. Hundreds of others were arrested.* *The unemployment rate in South Africa is high - 29% - and rioters there are accusing immigrants of taking their jobs.* *Many of the businesses that were targeted are Nigerian-owned. Other foreigners attacked reportedly come from Zambia, Kenya, and Ethiopia. Many in Nigeria are outraged.* In response to the riots, *South African telecom and retail businesses in Nigeria have been the target of arson and other retaliatory attacks*. All of this has *taken a toll on diplomatic relations between the two countries.* *South Africa has closed diplomatic missions in Nigeria to protect its citizens. Nigeria has recalled its representative to South Africa*. And *dropped out of this week's World Economic Forum meeting* there. *One Nigerian airline is offering to transport any Nigerians out of South Africa for free. Other countries - including Zambia, Tanzania, and Madagascar - have reportedly done things like cancel soccer matches or flights to South Africa* because of the violence. *South Africa says it's doing everything it can to protect foreigners in the country. Human rights groups aren't too sure that's true.* *Meanwhile, Nigeria is assuring people that it's protecting foreign businesses there. But all of this has put extra pressure on South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who's simultaneously trying to address concerns from protesters over gender-based violence in the country*. *And trying to convince other African countries at the World Economic Forum to work together on trade.* ================== *The Ghost Ship warehouse fire., back in December 2016, a fire broke out at a warehouse party in Oakland, CA, killing 36 people.* *The cause of the fire - one of the deadliest in US history - is still unknown. But authorities charged Derick Almena (the warehouse's master tenant) and Max Harris (who acted as building manager) for the deaths.* *Prosecutors had accused the men of running an illegal and unsafe artists' colony (nicknamed Ghost Ship).* *The building was allegedly a mess: it had flammable material, only two exits (one of which was allegedly blocked), and no fire alarms, smoke detectors, or sprinklers.* *The men's lawyers blamed the landlord instead, and said it was on the city to enforce fire safety codes* *Yesterday, a jury found Harris not guilty, and a judge declared a mistrial in Almena's case after a hung jury.*

8/28 - Rob Gronkowski, Jeffrey Epstein, Missouri Abortion

*"You can just call me Mr. Recovery" - Rob Gronkowski promoting CBD products for athletes. That's one way to enjoy retirement.* ------------------------ *Many of Jeffrey Epstein's accusers got the opportunity to speak out in court. Epstein - a well-connected multimillionaire - was accused of sexually abusing dozens of girls. He could've been hit with federal charges in Florida but he cut a deal in 2008 to serve only 13 months in jail, with permission to leave six days a week.* *Earlier this year, Epstein was hit with new federal sex trafficking charges in New York. But weeks ago, Epstein was found dead in his jail cell by suicide.* *The criminal case against Epstein ends with his death. But because of public interest in the case, the judge invited Epstein's accusers to speak in a hearing, which happened yesterday. One by one, 16 women spoke out. Some talked about the anger they feel. Some called Epstein a "coward," saying his death robbed them of justice.* *Several asked prosecutors to continue investigating those who might have helped Epstein - specifically his alleged madam Ghislaine Maxwell, who has not been charged and has denied any wrongdoing.* The *prosecurors say they're still investigating who might have conspired with Epstein. And that more charges could come.* Because of the Child Victims Act, *survivors of child sex abuse in New York have until August next year to file lawsuits against institutions and individuals*, even if the statute of limitations has expired. Case in point: *When the law went into effect earlier this month, a woman who says she was raped by Epstein when she was 15 sued his estate and alleged accomplices* (Maxwell and three unnamed women). Others have followed her lead. ============================ *Missouri's Republican governor signed legislation that would've banned most abortions after eight weeks, even for victims of rape or incest.* *Medical professionals who violate the eight-week cutoff could also face up to 15 years in prison. The law would have been one of the most restrictive in the country, and was supposed to go into effect today.* *But the ACLU and Planned Parenthood sued, arguing that it violated Supreme Court precedent - which only lets states regulate pregnancies starting around 24 weeks in.* *Now a federal judge is saying 'agree' - and that the eight-week ban can't go into effect until this case plays out in the courts.* *Missouri's one of many states that's been trying to crack down on abortion access. Some see the trend as an attempt to get abortion cases in front of the Supreme Court - where a 5-4 conservative majority might use them to overturn Roe v Wade.*

8/26 - Philly Naked Bike Ride, G7

**"I call it my Christmas, the happiest day of the year" - A person who participates every year in the Philly Naked Bike Ride.* He should wheelie be the spokesperson. ==================== This weekend, *the Group of Seven aka G7 got together in Biarritz, France.* Who knows, but it does make us wonder. *It's, shockingly, made up of seven countries that are democratic, wealthy, and industrialized. The exclusive club members are the US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the UK.* *The OG group started in the '70s and became the G8 after inviting Russia to join in the late '90s. Then Russia got kicked out in 2014 after it annexed Crimea, a decision the other members clearly opposed*. The group holds a summit once a year and let's just say, everyone brought along their political baggage for the trip this time around. China...*On Friday, Trump announced he would raise tariffs on Chinese imports and seemed prepared to invoke a law giving him the authority to force US businesses to leave China. During the summit, Trump was asked about the trade war and said he had "second thoughts."* The White House later said his answer was misinterpreted and that he actually regretted not raising the tariffs higher. Then things shifted again when Trump said the two countries are going to restart trade talks.* --------------- *Yesterday, Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shook hands on core elements of a trade deal that they hope to sign next month. Trump says Japan will buy "excess corn" that the US has as a result of the trade war with China.* ------------ *French President Emmanuel Macron said the leaders are close to an agreement on how to help fight the Amazon fires and try to repair the damage. This came after Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro faced international outcry, and changed his mind to authorize sending armed forces to fight the fires.* ---------------------- On Friday, *Trump criticized a French digital tax aimed at big US tech companies and threatened again to tariff French wine as retaliation. The EU said it will "respond in kind" if the US goes through with that*, showing its support of France. ------------------ Yesterday, *UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said if there's a no-deal Brexit, Britain will no longer owe the EU the 39 billion pound divorce bill agreed by his predecessor, Theresa May.* And he said this right before he met with the European council president. ------------------------- Russia...*Trump still wants to let Russia back into the club. The outgoing Italian prime minister reportedly is all for it, Japan's trying to stay neutral, everyone else is still saying 'absolutely nyet.'* And now, for the element of surprise... ------------------------- Iran...*The Iranian foreign minister made a surprise visit to the summit. Turns out, the French extended the invitation...and Trump's team was caught off-guard at a time when tensions are high between Iran and the US.* *Although Trump later said he knew the minister was coming. The meeting between Iranian and French officials was expected to be about the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which European governments are still trying to keep alive.* But it looks like there aren't any developments on that front.

10/1 - California NCAA, Hong Kong, Impeachment

*California just cleared the way for college athletes to make some cash. The NCAA's longstanding rule has been that college athletes can't make a profit off of their name or talent. But here's the fun thing: the schools and the NCAA can. Many - including lawmakers - have been calling this situation out as unfair for a while.* *Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill into law that allows college athletes to sign the same kinds of endorsement and sponsorship deals as pro athletes. As well as hire agents. The fine print: athletes can't sign deals that conflict with a school contract (think: an athlete going to a Nike-sponsored school can't sign a deal with Adidas).* *The Golden State is the first in the US to pass a law like this. Supporters say this new law could encourage star players to stay in school rather than drop out to go pro. What about critics?* Well, *the NCAA says this law is unconstitutional and it's looking at "next steps." So it's definitely not a fan. It says there needs to be a clear distinction between college and professional athletes. And that this would add an unfair recruiting advantage to California schools.* *Schools are worried about less resources and opportunities for their athletes, and how this could negatively affect female athletes. The law is set to take effect in 2023. It could lead to California schools getting shut out of certain NCAA competitions* =================================== *In Hong Kong, tens of thousands of people took to the streets today to protest the Chinese government. These demonstrations initially started back in June over a proposed extradition bill that set off alarm bells over China's growing influence there.* *Today's protests - which started off peaceful but turned violent - coincided with China's celebrations of the 70th anniversary of its ruling Communist Party.* *Protesters through petrol bombs and police fired tear gas. Police also shot a protester - the first time that's happened in these protests. So far there's no word on their condition.* ===================================== *Congress might be on a break, but the impeachment inquiry into President Trump is moving quickly. House Dems have scheduled hearings and issued subpoenas - including for Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani.* *But the president isn't slowing down either - he suggested that the House Intel Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) be arrested for treason. He also quoted a pastor saying impeachment would create a "Civil War like fracture."* *Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said the Senate would have "no choice" but to put Trump on trial if the House votes to impeach him. Because, rules.* *Russia back into the news: It's been a minute since we talked about the Russia investigation. Turns out Trump tried to get Australia's prime minister and other countries to help with an investigation into the origins of former special counsel Robert Mueller's probe.*

9/26 - Zelensky Phone Call

Well *we finally got a look at President Trump's phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky*. In case you need a refresher, we get into all that here. A day after an impeachment inquiry into Trump was announced because of said phone call, *the White House released a 'transcript'. But it was more like a memo based on officials' "notes and recollections" from the call, so it's unclear if or what parts are missing. Trump and Zelenskiy talked for about 30 mins back in July, after Zelenskiy was elected president.* *After some chit chat and congratulations from Trump on Zelenskiy's win, the Ukrainian president said 'can I maybe buy some US missiles?'* *In response, Trump asked Zelenskiy for "a favor." And said that Ukraine should work with Attorney General William Barr and Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani to investigate former VP Joe Biden and his son.* *Zelenskiy said once he appoints a top prosecutor, that person would look into it. Trump then doubled down on how Ukraine is "a great country."* *What we don't know is if Ukraine's prosecutor has since looked into Biden. If Zelenskiy knew that Trump froze hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine days before the call. Why exactly the Trump admin waited until earlier this month to greenlight the aid.* *And even though Giuliani admitted he asked Ukraine to look into the Biden situation, there are still questions about what Barr's role was - if any - in all of this.* *Trump sees this as 'Witch Hunt: the Sequel.' He said he fully supports transparency and emphasized there was no evidence of a quid pro quo.* *None of this stopped him from meeting with Zelenskiy at the UN General Assembly yesterday, where Zelenskiy said 'leave me out of US politics'.* The Justice Dept reviewed the rough transcript and said it *didn't look like the president violated campaign finance law.* *Some Republicans are backing Trump up. Others like Sens. Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Ben Sasse (R-NE) say the situation is "troubling." Democrats are working on their impeachment pump-up playlist.* *Some lawmakers got a chance to see the whistleblower complaint for themselves. The complaint has apparently been declassified, and may be released to the public today. And the whistleblower seems to be willing to meet with lawmakers.* ========================== *Israel's president picked Netanyahu to cobble together a coalition government. He has 28 days to do it. In last week's parliamentary election, Netanyahu's right-wing party pretty much tied with centrist Benny Gantz's.* *Others have lined up behind Netanyahu, but he's still shy of a majority. Now, he has four weeks to get a coalition together. After that, the president could give him a two-week extension. If not, Gantz could get a shot to see if he can make a gov.*