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brooklynite

brooklynite's Journal
brooklynite's Journal
October 31, 2019

BERN NOTICE: Biden's Super PAC Is Led By Health Care Lobbyists

On Wednesday, Joe Biden attacked Bernie for supporting Medicare for All. That same day, we learned that the super PAC bankrolling Biden’s campaign is led by health care industry lobbyists.

Coincidence? You be the judge.

The Intercept and Sludge report that the super PAC’s treasurer is a former Biden aide who is now the CEO of a lobbying firm that has represented health care systems, medical device companies and the pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly. The lobbying firm notes on its website that “our past and current clients include hospital systems, insurers, medical device companies and advocacy organizations.” The super PAC’s board also includes a lobbyist for the hospital industry.

On the same day that the super PAC launched pro-Biden ads, Biden’s campaign lashed out at Bernie for supporting a Medicare for All system that would reduce the profits of the super PAC leaders’ health care industry clients. Amid weak grassroots fundraising, Biden’s campaign abruptly reversed its opposition to super PACs, effectively green lighting the new super PAC, which can rake in unlimited corporate and billionaire donations.

In response to the attacks, Bernie 2020 campaign manager Faiz Shakir said this:

"At the same time we are learning that Joe Biden has a Super PAC to bankroll his campaign with unlimited donations from corporations and billionaires, he is once again peddling dishonest insurance company talking points about Medicare for All. Biden’s proposal preserves the corporate greed and corruption that rots our health care system, and his plan leaves millions of Americans uninsured.

"When we eliminate premiums, co-payments, deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses, the overwhelming majority of people will pay less for better health care.

"Will Joe Biden tell the American people how many more of them he’s willing to allow to go bankrupt? How many more people would die because they don’t get to a doctor in time? We need to have the guts to stand up to corporate greed. That’s what this election is about."


At this point, Biden’s allegiance to health insurers and drug companies is not exactly a surprise.

Biden launched his presidential campaign with a fundraiser hosted by the CEO of a private health insurance company. The American Prospect has also noted that “Steve Ricchetti, referred to as Biden's campaign chairman in a published report last month, was a longtime lobbyist for health care and other corporate clients.”

As Vox put it: “The health care industry is betting on Joe Biden in its war against Medicare-for-all.”

Bern after reading,

https://bernie.substack.com/p/bern-notice-bidens-super-pac-is-led
October 31, 2019

Paula White, Trump's Personal Pastor, Joins the White House

Source: New York Times

Paula White, a televangelist based in Florida and personal pastor to President Trump whom he has known since 2002, has joined the Trump administration in an official capacity, according to a White House official.

Ms. White will work in the Office of Public Liaison, the official said, which is the division of the White House overseeing outreach to groups and coalitions organizing key parts of the president’s base. Her role will be to advise the administration’s Faith and Opportunity Initiative, which Mr. Trump established last year by executive order and which aims to give religious groups more of a voice in government programs devoted to issues like defending religious liberty and fighting poverty.

As Mr. Trump campaigns for a second term, he cannot afford to lose support from the religious conservatives who voted for him in 2016 in significant numbers. Without their backing, his path to re-election would be significantly narrower.

He has taken repeated steps to ensure they turn out for him again — by issuing executive orders, making cabinet appointments and nominating federal judges that pass muster with the religious right. On a range of issues from abortion rights to tax exemptions for churches, Mr. Trump has tried to grant Christian conservatives their policy wish lists whenever legally and politically feasible.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/31/us/politics/paula-white-trump.html



A prosperity gospel huckster who cons people out of their money? Seems like a good fit.
October 31, 2019

Rep. Peterson breaks with Democrats on impeachment inquiry. Here's how your representative voted

Source: Duluth News Tribune

Minnesota Democrats Angie Craig, Dean Phillips, Betty McCollum and Ilhan Omar supported the resolution while Republican Reps. Jim Hagedorn, Tom Emmer and Pete Stauber voted against it. Reps. Kelly Armstrong, R-N.D., and Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., also voted against the rules for impeachment proceedings.

Peterson in a statement said the vote was "unnecessary" and he raised concerns about the way the impeachment process had been conducted. Peterson also said he wouldn't decide whether he supported impeachment until all the facts had been presented.

“This impeachment process continues to be hopelessly partisan. I have been hearing from my constituents on both sides of this matter for months, and the escalation of calls this past week just shows me how divided our country really is right now," Peterson said. "I have some serious concerns with the way the closed-door depositions were run and am skeptical that we will have a process that is open, transparent and fair. Without support from Senate Republicans, going down this path is a mistake."

Read more: https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/government-and-politics/4748347-Collin-Peterson-breaks-with-Democrats-on-impeachment-inquiry.-Heres-how-your-representative-voted

October 31, 2019

House Democrat explains why he voted against the impeachment resolution

Source: CNN

Reps. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey and Collin Peterson of Minnesota were the only two Democrats to vote against the impeachment resolution today.

In a statement, Van Drew said he voted against the resolution because he believes "this inquiry will further divide the country tearing it apart at the seams and will ultimately fail in the Senate."

Van Drew added that now that the impeachment inquiry is "moving forward" he will be "making a judgment call based on all the evidence presented by these investigations."




Read more: https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/impeachment-inquiry-10-31-2019/index.html

October 31, 2019

Cory Booker on Charter Schools

"In Newark NJ, we had a tragic reality with our schools which was, they were failing our kids. And we doubled down on expanding great schools and closing bad schools, and we took our high performing Charter Schools and really gave them the support they needed, these public Charter schools, to expand. And we expended magnet schools as well, and brought in Bard College to run a Public School in our City.

Long story short is, we found local solutions that work for our kids. If you're a black kid in Newark, which is the majority of our population, your chances of going to a high-performing school that beat the suburbs went up about 400%. We now have had 30% graduation rate increase, and oin top of that, reading and math scores have skyrocketed. in fact, one study at University of Washington called our city the best city in America for "beat the odds' schools, high poverty/high performance.

Anybody that wants to try to undermine the Public Schools, Public Charter Schools, Magnet Schools, or traditional District Schools that are serving my kids; they're going to have to deal with me".


--"Hacks on Tap" podcast (10/22)

October 31, 2019

Marianne Williamson campaign ad: "Reparations"



Reparations is NOT an issue to campaign on....
October 31, 2019

Qantas grounds 737NG due to 'cracking'

Source: Buying Business Travel

Qantas has temporarily pulled one of its 737NG aircraft from service after discovering “cracking” near a wing.

Boeing issued a warning about the potential issue back in June, advising its customers to inspect the entire family of 737s, including the NG and Max versions, after discovering an “improper manufacturing process” on a part on the wings carried out by a supplier.

The potential fault affects an area near the “pickle fork”, which helps attach the wing to the plane, according to the manufacturer.

Regulators required airlines to inspect aircraft that had completed more than 30,000 take-offs and landings (or cycles) and those with more than 22,600 cycles to be checked within the next 1,000. Qantas said none of its 737s have reached that number.

Read more: https://buyingbusinesstravel.com/news/qantas-grounds-737ng-due-to-cracking/

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Name: Chris Bastian
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