Episodes
Friday Dec 21, 2018
Friday Dec 21, 2018
It’s Shut Down Mania! Trump threatens to shut down the government for a “very long time” if the Senate does not pass a bill with $5 billion for his Great Wall of ‘Merica. Despite what he said during his meeting with Chuck and Nancy, He’s blaming the Democrats.
Mad Dog Mattis resigns as Trump’s Defense Secretary. Mattis’s resignation letter is widely seen as a protest against Trump’s announcement that he wants U.S. troops out of Syria and Afghanistan. Mattis also objected with Trump alienating allies and embracing autocratic regimes like China and Russia. German officials call it “a moment of alarm in Europe.”
Democrats say ixnay to the Green New Deal committee championed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other newly elected progressives. Instead, Democrats tapped Florida Democrat, Rep. Kathy Castor to head a revived House panel on climate change. Castor didn’t waste any time embracing Exxon Mobil’s talking points, arguing it might be “unconstitutional” to ban members from the committee who are flush with Big Oil and Gas money. Despite being hugely popular, Democrats still can’t get it through their head that a Green New Deal is the way forward. Here’s a little tidbit about Castor: According to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, Castor accepted more than $73,000 from the energy and natural resources sector during her Congressional career. That includes $60,000 from corporate political action committees.
Climate agreement in Poland helps to bolster the Paris Agreement. The agreement established a rule book for how countries should measure their greenhouse gas emissions, report on emissions cuts and hold each other accountable. However, the US, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait blocked language “welcoming” a recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that concluded the world must limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius or face catastrophic impacts.
Hackers broke into NASA servers and downloaded Social Security numbers and other personal info. NASA officials say they still don’t know the total number of employees that were affected.
And, the City of Opp, Alabama police department blames a recent rise in homicides on townspeople moving away from God and embracing Satan.
Andrew Cuomo releases an extensive legislative wish list that includes legalizing marijuana, an Equal Rights Act, campaign ethics and finance reforms, a Green New Deal and more.
Governor Tom Wolf says it’s time to start looking at legalizing marijuana with New Jersey and New York getting ready to legalize it in 2019. GOP leaders, follow suit, by blowing smoke and reefer madness.
Stephen Caruso from Pennsylvania Legislative Services wrote an excellent report on how Southeast Democrats were unified under the leadership of Madeleine Dean and were able to pick up 5 of 7 House leadership positions.
It’s been over a month and I can barely remember the guy who ran against Gov. Wolf in November.
In today’s Last Call, Gritty and Sean’s tattoo plans.
The Pentagon is finalizing a proposal for the Space Force as a sixth military branch. According to a draft of the proposal, the Space Force would be organized under the Department of the Air Force, kind of like the Marines are organized as an independent service under the Navy.
It’s a White Christmas on Mars. The European Space Agency’s Mars Express probe beamed back images of a 50 mile wide Martian crater filled with ice. The Korolev crater is on the northern pole plane which surrounds Mars’s polar ice cap. The crater contains 530 cubic miles of water ice and is a mile thick in places.
Arizona State University’s New Space launches the MILO Institute - get ready for the public-private-partnerships in space exploration.
Sean prepares for 2020 by going on a mega facebook purge. Fox news has an extensive debate about Gingerbread people being gender neutral?
Free Will has a double can release tomorrow at both locations: Micromosa and DDH Love Letter from the 90s.
Friday Dec 14, 2018
Friday Dec 14, 2018
Rick Santorum announces that he is out of the running for White House Chief of Staff.
Green New Deal continues to gather momentum. Writing in New York Magazine, Eric Levitz asks: “Is a Green New Deal Possible without a Revolution?” Good question. Climate activists stage a laugh-in, then protest against Trump officials’ attempt to sell “clean coal” at COP 24 Climate Summit in Poland.
AOC was a “big preoccupation” at a DC Trump hotel meeting of GOP bigwigs and political operatives.
It was Mueller drama all week long as Michael Cohen is sentenced, the National Inquirer head flips on Trump, and the Maria Butina case gets real, shining a light on Russian ties with Republican activist Paul Erickson and the NRA. The Muller investigation is getting ready for phase two of its investigation. This time, Mueller is investigating Trump’s financial ties to Middle East dictators who are looking to influence US politics.
5 Democrats join with Republican House members to stop any discussion of stopping U.S. aid to Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen. Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders’s Senate resolution calling on Trump to cut off aid to the Saudis.
Trump organization rolled back Obama-era water protections, reopening small streams and wetlands to corporate contamination. The rollback is seen as a gift to the Oil and Gas industry. Some large-scale farmers and homebuilders were also pleased.. About 40% of the stream in Pennsylvania will now be vulnerable.
Will last-minute push to bring back net neutrality be nixed by Democrats flush with Telecom cash. Check out DemsAgainstThe.Net to see which Democrats have still not signed on. Mary Gay Scanlon, was one of four Democrats unwilling to move to a vote...looks like the pressure worked. Scanlon has since changed her mind and is supporting attempts to change the rule back.
Chuck and Nancy do the Oval Office.
Media outlets across the state finally start giving it to Senate Republicans for their blatant attack on our democracy by threatening not to seat Lindsey Williams. The Post Gazette told Senate Republicans to “Let it go. Let it go.” because their fight “represents a serious erosion, not only of good faith but the stability of our democracy”
Incoming PA House Representative Elizabeth Fiedler released a co-sponsor memo advocating for Fair Work Week legislation for workers across the state.
Space Force in its final approach according to Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan.
After fully recharging following his Oval Office Mr. Roboto power-down, Mike Pence will be heading to Cape Canaveral for Tuesday’s launch of the first Air Force GPS 3 satellite atop of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Virgin Galactic reaching the edge of space with their SpaceShipTwo heralds the launch of space tourism and more.
If you haven’t checked it out yet, you should be watching National Geographic’s Mars. In October, Mars Season 2 was launched and it’s just as good as Season 1. The latest episode, episode 5, gets into corporate corruption and greed. Well worth the time.
Free Will Brewery news. TRIPLE CAN RELEASE on Saturday: Cosmic Warp Engine, Chocolate Hazelnut C.O.B. & Vanilla C.O.B. Also, Saturday, All Day Christmas Dinner from 12-8 featuring Trè Locally Sourced, and then Beer & Breakfast with Santa on Sunday 11:30 am - 5 pm with down to earth cafe’s brunch menu. Also, Free Will is collecting *new* blankets for Tenderheartz Inc. to help friends-in-need stay warm this winter. Drop off your donation at the brewery.
Friday Dec 07, 2018
Friday Dec 07, 2018
Progressives led by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other newly elected representatives are on the offensive for a Green New Deal. Writing in The Atlantic, Robinson Meyer calls the Green New Deal “one of the most interesting—and strategic—left-wing policy interventions from the Democratic Party in years.” This past Monday, AOC joined by Bernie Sanders, Bill McKibben, Van Jones, and others for a Facebook Town Hall, “Solving the Climate Crisis,” to turn up the heat for climate action. And, yes America, we can pay for it, but it will change everything. H/T Naomi Klein and the LEAP.
Then as if to underscore the need for bold, courageous action, scientists announced on Wednesday that instead of declining, carbon emissions are reaching the highest levels in history.
Someone let Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez take over the communications department for the House Dems? This week she burned Mike Huckabee by telling him on Twitter to leave the bullshit to Sarah Huckabee Sanders because she’s much better at it. AOC also takes on living wages for Congressional staffers and the system of unpaid internships in DC.
Robert Mueller and Leakin’ Lyin James Comey will be front and center today at the Mueller is expected to show his cards with what he’s got from Manafort and Cohen. Gonna get craaaaazyyyy!
Former President George H.W. Bush passed away. Trump receives accolades for not being an asshat during the funeral.
Milo Yiannopoulos now more than $2 million in debt. Apparently the troll stepped into the sunlight.
The Republican Party ups the ante when it comes to breaking all political norms to maintain power. State GOP lawmakers are using the lame-duck session to strip newly elected Democrats from being able to exercise power.
Lindsey Williams’ story is starting to get some national traction with coverage from The Intercept. Philadelphia becomes the second biggest city in the country to pass Fair Workweek Legislation. The ordinance forces fast food, retail and hotel employers to set predictable work schedules for their employees.
Pentagon “scrambling” to reorganize and make way for the Space Force. On Dec. 7, 1972, NASA launched the last crew to land on the moon with the Apollo 17 mission.
Shout out to our friends over at Inside 254. They’ve brought their podcast to close after 46 episodes. Check out their final episode and visit their archives at https://inside254.podbean.com/. We’ll miss you!
Wawa sells beer for the first time ever! Customers were waiting in line at a Wawa in Chadds Ford as they released a Wawa coffee stout brewed by 2SP. Coffee at Just Coffee now 30% off with no code required. JustCoffee.coop.
Free Will - Double Can Release this weekend: Tukutuku Porter and Eavesdrop, a Sour IPA w/Vic Secret & El Dorado 16oz. Cans. 4-packs available at both locations at 12 noon on Saturday, 12/8.
Friday Nov 30, 2018
Friday Nov 30, 2018
National Climate Assessment dropped like a bomb the day after Thanksgiving. Despite Trump admin attempts to bury the report under the weight of Black Friday shopping deals. The report paints a devastating picture of our future including a 10% drop in the U.S. economy. Trump says he doesn’t believe it. Trump gives a barely intelligible interview to the Washington Post revealing what his gut says about climate change and a host of other issues.
The Congressional Progressive Caucus is at its largest ever and now they are demanding important committee positions in order to support Nancy Pelosi for House Speaker. David Dayen lays out the argument for supporting Pelosi. On the other hand, Chuck Schumer said that Democrats are willing to give $1.6 billion to Trump for the border wall in order to avert a government shutdown. Here’s a noble idea, how about ZERO dollars for Trump’s racist border wall?
Sinclair Media forces nearly 200 of its affiliates to run a segment defending the use of tear gas on migrant children and families. Meanwhile, the Trump administration waived safety checks for all staff working at the nation’s largest detention camp for migrant children. That camp keeps growing by the way. 2,324 migrant kids and counting.
Michael Cohen pleads guilty and implicates Trump further when it comes to the Russia investigation. Looks like Putin may have been getting a $50 million floor of a Moscow Trump Tower had the deal gone through.
Facebook scandals continue to grow as new revelations that Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg ordered staff to do oppo research on George Soros after he criticized FB and Google and other tech giants at the World Economic Forum earlier this year. Facebook then pushed out critical stories to reporters about Soros’s funding of American advocacy groups critical of FB.
Rider University in New Jersey says no way to Chick-fil-A. Given the restaurant chain’s anti-LGBTQ record, Rider officials say Chick-fil-A is not faithful to the university’s values of inclusiveness.
A Chinese researcher claims to have helped make the world’s first genetically modified babies. And, Ivanka Trump found to be sending emails from a non-government server. Conservative base starts chants of “Lock Her Up…” Not.
Daryl Metcalfe is looking for some new committee positions. What will it be? Will it be House Judiciary committee chair or House Education committee chair?
The ever-so-swanky PA Society is this weekend and it was launched with a reception hosted by Christine Toretti, who is a Trustee to the Scaife Foundation and Trump’s Ambassador to Malta. This high-end event was hosted at Club Macanudo.
Senate Republicans are threatening to not seat Lindsey Williams because of a potential resident.
In today’s Last Call, it was a big week in Space News. The InSight Lander successfully touched down on Mars and prepares for several years of scientific study of the interior of the Red Planet. NASA selected nine companies to be eligible for future contracts to deliver payloads to the surface of the moon. The news had Mike Pence all tingly in the panties and galactic capitalists licking their chops at the prospects of colonizIng the new frontier. Time is running out for the Space Force. Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan will meet with Mike Pence to try and ready legislation to drop a legislative proposal in December. And, it’s 2001 a Space Odyssey all over again as the International Space Station “wakes up” its first onboard AI called CIMON. Let’s hope this has a better ending.
Huge news in my neck of the woods: The Bread Box & Bakery have moved to a new prime location at the corner of Market and 7th Street in Perkasie. Their new location now has an awesome menu, kombucha on tap, great bread, and all sorts of sustainable goods in one place. Go check them out at 1 North 7th Street and tell them you heard about it on Raging Chicken’s Out d’Coup podcast.
Free Will Brewing and The Bread Box & Bakery are teaming up on Wednesday, December 5th for “Let’s Get Lit!” at the main brewery in Perkasie for Free Will’s annual Brewery Tree Lighting & Merriment! A complimentary special toast (beer for those 21+, soda for those under 21) and Christmas cookies from our Friends at The Bread Box and Bakery will be provided to those in attendance. Festivities and the countdown to illumination get underway at 7 pm.
Saturday Nov 17, 2018
Saturday Nov 17, 2018
House Republican caucus 90% white men. Democratic caucus looks more like America. Democrats pick up more seats with Sinema winning flipping Jeff Flake’s seat and Katie Porter flipping an Orange County Republican stronghold. Porter was a student of Elizabeth Warren and ran an unabashed progressive campaign supporting Medicare-for-all, expanding Social Security and going after the banks. Democrats in for a rude awakening as the new freshman/women class heads to Congress. It’s a new day.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez faces misogynist tweets after “Hill Staffer” sends a photo of her wearing a dress to a Washington Examiner reporter.
Fires continue to burn in CA. George Monbiot makes the case that plutocracy is at the root of our unwillingness to address climate change. A new plan calls for 10 percent solar power in Pennsylvania by 2030.
Amazon HQ2 will cost taxpayers at least $4.6 billion.
Proud Boys and other Alt-Right groups marching through Philadelphia this weekend. The Philadelphia AFL-CIO and organized labor denounce their march as counter-protests plan to shut it down.
#SnowCamel makes an appearance on Route 309 by the Perkasie/Sellersville exit. Because of course there was a camel standing on a major road in the middle of a snowstorm. Just another day in 2018.
Kevin’s NYC excursion this week included Bruce on Broadway, the 9/11 memorial, and the most amazing polish food at Krolewskie Jadlo in the Greenpoint neighborhood in Brooklyn.
Free Will releases Fenberry Sauce - a Sour Ale Aged in Oak Casks with Cranberries. 375 ml and 750 ml bottles will be available in both locations tomorrow.
Friday Nov 09, 2018
Friday Nov 09, 2018
Midterm election roundup. What’s the word on the Blue Wave? Should Pelosi return as Speaker of the House? Women and minorities make history on election night.
Jeff Sessions fired. Matthew Whitaker installed by Trump as acting Attorney General. Will Trump turn to his old Yes Man, Chris Christie, to take over the AG office permanently?
RBG is back at work after falling down and breaking three ribs.
Alabama and W. Virginia vote to strip constitutional protections for abortions. CNN’s Jim Acosta stripped of his press credentials for a fabricated video karate chop. Trump tells a Black reporter she’s a racist for asking him to denounce white nationalism.
Sean chats with McKay Coppins at Biden Rally. Tom Wolf and Bob Casey win their reelection bids in blowout fashion. Dunking on Wagner comes to an end. Pennsylvania Dems pick up 5 State Senate seats and 10 State House seats. Pat Browne barely survives his race against Mark Pinsley.
Over 150 people showed up to the Pennsylvania Capitol to protect the Mueller investigation. Seth Goldstein reports from Doylestown on last night’s rally there.
In today’s Last Call, China unveils the world’s first AI news anchor. Word has it that it’s a tireless worker with no aspirations to unionize.
Kim Stanley Robinson has a great piece in Commune called “Dystopias Now.” A great read about the role of utopia and dystopia in social progress and political organization.
Utica’s F.X. Matt Saranac/Brewery launches a major expansion. On Sunday, Free Will releases Olly, the sour brown ale aged in Oak Casks that took the Silver Medal at the 2018 World Beer Cup.
Friday Nov 02, 2018
Friday Nov 02, 2018
Right-wing terrorist kills 11 during worship at Pittsburgh synagogue, the deadliest attack on American Jews in history. Trump spins a lie about the NY Stock Exchange and 9/11 in order to justify holding a political rally the same day has the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy deletes his anti-semitic dog whistle tweet, which said that three wealthy Jews are trying to buy the election. McCarthy hit all the globalist, wink-wink, themes.
Ahead of next week’s midterm elections, Trump stokes anti-immigrant flames, threatening an executive order to end birthright citizenship. 538 still showing that Democrats will take back the house. However, if we’ve learned anything from the 2016 presidential election, the polls can be horrifically wrong...so, vote, vote vote. High school and college students at more than 500 schools are planning on walking out to vote on Election Day. And let’s not forget the war against the caravan and the GOP's closing racist ads.
The Congressional Budget Office just released a new analysis of the Senate tax bill. Wouldn’t you know it? The bill is even worse for lower-income people than previously thought. All cred to Mitch McConnell and his Republican buds in the Senate. Workers at 60% of Google offices around the world walk off the job yesterday and issued a manifesto of sorts calling for massive changes at the company in terms of sexual discrimination and transparency.
Brazil joins the autocrat club. Jair Bolsonaro was elected as Brazil’s new president on Sunday. There can be little question that we are living in a period of history in which the very concept of democracy is under assault. Kicking things off, Bolsonaro’s party has launched a campaign against “indoctrinator teachers.”
Scott Wagner is DOWN 26 points in the latest Franklin and Marshall Poll. And, the day after the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, Scott Wagner spreads conspiracy theories about the secret people is funding the traveling caravan. We’ll give you a couple of guesses about who’s at the top of that list.
The Susquehanna Policy Center, a conservative polling firm and think tank, has George Scott and Jess King within 3-4 points of Scott Perry and Lloyd Smucker. They also have Ron DiNicola leading Mike Kelly by 6 points. Joe Biden will be stumping all over Pennsylvania on Sunday. He’ll be campaigning with Matt Cartwright and George Scott.
Looks like “methane migration” from natural gas operations in Green County PA may have been responsible for the house that blew up and nearly killed 3 people.
Will labor activists hold their union leaders accountable if Scott Wallace loses his race for the PA-1 and Republicans maintain control of the House? Comfortable union leaders are going to have to get with the program or be complicit with the demise of what’s left of the labor movement. The latest polls are concerning.
New PASSHE Chancellor, Daniel Greenstein, visits Kutztown.
In today’s Last Call, Sean’s going to see Papa Joe Biden. And Free Will releases Kiwi Kick Punch tomorrow, 11/3/2018. It’s a Triple IPA with Kiwi, Vanilla, and Milk Sugar at 12.6% ABV. 4-pack cans will be available at both locations
Friday Oct 26, 2018
Friday Oct 26, 2018
“Bombs! Not Jobs” is the Republican rallying cry heading into the 2018 midterm election. The MAGA bomber has now targeted at least a dozen high-profile Democrats and Trump critics. [News broke during recording that MAGA bomber has been arrested]. Trump refuses to give up his personal iPhone. Now the Chinese and Russians are listening in. Blunder or strategy?
Surprise, surprise. Richard Spencer is not just that fame-seeking white supremacist trying to make nazis cool again. He’s also a wife-beater, according to divorce documents filed by his wife.
Those social media loving millennials are actually a hell of a lot better than their Gen X and Baby Boomer elders at distinguishing facts from opinions, according to a new study by Pew Research Center. Maybe that’s why an NBC/GenForward poll found that 71% of millennials think it’s time for a third party. It looks like a specter is haunting the White House ahead of Halloween. What’s going bump in the night at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue? Socialism! That’s right, Trump’s council of economic advisors releases an official report on the threat of socialism right before the midterms.
Billionaires become 20% richer in 2017. That’s right, according to report by Swiss bank UBS, billionaires made more money in 2017 than in any year in recorded history. The richest of the rich on our Big Blue Marble increased their wealth to a whopping $8.6 trillion. That’s a more concentrated wealth than the Gilded Age.
Opening arguments are scheduled for Monday for a watershed lawsuit against the Trump administration about climate change. 21 plaintiffs between the ages of 11 and 22. The plaintiffs are claiming government inaction on climate change violates their “fundamental constitutional rights to freedom from deprivation of life, liberty, and property.”
It’s time to talk about it. Mike Turzai may actually lose his race against Emily Skopov. Scott Perry is fighting back against his “I don’t want to pay for about maternity care” comments, and is asking his opponents to “release the tapes.” The Pennsylvania Senate GOP Policy Committee invited Koch Brother affiliated organizations to talk about legislation to pursue in the post-Janus world.
PSEA and the AFL-CIO have endorsed Republican Brian Fitzpatrick over Scott Wallace in the PA-1. So, instead of organizing for power, we’re going to look for the “nice Republicans?” Am I getting that right?
The UN’s IPCC report released earlier this month, we have 12 years to dramatically reduce our carbon emissions. You wouldn’t know that in this year’s PA gubernatorial race, despite the fact that PA is the third largest carbon emitter among all the states.
Cool news: I got my copy of Unruly Rhetorics: Protest, Persuasion, and Publics in the mail this week! My article, “We Are Not All In This Together: A Case for Advocacy, Factionalism, and Making the Political Personal,” is in there along with a bunch of amazing writing.
In the bonus of the week, this week the interview Rachel Riedner and Gordon Matler’s interview with Seth Kahn and me just got published in the open access journal, Academic Labor this week. It’s titled “Neoliberal Higher Education: Background of the Pennsylvania State College and University Faculty Strike of 2016.”
Free Will Brewing has a double can release tomorrow. They’ll have 4-packs of Grapesicle, a Pastel IPA w/Merlot & Muscat Grapes, oats, milk sugar, and vanilla. This one is brewed in collaboration with Stone & Key Cellars. And the much anticipated Pineapple Rant, a Contemporary Gose w/Pineapple & Coconut,l will also finally be available.
Saturday Oct 20, 2018
Saturday Oct 20, 2018
Mitch McConnell blames Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for rising deficits for the rising deficits, not the trillion dollar tax cut. Just like we said he would. The very thing that Paul Ryan had signaled last year.
The Young Turks turn the spotlight on Richard Ojeda’s political ads in West Virginia representing the kind of “unafraid to fight back” kind of spirit that the Democrats seem afraid to embrace.
The story about Jamal Khashoggi just gets more disturbing the more we learn. And, of course, Trump throws in with the Saudis and calls the case another example of “you’re guilty until proven innocent.”
Oh, Canada, Oh, Canada! It’s 420 24/7 as pot is legalized in the Great White North.
Koch Funded Dark Money Lord of PA, Matthew Brouillette, takes to the pages of the Wall Street Journal to raise the alarm bells. He warns that unions in Pennsylvania may provide the organizing needed to flip the House.
Scott Wagner decided that self-immolation was the best way to torch his campaign. He takes to Facebook Live to yell at a billboard and threatens to stomp Governor Wolf’s face with golf spikes.
The Pennsylvania GOP’s messaging on socialism is so great that 52 percent of Pennsylvanians support some form of socialist single-payer health care. Thank you PA GOP.
ALEC……...Baldwin was in the Pennsylvania Capitol on Wednesday. Well, not really. ALEC - American Legislative Exchange Council - lobbyists swarmed the capitol for their Convention of the States rally and Sean bird-dogged their private meeting.
The PA 10th is still tight. Democratic challenger George Scott raised three times as much money as Scott Perry, the Republican incumbent. 538 still has the race as lean Republican, though. We shall see.
The Hyperloop is coming! That’s right, we can’t fix our roads and bridges, but the Republican dominated PA House is all for a study on building an Elon Musk-esque Hyperloop between Philly and Pittsburgh. And, the Pennsylvania Senate leaves town without passing a bill for Catholic Church abuse survivors.
In today’s Last Call, we take a look at Free Will’s new release - the “Race Against Time,” a, Orange Creamsicle-inspired IPA will be out Saturday. The brewery postponed until next week the release of their Pineapple Rant Can Release. They weren’t happy with what they had so wanted to make sure the quality was what we all expect.
Kevin and Sean also spend a little time talking about the Netflix series Ozark. Unlike Sean, Kevin takes Sean’s streaming recommendations seriously.
Friday Oct 12, 2018
Friday Oct 12, 2018
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report arguing that we only have 12 years to slow down the disastrous effects of climate change. Some climate scientists, on the other hand, say that the report was too cautious. Speaking of climate change, Hurricane Michael exploded from a tropical storm to a devastating Category 4 hurricane in a mere 72 hours. Hurricane Michael was the fourth Category 4 hurricane to hit the United States in the past 16 months. It was the first Cat 4 to ever hit the Florida panhandle. Nearly a dozen people were killed, but that number is expected to rise.
Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats say “thank you, sir, may I have another” as they reach a deal with Mitch McConnell to pack the courts with 15 more judges. What do the Democrats get out of the deal? They get to maintain a sense of decorum as the GOP burns down the 20th Century.
Independent Saudi journalist, and Washington Post columnist, Jamal Khashoggi, disappeared inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Turkish officials now say they have video evidence that Khashoggi was captured, tortured and killed. Trump says, “he’s not a U.S. citizen, right?” Let the arms deal go through.
Election interference from GOP - more attempts to deny people the right to vote. North Dakota moves to end the right to vote for Native Americans and college students in the state. Georgia puts 53,000 voter registrations on hold. Nearly 70% of the holds were put on black Georgians. The GOP candidate for Governor, Brian Kemp, is currently Georgia’s Secretary of State. Which means he’s the guy charged with ensuring fair elections. What will that mean for Stacy Abrams campaign to become the first black Governor of the state and first black woman Governor in the country? Students on the primarily black Prairie View A&M University find that they may no longer be able to vote on campus because of misinformation from election officials.
Facebook announces that it is purging 559 pages and 251 accounts run by Americans in order to spread disinformation. Learning from Russia’s disinformation campaign during the 2016 presidential election. Susan Collins gave the most self-serving speech in support of Kavanaugh. And in a commentary on the sad state of our public life, Taylor Swift’s Instagram post in favor of Democrats results in 65,000 voter registrations in a single 24 hour period.
Scott Wagner sent out a fundraising email this week claiming that he tapped his fortune dry by dropping 10 million dollars into his campaign. He also blamed the Republican establishment for not helping him and compared his failing campaign to a “public lynching.” As is things cannot get crazier, Scott Wagner is bringing Diamond and Silk to Philadelphia.
New Koch Brother funded organization, Commonwealth Leaders Fund, dropped $100,000 into Jeremy Shaffer’s Senate campaign. Marty Nothstein sues the Allentown Morning Call over their reporting of his sexual harassment allegations earlier this year. DeSales University Poll has Susan Wild up by 19 points. And, a pro-Trump PAC is going to dump $700,000 into the PA 10 to help save Scott Perry.
In today’s Last Call, Voyager 2 may soon enter interstellar space - wild space - as it approaches the fringe of the heliosphere. Russian Soyuz rocket program grounded after an emergency abort last week. No one was killed, but now NASA has no way of getting people to and from the ISS.
Gritty seizes the means of production and becomes the Antifa superhero we’ve all been looking for. Memes of the new Philadelphia Flyers’ mascot have gotten so out of hand, the Wall Street Journal published an op-ed denouncing the leftist icon.
Free Will Brewing has got some new releases: 10.13.18 Sir Lamington – Imperial Milk Stout w/Coconut, Chocolate, & Milk Sugar. Last week, Free Will dropped Coffee Cherry Cream Pie – Cream Ale w/coffee, cherry, vanilla & milk sugar – 6.4%. Coming up on Sunday, Oct 21st from 12-5 it will be Oktoberfest at Free Will. They will have five traditional German-style beers on tap and traditional German food from the awesome folks at The Bread Box and Bakery.
A little Xtra: Faithless - God is a DJ