Out d’Coup | Midterm Election Roundup; Sessions Gone; Acosta’s Fake Karate Chop; Dunking on Wagner; Hope in PA; World’s First AI News Anchor; Utica Brewery; Free Will Release

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.

Out d’Coup | Pittsburgh Synagogue Massacre; GOP Doubles-Down on White Nationalism; Midterms; Tax Bill; Brazil; Wagner Wimpers; Tight PA Races; #PA1; Chancellor Greenstein at KU; Papa Joe; Free Will

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

Out d’Coup | MAGA Bomber; Millennials and New Politics; Billionaires Fatter in 2017; Turzai In Danger of Losing?; Koch Funded Orgs Talk Post-Janus in PA; Publication News; New Free Will Cans; more!

“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.

Out d’Coup | McConnell Says Time to Cut New Deal Social Programs; Richard Ojeda; Jamal Khashoggi Killing; Oh, Canada; Wagner’s Golf Spikes; PA 10th Tightening; Hyperloop; Beer; and, Ozark

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.

Out d’Coup | Alarming IPCC Report; Hurricane Michael; Senate Dems Help GOP Pack Courts; Khashoggi Killing; Voter Suppression; Wagner, Diamond, and Silk; New PA Koch PAC; Wild Space; Free Will Releases

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

Out d’Coup | Sen.Republicans Plowing Through Kavanaugh; Whiteness; Cancel Kavanaugh Protests; $15 at Amazon; Jeopardy Debate; Week in Wagner; SCOTUS Denies Colleen Bradley; Space News & Beer

Mitch McConnell remains committed to “plowing through” the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. The Senate is set to vote today. Kavanaugh polling shows why the “yoga vote” is a bunch of nonsense. 83 percent of Black and 66 percent of Latino voters support Dr. Ford while only 40 percent of white voters believe her.  

Hundreds of protesters were arrested yesterday in “Cancel Kavanaugh” protests in DC and around the country. 

Amazon raises its minimum wage to $15/hour. But hold the celebrations for Bezos the benevolent billionaire. Workers lose benefits, bonuses, stock options as part of the deal. And, Melania Trump was welcomed to Malawi by protests. One sign read #NOTASHITHOLE. 

The one and only debate for the Pennsylvania gubernatorial race was this past Monday and Alex Trebek stole the show. Trebek spoke for 44 minutes while Scott Wagner and Tom Wolf spoke for 29 and 23 minutes.

Scott Wagner paid Fox News host Judge Jeanine Pirro $25,000 to speak at an upcoming fundraiser.  Pirro has used her role at Fox to spread conspiracy theories about Dr. Ford and called Dr. Ford a fraud. Scott Wagner holds a town hall with 4 teenage girls, 4 cows and an empty chair at the Farm Show Complex.  He then went to a local farm where a duck - or goose? - shit all over his tracksuit. His campaign then posts a picture of it online. 

A new internal poll shows that Emily Skopov is within FIVE POINTS of House Speaker Mike Turza. Montgomery County Republican Tom Murt helped get a killer cop a patronage job at the Philadelphia Parking Authority. This cop was charged with murder after shooting a fleeing suspect in the back.

And, in a major blow to our First Amendment whistleblower rights at work, the U.S. Supreme Court refuses to hear Colleen Bradley’s case.

Concerns that U.S. military project to deploy “Insect Allies” to genetically engineer crops, could be repurposed to be a biological weapon. Last week’s asteroid landing by a Japanese “hopping” rover was a success, but MASCOT rovers are no more.

Free Will Brewing has got a couple cool releases this week. Yesterday, Free Will released All VIP New England-style IPA. And they did it as part of a screening of a new documentary on PA craft brewery called “Poured in PA.” Today, Free Will releases a PawPaw Saison...fun fact, the Paw Paw is the only fruit indigenous to PA. 

Out d’Coup | Kavanaugh Hearing Marks Historic Moment; Bad News for PA Republicans; Scott Wagner Loses $630,000 Gambling on Wall Street; Free Will New Releases and Events; and, so much more.

Christine Blasey Ford gives gut-wrenching testimony about her experience being sexually assaulted by Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh. When  Kavanaugh has his turn, he rips off the mask and shows himself to be the asshole political operative he’s always been. Trump, meanwhile, loved Kavanaugh’s performance...says “that’s why I nominated him.” Senate Judiciary Committee set to vote this morning. Procedural vote scheduled for Saturday. Full confirmation vote next week. Sources saying GOP may need Mike Pence to get Kavanaugh on the Court. And, just for fun, the United Nations laughed at Trump.

In our Pennsylvania focus: Alex, I’ll take conflicts of interest for a thousand.  Scott Wagner caught investing campaign funds into the stock market and LOST $630,000 over the summer. Internal PA GOP polling shows Pennsylvania Republicans running for the hills. Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman is polling at 45-45 agaist his opponent. Senate Appropriations Chair Pat Browne is trailing an Our Revolution and PCCC backed candidate Mark Pinsley by 11 points.  And, if that’s not bad enough for PA Republicans, Susan Wild is starting to pull away in the 7th Congressional District. The latest Franklin & Marshall poll shows Tom Wolf lapping Scott Wagner 52-30.

Faculty at Kutztown University table in front of their building in order to continue the pressure on university administrators to fix sick buildings. In the most devastating PA news of the week, Wawa is all in for Scott Wagner.

In today’s Last Call, Free Will holds Saison Saturday tomorrow. Check out their awesome can and bottle releases. They got their crowler machine up and running.

In abbreviated space news, Japan lands two small hopping probes on an asteroid. That’s a first in human history. Lots of space news, but it’s going to have to wait until next week. In the meantime, think about whether or not we should nationalize Elon Musk.

Out d’Coup | Hurricane Florence; Trump Robs FEMA for ICE; CA’s Climate Goals; Kavanaugh; Manafort; NY Primary; Fahrenheit 11/9; Wagner Woes; Fracking Report; E. Stroudsburg Strike; Mold; Space & Beer

Hurricane Florence makes landfall near Wilmington, NC as a Category 1 hurricane. All the climate change signals are there as the slow, huge storm dumps dozens of inches of rain. Trump administration transferred nearly $10 million from FEMA to ICE. Documents also show that the Coast Guard will also be losing at least $14 million that will go to ICE. Trump calls Puerto Rico death toll a democratic party political tactic.

On the other side of the country, California Gov. Jerry Brown announced the most ambitious climate change agenda in history: an executive order committing California to carbon neutrality by 2045. The announcement comes on the heels of recent state legislation committing California’s electrical grid to 100 percent clean energy by the same date.

Kavanaugh confirmation vote delayed...is there some wobbling in the Republican ranks? Diane Feinstein says she got a confidential message from a woman back in July containing claims of what some sources are saying are allegations of sexual misconduct. [Ronan Farrow and Jane Mayer broke the story revealing the contents of the letter while we were recording]. That was just the latest ball to drop as Kavanaugh had a rough hearing and showed himself to be kind of bad at using words. Looks like the vote is set for Sept. 20th.

Apparently, Paul Manafort reached a plea deal with Muller on his second felony trial. The deal is supposed to be announced in court today. [News broke as we finished recording that Manafort has agreed to cooperate with Mueller’s investigation. The degree of cooperation is not yet clear].

Andrew Cuomo survives Cynthia Nixon’s challenge in NY Democratic Primary. The bigger loss though was Zephyr Teachout. On the bright side, Julia Salazar wins big. Also, six pro-Cuomo, Democrats who joined with State Republicans to keep progressives at bay, were ousted by insurgent Democrats.

Michael Moore’s new film, Fahrenheit 11/9 hits theaters next week. Its official release date is Friday, 9/11 but it’s premiering all over a day early...check your local listings.

The trash man cometh. Scott Wagner’s Penn Waste uses local court districts as its own bill collection agency.  The company has sued 7,000 customers over 10,000 times for being late on their bills.

According to a new report released on Tuesday, more than half of the companies fracking in PA used “secret chemicals” in their fracking fluid. That means there’s no way to tell what the health effects of pumping chemicals into our water systems will have.

On Monday, an Energy Partners pipeline - the Revolution pipeline - blew up in Beaver County, destroying one home. No one was injured, but the explosion draws attention to try impacts and dangers of runaway fracking in the state.

East Stroudsburg teachers go on strike, closing schools for the week. Taking a page out of the teachers strikes in West Virginia and Oklahoma earlier this year, teachers invested time in a number of community service projects when not on the picket line.  

Kevin provides an update on sick buildings at Kutztown University.

SpaceX to announce the first commercial trip around the Moon. On Monday, September 17th at 9 pm, Elon Musk will try to distract himself from his Tesla woes and reveal the identity of the person or people who will take a ride on BFR. Luxembourg makes moves to be the commercial capital for space industries

Free Will has a double release this weekend - Sexy Goodies and the Pomisher. They’ll also be at the Scarecrow Fest all weekend long at Peddler’s Village.

Great new beer tips from Out d’Coup fan Tony. Looks like anti-worker Yuengling has more than one challenger in Pottsville. Introducing Stoker Brewing Company in Tamaqua! Hey...that’s Banditelli country! And Stoker Brewing Company is sponsoring a “Smoketoberfest” on September 22nd!

Out d’Coup | NYT Steady State OpEd; Dems Get Spine in Kavanaugh Hearing; Trump Guts Science from Energy Plan; DeVos Profiles Howard; Week in Wagner; Daylin’s Back; Star Trek Economics; and beer!

The “steady state,” secret resistance starts to unfurl their plans (insert “mwahahaha” here). From NYT OpEd to the release of Bob Woodward’s book Fear, to the latest “revelation” that Administration officials contacted a psychiatrist last year because Trump was scaring them. Could this be the launch of Mike Pence 2020?

Democrats steeled up for the Kavanaugh hearing. From Kamala Harris’s brutal interrogations to Cory Booker and Mazie Hirono releasing “committee confidential” emails that the GOP sought to keep out of public view, it’s been quite a ride. Booker broke the ice and now the docs are flowing. Leaked emails to NYT show Kavanaugh thinks Roe v. Wade NOT settled law.  All this comes in the wake of the Trump organization’s decision not to release more than 100,000 documents from Kavanaugh’s time serving George W. Bush in the White House. Then there are the nearly non-stop protests that have disrupted the hearings. Warms our hearts.

New documents show that the Trump organization cut climate change impacts from its energy plan. New wildfire rages in Northern California. The Delta fire has ravaged more than 15,000 acres of land and now threatens homes.

Betsy DeVos moves to put the screws to Howard University by putting it on a “Heightened Cash Monitoring” list. The right-wing billionaire founder of Amway, Richard DeVos dies. Now, where have I heard that name before? Manafort’s daughter files papers to change her last name. Alex Jones permanently banned from Twitter.

The Village Voice, the first alternative weekly, shuts down completely after a 63-year run. More signs of trouble in journalism.

Scott Wagner calls Tom Wolf’s trip to Puerto Rico to help victims of Hurricane Maria “Pure Bullshit.” Republicans bring in the Koch Brothers to launch their newest attack on public sector unions. Daylin Leach back in the news...looks like his efforts to redeem himself are not going so well. Following Pennsylvania’s explosive report sexual abuse by Catholic priests, NY and NJ ready their own investigations. Lytle Hall mold refuses eviction notice despite crews bleaching the walls. KU History professor and mold enthusiast, Mike Gambone, delivers moldy ceiling tiles to Kutztown University administration.

Sean’s going to Star Fleet Academy - at least in today’s Last Call. He gets some schooling on positive examples of our socialist future. Elon Musk talks Boring Company while smoking some Mary Jane. Free Will has a double can release tomorrow. Brut – Brut IPA and Pink Guava Muse – Imperial Oat Pale Ale w/Milk Sugar & Pink Guava. Available at both locations.

Out d’Coup | RIP John McCain; Huge Progressive Win in FL; O’Rouke Shreds Cruz; Puerto Rico Death Toll 2,975; Dems Fast Track Trump Judges; Week in Wagner; Space News, Free Will Can Releases; More!

RIP Sen. John McCain. While the week was dominated by accolades for McCain, let’s remember that we can walk and chew gum at the same time. We can respect his contributions to the country AND remember that his presidential campaign set the table for Trump and the Tea Party dominance of the Republican Party.

Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum pulled out a huge upset in the Florida Democratic Gubernatorial Primary,  despite being outspent by the Democratic Party favorite by 43 to 1. Gillum’s GOP opponent, Ron DeSantis, went on Fox News the following morning and said that Florida shouldn’t “monkey this up.”   

Paul Manafort tried to take a page out of the Art of the Deal with Robert Muller, but that fell apart. Beto O’Rouke is in a dead tie with Ted Cruz, so the Texas GOP attacks Beto for his skateboarding skills and his history in a punk rock band on Twitter.  It backfires spectacularly.

The death toll in Puerto Rico from Hurricane Maria has been revised to 2,975 people. That makes the death toll significantly higher than Katrina. According to a new report, the Living Planet Index 2018, the world is on track to lose two-thirds of its wild animals by 2020.

Democrats in DC gave the green light to fast-track the confirmation of 15 Trump appointed federal judges so they could go home. Trump has now appointed more Circuit Court justices than any president in history at this point in their term. The State of Kansas let residents to two Wichita-area neighborhoods drink water contaminated with dry cleaning chemicals for more than 6 years. And, Trump tries to start Google conspiracy theory.

In our PA focus, the latest Franklin and Marshall poll shows Scott Wagner and Lou Barletta getting smoked in the general election. Scott Wagner bombs at the ever so swanky and insiders Pennsylvania Press Club Luncheon. Wagner started by attacking Wolf on education, claiming that he is the only candidate that is right on education.  He said he wants to increase education spending by $1,000,000,000 by cutting property taxes and cutting welfare programs and other departments. He then called out the media, and specifically attacked John Baer, for reporting on his jokes on Russia and other mishaps rather than reporting on the actual issues in this race. As if that wasn’t enough, Wagner then blew off the media and escaped the press club luncheon as if he was finishing an Ocean’s Eleven heist.

Are Penn Waste employees underpaid?  Well, Scottie dodged that question as well. Scott Wagner’s Eagle Disposal went two whole calendar years without properly filling out injury reports and this happened when an employee was killed on the worksite.

In today’s Last Call, NASA wants “lots of people in space” according to Trump appointed NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine. In particular, he wants people back on the moon and to establish moon “Gateways” to the rest of the solar system. The global dust storm on Mars begins to subside. NASA hoping the Opportunity Rover will wake up once the sun begins to charge its batteries. Opportunity was only supposed to last 90 days...it’s been on the surface of Mars for 15 years and logged more than 28 miles. The International Space Station sprung a leak. Could space junk be the culprit? [spacenews]

It’s a double can release this week at Free Will Brewing. Scarecrow Autumn Spiced Ale was released on Thursday.  Cloudy with a Change of Pepperoni, a New England-style IPA, will be released Saturday. Kevin gives an update on Bitter Buddha and Sean throws down the gauntlet when it comes to Philly’s best sandwiches. He’s coming home this weekend for Labor Day!