Month: November 2019

Safiya Khalid, 23, has become the first Somali immigrant and youngest person to be elected to the Lewiston City Council in Maine. Voters in Maine’s second-largest city elected Khalid by a wide margin during the […]

Democrats Win Control of Virginia Legislature

Democrats in Virginia won control of the state legislature in Tuesday’s elections, opening the door for lawmakers there to pass new gun-control laws, a higher minimum wage and a host of other measures Republicans have […]

Technology

Springfield Air Guard Wing Could Have a Space Force Mission

The Ohio Air National Guard’s 178th Wing unit based in Springfield is being considered by the National Guard Bureau for a role in a new U.S. Space Force, Dayton Daily News writes. “The fact that […]

Beijing Endorses Hong Kong’s Embattled Leader

Chinese President Xi Jinping publicly backed the beleaguered leader of Hong Kong on Monday, in his most direct public comments so far on the pro-democracy protests that have shaken the city for months and raised […]

Biden Accuses Warren of ‘Elitism’

Presidential contender Joe Biden launched a new attack on one of his fiercest rivals in the Democratic party on Tuesday, accusing Senator Elizabeth Warren of “elitism” for dismissing his criticism of her healthcare plan, Reuters […]

Iran Starts Injecting Uranium Gas into Centrifuges at Fordow Nuclear Facility

Iran has started to inject uranium gas into centrifuges at its underground Fordow nuclear facility, state TV reported on Wednesday, further distancing itself from a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers that curbed […]

Tesla Plans Network Expansion in China

Tesla plans to double the number of repair and maintenance shops, add about 100 charging stations and revamp showrooms in China as the electric vehicle maker gears up to open its Shanghai plant, Reuters writes. […]

U.S. Diplomat Sondland Ties Ukrainian Aid to Investigation Request in Impeachment Testimony

U.S. diplomat Gordon Sondland told a Ukrainian official his country would likely not get nearly $400 million in security aid unless they pursued investigations demanded by President Donald Trump, revising earlier testimony to the Trump […]

Chilean Police Officers Set on Fire by Molotov Cocktails as Protests Rage on

As the Chilean police used tear gas canisters and water cannon against the protesters, a Reuters photographer saw a series of Molotov cocktails thrown in the direction of the police, the news agency reported. Two […]

Jill Stein Supports Ranked-Choice Voting

Jill Stein, who was a presidential candidate in 2016, publicly supported a campaign to pass ranked-choice voting in New York City on Tuesday. The former presidential candidate tweeted that passing the measure in Tuesday’s citywide […]

Warren Sets Goal of Cutting Veteran Suicide Rates by Half During First Term if Elected

Presidential candidate and Senator Elizabeth Warren on Tuesday said that if voted in the White House she will work on cutting veteran suicides in half during her first term as part of a sprawling plan […]

November 5, 2019 John Ganjei

LUNCHTIME POLITICS: Swing States – Candidates Traits – Tuesday Trivia

Your Daily Polling Update for Tuesday, November 5, 2019 TRUMP JOB APPROVAL: AVERAGE 43%Down 1 from yesterday RON’S COMMENT: Today’s average is based on five polls, ranging from 39% (WaPo/ABC) to 46% (Harris, Rasmussen). Without […]

Apple Commits $2.5bn to Combat Housing Crisis in California

Apple announced a comprehensive $2.5 billion plan to help address the housing availability and affordability crisis in California. As costs skyrocket for renters and potential homebuyers, and as the availability of affordable housing fails to […]

Musk’s Self-imposed Twitter Exile Lasts Just Four Days

What does it take to pull Elon Musk out of his own Twitter exile? A good parachute test, CNET writes. On Friday, the Tesla and SpaceX entrepreneur dropped a cryptic message on Twitter saying, “Not […]

Tehran Spins More Centrifuges on U.S. Embassy Crisis Anniversary

The head of Iran’s nuclear program said on Monday that Tehran was now operating double the amount of advanced centrifuges than was previously known in violation of its atomic deal with world powers, NBC News […]

At Least Six Killed as Security Forces Open Fire on Iraq Protesters

Iraqi security forces killed at least five people when they opened fire on protesters in Baghdad on Monday, as thousands took part in the largest wave of anti-government protests for decades, Reuters writes. Demonstrations also […]

Ukraine to Fire Prosecutor Who Discussed Bidens with Giuliani

Ukraine plans to fire the prosecutor who led investigations into the firm where Joe Biden’s son served on the board, a central figure in the activity at the heart of impeachment proceedings against President Donald […]

Giuliani Associate Will Comply with Trump Impeachment Inquiry

Lev Parnas, an indicted Ukrainian-American businessman who has ties to President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, is now prepared to comply with requests for records and testimony from congressional impeachment investigators, Reuters reported. Parnas, […]

China Puts Pressure on Trump for More Tariff Roll-backs

China is pushing President Donald Trump to remove more tariffs imposed in September as part of a “phase one” U.S.-China trade deal, people familiar with the negotiations said on Monday, Reuters informs. The deal, which […]

U.S. Diplomat Says She Was Urged to Tweet Support for Trump

Two U.S. diplomats told lawmakers the State Department was being used for domestic political purposes under President Donald Trump and warned that would hurt American interests, according to transcripts released on Monday in Congress’ impeachment […]

November 4, 2019 John Ganjei

LUNCHTIME POLITICS: Michelle Obama Could Sway Dems – Biden Tops Dems, Warren Stalls – Impeachment

Your Daily Polling Update for Monday, November 4, 2019 TRUMP JOB APPROVAL: AVERAGE 44%Up 1 from Friday RON’S COMMENT: Today’s average is based on five polls, ranging from 39% (WaPo/ABC) to 46% (Harris, Rasmussen). Without […]

SpaceX Completes Crucial Tests of Crew Dragon Spaceship

SpaceX has managed to run 13 successful parachute tests in a row of the third major revision of the parachute system it’s planning to use for its Crew Dragon spacecraft. The most recent test, which […]

Judge Blocks Health-Care Requirement for New Immigrants

A federal court has blocked the Trump administration from implementing a policy that would require new immigrants to demonstrate they have health care or are able to afford it, The Wall Street Journal reported. The […]

Tillerson Urges Unity, Sidesteps Impeachment Debate in Speech

Former U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Saturday that Republicans and Democrats need to work together for the good of the United States, while avoiding a direct reference to the Democratic-led impeachment inquiry […]

Tehran Develops Advanced Machines to Speed Up Enrichment

Iran said on Monday it would take another step away from the 2015 nuclear deal by developing centrifuges to speed up its uranium enrichment, its nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi said, Reuters writes. “Today, we […]

Tesla Faces Federal Investigation for Possible Battery Defects

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched an investigation into the possibility that battery defects in Tesla vehicles may have caused the cars to burst into flames, ABC News informs. The investigation will involve […]

White House Officials Scheduled for House Inquiry Depositions Monday Won’t Testify

All four White House officials who are scheduled to give depositions on Monday during the House’s impeachment inquiry won’t show up, as sources told CNN that National Security Council lawyers John Eisenberg and Michael Ellis […]

Biden, Warren and Sanders Lead Democrats, Three New Polls Show

Three new national polls find that former Vice President Joe Biden and Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders are leading the pack of Democratic presidential candidates less than 100 days before the Iowa caucuses, the […]

McDonald’s Fires CEO over Consensual Relationship with Employee

Fast-food giant McDonald’s dismissed Chief Executive Steve Easterbrook over a recent consensual relationship with an employee, which the board determined violated company policy, the company said on Sunday. The board found that Easterbrook, 52, who […]

World’s Most Profitable Company Saudi Aramco Announces IPO

Saudi Arabia is moving forward with an initial public offering of its huge state oil producer that could shatter records and give investors the chance to own a piece of the world’s most profitable company, […]