District Sentinel Radio

-Connor Lamb was the only Dem to vote against two war power checks, including the 2002 AUMF repeal from Barbara Lee -Brazilian asylum seekers barred from US entry amid new cohort of migrants fleeing Bolsonaro nightmare -F-35 still failing the “Mattis Test,” can’t perform at least one type of combat mission 80 percent of the time -Banking regulators propose rule enabling federally-insured banks to increase exposure to hedge funds; FDIC Dem board member raises alarm, pointing to Bear Stearns and Goldman role in ‘08 crash Subscribe at Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-John Bolton has a book to sell. It’s still good he might screw our doofus President. -Democrats can’t believe Trump didn’t give them credit for helping his re-election campaign on NAFTA re-write -Pelosi unveils infrastructure bill seeking to help Trump fulfill another campaign promise, Speaker says at press conference -Defense contracting giant Boeing reports annual losses for the first time in two decades -Pompeo says State considering China travel ban over coronavirus Subscribe at Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-Gabbard, seemingly the only one who wants Hillary Clinton in the public spotlight, sues HRC for $50 million over Russian stooge comments -SCOTUS hears oral arguments in case involving Montana private school donor tax credit, separation of church and state -Brown-nosing frat boys at Barstool Sports agree to settle illegal union-busting charges in case demonstrating the weakness of labor law -EPA sued for lack of scientific integrity while drafting new clean water rule -Trump says he’s thinking of doubling the number of countries on the list that started as his Muslim Ban Subscribe at Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-Sham trial rules show, yet again, how the Founding Fathers were blowhards -SCOTUS denies Democrats’ request for expedited Obamacare litigation -Justices refrain from killing lawsuit that could cost Facebook bigtime in Illinois -Trump admin moves this week to relax rules on small arms exports -CBP appears to be targeting documented Iranians with deportation orders Subscribe at Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-NAFTA rewrite passes Senate; Sanders laments impact on climate change, notes criticism from unions -Most Dems side with President, though Schumer objected at the last second on environmental grounds -Uhh did the President try to get an ambassador whacked? Sketchy texts coming out in the impeachment trial -GAO also rules that President Trump illegally withheld aid to Ukraine -Watchdog calls for lawsuits against the FCC for failing to consider the environmental impacts of satellite approval -Failed state: the two grifters who ran the CIA post-9/11 torture program look set to testify at Gitmo next week Subscribe at Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-Dems name impeachment managers -Reefer sadness: Congress, executive branch still pretending weed is too dangerous to study -Military lying “by omission” to lawmakers about Afghanistan -- Special Inspector General -DHS employees report being miserable, especially the anti-WMD unit, reassuringly Subscribe at Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-Top Dem on House Foreign Affairs shrugs his shoulders about Pompeo’s committee no-show, as the Secretary of State arrogantly boasts of Iran policy success at a right-wing think tank -Trump admin official defends policy of criminalizing asylum seeking -Republican Congressman: Actually, children die in custody all the time so it’s okay -Leaked emails show Stephen Miller engaging in white nationalist “demographic replacement” discourse -Senate to move forward on impeachment trial, McConnell lacking votes to kill it -Merkley: The CIA is doing funny business with Iran intelligence, not unlike 2003 with respect to Iraq Subscribe on Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-Dow Jones reaching new historic highs with text of US-China “Phase 1” set to be released this week -Chinese officials staying quiet on details ahead of release with US negotiators changing their mind so much -Labor Department proposes rule to protect franchise feudalism from legal challenges -Iran admits to shooting down Ukranian airliner, apologizes (contrasting sharply with George H.W. Bush), though no resignations yet -Totally chill: US government increasing production of “plutonium pits” for nuclear stockpile Subscribe at Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-Trump mocks “weak” 2020 opponents, name-by-name, but leaves out Bernie -President says he doesn’t need Congress for war with Iran -House readies war powers resolution, which, while not an actual check on power, makes the US look weak -Two Senate Republicans, Mike Lee and Rand Paul, disgusted with administration briefing on Iran -Of course there is some approval for the Suleimani assassination, in our country of adult babies, but the vast majority say it’s reckless and puts everyone at risk - Poll -FTC moving forward with study of managers forcing workers to sign “non-compete” contracts Subscribe on Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-No casualties: Iran cites proportionality and international law in response to Suleimani assassination -President Trump appears fine with not escalating for now, but Ayatollah Khamenei calls for an end to “seditious American presence in the region.” -Non-war news: IRS watchdog decries lack of staffing, problems with “free file” -Federal appeals court delivers setback to Atlantic Coast Pipeline -Contractor coughs up $375,000 for scamming NASA Subscribe at Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-Mike Pompeo casts himself as the defender of Persian culture -Secretary of State concedes Soleimani assassination is part of “maximum pressure,” no evidence of imminent threat -Chuck Schumer is worried--about the future of the US empire -Joe Biden laments “Iranian parliament” ordering US troops to leave -Senate Finance Committee advances USMCA trade deal authorization -Pete ButtiCIAeg Subscribe on Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-Mods on high alert as Trump posts war crime threat after war crime threat -Javad Zarif: “End of US malign presence in West Asia has begun.” -Trump officials reportedly ready “to kill as many as possible” on the way out. Army people, if you’re reading this: considering going AWOL -GOP mulls senate rule changes to force Pelosi to send impeachment articles to the upper chamber Subscribe at Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-US military sends 750 more troops to Iraq after embassy siege, with possibility of more on the way -Pompeo cancels travel plans, Kataeb Hizbollah spokesperson claims “psychological defeat” for US -Cig sales were down in 2018 for the 15th consecutive year, vaping was on the rise -Bernie with the biggest Fourth Quarter haul at $34 million, Buttigieg in second (so far) with $24.7 million; Yang at $16; Biden and Warren reports to come Subscribe on Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-Iraqi guards watch attack on US embassy after Pentagon airstrike kills 25 people -Sound familiar? UN says Chelsea Manning is being tortured -2019…Actually Good? A year of labor fighting back -2020 Predictions: Insha’allah it will be Nancy Pelosi’s final year in Washington Subscribe on Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-The Affordable Care Act said--nothing, you idiots. The Affordable Care Act is dead, it’s locked in the judicial system basement -House Dems delay moving articles of impeachment to the Senate. Pelosi may have got something right, for once -Jeff Van Drew officially betrays the Democratic Party--and if someone wanted to help him get re-elected as a Republican they wouldn’t get blacklisted by the DCCC (unlike left-wingers supporting primary challengers) -NIST reviews law enforcement facial recognition finding much higher chances of false positives for black and asian suspects Subscribe on Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-Impeachment vote today. It’s hard to appreciate the historic nature when thinking about how Dems have screwed this up -Putting the rib-meatloaf birthday cake on hold: whistleblowers warn new inspection program leaves US pork vulnerable to contaminants -Trump NLRB: Bosses have the first amendment right to suppress workplace speech through email -FTC releases announces Cambridge Analytica settlement. Ex-CEO and app developer promise they will never again deceive 50 million people to influence US elections -Quality of life deterioration detailed by GAO, net worth “substantially negative for Millennials” Subscribe at Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-McConnell girds everyone for impeachment trial by dismissing the idea that trials need witnesses -Guy who graduated college in 2008 set to be confirmed by Senate for powerful obscure regulatory position -Why not just make letter carriers into first responders for a biological terrorist attack? GAO with dystopian cost-saving suggestions for the Post Office -Labor Department readies new rule to saddle public sector labor organizations with more costs Subscribe on Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-Dems capitulate on wall, look set to take government shutdowns off the table until September -Eli Lilly generic insulin not available in 83 percent of pharmacies, per senators’ survey -SCOTUS declines to revive Boise ban on homeless people sleeping in public places -Boeing to keep 737 max production suspended, after failing to pressure FAA into allow plane to fly again

-Senate Democrats attempt to undermine Corbyn’s Labour at the last minute before the British general election -Education Secretary Betsy Devos defends Corinthian Colleges, a for-profit college that went bankrupt while defrauding students -DHS announces opioid mail surveillance contest winners: More money for security complex to tackle public health issue -GAO recommends creation of climate change infrastructure bank, with past climate change recommendations totally ignored Subscribe on Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-Trump emoluments case set to go before full Fourth Circuit, with possible Supreme Court case looming -Final defense policy bill jettisons Democratic items with top House Dem negotiator scoffing at “negotiating harder” before right-wing think tank -Pentagon inspector general launches probe of military border mission. Investigation to include “training on potential contacts with civilians.” -Justice Department inspector general dismisses theory of “deep state” launching Trump probe Subscribe on Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-Pelosi holds two press conferences in one hour: One on impeachment, one on helping the President pass a trade deal -SEC Chair grilled for citing fake public comments lauding proposal to limit shareholder scrutiny -Tom Cotton attempts to approximate human being, says WeWork helps explains why socialism appeals to young people -FTC punishes for-profit college grifters University of Phoenix Subscribe at Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-Republicans stink up Impeachment hearings, filling their diaper about civility -Afghanistan War records feature at the heart of a major journalistic scoop about Pentagon lies--for the second time this decade -SCOTUS declines to take up challenge of creepy Kentucky ultrasound abortion law -Historic percentage of Americans put off healthcare treatment due to cost concerns Subscribe at Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-SCOTUS moves toward ruling on matter in relisting of Reed v. Texas, yet another case highlighting the shittiness of the US Constitution -Top Fed supervisor hails “best in 35 years” banking system amid headlines about corporate debt market. Randal Quarles is known for previous praise of financial resiliency--as George W. Bush Treasury guy -Anti-abortion activist with minimal legal experience confirmed by Senate as federal judge for life -Senators press Justice Department to investigate Attorney General Barr over DEA warrantless mass surveillance program Subscribe on Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-Nancy Pelosi is dragging her feet on major improvements to labor law for the second time in ten years. Rachel Cohen discusses her recent story in The Intercept -April deadline for new food stamp cruelty: Trump admin says almost 700,000 people will lose SNAP benefits, if courts don’t strike down proposal -Whoops: Department of Education says it improperly sent debt collection notices to 45,000 defrauded students, revising number by a factor of three Subscribe on Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-Navy announces biggest ever shipbuilding contract. Nine nuclear subs commissioned by world’s largest military to confront “threat” from China -Secretary of State vows more US meddling in Latin American countries, hints at violent suppression of protests -DHS getting ready to deploy extremely questionable facial recognition tech for foreign visitors -District Sentinel Recession Watch: Commercial construction value drops in October by more than 17 percent on an annual basis Subscribe at Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-EPA proposes watering down regs passed after massive 2013 Texas explosion -PR firm fake comment campaign tied to SEC attack on shareholder voting rights -There are thirty-two active national emergencies declared or affirmed by the President -Trump wants one of the war criminals he pardoned to be reinstated by the Navy SEALs Subscribe at Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-Ambassador Sondland testifies that top officials knew about Giuliani’s diplomatic efforts. Sec. Pompeo had emails printed out for him -Republican Senator complains about Pentagon failing audit headlines; DOD official confirms they failed -Lawmakers press EPA leaders to return to bargaining table with employees -NLRB: Board member actually should have ignored ethics advice on recusing himself from a matter he worked on as union busting lawyer -Banking regulators approve of largest merger since crash. Dem FDIC member warns the new bank could be “too big to fail,” approves of it anyway Subscribe at Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-Patriot Act extension slipped into must-pass government funding bill, per the custom -FBI failing to vet informants, keeping snitches that should be disqualified, per DOJ Inspector General -Republicans bring industry hacks to private equity hearing -Almost 1,000 EPA clean-up sites at risk of climate change related damage Subscribe at Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-Pentagon fails yet another audit. Maybe it’s all the secret never-ending war. -Sotomayor: SCOTUS neglects chance to uphold precedent on civil asset forfeiture -Roberts Court does find time to temporarily halt subpoena of Trump accounting records -NOAA: Arctic ice cover at record low last month Subscribe at Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-Deval Patrick is the latest hopeless Wall Street bootlicker to declare he’s running for President. It sure does seem like centrists Dems want a crowded field for dirty tricks at the convention -The Breitbart to illegal firing pipeline: State IG finds bureaucrats were wrongfully dismissed after conservative media smear campaigns -When you’re definitely not racist: DHS wants to charge fees and withhold work permits to asylum applicants -The F-35’s flight control system is not properly functioning, leading to manual work-arounds -FCC being sued by local authorities over ruling which gives cable companies an out from billions in licensing fees Subscribe on Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-Impeachment hearings really should be broader -Ominously-named Chad Wolf set to become yet another acting DHS Secretary -Border Patrol official boasts of agency response to racist Facebook page: social media training -Pentagon Inspector General publishes report on US military activity across Africa. Surprise: it’s classified -Fed Chair tells Congress it should worry about people on too many opioids to work (???) Subscribe at Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-State Department claims Bolivian security forces merely “pointed out the obvious” forcing Evo Morales to resign. Obviously a coup. -SCOTUS hears oral arguments in DACA case -Stephen Miller emails leaked to SPLC show White House aide liking white nationalist websites, the confederate flag, Infowars etc. -Biggest bank merger since Great Recession approved by Justice Department -Trump admin looks to kill environmental rules through bogus research release proposal undermining medical privacy Subscribe at Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-Sanders campaign releases proposal to dissolve post-9/11 agency -Senate advances yet more Trump judicial nominees, including a Stephen Miller aide appointed to an appellate circuit position -DOJ announces arrest in Saudi Twitter espionage scheme -CFTC granting exemptions from “bad actor” stock market bans -Bill Gates reveals the insecurity that drove him to accumulate and hoard obscene amounts of money, expresses willingness to vote for Trump Subscribe at Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-Dems now fully in control of Virginia, where labor needs help -Public impeachment hearings coming next week -Supreme Court hears case on groundwater pollution; White House, lobbyists press for more leniency -Administration refuses to publicly state whether mass surveillance program has ever been helpful -SEC release shows enforcement down since Obama era, as agency proposes rules designed to preserve corporate secrecy, Subscribe at Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-Lobbyist-friendly Interior official denies undermining scientific integrity, casts doubt on what researchers say about Arctic drilling -FTC announces settlement with AT&T for throttling unlimited data -Criminal antitrust cases at 40-year low -Getting name recognition through stupid scandals--Tom Steyer staffer resigns after accessing data from Kamala Harris campaign McKayla Wilkes fundraiser: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mckayla-fundraiser-1110 Subscribe at Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-SCOTUS hears case on charges thrown out due to traffic stop assumptions about the driver being whoever registered the car. Civil libertarians warn of reversal’s impact on poor people and communities of color -EPA rolling back rules on coal ash waste disposal. New safety regulations had been established after 2015 contamination disaster in Tennessee -Trump loses Second Circuit appeal of accounting firm subpoena; White House officials reportedly ignore impeachment inquiries -Today marks the formal start of the US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord, a departure process that won’t end until after the next Presidential election -Here comes the bad part: Nats go to the White House Subscribe on Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-We celebrate the Nats World Series win and our successful pre-Game 6 exorcism by converting Sam Sacks to Catholicism -Recession scapegoat preview minus racist incitement: Trump reacts to first House impeachment vote by claiming it hurt the stock market -Two House Dems vote with GOP on impeachment--Rural Minnesota’s Colin Peterson and South Jersey Dipshit Jeff Van Drew -Twenty House Republicans and 24 Dems back compromise bill granting path to citizenship for undocumented farm workers -Ok millennial--FTC warns younger people among cohort most preyed upon by online scammers Subscribe at Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-FBI Director Wray tells Congress he never heard about the “black identity extremist” surveillance program called Iron Fist -Fed cuts interest rates again with corporate bond market teetering -Cuccinelli claims responsibility for revoking status from sick immigrant kids, responding to questions about Stephen Miller’s role -Justice Department secures five-year-sentence for prison guard who conspired with inmate to carry out hit. Meanwhile, in not entirely unrelated news, more evidence that Jeffrey Epstein was murdered. Subscribe at Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-Pentagon announces F-35 production increase, despite problems with the Lockheed Martin fighter jet -Boeing CEO won’t criticize self-regulation at Senate hearing about 737 crashes -GAO finds increase in anti-Semitic, Islamophobic hate crimes on college campuses -Small Victory: Trump administration withdraws Park Service rule designed to clamp down on protests in Washington -Plus, an amateur exorcism to ward off Barbara Bush’s Ghost from the Washington Nationals McKayla Wilkes fundraiser link: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mckayla-fundraiser-1110#basics Subscribe on Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

The latest Chip Chat has been removed from behind the paywall. Journalist Chip Gibbons talks about his new report on the FBI's persistent attacks on speech and organizing.

-It sure does sound like Facebook wants to get into global payday lending with its Libra -Zuckerberg inconsistent when answering questions about moderating political ads, concedes that some disinfo should come down -Day after testimony that hurt Trump, House Republicans storm SCIF to disrupt impeachment depositions -Dow Chemical man leading EPA regional office in New England Subscribe on Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-Investor-owned utility announces more planned blackouts due to weather conditions -Ohio counties receive $260 million in settlement with opioid manufacturers, eyeing pharmacies next -Senate Dems press regulators on Vanity Fair reporting of suspicious futures trades linked to President Trump’s statements -Meanwhile, Senate Republicans are angry about an effort to crackdown on market manipulation and insider trading -HUD screwing Puerto Rico out of billions in disaster-related grants, Ben Carson brags about it Subscribe on Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-Buttigieg campaign hires two aides recommended by Mark Zuckerberg, with Facebook under fire from the left -US military now openly talking about “guarding oil” in Syria; Trump reportedly eyes keeping troops in east, along the Iraq border -UAW votes until Friday on ending GM strike, reports of workers unhappy with deal -Department of Agriculture finalizes new rules protecting corporations from FOIA, points critics to recent Supreme Court ruling -Federal land managers still failing to secure staff after Bundy uprising: GAO Subscribe on Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

The two Sams conducted an interview with San Francisco DSA member Mia about the mismanagement, greed, and cruelty of California utility PG&E, and why the public should take it over. Subscribe at Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel for more stuff like this!

-Pelosi talks about helping Trump pass a trade deal after standing up to him or whatever -The Speaker said she was mad about US global power. Slay him with a cruise missile, Queen! -Impeachment proceedings: US Ambassador to EU tells Congress he was directed to make policy through Giuliani -We need help: CDC data release confirms trend of rising youth suicide in the United States -Ron Wyden wants to throw Mark Zuckerberg in jail (good) -President plans to hold next year’s G-7 at his own shitty hotel Subscribe at Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-One in sixteen dollars spent by Biden’s campaign is going to a private jet -Strike updates: UAW-GM dispute reportedly near its end; Chicago Teachers prepare for action -Nothing sinister here, folks: Trump admin wants public comments on “Special Immigrant Juvenile” designation, which gives status to immigrant orphans -CFPB head refused offer by company to compensate ripped-off customers, ignored career staff calls to seek said compensation, and then almost certainly lied about it to Congress today -US officials claim cyber attack against the Iranian government after September 14 strike by Houthis on Saudi oil infrastructure; Iran says it never happened Subscribe on Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-Vape ‘Em if You Got ‘Em: US military announces ban on vape sales through branch exchanges -White House unveils sanctions against Turkey for military operation Trump effectively greenlit -Professional relationship between Elaine Chao and Mitch McConnell could be investigated by DOT Inspector General, House committee -What could possibly go wrong? Senate Dem suggests making journalists a protected class -The Fed is upping intervention in financial markets and lowering interest rates, consumer credit card interest is trending in the other direction Subscriber only content (Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel): -PG&E left millions of Californians in the dark last weekend. DSA San Fran member Mia (@buttpraxis) talks about plans to bring the for-profit utility under state and worker control

-Warren reverses on accepting corporate campaign money in the general, but then says she’ll help the Democratic Party raise corporate cash -Giuliani clients charged with violating campaign finance law, House Dems subpoena them for reported role in Ukraine scandal -Warrantless wiretap search numbers revealed in FISA court filings -Facebook could be attempting to use crypto partners as a shield against regulators, Senators warn -Half of US bird species set for extinction with 2 percent global temperature rise—Audubon Society

The two Sams are atoning, so instead of a newscast, we’re unlocking an interview we did with Chicago teacher and member of the CTU bargaining team, Kenzo Shibata. Subscribe on Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel

-Justice Gorsuch frets about “massive social upheaval” if SCOTUS recognizes gay and trans workplace rights under Civil Rights Act -Gordon Sondlond, Trump donor who became Ambassador to EU, enters center stage of impeachment fight for clumsy text message scheming -Up to $27.3 billion in mortgages, one in every nine mortgage dollars insured last year by the FHA, may have been improperly backed due to borrowers’ federal tax debt -Orwell didn’t write instructions for Jeff Bezos, dang it. Congress called on to investigate Amazon home products’ ties to police departments. Subscribe on Patreon.com/DistrictSentinel