Good morning, it’s Thursday, May 23, 2019. And, despite being loopy after a long night of storms, here’s your news from Liberal Minded Ladies of Substance.
I’m a bit slow on the uptake today as at around 3:45 this morning, wild storms rolled through our area and kept me awake for some time. I didn’t sleep well after they left, so today has been a mash-up of forgetting, mis-statements, and just overall tiredness.
However, the news perpetually rolls on, and today is no exception. The story causing me the most outrage today? How the intersection of climate change and trade wars is affecting farmers, oh and the stories about the Farm Bailouts disproportionately helping corporations and not farmers.
If you like having your news gathered for you from various sources, please continue to recommend these Round-Ups and consider buying me a coffee on Ko-fi.com. It helps me continue to write, homeschool, and run the political news aggregate page.
As always, there will be a thread below for new or breaking news. And please, share any thoughts you have below.
NEWS STORIES
Millennials and Gen Z Are Increasingly Pessimistic About Their Lives, Survey Finds -- (Bloomberg) I am incredibly unsurprised by this, especially as jobs continue to pay poorly. I'm a Millennial cusp (called Xennials with tech prowess but still relatively ignored in the generations), and I watch as Xers are aging out of a volatile job market. It's not because they are reaching retirement age, but because they are getting to an age where their experience and their age itself make them undesirable to hire.
#deniedmyvote: EU citizens complain of being turned away at polling stations in European elections -- (Evening Standard) Lest you think America is the only place where the Right Wing politicians are trying to mess with elections, the UK just had an EU election. Because of a rules change that was implemented poorly, a significant number of people were denied the ability to cast their votes.
Trump's infrastructure tantrum backfires immediately — and Senate Republicans know it -- (Salon) Eventually, Republicans are going to have to send something to the White House and call Trump's bluff. If he doesn't pass whatever is sent, putting personal over party, it becomes uncomfortable for the Republicans, who have placed party over people and know they'll be questioned in their home areas. That could be a win for Democrats who can point to Trump's intransigence and the GOP's determination to prop him up.
China just tested its 'nuclear option' in the trade war -- (Business Insider) China is throwing a shot across the bow. They hold the largest number of our bonds, including bonds that we had to sell when China decided not to buy our soybeans because of Trump. Trump sold the bonds (to China) to bail out the farmers he hurt when his trade war WITH CHINA caused China to pull out of buying our soybeans. SO. MUCH. WINNING.
Survey: Farmers Worried Their Operations Are In 'Jeopardy' Due To Trade Conflicts -- (Local NPR) This is exactly what we've been discussing. The climate crisis is hitting home and, combined with Trump's trade war, are devastating for farmers. The climate crisis leads to changing weather patterns and wild weather. This spring has bounced between frigid and tropical, and it's been interspersed with DAYS of rain. In fact, it's due to be sunny today and then rain off and on for the NEXT WEEK. We won't see another completely dry day until next Thursday. It affects my small garden, for sure, but on a large scale, this rain floods fields, kills planted crops, and prevents the planting of future crops. And when you look at the surplus (and subsequent low prices) of field crops since Trump has gotten a global market to slam the door on us, means that farmers are facing down some very lean times. And let's not pretend a bailout is the best option. First of all, it's a short term solution. The best option is reopening the market. Second of all, the last bailout did not help the average farmer. The bulk of the money did not help family farms, but large corporations (including a Chinese firm) who used loopholes to exceed the cap.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION
Judge says Deutsche Bank, Capital One can give Trump financial records to House Democrats -- (CNBC) Trump was served two significant blows in court. After having the subpoenas upheld, Deutsche Bank has said it will comply. Keep your eyes open for Trump's next distraction from his crimes. We don't know which portion of the population he's going to hurt next.
Bernie Sanders Does Not Need to Apologize for Opposing Wars -- (The Nation) This weird treatment of treating opposition to war as somehow un-American strikes me as almost uniquely American. It may have something to do with our culture of war, considering that we have been at war in some form for the last 18 years. I am proud to support a candidate who chooses diplomacy over violence, and one who will not send the children of poor people to die for the purpose of making money for the rich. Sanders certainly doesn't need to apologize for taking a moralistic stance in choosing when to engage. He is neither a pacifist nor a protectionist. He is simply on the side of the people.
A US Foreign Policy in Three Simple Words: Do No Harm -- (Common Dreams) And this is what is missing from our current foreign policy. While Americans are less worried about foreign terrorism now than they were five years ago, we need to understand that foreign policy is, and should be, about more than just war and violence. Our foreign policy is why Trump's trade wars drag on and harm us. Our foreign policy has led to the refugees amassing at our southern border, fleeing from conditions we created. And our foreign policy has led to the known, acknowledged deaths of 6 children in concentration camps in our country. This. Is. America.
Make the IRS Great Again -- (New Republic) There is plenty of money available for the Green New Deal, for Medicare for All, for infrastructure and immigration, but in order to access it, Democrats need to acknowledge that the wealthy are not paying their fair share and too often seeking (and finding) loopholes that put the burden of the needs of our nation on the poor. Socialism for the rich, capitalism for the rest. A representative government obviously cannot and will not thrive in an individualist society. If they want these changes that they are paying lip-service to in an effort to appease the growing cries of the people, Democrats must put their jobs over their own self-interest and greed.