The Daily Moth 6-28-19
[Transcript] Hello, welcome to the Daily Moth! It is Friday, June 28. Ready for news?
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Recap of second Democratic debate
Last night was the second Democratic debate. Here is a recap.
Sen. Kamala Harris is considered the clear-cut “winner” of the debate for how she confronted former Vice-President Joe Biden on his comments on working with segregationists during his time in the Senate and for his history of opposition against busing. Busing is the practice of transporting black children to schools with a majority of white students to achieve desegregation.
Sen. Harris said it was hurtful to hear him talking about those topics because when she was a little girl she was bused to school every day.
Biden seemed to be shocked by her confrontation and defended his record of supporting civil rights, then criticized Harris for being a prosecutor, explaining that he was a public defender.
That moment spotlighted Harris’ strength in her ability to confront people and Biden’s weakness with his long political record that can be at odds with modern Democratic ideals.
One moment that all 10 candidates were united on was on saying “yes” on allowing undocumented immigrants to have access to a government health insurance plan.
Sen. Bernie Sanders said that his proposal of Medicare for all would bring higher taxes on the middle class, but that people would pay less in health care costs. He maintained the same sweeping vision of a political revolution and taking on Wall Street, insurance companies, and the fossil fuel industry.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand focused on health care and women’s rights. She said she would be a fierce fighter for abortion rights.
South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg was asked about a recent incident where a white police officer in the city shot and killed a black man who allegedly tried to attack him with a knife. The officer did not have his body camera on.
Buttigieg said it was a mess and that his community was hurting. He accepted responsibility for not doing enough to hire more black officers.
The next Democratic debate will be on July 30 and 31 in Detroit. CNN will host it.
So, which Democratic candidate do you think emerged as the strongest from this field of 20?
https://www.axios.com/kamala-harris-night-schools-biden-on-busing-40a03873-eb98-4e61-b408-3acc017511b4.html
http://fortune.com/2019/06/28/biden-bernie-democratic-debate/
https://www.southbendtribune.com/news/politics/south-bend-mayor-pete-buttigieg-scores-debate-points-but-eclipsed/article_b1c20e53-0bec-571d-b5f2-4b0aeb34d75d.html
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Trump and Putin at G20 Summit
President Trump is at the G20 summit in Japan, a gathering of leaders from countries with the largest or fastest-growing economies.
Trump sat down with Russian President Vladimir Putin and seemed to joke about election interference. He pointed his finger at Putin and said, “Don’t meddle in the election.” Putin was laughing.
Putin also met with UK Prime Minister Theresa May, which did not look as friendly. May brought up the poisoning of two Russian citizens in England last year, which the UK blamed on officers from Russia’s military intelligence service. May said Russia must stop their irresponsible and destabilizing activity before they could have a normal relationship again.
Putin told reporters that all the fuss about spies is worthless.
Another controversial leader was at the G20 — Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman, who the CIA said ordered the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. He is scheduled to have breakfast with Trump and they are probably going to discuss billions in weapons sales that the U.S. Congress has opposed. Iran will be another big topic.
Trump will also meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping tomorrow. They will probably talk about their trade war, tariffs, and tech company Huawei.
In separate but related news, former President Jimmy Carter said Trump couldn’t have won the presidency if not for the Russian government’s help and that he considers Trump to be an illegitimate president.
Carter also said he would have done more to demand answers from Saudi Arabia on the killing of Khashoggi.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-48797485
https://www.ft.com/content/f36058e6-9992-11e9-8cfb-30c211dcd229
https://www.thenational.ae/world/g20-donald-trump-to-have-breakfast-with-saudi-arabia-s-crown-prince-1.879637
https://www.axios.com/jimmy-carter-trump-russian-interference-2016-election-851094ec-959d-47ea-b96f-042039bcaa6c.html
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European heatwave
There is a major heat wave that has gripped most of western Europe with temperatures over 100 degrees.
Many buildings in Europe don’t have air conditioning, and people are used to temperatures in the 70’s or 80’s, so this heat wave is life threatening for elderly people or children.
There is a 10,000 acre wildfire in northeast Spain that apparently was sparked by a pile of manure that self-ignited. At least two people died from the heat.
A town in France reported 113 degrees F, which is the all-time record in France.
Germany said it was 101.5 degrees F at the border with Poland, which is it’s highest-ever temperature in June. It has not been this hot since 1947.
Poland and the Czech Republic also had record June temperatures.
France issued a “red” weather alert with temperatures forecast to hit 113 degrees. In 2003, about 15,000 people died from a heat wave.
https://weather.com/news/news/2019-06-26-europe-heatwave-germany-france
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/06/27/world/europe-heat-wave-spain-wildfire-intl/index.html
https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/26/europe/germany-heatwave-europe-grm-intl/index.html
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Newborn baby found in woods
Three weeks ago in Georgia, a newborn baby girl was found in a plastic bag that was abandoned in a wooded strip of land near Atlanta.
A family who lived nearby said they heard crying and thought it was an animal, but found out that it was a baby. When police arrived, they saw that the baby still had its umbilical cord and might have been only an hour old.
The baby is now known as “Baby India.” The family who found her gave her that name. She is now with a caregiver who is monitored by the state’s children services agency and is said to be doing very well and gaining weight.
She will be placed into a home with adoptive parents who can give her a different name. The agency said they’ve received thousands of requests to adopt her.
The agency director said he’s seen many cases of babies being abandoned in terrible conditions and that often the mothers feel economic or other pressures.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/28/us/baby-india-adoption-trnd/index.html
https://www.ajc.com/news/crime--law/offers-for-adoption-even-college-money-pour-for-baby-india/tcjr7VaOTHdrQ4s9hsA04O/
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Man charged with murdering missing Utah student
University of Utah student MacKenzie Lueck, who disappeared after riding on a Lyft after flying in the Salt Lake City airport at 3 a.m. on June 17, had her remains found by police in a home near to the airport.
A SWAT team arrested Ayoola Ajayi and he was charged with murder and desecration of a body. Police said after searching a house owned by him, which is listed as an Airbnb rental, they found a burned area with charred items that belonged to Lueck. A part of her body was also found and DNA tests confirmed her identity.
It is not known how Ajayi first approached Lueck nor what the motive is. The two apparently texted each other, but it’s not known what the texts were about.
The Lyft driver is not considered a suspect as he dropped Lueck off at the location she requested and continued to pick up and give other people rides afterwards.
Ajayi graduated from the University of Utah and was in the U.S. Army as an IT specialist.
Lueck’s family said they were devastated and heartbroken, and said they are grateful to law enforcement who helped with the investigation.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mackenzie-lueck-missing-university-of-utah-college-student-person-taken-into-custody-today-2019-06-28/
https://heavy.com/news/2019/06/ayoola-ajayi/
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Stonewall Riots: 50 Years Later
Today is the 50th year anniversary of the riots at Stonewall Inn in New York City that is considered the start of the LGBTQ rights movement.
The New York Times provided a story of what happened and I will provide a recap.
In 1969, Stonewall Inn was a bar where gay people felt comfortable to go and hang out. The bar was owned by an Italian crime family. At that time, being gay was considered a mental disorder and police viewed it as a crime.
That bar and other gay bars were frequently raided by police who said they were illegally selling liquor without a license.
In the early morning of June 28, a police team went into the Stonewall Inn. The music stopped and the lights came on. Employees were corralled in one area and the patrons were told to go out. Bottles of liquor were seized.
Most of the time after raids people would rush home, but this time, the crowd started to turn on the officers, shouting jeers. Officers handcuffed a woman and put her in a car, but she fought back and got out. The crowd started to throw pocket change, then cans of beer, then someone threw a piece of cobblestone.
The officers ended up running into the bar for safety. Outside, the crowd continue to throw things, broke through the door, and set a piece of wood on fire.
The leader of the police team said they had their guns drawn out, but that he ordered them not to shoot, that he would be the first.
Outside, a riot started to form. The Stonewall Inn was starting to burn. More police officers and firefighters arrived. There were arrests but people still rioted all morning and into the daytime, even into the next night.
This is what sparked people to demand gay rights, starting off a gay pride movement that has continued into today with annual remembrances of the Stonewall Inn uprising.
On June 6, the NYPD commissioner formally apologized for the raid 50 years ago, saying they were wrong. He said their actions and the laws were discriminatory and oppressive.
Tonight there will be a 50th anniversary commemoration at the Stonewall Inn, which will kick off a weekend of Pride festivals.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/27/nyregion/stonewall-inn-nyc-1969.html
https://www.apnews.com/82e9a7a7042d4fb0b3b51f365a8b1158
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That is all for this week. Thank you for watching “The Daily Moth.” Have a wonderful weekend and stay with the light!
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