Avast! It’s International Talk Like a Pirate Day! You know what to do.
On this date in 1952, with Cold War paranoia about Communist infiltration approaching its zenith, screen legend Charlie Chaplin was barred from re-entering the United States, a victim of McCarthyism. Attorney General James McGranery said Chaplin could apply to return to his adopted home if he submitted to an interview about his “political views and moral behavior.” The comedian swore never to come back, but returned twenty years later to accept an honorary Academy Award.
Nae –> Scotland will stay in the UK. The youngest voters, aged 16 and 17, voted for independence by a 71-29 margin, while 73 percent of those over 65 elected to stay. At Time, Catherine Mayer writes that “the referendum unleashed a process of transformation set to extend far beyond Scotland’s borders,” and predicts that big changes lie ahead for the EU.
Power politics –> The Kansas Supreme Court issued a ruling that may have far-reaching consequences in the battle for control of the US Senate. The court ruled that the Republican secretary of state must remove Democratic nominee Chad Taylor’s name from the November ballot. This potentially clears the way for Greg Orman’s independent race against GOP Sen. Pat Roberts. Orman has said that if elected, he would caucus with either party. But Dylan Scott reports for TPM that this fight may not be over.
Money where their mouths are –> David Freedlander reports for The Daily Beast that while they desperately want Dems to hold the Senate, “several big-ticket Democratic donors say they won’t give to candidates in tight races who don’t talk the talk on climate change.” ALSO: David Roberts writes at Grist that adapting to a changing climate isn’t morally equivalent to averting catastrophe before it occurs.
Meanwhile –> Emily Atkin reports for ThinkProgress that on Thursday the White House “announced a slew of executive actions, private and public sector commitments, and initiatives from different federal agencies” that, among other things, will increase spending on solar energy development by $68 million and cut carbon emissions by the equivalent of 63 million cars by 2030. There are many more details at the link.
Tragic –> Desperate and impoverished Syrian refugees in Lebanon are facing violent attacks in “retaliation” for the Islamic State’s execution of several captured Syrian soldiers. Bassem Mroue reports for the AP. ALSO: The Hill’s Scott Wong and Cristina Marcos report that a big, bipartisan House majority voted to authorize Obama to train and equip “moderate” Syrian rebels. (The Congressional Progressive Caucus was evenly divided, 34-34, on the measure.) AND: According to WaPo’s Craig Whitlock, Obama is coming under increasing pressure from military officials to remain open to putting American troops on the ground.
Speaking of military intervention –> At TNR, Rebecca Leber argues that the 3,000 troops being deployed to Africa to help combat the Ebola outbreak could actually have a very significant impact.
“It’s going to get worse as Election Day approaches” –> MoJo’s Andy Kroll offers five signs that “the dark money apocalypse is upon us.”
Overkill –> The Raw Story’s Travis Gettys: “Court hammers Florida sheriff’s office for SWAT-style raid to check for barber licenses.” It wasn’t the first time. “We have twice held, on facts disturbingly similar to those presented here, that a criminal raid executed under the guise of an administrative inspection is constitutionally unreasonable,” the court ruled. “We hope that the third time will be the charm.” RELATED: The AFL-CIO has come out in favor of police demilitarization, but Jacob Fischler reports for Buzzfeed that the move has opened up a rift between the labor federation and one of its members: the International Union of Police Associations.
Groundbreaking research –> Jennifer Eberhardt, a psychology professor at Stanford University, was named a MacArthur genius this week for her research into our unconscious racial biases, which may help law enforcement agencies better police communities of color. At Business Insider, Drake Baer offers a look at a couple of her most interesting experiments.
Easy work if you can get it –> Roll Call: “The House is closing up shop until after the midterm elections.”
How does this end? –> In this short video, Robert Greenwald and his team at Brave New Films note that, “since 1980, we have militarily intervened at least 35 times in more than 27 countries. We keep bombing, we continue spending trillions of dollars, but we’re no safer as a result.” Will this time be different?
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