Good morning! Here’s your daily digest of money-and-politics news and the headlines of the day, compiled by BillMoyers.com’s John Light. (You can sign up to receive Morning Reads daily in your inbox!)
Terrorism in Nigeria –> Boko Haram killed nearly 50 people in Nigeria in less than 24 hours on late Tuesday and early Wednesday, Jane Onyanga-Omara reports for USA Today. Like ISIS, the extremist group hopes to carve out an Islamic caliphate. But also like ISIS, the group has been losing territory and so is lashing out, write Dara Lind and Dylan Matthews at Vox.
Another record falls –> Andrew Freedman reports for Mashable that not only was October the warmest October on record, it has strayed further from average temperatures than any month ever. In fact, since June, every month has been the warmest on record. The first six months of 2015 were the warmest January through June on record and 2014 was the warmest year, but when the final numbers are in, 2015 will almost certainly take the title.
Rhetoric becomes reality –> The House will vote today on a program that effectively would halt the flow of Syrian refugees into the US. Jennifer Steinhauer and Emmarie Huetteman report for the NYT. AND in Indiana’s Post-Tribune: “A Syrian family that fled the war-torn country in 2011 was welcomed Wednesday to its new home of Connecticut after Indiana officials objected to plans for the refugees to resettle in their state.”
How we screen refugees –> According to a document leaked to Buzzfeed, the administration is using an uber-rigorous system to screen Syrian immigrants, the Controlled Application Review and Resolution Process, or CARRP. The ACLU says CARRP is disproportionately used for immigrants from Muslim-majority countries. Not much is known about the program — it’s “a little bit of a dark shadow,” according to one official at the International Refugee Assistance Project.
Yes, he really went there –> Tierney Sneed writes at Talking Points Memo: “Roanoke, Virginia, Mayor David A. Bowers used President Franklin Roosevelt’s decision to ‘sequester’ Japanese Americans to justify his decision to cut off assistance to Syrian refugees.”
No demonstrations –> French officials are barring protesters from demonstrating in Paris ahead of and during the world climate summit that will convene at the end of the month. “This is a source of huge regret, but we must respect the decision. Huge numbers were expected in Paris, but those people will not be silenced,” François Julliard, executive director of Greenpeace told Mother Jones. “We will find new, imaginative ways to ensure our voices are heard in the UN conference center and beyond.” Some organizers are encouraging activists to show up for the final days of the conference, which stretches into the second week of December.
Infuriating –> Fay Wells, a California businesswoman, in a Washington Post op-ed: “My white neighbor thought I was breaking into my own apartment. Nineteen cops showed up.” There’s more.
A PAC for Bernie –> Josh Stewart reports for the Sunlight Foundation that one super PAC is spending big for Bernie Sanders, whose campaign is mostly supported with small-dollar donations. So far, the National Nurses United PAC has spent $569,000 on his behalf. AND: Sanders makes his big speech at Georgetown today on the meaning of democratic socialism.
Meanwhile… Maggie Haberman at the NYT: For the first time, Bill Clinton will appear as the main attraction at a Hillary Clinton super PAC event. PACs aren’t supposed to communicate with candidates. But their spouses?
New effort to close the wage gap –> Patrick Caldwell at Mother Jones: “Confronting new research showing that women continue to earn far less than men for the same work, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) called on Congress to pass legislation that would allow women to ask for male colleagues’ salary information without fear of being fired.”
Ben Carson’s America –> Ben Carson opposes letting Syrian refugees into America, so his campaign wanted to make a map to show you which state governors agree. Unfortunately, it put some states in the wrong places. Happy Geography Awareness Week!
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