MORNING MESSAGE
We Need a Real People’s Debate, Not the “Fight of the Century”
Millions
of Americans deserve answers – including the unjustly incarcerated, African
Americans, Native Americans, the unemployed, people struggling to get by on
their meager earnings, young people burdened with student debt, and everyone who
is concerned about the future of the planet. Will they get them? ... Here are
some of the underreported issues that Lester Holt and NBC should ask the
candidates to address.
Pre-Debate Jockeying and Jitters
Hours
before the first presidential debate, here’s “Donald Trump’s economic strategy
in detail.” The Washington Post: “A new, 30-page analysis of Trump’s
economic proposals, penned by two of his senior policy advisers and issued
Sunday evening by Trump’s campaign … is a tapestry of supply-side conservatism
and liberal populism. It promises to free American companies to compete more
successfully on the world stage and to force America’s top trading partners into
submission.”
Democratic
hopes of winning Senate fade, The Washington Post reports. Why? “The
significant shift in the Senate battlefield appears to be the result of voters
separating Trump — once considered so toxic that House Speaker Paul D. Ryan
(R-Wis.) waffled about whether to support him — from Republicans running on the
same ballot with him. That recognition could lead to more voters splitting their
ticket between Clinton and a Republican House or Senate candidate.”
Democrats
go on offense on gun laws. USA Today: “On Tuesday, Gabrielle Giffords, the
former Arizona congresswoman who was shot in the head at a 2011 Tucson rally,
and her husband, Mark Kelly, a retired astronaut, begin barnstorming election
battlegrounds, including those with a strong gun culture, like Iowa, Virginia
and North Carolina, in a 14-state tour that goes through Election Day.”
Wells Fargo Employees Push Back
Wells
Fargo sued over firings for missed account quotas, Bloomberg reports. “The
bank, according to the Los Angeles suit, rewarded employees with promotions for
using tactics including “sandbagging” — opening fake accounts the day after a
customer instructed the bank not to; “pinning” — assigning personal
identification numbers without customer authorization; and “bundling” — lying to
customers about limited availability of certain products in packages.”
Crime
pays: USA Today says Wells Fargo’s CEO gets $123.6 million if he walks.
“Neither [CEO John] Stumpf nor Wells Fargo has stated the CEO’s continued
employment is in doubt, but he is eligible for the bank’s retirement plan. …
Seeing such a large retirement package gets to the essence of the grilling
Stumpf, 62, took on Congress this month. Stumpf confirmed no high-ranking
officials have been fired or monetarily punished as a result of the alleged
fraud.”
The
GOP sets up the next Wells Fargo-style scandal. Mark Rogers in Fortune: “The
Financial CHOICE Act, a bill that would essentially repeal key protections
within the Dodd-Frank Act, was approved by the House Financial Services
Committee on Sept. 13. … [I]t repeals most of the corporate governance
provisions contained within Dodd-Frank, provisions that provide greater
transparency and accountability to shareholders. … [It also removes] the
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) authority to punish companies for
practices that are abusive to consumers. … Earlier this month the CFPB and other
agencies imposed a $185 million fine on the bank for its widespread fraud.”
Shutdown Countdown
A
final vote on funding to keep the government open after midnight Friday is all
but certain to come at the 11th hour, Roll Call says. One snag: “The
inclusion of what Republicans described as a “down payment” on supplemental aid
to flood-ravaged communities in Louisiana but not the Flint money [emergency
funding for the lead-plagued water crisis in Flint, Michigan] drew the ire of
Michigan Democrats, and it appears to be a key to Democratic opposition in the
Senate.”
White
House preps agencies for possible shutdown. But “few on Capitol Hill expect
the government to halt operations just weeks before the critical presidential
election.”
Here’s
who to watch, according to the New York Times: “Senator Mitch McConnell,
Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, and Senator Harry Reid, the
Democratic leader from Nevada, who may broker a final deal. Keep an eye on
Senator Debbie Stabenow, Democrat of Michigan and a longstanding and fierce
advocate for Flint who rarely gives up a legislative fight easily.”
Breakfast Sides
Here’s
another topic for presidential debate: 500,000 U.S. households without proper
indoor plumbing. “Nearly half a million households in the United States lack
the basic dignity of hot and cold running water, a bathtub or shower, or a
working flush toilet, according to the Census Bureau.” In one Alabama county,
“35 percent of homes had septic systems that were failing, with raw sewage on
the ground. Another 15 percent had nothing.”
President
Obama will meet with Leonardo DiCaprio at the White House to talk climate
change. Time reports: “The discussion will also include climate scientist
Dr. Katharine Hayhoe and take place on Monday, Oct. 3 … [I]t will be followed by
a screening of DiCaprio’s National Geographic documentary ‘Before the Flood,’
making its U.S. debut on the South Lawn.”
Babies
benefit from a higher minimum wage. “Robert Kaestner is with the University
of Illinois’ Institute of Government & Public Affairs. He found that among
new mothers with lower education levels, living in an area with a higher minimum
wage led to heavier babies — about 11 grams for every dollar — and heavier
babies are healthier babies.”
Progressive
Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to
activists. Progressive Breakfast is a project of the Campaign for America's
Future. more
»