The Secular Report For October 18, 2019- The Fourth Edition
THE SECULAR REPORT
October 18, 2019
The Fourth Edition
The Democratic Debate, A Recap
The twelve highest polling Democratic candidates for President gathered in Westerville, Ohio for the fourth debate of the 2020 campaign. The debate, hosted by a combined effort of CNN and New York, featured a wide variety of questions that further separated the centrists from the progressives, primarily on the issue of Medicare for all. Pete Buttigieg took Elizabeth Warren to task, saying that she had not presented a clear plan to pay for the cost of her plan. Elizabeth Warren danced around the question of whether she will raise taxes for the middle class, while Bernie Sanders stated he would raise taxes but the overall cost will be substantially less for most families.
Impeachment was likewise a prominent topic, although it proved to be far less divisive. All 12 candidates stated that they support the investigation, although Tulsi Gabbard cautioned about moving forward with impeachment too quickly, saying that it would be divisive and could allow for President Trump's acquittal in the House. Andrew Yang also warned that impeachment would not solve the problems that got President Trump elected in the first place.
As the emerging front runner, Elizabeth Warren was forced to play defense, while Joe Biden faded off into obscurity, mirroring his recent fundraising. Biden had a poor night overall, at times fumbling on his sentences as he attempted to paint himself as the most qualified candidate. Supporters of Andrew Yang were encouraged by his performance, as he continued to press his central policy of universal basic income in addition to leading the discussion about the solution of the opioid crisis. Mr. Yang has perhaps the most progressive plan of any of the candidates, saying that he would both decriminalize opioid use and set up supervised injection sites.
One of the more important moments occurred in the post-debate interviews, where Beto O'Rourke clarified his recent comments on a mandatory buyback of assault rifles and the revocation of the tax-exempt status of anti-LGBTQ churches. Regarding the buyback of assault weapons, Mr. O'Rourke stated that he was not concerned about the constitutionality of the policy, saying that it was merely a "mandatory buyback" and not a confiscation. The hosts did not press him on the difference between the two. Meanwhile, Mr. O'Rourke clarified that the revocation of tax-exempt status would only apply to churches that offered public services and discriminated against those of the LGBTQ community.
THE RUNDOWN
Press Secretary Says That Trump Committed Quid Pro Quo
During a press conference on Thursday afternoon, White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said that America withheld US financial aid from Ukraine because Ukraine did not investigate Democrats, saying "We do that all the time with foreign policy." Trump attorney Jay Sekulow said that the legal team was not involved in the Press Secretary"s briefing.
Representative Elijah Cummings Passes Away at 68
Representative Elijah Cummins died early Thursday at Gilchrist Hospice Care after a long battle with health problems. Representative Cummings has a long history in the civil rights battle and was serving on the House Oversight Committee when he passed and was a key player in the impeachment inquiry into President Trump. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle expressed condolences to Representative Cumming's family.
White House Makes Deal with Turkey
Turkey and the United States have agreed to a deal regarding Turkey's recent military advance into northern Syria. Turkey has agreed to a 120 hour ceasefire in which the Kurdish fighters defending their territory will withdraw from a 20 mile zone near the Turkish border. In return, America will not impose any more sanctions. However, this deal will not aid the Kurds in the region in any way other than giving them a 120 hour window to abandon their territory. In addition, nobody knows how Syrian President Assad will react to the deal.
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