Out d’ Coup | Dems Stumble Toward Impeachment; Mueller No Hero; Assange and War on Press; EU Neo-Fascists Win; Charter Appeals Board; SpaceX’s Starlink; ArtsFest YOLOing; Free Will Pints and Paws

Dems can’t quite get themselves to impeachment. It’s getting more and more difficult to sustain a rationale for not beginning at least an impeachment inquiry.

It turns out the White Knight Robert Mueller doesn’t want to testify in public. Something about not wanting to tarnish his personal brand. Really? What’s up with all the walking-on-eggshells around the Special Counsel?

As the Trump administration prepares to go after Julian Assange for espionage, investigative journalism is in the crosshairs. Make no mistake about it, this move is less about Julian Assange and more about gagging the muckraking press.

And right-wing extremism is on the rise in Europe. Right-wing parties from France to Italy to Poland to Bulgaria came out strong in this past weekend’s EU elections. And, of course, Steve Bannon was all over the place. Theresa May steps down as Prime Minister of the UK on Friday. Make room for Boris Johnson. And, in perfect character, Tony Blair emerges from his dusty vault to blame Corbyn.

Tom Corbett’s - yes you heard that correctly - Tom Corbett’s Charter Appeals Board met last week to grant an appeal to Catalyst Charter School in Pittsburgh and they will be meeting again in a couple of more weeks to possibly grant appeals for Eastern University Charter School in Philadelphia and Propel Charter School in Pittsburgh.  

Eastern University Charter School had their charter renewal application denied by the Philadelphia School Reform Commission & Propel had their application denied by the Pittsburgh School District and Pennsylvania Department of Education.  Propel has 8 Charter Schools across Allegheny County and they are looking to establish their own quasi-school district in Western, Pennsylvania. The issue with the Charter Appeals Board is that it is dominated by five Corbett appointees whose terms expire in 2015

In today’s Last Call, SpaceX’s new launch of 60 Starlink satellites freaks out a bunch of people who thought aliens were finally invading. Meanwhile, astronomers are pissed saying Starlink will permanently alter the night sky. Elon Musk says he hears the concerns...the next batch will not be so shiny. Despite all of Tesla’s problems, SpaceX raised over $1 billion in two rounds of funding...in large part due to its new Starlink system.

Sean YOLOing at ArtsFest. Sean says nothing else happened in PA this past week and a half. Totally unrelated, we’re looking for someone interested in covering what’s happening in PA to come on the podcast from time to time.  

Free Will held its 4th Annual Pints & Paws at Free Will event last weekend and brewed up something extra special with our Friends from Harley’s Haven for the cause—Haven, a New England-style IPA hopped with Cashmere, Mosaic, and Citra. $4 from every 4-pack sold will be donated to Harley's Haven Dog Rescue.