Out d’Coup | Huge Wins on Election Day; Impeachment; Pelosi Goes After Medicare for All; Bloomberg Hubris; Beauregard for Senate; PA Blue Wave Again; APSCUF Contract; Space News; Free Will Releases

Kentucky Governor’s mansion turns blue! Looks like Trump’s “Read the Transcripts” rally in Lexington on the eve of election day didn’t work out so well for the Republican incumbent. Before corporate Democrats join calls to “move to the center,” they would be wise to remember that the teacher strikes gave Democrats the Governor’s mansion, not some dishwater appeal to bipartisanship. 

Virginia goes Democrat from House to the Governor’s office. 

Gordon Sondland, Trump’s EU Ambassador, flips on his boss. The transcripts are scathing. And, Sondland wasn’t the only person that saw transcripts of their depositions released to the public. A giant “uh-oh” was heard coming from the general direction of the White House. 

Ayanna Presley endorses Elizabeth Warren for president. Is this a “split” in the Squad or evidence that progressives are beginning to deepen their roots in the Democratic Party? 

Nancy Pelosi goes to Bloomsberg News to say she’s not a fan of Medicare for All. That’s should be like a bat signal to all progressives that even if we win big in 2020, we’ll be in for a fight with the Democratic Party leadership.

Another billionaire prepares to enter the presidential race as a Democratic hopeful. Yes, Michael Bloomberg will demonstrate to the world - just like Tom Steyer - how much money you can burn through to stroke your ego.

Oh, yeah, and Jefferson Beauregard Sessions, is jumping in the race to get his old Senate seat in Alabama. Looks like the biggest threat to his seat will be...Trump. Trump said jokingly he’d move to Alabama to run against Sessions himself.

Bill Fletcher, Jr. takes to the pages of In These Times to once again make the case for social justice unionism. In the wake of militant labor victories, business unionism still dominates the leadership of many small and large unions

Oh, yeah, and public impeachment hearings begin next Wednesday and House Democrats are looking to a vote on impeachment before Christmas! 

Philadelphia votes a candidate from the Working Families Party to City Council. It’s the first time a candidate not from one of the major parties wins a seat on the council. Congrats to Kendra Brooks. 

Over half of Pennsylvania’s population now live in counties that are controlled by Democrats.  Democrats swept every open seat in Delaware and Chester counties and then took control of Bucks, Lehigh and Monroe counties.  Will these victories lead to a PA Dem Trifecta in 2020?

Scranton gets its first-ever woman mayor! Paige Cognetti, who ran as a Berniecrat independent, won the special election for mayor last night. Her campaign slogan, “Paige Against the Machine,” will now bring progressive politics to NEPA.  She cut her teeth writing a scathing report of corruption in Scranton’s school district for PA Auditor General Eugene Depasquale. 

APSCUF leadership begins its PR push to persuade members to vote in favor of the new contract next week. Many questions remain as to what APSCUF leadership’s embrace of the new PASSHE Chancellor and “interest-based bargaining” will mean for the organizational gains achieved as part of the union’s 2016 strike. 

Raging Chicken still awaiting the results of our Right to Know request about legionella bacteria found in multiple buildings across Kutztown University’s campus.

Elon Musk makes the case that Space X’s new Starship could cost as little as $2 million per launch...way below the cost of even small rockets. Boeing trying to stay relevant in the race to get back to the moon. The Aerospace goliath presented NASA with a plan for a simplified “Human Lander System” (HLS) that will make use of the much delayed, still to be operational “Space Launch System.” 

The director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Army Lt. General Robert Ashley, painted a dark picture of near-future real space wars as Russia and China are rapidly developing weapons to be deployed in space. He made the remarks as part of his keynote speech at CyberSat 2019.

Are we actually going to get a space hotel in the near future? The Gateway Foundation is making moves. 

Free Will releases: Available on draft and in cans this Saturday at both Perkasie and Peddler's Village locations. We’ll also have all of this week’s releases at the Wrightstown Farmers Market Saturday morning.

• Plum Cinnamon Mash - Sour Ale brewed with plum purée, cinnamon, vanilla, and milk sugar. 7.5% ABV. 
• Sweet Cherry Apricot Mash - Sour Ale brewed with sweet cherry purée, apricot purée, vanilla, and milk sugar. 7.5% ABV

A special Wednesday release, this past week for this year’s Special Cookie. Special Cookie is Free Will’s annual Imperial Spiced Brown Ale brewed with cardamom, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and vanilla. 12.5% ABV⁣. And if you’re lucky, you just might get your hands on a bottle of  Rum Barrel Aged Special Cookie from 2018.