The Daily Valet. - 10/16/19, Wednesday
✔️ Finally, Some Good Environmental News
Wednesday, October 16th Edition
The debate was good, but I’m more excited about the bison.
Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf
Today’s Big Story
Here’s What Went Down at the Debate
It was a high stakes night. Who came out on top?
The top 12 Democratic presidential candidates debated last night in Westerville, Ohio. Here are the five key takeaways from all the sweet talking, policy promises and accusations.
Elizabeth Warren established herself as the one to watch. She got the most talk time out of the night. And the other candidates repeatedly jabbed at her, accusing the Massachusetts senator of ducking questions about the costs of Medicare for All universal health insurance and her signature “wealth tax” plan. Taking hits from all sides is a clear sign of a rise to front-runner status.
Bernie Sanders says he’s healthy and will mount a "vigorous" campaign. After spending the past two weeks recuperating at his Vermont home after a heart attack, he made no big stumbles but didn't really exhibit the same fire as in previous debates. After declaring, “I’m feeling great,” Cory Booker pointed out Sanders favors legalizing marijuana. To which Sanders quipped, “I'm not on it tonight.”
Pete Buttigieg called out Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who served in Iraq, for her support of the withdrawal in Syria. “I'd have a hard time today looking an Afghan civilian or soldier in the eye after what just happened over there,” said Buttigieg, who served in Afghanistan. “It's undermining the honor of our soldiers. Take away the honor of our soldiers, you might as well go after their body armor next.”
Biden had an answer ready when the moderators eventually asked him about his age. He turned it around, emphasizing the experience and wisdom he has gained through decades of public service. But struggled to fully explain why his newly promised ethics plan wasn’t applied to his son Hunter when he was hired in 2014 as a director for a Ukrainian energy company.
Kamala Harris and Cory Booker are both struggling for support and attention. It was clear that they both had adopted the same game plan: seeking to rise above the food fight unfolding around them. "We’ve got one shot to make Donald Trump a one-term president, and how we talk about each other in this debate really matters,” Booker said. Harris focused on women's health issues and got personal with gun control. "We need action. And Congress has had years to act and failed because they have not had the courage.”
↦ Merch Debate: Who's got the best (and worst) campaign merchandise? The LA Times fashion editor examines the goods.
Pence and Giuliani Stonewall Congress
The vice president denies records request and Trump’s personal lawyer says he won’t comply with subpoena
Rudy Giuliani, President Trump’s personal attorney, said he is not complying with a congressional subpoena related to the impeachment inquiry. Yesterday was the deadline. He told ABC News that “if they enforce it, then we will see what happens.” Giuliani said that he no longer plans to retain the services of former Watergate prosecutor Jon Sale, since he won't need an attorney unless Congress attempts to enforce the subpoena. His failure to comply definitely raises some serious questions about the limited options Congress has in enforcing subpoenas.
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reports that the office of Vice President Mike Pence declined a records request Tuesday and the Office of Management and Budget also failed to comply with a subpoena for documents about why an official in the OMB was given authority to hold up aid to Ukraine after career staff questioned the legality of such a delay.
Google Debuted the Pixel 4 Smartphone
It loses the notch, but gains radar sensors
Google's new Pixel 4 phone was the crown jewel of the company's Made By Google event. But while the impressive update certainly deserves the spotlight, the 2019 stage is already full of new competitors, including Apple's iPhone 11 and 11 Pro and Samsung's Galaxy Note 10 and the relaunched Galaxy Fold.
Apparently, it's the first smartphone with radar sensors. What does that mean? The Pixel 4 has motion sense capability. You can wave your hand above the radar sensor (which is located on the front of the phone in a small bezel near the front-facing cameras) to skip songs, control calls, and snooze an alarm. In a seemingly direct attack on the iPhone, Google also introduced the "fastest face unlock," which starts prepping itself to unlock when you reach for it (not when you pick it up).
The Pixel also gains a square camera module on the back, with improvements to Night Sight, Super Res Zoom and Portrait Mode, along with dual exposure controls to better capture shots in tricky lighting. How does the new camera stack up against the 11 Pro? The Verge offers up some head-to-head comparisons.
↦ Hands On: The gearheads at CNET give some first-person hands on impressions from the event.
Bison Return to Badlands National Park
Not all environmental news is bad
First, some bleak history. Bison once dominated North America; an estimated 60 million roamed the continent in vast herds in the 1500s. By the year 1884, that number was down to less than 350. Thankfully, conservation visionaries were able to halt the near extinction of America's national mammal. Now, there are some 21,000 wild plains bison roaming today.
And just recently, a handful of bison were released back into a region of South Dakota’s Badlands National Park—where bison haven't been seen since the Reconstruction Era. The park procured 22,000 acres of land from a ranch next to Badlands, with the help of the US Forest Service and the World Wildlife Fund. It seems the big NPS birthday this year helped; Congress made the funds available to get the deal done during its 100th anniversary.
What's more, the domino effect of nature means this will be an even bigger win: just by being there, the herd will help the prairie ecosystem repopulate with prairie dogs, coyotes and large birds.
↦ FYI: Yellowstone National Park is the only place in the US where bison have continuously lived since prehistoric times.
Other Things We’re Talking About Today
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The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 2020 class
Who’s your pick?
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced the nominees for the Rock Hall Class of 2020—and of the 16 artists shortlisted, nine are first-time nominees. The official inductees will be announced in January.
Dave Matthews Band, The Doobie Brothers, Motörhead, The Notorious B.I.G., Soundgarden, Thin Lizzy and Whitney Houston are up for the honor for the first time. Returning nominees are Depeche Mode (nominated twice before), Judas Priest (nominated for the Class of 2018), Kraftwerk (five previous noms) and the twice-nominated Nine Inch Nails.
Each year, between five and seven acts usually make it into the Rock Hall following a vote by 1,000 people, including performers, historians and industry experts. But fans can impact the vote too: Starting today and running through January 10th, you can go to Google and search “Rock Hall Fan Vote” or any nominee’s name plus “vote” to cast a ballot via Google, vote at RockHall.com or at the museum itself in Cleveland.
↦ Inductee Explorer: Check out who's already in the Hall of Fame.
What They’re Saying
Whether you're trying to gain muscle mass or lose some excess weight, a proper bathroom scale is an essential tool. But if you grab just any one from a big box store, you'll likely be disappointed with its inaccuracy and lack of quality. We sorted through the best reviewed models on Amazon ... and there were a lot. Only 4.5 stars and above here.
/ 3,187 reviews
“I thought a scale this nice could never be so affordable, so I'm thankfully wrong—it's accurate, sleek and cheap. What's not to love?”
↦ Get It $29.99 / $19.99 at Amazon
/ 6,218 reviews
“One of the greatest things about it is the body fat measurement. It helps keep you motivated when your weight is the same but you can see your body fat percentage creep down.”
↦ Get It $54.95 / $49.95 at Amazon
/ 21,681 reviews
“As far as ease of use, you can't get any better here. Just step on the scale and it works. No tapping, no calibrating, nothing.”
↦ Get It $19.98 at Amazon
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Morning Motto
Believe in yourself. Believe in your process.
↦ Follow: @tyler_spangler
That’s all for today...
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