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Here’s the entire event, Nina Turner begins speaking around the 44 minute mark:

Bernie Sanders may not be necessary for 2020, but his vision is

Since the election, top party leaders including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., have touted their staunch opposition to President Donald Trump’s agenda, but have done little to offer up a vision that galvanizes the fractured Democratic base.

There’s no denying that many Americans are unhappy with the Democratic Party, with party leadership and with establishment politics as a whole. It’s an increasingly common opinion that all three serve the interests of the wealthy few rather than the middle-class majority.

It’s been said before — and should continue to be said until an aggressive and suitable agenda is laid out — voters not only need, but deserve, a party that provides them with something to vote for as opposed to a party that merely points its finger at Trump and Republicans and says, “Well, at least we’re not that.”

Sanders has all that, and yet, is nowhere near the steering wheel.

But contrary to the belief of many Clinton supporters, or those who have projected their election-loss anger onto Sanders and his followers, acknowledging that the senator is the only galvanizing force in the party and following in his path doesn’t mean Democrats have to bow down to him as their leader. Few are asking anyone to follow his politics unquestionably. Picking up his vision, his direction, however, is starting to seem essential.

Even before they can settle on a 2020 candidate, the Democrats need a vision they can rally around. Sanders, at the very least, has one. It’s a vision, as it turns out, that the most activated voters on the left share (remember those rallies?). Not only that, Sanders has shown an ability to annunciate it, to make it resonate.

In Massachusetts, Protesters Balk At Pipeline Company’s Payments To Police

Pipeline protesters think there’s a reason the reaction from state police officers has been so strong. According to records anti-pipeline protesters recently obtained through a public records request, Kinder Morgan has been reimbursing state police officers from nearby Troop B headquarters in Northampton for their many hours on site. Through October, the total reimbursement has been $957,682.15, according to Cathy Kristofferson, a member of the Massachusetts Pipeline Awareness Network.

Kristofferson made the public records request in response to concerns over the potential effects the payments were having on law enforcement behavior at the site.

It’s not the first time an energy giant has paid police to keep watch over its assets. In Pennsylvania, Kinder Morgan hired off-duty police officers as a “deterrent” at a pipeline in 2013. And at the height of the Dakota Access Pipeline protests last year, Energy Transfer Partners offered to defray some of North Dakota’s costs for patrolling the area. The developer transferred some $15 million into state coffers as a result of patrols on the Dakota Access line at the end of September.

The cost of protecting energy infrastructure is high, no matter who takes care of it. Taxpayers would be understandably loathe to cover the costs of officers patrolling private property. But Kinder Morgan footing the bill for state police protecting this one four-mile loop of pipeline has the local activist community questioning how fair the officers on site can be to protesters when some of their income comes, albeit indirectly, from the pipeline’s operator.

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Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren has also expressed dismay about how protests have been handled. “The concerns of local communities are being ignored,” she said in a statement provided to HuffPost. Warren said she believes the police should act with restraint and respect that there are two sides to the issue. And, she said, the company behind the pipeline should not stop citizens from exercising their rights.

“Kinder Morgan should not interfere with peaceful protests,” said Warren.

Concerns related to the pipeline construction extend beyond the rights of protesters. Local roads in this rural area, not used to the volume of industrial traffic, are crumbling. Kinder Morgan “needs to step up and repair damaged roads and areas that it has harmed,” said Warren.

U.S. regulator raises concerns about weights on energy pipelines

A U.S. regulator’s preliminary investigation into the biggest oil pipeline spill this year has raised a red flag that could trigger an extensive and costly inspection of tens of thousands of miles of underground energy lines.

The 5,000-barrel leak on TransCanada Corp’s (TRP.TO) Keystone pipeline on Nov. 16 in South Dakota might have stemmed from damage caused by a weight put in place when it was built in 2008, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said in a report published on Tuesday.

Weights are used to prevent pipelines from moving and reduce the risk of damage or ruptures when water tables rise.

The regulator’s finding has implications for the 2,687-mile (4,324 km) pipeline and others throughout the world. The weights, which tip the scales at 7,000 pounds (3,175 kg) or more, are commonly used, but only the pipeline operators know where they are located.

Damage from weights “could happen on other segments of this pipeline and other pipelines,” said Najmedin Meshkati, professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Southern California.

State Rep. Milne calls for freeze on Mariner East 2 pipeline construction

State Rep. Duane Milne, R-167, is calling for a “complete reboot” of the Sunoco Mariner East 2 pipeline.

Milne wants Sunoco to immediately and voluntarily pause construction due to pipeline-associated issues and problems.

The wells of more than 30 West Whiteland residences were impacted by horizontal directional drilling. In turn, Sunoco picked up the tab to connect residents to public water providers and paid each household $60,000 to pay for future water bills.

Sunoco has also spilled drilling fluid more than 80 times.

Also in Milnes’ district, Sunoco is considering changing from HDD to open trench burial of the pipe.

If trench construction in West Whiteland was used, a creek would need to be dammed and diverted within feet of the Chester County Library.

“There has to be time to address ongoing issue and concerns,” Milne said. “There is a complete lack of confidence.

Go Home Trump’: Protesters Spell It Out on Utah Capitol Lawn Day Before Trump Attack on National Monuments

“Go Home Trump,” was the message spelled out by 113 protesters dressed in white jumpsuits.

Artist Cat Palmer organized the protest Sunday on the south lawn of the Utah Capitol ahead of President Donald Trump’s Monday visit, in which he is expected to dramatically reduce the sizes of Bears Ears and Grand Escalante national monuments.

“We don’t have somebody representing our voices right now, right? That’s a problem. Sometimes when we feel helpless we make art hoping our voices will be heard,” Palmer said. “It’s an outlet for people. It’s therapeutic, …. because we are feeling lost right now,” the Salt Lake City Tribune reports.

On Saturday, thousands of protesters angered by Trump’s expected Monday attack on two national monuments in Utah rallied in Salt Lake City, just two days ahead of his visit.

The demonstrators denounced Trump’s expected action, many chanting and holding signs with messages such as “Protect Wild Utah.” Native American groups danced or formed drum circles.

A county in Utah wants to suck 77 million gallons a day out of Lake Powell, threatening the Colorado River

In its current design, the Lake Powell pipeline will transport 86,000 acre-feet — nearly 77 million gallons a day — from an intake 1,200 feet upstream of Glen Canyon Dam in Arizona to Washington County’s Sand Hollow reservoir.

The 69-inch diameter pipeline will have five pumping stations to push water 2,000 feet uphill, and six turbine stations to produce about 45 megawatts of electrical generating capacity. Most of the water will be used by Washington County. Neighboring Kane County will receive roughly 5%.

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the Lake Powell pipeline is a costly taxpayer burden that is not needed now or in the foreseeable future. Its construction in an era of meteorological disruption in patterns of snow and rainfall, moreover, is seen as a threat to the diminishing water levels in the Colorado River. That crucial waterway supplies Lake Powell and 30 million downstream users in Arizona, Nevada and California. (The three states have not commented on the proposed pipeline.)

“The truth behind the Lake Powell pipeline is that it is a water grab from the Colorado River by firms and agencies in Utah to convince Utahans that we are running out of water. We’re not,” said Zach Frankel, founder and executive director of the Utah Rivers Council, a water research and advocacy group in Salt Lake City funded by foundations, members and events.

“The reality is that St. George and Washington County residents have the highest per-person water use in the United States because they have some of the cheapest water rates in the world. Th
ey are wasting a tremendous amount of water there,” Frankel said.

US military agency invests $100m in genetic extinction technologies

A US military agency is investing $100m in genetic extinction technologies that could wipe out malarial mosquitoes, invasive rodents or other species, emails released under freedom of information rules show.

The documents suggest that the US’s secretive Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) has become the world’s largest funder of “gene drive” research and will raise tensions ahead of a UN expert committee meeting in Montreal beginning on Tuesday.

The UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is debating whether to impose a moratorium on the gene research next year and several southern countries fear a possible military application.

UN diplomats confirmed that the new email release would worsen the “bad name” of gene drives in some circles. “Many countries [will] have concerns when this technology comes from Darpa, a US military science agency,” one said.

The use of genetic extinction technologies in bioweapons is the stuff of nightmares, but known research is focused entirely on pest control and Cutting-edge gene editing tools such as Crispr-Cas9 work by using a synthetic ribonucleic acid (RNA) to cut into DNA strands and then insert, alter or remove targeted traits. These might, for example, distort the sex-ratio of mosquitoes to effectively wipe out malarial populations.

Some UN experts, though, worry about unintended consequences. One told the Guardian: “You may be able to remove viruses or the entire mosquito population, but that may also have downstream ecological effects on species that depend on them.”

U.S. drills in South Korea trigger ‘nuclear war’ warning from North

Two dozen U.S. stealth jets were among hundreds of aircraft involved in war games intended as a show of strength to neighboring North Korea on Monday.

Dubbed Vigilant Ace, the annual military drills come amid heightened tensions in the region triggered by Kim Jong Un’s missile and nuclear tests and ratcheting rhetoric from both sides.

A total of 230 planes will fly from eight locations in South Korea, the Air Force said in a statement.

The Navy and Marine Corps were also participating in what was described as “a realistic air combat exercise” designed to improve the technical cooperation between the American and South Korean militaries. About 12,000 U.S. military personnel are involved.

North Korea described the exercises as a “grave provocation,” claiming in its state-run media Monday that they could escalate the situation “to the brink of nuclear war.”

With crucial Virginia pipeline votes looming, Northam stays out of water-quality debate

During his campaign, Gov.-elect Ralph Northam wanted the regulatory process for a pair of controversial natural gas pipelines planned to be built through Virginia to be “as thorough and environmentally responsible as permitted under state and federal law.”

Yet on the eve of crucial votes by the State Water Control Board that begin this week for water-quality certifications for the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley pipelines, the Democratic lieutenant governor appears content to stay away from what critics contend has been a deeply flawed review of the potential water quality hazards posed by the blasting, trenching, ridgetop flattening and tree removal that construction will entail.

The citizen board, whose seven members were appointed by outgoing Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat who has backed the pipeline projects as drivers of jobs and economic development, will vote over the next two weeks on whether the state will issue certifications under the federal Clean Water Act that there is a “reasonable assurance” that water quality will be protected during construction. The pipelines, already approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and other federal agencies, will cross some of the most mountainous terrain in the state, and opponents contend they cannot be built without dislodging sediment that could damage streams, aquifers and drinking water sources.

Asked whether Northam supports the water board issuing the permits before he takes office in January, a spokeswoman said he “will respect the final determination made at the end of a transparent, science-driven regulatory process.” The spokeswoman did not respond when asked whether Northam thought the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s proposed certifications will adequately protect state waters.

Orrin Hatch comments on Chip health program at heart of social media storm

A social media storm blew up on Sunday after a TV host suggested the Utah Republican Orrin Hatch thought children and pregnant women who receive federal healthcare assistance did not deserve such help because they “won’t lift a finger” to help themselves.

Joe Scarborough, the former Republican congressman and TV host who shared Hatch’s remarks on Twitter, was accused of taking them out of context. Responding, he said Hatch had been playing “a cartoon version of a GOP senator”.

The chair of the Senate finance committee made the remarks during debate on the tax bill on the Senate floor on Thursday.

Independent reports have said that if the Senate tax cuts became law as they were passed early on Saturday, heavily in favour of richer Americans and corporations, they could add as much as $2tn to the national debt. Republicans counter that the economic stimulus provided by the cuts will cancel out such cost.

During debate, Hatch was pressed by the Ohio Democrat Sherrod Brown about the financial plight of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (Chip).

Around nine million children and 370,000 pregnant women are covered by Chip, which Hatch helped to write and which was signed by Bill Clinton in 1997. Its funding lapsed on 1 October, amidst fights over the Affordable Care Act.

Whitmer: Women Face Harassment In Male-Dominated Michigan Capitol

Gubernatorial candidate Gretchen Whitmer, one of only two women to have been a legislative leader in Michigan, said the male-dominated Capitol has a “locker room” atmosphere in which it is not uncommon for female lawmakers and employees to confront sexual harassment.

Whitmer, who was a lawmaker for 14 years, recounted once having to combat “very lewd” and “totally inappropriate” comments directed at her by a male senator in the Senate chamber. She was Democratic leader at the time.

“I could only imagine if you didn’t have such a position that I did how extremely uncomfortable, humiliating and intimidating that would be,” Whitmer told The Associated Press in a recent interview. “The hard part is that it’s always on the woman to make the determination. Do you confront it? Do you educate? Do you ignore? What is the safest thing for you? What is the best thing for your career? Women have to make these determinations on the fly all the time.”

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Whitmer and other top Michigan Democrats have come under criticism from the state Republican Party for not demanding the resignation of Democratic U.S. Rep. John Conyers over multiple accusations of sexual misconduct. Democrats in turn have accused Republicans of not sufficiently condemning GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore of Alabama, though Attorney General Bill Schuette — a gubernatorial candidate — recently said he should step aside unless solid evidence is presented to refute allegations that Moore preyed on teenage girls.House Speaker Paul Ryan and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday said Conyers should step down, and three Michigan Democrats in Congress and another gubernatorial candidate, Abdul El-Sayed, followed suit.

Whitmer, in a statement, said the reports about Conyers are “ugly and deeply concerning,” but she stopped short of calling for his resignation. “Beyond a thorough investigation, we’ve got to overhaul these broken processes to protect and support people who bravely come forward instead of silencing them,” she said.

Jones trying to boost black turnout in Alabama Senate race

Alabama Democrat Doug Jones is trying to shore up support among black voters in his U.S. Senate race against Republican Roy Moore by appealing for an end to the divisiveness that has long been part of the state’s politics.

Speaking at an event held at a predominantly black church Friday night after stops in heavily black areas of east Alabama during the day, Jones said he hoped Election Day will be historic for the state.

His remarks came on the anniversary of the arrest of black seamstress Rosa Parks in 1955 for her refusal to give up her seat to a white man on a city bus. The resulting Montgomery Bus Boycott helped spark the modern civil rights movement.

“We have more in common than we have to divide us,” Jones said at a speech at Maggie Street Missionary Baptist Church. “We cannot let people, candidates and public officials continue to divide us the way this state has been divided in the past.”

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Jones recently made an appearance with young progressive Randall Woodfin, inaugurated this week as the new mayor of mostly black Birmingham. Beneath blue and white balloons, Woodfin urged people to get to the polls to support Jones.

“People keep asking: Can Doug Jones win this race?” Woodfin said to the crowd. “My answer is the exact same every time: Yes.”