Welcome to Wednesday, October 16th, tortoises and hares...

12 contenders for the 2020 Democratic nomination took the stage in Westerville, Ohio, on Tuesday.

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We cover the key quotes from each the contenders, but here's a preview:

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren: "Look, I don't have a beef with billionaires."

Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro: "Think about how absurd it is that this president is caging kids on the border and effectively letting ISIS prisoners run free. He has made a tremendous mistake."

Billionaire executive Tom Steyer: "We can’t solve the climate crisis in the U.S. by ourselves, but we have to work with our allies and our frenemies around the world." 

What do you think of the 2020 Democratic contenders?

On the Radar

House Backs Hong Kong Protesters

The House of Representatives convened Tuesday for its first day in session in over two weeks and passed a trio of bills aiming to condemn the communist Chinese government’s efforts to suppress pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. The protests are entering their 20th week, and have sparked controversies involving major U.S. brands bowing to the Chinese government’s efforts to censor criticisms of its repression.

Three bills passed the House on voice votes:

• The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act would reaffirm America’s commitment to democracy, human rights, and autonomy in Hong Kong.
• The PROTECT Hong Kong Act would prohibit U.S. companies from exporting non-lethal crowd control items (like tear gas) and other defense articles or services to Hong Kong.
• H.Res. 543, a non-binding resolution, would express that the House of Representatives condemns China’s interference in Hong Kong’s affairs and supports the Hong Kong protesters’ five key demands.

Should Congress show solidarity with Hong Kong protesters against China?

Under the Radar

Four-Day Workweek

Are you ready for the weekend…on Thursday?

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) told the Iowa United Food and Commercial Workers forum on Sunday that he’s open to the idea.

"Shortening the workweek is certainly one idea that we have got to look at," the 2020 contender said, though he added there are "a number of other ideas" to improve the wellbeing of American workers.

Economist and historian Rutger Bregman, author of Utopia for Realists, told Davos 2019:

"In the 1920s and 1930s, there were actually major capitalist entrepreneurs who discovered that if you shorten the working week, employees become more productive. Henry Ford, for example, discovered that if he changed the working week from 60 hours to 40 hours, his employees would become more productive, because they were not that tired in their spare time."

Alas, some industries require a five (or more) day work week, or 24/7 presence online. In these industries, a four-day workweek would be impractical.

Read all the pros and cons here, then tell your reps:

Do you support a four-day workweek?

What You're Saying

Here's how you're answering Should Wealthy Former Presidents Have Smaller Allowances?