TODAY'S TALKING POINTS 09-08-15

TODAY'S TALKING POINTS

Europe confronted the migrant crisis head on. Officials from Austria and Germany warned they couldn’t keep up with the steady stream of refugees crossing the border. Munich police said 28,500 people arrived in the past week — 17,800 of them on Saturday and Sunday alone. Germany expects up to 800,000 refugees could arrive by the end of the year, and officials agreed to spend $6.6 billion to support them.

The U.K., acting on a “moral responsibility,” agreed to accept 20,000 refugees from Syria over the next five years. Pope Francis called on parishes to house refugees, but the call was heeded by others too. Finland Prime Minister Juha Sipilä offered his spare home as a sanctuary for refugees, while one of Egypt’s richest men, Naguib Sawiris,offered to buy an island for the stateless. As more European countries step up to help, critics have noted that some of the wealthiest countries in the Middle East have done the opposite. When asked about their refugee policy, only two presidential candidates said the United States should help with the crisis.

President Barack Obama unveiled a paid sick leave mandate. During his Labor Day speech, Obama announced an executive order that would require federal contractors to offer employees up to seven sick days per year. Right now, these 300,000 people are some of the 44 million private sector workers who aren’t entitled to paid sick leave and are probably relying on Emergen-C.

Kentucky clerk Kim Davis appealed the contempt ruling. After being remanded to jail for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses, Davis filed an emergency motion through her attorneys asking to be released. The motion also reportedly seeks an exemption from issuing the licenses, something the Supreme Court has made clear that no one is exempt from.

Larry Lessig joined the 2016 presidential candidate pool. The TED Talk alumn and Harvard law professor — a Democrat who agrees with Donald Trump’s views on money in politics — vowed to only serve until his Citizens Equality Act of 2017 is passed. Then, in unusual fashion, he’d step down and hand the title over to the vice president.

The dentist who killed Cecil is back at work. Walter Palmer, the hunter lambasted by the Internet for Cecil the lion’s death, gave his first interview since the incident. Palmer said he had no idea the lion was Cecil, a known tourist attraction at Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe, and maintains that he did not break any laws.

Superheroes didn't rule the summer box office for once. Thanks to Universal and Disney, the domestic box office had its second-best summer ever, with ticket sales that, when totaled, will hit nearly $4.48 billion. Shockingly, that revenue wasn't driven by the usual spandex- and explosion-filled superhero flicks. But the movies that didn't contribute to the boom tanked hard.