Розділ: Політика
Democrats Criticize Trump Administration’s Coronavirus Response
U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday the United States has the coronavirus is “very well under control” within its borders, even as his administration is asking U.S. lawmakers for $2.5 billion in emergency funding to address the problem.
Congressional Democrats say the Trump administration has failed to respond quickly to the spread of the virus, including personally spreading false information when Trump said coronavirus would stop in April when the weather grew warmer. The global health crisis is yet another battle in the ongoing war between Trump and Capitol Hill after Democrats failed to remove the president in a Senate impeachment trial earlier this year.
Trump said Tuesday during a press conference in New Delhi that while the U.S. is in good shape in terms of containment, “We do business with a lot of other countries, we take care of, we work with other countries, we want other countries to be happy, healthy and well.”
The president’s latest reassurances about the virus came after a difficult day on the U.S. stock market. The Dow Jones had its sharpest daily decline since 2018, amid growing global fears about the spread of the coronavirus. The United States has 14 confirmed cases of the virus, according to the Center for Disease Control.FILE – A tweet by U.S. President Donald Trump about the coronavirus is seen on a Chinese TV broadcast inside a restaurant in the Chinatown section of San Francisco, California, Feb. 24, 2020. Trump tweeted before markets fell due to virus fears.The administration’s $2.5 billion emergency funding request sent to the U.S. Congress Monday is divided between $1.25 billion in new emergency funds and $1.25 billion in funds that will be diverted from other federal programs. The administration is also asking U.S. lawmakers to shift $535 million in funding for the treatment and prevention of the Ebola virus to addressing the coronavirus.Democratic lawmakers said that strategy is inadequate.“Too little, too late,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said of the president’s emergency funding request Monday. “We’ve seen no sign that President Trump has any plan or urgency to deal with the spread of the coronavirus—we need real leadership and we need it fast.”
In a tweet earlier on Tuesday, Trump characterized Schumer’s criticism as “for publicity purposes only” and said the Democratic lawmaker’s response to the budget request was driven in part because “he didn’t like my early travel closings.”
FILE – Personnel at the The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) work the Emergency Operations Center in response to the coronavirus, among other threats, Feb. 13, 2020, in Atlanta, Georgia.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the request makes no sense following the Trump administration’s proposed 2021 budget cuts to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the National Institute for Health (NIH) and other key agencies handling the growing threat.
“Americans need a coordinated, fully-funded, whole-of-government response to keep them and their loved ones safe,” Pelosi said in a statement late Monday. “The President’s request for coronavirus response funding is long overdue and completely inadequate to the scale of this emergency.”
She said the Democratic-majority House of Representatives will work quickly to move their own funding package that “fully addresses the scale and seriousness of this public health crisis.”FILE – A woman, who declined to give her name, wears a mask in New York, Jan. 30, 2020. She works for a pharmaceutical company and said she wears the mask out of concern for the coronavirus. “I’d wear a mask if I were you,” she said.But Senate Republicans say they are satisfied with the administration’s response following a closed-door briefing on coronavirus on Tuesday.
“The administration is on top of this,” said Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, who is also a medical doctor. “They’re adapting as they need to, trying to allocate resources where they’re most effective.”
Cassidy noted that if the administration’s current emergency funding request is not adequate, additional money can be added on to the continuing resolution that lawmakers anticipate will fund the government as well as the 2021 budget request that is also being negotiated.
“Let’s see how it evolves and then we can easily put more dollars in,” he said.
Democratic Senator Dick Durbin said that while the administration’s 2021 budget request was “completely backwards” in terms of cutting funding to key U.S. health agencies, it was difficult to say if the emergency funding request would be enough to address the threat.
“I don’t know if it’s enough,” Durbin told reporters Tuesday. “I don’t know if anybody knows if it’s enough. But to talk about $2 billion at the outset here – that’s not an unreasonable amount.”
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By Polityk | 02/26/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Bloomberg’s Many Tentacles of Influence Stretch Far and Wide
When Mike Bloomberg held a rally this month at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, the signs of his wealth and influence were everywhere.Former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, long a paid adviser to one of Bloomberg’s charitable programs and now to his campaign, warmed up the crowd with chants of “Mike will get it done!” That followed a performance of the Nick Jonas song “Jealous” by an a capella group from the University of Pennsylvania, where Bloomberg has funded public health research.“Bloomberg interns” have worked at the National Constitution Center and other Philadelphia cultural sites thanks to his largesse, and Bloomberg gave the center’s former CEO a $50,000 donation for his successful 2016 run for state treasurer.Across the city, soda sales had dropped after a 2017 tax increase that Bloomberg spent millions to pass, study and defend with the support of Mayor Jim Kenney, whose reelection he backed last year with $1 million in outside spending. And the Bloomberg-endorsed state attorney general was leading a data-driven campaign against gun crime in the city.Bloomberg Roughed Up in First Democratic DebateBernie Sanders surging as moderates battleBloomberg told the crowd that his spending had transformed American life: It helped shut down 300 coal-fired power plants, strengthen gun laws in 20 states and flip the U.S. House to a Democratic majority. The self-made business news and information tycoon boasted that he would be the only New York billionaire in a race against President Donald Trump, who has been accused of exaggerating his riches and running a fake charity.
Bloomberg’s presidential campaign has been powered by his estimated $60 billion fortune and by years of political and charitable giving that have given him a foundation of goodwill across the U.S. Bloomberg has long said he wants to give away nearly all of his fortune before he dies, and wants to use the money to tackle big problems that government has failed to solve.His spending has dramatically increased since he completed his third term as New York mayor in 2013, making him one of the nation’s most important philanthropists and political donors and giving him achievements to tout in his self-funded advertising blitz.But perhaps just as important, it has created a sprawling network of powerful people and groups who have used his money to win elections, fund advocacy campaigns, pay for signature municipal and education programs and conduct important research, an Associated Press review has found.Many of those beneficiaries and their associates are backing Bloomberg’s late-launched campaign, giving the former Republican a base of Democratic Party institutional and grassroots support that he might lack if he wasn’t one of the world’s richest men.They include members of Congress who were elected and reelected with his help, mayors who attended his prestigious training program at Harvard University, and gun control and environmental activists who admire his commitments to their causes. Even celebrity endorsers, from actor Ted Danson to singer John Cougar Mellencamp, have ties to his philanthropy, the AP found.CLOUT ALL OVER“He had the wealth to give away money for years to build friends, to build political allies, to build relationships, in ways that the average American doesn’t have, can’t do. That’s a huge advantage,” said Paul S. Ryan, a vice president at Common Cause, a government watchdog group.The AP found signs of Bloomberg’s clout all over.A congresswoman from the Virgin Islands said she endorsed Bloomberg after his foundation helped residents there recover from devastating tropical storms in 2017. A former candidate for governor in Iowa whose campaign received $250,000 from Bloomberg in 2018 caucused for him this month even though Bloomberg wasn’t competing in the first-in-the-nation contest. The former mayor of Rhode Island’s largest city says he’ll endorse Bloomberg if asked, pointing to a $5 million prize Bloomberg gave his city in 2013 and the millions of people Bloomberg’s giving has helped.His rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination have accused Bloomberg of trying to buy the election by spending $400 million of his own money to blanket voters with ads ahead of Super Tuesday on March 3, when voters in 14 states cast their ballots.But that is a fraction of the spending of prior years that laid the ground work for Bloomberg’s campaign and has given him validators to defend his record against allegations of racism and sexism. It’s helped him rise to the field’s top tier while skipping the first four states and participating in a single debate in which he struggled through blistering attacks from his rivals.“I have no doubt he is about to drop another $100 million … in order to erase America’s memory of what happened on that debate stage,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren said after Wednesday’s debate in Las Vegas.Even some who support Bloomberg’s philanthropic efforts say his vast spending is unhealthy for democracy.“It’s about the principle of someone with great wealth distorting certain debates or certain social movements or influencing the direction of actual political elections,” said Megan Tompkins-Stange, a University of Michigan professor who studies how elite philanthropic foundations influence public policy. She said that “no one person should have that much influence in the public sphere.”His supporters, though, tout the deep and positive impact of his work. Danson said in a Facebook message last week that Bloomberg has “the strongest track record on climate change and will do the most to fight it.” Bloomberg’s foundation between 2014 and 2018 gave more than $32 million to the group Oceana, which focuses on protecting the world’s oceans. Danson and another Bloomberg endorser, the actor Sam Waterston, sit on Oceana’s board.The AP review documented $1.65 billion in grants that Bloomberg’s New York-based Bloomberg Family Foundation doled out to hundreds of cities, universities, cultural groups and global institutions from 2014 through 2018, the last year in which they have been itemized in tax filings.From Boston to Baltimore and Anchorage to Arlington, the money has helped fight climate change, championed a range of public health initiatives, promoted new programs in cities and schools and helped scores of arts and cultural institutions stay open.The foundation’s annual grant spending tripled between 2014 and 2018, when it reached $445 million.That sum is only a portion of the total given by Bloomberg Philanthropies, which encompasses all of the former mayor’s giving: through his foundation, his company and personally. Bloomberg Philanthropies has said that from 2014 through 2018, it distributed more than $2.9 billion. More than $1 billion of that remains unknown to the public because only gifts that go through his foundation are required to be disclosed.Then there’s the record $3.3 billion that Bloomberg Philanthropies says it distributed in 2019. His campaign says most of the increase can be attributed to a $1.8 billion gift to his alma mater, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, for financial aid and new investments to fight climate change and youth tobacco use. But those gifts aren’t legally required to be even partially disclosed until after the election.During Wednesday’s debate, when asked why he hasn’t released his tax returns, Bloomberg noted that the biggest item on them “is all the money I give away. And we list that, every single donation I make, and you can get that from our foundation anytime you want.”His campaign told AP after the debate that his tax returns would soon be released and they would provide “more clarity” about his billions in previously undisclosed donations.Using publicly available information, the AP identified dozens of current and former mayors who have publicly endorsed Bloomberg’s campaign after benefiting in one of several ways from his charitable giving. At least 20 attended the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, a one-year training program for municipal leaders that his foundation sponsors.Several others have led cities that have received programming grants from Bloomberg Philanthropies or, in at least two cases, been paid to work as an adviser or board member.Nutter has been a high-profile surrogate for Bloomberg’s campaign as its national political chair, defending him against allegations of racism that stem from the stop-and-frisk policy in New York that disproportionately targeted young black men.Nutter’s consulting firm was paid $45,000 in January by the campaign and is owed $4,000 more, according to a campaign disclosure. Nutter had previously been a paid adviser for What Works Cities, a Bloomberg Philanthropies initiative that promotes municipal innovation.Dozens of Bloomberg’s employees have moved from the philanthropies to the campaign, which said its endorsements were totally separate from grant funding.Bloomberg’s campaign said only a small percentage of mayors whose cities he has helped are supporting him. Kenney, for instance, has campaigned for Warren.“But if an elected official has seen up close how hard Mike works to find solutions to America’s toughest problems and thinks that’s exactly what we need in the White House, we think that’s a pretty good reason to support someone,” spokeswoman Rachel Nagler said.The AP’s review tracked more than $150 million that Bloomberg gave to dozens of candidates for state and federal office and political groups since 2014. That money helped Democrats take control of the U.S. House in 2018, pass laws and referendums requiring universal background checks on gun sales in key states and advocate for higher soda and tobacco taxes in some cities and states.His spending soared in the 2018 midterm elections to a high of $110 million — an investment that he credits with helping install Nancy Pelosi as House speaker and leading to Trump’s impeachment.Bloomberg’s super PAC in 2018 spent millions running ads praising Democratic candidates and attacking their Republican opponents, helping win 21 of 24 races that it got involved in. At least 16 Democratic members of Congress have endorsed Bloomberg for president, including four whose candidacies were direct beneficiaries of his PAC spending.Several others indirectly benefited from Bloomberg’s generosity because their campaigns were supported by one or more of the key Democratic Party-aligned groups to which he gave tens of millions of dollars. Those groups include Emily’s List, Planned Parenthood, the League of Conservation Voters and Vote Vets.LIKE A MACHINEBloomberg’s spending has continued in the early weeks of his presidential campaign. He gave $10 million to a group supporting the House Democrats, $5 million to a voting rights group led by Stacey Abrams, who nearly won the Georgia governor’s race in 2018, and smaller donations to several state Democratic Party groups.“He’s like a new machine. Rather than based in the party, it’s based on his immense and vast wealth,” said Douglas Muzzio, a professor who studies voting behavior and politics at Baruch College in New York City.He said Bloomberg has long targeted his philanthropic and political giving so that it hits “sources of influence” who are ideologically compatible with his centrist, data-driven approach and key policy initiatives.That playbook, Muzzio said, dates back to Bloomberg’s 12 years as New York mayor, when his donations to community groups helped blunt the impact of city budget cuts, boosted his support and neutralized potential opposition.“The reality is that I constantly heard from friends, and normal Democrats, ‘Oh, sorry, Mark, what can I do? He gave my organization $100,000,’” said Mark Green, a Democrat whom Bloomberg defeated in the 2001 mayoral election.In 2008, as Bloomberg was pushing to extend New York’s term limits so he could run for a third term, he was able to gather support from nonprofit groups, such as the Doe Fund, a group that helps the homeless, that had benefited from his personal fortune. The measure passed the city council, and Bloomberg went on to win for a third time.Campaign spokeswoman Nagler denied that Bloomberg used his money when he was mayor to gather support or quiet opposition, “and we are not doing it now.”Bloomberg has not only increased his giving dramatically since then, he has invested heavily in nationwide grassroots groups that can pressure lawmakers and run advocacy campaigns.Among the most potent is Everytown for Gun Safety, whose scores of activists have pushed to tighten gun laws and elect supportive state and federal lawmakers across the nation.The group was formed in 2013 as a merger between a group founded by Bloomberg, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, and Moms Demand Action, which was inspired by the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.Bloomberg has given tens of millions of dollars to the group, which is independent but led by one of his former mayoral aides. His presidential campaign spent $3.2 million last year to rent Everytown’s email list, and many moms, in their signature red T-shirts, are frequently spotted at his campaign events.Another Bloomberg investment that has paid dividends for his cause and his campaign is his more than $100 million in contributions to the Sierra Club for its Beyond Coal and Beyond Carbon programs, which it says have closed more than 300 coal plants across the country.He cites that achievement in campaign ads that do not mention the Sierra Club, which has 3.8 million grassroots supporters and is among the most important environmental groups active in politics.The group’s executive director, Michael Brune, told the AP the money has had a huge impact on its work, allowing it to expand and meet its goals more quickly. Bloomberg’s campaign asked for an endorsement from the Sierra Club, but Brune said they didn’t feel pressured. The group, he said, is not likely to make an endorsement in the Democratic primary, in keeping with its longstanding practice.The campaign against coal did help Bloomberg snag the endorsement of Mellencamp, who is featured in an ad targeting rural voters that has been viewed 6 million times on YouTube in recent weeks. Mellencamp recorded a song for the 2017 coal-focused documentary “From the Ashes,” which was funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies.DEFENDING BLOOMBERGBloomberg’s influence was on display at an event in Providence, Rhode Island, this month, when Gov. Gina Raimondo became the first governor to endorse Bloomberg’s candidacy.The room was packed with several of the state’s influential Democrats, people wearing red Moms Demand Action shirts, as well as a handful of protesters angry about Bloomberg’s record, including stop and frisk.Raimondo and the state Democratic Party have received thousands of dollars from Bloomberg and his daughter, and groups he gave millions to in 2014 spent more than $1 million to help her win the governor’s seat.After Raimondo introduced him, Bloomberg noted that Johns Hopkins was supporting her administration’s public health work, mentioned his investment in a push to register more voters, and noted that his spending helped Democrats win the House in 2018 “so that Nancy Pelosi took over and then she started the impeachment process.”Within days, Raimondo found herself defending Bloomberg against old allegations of sexist remarks at his company, saying he has changed his behavior and has a record of giving to causes that help women.Melissa Jenkins, a Moms Demand Action volunteer who attended the Providence event, said she was considering voting for him, in part due to his giving to causes she cares about.“He’s a self-made billionaire, and he’s used his privilege to help underprivileged people and to help causes that he believes in,” Jenkins said after the event.Other politicians grateful for prior financial support and hopeful for future funding have joined Bloomberg at events.He launched his campaign in Virginia, where his spending helped Democrats defeat two Republican incumbents in House races in 2018 and last year win majorities in both houses of the General Assembly. Key to the latter effort was more than $2.5 million spent by Everytown and the Beyond Carbon Action Fund supporting Democrats in key races.“Mayor Bloomberg has been a steady force here in the commonwealth and he has never, ever, said no to us,” said former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe.Bloomberg was a featured speaker at the Virginia Democrats’ annual fundraising dinner earlier this month, and gave the state party $50,000 the day before he spoke.After being sworn in last month, Virginia lawmakers moved swiftly to advance stricter gun laws backed by Everytown, including universal background checks on gun purchases and temporary court-ordered seizures of guns from owners exhibiting troubling behaviors.Republicans accused Democrats of being beholden to Bloomberg, and the NRA put his face on a billboard next to the interstate warning that he wanted to confiscate guns. Bloomberg is hoping to win the state’s primary next week.In Pennsylvania, which has its primary in April, Bloomberg has wielded his influence for years for politicians of both parties in a state that Trump narrowly carried in his upset 2016 election victory.Bloomberg’s super PAC, Independence USA, spent $6 million supporting Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey’s narrow 2016 reelection win over Democrat Katie McGinty. The money funded ads praising Toomey as a man of integrity who tried to strengthen gun laws after the school shooting in Newtown.For any other Democrat, helping a Republican opponent win a crucial race might be a deal-breaker. But before and after his support for Toomey, Bloomberg has showered state Democrats’ campaigns, party organizations and causes they support with donations that appear to have mended fences.Bloomberg’s foundation last year announced a $10 million grant to help Pennsylvania battle the opioid crisis. That donation was hailed as a potential “turning point in our efforts” by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, who has received $350,000 in campaign donations from Bloomberg since 2014.Everytown recently announced that it would spend heavily this year if necessary to support the reelection of Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who has used his office to battle gun violence in Philadelphia and beyond in ways that activists praise as innovative. Shapiro’s 2016 campaign received $250,000 from Bloomberg.Also on this November’s ballot: state Treasurer Joe Torsella, the former CEO of the National Constitution Center, who received the $50,000 donation from Bloomberg in 2016.“He has definitely put a lot of chips on this table — all over the place,” said former Pennsylvania Democratic Party chairman Jim Burn. “Let’s see if he can cash in.”
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By Polityk | 02/26/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Democrats Unload on Bernie Sanders in Likely Debate Preview
Democratic rivals to Bernie Sanders are preparing to try to knock him off his front-runner perch in a debate Tuesday night before a critical South Carolina primary that could dramatically reshape the race.With mounting fear among the Democratic establishment that the self-described democratic socialist is on the verge of gaining a significant lead in the delegates needed to secure the nomination, several candidates are resorting to a last ditch effort to stop him. The day before Tuesday night’s debate in Charleston, they previewed their lines of attack in a series of digital or television advertisements.Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, highlighted Sanders’ call for a government-financed health care system as an example of his “polarization.” Former Vice President Joe Biden accused Sanders of trying to undermine President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection. And former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg assailed Sanders’ record on gun control.The new wave of infighting came just hours before seven Democrats were set to meet for the party’s 10th — and perhaps most consequential — debate of the 2020 primary season. And it marked a seminal moment in Sanders’ political career. After spending decades as an outside agitator accustomed to attacking the party establishment, he’s suddenly the one on defense.His handling of the pressure could be crucial in determining whether he stays at the top of the Democratic pack. During a town hall Monday night televised on CNN, Sanders said he expected the attacks. But he still seemed to be adjusting to his new status.“It is a little funny to find myself as the so-called front-runner,” he said.Other candidates also have a lot on the line for Tuesday’s forum. After a stumbling debate debut last week, Bloomberg is seeking an opportunity to regain his footing. Biden, meanwhile, is looking to make a big impression in a state where he was long viewed as the unquestioned front-runner because of his support from black voters.Campaigning in South Carolina the day before the debate, Biden predicted he would win “by plenty” on SaturdayHaving finished on top in three consecutive primary contests — including a tie in Iowa — Sanders is eyeing a knockout blow, however. He has shifted new staff into the state from Nevada in recent days, expanded his South Carolina advertising and added events to his schedule.Sanders Has Momentum Heading Into Tonight’s South Carolina Debate Primary in southern state is last contest before Super Tuesday when 14 states will cast ballotsSanders senior adviser Jeff Weaver said there was an “air of desperation” to the fresh attacks on his candidate.“You’ve got candidates, you’ve got super PACs, all piling on to stop Bernie Sanders,” Weaver said. “They know he has the momentum in the race.”One candidate who didn’t take Sanders on directly Monday: Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Though she shares many of Sanders’ liberal policies and could benefit if he were to stumble, she’s been reluctant to tangle with him throughout the campaign.She was Bloomberg’s fiercest critic during last week’s debate and has signaled she may continue to target the former New York mayor Tuesday night.Sanders may benefit most from the sheer number of candidates still in the race. There are still seven high-profile Democrats fighting among themselves — and splitting up the anti-Sanders vote — to emerge as the strongest alternative to him.Heading into the debate, there was no sign that any of those candidates were close to getting out.Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who finished in a distant fifth or sixth place in Nevada over the weekend, announced plans to launch a $4.2 million ad buy across several Super Tuesday states.Meanwhile, outside groups in both parties joined Sanders’ Democratic rivals in trying to take him down.The Big Tent Project, a new pro-Democratic organization trying to derail Sanders’ candidacy, sought to undermine his support with African Americans.“Socialist Bernie Sanders is promising a lot of free stuff,” the group wrote in a brochure sent to 200,000 black voters in South Carolina. “Nominating Bernie means we reelect Trump. We can’t afford Bernie Sanders.”Republicans working to win back the House majority jumped on comments Sanders made in a CBS News “60 Minutes” segment aired Sunday in which he praised the late Cuban ruler Fidel Castro for establishing what Sanders called a “massive literacy program” when he took power.The House GOP campaign arm called on several House Democrats — including three facing reelection this fall in South Florida — to say if they’d support Sanders should he become the nominee. Members including Rep. Donna Shalala weren’t happy.“I’m hoping that in the future, Senator Sanders will take time to speak to some of my constituents before he decides to sing the praises of a murderous tyrant like Fidel Castro,” the first-term Democrat tweeted.Sanders forcefully stood by his comments during the CNN town hall, saying he’d criticized “authoritarian regimes all over the world,” including Cuba, Nicaragua and Saudi Arabia, But he added that, after Castro took power in 1959, “the first thing he did” was initiate a literacy program.“I think teaching people to read and write is a good thing,” Sanders said. “That is a fact. End of discussion.”Sanders was also in a dispute with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, an establishment group that advocates for strong U.S.-Israel relations. Sanders said he would skip the group’s conference because he was concerned about the event giving airtime to “leaders who express bigotry and oppose basic Palestinian rights.”Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, called that characterization “offensive” and “irresponsible.”Trump was encouraging the chaos from afar. During a trip to India, the Republican president predicted a long and messy primary season ahead for his Democratic rivals.“It could go to the convention, it really could,” Trump said. “They are going to take it away from Crazy Bernie, they are not going to let him win.”He added, “I actually think he would be tougher than most of the other candidates because he is like me, but I have a much bigger base.”
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By Polityk | 02/25/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
California Congressman’s Vacated Seat Unleashes GOP Slugfest
Republican U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter’s resignation from Congress last month after pleading guilty to a corruption charge unleashed a GOP slugfest over the vacancy in one of the party’s few remaining House seats in California.Most of the action in the 50th District involves two Republican heavyweights: Darrell Issa, who is seeking a return to Congress after leaving his seat in a neighboring district two years ago, and Carl DeMaio, a well-known San Diego radio host and political commentator.Both have questioned the other’s loyalty to President Donald Trump and called the other a liar. Issa recently faced backlash, including from some Republican supporters, for an advertisement that included references to headlines noting the sexual orientation of DeMaio, who is gay. Critics said it amounted to gay-baiting.The headlines were from media outlets, and Issa said the ad was meant to draw attention to DeMaio’s failures on issues.”I think it’s an illustration of how civil wars are the nastiest wars,” said Jack Pitney, a political science professor at Claremont McKenna College.The 50th is an outlier in California, a strongly conservative district in a state where Republicans hold just six of 53 House seats. And for almost 40 years, a Hunter represented the area east of San Diego – Duncan Hunter Sr. served 28 years and was followed by his son, a combat Marine who held the seat for 11 years.Hunter Sr., still widely revered in the district, has endorsed Issa. His son faces sentencing March 17.Under California election rules, the top two vote-getters in the March 3 primary advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation. There are four Republicans running, and it’s expected the votes among them will be divided such that the only Democrat in the field, 31-year-old former Obama administration official Ammar Campa-Najjar, will advance and face one of them in November. Campa-Najjar lost a close race to Hunter in 2018.It’s been an expensive battle for Issa and DeMaio. Issa has spent about $2.7 million and has about $1.4 million cash on hand, while DeMaio has spent about $2 million and had more than $724,000 cash on hand by the end of February, according to the Federal Election Commission.Issa, a car alarm magnate, was for years the wealthiest member of Congress. He built a national reputation and became a GOP darling when he chaired the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and emerged as the chief congressional antagonist to then-President Barack Obama.After narrowly winning reelection in 2016, Issa, 66, decided not to run again two years later in the seaside 49th District where Democrats had been gaining ground for years. Democrat Mike Levin easily won the open seat, part of a Democratic sweep of seven GOP seats in California.DeMaio, a former San Diego city councilman, said Issa “fled” the 49th, but Issa said he retired to accept Trump’s nomination to be director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency. Issa’s confirmation languished in the Senate for a year. He then withdrew and in September entered the race for Hunter’s seat.The animosity between Issa and DeMaio, 45, was evident from the start. On the day Issa announced his candidacy DeMaio held a dueling news conference yards away.The candidates share similar agendas that support Trump’s stands on issues such as stricter immigration enforcement and gun rights. But each has tried to make voters believe the other is not truly in step with the president, who has not endorsed either candidate.A new Issa TV ad alleges DeMaio encouraged people to vote Libertarian in the 2016 election and called Trump a “pig” on his radio show. DeMaio responded with his own ad pointing out that Issa in 2017 supported calling a special prosecutor to investigate alleged ties between between Trump’s campaign and Russia. The ad calls Issa “another Mitt Romney, lying to you, betraying President Trump.”Romney, a Utah senator, was the only Republican to vote to convict Trump in the Senate impeachment trial.The San Diego Union-Tribune, the largest local newspaper, is fed up with both candidates. It said a “general election without this pair’s vitriol would be a blessing,” and endorsed Republican state Sen. Brian Jones and Campa-Najjar, saying both are more focused on serving the district where they have long lived. Issa and DeMaio don’t live in the district.Rae Moore, a Democratic voter, hopes the infighting will help flip the district. She said DeMaio and Issa have had their time in politics.”We need regular, normal people,” said Moore, a lifelong resident of Lakeside, a Western-style town that welcomes people with a sign topped by a cowboy on a bucking bronco.Leslie Lacher, 63, said keeping the district in Republican hands is paramount, and she believes Issa is the best choice. She noted DeMaio fell short in his bids in 2012 for San Diego mayor and in 2014 for the 52nd Congressional District, and led a failed effort to repeal a state gas tax increase in 2018.”I want somebody strong,” Lacher said. “I want somebody who can win.”Brittany Markham, 32, said the district needs DeMaio. The stay-at-home mom described him as an “outsider kinda like Trump who can get things done.”Hair stylist Danielle Newton, 43, said the slugfest has her head spinning about who would be best to replace Hunter, a former schoolmate she always supported. She liked how Hunter and his father were involved in the community.”I’d like to think we have to have someone out there who still cares as much as the Hunters did,” she said.
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By Polityk | 02/25/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Seven Democratic Candidates to Debate in South Carolina
Seven candidates for the Democratic Party’s nomination in the U.S. presidential race take to the debate stage Tuesday night in the southern state of South Carolina.Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has the momentum of a resounding victory in Saturday’s Nevada caucuses, along with a lead in the overall count of delegates that candidates need to amass in order to be selected as the Democrat to go up against President Donald Trump in November.Front-runner status can make a candidate a target for the others in the debate, but public opinion polls in South Carolina may turn some of that focus on former Vice President Joe Biden.Biden sits third in the delegate count after scoring a second-place finish in Nevada — his best so far since voters began having their say this month. Polls show him as the favorite in South Carolina, several points ahead of Sanders.Polling also points to a potential opportunity for billionaire Tom Steyer to have his moment in the Democratic race with a level of support he has not yet seen. Yet to win a single delegate, polls showed him third in South Carolina, ahead of former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar.From left, Democratic presidential candidates, former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., participate in a Democratic presidential primary debate, Feb. 19, 2020, in Las Vegas.Tuesday’s debate is not only a chance for the candidates to make an impression on voters in South Carolina, but also on those in some of the states voting March 3 that allow people to cast their ballots early.March 3 is set up to be a critical date in shaping the race with voting in 14 states along with the U.S. territory American Samoa. A total of 1,357 delegates are at stake, compared to the 54 in play in South Carolina.Not on the ballot in South Carolina but taking part in the debate there is former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who decided not to contest the February states in favor of focusing a massive media campaign on the March 3 states.He participated in his first debate last week in Nevada, drawing sharp attacks from his opponents who criticized his approach as trying to buy the nomination, while he countered he is the best choice to oppose Trump.The Democratic Party will formally name its presidential candidate at a convention in July. Republicans will nominate Trump at their convention in August.
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By Polityk | 02/25/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Super Tuesday Looms as Biggest Day in Presidential Primary Calendar
In the Democratic presidential race, all eyes are on South Carolina this week in anticipation of Saturday’s primary.Former Vice President Joe Biden is counting on a victory, with help from the state’s large number of African American voters, to get back in the race and stem the momentum of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the clear front-runner for the Democratic nomination.Recent polls show Sanders edging closer to Biden in the top spot after Sanders’ strong showing in the first three contests in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada.The Democratic field is also looking ahead to next week’s Super Tuesday primaries, the single most important day on the primary election calendar.Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., right, with his wife Jane, raises his hand as he speaks during a campaign event in San Antonio, Feb. 22, 2020.What is Super Tuesday?Journalists and political experts coined the term decades ago to describe the day when more states hold presidential nominating elections — either primaries or caucuses — than any other day in the election year. Super Tuesday runs from early February to early June. This year, it falls on March 3.Why is it significant?Super Tuesday is a major political test for candidates seeking their party’s presidential nomination. A large number of states holding primaries on the same day presents huge challenges for presidential contenders, and can often make or break a campaign. It is seen as the first truly national test for a presidential aspirant. Several larger states with numerous delegates at stake will be contested on Super Tuesday, including California and Texas, the nation’s two largest.Which states vote on Super Tuesday?This year, 14 states hold primaries. The popular-vote tallies in the various states will be used to award pledged delegates to the contenders. In total, 1,357 pledged delegates will be at stake, which is about 34% of the total number of delegates that will be allocated during the primary and caucus season.In order to win the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, a candidate must secure 1,991 delegates out of a total of 3,979 pledged delegates at the convention.The Democratic delegates will select the nominee at the party’s national convention in July in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In addition to the Super Tuesday primaries, the territory of American Samoa will hold a Democratic caucus on March 3. Registered Democrats who live overseas will vote in the Democrats Abroad primary March 3 through March 10.What is the history of Super Tuesday? Beginning in the 1970s, a few states began to slowly cluster some of their primaries on the same date. The effort to create a Super Tuesday of primaries gained momentum in 1988 when several southern states decided to hold their primaries on the same day in the hopes that southern candidates in the Democratic Party could improve their chances of winning the nomination.In 1992, Democratic candidate Bill Clinton won several southern primaries on his way to the party’s nomination. In 1996, Republican candidate Bob Dole’s strong showing helped him clinch the party nomination that year.During the 2000 campaign, Democrat Al Gore and Republican George W. Bush effectively secured their nominations with Super Tuesday victories.In 2016, Republican Donald Trump won seven of the 10 contested Super Tuesday states.Who is favored this year in Super Tuesday contests?The Democratic race is getting all the attention this year because Trump has only token opposition within the Republican Party.Sanders is perhaps best positioned to do well, due to his strong showings so far in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. He also has a strong fundraising base and a campaign organization that has him competitive in most of the states voting on March 3. Sanders is heavily favored in his home state of Vermont, and has been leading in polls in California and other states.But he could get a strong challenge in several states from former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and perhaps from Biden.FILE PHOTO: Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg holds a campaign rally in Salt Lake City, Feb. 20, 2020. Bloomberg has spent an estimated $400 million on television ads to boost his candidacy in the Super Tuesday states after having skipped the first four contests.In addition to Sanders, Bloomberg and Biden, the Democratic contenders vying for delegates on Super Tuesday include Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren; former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg; Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar; and billionaire hedge fund manager Tom Steyer.At the very least, Warren and Klobuchar expect to do well in their home states, both of which vote on Super Tuesday.But candidates who fail to do well may be forced to reassess their chances going forward, particularly if their fundraising begins to dwindle. That would limit their ability to compete in some of the larger states holding primaries later in March, including Florida, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio.
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By Polityk | 02/25/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Reliability of Pricey New Voting Machines Questioned
In the rush to replace insecure, unreliable electronic voting machines after Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential race, state and local officials have scrambled to acquire more trustworthy equipment for this year’s election, when U.S. intelligence agencies fear even worse problems.But instead of choosing simple, hand-marked paper ballots that are most resistant to tampering because paper cannot be hacked, many are opting for pricier technology that computer security experts consider almost as risky as earlier discredited electronic systems.Called ballot-marking devices, the machines have touchscreens for registering voter choice. Unlike touchscreen-only machines, they print out paper records that are scanned by optical readers. South Carolina voters will use them in Saturday’s primary.The most pricey solution available, they are at least twice as expensive as the hand-marked paper ballot option. They have been vigorously promoted by the three voting equipment vendors that control 88 percent of the U.S. market.Some of the most popular ballot-marking machines, made by industry leaders Election Systems & Software and Dominion Voting Systems, register votes in bar codes that the human eye cannot decipher. That’s a problem, researchers say: Voters could end up with printouts that accurately spell out the names of the candidates they picked, but, because of a hack, the bar codes do not reflect those choices. Because the bar codes are what’s tabulated, voters would never know that their ballots benefited another candidate.Even on machines that do not use bar codes, voters may not notice if a hack or programming error mangled their choices. A University of Michigan study determined that only 7 percent of participants in a mock election notified poll workers when the names on their printed receipts did not match the candidates they voted for.ES&S rejects those scenarios. Spokeswoman Katina Granger said the company’s ballot-marking machines’ accuracy and security “have been proven through thousands of hours of testing and tens of thousands of successful elections.” Dominion declined to comment for this story.Nearly 1 in 5 U.S. voters will be using ballot-marking machines this year, compared with less than 2% in 2018, according to Verified Voting, which tracks voting technology.Pivotal counties in the crucial states of Pennsylvania, Ohio and North Carolina have bought ballot-marking machines. So have counties in much of Texas, as well as California’s Los Angeles County and all of Georgia, Delaware and South Carolina. The machines’ certification has often been streamlined in the rush to get machines in place for presidential primaries.Ballot-marking devices were not conceived as primary vote-casting tools but as accessible options for people with disabilities.Critics see them as vulnerable to hacking. At last year’s DefCon hacker convention in Las Vegas, it took tinkerers at the ‘Voting Village’ not even eight hours to hack two older ballot-marking devices.Tampering aside, some of the newer ballot-marking machines have stumbled badly in actual votes. That happened most spectacularly in November when ES&S’s top-of-the-line ExpressVote XL debuted in a Pennsylvania county.Even without technical troubles, the new machines can lead to longer lines, potentially reducing turnout. Voters need more time to cast ballots and the machine’s high costs have prompted election officials to limit how many they purchase.“There are a huge number of reasons to reject today’s ballot-marking devices — except for limited use as assistive devices for those unable to mark a paper ballot themselves,” says Doug Jones, a University of Iowa computer scientist who co-authored the voting technology history “Broken Ballots.” ’But election officials see ballot-marking devices as improvements over paperless touchscreens, which were used by 27 percent of voters in 2018. They like them because the touchscreens are familiar to voters, looking and feeling like what they have been using for nearly two decades, and officials can use one voting method for everyone.Michael Anderson, elections director for Pennsylvania’s Lebanon County, said “voters want it.” The county offers voters both machine- and hand-marked ballots.“When we give them a paper ballot, the very first thing they say to us is, ‘We’re going back in time,’” he said.New York State election commission co-chair Douglas Kellner was an early critic of paperless electronic voting machines. But he is confident in a ballot-marking device, the ImageCast Evolution by Dominion, certified for use in his state. He said safeguards built into the machines and security protocols make a hack of the Image Evolution “extraordinarily unlikely.”But Jones is among experts who think today’s ballot-marking devices undermine the very idea of retaining a paper record that can be used in audits and recounts. It’s an idea supported by a 2018 National Academies of Sciences report that favors hand-marked paper ballots tallied by optical scanners. Some 70 percent of U.S. voters used them in the past two presidential elections and will do so again in November.One state, Colorado, is banning bar codes from ballot-marking voting machines beginning in 2021.Election administrators who reject hand-marked paper ballots as antiquated, inconvenient or unwieldy have few options beyond ballot-marking devices. That’s because the $300 million voting equipment and services industry is so insular and entrenched.The industry faces virtually no federal regulation even though election technology was designated critical infrastructure in January 2017. Federal certification guidelines for voting machine design are 15 years old and voluntary. The leading vendors have resisted publicly disclosing third-party penetration testing of their systems.”It’s a self-reinforcing system that keeps it frozen in a place in the past,” said Eddie Perez, a former product development director for Hart InterCivic, the No. 3 voting equipment company, now with the OSET Institute, a nonprofit that promotes reliable voting solutions. “They don’t want to make any changes in the equipment unless they absolutely have to.”The Republican-controlled Senate has refused to take up bills that would, among other things, require a voter-verifiable paper trail and require bulletproof postelection audits. Republicans say the federal government should not impinge on states’ authority to oversee elections.Northampton County, on Pennsylvania’s eastern edge, mirrored the state’s choice in 2016 by voting for Donald Trump after twice choosing Barack Obama. Last Election Day, it became ground zero in the debate over ballot-marking devices.The county’s new ExpressVote XLs failed doubly.First, a programming misconfiguration prevented votes cast for one of three candidates in a judge’s race from registering in the bar codes used to count the vote. Only absentee ballot votes registered for the candidate, said the county executive, Lamont McClure. The other problem was miscalibrated touchscreens, which can “flip” votes or simply make it difficult to vote for one’s desired candidate due to faulty screen alignment. They were on about one-third of the county’s 320 machines, which cost taxpayers $8,250 each.One poll judge called the touch screens “garbage.” Some voters, in emails obtained by the AP in a public records request, said their votes were assigned to the wrong candidates. Others worried about long lines in future elections.Voters require triple the time on average to navigate ES&S ballot-marking machines compared to filling out hand-marked ballots and running them through scanners, according to state certification documents.ES&S said its employees had flubbed the programming and failed to perform adequate preelection testing of the machines or adequately train election workers, which would have caught the errors.Election commissioners were livid, but unable to return the machines for a refund because they are appointees.“I feel like I’ve been played,” commissioner Maudeania Hornik said at a December meeting with ES&S representatives. She later told the AP she had voted for the devices believing they would be more convenient than hand-marked paper ballots, especially for seniors.“What we worry is, what happens the next time if there’s a programming bug — or a hack or whatever — and it’s done in a way that’s not obvious?” said Daniel Lopresti, a commissioner and Lehigh University computer scientist.ES&S election equipment has failed elsewhere. Flawed software in ballot-marking devices delayed the vote count by 13 hours in Kansas’ largest county during the August 2018 gubernatorial primary. Another Johnson County, this one in Indiana, scrapped the company’s computerized voter check-in system after Election Day errors that same year caused long lines.“I don’t know that we’ve ever seen an election computer — a voting computer — whose software was done to a high standard,” said Duncan Buell, a University of South Carolina computer scientist who has found errors in results produced by ES&S electronic voting machines.Voting integrity activists have sued, seeking to prevent the further use in Pennsylvania of the ExpressVote XL. Grassroots organizations including Common Cause are fighting to prevent their certification in New York State.ES&S defends the machine. In a Dec. 12 filing in a Pennsylvania lawsuit, company executive Dean Baumer said the ExpressVote XL had never been compromised and said breaches of the machine “are a practical impossibility.”ES&S lobbied hard in Pennsylvania for the ExpressVote XL, though not always legally.After ES&S won a $29 million contract in Philadelphia last year in a hasty procurement, that city’s controller did some digging. She determined that ES&S’ vice president of finance had failed to disclose, in a mandatory campaign contribution form, activities of consultants who spent more than $400,000, including making campaign contributions to two commissioners involved in awarding the contract. ES&S agreed to pay a record $2.9 million penalty as a result. It said the executive’s failure to disclose was “inadvertent.”The Philadelphia episode contradicts claims by ES&S officials, including by CEO Tom Burt in Jan. 8 testimony to a congressional committee, that the company does not make campaign contributions.Public records show ES&S contributed $25,000 from 2014-2016 to the Republican State Leadership Committee which seeks GOP control of state legislatures.ES&S has also paid for trips to Las Vegas of an “advisory board” of top elections officials, including from South Carolina, New York City and Dallas County, Texas, according to records shared with the AP from a Freedom of Information request.Philadelphia paid more than twice as much for its ExpressVote XL machines per voter ($27) as what Allegheny County, home to Pittsburgh, disbursed ($12) for hand-marked paper ballots and scanners — plus ballot-markers for the disabled — from the same vendor.Allegheny County’s elections board rejected ballot-marking devices as too risky for all but disabled voters. Its vice chair, state judge Kathryn Hens-Greco, regretted during a September hearing having to award ES&S the county’s business at all given its behavior in Philadelphia and elsewhere.But no other vendor offered a hand-marked option with enough ballot-configuration flexibility for the county’s 130 municipalities.While cybersecurity risks can’t be eliminated, Hens-Greco said, the county would at least have “the ability to recover” from any mischief: a paper trail of hand-marked ballots.
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By Polityk | 02/24/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
As Grenell Moves to Spy Post, Trump Looks for New Ambassador to Germany
President Donald Trump said on Sunday he is looking for a new ambassador to Germany after tapping current diplomat Richard Grenell to serve as acting U.S. intelligence chief.”I’ll be appointing an ambassador to Germany,” Trump told reporters at the White House before departing on a trip to India.A senior administration official told Reuters last week that Grenell would remain as ambassador even as he took up the post of acting director of national intelligence, a position that oversees the 17-agency U.S. intelligence community.It is unclear how long Grenell will serve as the top intelligence official. Trump said on Sunday he was considering five candidates to take on the role on a permanent basis, and Grenell said on Thursday he would not be taking the job. “At a certain point in the not too distant future, we’ll be announcing who they are,” Trump said.
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By Polityk | 02/24/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
US National Security Adviser: Russian Election Meddling a ‘Non-story’
U.S. national security adviser Robert O’Brien said Sunday that he has not seen “any evidence” that Russia is doing anything to help President Donald Trump get re-elected, but acknowledged he has not sought out intelligence reports that allege Moscow is interfering in the 2020 election.
Reports surfaced last week that U.S. intelligence officials had told the Democratic-controlled House Intelligence Committee that Russia was working to help Trump win a second term in the White House after previously meddling to aid him in the 2016 election.But O’Brien told ABC News’ “This Week” show, “I would doubt it. It just doesn’t make common sense. Why would they want him re-elected?” He contended that Trump had strengthened the NATO alliance against Russian military might by pushing European countries to boost their defense spending.O’Brien called reports of the information passed on to the Intelligence panel “a non-story.””I’ve seen zero intelligence that Russia is trying to help President Trump get re-elected,” O’Brien said.”I haven’t seen the intel, and I haven’t seen that analysis,” he said.”I want to get whatever analysis they’ve got, and I want to make sure that the analysis is solid,” he said. “From what I’ve heard — again — this is only what I’ve seen in the press, it doesn’t make any sense.”O’Brien concluded, “If there’s someone from the intel community that has something different, I’d be happy to take a look at it. I just haven’t seen it.”Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., signs autographs to Latino supporters at a campaign event at Valley High School in Santa Ana, Calif., Feb. 21, 2020.Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, currently the leading contender to face Trump in November’s national election, has been briefed by U.S. intelligence officials that Russia is also meddling to try to help him win the Democratic presidential nomination, possibly on the theory that as a self-declared democratic socialist Sanders would be Trump’s weakest opponent.”That’s no surprise, he honeymooned in Moscow,” O’Brien said of the Russian interest in Sanders’s candidacy.Trump and Sanders have reacted differently to reports of Russian interference on their behalf.President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he leaves the White House before departing to India, Feb. 23, 2020,As he left for a trip to India, Trump blamed Congressman Adam Schiff, the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee who led the prosecution of Trump at his Senate impeachment trial when he was acquitted, for leaking the information about Russian interference.On board Air Force One, Trump said on Twitter, “Somebody please tell incompetent (thanks for my high poll numbers) & corrupt politician Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff to stop leaking Classified information or, even worse, made up information, to the Fake News Media. Someday he will be caught, & that will be a very unpleasant experience!”Somebody please tell incompetent (thanks for my high poll numbers) & corrupt politician Adam “Shifty” Schiff to stop leaking Classified information or, even worse, made up information, to the Fake News Media. Someday he will be caught, & that will be a very unpleasant experience!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 23, 2020
Trump mockingly said if any Democrats are “blaming Russia, Russia, Russia for the Bernie Sanders win in Nevada,” they need to call for a new investigation by former special counsel Robert Mueller. Are any Democrat operatives, the DNC, or Crooked Hillary Clinton, blaming Russia, Russia, Russia for the Bernie Sanders win in Nevada. If so I suggest calling Bob Mueller & the 13 Angry Democrats to do a new Mueller Report, Democrat Edition. Bob will get to the bottom of it!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 23, 2020Mueller’s lengthy review of the 2016 election concluded that Trump’s campaign did not collude with Russia, but did not exonerate Trump on charges that he obstructed the investigation. Several prominent figures in Trump’s orbit have been convicted and imprisoned on various charges that stemmed from Mueller’s investigation.At a campaign rally in Nevada on Friday, Trump said, “It’s disinformation. That’s the only thing they’re good at, they’re not good at anything else. They get nothing done. Do-nothing Democrats.”Sanders said, “The American people, whether you’re Republican, Democrats, independents, are sick and tired of seeing Russia and other countries interfering in our election.”He told The Washington Post, “I don’t care, frankly, who [Russian President Vladimir] Putin wants to be president. My message to Putin is clear: stay out of American elections, and as president I will make sure that you do.”
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By Polityk | 02/24/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
US National Security Adviser Calls Russian Election Meddling a ‘Non-Story’
US national security adviser Robert O’Brien says that he has not seen “any evidence” that Russia is doing anything to help President Donald Trump get re-elected, but acknowledged he has not sought out intelligence reports that allege Moscow is interfering in the 2020 election. Trump, who departed Sunday for a trip to India, has dismissed any suggestion Russia want him to win the November election. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has more
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By Polityk | 02/23/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Sanders Scores Decisive Win in Nevada Caucus
Bernie Sanders has decisively won the Nevada Democratic caucuses, solidifying his lead for his party’s presidential nomination. As Mike O’Sullivan reports, it was the first contest in an ethnically diverse state before important party votes in coming weeks.
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By Polityk | 02/23/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Sanders Easily Wins Nevada’s Democratic Presidential Nominating Caucuses
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders won an emphatic victory in Saturday’s Nevada caucuses, strengthening his claim to the party nomination, but drawing protests from his challengers about his chances to defeat Republican President Donald Trump in November’s national election.
“In Nevada we have just put together a multi-generational, multiracial coalition, which is going to not only win in Nevada, it is going to sweep this country,” Sanders, a self-declared democratic socialist, told cheering supporters at a rally in Texas, where voting takes place March 3, along with 13 other states.
“We are bringing our people together — black and white and Latino, Native American, Asian American, gay and straight,” he said.WATCH: Mike O’Sullivan’s video reportSorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden gestures as he speaks during a caucus night event, Feb. 22, 2020, in Las Vegas.Biden, once the national leader among Democrats to take on Trump, claimed success despite winning less than than half as many votes at Sanders.
“Y’all did it for me,” he told supporters at a Nevada union hall. “I ain’t a socialist. I’m not a plutocrat. I’m a Democrat, and proud of it,” he said.Biden, who now has lost the first three nominating contests, told CBS’ “Face the Nation” show, “I feel good about where we are. I feel good about going into South Carolina,” which votes next Saturday. “And I feel good about the kind of support I’ve had with African-Americans around the country.”Buttigieg, hoping to become the moderate Democrat to take on Sanders, claimed the Vermont senator is a divisive figure that would encounter headwinds against Trump when he seeks a second four-year term in the White House.Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg speaks at a campaign rally, Feb. 22, 2020, in Denver.”Before we rush to nominate Senator Sanders in our one shot to take on this president, let us take a sober look at the consequences,” Buttigieg said, adding that Sanders “believes in an inflexible, ideological revolution that leaves out most Democrats, not to mention most Americans.”Warren, in Seattle, Washington, said, “I’ve got a word for Nevada, thank you for keeping me in the fight.”Warren, as she did at a Democratic debate last week, attacked former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has spent more than $400 million of his own money in a national advertising campaign to gain a foothold in the Democratic race, but stumbled badly on the debate stage with five other challengers seeking the nomination.Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.,speaks during a town hall, Feb. 21, 2020, in Las Vegas.Warren, making a joke about Bloomberg’s short stature, called Bloomberg “a big threat, not a tall one” who is trying to “buy this election.”Bloomberg, by his choice, was not on the Nevada ballot, nor will he be next week at the South Carolina primary, instead focusing on the Super Tuesday voting March 3, when he will be on the ballot as a third of the delegates to the July national nominating convention will be picked in one day in votes across the country.His advertising campaign has raised his profile nationally, but analysts are waiting to see whether he improves his debate performance when all six candidates debate again in South Carolina on Tuesday night.The challengers to Sanders are all looking to edge out other candidates to be left standing in a one-on-one face-off with him. Sanders, who also won the popular vote in Iowa and New Hampshire, now has the early lead in pledged delegates to the national convention and the prospect of winning a vast haul of delegates in the March 3 voting and in states that vote in the two weeks after that.FILE – Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg holds a campaign rally in Salt Lake City, Utah, Feb. 20, 2020.Kevin Sheekey, Bloomberg’s campaign manager, said, “The Nevada results reinforce the reality that this fragmented field is putting Bernie Sanders on pace to amass an insurmountable delegate lead.” Bloomberg, at last week’s debate, contended that Sanders would lose a national election to Trump.A long-time Democratic strategist, former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel, told ABC’s “This Week” show, that Sanders can yet be stopped from winning the Democratic presidential nomination, but said that, “The moderates have to coalesce around one candidate.”As the votes were slowly counted in Nevada, Trump offered his assessment of the contest to be his opponent.”Looks like Crazy Bernie is doing well in the Great State of Nevada,” Trump said on Twitter. “Biden & the rest look weak, & no way Mini Mike can restart his campaign after the worst debate performance in the history of Presidential Debates. Congratulations Bernie, & don’t let them take it away from you!”Looks like Crazy Bernie is doing well in the Great State of Nevada. Biden & the rest look weak, & no way Mini Mike can restart his campaign after the worst debate performance in the history of Presidential Debates. Congratulations Bernie, & don’t let them take it away from you!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 22, 2020
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By Polityk | 02/23/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
African Americans Alert to Social Media Disinformation
A study by the Nielsen ratings service says African Americans are among the nation’s top consumers of social media especially about presidential politics. A U.S. Intelligence report says that made them a target of a Russian disinformation campaign to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election, an effort Moscow is widely expected to repeat. VOA’s Chris Simkins reports from South Carolina where African Americans say they’re on the lookout for false content on social media.
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By Polityk | 02/23/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Nevada Avoids Another Vote Counting Fiasco
Nevada Democratic caucus organizers were under a microscope Saturday while Democratic presidential candidates and their supporters anxiously awaited the results of the voting. There was no doubt that Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders was headed for a crushing victory over his half-dozen rivals, including former Vice President Joe Biden, former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. But the votes trickled out during late afternoon and early evening. State Democratic Party officials struggled to avert the vote-counting fiasco that embarrassed state and national party officials in Iowa in early February, when they employed a vote-counting app that was wrongly coded and produced unreliable results from voting precincts. Caucus instructions and the paper for handwritten results of voting are seen at the precinct at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, Feb. 22, 2020. Results also were totaled on iPads and included numbers from early voting. (Carolyn Presutti/VOA)Stunned by that development, Nevada officials retreated from a vote count that relied heavily on the same new technology utilized by Iowans, switching to the use of a simpler system involving Apple iPads and Google spreadsheets to compute the votes and award delegates to candidates. But some of the precinct captains had trouble phoning in the results to a party hotline, with some complaining about getting a busy signal or being put on hold for an hour or longer. Volunteers register participants at Sparks High School for the Nevada Democratic presidential caucuses in Reno, Nevada, Feb. 22, 2020.’Worked perfectly’“The app worked perfectly,” Phil Subutka, a caucus leader for a precinct at Coronado High School in Henderson, Nevada, told The Washington Post, as he repeatedly hit redial to the party’s hotline. “But we can’t get through on the phone.” Moreover, some precinct officials were confused about how to combine early votes cast by Democrats with the votes cast by caucusgoers who showed up Saturday afternoon. Party officials said nearly 75,000 people voted during four days of early balloting, February 15-18, with few problems, although there were long lines of voters at some polling places. The bulk of the voting, however, occurred Saturday. More than 3,000 volunteers were set to work at more than 250 voting sites after receiving extensive training on how to tabulate votes. Supporters of Senator Amy Klobuchar line up as they participate in the Nevada Democratic presidential caucuses in Reno, Nevada, Feb. 22, 2020.The caucuses formally began at 3 p.m. EST (2000 UTC) and lasted two to three hours. Official vote returns didn’t start rolling in until shortly before 7 p.m. EST. Gathering and reporting votes at caucuses is confusing and challenging, even under the best of circumstances. Instead of voters simply showing up and casting ballots for their preferred candidates, which is the way it is done in primary elections, caucusgoers must invest several hours, taking part in an elaborate process. The goal for caucusgoers is to help their preferred candidate achieve “viability” and win delegates. If their candidate can’t meet a 15% threshold of support, they can join forces with other voters to back another candidate. Or simply give up and go home.Democratic Party officials gather before the first voters arrive to caucus at this location in the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, Feb. 22, 2020. (Carolyn Presutti/VOA)At the Bellagio One such drama played out Saturday at the posh Bellagio Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. Corliss Gaines, wearing her maid uniform and name tag, arrived at her precinct there, ready to put her support behind billionaire businessman Tom Steyer because, she said, “He strikes me as presidential.” Gaines said she had to “listen intensely” to understand the process because it was her first caucus. An hour later, after all the voters stood at various spots in the room for their candidates, Gaines realized Steyer would not be viable because he couldn’t meet the support threshold. So during a second round of voting, or “realignment,” she threw her support behind Biden and said she felt comfortable with her decision. “Biden is the right choice. Sanders, ugh,” she said, as she turned her thumb downward. Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline. Embed” />CopyKimberly Carr, a greeter at the Bellagio, was smitten by Warren after the senator’s strong performance at Wednesday night’s candidates debate. “I thought she was super strong,” Carr said, “and I like her plans for everything.” But when Carr stood at the front of the Bellagio ballroom in support of her candidate, she realized only four other voters had joined her. She considered staying there to reinforce her drive to elect a female president, but reality persuaded her to do otherwise, and she switched her vote to Sanders. Voter Paul Anthony left the ballroom disgusted. He was a Buttigieg supporter. When the former mayor did not receive a single vote and there was no one from the campaign to try to persuade anyone to switch, Anthony shifted his vote to Steyer. But then Steyer was deemed unviable and Anthony walked out. Anthony complained that the two remaining choices – Biden and Sanders – “represent what is broken in Washington” and do not offer anything new.
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By Polityk | 02/23/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Sanders Wins: Key Nevada Caucuses Takeaways
Sen. Bernie Sanders cruised to victory in the Nevada caucuses, heartening his supporters and stoking alarm among moderates who fear he is too liberal and would lose to President Donald Trump.Here are some takeaways from the Nevada caucuses:Sanders’ presidential bid gets rocket fuelSanders’ convincing win means there is no longer an asterisk next to his status as the front-runner in the race. He proved his strength with a broad coalition that included Latino voters, union members and African Americans.Now Sanders claims three victories in a row heading into South Carolina next Saturday, and more important, Super Tuesday on March 3 when about one-third of the delegates needed for the nomination are at stake. The biggest prizes that day, California and Texas, look a lot like Nevada demographically.FILE – Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg at a campaign rally in Salt Lake City, Feb. 20, 2020.Another advantage: His opponents remain splintered and, with the exception of billionaire former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, underfunded to compete across such a vast terrain.But now there will be extraordinary pressure to try to consolidate moderate support in an effort to stop Sanders’ rise. And Sen. Elizabeth Warren will have a decision to make on how much she tries to draw separation from Sanders since they are both competing for the progressive vote.There is at least one strong note of caution about Sanders’ success. In Iowa and New Hampshire he didn’t seem to grow the electorate substantially. Data is still out in Nevada.Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg speaks at a campaign rally, Feb. 22, 2020, in Denver.Buttigieg issues warning about SandersFormer South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg ran well behind Sanders, but he tried to cast himself as the strongest alternative to Sanders.In language uncharacteristically blunt, Buttigieg issued a warning to Democrats about the perils of nominating Sanders, whom he characterized as inflexible and whose ideas are not in the American mainstream.“Sen. Sanders believes in an inflexible, ideological revolution that leaves out most Democrats, not to mention most Americans,” Buttigieg told supporters. He held himself out as the only viable alternative. “We can prioritize either ideological purity or inclusive victory,” Buttigieg said.He added: “Sen. Sanders sees capitalism as the root of all evil. He’d go beyond reform and reorder the economy in ways most Democrats — let alone most Americans — don’t support.”Despite his forceful argument, there’s a serious risk to Buttigieg in the upcoming calendar. He will have to win over black voters in South Carolina, then pivot to a multistate primary with comparatively limited resources. Buttigieg put out a plea for $13 million from donors before Super Tuesday.The former mayor of a city of 100,000 has repeatedly defied the odds in the presidential nominating contests, but the odds are getting longer.Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a Nevada Caucus night event in Las Vegas, Feb. 22, 2020.Biden has his back against a firewallFormer Vice President Joe Biden was hoping Nevada would turn things around for him after a disastrous showing in Iowa and then New Hampshire. He argued that he’d do better in a more diverse state.But Biden again lost badly even as he told supporters at a union hall, “We’re alive and coming back and we’re gonna win.”His last and best hope may be to win in South Carolina next Saturday. He’s counting on his support among the state’s black voters — they could make up two-thirds of the voters — to serve as his firewall.If Biden doesn’t win South Carolina, the rationale for his candidacy will much harder to maintain.In Las Vegas, he tried out a new rallying cry: “I ain’t a socialist. I ain’t a plutocrat. I’m a Democrat. And I’m proud of it.” Party loyalty may be all Biden has left.Maybe Culinary isn’t all-powerful after allThe 60,000-member Culinary Workers Local 226 represents workers in the casinos on the Las Vegas strip, and it’s routinely described, correctly, as the most powerful force in the state’s Democratic politics. But it’s not omnipotent.Culinary didn’t want Sanders to win. It has strongly opposed his “Medicare for All” plan, warning its members that it would eliminate their own generous health plan. Some observers thought the union might end up backing Biden. But after the former vice president’s embarrassing performances in Iowa and New Hampshire, Culinary instead stayed neutral.The calls from leadership went unheeded by many. Sanders had strong showings in some caucuses in casinos where crowds of Culinary members chanted the Vermont senator’s name and powered him to wins in most casinos. Culinary is driven by its members, many of whom are Sanders supporters, and there was no consensus among the rest about what they should do.Leadership decided to refrain from a divisive fight, helping pave the way for Sanders’ win. It’s a reminder that even in places like Nevada with strong political institutions, those institutions ultimately derive their power from voters.Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., reacts while meeting supporters at a campaign office, Feb. 22, 2020, in Las Vegas.No bounce for KlobucharSen. Amy Klobuchar produced one of the few surprises of the race when she surged to a third-place finish in New Hampshire, announced that she had raised more than $12 million, and vowed to prove her doubters wrong.Her momentum proved short-lived. She finished well behind the leading candidates, and in the process, prompted questions about her viability.But in a speech to supporters in her home state of Minnesota, she was defiant and said she would continue. She even tried to make a virtue of the fact that Trump mentioned her name at a rally. “By the way, for the first time ever, he mentioned me at a rally,” she said. “You know I’ve arrived now. You know they must be worried.”Probably not. Time is running out for candidates who haven’t finished higher than third in any contest. That also applies to Warren, also desperately needs a win. Her strong debate performance came after much of the state had already cast early votes.Not a great return on investmentTom Steyer, the billionaire who made his fortune running a hedge fund, bet heavily in Nevada, more than $12 million on advertising, and lost big, finishing sixth. Steyer has made strong appeals to minority voters, but in Nevada, failed decisively.But Steyer’s impact on the race could come next week in South Carolina, where he has spent even more money. Polls show that he has made significant inroads among African American voters. That would not be good news for Biden, who is counting on those votes to resuscitate his campaign.
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By Polityk | 02/23/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Sanders Condemns Any Russian Influence in Election
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is condemning any Russian efforts to interfere in the 2020 U.S. election. The Vermont senator issued a statement immediately after The Washington Post reported U.S. officials told Sanders that Russia was trying to help his campaign. The statement did not confirm the report. Sanders wrote: “I don’t care, frankly, who Putin wants to be president. My message to Putin is clear: Stay out of American elections, and as president I will make sure that you do.” Sanders continued: “Unlike Donald Trump, I do not consider Vladimir Putin a good friend. He is an autocratic thug who is attempting to destroy democracy and crush dissent in Russia. Let’s be clear, the Russians want to undermine American democracy by dividing us up and, unlike the current president, I stand firmly against their efforts, and any other foreign power that wants to interfere in our election.”
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By Polityk | 02/22/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Is America Ready to Elect a Gay President?
Pete Buttigieg, the first openly gay candidate for president of the United States to garner serious national attention, has emerged as a leader in the Democratic Party’s early nomination contests. VOA’s Brian Padden reports, while Buttigieg’s sexual orientation has not been a major issue in the Democratic race, it would likely become a point of contention in a general election.
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By Polityk | 02/22/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Trump Teases Nomination of New Top Intelligence Official
U.S. President Donald Trump appears to be getting closer to naming a new, permanent top intelligence official, announcing he has narrowed the list of possible candidates to a handful of finalists.Word of a potential nominee to take over as the country’s director of national intelligence (DNI) comes just days after Trump cast aside the acting director, reportedly over a briefing to lawmakers about Russian attempts to meddle in the upcoming U.S. presidential elections.”Four great candidates are under consideration at DNI,” Trump tweeted Friday. “Decision within next few weeks!”Four great candidates are under consideration at DNI. Decision within next few weeks!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) FILE – Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire testifies before the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill, Sept. 26, 2019.Coats was replaced on a temporary basis by retired U.S. Admiral Joseph Maguire, a former Navy SEAL who had been heading up efforts at the National Counterterrorism Center.But late Wednesday, the president announced he was replacing Maguire with U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, a well-known Trump loyalist.FILE – U.S. Ambassador Richard Grenell is pictured in Berlin, Germany, May 8, 2018.The New York Times reported Thursday the president made the switch after learning one of Maguire’s top aides told lawmakers that Russia is seeking to boost his reelection during a classified briefing to lawmakers.The Washington Post reported the president was irate after learning of the briefing, concerned that officials had shared information that could be used against him.Trump on Friday accused Democrats of already trying to weaponize the information, calling in a hoax.”Another misinformation campaign is being launched by Democrats in Congress saying that Russia prefers me to any of the Do Nothing Democrat candidates who still have been unable to, after two weeks, count their votes in Iowa,” he tweeted Friday.Another misinformation campaign is being launched by Democrats in Congress saying that Russia prefers me to any of the Do Nothing Democrat candidates who still have been unable to, after two weeks, count their votes in Iowa. Hoax number 7!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 21, 2020Officials at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and its election security office declined comment when contacted by VOA.But the initial reaction from Democratic lawmakers was swift.”I am gravely concerned,” House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson said in a statement late Thursday.”By firing Acting DNI Maguire because his staff provided the candid conclusions of the Intelligence Community to Congress regarding Russian meddling in the 2020 presidential election, the president is not only refusing to defend against foreign interference, he’s inviting it,” Thompson added.House Intelligence Committee chairman, Democrat Adam Smith, who was allegedly at the classified briefing, also expressed concern.”We count on the intelligence community to inform Congress of any threat of foreign interference in our elections,” Schiff tweeted. “If reports are true and the president is interfering with that, he is again jeopardizing our efforts to stop foreign meddling. Exactly as we warned he would do.”We count on the intelligence community to inform Congress of any threat of foreign interference in our elections.If reports are true and the President is interfering with that, he is again jeopardizing our efforts to stop foreign meddling.Exactly as we warned he would do. https://t.co/viSBlnA1nb— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) February 21, 2020The rocky relationship between Trump and U.S. intelligence agencies dates back to the 2016 presidential election, when the intelligence community concluded, “[Russian President Vladimir] Putin and the Russian government aspired to help President-elect Trump’s election chances when possible,” the leading U.S. intelligence agencies wrote in an unclassified report released in 2017.
Those conclusions were backed up by a report in April 2019 by special counsel Robert Mueller, which found, “the Russian government perceived it would benefit from a Trump presidency and worked to secure that outcome.”Trump has consistently denied any Russian interference, repeatedly deferring to Putin’s denials.”He said he didn’t meddle,” Trump told reporters following a conversation with Putin in Vietnam. “He said he didn’t meddle. I asked him again. You can only ask so many times.”Still, U.S. intelligence officials have said, repeatedly, that not only did Russia meddle in 2016, but that it did so again in 2018 and that it would meddle in the 2020 presidential elections, as well.
“We expect #Russia will continue to wage its information war against democracies and to use social media to attempt to divide our societies” per Coats, citing #Russian attack on #Ukraine naval vessels as sign of #Moscow’s willingness to violate int’ norms— Jeff Seldin (@jseldin) January 29, 2019″It wasn’t a single attempt. They’re doing it as we sit here,” Mueller told lawmakers last July. “And they expect to do it during the next campaign.”The White House is facing a March 11 deadline to nominate a new, permanent director of national intelligence or risk having the position go vacant.Under U.S. law, the president must at least nominate someone to a position requiring Senate confirmation within 210 days of the position being vacated, meaning the acting director, whether it was Maguire or Grenell, would have to step down.”The clock doesn’t restart each time the president names someone else [as acting director],” Steve Vladek, a law professor at the University of Texas at Austin, told VOA.”If no nominee is submitted in time, Grenell ceases to be the acting DNI, and no one can replace him,” he added. “Someone still has to ‘exercise the functions’ of the acting DNI, but that would fall to whoever the senior person at ODNI currently is.”
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By Polityk | 02/22/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
US States Step Up Funding for Planned Parenthood Clinics
Several states have begun picking up the tab for family planning services at clinics run by Planned Parenthood, which last year quit a $260 million federal funding program over a Trump administration rule prohibiting clinics from referring women for abortions.
States including New Jersey, Massachusetts and Hawaii already are providing new funding, and Democratic governors in Connecticut and Pennsylvania have proposed carving out money in state budgets to counter the effects of the national provider’s fallout with the Republican presidential administration.
The proposals have stirred political debates over abortion at the state level, with some opponents claiming it’s a government endorsement of abortion and an inappropriate use of taxpayer money.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont earmarked $1.2 million for Planned Parenthood in his new budget proposal. The executive director of the Connecticut Catholic Conference, Christopher Healy, criticized it as a purely political act.
“Where is the pressing need here to do this?” Healy said, arguing Planned Parenthood does not need taxpayer money. “They have the ability to raise money.”
Lamont said he wants to help cover an expected shortfall for Planned Parenthood to ensure women in Connecticut have access to all the health services they need. A spokesman for Lamont said the administration doesn’t want the abortion debate to stymie access to things like contraception and cervical cancer screenings.
“Look, this is the law of the land. Here in a state like this, we believe that abortion rights are right, and we believe they ought to be affordable for folks who otherwise might not have that availability,” Lamont said. “So I think it’s the right thing to do.”
Nationwide, about 4 million women across the U.S., many low-income and uninsured, were receiving services last year under the Title X federal program, including STD testing, various screenings, education and wellness exams. Planned Parenthood and some other providers decided to withdraw from the program rather than comply with what Planned Parenthood calls the Trump administration’s “gag order,” which bars clinics that participate in Title X from referring women for abortions. The move caused a money crunch for some clinics.
Since then, some of the rejected federal funds have been replenished by state or local funds in Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Vermont, Oregon, Washington, Massachusetts, California and New York. Hawaii’s current fiscal year budget sets aside $750,000 to partly cover a $2 million loss in Title X grant money.
In Massachusetts, Republican Gov. Charlie Baker signed legislation authorizing up to $8 million. In California, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors last year voted to cover a $482,000 expected shortfall for six Planned Parenthood clinics serving 36,274 patients. And Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor, Tom Wolf, has included a $3 million line item in his proposed 2020-21 budget to also help offset the funding loss for Planned Parenthood providers.
In Oregon, the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s rule, a spokesman for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon said the agency has been “working closely with state officials to create critical backstops and protect access to care for all Oregonians who need it, regardless of federal action on Title X,” and commended Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, for prioritizing funding for reproductive health services.
Abortion opponents have accused governors of providing the money to gain favor with an organization that often supports Democrats at election time.
In New Jersey, where Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy last month signed legislation that set aside $9.5 million in state money for family planning at Planned Parenthood, New Jersey Right to Life called it a disgraceful money grab.
“The taxpayers of NJ should not be forced to fund abortion, and make no mistake, that is what this bill will do,” Marie Tasy, the group’s executive director, said in a written statement.
Title X regulations prohibit funds from being used for abortions, with some narrow exceptions, and the money Lamont has proposed would fund Title X services and not on abortions, according to Connecticut’s Department of Public Health.
Abortion opponents in Connecticut have argued for years that state funds should not be used for abortions or abortion referrals. The state’s health insurance program paid for 6,995 abortions in 2018. A Department of Social Services spokesman said Connecticut is under a court order to pay for any abortion for a Medicaid-covered woman that she and her doctor have determined to be necessary.
The state money budgeted by Lamont would not go toward abortions, as it would fund only Title X services, according to state health officials. But opponents say that regardless of where it goes, the money for Planned Parenthood makes it appear the state is outwardly advocating for abortion.
“I’m disturbed by it, that it’s now state policy to outwardly advocate it no, matter what,”said Chris O’Brien, executive director of Connecticut Right to Life.
It’s unclear how long the help from states will continue.
Jacqueline Ayers, vice president of government relations and public policy at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said it’s “encouraging” that governors and state legislators are trying to fill the gap, but said the state-by-state efforts cannot replace the nearly 50-year-old Title X program.
“While we applaud leaders in the states for taking these temporary but critical steps, we must continue fighting for a nationwide solution,” Ayers said. “Only Congress has the power to permanently stop this harmful rule, and people across the country are continuing to call on them to do so.”
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By Polityk | 02/22/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
AP-NORC Poll: Democrats Express Mixed Feelings About Nomination Process
Democratic voters feel generally positive about all of their top candidates running for president, but they have only moderate confidence that their party’s nomination process is fair, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
U.S. voters from across the political spectrum have mixed confidence in the fairness of either party’s system for picking a candidate, but Democrats are especially likely to have doubts about their own party’s process. Among Democratic voters, 41% say they have a great deal or quite a bit of confidence in the Democratic Party’s nomination process, while 34% have moderate confidence and 25% have little to no confidence.
Among Republicans, meanwhile, 61% say they have high confidence in their party’s process, and just 13% have low confidence. President Donald Trump has only nominal opposition in the GOP nomination process, and several state Republican parties have even canceled holding a primary.
Julianne Morgan, 29, of Dayton, Ohio, said her confidence in the Democratic Party’s process was undercut earlier this month when Democrats delayed tabulating the results of the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses because of problems with a buggy mobile app.
Her concerns were further exacerbated this week after reading that Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat who is third in the delegate count, was excluded in hypothetical head-to-head matchups against Trump in some recent polls.
“It doesn’t sound like there’s been fair representation for all the candidates,” said Morgan, who is supporting Warren’s candidacy.
Some respondents said they worry that an increasingly bitter internal battle for the Democratic nomination could weaken whomever emerges to take on Trump in November. The poll was conducted before White House hopefuls on Wednesday took part in the most contentious debate of the cycle. Democrats are set to host their third 2020 nominating contest on Saturday in Nevada.
“They keep digging at each other,” said Roger Kempton, 85, of Niles, Michigan, a Trump voter in 2016 who said he plans to vote for a Democratic candidate in 2020. “They say beating Trump is the most important thing, but they keeping fighting each other. It’s only making people like myself unhappy with the choices.”
Others raised concerns that the Democrats have hung on too long to the tradition of giving Iowa the first spot on the nominating calendar. Since 1972, the top voter-getter in the Democratic caucuses has gone on to win the nomination in seven of 10 contested races. But only Jimmy Carter in 1976 and Barack Obama in 2008 won the presidency.
“Iowa is not a very diverse state, and I feel like it doesn’t really represent the country well,” said Katie Lewis of Lexington, Kentucky, who backs Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Among Democratic respondents, self-described moderates and conservatives are more likely than liberals to have high confidence that their process is fair, 46% to 34%. Those age 45 and older are also more confident than those who are younger, and nonwhite Democrats are more confident than white Democrats.
The poll shows that Sanders gets slightly higher ratings nationally from Democratic voters compared to his nearest primary rivals, some of whom remain less well known even within the party.
Seventy-four percent of Democratic voters say they have a favorable opinion of Sanders, while 67% say that of former Vice President Joe Biden, 64% for Warren, and 58% for former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg. About half of Democrats express favorable opinions of billionaire Mike Bloomberg and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, while nearly 4 in 10 say they have a positive opinion of billionaire Tom Steyer.
Many Democratic voters say they don’t know enough to have an opinion of many of the candidates, including Steyer (52%), Klobuchar (39%), Buttigieg (28%), Bloomberg (25%) and Warren (16%).
But about 2 in 10 Democrats express negative opinions of Biden, Bloomberg, Warren and Sanders.
The more moderate Democrats, Biden, Bloomberg, Buttigieg and Klobuchar, have all raised questions about whether Sanders, 78, a self-described democratic socialist, is too far to the left of the American electorate. Both Sanders and Warren, who support heftier taxes on the wealthy to pay for expanded health care, free college, and other programs, have been branded by rivals as too liberal.
Biden had poor showings in Iowa and New Hampshire and has faced questions about whether his best days as a politician are in the past.
Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor and billionaire founder of a financial, software, data, and media company, didn’t enter the race until November. Some of his Democratic rivals, as well as Trump, have accused Bloomberg of trying to buy the nomination by pumping in hundreds of millions of dollars of his own fortune to fund campaign ads in the more than a dozen Super Tuesday states and U.S. territories. Those March 3 contests account for more than a third of all delegates at stake.
Bloomberg has also faced criticism for disparaging comments about transgender people, his support of “stop-and-frisk,” a controversial policing strategy that led to disproportionate stops of African Americans and Latinos in the nation’s biggest city, and complaints that he repeatedly made misogynistic comments to women who worked for him the 1980s and 1990s.
Wanda Gibson, 58, a Democrat from suburban Cincinnati, Ohio, who is undecided about who she’ll support, said that Bloomberg’s backing of stop-and-frisk and his sexist comments were wrong. But she also said that she worried that some Democrats are discounting the possibility that Bloomberg has changed.
“We’ve all done or said something in our past that would not necessarily be politically correct,” said Gibson, who said she is still weighing which Democrat she’ll back. “The problem is that we have Donald Trump, someone who continues to do this stuff daily, sometimes hourly. If someone did something 10 years ago, they can evolve.”The AP-NORC poll of 1,074 adults was conducted Feb. 13-16 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.2 percentage points.
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By Polityk | 02/21/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Presidential Candidates Eagerly Court the Hispanic Vote in Nevada
As Nevada Democrats flock to their presidential caucuses Saturday afternoon, this Western state’s growing Latino vote could play an important factor in the outcome. According to Pew Research, more than 1 in 4 Nevadans is of Latin American descent, and roughly 328,000 of them are eligible to vote. As VOA’s Carolyn Presutti found, while all candidates hope to attract the Hispanic vote, some are more successful than others.
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By Polityk | 02/21/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
In a Week of Clemencies, Trump Hints About Stone’s Exoneration
President Donald Trump hinted that Roger Stone deserves exoneration, hours after the former Trump adviser was sentenced to prison Thursday. Earlier this week, Trump granted full pardons to seven people and sentence commutations to four others, but denied that he offered a pardon to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. White House correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has the wrap on a week of presidential clemencies.
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By Polityk | 02/21/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Trump Wants Political Confidant Stone to Get New Trial
Hours after one of his political confidants was sentenced to more than three years in prison, President Donald Trump expressed hope Thursday that Roger Stone would get a new trial and be exonerated. The president asserted that his friend, convicted of lying under oath and of witness tampering, had been treated unfairly. Trump, speaking in Las Vegas to former prison inmates re-entering society, said he hoped a judge would agree with him that Stone deserved a new trial because one of the jurors allegedly posted anti-Trump material on social media. “It’s my strong opinion that the forewoman of the jury – the woman who was in charge of the jury – was totally tainted,” Trump said. Trump added that he’d let the process play out for now but at some point would decide whether to intervene using his presidential clemency powers.
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By Polityk | 02/21/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Amid ‘Anonymous’ Fallout, White House Adviser Reassigned
Victoria Coates, a top official on the National Security Council, is being reassigned amid fallout over the identity of the author of the inside-the-White House tell-all book by “Anonymous.”
Coates, who serves as national security adviser for the Middle East and North Africa, will be joining the Department of Energy as a senior adviser to Secretary Dan Brouillette, the NSC announced Thursday.
The move comes amid renewed speculation about the author of the book, “A Warning,” and a New York Times essay that were deeply critical of President Donald Trump, written under the pen name “Anonymous.”
But a senior administration official insisted the move had nothing to do with the speculation, saying top White House officials reject rumors that have circulated in recent weeks suggesting Coates is the author. The move, they said, has been in the works for several weeks.
“We are enthusiastic about adding Dr. Coates to DOE, where her expertise on the Middle East and national security policy will be helpful,” Brouillette said in a statement. “She will play an important role on our team.”
“While I’m sad to lose an important member of our team, Victoria will be a big asset to Secretary Brouillette as he executes the President’s energy security policy priorities,” Robert C. O’Brien, who leads the NSC, added.
The move also comes as the president has been working to rid the administration of those he deems insufficiently loyal in the wake of his acquittal on impeachment charges. Since then, Trump has ousted staffers at the National Security Council and State Department and pulled the nomination of a top Treasury Department pick who had overseen cases involving Trump’s former aides as a U.S. attorney.
At the same time, Trump has been bringing back longtime aides he believes he can trust as he heads into what is expected to be a bruising general election campaign.
Trump this week renewed questions about the identity of “Anonymous” when he told reporters that he knew who it was. Asked whether he believes the person still works at the White House, Trump responded: “We know a lot. In fact, when I want to get something out to the press, I tell certain people. And it’s amazing, it gets out there. But, so far, I’m leaving it that way.”
White House spokesman Hogan Gidley declined to say Wednesday why, if Trump knows the person’s identity, they would still be working in his administration.
In the book, published by the Hachette Book Group in November, the writer claims senior administration officials considered resigning as a group in 2018 in a “midnight self-massacre” to protest Trump’s conduct, but ultimately decided such an act would do more harm than good.
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By Polityk | 02/21/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Bloomberg Roughed Up in First Democratic Debate
Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg was a major target of his Democratic rivals in his first debate Wednesday in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bloomberg has already had a major impact on the race by spending hundreds of millions of dollars on TV ads and has shot into second place in some national public opinion polls behind Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Bloomberg now finds himself in a crowd of moderates all trying to be the main alternative to Sanders, a self-described Democratic Socialist who has strong support from the progressive wing of the party. VOA National Correspondent Jim Malone has more from Washington.
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By Polityk | 02/20/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Bloomberg Nabs 3 New Congressional Endorsements
Mike Bloomberg picked up three new congressional endorsements on the heels of his rocky debate performance, underscoring his staying power in the Democratic primary race despite an onslaught of attacks from opponents.
Bloomberg has built extensive political ties to members of both parties on Capitol Hill after years of hefty political contributions to candidates and causes. In recent weeks those ties, and his surprisingly strong support in a number of national polls, seem to be bearing fruit for him on Capitol Hill.
Democratic Reps. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, Nita Lowey of New York and Pete Aguilar of California all endorsed Bloomberg Thursday, bringing his total number of congressional endorsements to 15, behind only Joe Biden, who has more than three times that amount.
All three have extensive political, and in some case personal ties, to the former New York mayor.
Bloomberg campaigned for Gottheimer in his district in 2018, and Gottheimer is also brother-in-law to Bloomberg’s campaign manager, Bradley Tusk. Lowey’s former chief of staff, Howard Wolfson, is a longtime Bloomberg aide and now serves as a top adviser to his campaign.
Aguilar, who flipped his district in a tough race in 2014, got support from one of Bloomberg’s political groups that year, Independence USA PAC, through which he funneled millions of his own money to air ads defending centrists of both parties in the midterms. Aguilar’s a former mayor, and in his endorsement, touted Bloomberg’s understanding of issues “at both the national and local levels” and his track record as a former mayor on gun safety and climate.
Aguilar serves in Democratic leadership as Chief Deputy Whip in the House Democratic caucus.
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By Polityk | 02/20/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
