Dear Baltimore Police Department:
It might be time to consider a replacement Police Commissioner who chooses words that are less confrontational and gathers his FACTS more carefully, without creating greater animosity.
Tensions are already inflamed and it's past time to stop rallying around fellow officers, regardless of FACTS that are unknown.
Baltimore residents, regardless of their color, should be able to trust a department they support with their tax dollars, not live in fear and be forced to runaway from plainclothes officers.
Equip each officer with BodyCams, resolve the issue and protect officers from false accusations.
It will no longer be 'He said. She said.' or the words of witnesses that are frequently dismissed.
Regardless of the circumstances, could this have been better handled?
Sanders to Democratic Party: Whose Side Are We On?
Michael Briggs | Bernie 2016
Briggs writes: "Saying that 'our job is to revitalize American democracy,' U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Thursday challenged the Democratic Party establishment to decide if it will fight for working families or do the bidding of Wall Street, big oil, the pharmaceutical industry and other special interests."
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Michael Briggs | Bernie 2016
Briggs writes: "Saying that 'our job is to revitalize American democracy,' U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Thursday challenged the Democratic Party establishment to decide if it will fight for working families or do the bidding of Wall Street, big oil, the pharmaceutical industry and other special interests."
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aying that “our job is to revitalize American democracy,” U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Thursday challenged the Democratic Party establishment to decide if it will fight for working families or do the bidding of Wall Street, big oil, the pharmaceutical industry and other special interests.
“Are we on the side of working people or big-money interests? Do we stand with the elderly, the sick and the poor or do we stand with Wall Street speculators and the insurance companies?” the Democratic Party presidential candidate asked 8,300 supporters at an outdoor rally at Island Park.
He said a key reason why 63 percent of voters did not go to the polls in the last election and nearly 80 percent of young and low-income people stayed home is that “the Democratic Party, up until now, has not been clear on which side they are on on the major issues facing this country.”
On issue after issue, Sanders challenged the Democratic Party to pick sides. “You can’t be for Wall Street and the working people of this country. You cannot be for the drug companies and senior citizens and veterans,” he said. “You cannot be on the side of workers and support those corporations that have thrown millions on the street.”
The failure of Democratic leadership to send a clear message on where the party stands is why Republicans have grabbed control Congress and Statehouses. “The problem in my view is not that the Republicans are winning elections. It’s that Democrats are losing elections,” he said.
Sanders also faulted Democrats for not pushing election reforms that would increase voter turnout and help Democrats win elections. For example, he said, Democrats should get behind legislation he introduced in the Senate to register everyone to vote when they turn 18 years old. “The Democratic Party has got to be very clear. We need automatic voter registration.” In 2015, Oregon became the first state in the nation to require state agencies to automatically register voters when they get a new driver’s license or identification card.
He also called on Democrats in states where access to the voting booth is restricted in primary contests to open the process and let millions of independents participate, “Republican governors want to make it harder to vote. Our job is to bring more people into the system. We need open primaries.”
Sanders also spelled out differences with Hillary Clinton. On trade policy, he opposed and she backed most of the job-killing trade deals. On climate change, he challenged Clinton to support a carbon tax to discourage burning the fossil fuels that are warming the planet. He pressed her to support a nationwide ban on fracking that imperils safety of drinking water and encourages fossil fuel. He asked Clinton to join him in supporting a Medicare-for-all health care system and to crack down on pharmaceutical companies that charge Americans the highest prices for prescription medicine anywhere in the world.
“Secretary Clinton may not believe the American people have the ability to take on the insurance companies and take on the drug companies. I disagree.”
Sanders also cited his big leads over Republican White House hopefuls Donald Trump, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich. Sanders beats Trump by twice as big a margin as Clinton. He also holds leads over Cruz and Kasich. She holds a narrow edge over the Texas senator and loses in many polls to the Ohio governor.
“I hope delegates to the Democratic National Convention take heed of this,” Sanders said at the rally.
Sanders, who launched his campaign one year ago as an underdog, has so far won 17 primaries and caucuses and amassed 1,350 delegates to this summer’s Democratic National Convention. He has set fundraising records with 7.3 million donations. And he is drawing the biggest crowds for any presidential candidate.
“I think Secretary Clinton and I agree that we must not have a Republican in the White House but I think the evidence is overwhelming that you are looking at the strongest Democratic candidate,” Sanders said. “And the reason for that is that our campaign is able to reach beyond the Democratic base and win the support of millions of independents.
“This is the campaign that is generating excitement and enthusiasm and a large voter turnout."
Oregon is among 14 states, territories and the District of Columbia which have yet to vote in the contest between Sanders and Hillary Clinton. He thanked U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon for being the only member of the United States Senate “to have the guts” to back Sanders.
To watch a clip of Sanders' speech, click here.
Baltimore Police Commissioner Blames Eighth Grader for His Own Police Shooting
Carimah Townes, ThinkProgress
Townes writes: "One day after a plainclothes cop unloaded on a fleeing eighth grader holding a toy gun, Baltimore's police commissioner defended the shooting officer for having to make a split-second decision 'in a very emotional moment.' He also blamed the boy for his own shooting, saying he should not have had a toy gun at all."
Death From the Sky: Searching for Ground Truth in the Kunduz Hospital Bombing
May Jeong, The Intercept
Jeong writes: "From the beginning, the U.S. military struggled to keep its story straight. Officials initially denied that U.S. forces had attacked the MSF hospital at all, saying that the building might have sustained collateral damage from an adjacent airstrike."
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May Jeong, The Intercept
Jeong writes: "From the beginning, the U.S. military struggled to keep its story straight. Officials initially denied that U.S. forces had attacked the MSF hospital at all, saying that the building might have sustained collateral damage from an adjacent airstrike."
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After 36-Day Student Occupation, University of California at Davis Chancellor Is Put on Leave
Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!
Goodman writes: "This week, the University of California President placed the chancellor of University of California, Davis, Linda Katehi, on investigatory administrative leave, pending an investigation into a number of infractions, including her decision to spend at least $175,000 to try to scrub the internet of criticism following the 2011 pepper-spraying of student protesters by campus police."
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Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!
Goodman writes: "This week, the University of California President placed the chancellor of University of California, Davis, Linda Katehi, on investigatory administrative leave, pending an investigation into a number of infractions, including her decision to spend at least $175,000 to try to scrub the internet of criticism following the 2011 pepper-spraying of student protesters by campus police."
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Supreme Court Won't Block Texas Photo ID Law
Richard Wolf, USA TODAY
Wolf writes: "The Supreme Court refused Friday to block Texas' photo ID law, the strictest in the nation, from remaining in effect for now, but it left open the possibility of doing so this summer if a lower court challenge remains unresolved."
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Richard Wolf, USA TODAY
Wolf writes: "The Supreme Court refused Friday to block Texas' photo ID law, the strictest in the nation, from remaining in effect for now, but it left open the possibility of doing so this summer if a lower court challenge remains unresolved."
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Indigenous Latin Americans Demand Greater Role in Shaping Society
teleSUR
Excerpt: "Indigenous representatives across Latin America demanded Thursday to be integrated into discussions on poverty and development as part of a the Congress of Indigenous American Parliamentarians, hosted this week in Panama."
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teleSUR
Excerpt: "Indigenous representatives across Latin America demanded Thursday to be integrated into discussions on poverty and development as part of a the Congress of Indigenous American Parliamentarians, hosted this week in Panama."
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Conservative Group Is Trying to Take Down Top Environmentalists
Katie Herzog, Grist
Herzog writes: "America Rising Squared, an arm of the super PAC, launched Core News on Friday, a website devoted to targeting environmentalists. Core News appears to have a special place in its heart for anti-Keystone activist, 350.org cofounder, and Grist board member Bill McKibben."
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Katie Herzog, Grist
Herzog writes: "America Rising Squared, an arm of the super PAC, launched Core News on Friday, a website devoted to targeting environmentalists. Core News appears to have a special place in its heart for anti-Keystone activist, 350.org cofounder, and Grist board member Bill McKibben."
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Leonardo DiCaprio. (photo: Stephen de Ropp)
n the midst of a contentious election season, the conservative opposition research group America Rising has adopted an aggressive tactic to win the race.
Politico’s Gabriel Debenedetti reports that America Rising Squared, an arm of the super PAC, launched Core News on Friday, a website devoted to targeting environmentalists. Core News appears to have a special place in its heart for anti-Keystone activist, 350.org cofounder, and Grist board member Bill McKibben. He’s the focus of several of its stories, including “Leading Environmentalist Called for a New Gas Tax After 9/11” and “Vermont Divestment Bill Dies Despite Enviromentalist (sic) Support.” The leading post on its site is currently:
McKibben isn’t the only green thinker targeted by Core News. They’ve also begun following around Tom Steyer with a video camera. They are scrutinizing the billionaire investor and climate advocate for his fossil fuel holdings (In 2014, Steyer pledged to divest from coal and oil sands). Steyer has pledged to spend $25 million through his super PAC, NextGen Climate Action, to mobilize college voters ahead of the general election, making him a prime mark for conservative groups. Leonardo DiCaprio is fair game, too.
“America Rising Squared will hold Steyer and the Environmentalist Left accountable for their epic hypocrisy and extreme positions which threaten America’s future prosperity,” America Rising Squared Executive Director Brian Rogers said in a statement.
You can watch their first video here. And while America Rising means it as an insult, our readers might find it pretty inspiring.
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