California Primary: A Disturbing Story

There are also pictures of a shred service having its trucks 
available outside a vote counting place

Mary Gibson There is a picture of the shred truck in the video. 
This is part 2 from June 30 https://youtu.be/-q2PCdRodys

RSN: Democrats Are Now the Aggressive War Party, US Making a Deadly Mistake in Afghanistan, Says Former Diplomat

11 June 16 What's the Cost of a Corporate Information Monopoly? Everything? In effect yes. What's the cost of RSN? If it offsets Corporate Information Monopoly then it undermines the monopoly and it no longer costs, it benefits. RSN, the benefits are huge. Marc Ash Curator, Reader Supported News Sure, I'll make a donation! If you would prefer to send a check: Reader Supported News PO Box 2043 Citrus Hts CA 95611

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Robert Parry | Democrats Are Now the Aggressive War Party 
 
Robert Parry, Consortium News 
Parry writes: "For nearly a half century - since late in the Vietnam War - the Democrats have been the less warlike of the two parties, but that has flipped with the choice of war hawk Hillary Clinton." 
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Half of All California Ballots Remain Uncounted 
John Myers, Los Angeles Times 
Myers writes: "More than 2.5 million ballots were left uncounted on election day across California, a process that could take several days or longer and leave close races in limbo." 
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Donald Trump Has No Platform. Paul Ryan Isn't Helping. 
Zaid Jilani, The Intercept 
Jilani writes: "House Speaker Paul Ryan spent the past week announcing policy plans designed to fill the void left by the party's presumptive nominee, Donald Trump, who has virtually no detailed policy proposals save for outrageous propositions like building a giant wall on the U.S.-Mexico border at no cost to the U.S. taxpayer." 
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How Ousting the Judge in the Stanford Sexual Assault Case Could Impact Future Cases 
NPR 
Excerpt: "The six-month jail sentence of Brock Turner, a former Stanford University swimmer convicted of sexual assault last week, has sparked an outcry." 
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US Making a Deadly Mistake in Afghanistan, Says Former Diplomat 
Charles Davis, teleSUR 
Davis writes: "The war that Barack Obama promised to end two years ago is instead being expanded again, with reports of more airstrikes and ground combat to come, and a former top State Department official who resigned the last time the U.S. president surged in Afghanistan says all the latest escalation will achieve is a longer war with a lot more dead." 
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World's Largest Cemetery Receives '100 Bodies a Day' From Fighting in Iraq 
Alex McDonald, Middle East Eye 
McDonald writes: "As far as the eye can see, gravestones, tombs and Shia icons stretch out amid the baking summer heat. This is the Al-Salam Valley cemetery, the largest in the world, in Iraq's Najaf province." 
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We Are Fleeing the World's Coasts 
Kate Yoder, Grist 
Yoder writes: "As if beaches weren't already scary (think: Shark attacks! Seagulls swooping in to snatch a sandwich from your hands! And [gulp] beach body season!), you may have heard that climate change is ushering in even greater terrors. We're talking intense hurricanes, tidal flooding, and sea-level rise of three or four feet by 2100." 
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650,000 new voters in California.

The LA Times came out with some very interesting news on Friday: California's voter rolls swelled by more than 650,000 new voters right before the registration deadline. This presents us with a golden opportunity – we think a big percentage of those new voters are ready to support Bernie.

Needless to say, winning California would be a yuuuge boost for our movement.We've come from more than 50 points down when we started, to a statistical tie in the latest polls. So now, it all depends on turnout.

Our staff and volunteers in California are fired up and working virtually around the clock to get all Bernie's supporters to the polls on Tuesday. Can you help out on the phones for an hour or two?

YES, I'LL MAKE SOME CALLS BEFORE ELECTION DAY

If you've never made calls for Bernie before, now is the time to step up. It's not a complicated process, and we'll give you all the instructions you need to make these important calls. Californians are very receptive to Bernie's progressive message, and if we can pull off a victory there Tuesday, you'll know you played an important role at this pivotal moment of American political history.

We're fighting hard to win California since it's the final and – with 475 pledged delegates up for grabs – biggest state on the primary calendar. A strong showing there will give the superdelegates something very important to think about as they consider who will be the strongest nominee against Trump in the fall.

So we hope you can pitch in a couple hours of your time between now and Tuesday to keep our political revolution rolling strong all the way to the convention in Philadelphia.

In solidarity,

Team Bernie

P.S. Download our new Bernie Messenger app to easily text your friends and remind them to vote for Bernie on Tuesday!

Paid for by Bernie 2016

PO Box 905 - Burlington VT 05402 United States - (855) 4-BERNIE

RSN: Trump's Not Just a Bigot, He's a Huckster and a Sham-Artist, Norway to 'Ban the Sale of All Fossil Fuel-Based Cars by 2025'

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Robert Reich | Trump's Not Just a Bigot, He's a Huckster and a Sham-Artist

Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Facebook Page
Reich writes: "Researchers at the National Bureau of Economic Research have found that degrees from for-profit colleges and universities are worth less in terms of future earnings than degrees from non-profit colleges and universities - and for-profits also often load students down with heavier debts."
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The Time Muhammad Ali Knocked Out Trump Over His Islamophobia
teleSUR
Excerpt: "Renowned boxing legend Muhammad Ali, who passed away at 74 Friday night, was a man known for never pulling his punches whether in the ring or in public when the truth needed expressing."
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DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz Reverses Her Position on Payday Loans Following Months of Public Pressure
Alan Pyke, ThinkProgress
Pyke writes: "After months of public pressure and a stiff primary challenge from her left, Democratic National Committee chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) reversed her position on payday lending Thursday."
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California's Registered Voters Hit Record High Ahead of Tuesday Presidential Primary
John Myers, Los Angeles Times
Myers writes: "With one of the most closely watched presidential primary seasons in modern times , California's voter rolls grew by almost 650,000 in the final six weeks of registration. And three of every four new voters were Democrats."
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America Excels in Business of Death
JP Sottile, Consortium News
Sottile writes: "America may lag behind the developed world in many categories, but it is No. 1 in the 'merchant of death' business, experiencing a boom in the commerce of boom, especially in areas destabilized by U.S. invasions."
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Fatal Migrations: Visualizing the Landscape of Migrant Deaths in Arizona
Daniel Alarcon and Josh Begley, The Intercept
Excerpt: "Just a few hours south of Tucson, on the other side of the border, there's a quiet, dusty Mexican town called Sasabe. The streets are empty, the pavement rutted in places, overcome by the sandy earth in others. Like countless towns along the border, Sasabe feels less like a place where people are born, grow up, live, work, marry and raise children; and more like a way station, a place designed for an itinerant population of migrants and would-be border crossers."
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Norway to 'Ban the Sale of All Fossil Fuel-Based Cars by 2025'
Jess Staufenberg, The Independent
Staufenberg writes: "Norway will ban the sale of all fossil fuel-based cars in the next decade, continuing its trend towards becoming one of the most ecologically progressive countries on the planet, according to reports."
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The first to see our potential

When we started our campaign, we had the support of hundreds of thousands of grassroots supporters beginning to build the movement that we know today. And the first member of Congress who saw the potential of our political revolution was Congressman Raúl Grijalva.

Raúl was the very first member of Congress to endorse our campaign, and he did so proudly. He is a progressive leader in Congress who's not afraid to stand up to the political establishment.

And now, as we enter the final primaries of the campaign, I will be campaigning in California with my friend Raúl Grijalva by my side once more. He is the exact kind of progressive hero we need in Congress, and that's why, with the polls so close, I need to ask you to help us win.

Split a contribution between our campaign and Raúl Grijalva’s re-election, and we will have the resources we need to win in California on Tuesday while supporting a great progressive leader we need in Congress.

When we faced some of the most disingenuous attacks in our primary, it was Raúl who was out in front with the media to defend our campaign. It was Raúl who helped organized young Latinos in states across the country. And it's Raúl's solid progressive vision that we need to continue to have in Congress.

Every single poll in California shows it's going to be extremely close. That's why Raúl is spending the last days before this primary right by my side, earning every vote we can.

We need your help now to win California, and Raúl needs your help to win his re-election to Congress in November.

Split a $25 contribution between Bernie 2016 and Raúl Grijalva's re-election campaign and help us both win.

In solidarity,

Bernie Sanders

 

Paid for by Bernie 2016

PO Box 905 - Burlington VT 05402 United States - (855) 4-BERNIE

We're surging in California. Help push us over the top.

Thanks in no small part to your efforts on the phones last weekend, voter registration numbers in California saw a big surge right before the May 23rd deadline.

We also learned this week that – according to a poll from the Public Policy Institute of California – we're now within striking distance of a victory in California on June 7th.

Our in-state staff and volunteers are working incredibly hard for the win, but they need your help. This is the most critical weekend for us to get on the phones and identify Bernie supporters, so that next week our ground teams know which doors to knock and which voters to persuade. Can you pitch in an hour or two of your time this weekend to help Bernie win California?

If you've never called voters for Bernie before, don't worry – it's not hard. You just need a computer or a tablet, and a phone. We provide a simple script for you to follow, and dedicated volunteers are standing by on livechat to assist if you run into any problems.

Thanks to your support, we've won 21 primaries and caucuses so far this year – a result that no one would have predicted when we launched this campaign just over a year ago. California represents the biggest prize of all, with 475 pledged delegates at stake, and a victory there would send a gigantic signal to the political establishment that our movement has real staying power.

With your help, we'll keep this political revolution going all the way to the convention in Philadelphia. So we hope you can help out this weekend and sign up to call for an hour or two.

In solidarity,

Team Bernie

Paid for by Bernie 2016

PO Box 905 - Burlington VT 05402 United States - (855) 4-BERNIE

Progressive Breakfast: What Does Bernie Want? EARTH ROASTING “Earth’s Temperature Just Shattered the Thermometer” reports Bloomberg

MORNING MESSAGE

Robert Borosage

What Does Bernie Want?

Sanders’ intentions are not a secret. He has stated them clearly from the beginning of his remarkable presidential run. He hopes to win the nomination. And he intends to build a “political revolution” to change the direction of the party and the country, to challenge the corrupted politics and rigged rules that work only for the few and not the vast majority. As movement builder, he has every reason to stay in the race ... He has a responsibility to take his message across the country, to educate and proselytize. As a candidate, he stays in the race because voters keep him in...

CALIFORNIA, HERE WE COME

Clinton and Sanders have heavy California schedules. NYT:“…Clinton will head West for almost four days of fund-raisers and campaign events in Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside, Salinas, San Jose and other parts … ‘You’re going to see me running all over California,’ Mr. Sanders told ABC News …”

“Bernie Sanders supporters sue to have California’s voter registration extended until election day” reports LAT:“At issue is whether voters understand the rules for the presidential primary, which differ from those governing other elections in California.”

NYT explores Bernie’s potential “legacy”:“…if he does try to redirect the energy behind his candidacy into a new liberal organization, the task may not be easy. His campaign has brought together disparate individuals and volunteer groups that might be inclined to go their separate ways after the primary.”

“Bernie World Debates What’s Next” reports Buzzfeed:“Those closest to Sanders insist that the senator himself remains focused on the final contests. The question of what’s next, they say, should and will be his alone to answer, how and when he wants to answer it … Nearly everyone who’s touched the Sanders campaign seems to have an opinion on the matter…”

NYT’s Paul Krugman argues people should remember what worked under Bill Clinton:“One big lesson of the Clinton boom [is] that lavishing tax cuts on the rich is the key to prosperity, and that any rise in top tax rates will bring retribution from the invisible hand — is utterly false … The other big lesson [is] the single most important thing policy can do to help workers is aim for full employment.”

Trump far behind in Ohio organization. WSJ:“Mr. Trump doesn’t have any general-election staff in the state, and senior aides in New York and Washington haven’t made contact with the state Republican Party.”

EARTH ROASTING

“Earth’s Temperature Just Shattered the Thermometer” reports Bloomberg:“The Earth is warming so fast that it’s surprising even the climate scientists who predicted this was coming … it might seem premature to talk about setting a new yearly record after just three months of data, but these months have been such an extreme departure from the norm that Gavin Schmidt, who directs NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, has already made the call.”

“Trump acknowledges climate change — at his golf course” reports Politico:“Donald Trump says he is ‘not a big believer in global warming.’ He has called it ‘a total hoax,’ … [But he] is applying for permission to erect a coastal protection works to prevent erosion at his seaside golf resort … explicitly cit[ing] global warming and its consequences…”

BREAKFAST SIDES

Obama predicts TPP passage at Vietnam presser. The Hill quotes:“The politics of it will be noisy … [But] I’m confident that we’ll get them done this time, as well, although there will be ups and downs and bumps along the way.”

Speaker Paul Ryan letting far right run the floor. Politico:“Last week, conservatives twisted Ryan’s arm into allowing panel hearings on impeaching the IRS commissioner … the mayhem that broke out on the House floor last week is likely just the opening act in a summer of headaches that will follow Ryan’s management overhaul.”

Progressive Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to activists. Progressive Breakfast is a project of the Campaign for America's Future.more »

RSN: We Filed Suit to Prevent Mass Confusion at the California Primary

Reader Supported News | 22 May 16

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Can Anyone Help With a Donation, Please

We are way behind where we should be at this point in the month. Really because only a precious few of you are donating. The rest are not but can.

Now would be a great time.

Marc Ash 
Curator, Reader Supported News

Sure, I'll make a donation!

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FOCUS: Bill Simpich | We Filed Suit to Prevent Mass Confusion at the California Primary

Bill Simpich, Reader Supported News
Simpich writes: "When you see this level of nonsense, you have to do something. I threw up my hands and did something that I could do. I got together with my friends. We filed a voting rights suit in federal court today on behalf of our left-leaning voting rights group for Bernie, the right-leaning American Independence Party of California, an Independent voter for Bernie, and a Democratic voter for Bernie."
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f you are an Independent voter in California, voting is very confusing.

Consider this. Most Californians vote by mail. There’s the rub.

Elections Code 3006 makes it mandatory for any government form that is an application to vote by mail to explain that Independent voters have the right to request a Democratic, American Independent or Libertarian presidential primary ballot – a “crossover ballot.” Sounds good.

But ... not all of these applications provide this mandatory notice. Not even here in the supposedly enlightened Bay Area. Look at all these counties that got it wrong.

You can see we’re not talking about just one or two – such as the websites for the Department of Elections of the City and County of San Francisco and the Registrar of Voters for Alameda County, which are the focus of the suit. We’re talking more like ten or twenty counties.

You also see the voter instructions for Los Angeles County saying things like voter registration closes on April 18 – when the deadline is actually May 23!

Here’s another problem: It’s mandatory for these applications to let Independents know that they have the “legal right” to personally deliver their applications to vote by mail back to their county of board of elections by May 31. This notice often isn’t given either.

Why not? The elections people may not want muddy boots on their nice carpets. Or they may simply want fewer Independents to vote. After all, once people have traipsed downtown to pick up their ballot, and see voting machines sitting there unused, they’ll probably just wind up voting right there!

Many of the Independents (also known as “no party preference,” or NPP) don’t know they can ask for a Democratic ballot and vote for Bernie (or Hillary, for that matter).

It’s so confusing that I changed to Democrat for this election so I’d be sure I could vote for Bernie.

When you see this level of nonsense, you have to do something. I threw up my hands and did something that I could do. I got together with my friends. We filed a voting rights suit in federal court todayon behalf of our left-leaning voting rights group for Bernie, the right-leaning American Independence Party of California, an Independent voter for Bernie, and a Democratic voter for Bernie.

Our Democratic voter plaintiff would like to have the option to be an Independent and vote for Bernie, but she doesn’t want to take the chance given this situation. Some Independents are so nervous that (like me) they are re-registering as Democrats before the Monday registration deadline!

One article about this case, “Clinton’s California Dreaming of Election Stealing,” is not the message I want to send, but it typifies an understandable reaction to a situation that results in serious disenfranchisement. The two major parties toy with the Independent voters of this country. They run the boards of elections and they make up the rules as they please as they go along. The result is that every county is a fiefdom, run by each county election official in a different way. This does not inspire confidence in the integrity of the vote.

I’m not suggesting that crossover voting is the cure to the nation’s ills. Our problems are a lot deeper than that. I understand why many parties ban crossover voting – Rush Limbaugh used to delight in egging on his dittohead fan base to “knock off” the strongest liberal opponents in the opposition primaries.

Why do the Democrats allow crossovers? The Democratic Party apparently believes its own rhetoric and wants to attract Independents back to their party, given that the Republicans can no longer overtly sabotage their primary. Given that the Independents are not being treated with respect, this strategy is not going to work. Reasonable people throughout the political spectrum can agree that it’s wrong to tamper with the right to vote in any way, shape or form.

We list many remedies in the lawsuit – from asking the counties to correct these errors over major media, to pushing back the registration deadlines, to simply making sure the polls don’t run out of crossover ballots. There is an even better remedy. It just requires some thought and some social action.

The quick fix that everybody can do is vote now, either by mail or in person. Don’t wait and find out about problems on the last day. We have early voting in California – not publicized by the major media.

The polling booths in the basement of San Francisco City Hall are empty and silent. They will be jammed, however, on Election Day. Independents can step up and ask for a crossover ballot – but only if they know to ask. The poll workers are trained not to tell them of the option!

Disenfranchisement is a terrible thing. It’s been going on in the South forever. We’re finally getting a look at it in places like Brooklyn, where 126,000 were purged from the rolls shortly before the New York primary. A 14% drop of Democrats in five months? Right before the primary?

Brooklyn is where Bernie grew up. Independents couldn’t vote in the New York primary, but they couldn’t exactly take the vote away from Democrats ... unless they were purged from the rolls.

Purges of adversarial voters are not just done by Karl Rove. They are done by forces of political power, exercised by people who make up the rules and then enforce the rules they made up. If the elections officials aren’t vigilant or allow ambiguous language to creep in or worse, thousands of votes are affected.

Some of this conduct is incompetent. Some of it is criminal. All of it has to stop.

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Bill Simpich is a civil rights attorney who knows that it doesn't have to be like this, but it will continue unless people speak out against these grand juries. My next article will discuss how a new Supreme Court case means that anti-war activists can be subpoenaed by grand juries for nonviolent action - after all, it might free up someone's resources to take violent action.

Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work. Permission to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader Supported News.

 http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/37010-focus-we-filed-suit-to-prevent-mass-confusion-at-the-california-primary