RSN: Bernie Sanders' Quiet Triumph in the 2016 Race

13 July 16 It's Live on the HomePage Now: Reader Supported News WE ARE GETTING DONATIONS, BUT NO MONEY - We are actually getting a fair number of donations. But the amounts are quite small. As a result the progress bar is not moving much. At 30K readers daily and only 30 donations, obviously we have a lot of people not donating yet. Your assistance would be greatly appreciated. / Marc Ash, Curator Reader Supported News FOCUS: Bernie Sanders' Quiet Triumph in the 2016 Race Tim Dickinson, Rolling Stone Dickinson writes: "Sanders didn't win the nomination, but he won the argument, shaping key Clinton policies and the future of the party." READ MORE Become a Fan of RSN on Facebook and Twitter

CLG: U.S. to Send 560 More Troops to Iraq, The countdown is on: Bridgegate trial set for September, Sanders's anti-TPP stance shot down by Democrats' platform committee

 News Updates from CLG
12 July 2016

http://www.legitgov.org/
All links are here:http://www.legitgov.org/#breaking_news

 

Previous edition: Two snipers dressed in military garb shoot 11 police officers 'from elevated positions' in Dallas

 

U.S. to Send 560 More Troops to Iraq | 11 July 2016 | The U.S. will send an additional 560 troops to Iraq as Iraqi forces eye a shift toward Mosul, the Islamic State extremist group's last significant holding in the country, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said in Baghdad on Monday. The U.S. decision to add troops follows Iraqi forces' retaking of the Qayara air base, about 50 miles south of Mosul. U.S. and Iraqi forces see the site as an important staging ground for an offensive on Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, which remains under Islamic State control.

 

Chilcot report: Tony Blair could be sued for 'every penny' by families of soldiers killed in Iraq War | 08 July 2016 | The families of soldiers killed in Iraq have vowed to sue Tony Blair for "every penny". The former prime minister could face a civil lawsuit over allegations the abused his power to take the country to war following the publication of the Chilcot report on Wednesday. Sir John Chilcot concluded that Mr Blair had overstated the case for military action in March 2003 as there was "no imminent threat" posed by Saddam Hussein and it was not the "last resort". He also said the planning for the post-war clean up was "inadequate" and said there was not strong enough evidence to suggest Hussein had weapons of mass destruction (WMDs).

 

"Murdering the innocent is always evil..." Says George W. Bush | 8 July 2016 | Former President George W. Bush on Friday said his family is deeply saddened by the sniper attack in Dallas. "Laura and I are heartbroken by the heinous act of violence in our city last night," he said in a statement from Crawford, Texas. "Murdering the innocent is always evil, never more so than when the lives taken belong to those who protect our families and communities." Never in the history of the human race has any statement been more ironic.

 

Israel's Attorney General Probes Suspicions Surrounding PM Netanyahu | 11 July 2016 | Israel's attorney general says he is looking into suspicions surrounding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which are reportedly related to his personal fin-nces. Israel's Justice Ministry did not disclose the suspicions against Netanyahu in a statement late Sunday. But Israeli media have reported that they are linked to an alleged transfer of m-ney to Netanyahu or one of his family members. Police have recommended that Netanyahu's wife Sara be indicted for inflated household spending and misuse of state funds.

 

Theresa May to be Prime Minister by Wednesday evening as David Cameron quits | 11 July 2016 | Theresa May is to be confirmed as the new Prime Minister by Wednesday evening, says David Cameron - after Andrea Leadsom dramatically quit the Tory leadership race. The 22-strong Conservative Party board is in urgent talks over handing the Number 10 keys to the last woman standing - and it is a question of when, not if. Third-placed Michael Gove said he would not contest Mrs May - and 1922 Committee chairman Graham Brady said there was no chance 'whatsoever' of reopening the race. Labour and the Lib Dems called for an early general election after Andrea Leadsom's dropout speech, which you can read in full here.

 

Inmate Disarms Officer, Fatally Shoots 2 Bailiffs at Michigan Courthouse | 11 July 2016 | An inmate took an officer's gun and shot four people, including two fatally, while he was being moved from a holding cell inside the Berrien County Courthouse in St. Joseph, Michigan, today, officials said. The inmate first shot a county sheriff's deputy, then fatally shot two bailiffs, Berrien County Sheriff Paul Bailey said. The inmate then shot a civilian in the arm before he was taken down by a bailiff along with several other officers, Bailey said. The suspect was shot dead by officers, Bailey said.

 

Police use of killer robot to execute Dallas shooting suspect believed to be first in US history --Police's lethal use of bomb-disposal robot in Thursday's ambush worries legal experts who say it creates gray area in use of deadly force by law enforcement | 08 July 2016 | For what experts are calling the first time in history, US police have used a robot in a show of lethal force. Early Friday morning, Dallas police used a bomb-disposal robot with an explosive device on its manipulator arm to kill a suspect after five police officers were murdered and seven others wounded. This is not the first time a robot designed with other functions in mind has been used as a weapon, but this kind of repurposing has until now been limited to the military.

 

Hundreds arrested in protests over shootings by police | 10 July 2016 | After another night of intense, and sometimes violent, protests against the police shootings of black men, hundreds of demonstrators were either in jail or waiting to get out Sunday. At least 261 people were arrested in New York and Chicago and in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where two black men were shot to death by police. The killings have sparked several days of protests.

 

FBI warning of a cop-killing 'purge' in Louisiana raises tensions during Baton Rouge protest as thousands demonstrate across U.S. for a FIFTH night after shooting deaths of two black men at the hands of police --Protests raged on across the country, in New York, San Francisco, Denver, Florida, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia | 10 July 2016 | ...Officers were on high alert after the FBI noticed social media posts warning of a 'Baton Rouge Purge' throughout Saturday night. According to the rumors, there was just one rule to the violence: 'Kill every police.' Fireworks and rocks were thrown at police in St Paul, Minnesota - where Philando Castile was killed by police - as protests turned violent there. Three cops were injured. There were more protests across the country, with demonstrations against police brutality in New York, San Francisco, Denver, Florida, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City and Rhode Island.

 

Dallas police headquarters cordoned off after threat | 10 July 2016 | Dallas police headquarters and surrounding blocks were cordoned off and SWAT teams were deployed on Saturday after authorities received an anonymous threat against officers across the city, but a search for a "suspicious person" turned up no one, officials said. The incident occurred as the city remained tense following Thursday night's fatal shootings of five Dallas police officers by a former U.S. Army reservist. Police asked news organizations to stop airing live video from the area as they carried out the search.

 

Protests over shootings block roads in U.S. cities, arrests made | 10 July 2016 | Protests against the shootings of two black men by police officers shut down main arteries in a number of U.S. cities on Saturday, leading to numerous arrests, scuffles and injuries in confrontations between police and demonstrators. Undeterred by heightened concerns about safety at protests after a lone gunman killed five police officers in Dallas Thursday night, organizers went ahead with marches in the biggest metropolis, New York City, and Washington D.C., the nation's capital, among other cities.

 

Made Man in a Blue Vest: DeRay McKesson Is Debutante at Aspen One-Percenters Coming Out Party | 06 July 2016 | DeRay McKesson, a Teach For America Trojan horse who inserted himself into the Black Lives Matter Movement was one of the panelists at the Aspen Institute's annual "ideas festival," a social event where one-percenters showcase their current crop of "thought leaders." For the dude in the blue vest it was a kind of debutante ball, one of the official coming out parties that mark him as one of corporate America's made men.

 

Alton Sterling shooting protests resume in Baton Rouge | 09 July 2016 | Protests resumed in Baton Rouge on Saturday, four days after Alton Sterling was fatally shot by two police officers outside a convenience store. Members of the New Black Panther Party held a press conference to announce the resumption of demonstrations to protest the shooting, which was caught on video by witnesses with cellphone cameras...Protests in Baton Rouge have been largely peaceful although 31 people were arrested Friday night and early Saturday during a protest outside Baton Rouge police headquarters, Louisiana State Police said.

 

Thousands of Protesters Gather in US Cities After Dallas Shooting | 08 July 2016 | Thousands of protesters took to the streets throughout the country Friday for a second night in the wake of two controversial fatal police shootings that have sparked outrage around the country. They also came a night after five officers were killed and another seven injured in an ambush-style shooting in Dallas during a protest there. Gatherings took place in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Houston, Nashville, Phoenix, New York, and Washington D.C., among other cities, and were described as "peaceful" by participants and observers. In Atlanta, protesters blocked a major highway that runs through the city, creating traffic delays.

 

Police on alert nationwide: NYPD chief bans officers from being alone as cops in Washington, Boston and more are told to partner up in wake of Dallas shooting --NYPD chief James O'Neill said cops must work in pairs until further notice --Washington D.C.'s chief also ordered officers and supervisors to pair up --Cincinnati police will be using two-officer patrols throughout the weekend --In St Louis, chief Sam Dotson ordered all officers to wear bulletproof vests | 08 July 2016 | Police officers are on alert across the country in the wake of deadly sniper attacks in Dallas on Thursday night that left five cops dead. Police chiefs in New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, Las Vegas, St. Louis, and Nassau County have ordered officers to partner up for assignments. The NYPD's chief of department James O'Neill said until further notice, officers are banned officers from responding to calls alone.

 

Dallas police chief: Shooter had larger plans | 10 July 2016 | The gunman who killed five police officers in Dallas was plotting larger attacks, Dallas Police Chief David Brown said Sunday. "We're convinced that this suspect had other plans and thought that what he was doing was righteous and believed that he was going to target law enforcement -- make us pay for what he sees as law enforcement's efforts to punish people of color," Brown said in an interview on CNN's "State of the Union." Brown said police found bomb-making materials and a journal at the shooter's home that suggested he'd been practicing detonations and appeared ready to take aim at larger targets.

 

Afghanistan Army veteran Micah Xavier Johnson shot 12 cops at Dallas protest, killing five, saying 'he wanted to kill white people, especially white officers' --Police killed him using a bomb placed by a robot after a four-hour standoff near the Black Lives Matter protest | 08 July 2016 | The man who shot 12 police officers, killing five, at a Black Lives Matter protest in downtown Dallas on Thursday night has been named as Micah Xavier Johnson, a 25-year-old Army reservist with no criminal history or ties to terror groups. Johnson, from Mesquite, Texas, a 20 minute drive from Dallas, reportedly told law enforcement that he was a veteran, and claimed to have acted alone, countering reports that as many as four gunmen were involved in the massacre. 'The suspect said...he was upset about the recent police shootings of black suspects. He said he was upset at white people. The suspect stated he wanted to kill white people, especially white officers,' Dallas Police Chief David Brown revealed at a 7:30am press conference. Around 11pm on Thursday, cops cornered Johnson at El Centro College and attempted to negotiate, but four hours later the talks failed and a robot was brought in to detonate a bomb and kill the suspect.

 

Bomb-making materials, rifles, ammunition found in shooter's home | 08 July 2016 | Investigators identified the dead suspect [in the Dallas police shootings] as 25-year-old Micah Xavier Johnson of Mesquite, Texas, a military veteran who'd served in Afghanistan. Police said they searched his home Friday afternoon and found bomb-making materials, ballistic vests, rifles, ammunition and a personal journal of combat tactics. Investigators are analyzing information in the journal, a police statement said. Johnson served in the U.S. Army Reserve from March 2009 to April 2015, training as a carpentry and masonry specialist, according to records released by the Pentagon.

 

St. Louis County Police Chief: Ballwin Officer 'Was Ambushed. Period.' | 08 July 2016 | A Ballwin, Missouri, police officer is "fighting for his life," according to the chief of police, after he was shot during a traffic stop Friday morning. Ballwin Police Chief Kevin Scott, St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar and St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger addressed the media during a news conference at Ballwin police headquarters Friday afternoon. The incident began with a traffic stop in the 300 block of New Ballwin Road, when the officer pulled over a vehicle for speeding.

 

The countdown is on: Bridgegate trial set for September | 11 July 2016 | The countdown has begun. With last Thursday's ruling halting the Bridgegate defendants' search for cell phones and computers used by Gov. Chris Christie and his staff in the early months of the scandal, the path is now cleared for the trial of two former associates of the governor -- former Port Authority executive William Baroni and Bridget Anne Kelly, the governor's one-time deputy chief of staff. The two are accused of plotting deliberate lane closures at the George Washington Bridge on the first day of school in September 2013 in what has been described as an act of political retribution. U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton put the case on schedule for a trial date of Sept. 12.

 

No water guns, bike locks, gas masks, grappling hooks, tennis balls or pieces of string longer than 6 feet: what the city of Cleveland says you CAN'T bring to the Republican National Convention | 11 July 2016 | With protests raging nationwide and a controversial candidate set to seize his party's nomination in Donald Trump, the city of Cleveland has prohibited a long list of items from the area around the GOP convention – with an outright ban on gas masks and a strict limit on the allowable length of string. Under regulations released by the city, 'rope, chain, cable, strapping, wire, string, line, tape, or any similar material' in lengths greater than 6 feet are strictly prohibited within all public access areas in the zone surrounding the convention. The city rules cover an event zone that includes downtown and the Quicken Loans Arena.

 

Bernie Sanders to Endorse Hillary Clinton, Despite Democratic Platform Rejection of Anti-TPP Stance --Clinton, Sanders to hold joint event Tuesday, endorsement expected | 11 July 2016 | More than a month after the end of the last round of state primaries, it appears the Democratic presidential race between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders is officially set to conclude. The Sanders campaign released a statement Monday morning confirming what had been widely expected for days: The Vermont senator will join Clinton at a rally in Portsmouth, N.H., on Tuesday where he's expected to endorse her. The statement says the two will "discuss their commitment to building an America that is stronger together and an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top." [And yet: Obama's corporate takeover aka the TPP remains as an element of the DemocRATic platform. *Useless is as useless does.* --LRP]

 

Sanders's anti-TPP stance shot down by Democrats' platform committee | 09 July 2016 | A trade deal fight led by U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on Saturday failed to fully materialize as rival and presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton announced a compromise to expand mandatory healthcare funding over the next decade. At a meeting of the Democratic Party draft platform committee in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday, supporters of Sanders were unable to influence the committee [of corporatist dirt-bags] to adopt strong language opposing the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact corporate takeover, marking a powerful blow to the efforts by the U.S. senator from Vermont to push the party further to the left. Sanders has headed the effort on the U.S. left to oppose the TPP and trade deals like it, which he says are unfair to American workers.

 

EMSA reports 9 passengers on diverted Delta flight show symptoms of illness | 10 July 2016 | A Delta Airlines flight stopped at Tulsa International Airport on Saturday afternoon for elevated levels of carbon monoxide affecting nine passengers during their flight, officials said. Delta Airlines' website indicates Flight 1817, an MD-90 aircraft set to arrive in Denver from Atlanta, was diverted to Tulsa at 3:10 p.m. A Tulsa police dispatcher said authorities received a call about 3 p.m. indicating the passengers had all become sick at the same time. [Emergency Medical Services Agency - EMSA]

 

Disabled cancer patient slammed to the ground by TSA guards, lawsuit claims | 02 July 2016 | A disabled teenage cancer patient was injured during a violent arrest by security agents at Memphis international airport, her family has alleged in a lawsuit filed against the Transport Security Administration. Hannah Cohen, 18, at the time of her arrest on 30 June 2015, and her mother had been on their way home to Chattanooga from St Jude's hospital in Memphis, where Hannah underwent her final treatment for a brain tumor...The brain tumor had left Hannah blind in one eye, deaf in one ear and partially paralyzed, so when the guards grabbed each of her arms, it startled her, she said...The guards slammed Hannah to the ground, her mother said, smashing her face into the floor, which the complaint alleges left her "physically and emotionally" injured.

 

30-Acre Brush Fire Burning Off 101 Freeway in Thousand Oaks | 11 July 2016 | (CA) Ventura County firefighters are battling a brush fire that is burning in Thousand Oaks off the 101 Freeway Monday afternoon, officials said. The blaze broke out off the heavily traveled freeway near Rancho Road, Ventura County Fire Department Capt. Mike Lindbery tweeted shortly before 11:45 a.m. The fire had scorched an estimated 30 acres, Lindbery said shortly after noon.

 

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Healthcare-NOW!: DNC Votes Down Single Payer… Again

Healthcare-NOW!

DNC Votes Down Single Payer… Again

“If this is controversial in this room, it is the only room of Democrats in which it is controversial.” Michael Lighty of National Nurses United said this to the Democratic Platform Committee on July 9, 2016, before it voted down his proposed amendment to include single-payer healthcare in the Party Platform, by a vote of 66-to-92. Single payer is supported by 81% of Democrats and 58% of U.S. residents.

The vote followed testimony from Ce Cole Dillon, a Clinton delegate who testified “If not having healthcare is bad, in communities of color for women it is a tragedy. Black women predominantly live in the old states of the Confederacy, who all opted out of the ACA. We need healthcare!” The vote followed testimony from Cornel West, who asked “how do we elevate rights as opposed to privileges?” From Dr. Pam Gronemeyer, who pleaded that “it’s time the Democratic Party also became the party of humanity.”

Single payer was one of the only issues the Clinton campaign refused to develop compromise language on, and you can see Clinton’s whips in the background giving the thumbs-down instruction to their delegates during the vote:

You can see the full vote and all of the testimony for and against the amendment here:





Earlier that same day Clinton and Bernie Sanders agreed upon a joint healthcare statement, which was published in the media and made no mention of single-payer healthcare. The statement is essentially Clinton’s previous healthcare platform, focused on bringing back the “public option,” plus a commitment to expand funding for community health centers, a long-standing priority of Sanders’s.

RSN: The Most Progressive Democratic Party Platform Ever?

10 July 16

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Please do not ignore the fundraising appeals until the situation reaches critical mass.

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FOCUS: Scott Galindez | The Most Progressive Democratic Party Platform Ever?

Scott Galindez, Reader Supported News

Galindez writes: "If Bernie Sanders hadn't received 13 million votes and won 45% of the pledged delegates, the Democratic Party platform would not be as progressive as it is. That being said, I don't think the platform goes far enough on health care, trade, or the environment."

READ MORE

f Bernie Sanders hadn’t received 13 million votes and won 45% of the pledged delegates, the Democratic Party platform would not be as progressive as it is. That being said, I don’t think the platform goes far enough on health care, trade, or the environment.

Do Democrats want universal health care? I can’t tell. Do Democrats oppose the TPP? They refuse to come out and say it.

On Saturday during a conference call with the media, Senator Sanders praised the progress made on health care: “The goal of health care reform in America should be to do what every other major country on earth does, and that is to guarantee health care for all as a right. The proposal brought forth today by Secretary Clinton, working with our campaign, is an important step forward in expanding health care in America – and expanding health insurance and health care access to tens of millions of Americans.

However, one of the senator’s staunchest supporters, National Nurses United, signaled that they didn’t think it went far enough. Chuck Idelson, the communications director for Nurses United, told RSN, “Too many Americans continue to suffer lack of access and denial of needed care. Nurses will never stop fighting for full transformation of our broken health care system that can only be achieved with real guaranteed care through an expanded and improved Medicare for all/single payer system.” Union President RoseAnn DeMoro tweeted, “Today the #DemPlatform denied us healthcare & outsourced our jobs. #SeeYouInPhilly.”

The Clinton proposal will increase funding to community health centers, a move that Sanders described as an important step forward in granting access to primary care physicians.

“This proposal, in a very significant way, addresses the crisis we now face in primary health care – the understanding that many millions of Americans today are unable to access a doctor, dental care, mental health counseling or low-cost prescription drugs,” Sanders said. “As part of this proposal, Secretary Clinton is committed to doubling the funding for primary care services at community health centers over the next decade. In doing so, we will dramatically expand access to millions more people.”

The proposal also called for a public option in all 50 states and expanding Medicare to people age 55 and older. If you remember, both of these proposals were defeated during the original fight for Obamacare. They are significant steps forward, but this is the platform, not legislation. We need to ask for what we really want, not just steps forward. Steps forward come after negotiations, not as our initial proposal. If Hillary Clinton and the Democrats really want universal health care they should say it, clearly.

It’s the same on trade. The Democratic Platform committee voted down an amendment from Ben Jealous to add the words “That is why we oppose the TPP.” An amendment came to the floor from labor that set standards for trade deals that they themselves said the TPP could not meet. Labor leader after labor leader took to the floor and shouted how they opposed the TPP – but they still opposed the Jealous amendment.

“The majority of Democrats, like the majority of Americans, are against the TPP,” said Jealous. “Hillary is against the TPP. Bernie is against the TPP. Let’s not be bureaucrats – let’s be leaders.”

We all know why they opposed directly saying they opposed the TPP. They were leaving President Obama and Hillary Clinton wiggle room. Remember Bill Clinton campaigning against NAFTA but then signing it after cosmetic changes? I am actually stunned that organized labor led the fight against adding “that is why we oppose the TPP” to the Democratic Party Platform.

Following that battle there was another effort to express the party’s position on a vote on the TPP in Congress. Jim Hightower brought the amendment and argued passionately for it. It was also defeated.

Another shameful vote was one against an amendment to strike saber rattling language when it comes to Iran. The amendment would have removed wording that stated that we would not hesitate to use force to enforce the nuclear agreement with Iran. We should always hesitate before using force. Progress was made on the platform concerning Palestine, but the party’s refusal to call the occupation illegal was again a mistake.

So now it’s time for Clinton supporters who are probably ready to burn me at the stake to calm down. My critiques were based on my positions on the issues. I support single payer, oppose the TPP, and oppose saber rattling just to appear to be strong on the military. There were other votes I disagreed with, but those were the ones that stuck out to me. I long for the day the Democratic Party represents what we believe and doesn’t pass its platform based on politics.

I applaud the efforts made by Senator Sanders and all those who fought for what is the most progressive platform in US history. When I started to write this article I expected to conclude that the platform was too weak. I thought the language on the environment to be too weak, but I will trust Josh Fox, Bill McKibben, and the other Sanders delegates who negotiated the language that passed. I would have liked the simple words “We oppose fracking,” but we moved much closer to that language.

While the plan does not ban fracking nationally as Sanders has called for, it will significantly limit fracking by forcing companies to disclose the chemicals they pump into the ground by eliminating the Halliburton Loophole. It also protects the right of states and localities to ban fracking.

“I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished tonight. This is the most aggressive plan to combat climate change in the history of the Democratic Party. As a result of this plan natural gas is no longer regarded as a bridge to the future. The future of America’s energy system now clearly belongs to sun and wind power. But we are not finished. We have got to follow through on the promise of this agreement, to put people before the profits of polluters and solve the global crisis of climate change before it’s too late,” Warren Gunnels, Sanders’ policy director said.

There were other victories. The platform supports a $15 minimum wage. The platform calls for removing marijuana from the list of schedule one narcotics.

“We have made enormous strides,” Sanders said. “Thanks to the millions of people across the country who got involved in the political process – many for the first time – we now have the most progressive platform in the history of the Democratic Party.”

I believe that in the end the voice of our movement was heard and the platform reflects many of our goals. It is a step forward, progress that we should celebrate. The struggle for a truly progressive platform continues, and we have to keep organizing to move our nation forward. A truly progressive Democratic Party is in reach if we stay engaged and continue to fight. The fight moves to Philly in two weeks. I do not know if the TPP, single payer health care and other issues we fell short on in Orlando will be reopened or not. We are still waiting for reforms in the nominating process. That happens in another committee.

“While we have made great progress in the Democratic platform advancing the issues that have inspired millions of Americans in this campaign, the fight is just beginning,” Sanders said.

“If we are going to transform America and create a government which works for all and not just the 1 percent we need to elect candidates who will fight for these principles. We need to elect a Democratic Congress and president and make certain that the language in the Democratic platform is translated into law. We must ensure that progress for working families in America does not end on the pages of the Democratic platform but becomes reality.”

We have a way to go, but if we give up now we can guarantee that the Democratic Party will go back to business as usual. Together, if we continue the struggle, we can build a new Democratic Party.

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Scott Galindez attended Syracuse University, where he first became politically active. The writings of El Salvador's slain archbishop Oscar Romero and the on-campus South Africa divestment movement converted him from a Reagan supporter to an activist for Peace and Justice. Over the years he has been influenced by the likes of Philip Berrigan, William Thomas, Mitch Snyder, Don White, Lisa Fithian, and Paul Wellstone. Scott met Marc Ash while organizing counterinaugural events after George W. Bush's first stolen election. Scott will be spending a year covering the presidential election from Iowa.

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/opinion2/277-75/37929-focus-the-most-progressive-democratic-party-platform-ever

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RSN: Democrats Must Fight to Defeat the Trans-Pacific Partnership, Monsanto and DuPont Announce New Weed Killer for GMO Crops, Iraq War Created Islamic State Group: Chilcot Report

09 July 16 PM

It's Live on the HomePage Now:
Reader Supported News

DONATIONS (BERNIE SANDERS & RSN) - I still donate at least $5 a month to Bernie Sanders and $20 to RSN. If I can still do this while not working on Summer Break, I think others could step up as well. / Jeff, RSN Reader-Supporter

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Bernie Sanders | Democrats Must Fight to Defeat the Trans-Pacific Partnership

Bernie Sanders, Reader Supported News
Sanders writes: "The Democratic National Committee is meeting this weekend in Orlando to mark up a platform laying out the views and aspirations of the party. Up to this point, we have made good progress in helping to create the most progressive Democratic Party platform ever. But more needs to be done."
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As Live-Streaming of Violent Events Becomes More Common, How Are Social Media Companies Handling It?
Lauren C. Williams, ThinkProgress
Williams writes: "The aftermath of the police shooting of Philando Castile, 32, was broadcast to the world when his girlfriend Diamond Reynolds used Facebook Live to document the traffic stop turned fatal in St. Paul, Minnesota. Castile's death is the latest of a string of police-involved shootings of African Americans, but it's also part of a growing trend: live-streaming violent events. And social media companies are now being scrutinized for how they handle them."
READ MORE

And who believes anything Shillary says?

Clinton Formally Backs Public Option in Bid for Sanders Supporters
Harper Neidig, The Hill
Neidig writes: "Hillary Clinton formally adopted a more progressive stance on health care in a proposal released Saturday, as part of an effort to appease Bernie Sanders and his supporters."
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Hillary Clinton. (photo: Andrew Kelly/Reuters)

illary Clinton formally adopted a more progressive stance on health care in a proposal released Saturday, as part of an effort to appease Bernie Sanders and his supporters.

The plan includes a so-called “public option” within ObamaCare, an allowance for people to enroll in Medicare at age 55, and increasing funding for community-based health centers by $40 billion over the next ten years.

Clinton emphasized her goal of eventually providing universal health care.

"We have more work to do to finish our long fight to provide universal, quality, affordable health care to everyone in America," she said in a statement.

"Already, the Affordable Care Act has expanded coverage to 20 million Americans. As president, I will make sure Republicans never succeed in their attempts to strip away their care and that the remaining uninsured should be able to get the affordable coverage they need to stay healthy."

In a press call with reporters Saturday timed to coincide with the plan's release, Sanders applauded the move, calling it an "important step forward."

"I congratulate Secretary Clinton for this extraordinary initiative," he said. "It will save lives, it will ease suffering and it will improve healthcare in America and it will cut healthcare costs."

Sanders is expected to end his presidential campaign and endorse Clinton next week. He refused to concede after Clinton became the presumptive Democratic nominee last month, insisting he would keep his fight up through the Democratic National Convention in late July.

Clinton has made policy moves toward Sanders's positions in recent days, and Sanders has praised the moves, in an apparent prelude to an endorsement.

On Wednesday, Clinton released an education proposal that would eliminate public, in-state college tuition for most families — a significant move toward Sanders, who has called for making all public colleges and universities tuition free.

Clinton signaled her willingness to lower the Medicare age during the campaign before, saying in May that she would support allowing people who are "55 or 50" buy in to the program.

She also cosponsored legislation as a senator in 2001 that would have set the age at 55.

http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/37916-clinton-formally-backs-public-option-in-bid-for-sanders-supporters

Doctors Indicted for Role in $122 Million Medicaid Fraud Scheme Face Prison
Gus Burns, MLive
Burns writes: "Four of six Michigan doctors indicted on health care fraud charges in 2015 are likely to spend years in federal prison after being linked to a massive Medicaid and Medicare scheme."
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Class Is in Session: Millennials Now Overwhelmingly Identify as Working Class
Dustin Guastella, Jacobin
Guastella writes: "Bernie Sanders's deep support among millennials was a surprise for many political analysts. Some have tried to write off the support as youthful exuberance, ignorance, angsty white-male privilege, a profound shared hatred for Clinton, or some combination of these elements."
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Iraq War Created Islamic State Group: Chilcot Report
teleSUR
Excerpt: "The U.S. invasion of Iraq created the material and psychological conditions on the ground that ultimately led to the Islamic State group, according to the Chilcot intelligence report released Wednesday."
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Monsanto and DuPont Announce New Weed Killer for GMO Crops
Lorraine Chow, EcoWatch
Chow writes: "One of the biggest concerns about the cultivation of genetically modified crops is the rise of superweeds caused by the overuse of glyphosate, the main ingredient in Monsanto's best-selling Roundup and other pesticides."
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