June 6, 2016


News and Views


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/california-clinton-goes-all-in-sanders-treats-giant-state-like-iowa/

Clinton and Sanders barnstorm across California
By EMILY SCHULTHEIS CBS NEWS
June 6, 2016, 6:00 AM

Play VIDEO -- Clinton wins endorsement of California governor
Play VIDEO -- CBS News Battleground Tracker Poll: Sanders and Clinton neck-and-neck in California
Play VIDEO -- Silicon Valley voters explain why they like Bernie Sanders


SACRAMENTO Hillary Clinton came here to California's capital city two days before primary day and urged 1,500 supporters in a community college gymnasium to mail in their ballots or make sure to get to the polls.

"I want to finish strong here in California," she said. "It means a lot to me."

The Clintons have gone all-in on California.

With polls tight and a formal victory in delegates within reach, both Hillary and Bill Clinton have spent the final five days barnstorming the Golden State from Redding in the north to the Mexican border in the south. Sanders, meanwhile, has camped out in the state for almost the last month, approaching the massive state with an almost Iowa-like focus.

With the additional time and events in the state, Clinton is hoping to ensure a win on Tuesday night as a final step toward securing the nomination. Though a Sanders victory here wouldn't change the fact that Clinton is expected to mathematically clinch the nomination Tuesday night, it has symbolic value for the Vermont senator and would add fuel to the fire for his supporters who believe Sanders has been treated unfairly and should continue his campaign through the Democratic convention in July.

And things are certainly close: A CBS News Battleground Tracker poll released Sunday found Clinton leading Sanders by just two points, 49 percent to 47 percent. Other polling in the race, including from the California-based Field Poll, have found similarly close margins in the final lead-up to primary day.

Months ago, it looked like California would hardly be a contest: polls earlier this year mostly gave Clinton a double-digit lead over Sanders here. But the Sanders campaign made it clear the state would be his last stand, and that a victory here would send a message about his continued presence in the race--something Clinton's team is hoping to avoid.

At a rally in Fairfield, Calif., on Friday, Sanders pointed out the Clinton campaign's late added focus on California in these final days, saying she is getting "very, very nervous."

"She and Bill were in New Jersey and they had some events there and they had to cancel events and get on a plane and go all the way across the country," he said. "And the reason they came early to California is they know something that you know and I know--that if there is large voter turnout on Tuesday, we are going to win California, and we are going to win it big."

As Sanders noted, Clinton had indeed canceled a day's worth of events in New Jersey in the week before primary day, coming to California last Thursday and keeping up a packed schedule of events since then. She'll continue that on Monday, with stops across southern California and a primary get-out-the-vote concert in Los Angeles.

Bill Clinton, too, has kept a busier-than-usual schedule and spent those same five days campaigning across the state. He made it as far north as Redding, a three hours' drive from San Francisco and an infrequent stop on the Democratic campaign trail; on Monday, he has five get-out-the-vote rallies scheduled around the San Francisco Bay Area.

And pulling on the Clintons' long-standing ties in the state, the campaign has had dozens of high-profile surrogates hitting the trail in the final stretch to blanket the state. Those include big-name California politicians like Sen. Dianne Feinstein, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom; local activists and elected officials; and Hollywood names like Jamie Lee Curtis, Michelle Trachtenberg and Star Jones.

"They've got a surrogate bench here that dwarfs anything the Sanders campaign has," said California Democratic strategist Brian Brokaw. "Up and down the state, you've got mayors and members of Congress and community activists--and there is a value to that."

The final days of intense campaigning come as the San Francisco Chronicle chastised Clinton for putting too little time and energy into the state's primary, opting to endorse no one in the Democratic primary.

"Clinton's California appearances have been limited to rallies, photo opportunities, perfunctory interviews and fundraisers, fundraisers and more fundraisers," wrote John Diaz, the paper's editorial page editor. "...The nation's most populous state deserves better. It has received more, much more, from Sanders."

The Vermont senator has camped out in the state for weeks, making it his sole focus in the home stretch of primary season. While both Clintons have stopped in other June 7 states in recent weeks, the last time Sanders left California was for events in New Mexico on May 20 and 21. Otherwise, he has been campaigning daily in California, spending half of May here and all of June thus far.

The Sanders campaign released an astonishing number this weekend -- more than 250,000 people have attended one of his rallies in California as of Sunday. Many are in big population centers, like Los Angeles or Oakland; others, though, have been in places that almost never see a national candidate. One such example is Spreckels, Calif., a town of 700, where Sanders held a fracking press conference recently.

"A core motivation for his travel schedule and where he goes is, he's trying to shine the light on as many people as he can who've been left behind by the rigged economy...places like Stockton and Vallejo that have gone through some tough times, places where a lot of candidates don't always go," said Ben Tulchin, Sanders' California-based pollster.

In addition to regular campaign events, Sanders attended Game 7 of the NBA semi-finals in Oakland last week, where the Golden State Warriors earned themselves a place in the finals. (Since then, the senator has sported a bright-yellow Warriors hat at campaign events around the state.)

"He's almost running an Iowa-style campaign in the largest state in the country," Brokaw said. "So whether that actually translates into votes, that's--definitely a gamble, but I'm also not sure what other approach he really could have taken."

Democratic operatives in the state say the race is still likely Clinton's to lose, in part because her campaign has likely gotten a head start with the voters who have already mailed in their ballots. Two-thirds of Californians are expected to vote by mail.

Further complicating things for Sanders are California's strange rules for how nonpartisan or "no party preference" voters can cast a vote in the Democratic primary: more than 2.2 million of them are eligible to vote in the contest between Clinton and Sanders, but nonpartisan voters must specifically request a Democratic ballot.

Sanders, however, is hoping the influx of 1.5 million new people on the California voting rolls this year--including young people, who have trended toward Sanders throughout the primary season--will give him the kind of turnout surge he'd need to put him over the top.

"We will, I guess, see if this retail-style politicking can work in a state of 38 million people," Brokaw said.

CBS News Digital Journalists Hannah Fraser-Chanpong and Kylie Atwood contributed to this story.


“Further complicating things for Sanders are California's strange rules for how nonpartisan or "no party preference" voters can cast a vote in the Democratic primary: more than 2.2 million of them are eligible to vote in the contest between Clinton and Sanders, but nonpartisan voters must specifically request a Democratic ballot. …. it has symbolic value for the Vermont senator and would add fuel to the fire for his supporters who believe Sanders has been treated unfairly and should continue his campaign through the Democratic convention in July. …. "A core motivation for his travel schedule and where he goes is, he's trying to shine the light on as many people as he can who've been left behind by the rigged economy...places like Stockton and Vallejo that have gone through some tough times, places where a lot of candidates don't always go," said Ben Tulchin, Sanders' California-based pollster. …. Sanders, however, is hoping the influx of 1.5 million new people on the California voting rolls this year--including young people, who have trended toward Sanders throughout the primary season--will give him the kind of turnout surge he'd need to put him over the top. "We will, I guess, see if this retail-style politicking can work in a state of 38 million people," Brokaw said. …. "He's almost running an Iowa-style campaign in the largest state in the country," Brokaw said. "So whether that actually translates into votes, that's--definitely a gamble, but I'm also not sure what other approach he really could have taken."


“The final days of intense campaigning come as the San Francisco Chronicle chastised Clinton for putting too little time and energy into the state's primary, opting to endorse no one in the Democratic primary.” Brokaw calls Sanders indefatigable barnstorming technique “retail-style politicking,” which sounds to me like a put-down. It is, however, just good generalship, and it is quite likely to prove a winning game against the top down and heavy handed ploys now coming from the DNC.

Undemocratic dealings won’t win them friends within the Progressive leaning groups, who happen to be loyal, long time party members. I personally feel that we are being railroaded, and I don’t condone such actions within my honest and hopefully fair minded Democratic party. Republicans care about money and more money, and good Democrats care about fair elections, the economic divide and “the little guy.”

A specific and pointed example of such goings on comes from the Sanders email of June 4: “So when a Democratic National Committee vice chair, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, was disinvited from our first debate after calling for more of them, people took notice. And when Tulsi quit her post at the DNC to endorse our campaign, it sent shockwaves through the political establishment.” It’s all too much like the time when the hungry young boy Oliver Twist asked for more porridge. What such reactions from the party bigwigs are doing is solidifying the support for Bernie Sanders and his Movement.

Grassroots campaigning should never be pooh-poohed, when the paid campaign ads (I get a Hillary ad at the top of the page every time I go to the CBS news site) simply aren’t as convincing to people. We of the 90% income level are increasingly seeing the willful failure by the DNC to stand up for its’ time honored socially oriented stances as a compelling reason to pull out of the party after this election. There is a suggestion on the Net to write Bernie’s name in as President on the ballot in November. What the DNC fails to understand is that a very sizable and politically active segment of the Democrats and Independents just don’t want Hillary. She seems to me to be terribly similar to yesterday’s toast which has grown tasteless and stale from being left out in the 80% humidity summer air overnight. No crunch, no munch!

Whether or not Clinton’s “machine” wins in California, I believe the Sanders’ followers have become truly a movement, and the DNC had better start opening up to “outsiders” like Bernie Sanders and the Progressive agenda. Put more Progressives such as the Sanders-recommended union member and Tulsi Gabbard back on the Platform and Rules committees; add the $15.00 per hour minimum wage and free four-year tuition at state run colleges into the platform. Stop pushing Koch Brothers environmental practices. Move over, people. There’s plenty of food for all on the table if the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes. If the powers behind the DNC don’t think those concessions are necessary, take a close look at the rapidity with which Sanders emerged as a hero and the preferred presidential candidate. The reasons for it are very clear. There is a real need for changes of many fronts. We Democrats need to get back to caring more about people and less about Corporate America’s bottom line; Corporations are not “people.”



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/four-prison-british-familys-videotaped-assault-thailand/

Four given prison for British family's videotaped assault
CBS/AP
June 6, 2016, 8:19 AM

Photograph -- An elderly British couple and their son are on the ground after they were savagely attacked during a family vacation in Hua Hin, Thailand, in this April 13, 2016, image taken from video released by the Hua Hin Municipality. HUA HIN MUNICIPALITY VIA AP
Photograph -- ap16119372683011.jpg, Hua Hin police stand behind two suspects, seated at table, Thursday, April 28, 2016, who were arrested following an assault on an elderly British couple and their son who were savagely attacked during a family vacation in Hua, Hin, Thailand on April 13, 2016. HUA HIN POLICE, AP
Video of the attack -- (Warning: The below video contains disturbing images.)


BANGKOK - Four men who brutally attacked a British family vacationing in Thailand have been sentenced to two years in prison for the assault, which was captured on video and widely shared on social media, officials said Monday.

The video showed Rosemary and Lewis Owen, both in their 60s, and their 43-year-old son getting punched in the faces, knocked down and kicked until they fell unconscious. The attack occurred April 13 attack in the seaside resort town of Hua Hin.

It was the latest blow to Thailand's image as a tourist haven and prompted officials to vow swift punishment for the attackers.

"This should serve as an example," police Maj. Gen. Kasana Jamsawang said. "Let this be a reminder to people who might want to hurt others."

The Hua Hin provincial court sentenced the men May 23 but the penalties only became public over the weekend when the court transcript was released. The court sentenced the attackers to four years in prison but reduced the sentence to two years without parole because the suspects pleaded guilty, said Vichit Asakit, a duty officer at Prachuap Khiri Khan police station, which covers the Hua Hin area.

The four men - Chaiya Jaiboon and Siva Noksri, both 20, and Supatta Baithong and Yingyai Saengkam-in, both 32 - were charged with conspiracy to commit group assault, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

Police have said the attack started after the Owens' son accidentally bumped into one of the Thai men on a crowded street.

Rosemary Owen, 65, suffered a serious head injury that resulted in surgery to remove a buildup of fluid in the brain. Her 68-year-old husband and 43-year-old son both required stitches in the head.

Panadda Diskul, a minister in the Thai Prime Minister's Office, visited the couple in May in a Hua Hin hospital. Thai media reported that he apologized on behalf of the Thai government and promised the suspects would face trial.

He was accompanied by the Hua Hin police superintendent, the Hua Hin mayor and the provincial governor, Thai media reported. They presented the couple with fruit baskets, flowers and other gifts.

Police superintendant Col. Chaiyakorn Sriladecho said all alleged attackers apologized for what happened.

"The men say they are sorry and that they wouldn't have done this if they weren't drunk," he said.

In March, four French tourists were assaulted on the island of Koh Kut as they walked to dinner. They included a mother and daughter who were both raped.

Two British backpackers were murdered on the island of Koh Tao in 2014. Autopsies showed the couple, a young man and woman, had been severely beaten and the woman raped. Two Myanmar, or Burmese, migrants were convicted of the crime based on DNA evidence that rights groups say was questionable.



I just Googled keywords Thailand anti-western hatred and found half a dozen similar stories, some described as racial/religious hatred, and some more generally as “anti-western.” In the 1930s of German Nazism, it was blamed on growing economic discomfort as we certainly have again today. Religious and other cultural hatreds generally emerge under group stress, with the feelings against scapegoats boiling over. The purpose of a scapegoat in society is to give the aggrieved or frightened an ACCEPTED victim to punish as we will. Something like this in Thailand had not come to my attention until today, and apparently it is taking on a very disturbing pattern --- three cases of more or less unprovoked and extreme violence, twice including rape, within a two-year period. It reminds me of the recent story of such unrest against the US in Japan. In that case there wasn’t merely one case but three, of US military provocation – the raping of Japanese women by soldiers. The events occurred over the span of ten years or so, but memories are long-lived on such matters.

We, the often conceited and culture-blind Americans and Westerners in general, both as individual tourists abroad and as a government, are under attack again. In the 1970s there was a good book called “The Ugly American,” about almost the same thing. In the 1920s and 30s the source of the hatred was in Germany, Italy etc. under Nazism. Is that the problem again now? We are in the throes of NeoNazism in the US and Europe, particularly since 9/11, Obama’s election as a BLACK President, and the outrageous crowd-inciting statements of Donald Trump. I mention it because it’s the first time those things have occurred so frequently in the US since the 1960s – connected then with the Civil Rights and anti-war activities which resulted in liberal changes in our laws here.

To me, those changes are good, but to the often hatred ridden white citizens, (mainly lower class, but not exclusively) they are UNFAIR restrictions on their God-given right to call people disgusting names over their skin color, burn a cross in their yard, or kill them outright. Heaven help them if they whistle at a white woman.

To me, our much touted American freedoms do not include outrageous abuses. If a citizen does not have a right to “shout fire in a crowded theater,” such things surely should be punishable by law, as they are if you can get together enough evidence to convince a jury of sane and decent people. Too often police officers are involved in racist actions, but the local court simply acquits those who are arrested for such a “hate crime.” Let’s face it. Until the 1960s, assault and other abuses based on group hatred were not illegal, beyond the mere description of the crime. In other words, there was no extra penalty exacted for murder due to group hatred. Laws like that are on the books now, but our most “conservative” voices in this country are protested that to give a stronger sentence on the basis of such malice is UNFAIR. The perpetrators are trying to claim “Get outta here, Nigger” as “freedom of speech,” and yadda, yadda, yadda. The ultraconservative mind rejects that whole thesis of being responsible for what we say and do, as being undue restraint by an overweening government. In the service of that cause, there are a disturbingly large number of radical anti-government types on the rampage right now. They all claim to be Christians, of course. I hasten to say that most Christians that I have known well are not racist psychos, and the words of Jesus are not in and of themselves provocative. Remember that when his disciples asked Jesus whether they should preach to an Abyssinian who walked up, Jesus said they should. The racial issues are old as mankind. That doesn’t mean that we can’t modify and control such hatred; nor that if we will approach a racial interaction without brandishing a weapon there isn’t an excellent chance of making a new friend rather than killing an “enemy.”

Racial and religious hatred are the most volatile, irrational, pointless and unspeakable group reactions in my view; while an instinctive reaction against an actual violent crime or for genuine self-protection is to me more understandable. That kind of abuse of perfect strangers travels around the world from locality to locality, by the mere recounting of such an incident. It’s like Ebola and Zika – they are infections. Our group hatreds lie just under the skin, and emerge with viciousness whenever we feel hopeless or angry. “I feel like a loser today, so I’m going to shoot you!” To the minds of certain sick people, the only way to handle a problem is by violence, and the snowball begins rolling down the hill. Are we doomed to extinction as a species because of our inability to relate to each other as individuals?

Love is a great idea, but in times like these we need to have toleration, empathy and fairness, with or without that mystical emotion. In my view there is no substitute for strong and beneficent laws protecting the weak against their predators. We the Big Boys are frequently predators. If we were to examine that closely, we could make great strides toward significantly reducing human evil, even if we can’t completely eradicate it.

Thais, Americans, Japanese, ISIS, Jews, radical Christians and Palestinians, I beseech you to play nice with each other. The first rule is “Don’t provoke anger purposely, just because you feel like it.” The second rule is, “Don’t harshly judge anyone over his group membership rather than on “the content of his heart and mind.” The third rule is, “No matter how you’re feeling that day, obey the rule of law.” You see we are constitutionally incapable of being fair in the things we do and say all the time, but some good introspection can improve us in that vein considerably. Whether or not in your view viciousness is a sin, it is against the laws of all modern and civilized nations. You can go to prison for years as a result of it. In other words, it’s unintelligent. I hope to see this epidemic of hateful actions come to a stop.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/u-s-sailors-in-japan-banned-from-drinking-alcohol-leaving-base/

U.S. sailors in Japan banned from drinking alcohol, leaving base
By ADRIANA DIAZ CBS NEWS
June 6, 2016, 8:13 AM

Play VIDEO -- Japan PM chastises Obama over American murder suspect

The U.S. Navy's 18,600 sailors stationed in Japan are grounded. They're also banned from drinking alcohol. The temporary restrictions come after a sailor was arrested Sunday for drunk-driving.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Aimee Mejia, 21,crashed into two cars after driving the wrong way on a highway. According to police, two people had minor injuries, but Mejia was unharmed. She's assigned to the Kadena base in Okinawa.

"Effective immediately, Sailors are prohibited from drinking alcohol, on and off base," says a Navy statement. "Additionally, all off-base liberty will be curtailed. Sailors who live off-base will be permitted to travel to and from work and engage in official actions such as childcare drop-off and pickup, trips to the grocery store, gas stations or the gym."

The lockdown comes amid high anti-U.S. military sentiment in Japan, after a string of crimes allegedly committed by American servicemen based there.

U.S. forces in Japan were already under a midnight curfew with off-base drinking banned. The initial restrictions were implemented after the May arrest of a former U.S. Marine linked to the death of a 20-year-old Japanese woman. The ex-Marine Kenneth Shinzato, 32, worked on an Okinawa base.

Japan PM Shinzo Abe slams Obama over "despicable" Okinawa murder
In March, another sailor was arrested for allegedly raping a Japanese tourist visiting Okinawa. Roughly half of U.S. servicemen in Japan are based on the southern island of Okinawa.

Rape on Okinawa stirs old anger against U.S. military
2013: Two U.S. sailors convicted in Okinawa rape

Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga told reporters that "there needs to be a fundamental resolution." He said that American measures to keep Japanese-based troops in line have not gone far enough.

The bad behavior has sparked protests and public outcry in Okinawa. A large rally against the U.S. military is planned for June 19.

In 1995, 85,000 protestors gathered there after three American servicemen were charged with abducting and raping a 12-year-old Japanese school girl.

The attack led to an agreement to move the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station to a less-populated part of Okinawa, but the relocation has stalled. Many residents want the U.S. military off the island completely.

"We will not condone misconduct that impacts our ability to conduct our mission or which jeopardizes our critical alliance with Japan," said Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin in the Navy's statement.

All sailors will be required to take in-person training. Per the statement, the alcohol and movement restrictions will remain in effect until leadership is "comfortable that all personnel understand the impact of responsible behavior."

"These measures are not taken lightly," said Rear Adm. Matthew Carter. "For decades, we have enjoyed a strong relationship with the people of Japan. It is imperative that each sailor understands how our actions affect that relationship, and the U.S.-Japan alliance as a whole."


"We will not condone misconduct that impacts our ability to conduct our mission or which jeopardizes our critical alliance with Japan," said Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin in the Navy's statement.” This statement still does not address basic good and evil, but it’s a start. Just as with the so-called “bad apple” cops, we need to do much more in the mental evaluations of the recruits’ basic sanity, emotional maturity, social skills and innate intelligence, on those who come to volunteer for the military. The man who wants to kill time and again just for the thrill and excitement of it, needs to be in prison or a permanent mental hospital, rather than in the military or on the police force. I am worried about our all-volunteer army, because many people who do want to kill are drawn to those careers, just as those who want to sexually abuse little boys and girls are drawn to the schools.

In addition to the first very careful selection of soldiers, comes training in ethical as well as technical skills; basic shooting or fighting hand to hand, high school and college grades, and any known police problems prior to their enlistment – a bad boy of 15 is likely to be a bad boy of 20 – and mandatory human interaction training. To back up all that good training, there must then be ongoing discipline on all soldiers and police officers, when the bad boys do act out. Soldiers in the past used to be based often in some small backwater of a town in the US, and their soldiers were often hated in the US as they are in Japan for the very same reasons.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/democratic-rep-filemon-vela-blasts-trump-in-explicit-letter/

Democratic Rep. Filemon Vela blasts Trump in explicit letter
By SOPAN DEB CBS NEWS
June 6, 2016, 2:23 PM

Photograph -- ap16158651794149.jpg, FILE - In this June 27, 2014 file photo, Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Texas talks to the media after touring the McAllen Border Patrol station, in McAllen, Texas. Vela said in an open letter Monday, June 6, 2016, that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's "ignorant anti-immigrant opinions," border wall rhetoric and continued attacks on a sitting federal judge "are just plain despicable." GABE HERNANDEZ, AP
Play VIDEO -- GOP leaders condemn Donald Trump for racially charged attacks on judge
Play VIDEO -- Trump and Clinton tout the same campaign message: My opponent is worse


Texas Democratic Rep. Filemon Vela was blunt and explicit in an open letter to presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump on Monday.

"Mr. Trump, you're a racist and you can take your border wall and shove it up your ass," Vela wrote.

Vela, who represents a district located right on the Mexican border, was extremely critical of Trump's rhetoric towards Latinos - especially his latest broadside against the Hispanic federal judge presiding over a case involving Trump University.

His fiery letter was filled with seemingly pent-up frustration at Trump's rise.

"Your position with respect to the millions of undocumented Mexican workers who now live in this country is hateful, dehumanizing, and frankly shameful," the letter read. "The vast number of these individuals work in hotels, restaurants, construction sites, and agricultural fields across the United States. If I had to guess, your own business enterprises either directly or indirectly employ more of these workers than most other businesses in our country."

And in what has become a mostly bipartisan effort, Vela chastised Trump for his comments on Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who is presiding over one of the Trump University fraud cases. Trump has said Curiel's Mexican heritage should bar him from overseeing the case since Trump wants to build a wall to keep undocumented immigrants out.

"You have now descended to a new low in your racist attack of an American jurist, U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel, by calling him a 'Mexican; simply because he ruled against you in a case in which you are being accused of fraud, among other accusations," Vela wrote. "Judge Curiel is one of 124 Americans of Hispanic descent who have served this country with honor and distinction as federal district judges. In fact, the first Hispanic American ever named to the federal bench in the United States, Judge Reynaldo G. Garza, was also from Brownsville, Texas, and was appointed by President John F. Kennedy in 1961."

For his part, Trump is not showing any signs of rescinding his criticism of Curiel. In an interview with Fox and Friends on Monday, Trump vigorously defended himself from claims that his attacks were a mistake.

"All I'm trying to do is figure out why I'm being treated so unfairly by a judge," Trump said. "And a lot of people agree with it. All I want to do - all I want to do is find out why am I being treated so unfairly by a judge?"

But there is a growing chorus of criticism. In the last week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, Speaker Paul Ryan and even one of Trump's biggest boosters, former Speaker Newt Gingrich, all lambasted Trump for his comments.

On Monday, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio joined the back of the line.

"I think it's wrong," Rubio told WFTV in Orlando. "He needs to stop saying it... [Curiel] is an American."

"I don't think it reflects well on the Republican Party. I don't think it reflects well on us as a nation"

Recently, Rubio had taken his own share of blowback for saying that he would accept a convention speech slot to speak on behalf of Trump. The endorsement took many of his backers by surprise.

One former Trump presidential rival that is not criticizing him: Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Cruz offered a "no comment" to CBS News when asked about Trump's attacks on Curiel.

Cruz set himself up as a staunch ally of Trump during the majority of his presidential run, even calling him "terrific" in December. Cruz changed his tone once Trump turned on him, questioning his eligibility for the presidency, attack the appearance of Cruz's wife, and pushing a National Enquirer story alleging that Cruz had affairs with multiple women.

Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, one of Trump's most forthright critics in the GOP, went a step further on Monday and called Trump's remarks "the literal definition of 'racism.'"


All but one, Rep. Filemon Vela, are Republicans. Did they not already have a very good idea of what sort of person Trump is? Didn’t they foresee their allowing themselves to be led by the nose by such an obnoxious and totally unqualified person would redound poorly on their party brand name? I will simply mention one other thing. The Republicans have been overtly courting the most ignorant, violent and abusive citizens in this country by implying or outrightly stating their own racist views. Now, as the old saying goes, “their chickens have come home to roost. Rep Vila’s crude but oh so satisfying statement “stick it … well, wherever” is justified, in my opinion. Unfortunately, Trump isn’t the kind of person who can be shamed out of his abusiveness because it is a deeply entrenched part of his personality. I am 99.9% sure, though, the he WON’T be elected president.



http://www.npr.org/2016/04/26/475731503/whos-in-charge-getting-western-states-to-agree-on-sharing-renewable-energy

Who's In Charge? Getting Western States To Agree On Sharing Renewable Energy
LAUREN SOMMER
STEPHANIE JOYCE
April 26, 2016 11:22 AM ET

Photograph -- On some sunny, spring days, California has more electricity than it can use, like from this solar farm in Fresno. Terry O'Rourke/NREL
THE TWO-WAY -- Big Power Companies Hail Oregon Lawmakers' Approval Of Plan Phasing Out Coal
THE TWO-WAY -- San Francisco Requires New Buildings To Install Solar Panels
Related -- As Renewables Boom, Companies Explore Energy Storage Technology
ALL TECH CONSIDERED -- Solar And Wind Energy May Be Nice, But How Can We Store It?
Photograph -- Power lines next to the Laramie River Station coal-fired power plant in Wheatland, Wyo. It's one of a dozen coal-fired power plants in the state.
Leigh Paterson/Inside Energy
Photograph -- Staff members at the California Independent System Operator are continually balancing different power sources on the state's electric grid. Lauren Sommer/KQED


In California, there is so much solar energy that grid operators have to switch off solar farms. One solution of dealing with the additional power generated is to share the renewable wealth across state borders – but in the West, it's sparking some not-so-neighborly opposition.

Workers install solar panels on the roof of a home in Camarillo, Calif., in 2013. San Francisco has recently decided to start requiring rooftop solar systems — electrical or heating — on new construction up to 10 stories tall.

Nancy Traweek's job is to balance California's electrical grid at the California Independent System Operator, keeping the lights on for 30 million people. She relies on huge natural gas power plants that put out a steady stream of electricity.

But lately, Traweek's job has gotten harder because of solar and wind power. If clouds come in, solar power drops off.

"That needs to come from somewhere else immediately," she says.

So Traweek has to keep the natural gas plants going in the background in case that happens. But running solar, gas and wind together is a problem because on certain days, they make more power than California needs. Traweek will have to tell solar farms to shut off.

"Now, we really gotta start cutting as much as we possibly can," she says. "If that's not done, then you could have a blackout."

One solution to avoid that situation is for California to join up with other Western states.

Right now, California's grid runs mostly on its own, like an island. But if there was one big Western grid where states could share power, it would be easier for California to hit its goal of 50 percent renewable energy by 2030.

"If you can operate it as an integrated whole, you can just operate the system more efficiently," says Keith Casey, who also works at the California grid operator. "It's a win win."

When California has too much solar power, western states would buy it instead of having to switch off those solar farms.

Different Commitments May Hamper Partnership

This marriage of electric grids would start with PacifiCorp, a utility in Oregon, Utah and Wyoming, where negotiations are already underway. But PacifiCorp isn't a partner everyone wants to get in bed with — because much of their electricity is generated by coal.

"That's a big problem for California," says Travis Ritchie, staff attorney with the Sierra Club.

SolarReserve's Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Plant, located near Tonopah, Nev., features an array of 10,347 mirrors arranged in a circle 1.75 miles across. A 640-foot-tall tower glows when the sun's energy is concentrated and directed to the top.

He says coal doesn't fit into California's ambitious climate change agenda, a plan some western states actively oppose.

"Will California actually lose the ability to lead on climate issues if it gives up its power to Utah and Wyoming?" Ritchie says.

Those states feel the same way about California – for the opposite reason.

Wyoming's Public Service Commissioner Bill Russell is one of the regulators who would need to bless a Pacificorp-California marriage. As it's currently proposed, he's not inclined to do that.

"California policies, whether you like them or not, are going to be exported throughout the entire West, and all of us in the West are going to be importing California policies," Russell says.

Policies like California's commitment to renewable energy are not shared by Wyoming, the nation's largest coal-producing state.

But California isn't the only one who might benefit from sharing electricity between western states. An initial study by Pacificorp estimated its customers would save $2 billion over 20 years, which is why Russell isn't dismissing the idea outright.

"I wouldn't say it's dead yet," he says.

Sharing Energy Across States Is Not A New Idea

Regional grids like the one proposed to share all kinds of power already thrive in the Midwest, New England and in the mid-Atlantic. But western states have resisted similar arrangements in the past.

Oregon's large power utilities and environmental advocates have backed new legislation that phases out their use of coal. Here, a coal plant in Boardman, Ore., is seen in a 2014 file photo.

"Politics, at the end of the day, are going to be the biggest obstacle," says Cindy Crane, CEO of Rocky Mountain Power, the Pacificorp subsidiary in Wyoming, Idaho and Utah. She worked on some of the previous efforts to integrate the western grid. She says she is hopeful this time will be different.

"I think it has a better shot, but there are some pretty big threshold issues to get through," Crane says.

If those issues can't be overcome, California will have to find a way to store all the extra renewable energy from wind and solar, which is difficult and expensive.

In the end, the West may soon find that it can't afford not to share.


“San Francisco has recently decided to start requiring rooftop solar systems — electrical or heating — on new construction up to 10 stories tall. …. . But running solar, gas and wind together is a problem because on certain days, they make more power than California needs. Traweek will have to tell solar farms to shut off. "Now, we really gotta start cutting as much as we possibly can," she says. "If that's not done, then you could have a blackout." …. But if there was one big Western grid where states could share power, it would be easier for California to hit its goal of 50 percent renewable energy by 2030. "If you can operate it as an integrated whole, you can just operate the system more efficiently," says Keith Casey, who also works at the California grid operator. "It's a win win." …. But California isn't the only one who might benefit from sharing electricity between western states. An initial study by Pacificorp estimated its customers would save $2 billion over 20 years, which is why Russell isn't dismissing the idea outright. "I wouldn't say it's dead yet," he says. …. Regional grids like the one proposed to share all kinds of power already thrive in the Midwest, New England and in the mid-Atlantic. But western states have resisted similar arrangements in the past. Oregon's large power utilities and environmental advocates have backed new legislation that phases out their use of coal. Here, a coal plant in Boardman, Ore., is seen in a 2014 file photo. "Politics, at the end of the day, are going to be the biggest obstacle," says Cindy Crane, CEO of Rocky Mountain Power, the Pacificorp subsidiary in Wyoming, Idaho and Utah. …. If those issues can't be overcome, California will have to find a way to store all the extra renewable energy from wind and solar, which is difficult and expensive. In the end, the West may soon find that it can't afford not to share.”


“Mandatory solar rooftop installations, … one big Western grid where states could share power … Pacificorp estimated its customers would save $2 billion over 20 years” – all this sounds wise and efficient, putting the lie to all the conservative growling that solar energy just won’t work. The problem, it seems to me, is that it does work. Some cities in the Middle Atlantic states have complained that there is so much solar electricity being produced that the plants are having to take it back and charge the homeowners less on their electricity bills, and they can’t figure out exactly how to bill for that. I am no expert, or course, but it looks to me to be easy – give a deduction at the end of the month from their total monthly kilowatt hours used, less the electricity that their house produced for the grid; then bill for the electricity that the individual house succeeded in making, and then present them with a net result, like hospitals do when your insurance pays all it will. I think computers are able to do record keeping even as massive as that these days.

In this California case it appears that the problem is that westerners can’t get along together in a cooperative arrangement well enough to go ahead and cut production on their coal facilities, establish a massive computer based linkage that will tabulate things like when the sky is cloudy or sunny, and go ahead and release their total control on how the situation works. Oregon is poised to voluntarily phase out its’ use of coal. Pacificorp’s Cindy Crane admits that the political mix is “the biggest obstacle,” which surprises me none at all.



http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2016/06/05/voices-sanders-forces-could-become-dems-tea-party/85250154/

Voices: Sanders forces could become Dems' Tea Party
Paul Singer, USA TODAY
4:57 p.m. EDT June 6, 2016

USA TODAY -- Sanders camp: Better options for DNC chair out there than Wasserman Schultz

Bernie Sanders may never be president of the United States, but his campaign may well make Congress even less manageable for whoever holds that job next year.

Congress has become increasingly polarized over the past few decades as both parties have become less ideologically diverse. The Brookings Institution has some fascinating graphics showing the ideological purity of the two parties. In the 1970s and 80s, the two parties spread like butterfly wings, Democrats ranging across the center and left side of the spectrum, Republicans spread across the center and right. in 1990, there were still a dozen or so Republicans who had a more liberal voting record than the most conservative Democrats.

But by 2012 the graph had changed, with the parties looking more like undifferentiated clumps — a red clump of lawmakers packed together on the right, and a blue clump of Democrats clustered on the left. There is basically no shared middle ground.

Six years ago, the rise of the Tea Party exacerbated this problem as grass-roots activists demanded a take-no-prisoners, brook-no-compromise approach from Republicans in Congress. With congressional districts largely gerrymandered into one-party dominance, the biggest challenge to Republicans in Congress has been not a Democratic challenger, but a Republican primary opponent accusing the incumbent of being too cozy with the Democrats. This pitchfork-wielding wing of the GOP ousted Speaker John Boehner a year ago, in part because it was peeved that he would not threaten another government shutdown in a budget dispute with the Obama administration.

Bernie Sanders' movement may be the tip of a purification purge in the Democratic ranks. Sanders himself has pushed Hillary Clinton to the left on issues such as a nationwide increase in the minimum wage. His campaign team has made it clear that it intends to arrive at the Democratic convention with a series of demands for shifting the party platform to the left on issues ranging from health care to campaign finances, and for bringing more non-Democrats into the primary system.

Sanders has also accused Democratic National Committee chairman Debbie Wasserman Schultz of manipulating party rules to give Clinton a leg up in nominating contests. Wasserman Schultz is facing a Democratic primary challenger for the first time in more than a decade, and Sanders has endorsed her opponent, political newcomer Tim Canova, who accuses Wasserman Schultz of being allied with "big corporate interests."

It is striking that the grass-roots liberal outrage against the party establishment comes as the Democratic congressional delegation is at it most ideologically unified point. The centrists/moderates have mostly retired or been defeated by Republicans, and Democratic leaders have faced no revolt from the left. But that is what Sanders appears to want to push.

It is also striking that the rebellion comes as the party controls neither the House nor the Senate — precisely the situation Republicans faced when Tea Party activists demanded a harder turn to the right. This is part of the reason liberals are frustrated with Washington: The minority party has almost no power to advance its agenda in Congress, particularly in the House.

House Democrats actually scored a surprising upset recently by managing to add a gay rights protection measure to a multibillion-dollar energy spending bill. Their success was short-lived as majorities in both parties then turned around and voted the whole bill down. It probably didn't matter much. The White House had already threatened to veto the bill, and there is almost no chance Congress will manage to pass the annual spending bills and get them signed by the president in an election year.

This is what divided government looks like from a seat in the congressional press gallery: Lawmakers of both parties maneuvering late into the night to add language that will kill a bill that was already dead anyway.

If Democrats launch an ideological cleansing similar to the one Republicans have been enduring for the past six years, they will need to win in a mighty wave and unseat the GOP majority in the House in order to achieve any legislative success. And even then, as the Tea Party discovered, it may not be enough to pass government-funded health care for all or sweeping campaign finance changes or other ideological priorities.

Short of a historic win, the #FeeltheBern crowd may end up simply making the Democratic caucus in Congress as unmanageable as the Republican caucus has become. Which would be fun to cover, I admit, but might not achieve much.

Singer is USA TODAY's Washington correspondent.



http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2016/05/25/bernie-sanders-jeff-weaver-debbie-wasserman-schultz/84911452/

Sanders camp: Better options for DNC chair out there than Wasserman Schultz
Eliza Collins, USA TODAY
6:21 p.m. EDT May 25, 2016

Photograph -- Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chair of the DNC, bangs the gavel to call the convention to order at the 2012 convention. (Photo: H. Darr Beiser, USAT)


Bernie Sanders’ campaign manager said that he “think(s) someone else could play a more positive role” as chair of the Democratic National Committee than Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Jeff Weaver — who spoke to Fox News and CNN on Wednesday — was asked about reports of pressure to get rid of Wasserman Schultz as head of the party. On CNN’s At This Hour, Weaver was asked point blank if he wanted her out. He didn’t outright say that he did, saying “I’m trying to be diplomatic."

But Weaver did accuse Wasserman Schultz of being “unfair in many respects.”

“I just think that there’s been a pattern of conduct which calls into question whether she can really be the kind of unifying force that we really need,” Weaver said. “I think someone else could play a more positive role.”

On CNN, Weaver pointed to the debate schedules which had been set up by the DNC — many Democratic debates were over the weekend and the party held fewer than did the Republicans. Weaver also cited the DNC's decision to suspend Sanders' voter database in December.

On Fox & Friends Wednesday, Weaver said, “I do feel certainly that the process has not been fair as administered by Debbie Wasserman Schultz.”

"I just think she became personally involved in this. Beyond politics, I think it became very personal for her and you know she has lashed out at the campaign, as I said on a number of occasions, these joint fundraising agreements which took money from state parties and gave it to the DNC. Or the latest, the standing committees that the convention where they tried to keep the Sanders people off,” Weaver said.

“There’s just been example after example, and I think it has become sort of personal and I think it’s really unfortunate because, really, Democrats should be working together after the convention, that’s for sure.”

The Sanders campaign has been openly critical of Wasserman Schultz and has endorsed and fundraised for her her primary challenger — Tim Canova.

Later Wednesday on CNN, former secretary of State Hillary Clinton's communication director, Brian Fallon, questioned the Sanders campaign's criticism of the chair.

“To be honest I don’t understand many of the criticisms that Bernie Sanders has made," Fallon said. He then listed off some of the issues he's heard Sanders and his campaign discuss in relation to Wasserman Schultz. "I'm not sure Debbie Wasserman Schulz bears any of the culpability for it."

"From our viewpoint, Debbie Wasserman Schultz is a very dedicated leader for our party. There is nobody more committed to her, nobody more committed than her to making sure that Donald Trump is not the president in 2016 in November when we have the general election," Fallon said.



DEMS’ TEA PARTY -- “The Brookings Institution has some fascinating graphics showing the ideological purity of the two parties. In the 1970s and 80s, the two parties spread like butterfly wings, Democrats ranging across the center and left side of the spectrum, Republicans spread across the center and right. in 1990, there were still a dozen or so Republicans who had a more liberal voting record than the most conservative Democrats. But by 2012 the graph had changed, with the parties looking more like undifferentiated clumps — a red clump of lawmakers packed together on the right, and a blue clump of Democrats clustered on the left. There is basically no shared middle ground. …. Bernie Sanders' movement may be the tip of a purification purge in the Democratic ranks. Sanders himself has pushed Hillary Clinton to the left on issues such as a nationwide increase in the minimum wage. His campaign team has made it clear that it intends to arrive at the Democratic convention with a series of demands for shifting the party platform to the left on issues ranging from health care to campaign finances, and for bringing more non-Democrats into the primary system. …. Sanders has also accused Democratic National Committee chairman Debbie Wasserman Schultz of manipulating party rules to give Clinton a leg up in nominating contests. Wasserman Schultz is facing a Democratic primary challenger for the first time in more than a decade …. comes as the Democratic congressional delegation is at it most ideologically unified point. The centrists/moderates have mostly retired or been defeated by Republicans, and Democratic leaders have faced no revolt from the left. But that is what Sanders appears to want to push. …. the rebellion comes as the party controls neither the House nor the Senate — precisely the situation Republicans faced when Tea Party activists demanded a harder turn to the right. This is part of the reason liberals are frustrated with Washington: The minority party has almost no power to advance its agenda in Congress, particularly in the House. …. If Democrats launch an ideological cleansing similar to the one Republicans have been enduring for the past six years, they will need to win in a mighty wave and unseat the GOP majority in the House in order to achieve any legislative success.”

DNC CHAIR -- “On CNN’s At This Hour, Weaver was asked point blank if he wanted her out. He didn’t outright say that he did, saying “I’m trying to be diplomatic." But Weaver did accuse Wasserman Schultz of being “unfair in many respects.” “I just think that there’s been a pattern of conduct which calls into question whether she can really be the kind of unifying force that we really need,” Weaver said. “I think someone else could play a more positive role.” …. Weaver also cited the DNC's decision to suspend Sanders' voter database in December. On Fox & Friends Wednesday, Weaver said, “I do feel certainly that the process has not been fair as administered by Debbie Wasserman Schultz.” "I just think she became personally involved in this. Beyond politics, I think it became very personal for her and you know she has lashed out at the campaign, as I said on a number of occasions, these joint fundraising agreements which took money from state parties and gave it to the DNC. Or the latest, the standing committees that the convention where they tried to keep the Sanders people off,” Weaver said. .... Wasserman Schultz is facing a Democratic primary challenger for the first time in more than a decade, and Sanders has endorsed her opponent, political newcomer Tim Canova, who accuses Wasserman Schultz of being allied with "big corporate interests."


The DNC has overplayed its’ hand in a way that is making loyal Democrats furious. It’s just possible that the controlling Clinton element in the party will not win after all. Despite their frequent boasts to the contrary, in their struggle against the left and center, as the Dems Tea Party article of June 6 describes our more liberal divisions, I believe their credibility will be severely damaged. Clinton has maintained that she is “centrist,” but todays article implies strongly that she is right of center, which Sanders has also stated. If she is centrist, I would think she would stand up for the environment, labor, the social safety net and the improvement of the grotesque economic divide by pushing for the $15.00 per hour minimum wage. To me, that’s what Democrats do.

I definitely have hope that the decidedly more ideologically pure Sanders group, of which I am a member, may well win significant changes in the way the nomination process has been run, the platform is constructed, the inclusion of more progressive members; and I am even more certain now that Sanders is a noticeably better candidate against the uncouth and only partially educated Donald Trump.

The Sanders campaign, according to recent polls, has more push among the American populace today than Clinton, who has “too much baggage” for the public taste. If Clinton is indicted for security irregularities, I don’t think she will keep all of her followers, which will put Sanders even farther ahead in the real election in November, and it may even disqualify her for the Presidency. Should Sanders get a position in the top tier of the party, I hope he will then put up a fight for regularization of the Democratic Party’s candidate nomination rules, so that several of our state Democratic Parties will not be running caucuses rather than normal votes. I want to go to a well-defined place, and cast my vote in ten minutes. I also don’t want any state manipulating and restricting the access of polling place/ballots, etc. as the Nevada party did last month. That was infuriating.

There is no fairness without more simplicity and uniformity. A situation in which a woman who has to work nights is unable to go to a location where, even if she does make it there on time, she has to stand on her feet for four or five hours while folks from the other competing groups are constantly coming up to harangue at her to change her vote. Frankly, the whole thing would diminish my patience to the point that I would try my luck with sending my vote through the mail, even though I don’t trust the anonymity of that, either. Chaos does not create greater fairness or intelligence. It just turns a lot of people who otherwise would be a loyal voter off to such a degree that switching to the Independent party will look very attractive. I am actually considering leaving the Democrats for a new party behind Sanders, or the Independent Party.