June 7, 2016


News and Views


More Political Dirt

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ap-fla-ag-sought-trump-money-before-spurning-trump-university-case/

AP: Fla. AG sought Trump money before spurning Trump University case
AP June 7, 2016, 2:20 AM

Photograph -- February 2015 file photo shows Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi speaking in Tampa AP


WASHINGTON -- Florida's attorney general personally solicited a political contribution from Donald Trump around the same time her office deliberated joining an investigation of alleged fraud at Trump University and its affiliates.

The new disclosure from Attorney General Pam Bondi's spokesman to The Associated Press on Monday provides additional details around the unusual circumstances of Trump's $25,000 donation to Bondi.

The money came from a Trump family foundation in apparent violation of rules surrounding political activities by charities. A political group backing Bondi's re-election, called And Justice for All, reported receiving the check Sept. 17, 2013 - four days after Bondi's office publicly announced she was considering joining a New York state probe of Trump University's activities, according to a 2013 report in the Orlando Sentinel.

After the check came in, Bondi's office nixed suing Trump, citing insufficient grounds to proceed.

Bondi declined repeated requests for an interview on Monday, referring all questions to Marc Reichelderfer, a political consultant who worked for her most re-election [sic] effort.

Reichelderfer told the AP that Bondi spoke with Trump "several weeks" before her office publicly announced it was deliberating whether to join a lawsuit proposed by New York's Democratic attorney general. Reichelfelder said Bondi was unaware of dozens of consumer complaints received by her office about Trump's real estate seminars at the time she requested the donation.

"The process took at least several weeks, from the time they spoke to the time they received the contribution," Reichelderfer told AP.

The timing of the donation by Trump is notable because the now presumptive Republican presidential nominee has said he expects and receives favors from politicians to whom he gives money.

"When I want something I get it," Trump said at an Iowa rally in January. "When I call, they kiss my ass. It's true."

In addition to the money given by his foundation, Trump himself has donated $253,500 in Florida since 1999, most of it going to Republican candidates, the state party or political committees affiliated with GOP officials. His daughter, Ivanka Trump, also gave a $500 check to Bondi a week before her father's money came in, as well as another $25,000 to the Republican Party of Florida the following year.

The AP reviewed thousands of pages of records related to consumer complaints about Trump University and its affiliates filed with Bondi's office. The documents - previously obtained by the Orlando Sentinel, which first reported Trump's donation to Bondi - reveal a new reservoir of unhappy Trump University customers, despite recent claims from the presumptive GOP presidential nominee that the students of his real estate seminar company were overwhelmingly satisfied.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and a separate federal class action civil lawsuit in California allege that Trump University - which was largely owned by Trump himself - defrauded consumers by as much as $35,000 each with promises of a real estate investing education that they either did not receive or found to be worthless.

All told, more than 20 people requested help from the Florida attorney general's office in obtaining refunds from Trump University and affiliates, with Bondi's predecessor receiving numerous other complaints about the seminar company Trump partnered with. Many of the Trump-related consumers alleged that they paid money for training materials and personalized instruction that were never delivered.

"I was laid off work for the first time in my life and really need this money to support my family," wrote one of the many people seeking help, adding that he had been promised a refund but never received it. "$1,400 is so much money for my family."

The documents complicate prior claims by Bondi's office that she received only one consumer complaint about Trump University at the time that she decided not to join the New York investigation.

Bondi's office said that its statement about receiving only a single complaint was accurate at the time because most of the complaints dealt with the Trump Institute, a separate corporate entity from Trump University, and were made before she took office at the start of 2011. The Trump Institute was licensed by Trump to run his seminars, however, with Trump keeping a share of the profits, according to depositions in the Trump University case. In internal emails, Bondi's own staff appeared to lump Trump University and the Trump Institute together - as New York's lawsuit has done.

Bondi was not the only GOP attorney general to shy away from suing Trump.

The Associated Press first reported last week that then-Texas Attorney Greg Abbott received $35,000 from Trump, three years after his office in 2010 dropped a proposed lawsuit over Trump U. Following AP's report, former Texas Deputy Chief of Consumer Protection John Owens said the case had been dropped for political reasons. He also made public a detailed internal summary of what he called his staff's strong case against Trump.

A spokesman for Abbott, now the Texas governor, said the case was dropped after Trump's organization agreed to stop offering his namesake real-estate seminars in the state. Within months, Trump University was out of business nationwide.

By choosing not to pursue Trump in court, the GOP attorneys general left the unhappy students in their states on their own to try to get refunds from the celebrity businessman.

Both Bondi and Abbott have now endorsed Trump for president.



“All told, more than 20 people requested help from the Florida attorney general's office in obtaining refunds from Trump University and affiliates, with Bondi's predecessor receiving numerous other complaints about the seminar company Trump partnered with. Many of the Trump-related consumers alleged that they paid money for training materials and personalized instruction that were never delivered. "I was laid off work for the first time in my life and really need this money to support my family," wrote one of the many people seeking help, adding that he had been promised a refund but never received it. "$1,400 is so much money for my family." The documents complicate prior claims by Bondi's office that she received only one consumer complaint about Trump University at the time that she decided not to join the New York investigation. …. A spokesman for Abbott, now the Texas governor, said the case was dropped after Trump's organization agreed to stop offering his namesake real-estate seminars in the state. Within months, Trump University was out of business nationwide.” …. By choosing not to pursue Trump in court, the GOP attorneys general left the unhappy students in their states on their own to try to get refunds from the celebrity businessman. Both Bondi and Abbott have now endorsed Trump for president.”


I want to say two things. Politics is and always has been deeply and intricately dirty, with illicit deals bringing in many millions of dollars. It interested me Gov. Abbott’s deal did result in the removal of the absolutely fraudulent “University” “seminars.” That was good, but it was another of those complicated and difficult to detect cases in which seemingly unrelated events led to a desired result.

The unfortunate 20 people who requested their money back lost their suits, at least in Texas, however. The BIG GUYS win, the LITTLE GUYS don’t! I think after all this public exposure, with the aid of a good hard-nosed lawyer, they might get those decisions reversed. The other thing, which I began to notice some ten or twenty years ago, is the high number of legislators, as well as locally based politicians, who have become very wealthy after performing their political positions. (PS, Clinton is one of those, and Sanders is not!)


AAARRGH!!


https://www.yahoo.com/news/texas-county-agrees-remove-crosses-police-cars-214226387.html?ref=gs

Texas county agrees to remove crosses from police cars
By Jon Herskovitz
June 06, 2016


AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A rural Texas county has reached a deal to remove cross image decals from their police cars and ban "political, religious, commercial or personal" phrases or signs on county-owned property, a group that challenged the county said on Monday.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), a nationwide group that promotes the separation of church and state, and two of its members sued this year to remove the decals they said amounted to unconstitutional local government promotion of Christianity.

The Brewster County Clerk's office said its Commissioners' Court had agreed to the settlement.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, had stood behind the sheriff's department for displaying a cross with a horizontal thin blue line on their patrol vehicles. Abbott said the cross is part of U.S. historical practices.

"In addition to its religious significance, the cross has a long history in America and elsewhere as a symbol of service and sacrifice," Abbott wrote before the lawsuit. He added, in his opinion, the display does not violate U.S. constitutional provisions preventing the establishment of religion.

Abbott's office was not immediately available for comment.

At the end of last year, the Brewster County sheriff asked state officials if his deputies in the sprawling and sparsely populated west Texas county could keep the cross decals displayed on the rear windows of their patrol vehicles.

Brewster County Sheriff Ronny Dodson wanted the crosses for "God's protection over his deputies," his office said in December.

FFRF said it reached the deal with the county a few days ago that included having the county pay it about $20,000 in legal and court fees. Dodson did not respond to a request to comment.

"This was totally avoidable. This was such an egregious and obvious violation," Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the FFRF, said in a phone interview.



“The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), a nationwide group that promotes the separation of church and state, and two of its members sued this year to remove the decals they said amounted to unconstitutional local government promotion of Christianity. The Brewster County Clerk's office said its Commissioners' Court had agreed to the settlement. …. He added, in his opinion, the display does not violate U.S. constitutional provisions preventing the establishment of religion. Abbott's office was not immediately available for comment. …. He added, in his opinion, the display does not violate U.S. constitutional provisions preventing the establishment of religion. Abbott's office was not immediately available for comment. …. Brewster County Sheriff Ronny Dodson wanted the crosses for "God's protection over his deputies," his office said in December. FFRF said it reached the deal with the county a few days ago that included having the county pay it about $20,000 in legal and court fees. Dodson did not respond to a request to comment. "This was totally avoidable. This was such an egregious and obvious violation," Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the FFRF, said in a phone interview.”


I hate to bash Texas so often, but the most startling examples of our most damaging cultural problems keep turning up there. It is also no accident that all or nearly all of those office-holders are Republicans. Thank goodness for the ACLU, Southern Poverty Law Center, the FFRF, and other organizations like these, who champion justice based not on religion or other private and Civil Rights issues, but on the Constitution and TRUE American traditions. The Sheriff’s defense that it is just “historical practice,” is the same one used by Deep South individuals having the Confederate Battle Flag in the rear window of their pickup truck, above their rack of rifles. I know, it’s their right, but it’s my right to avoid such people like the plague and keep writing oppositional things in my personal blog!



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/report-brian-banks-privilege-stanford-rape-case-brock-turner/

Report: Exonerated football player cites "privilege" in Stanford rape case
CBS NEWS
June 7, 2016, 9:30 AM

Photograph -- Brian Banks
Play VIDEO -- Difficulty behind prosecuting rape charges
Play VIDEO -- Outcry after short sentence in Stanford sexual assault case


Brian Banks spent five years in prison after being falsely accused of rape, nearly completely derailing not just the football standout's playing career but his life.

As his day in court approached, Banks told "60 Minutes" in a 2013 interview, his lawyer feared that the then-16-year-old wouldn't get a fair trial, based on his age, size and race. So she, an African-American herself, convinced Brian to plead no contest to a crime he insisted he didn't commit, and was later exonerated for after his accuser was secretly recorded admitting to making the whole thing up.

His plea meant he'd avoid a possible 41 years in jail, but he was agreeing to a deal that included a sentence of anywhere from 18 months to five years, and Brian received the maximum.

The same considerations were not given to Brock Turner, the former Stanford swimmer who was convicted of sexual assault after numerous witnesses came forward. At his sentencing on three felony counts of sexual assault, Turner could have gone to prison for 14 years, reports CBS News correspondent John Blackstone. But he was sentenced to just six months, which means he is likely to spend only three months in the county jail.

Turner's judge said he was worried an extended jail stay would have a "severe impact" on the white son of a middle class family.

Banks told the New York Daily News in a new interview that the lenient sentence clearly smacks of favoritism over the boys class and race.

"I would say it's a case of privilege," Banks said. "It seems like the judge based his decision on lifestyle. He's lived such a good life and has never experienced anything serious in his life that would prepare him for prison. He was sheltered so much he wouldn't be able to survive prison. What about the kid who has nothing, he struggles to eat, struggles to get a fair education? What about the kid who has no choice who he is born to and has drug-addicted parents or a non-parent household? Where is the consideration for them when they commit a crime?"


Turner's father is being widely critized for a statement he read to the court: "His life will never be the one that he dreamed about and worked so hard to achieve. That is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 plus years of life."

That idea upsets Banks.

"You know a man is guilty, so why aren't we unleashing half of the punishment that was unleashed on Brian Banks when he was innocent and there was no evidence?" he said. "They gave me six years. They gave him six months."

Like many other critics of the outcome in the Turner case, Banks says all this consideration for the negative impact on the rapist only deepens the suffering already unleashed on the victim, and diminishes the victim's voice in the case.

"I wasn't physically raped, but I was raped in a sense of my freedom," he said. "I was kidnapped, taken against my will, placed in a box for five years and two months. I was denied all human rights. When I screamed and pleaded and begged, it fell on deaf ears. It's a different form of being assaulted and taken advantage of. I know what she is going through."



"You know a man is guilty, so why aren't we unleashing half of the punishment that was unleashed on Brian Banks when he was innocent and there was no evidence?" he said. "They gave me six years. They gave him six months." …. As his day in court approached, Banks told "60 Minutes" in a 2013 interview, his lawyer feared that the then-16-year-old wouldn't get a fair trial, based on his age, size and race. So she, an African-American herself, convinced Brian to plead no contest to a crime he insisted he didn't commit, and was later exonerated for after his accuser was secretly recorded admitting to making the whole thing up. …. At his sentencing on three felony counts of sexual assault, Turner could have gone to prison for 14 years, reports CBS News correspondent John Blackstone. But he was sentenced to just six months, which means he is likely to spend only three months in the county jail. Turner's judge said he was worried an extended jail stay would have a "severe impact" on the white son of a middle class family. Banks told the New York Daily News in a new interview that the lenient sentence clearly smacks of favoritism over the boys [sic] class and race.”


“Banks says all this consideration for the negative impact on the rapist only deepens the suffering already unleashed on the victim, and diminishes the victim's voice in the case.” The fact that some women do sometimes falsely accuse a man of these charges is part of the rationale that conservative males inside and outside the courtroom give for these sentences of 6 months to be served as 3 months in the county jail. We do need to conclude that prejudice is the reason for too many of our judicial injustice cases, and that despite Civil Rights legislation it still goes on daily. Apparently it’s who you know and what you are that matter in the end. Your can have intricate rules of how trials are to be carried out, but it still doesn’t punish the guilty or free the innocent.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-to-watch-in-tuesdays-california-primary-new-jersey-primary/

What to watch in Tuesday's primaries
By EMILY SCHULTHEIS, STEVE CHAGGARIS CBS NEWS
June 7, 2016, 6:00 AM


Tuesday is the last big primary day of the 2016 campaign, with six states voting: California, New Jersey, New Mexico, Montana, South Dakota and North Dakota (just the Democrats).

By CBS News' estimates, Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton has already clinched the Democratic nomination -- on Monday she reached the 2,383 delegates necessary to secure her party's nod for the general election.

Though Tuesday's results will have next to no impact on the parties' respective primaries, California is the main state to watch because it's the biggest delegate prize on both sides. If Bernie Sanders were to pull out a surprise victory there--or even just get very close--it could give him and his supporters the justification they need to continue their fight all the way to the Democratic convention in July.

There won't be exit polling data for any of the states voting Tuesday, which limits the kind of information we'll have about the kind of coalitions each candidate built in California. But with that in mind, here's CBS News' guide for three things to watch as the results roll in:

1) HOW MANY DELEGATES WILL HILLARY CLINTON NET?

CBS News confirmed Monday night that Clinton has, through additional commitments from Democratic delegates, secured the 2,383 delegates necessary to clinch the nomination. Though she's crossed the threshold, her campaign says she's not quite finished with primary season.

"This is an important milestone, but there are six states that are voting Tuesday, with millions of people heading to the polls, and Hillary Clinton is working to earn every vote," campaign manager Robby Mook said in a statement. "We look forward to Tuesday night, when Hillary Clinton will clinch not only a win in the popular vote, but also the majority of pledged delegates."

California polls have shown the race between Clinton and Sanders is very close -- and it's the biggest delegate prize on the map. In New Jersey, however, Clinton has a strong lead, and polls close at 8 p.m., which means she could add another state to her tally early in the evening.

2) HOW DOES SANDERS REACT?

Sanders on Monday evening did not acknowledge AP or network reports noting Clinton had reached the 2,283 delegates needed to ensure the nomination was hers. Instead, he stayed on message, telling voters in his final San Francisco rally Monday that he would go to the Democratic convention if he wins California.

Whether Clinton's presumptive nomination has a depressive effect on voting remains to be seen. CBS News' Kylie Atwood spoke to several Sanders voters at his San Francisco rally Monday, and many told her that it made no difference to them, since they had sent their ballots in by mail.

The reaction of Sanders voters this week could be a big indicator of whether Clinton will get to focus her full attention on presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump--or if she will have to contend with further trouble from Sanders and his supporters, who say the nomination will only be decided at the convention, when superdelegates officially cast their votes.

It's a fact that Clinton has received more votes, more delegates and won more states than Sanders. However, his campaign has argued that the race can only end on the convention floor. Still, in a statement after the AP and other outlets said Clinton had clinched, a Sanders spokesman made it clear the campaign is not yet backing down.

"It is unfortunate that the media, in a rush to judgment, are ignoring the Democratic National Committee's clear statement that it is wrong to count the votes of superdelegates before they actually vote at the convention this summer," the statement read. "Secretary Clinton does not have and will not have the requisite number of pledged delegates to secure the nomination. She will be dependent on superdelegates who do not vote until July 25 and who can change their minds between now and then."

Sanders is holding a primary night event in Santa Monica, Calif., starting at 1 a.m. ET, two hours after the polls close there. Especially given the potentially slow counting process in California--its polls don't close until 11 p.m. ET, and mail-in ballots will still be coming in for days--the way Sanders reacts Tuesday night will be very telling.

3) WHAT'S TRUMP'S FINAL NUMBER?

Trump has already secured the 1,237 delegates he needs to clinch the Republican nomination: he did that two weeks ago after winning over some of North Dakota's uncommitted delegates.

But after all the hand-wringing earlier in the GOP primary season over who had a path to stop Trump and how he could possibly be kept below 1,237, Tuesday night will show just how far ahead of that marker he ultimately was able to finish.

Heading into Tuesday's primary, Trump has 1,238 delegates; on the Republican side, 303 delegates are at stake in five states.



“By CBS News' estimates, Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton has already clinched the Democratic nomination -- on Monday she reached the 2,383 delegates necessary to secure her party's nod for the General Election. …. If Bernie Sanders were to pull out a surprise victory there--or even just get very close--it could give him and his supporters the justification they need to continue their fight all the way to the Democratic convention in July. There won't be exit polling data for any of the states voting Tuesday, which limits the kind of information we'll have about the kind of coalitions each candidate built in California. …. "We look forward to Tuesday night, when Hillary Clinton will clinch not only a win in the popular vote, but also the majority of pledged delegates." California polls have shown the race between Clinton and Sanders is very close -- and it's the biggest delegate prize on the map. In New Jersey, however, Clinton has a strong lead, and polls close at 8 p.m., which means she could add another state to her tally early in the evening. …. Sanders on Monday evening did not acknowledge AP or network reports noting Clinton had reached the 2,283 delegates needed to ensure the nomination was hers. Instead, he stayed on message, telling voters in his final San Francisco rally Monday that he would go to the Democratic convention if he wins California. Whether Clinton's presumptive nomination has a depressive effect on voting remains to be seen. …. The reaction of Sanders voters this week could be a big indicator of whether Clinton will get to focus her full attention on presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump--or if she will have to contend with further trouble from Sanders and his supporters, who say the nomination will only be decided at the convention, when superdelegates officially cast their votes. …. Still, in a statement after the AP and other outlets said Clinton had clinched, a Sanders spokesman made it clear the campaign is not yet backing down. "It is unfortunate that the media, in a rush to judgment, are ignoring the Democratic National Committee's clear statement that it is wrong to count the votes of superdelegates before they actually vote at the convention this summer," the statement read. "Secretary Clinton does not have and will not have the requisite number of pledged delegates to secure the nomination. She will be dependent on superdelegates who do not vote until July 25 and who can change their minds between now and then." …. Especially given the potentially slow counting process in California--its polls don't close until 11 p.m. ET, and mail-in ballots will still be coming in for days--the way Sanders reacts Tuesday night will be very telling.”


"Secretary Clinton does not have and will not have the requisite number of pledged delegates to secure the nomination. She will be dependent on superdelegates who do not vote until July 25 and who can change their minds between now and then.” Sanders has said all the way, or at least for the last several months, that his goal is to change the direction of the November Democratic platform from being oriented toward the wealthy and the BIG BOYS in business, and from the environment-destroying coal and oil industries to the strange sounding link of methane pollution in the atmosphere to factory farming. All those cows make a significant contribution to the CO2 and methane emissions, as do humans.

Conservative Republicans (which is almost all of them), and our “oh so” pliant DNC Democrats, who are apparently leaning predominantly toward the lucrative money sources and hateful opinions of the wealthy, are a formidable force; but our champion Bernie Sanders hasn’t, and almost certainly won’t, give up on his goal of changing the party from the inside, or by other means forming a power structure of his own among the Progressives and Independents. I welcome that, because it is a place for progressives to go and be with our own kind.

The widespread public response to Sanders’ message has pleased and heartened me. This last half year has proven that the BIG BOYS haven’t totally gained the approval of American voters, and Sanders plans to prove that, winning the relatively undecided -- or intimidated -- over to more liberal views in the light of our society’s need for change IS NOT ONLY WITHIN HIS RIGHTS, but highly creditable. He’s committed to a just and equitable nation, rather than being power hunger and selfish as some DNC members have said about him recently. It reminds me of the New Testament description of John the Baptist as “a voice crying out in the wilderness. Make straight the way of the Lord.” (No, I’m absolutely not implying Sanders is a prophet in the Biblical sense, but he is one who is pointing out serious problems that need to be recognized and solved.)

His choice to continue the fight for progressive changes in the party is not made out of sheer perversity, but to weigh in on basic fairness issues. He recognizes that any power shift that occurs will be done under pressure, and he is bringing that pressure in the form of popular opinion to bear. The DNC is fighting back every step of the way, as it has ever since he dared to put his name in the running, thus interfering with the power players’ decision that it was Hillary’s turn to be president. Continuing this contest until the Convention is over and the precious Superdelegates have actually voted, is one of his several goals. So, there!!



http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/dc-lawmakers-poised-approve-citywide-15-minimum-wage-39665487

DC Lawmakers Approve Citywide $15 Minimum Wage
By BEN NUCKOLS, ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — Jun 7, 2016, 2:19 PM ET


Lawmakers in the nation's capital approved a $15-an-hour minimum wage on Tuesday, joining numerous other cities and the states of California and New York in mandating pay raises for retail, restaurant and service-industry workers.

The D.C. Council unanimously approved the wage increase, and Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser has pledged to sign it when it reaches her desk, likely sometime this summer.

The District of Columbia currently has a $10.50 minimum wage that will rise to $11.50 in July under legislation signed in 2014 by Bowser's predecessor, Vincent Gray.

Labor advocates began pressing the city to raise wages even higher, however, after the movement for a $15 minimum found success elsewhere, including in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. Supporters of the higher wage had been collecting signatures for a ballot initiative, but they've agreed to abandon that effort.

Bowser said it has become clear during her 17 months as mayor that wages need to be higher to lift more city residents out of poverty.

"I see how much it costs to live in Washington, D.C., and that cost is only going up," Bowser said. "Even at $15, it's tough to be able to afford to live in Washington, D.C."

The bill would raise the wage gradually until it hits $15 in 2020. After that, future increases would be tied to inflation.

Elisandro Morales, 30, who works two part-time jobs as a janitor — one pays $14.10 an hour, and the other $10.50 — said a $15 minimum wage would allow him to work just one job with predictable hours and spend more time with his children, ages 5 and 2.

"I've got to get two jobs right now in order for me to keep up with my bills, and that's not enough," he said.

Some business advocates have argued that raising the wage to more than double the federal minimum of $7.25 — which is also the minimum wage in Virginia — will prompt employers to lay off workers or even move to neighboring jurisdictions.

"D.C. can either have the same number of opportunities it has in the service industry right now, or it can have a $15 minimum wage, but it can't have both," said Michael Saltsman, research director for the Employment Policies Institute, a right-leaning think tank.

U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan also spoke out against the wage increase. Speaking at a drug treatment center in southeast Washington where he proposed an overhaul of the nation's poverty programs, Ryan said: "I think that will actually do more harm than good in so many instances."

Three years ago, the debate over wages in the District centered on a bill that would have required Wal-Mart and other big-box retailers to pay their employees $12.50 an hour. Gray vetoed that bill after Wal-Mart threatened not to build additional stores in the city. Ultimately, Wal-Mart decided earlier this year not to build those two stores, which had been planned for neighborhoods with high rates of poverty and unemployment.

This year's debate over wages focused largely on how to guarantee minimum-wage compensation for workers who rely on tips. The current minimum wage for servers and bartenders is $2.77 an hour. Bowser proposed raising it to $7.50, but after lobbying by restaurant owners and employees who said they benefit from the tipping system, Council members agreed to a $5 minimum wage for such workers.



“Lawmakers in the nation's capital approved a $15-an-hour minimum wage on Tuesday, joining numerous other cities and the states of California and New York in mandating pay raises for retail, restaurant and service-industry workers. …. The District of Columbia currently has a $10.50 minimum wage that will rise to $11.50 in July under legislation signed in 2014 by Bowser's predecessor, Vincent Gray. Labor advocates began pressing the city to raise wages even higher, however, after the movement for a $15 minimum found success elsewhere, including in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. Supporters of the higher wage had been collecting signatures for a ballot initiative, but they've agreed to abandon that effort. Bowser said it has become clear during her 17 months as mayor that wages need to be higher to lift more city residents out of poverty. …. Some business advocates have argued that raising the wage to more than double the federal minimum of $7.25 — which is also the minimum wage in Virginia — will prompt employers to lay off workers or even move to neighboring jurisdictions. "D.C. can either have the same number of opportunities it has in the service industry right now, or it can have a $15 minimum wage, but it can't have both," said Michael Saltsman, research director for the Employment Policies Institute, a right-leaning think tank. …. The current minimum wage for servers and bartenders is $2.77 an hour. Bowser proposed raising it to $7.50, but after lobbying by restaurant owners and employees who said they benefit from the tipping system, Council members agreed to a $5 minimum wage for such workers.”


Some kinds of tipped workers may benefit from the system, but not many do. “Wage theft” is rife in restaurants, and between the hours worked, the cost of child care, rent and all the other expenses, from which the very low wage earning employees are not exempt, their life is very hard.

Predictably, the same old tired employer arguments are present in this article along with a rightwing “think tank,” Employment Policies Institute’s predictions. I am shocked that the higher paid workers stood up with the business owners. How much do they make, anyway? I know places like expensive restaurants and bars probably do bring in better tips than certainly fast food does, and male waiters make more than female, but to me there’s nothing like a decent guaranteed pay scale based on the hiring agreement, along with health insurance, paid time off, decent breaks, and usually better personal treatment from the managers.



SANDERS AT THE END OF THE DAY IN CALIFORNIA

http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/06/politics/hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-california/
Clinton, Sanders blitz California on final day of campaigning
By Stephen Collinson, CNN
Updated 2:54 PM ET, Tue June 7, 2016


(CNN)Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are blitzing California on an intense final day of campaigning in the 2016 Democratic primary.

The former secretary of state on Tuesday is expected to become the first female presumptive nominee of a major party -- a feat that will likely raise pressure on Sanders to drop his bid quickly. The Vermont senator has been loathe [sic] to discuss exiting the race -- even raising the potential over the weekend of a contested convention -- but struck a more subdued note Monday.

"Let me just talk to you after the primary here in California, where we hope to win," Sanders told reporters at a news conference. "Let's assess where we are after tomorrow before we make statements based on speculation."

He didn't once mention the word "Philadelphia" -- home of this year's Democratic convention -- during the news conference.

But amid clear signs that Democratic Party grandees are moving to shut down the campaign after Tuesday, a party source told CNN that President Barack Obama spoke to Sanders by phone on Tuesday. Two other Democratic sources, meanwhile, said the President is poised to deliver his endorsement of Clinton as early as this week.

For her part, Clinton focused on presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, who is under fire for repeatedly accusing a judge overseeing a lawsuit involving Trump University of bias because of his Mexican heritage. Trump added to the controversy Sunday by saying he would have similar concerns if a Muslim judge supervised the case.

"I'm waiting for him to say because of all the bigoted things he has said about women that a woman judge couldn't preside," Clinton told a lunchtime crowd near Los Angeles. "By the time he's finished, nobody's going to be left in this country that he is going to have exempted from insults."

The Clinton-Sanders battle is playing out far longer than most would have predicted at the beginning of the campaign season. With his critique of economic inequality, Sanders, a 74-year-old self-described democratic socialist, has become the unlikely hero of the young, progressive Democratic base. Still, Clinton is on the verge of the nomination after she dominated contests in the South and won large states including New York and Pennsylvania.

Clinton's victory in Sunday's Puerto Rico primary left her just 26 delegates shy of being declared the presumptive Democratic nominee, a milestone she will easily clear in the contests playing out in six states Tuesday. Clinton is likely to pass the magic number of 2,383 delegates soon after the polls close in New Jersey. That means that California's primary may serve as a litmus test of the party's interest in Sanders' liberal policies -- even if it won't sway the outcome of the nomination.

'Not over until it is over'

In her own question-and-answer session with reporters Monday, Clinton pointed out that Tuesday would mark exactly eight years since she folded her 2008 primary campaign and endorsed Barack Obama, in a strong hint that Sanders should do the same.

"It is not over until it is over and tomorrow is a really important day," Clinton told CNN's Dan Merica in Compton, California, saying she wanted for now not to focus on the historic nature of her candidacy because she wanted to ensure everyone came out to vote.

Asked how she could change Sanders' mind about fighting on to the convention, Clinton said she would take stock after Tuesday but vowed to work hard to unify the party to defeat Trump.

"I certainly am going be reaching out to Senator Sanders and hope he will join me in that because we have got to be unified going into the convention and coming out of the convention to take on Donald Trump."

Clinton is close, but Sanders not ready to give up

A musical finish

The Vermont senator is closing out the primary season with one big final event planned later Monday: a get-out-the-vote concert in San Francisco featuring Dave Matthews, Fantastic Negrito, Fishbone and actor Danny Glover. Clinton will counter her own musical event starring Christina Aguilera, Andra Day, John Legend, Ricky Martin, and Stevie Wonder.

Once the results are in Tuesday night, the Clinton campaign will move quickly to bring Democrats together after a bruising campaign. Clinton said in an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper on Friday that she would begin a concerted push to unite Democrats beginning on Wednesday. CNN's Jeff Zeleny reported Monday that the effort could include an early -- and highly significant -- endorsement from Obama.

Sanders: Clinton too willing to use U.S. military

Obama, who remains highly popular among Democrats and will play a key role in uniting the party, has held off on an endorsement so far as Clinton and Sanders have battled it out. But Zeleny, citing two well-placed Democrats, said the Clinton campaign is working with the White House to coordinate the unity push, and comments by the President could make the pressure on the Vermont senator to quit insurmountable.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said that he didn't have any announcements to make as yet about a Presidential endorsement. Pressed by CNN's Michelle Kosinski whether Obama would indeed endorse someone on Wednesday, he answered: "I don't know. Maybe he will."

Earnest acknowledged Tuesday that media organizations, including CNN, have now called Clinton the presumptive nominee, but added that the most important "super delegate" -- Obama -- is not prepared to make a public endorsement "at this point."

"However at this point there is at least one super delegate. The one who works in the oval office who is not prepared to make a public declaration about his endorsement at this point. But stay tuned and we'll keep you updated," Earnest said at the White House briefing.

Earnest also shot down the possibility of a meeting with Obama and Clinton tomorrow while the President is in New York.

Tight race in California

Several recent polls in California have shown a close race between Clinton and Sanders within the margin of error. Sanders is banking on the enthusiasm of young, more liberal voters while Clinton is relying heavily on minority communities and may be hoping that the largely positive reviews among Democrats of her speech last week lacerating Donald Trump as unfit for the presidency will give her a late boost among undecided voters.

Sanders hopes that a victory in California would bolster his claims that over the long Democratic primary, the party has turned against Clinton and lacking her political baggage, he'd be a much stronger candidate to battle Trump in November.

His strategy requires convincing Democratic superdelegates -- party officials and others who are free to vote however they wish at the convention -- to vote for him instead in Philadelphia.

Sanders vowed as recently as Saturday to contest the Democratic convention. Asked by reporters Sunday if that was still his position, he simply responded: "Absolutely."

And he intensified his attacks on Clinton on CNN's "State of the Union," saying he is bothered by the potential conflict-of-interest of the Clinton Foundation's acceptance of gifts from foreign governments during her tenure as secretary of state and said Clinton's backing of interventions in Iraq and Libya proved she was too hawkish.

But the Sanders approach is a long shot not just because most superdelegates prefer Clinton. It would require Sanders to convince his party that superdelegates should cancel out the verdict of Democratic primary voters themselves, since Clinton has several million more voters in the primary than her rival and has a lead of 300 pledged delegates allocated after state primaries and caucuses throughout the entire Democratic campaign.

"The fact that she will have won by millions of votes, the popular vote, will have a majority of the pledged delegates, will mean that the superdelegates that are committed to her will remain committed to her," California Rep. Adam Schiff, a Clinton supporter told CNN on Monday.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny, Dan Berman, Michelle Kosinski, Allie Malloy and Kevin Liptak contributed to this report


“The Vermont senator has been loathe [sic] to discuss exiting the race -- even raising the potential over the weekend of a contested convention -- but struck a more subdued note Monday. "Let me just talk to you after the primary here in California, where we hope to win," Sanders told reporters at a news conference. "Let's assess where we are after tomorrow before we make statements based on speculation." …. But amid clear signs that Democratic Party grandees are moving to shut down the campaign after Tuesday, a party source told CNN that President Barack Obama spoke to Sanders by phone on Tuesday. Two other Democratic sources, meanwhile, said the President is poised to deliver his endorsement of Clinton as early as this week. …. The Clinton-Sanders battle is playing out far longer than most would have predicted at the beginning of the campaign season. With his critique of economic inequality, Sanders, a 74-year-old self-described democratic socialist, has become the unlikely hero of the young, progressive Democratic base. Still, Clinton is on the verge of the nomination after she dominated contests in the South and won large states including New York and Pennsylvania. …. That means that California's primary may serve as a litmus test of the party's interest in Sanders' liberal policies -- even if it won't sway the outcome of the nomination.


Is it over? Not until at least 11:00 PM ET today, plus the time it takes to tally votes and decide the winner. The DNC has stated that it isn’t over until the Superdelegates vote next month.

“That means that California's primary may serve as a litmus test of the party's interest in Sanders' liberal policies -- even if it won't sway the outcome of the nomination.” This is as interesting to me, almost anyway, as Sanders actual ability to sway party “grandees,” as the article put it. To me that means that among those who aren’t so highly placed are Democrats across the country who are more concerned about the economic and social path of the nation than they are about their elected offices. If the Democrats are going to leave the poor, sick and elderly behind, who will take care of the needy? Those of us who do still feel committed to the FDR vision of the Democratic Party are likely to follow Sanders if, after this election, he leaves the party (which he hasn’t threatened to do exactly, but he has come close.) If not, I feel at this time like moving over to the Independent side of things, whatever Sanders does. I have not only become disillusioned with my party, I am disgusted.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/malawi-albinos-hunted-and-murdered-for-their-limbs/

Albino people are being hunted for their body parts
AP June 7, 2016, 7:32 AM

22 Photographs -- Edna Cedrick,26, holds her surviving albino son after his twin brother who had albinism was snatched from her arms in a violent struggle in this May, 24, 2016 photo in Machinga about 200 kilometres north east of Blantyre Malawi. AP
Photograph -- wkndalbino0905440866640x360.jpg, The boy's twin keeps asking where his brother is, she said. She lies, saying he will return.
Play VIDEO -- Hunters killing albino children for limbs


LILONGWE, Malawi -- She is haunted daily by the image of the decapitated head of her 9-year-old son. Police asked Edna Cedrick to identify it after the boy, who had albinism, was snatched from her arms in a violent struggle.

The death in February was one in a recent surge in killings and abductions of people with albinism in this southern African country. They are targeted for their body parts, which are sold to be used in potions made by witch doctors who claim they bring wealth and good luck.

At least 18 albino people have been killed in Malawi in a "steep upsurge in killings" since November 2014, and five others have been abducted and remain missing, according to a new Amnesty International report released Tuesday. The toll is likely much higher because many killings in rural areas are never reported, according to the report. Malawi police also have recorded cases where the bodies of people with albinism have been illegally exhumed.

Malawian police say the growing violence comes after neighboring Tanzania imposed tough measures against such trade in January 2015.

Cedrick, the mother of the murdered boy, recounted his abduction to The Associated Press last month while holding the murdered boy's surviving twin brother, who also has albinism. In the middle of the night, she said, she woke to the sound of people kicking down the door of the house. Her husband was away.

"Before I could understand what was happening, they sliced the mosquito net and grabbed one of the twins," the 26-year-old said, tears in her eyes. "I held on to him by holding his waist, at the same time shielding the other with my back."

When they could not overpower her, one assailant hacked her in the forehead with a machete, she said. "This dazed me, and I lost hold of my son and he was gone. I shouted for help, but when my relatives rushed to our house, they were gone."

On the same day of the interview, a deadly attack was carried out in another part of Malawi on 38 year-old Fletcher Masina, an albino father of four. When his body was found, the limbs were missing.

"The macabre trade is also fueled by a belief that bones of people with albinism contain gold," the rights group says, noting another mistaken belief is that sex with a person with albinism can cure HIV. The report also points out widespread discrimination against people with albinism, including by family members.

Activists in Malawi recently took to the streets to protest, marching to parliament to present a petition calling for strict penalties for people who attack or kill people with albinism. President Peter Mutharika has since established a committee to look into the issue, which he called disgusting.

"That anybody could think that you can be rich by using bones or something like that because some witch doctors have said so. ... That's stupidity," he told a political rally on June 1.

Police concede that a lack of security has caused persons with albinism, and their parents, to live in fear of attack.

"In rural areas where these attacks are rampant, we do not have enough police officers," the officer in charge in Machinga district, Isaac Maluwa, said.

When an AP crew in Machinga district stopped to talk to a man riding a bicycle and carrying a 3-year-old albino boy, he charged at the crew with a knife.

The man, 31-year-old Razik Jaffalie, later explained that he is in dire straits after giving up his work as a bicycle taxi operator to protect his son.

"My life has come to a standstill," Jaffalie said, then declared: "Anyone who will come to try to snatch my child from me will have to kill me first."

Amid the fears, there are stories of optimism. Mina Godfrey, a 13-year-old girl with albinism in Machinga district, said she placed first in her latest school exams and hopes to become a lawyer. But this comes after she survived being abducted from her bed at night by her uncle.

"I was deep in sleep when next thing I realized was that I was outside the house, naked, while heavy rains pouring down on me," she said. "When I screamed, my uncle grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and I choked."

She tried to flee but was tied to a bicycle that her attackers used to transport her.

"But when we went to the next stop, they untied me to negotiate with the buyer and started discussing before moving away a little bit, giving me an opportunity to run away again," she said. She escaped to a nearby house, where she squatted until the owner found her in the morning.

Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International's director for southern Africa, concluded: "The time has come for the government of Malawi to stop burying its head in the sand and pretending that this problem will just go away."



“The death in February was one in a recent surge in killings and abductions of people with albinism in this southern African country. They are targeted for their body parts, which are sold to be used in potions made by witch doctors who claim they bring wealth and good luck. …. The toll is likely much higher because many killings in rural areas are never reported, according to the report. Malawi police also have recorded cases where the bodies of people with albinism have been illegally exhumed. Malawian police say the growing violence comes after neighboring Tanzania imposed tough measures against such trade in January 2015. …. "The macabre trade is also fueled by a belief that bones of people with albinism contain gold," the rights group says, noting another mistaken belief is that sex with a person with albinism can cure HIV. The report also points out widespread discrimination against people with albinism, including by family members.”


This reminds me of the situation in Nazi Germany when the skin of Jews was, reportedly, used to make lampshades, which the public eagerly bought. Without a benign religion guiding them and without education, people are as primitive today as they were 20,000 years ago. Again I will say, man is not the measure of all things. A well-developed culture and good families cause gentle and intelligent people to thrive, but deeply flawed environments actually work against human achievement and mental health.

Stories like this are deeply depressing. It’s one other instance of group activities which, though they have a root in poor education and poverty, are still evil. People who have a conscience and some feeling for others will not do these things. In this case I would approve of severe penalties such as the death penalty, for the traffickers in body parts, and that includes other life forms such as bears, tigers, gorillas, elephants, rhinoceroses, and probably others as well. The main market for most of those is the Asian countries and Africa, particularly China. Asians are supposed to be more intelligent than the other races, but I have to wonder. Or maybe it just shows that beyond the immediate generation, intelligence has nothing to do with cultural values.