May 21 AND 22, 2018


News and Views


THIS IS A BIG NEWS DAY. FOR THE CONTEXT TO THIS ORIGINAL RACIST SLUR, GO TO : https://washingtonpress.com/2018/05/16/trump-just-unleashed-a-stunning-racist-rant-about-immigrant-animals/.” IT IS NOT ONLY EMBARRASSING FOR OUR COUNTRY, IT’S CRUEL. HE SAID: “DURING A CONVERSATION WITH CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS AND OFFICIALS, HE SLIPPED INTO DISGUSTING, DEHUMANIZING LANGUAGE WHEN, WHILE DISCUSSING UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS, TRUMP SAID “YOU WOULDN’T BELIEVE HOW BAD THESE PEOPLE ARE. THESE AREN’T PEOPLE. THESE ARE ANIMALS.” I CAN’T THINK OF A CONTEXT THAT WILL HELP THAT COMMENT MUCH AT ALL. GIVE IT UP AND RESIGN!


“TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT,” DONTCHA KNOW?

https://washingtonpress.com/2018/05/22/trump-just-accused-pelosi-of-supporting-ms-13-and-she-instantly-fired-back-with-brutal-response/
Trump just accused Pelosi of supporting MS-13 and she instantly fired back with brutal response
BY SALVATORE NICHOLAS
PUBLISHED ON MAY 22, 2018

Last week, Donald Trump claims he was taken “out of context” when liberals were quick to jump on a quote where he appeared to compare immigrants to animals.

Moments before he began his rant, one person present in the meeting brought up the problem of the Salvadoran MS-13 gang, citing problems with the present immigration law which they said hinders the ability to report gang members to the proper authorities.

According to Trump and the rest of his goon squad, the “animals” comment was directed specifically at members of the violent MS-13 gang, not immigrants as a whole – which doesn’t make it any better. Given Trump’s penchant for incoherent discourse, it’s not surprising listeners were confused and missed what he claims was his point.

Democrats rightfully argued that the fact that the president speaks in gibberish doesn’t free his statements from the context of two years of open xenophobia and pursuing an agenda of white nationalism.

The president spoke at tonight’s Susan B. Anthony’s List’s anti-choice gala and decided to triple down on his comments, declaring that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and the rest of the Democrats were “in favor” of MS-13 because they endorsed less than draconian immigration policies..


Aaron Rupar
✔
@atrupar
2h
Replying to @atrupar
Trump jokes that while it's important for Republicans to go vote, the election in 2016 was actually more important than this year because it got him elected pic.twitter.com/bGYsVVKG7V


Aaron Rupar
✔
@atrupar
Trump alludes to his "animals" comment, says, "The other day, Nancy Pelosi came out in favor of MS-13. That's the first time I've heard that. She wants them to be treated with respect, as do other Democrats. That's not going to be happening." pic.twitter.com/qUCJyznQ8c

8:22 PM - May 22, 2018

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Pelosi, who is close in age to Trump but is decades better than he at social media, slammed back with this:


Nancy Pelosi
✔
@NancyPelosi
Tough talk from a man separating innocent children from their parents https://twitter.com/jonallendc/status/999082376046268416 …

8:50 PM - May 22, 2018
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“Tough talk from a man separating innocent children from their parents,” Pelosi hisses back.

Earlier this month, Trump and Jeff Session announced that undocumented children crossing the borders with their parents but without proper paperwork would be detained and held separately from their caregivers, a heinous plan which ICE has been doing on a small basis for months now but is now ready to kick into high gear.

The move was cruel when Trump announced it, cruel still when he enforced it, and has now slid into full-blown crazy as he successfully manages to warp the public perception of immigrants to lump them all together into one giant “gang,” dehumanizing them and laying the groundwork to excuse even more diabolical crimes in the future.

Democrats have the best opportunity seen in years to capitalize on the cruelty of this administration. Hopefully, Pelosi’s tweet is indication that they are aware of that and are starting to use that to their benefit.

No – for everyone’s benefit.


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COHEN’S SIDE BUSINESS AND PARTNER

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/evgeny-freidman-michael-cohens-business-partner-known-as-the-taxi-king-pleads-guilty-to-fraud/
CBS NEWS May 22, 2018, 7:19 PM
Michael Cohen's business partner, known as "Taxi King," pleads guilty in deal

A business partner of longtime Trump lawyer Michael Cohen has pleaded guilty to criminal tax fraud, after he held onto the $5 million in taxes he owed the state from his taxicabs, according to the New York Attorney General's Office.

The New York Times reported the business partner, Russian immigrant Evgeny Freidman, who is known as the "Taxi King," struck a plea deal to avoid jail time, and will aid prosecutors in state or federal investigations. The guilty plea comes at a critical time for special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, as those close to Cohen fear he could flip on the president in Cohen's own criminal investigation. Cohen's apartment and office were raided in April.

Legal adviser warns Trump that Cohen could flip on him
As a part of his guilty plea, Freidman will have to repay the $5 million to the state. Freidman, the CEO of Taxiclub Management Inc, managed a fleet of more than 800 medallion taxicabs out of Manhattan, Brooklyn and surrounding areas, and failed to pay those taxes over a four-year period.

"Today, the 'Taxi King' admitted that he built his empire by stealing from New Yorkers," Attorney General Barbara Underwood said in a statement. "Freidman pocketed money that should have provided much-needed investment in our transit system – and he'll now have to pay back every cent. Our office will continue to hold accountable those who cheat the system."

But the guilty plea could prompt concern for Cohen and even the White House, as Cohen faces his own criminal investigation for matters related to his business deals. Cohen has been under investigation for months, with his case now playing out in federal court in New York. Meanwhile, the White House has kept its distance from Cohen. Mr. Trump's latest legal hire, Rudy Giuliani, has told CBS News Cohen is no longer the president's attorney.

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



JUST FRIENDS! REALLY! BOTH COHEN AND FRIEDMAN HAVE A BOOM AND BUST PATTERN TO THEIR BUSINESS VENTURES, A COUPLE OF CONVICTIONS, AND SOME BANKRUPTCIES – NOT MY IDEA OF SUCCESS, THOUGH I’M SURE THEY HAVE BOTH ALWAYS HAD PLENTY OF MONEY FOR THEIR BLING AND OTHER NEEDS. I MENTION BLING PARTLY BECAUSE I JUST LOVE THAT WORD, IT’S SO MUCH FUN TO SAY AND SO EXPRESSIVE OF WHAT IT MEANS; BUT ALSO, BECAUSE IN A PHOTO OF COHEN’S HAND IN THIS ARTICLE, THERE IS A HUGE COMPOUND RING SETTING OF SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZED DIAMONDS. LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING THE MAFIA BOSSES MIGHT WEAR. NOW THAT’S “BLING.”

WHAT I’M SEEING IN THIS SET OF STORIES ABOUT THE TRUMP WORLD IS THAT ALL OF THEM DON’T MERELY MAKE MONEY. THEY MAKE IT AND RISK IT, SOMETIMES AT A PROFIT AND SOMETIMES HAVING TO GO FURTHER INTO DEBT. WE OF THE POORER CLASSES TEND TO THINK THAT TO MAKE ENOUGH MONEY TO LIVE WELL OR VERY WELL ON, AND THEN RELAX ELEGANTLY, IS SUCCESS. THESE UBER-RICHE DO NOT SEEM TO DO THAT. THEY DON’T SIT DOWN. MAYBE IT’S TO KEEP THE IRS GUESSING, BUT THEIR INVESTMENTS ARE FREQUENTLY MOVED AROUND FROM ONE THING TO ANOTHER. OF COURSE, THAT’S THE WAY, ALSO, TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF NEWER AND BETTER DEALS ALL THE TIME, AND IF IT HAPPENS TO BE WITH A US SANCTIONED RUSSIAN ENTITY, SO WHAT? THAT’S WHERE THE MONEY IS!

https://www.vox.com/2018/5/22/17382138/michael-cohen-evgeny-freidman-taxi-king
Michael Cohen’s taxi business partner just agreed to cooperate with investigators
The “Taxi King” has struck a plea deal.
By Andrew Prokopandrew@vox.com Updated May 22, 2018, 7:10pm EDT

PHOTOGRAPH – COHEN Drew Angerer/Getty

One of Trump lawyer Michael Cohen’s business partners has now agreed to cooperate with government investigators.

Evgeny “Gene” Freidman, known as the “Taxi King,” entered a guilty plea in New York state court Tuesday as part of a cooperation deal, the New York Times’s Danny Hakim, William Rashbaum, and Vivian Wang report.

Freidman had been arrested last June by state authorities, on charges of not paying more than $5 million in taxes related to his taxi business to New York state. Now he’s pleaded guilty to one count of evading just $50,000 in taxes, in exchange for agreeing to assist federal or state prosecutors, per the Times.

Cohen has been in the taxi business with Freidman for years — as of last year, Freidman managed about half of Cohen’s extensive taxi medallion holdings. Furthermore, the search warrant the FBI used to raid Cohen’s residence and office last month specifically requested documents related to his taxi medallion holdings, among other topics.

However, the Times did not specifically report that Freidman was going to flip on Cohen. And after the news broke, Freidman told Stephen Brown of the New York Daily News that his plea deal “has nothing to do” with Cohen.


Stephen Brown
✔
@PPVSRB
Taxi King Gene Freidman texts: "Michael is a dear dear personal friend and a passive client! That's it!"

"This is me taking responsibility for my actions, and has nothing to do w/MC" https://twitter.com/NYDailyNews/status/999062136704983041 …

7:03 PM - May 22, 2018
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Michael Cohen, taxi baron

It might seem odd that the Trump Organization’s longtime executive vice president and special counsel has a side hustle in taxi medallions, the expensive city-issued permits necessary to operate taxis. But Cohen got involved in the taxi business long before he entered Trump’s orbit.

Cohen’s father-in-law, Fima Shusterman, entered the business first. According to an earlier New York Times report, Shusterman worked as a New York taxi driver soon after emigrating from Ukraine (then part of the Soviet Union), and by the 1990s, he owned nine taxi medallions.

After Cohen married Shusterman’s daughter, Shusterman helped the recent law school graduate get into the taxi business too. Working with another Ukrainian immigrant, Symon Garber, Cohen started buying up taxi medallions. The Times team writes:

Mr. Cohen borrowed from a half-dozen banks and credit unions to buy taxi medallions. Then he used the medallions as collateral to borrow more money to buy more medallions, former colleagues said. He quickly amassed 30 medallions, each then worth about $250,000, but racked up millions in debt.

Together, the two men managed 260 cabs in the late 1990s and early 2000s, some for other owners. Drivers paid them $100 a shift. Millions of dollars in cash flowed in.

Indeed, in 2003, when Cohen ran unsuccessfully for a New York City Council seat, he billed himself as “the owner/operator of a fleet” of more than 200 taxicabs.

New York City

The value of Cohen and Garber’s taxi medallion holdings soared, and the pair started buying up real estate — including several Trump properties. Cohen got a job at the Trump Organization around 2007 but continued to hold onto some of his medallions — the Cohen family still owns 32 New York City medallions through several different companies, Bloomberg has reported. In the past decade, Cohen bought 22 taxi medallions in Chicago too.

At some point, Cohen and Garber had a falling-out and disentangled their business interests. Cohen then struck up a partnership with Evgeny Freidman, a Russian immigrant nicknamed the “Taxi King” because he operated the biggest taxi fleet in New York City, to manage his taxi holdings.

But lately, the business has taken a turn. Due to new competition from Uber and Lyft, the value of New York taxi medallions has plummeted — the price dropped from $1.3 million apiece in 2014 to below $200,000.

Meanwhile, Freidman has ended up enmeshed in a series of business, personal, and legal problems. A judge ordered that he turn over some of his medallions to pay off his bankruptcy creditors. In 2015, he admitted in court that he slammed his wife against a wall shortly before they divorced. In early 2017, a former business partner accused him of threatening to kill his family. And then in mid-2017, New York state authorities arrested Freidman and charged him with stealing $5 million in MTA fees.

Freidman’s troubles caused problems for Cohen too. Cohen’s taxi companies are on the hook for $282,000 in back taxes, according to Bloomberg. (Cohen blamed Freidman, who managed the taxis in question, for the unpaid taxes.)

And then, of course, there were the FBI raids of Cohen’s home and office in early April of this year (carried out not by special counsel Robert Mueller but by the US attorney’s office based in Manhattan). Much of the media coverage of these raids has focused on Cohen’s involvement in sex scandal hush money payments for President Trump, and for the revelation that several companies (including one tied to a Russian oligarch) had sent Cohen large payments in 2017. Cohen has also faced questions about whether he was involved in Russian government interference with the 2016 election (he denies this).

But, per CNN, the FBI was looking for information on Cohen’s taxi holdings during the raids too. So investigators seem to suspect some kind of illegal activity related to Cohen’s taxi holdings — and now Freidman has agreed to a plea deal on reduced charges in exchange for cooperation of some kind, though he says it’s not about Cohen.

IN THIS STORYSTREAM
Donald Trump lawyer Michael Cohen is under criminal investigation
Michael Cohen’s taxi business partner just agreed to cooperate with investigators
The stunning past 24 hours in Trump-Russia and Michael Cohen news, explained


ABOUT THE TAXI KINGPIN

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Freidman
Gene Freidman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Evgeny Naumovich Freidman (Russian: Евгений Наумович Фридман;[1]), known as Gene Freidman,[2] is a Russian-American businessman who owns and operates the largest taxi fleet in New York City, Taxi Club Management (TCM). He has been dubbed the "Taxi King" or "Kingpin."[3][4]

Early life and education

Born into a Jewish family in Leningrad, Freidman and his family immigrated to the United States as a political refugees in 1976.[5] He attended local public schools in Queens before his admission to The Bronx High School of Science, then went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Business from Skidmore College in 1992. He received his law degree from Yeshiva University's Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York City and was admitted to practice law in New York and New Jersey.[6]

Career
Starting with his father's taxi fleet, Freidman began with 60 yellow cabs and expanded to 900 by 2015.[1] He took the company from a valuation of $2.5 million in 1996 to $120 million in 2009.[7]

In 2005, Freidman fought for the right to use more environmentally friendly hybrid vehicles in their taxi fleet. The New York City Council had approved alternative-fuel vehicles to be used as taxis, so Freidman had bought a group of hybrid cars at auction worth several hundreds thousand dollars. New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, however, rejected the city council's decision and refused to allow the hybrid cars. Freidman then filed a lawsuit in April 2005 in the State Supreme Court in Manhattan for the right to use hybrid cars in his fleet, including the Ford Escape, which he had purchased.[6] . . . . While Michael Cohen worked for The Trump Organization, Cohen had Freidman manage Cohen's remaining taxi fleet after Simon Garber purchased the management of most of Cohen's large fleet.[22][23]

RELATED:
Helderman, Rosalind S.; Hamburger, Tom; Leonnig, Carol (April 12, 2018). "FBI raid sought Trump lawyer's communications with bank that loaned him money against his taxi business". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
"Gene Freidman Jailed". Chicago Dispatcher. December 5, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2018.


THE DEMS HAVE EXPLODED WITH POLITICAL ENTHUSIASM AND CREATIVITY THIS YEAR. ON THE IMPROMPTU REQUEST TO ALL PROGRESSIVES FROM BERNIE SANDERS TO “RUN FOR OFFICE IF YOU CAN,” WE HAVE HAD AN ONGOING EMERGENCE OF NEW DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES, MANY OF WHOM ARE WOMEN. THIS IS FROM THE CITY COUNCIL TO GOVERNOR. THIS MAY BRING THE FIRST FEMALE GOVERNOR FOR GEORGIA, WHO ALSO HAPPENS TO BE BLACK. I FEEL LIKE SHOUTING “HALLELUIA!” AS I TRY TO REMEMBER, “CAN’T NEVER DONE NOTHING!”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/georgians-vote-race-centered-immigration-education-122610625--election.html?soc_trk=gcm&soc_src=dbb2094c-7d9a-37c0-96b9-7f844af62e78&.tsrc=notification-brknews
Georgia's GOP governor primary: 2 officials face runoff
Associated Press
BEN NADLER
Associated Press • May 22, 2018

11 PHOTOGRAPHS – VOTE PLACE SCENES OF VOTERS IN ACTION

ATLANTA (AP) — In Georgia's gubernatorial primary, Democrats elected the state's first woman nominee from either party, but no Republican candidate could gather more than 50 percent of the vote — so the top two face a July runoff.

If Stacey Abrams wins in November, she'll become the first black woman governor in the U.S. She will face either Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle or Secretary of State Brian Kemp. Their runoff is scheduled for July 24.

Related Searches
Georgia Governor Candidates 2018Georgia Lt. Governor CandidatesBrian Kemp For Governor Of GeorgiaMichael Williams For Governor Of GeorgiaGeorgia Primary 2018

Abrams beat former state Rep. Stacey Evans. The one-time legislative colleagues tussled over ethics accusations and their records on education. Both are Atlanta-area attorneys. Abrams got a last-minute boost with an endorsement -- in the form of a 60-second robo-call -- from Hillary Clinton.

In the Republican race, Cagle and Kemp beat three GOP rivals in a race characterized by strong support for gun rights and tough talk on immigration. The field was all white men - former legislators, officeholders and businessmen, some with decades of political experience and others positioning themselves as outsiders challenging the establishment.

In the ballroom of a downtown Atlanta hotel, Abrams supporters trickled in to a soundtrack of R&B and hip-hop songs. Two young women — one black and one white and both wearing shirts reading "Elect Black Women" — huddled over a table as Rihanna's "Diamonds" played in the background.

At Cagle's gathering in Gainesville, he walked through a crowd of supporters shaking hands, offering hugs and taking selfies while country singer Tyler Hammond performed on stage.

In Athens, supporters of Kemp streamed into the upstairs ballroom of the Holiday Inn to await returns.

The candidates are vying to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Nathan Deal, who has held the office since 2011.

All of Georgia's statewide constitutional offices are up for grabs this election cycle, including those vacated by Cagle and Kemp, as well as the position of insurance commissioner vacated by Ralph Hudgens, who isn't seeking re-election.

Georgia's 180 state House and 56 state Senate seats are also up for a vote.

Five of Georgia's U.S. House members face primary challengers.

Associated Press writers Kate Brumback in Atlanta, Jeff Martin in Athens, Jonathan Landrum in Gainesville and Alex Sanz in Johns Creek contributed to this report.

Sign up for "Politics in Focus," a weekly newsletter showcasing the AP's best political reporting from around the country leading up to the midterm elections: https://bit.ly/2ICEr3D



GLOBAL WARMING? A SIGN FROM GOD? OF COURSE, WHEN I THINK OF A SINKHOLE, IT BRINGS TO MIND CARS AND HOUSES FALLING IN. BUT THERE IS A MUCH LARGER EXAMPLE THAN THOSE. FOR A VERY INTERESTING PLACE TO GO ON YOUR VACATION, SEE “THE DEVIL’S MILLHOPPER.” THAT’S IN NORTH FLORIDA NEAR GAINESVILLE. DON’T FORGET THE MOSQUITO REPELLANT.

www.cbsnews.com/news/sinkhole-appears-on-white-house-lawn/
CBS NEWS May 22, 2018, 1:08 PM
Sinkhole appears on White House lawn

A sinkhole has appeared on the White House's North Lawn — which has naturally spawned jokes on the Internet.

The sinkhole, confirmed by groundskeepers, is just outside the office of White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley. The sinkhole, which groundskeepers remarked was smaller than they thought it might be, was roped off with cones and caution tape.

But, according to reporters who have observed it, it appears to be growing.

unnamed-2.jpg
A sinkhole has appeared on the White House North Lawn. JACQUELINE ALEMANY / CBS NEWS
On Twitter, the hole's appearance garnered jokes about the president's "drain the swamp" slogan and that the sinkhole was actually a portal to another dimension.

View image on Twitter
View image on Twitter

Mark Higbee
@MarkHigbee
DRAIN THE SWAMP Sinkhole Appears in White House Lawn http://www.friendlydb.com/item/14965791/drain-the-swamp-sinkhole-appears-in-white-house-lawn …

1:04 PM - May 22, 2018
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Jeff Urbanchuk
@jurbanchuk
It's not like a growing sinkhole right outside the press briefing room at the White House has any existential meaning to it at all, right?

12:36 PM - May 22, 2018
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Others joked about how close the hole is to the press briefing room.


G
@Random_acct
How appropriate is it that the sinkhole is opening near the press briefing room?https://qz.com/1284955/donald-trumps-white-house-has-a-growing-sinkhole-on-the-north-lawn/ …

1:00 PM - May 22, 2018

An actual sinkhole has opened on the White House lawn. It’s growing
"It was noticeably bigger between Sunday and Monday," one White House correspondent said.

qz.com
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— CBS News' Jacqueline Alemany contributed to this report

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.


THE DEVIL’S MILLHOPPER

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil%27s_Millhopper_Geological_State_Park
Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park is a Florida State Park located in the north-westernmost part of Gainesville, Florida, off County Road 232, northwest of the University of Florida.

The park is maintained by the Florida State Parks system, a division of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The park is adjacent to San Felasco County Park and is near the San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park.

Geology
The cutaway, limestone sides of the sinkhole provide an easily visible geological record of the area. Twelve springs, some more visible than others, feed the pond at the bottom of the sinkhole. In the summer, the bottom of the sinkhole is dramatically cooler than the air at the surface due to the depth and shade from the canopy above. Significant fossil deposits include shark teeth, marine shells, and the fossilized remains of extinct land animals.[1]

Ecology
Even though the park is only 71 acres (29 ha), three distinct ecological environments exist in the park, based on exposure to sun, fire, and water. In the sandhill environment, the sandy soil and regular fires result in pine trees being the predominant vegetation. The moist soils of the hammocks support broadleaf trees and more low vegetation, while the swamp areas only support flora and fauna adapted to year-around wet conditions.

History

The 120 foot (40 m) deep, 500 foot (150 m) wide sinkhole got its name from its similar appearance to the hopper of a mill, along with the bones found at the bottom, suggesting animals entered it on the way to meeting the devil. The Millhopper was owned for a time by the science department at the University of Florida and used as a research site for the students. Its unique ecosystem made it an invaluable resource for study. However, the Millhopper was often used by students as a place to socialize and have parties, which led to problems with litter and erosion from foot traffic.[2]

The site was purchased by the state in 1974, and a set of 236 wooden steps, along with boardwalks and an observation deck at the bottom were completed in 1976 to allow access to the sink for visitors without further soil erosion.

The formation was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1974, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (in part for its surviving Civilian Conservation Corps infrastructure) in 2017.



IS THERE AN INCIPIENT SCANDAL HERE THAT IS BEING IGNORED BY POLICE? WHY WAS A SEARCH WARRANT ON AN OFFICER’S WIFE ISSUED? THIS LOOKS LIKE GROUNDS FOR A CONSPIRACY THEORY TO ME. LOTS OF INTRIGUE AND NOT ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO PROVE ANYTHING YET. A VENGEANCE KILLING BY A MOTHER? A LOCAL CORRUPTION CONNECTION? SEE THE RELATED LOCAL ARTICLES BELOW FOR MORE DETAILS, INCLUDING SOME SEAMY ONES. http://www.wtae.com/article/wife-of-police-sergeant-named-in-search-warrant-seeking-facebook-data-after-teachers-death/20858749

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rachael-deltondo-death-search-warrant-executed-aliquippa-officer-wife-in-case-slain-teacher/
CBS NEWS May 22, 2018, 6:31 AM
Search warrant executed on police officer's wife in case of slain teacher

ALIQUIPPA, Pa. — Authorities have executed a new search warrant on the wife of an Aliquippa Police officer in connection to the death of Rachael DelTondo, CBS Pittsburgh reports. There have been several theories about DelTondo's death, but police investigators have clearly set their sights on 20-year-old Sheldon Jeter.

Police interviewed the on-again, off-again boyfriend just hours after the murder then executed the first of two search warrants, taking his iPhone and some clothes.

"He's not involved in this homicide, and no evidence has come forward to show that he is," Michael Santicola, Jeter's attorney, said.

Police had asked Jeter for the clothes he was wearing the night of the murder, and he initially surrendered a pair of khaki pants and a windbreaker. But an affidavit says he was seen on surveillance cameras wearing something different — a gray sweatshirt.

deltondo-student.jpg
Sheldon Jeter, left, and Rachael DelTondo CBS PITTSBURGH

Jeter also told police he spoke with DelTondo earlier in the evening at the Circle K convenience store, but while tapes show DelTondo there, they do not show Jeter.

When asked by CBS Pittsburgh if he thought these discrepancies were incriminating, Santicola said: "I do not think the discrepancies are incriminating. In fact, I would probably challenge the fact that there even are discrepancies."

Santicola says Jeter spoke briefly with police at 5 a.m. and that he told no lies.

On Thursday, police took a PlayStation and some notebooks because Jeter told them he was playing video games and writing rap lyrics the night of the murder. They were looking for a handgun and some bloody clothes, but did not find them.

"The two search warrants that they have issued on him have yielded nothing, which would be consistent with what he has told them," Santicola said.

But in yet another twist, police have executed a warrant on Facebook, looking into the private account of Stephanie Watkins.

She's the mother of Lauren Watkins, who dropped DelTondo off at her home that night. She is also the wife of Aliquippa Police Sergeant Kenneth Watkins, who is on administrative leave during the investigation.

Lauren Watkins told police she did not see DelTondo's assailant or hear gunshots. Her father showed up at the crime scene and reportedly argued with other police officers.

The reason for the Facebook search warrant is unclear.

62 PHOTOS -- Most horrific crimes

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



I HAD FORGOTTEN ABOUT SEEING THIS STORY A WEEK OR SO AGO. I DIDN’T LOOK AT IT THEN BECAUSE IT LOOKED LIKE ANOTHER SAD AND SORDID STORY ABOUT HUMAN FAILURES. RIGHT? SO I PASSED OVER IT. THIS ARTICLE SHOWS HOW DEEP A STORY IT IS ALREADY, AND THE ATTACHED RELATED PIECES HINT AT EVEN MORE. I HOPE CBS 48 HOURS WILL LOOK INTO THIS.

http://www.wtae.com/article/wife-of-police-sergeant-named-in-search-warrant-seeking-facebook-data-after-teachers-death/20858749
Search warrants filed for Facebook accounts of slain teacher and 3 others as Aliquippa homicide investigation continues
Information posted from May 11 to May 15 is requested in search warrants for the Facebook accounts of Rachael DelTondo, Sheldon Jeter Jr., Stephanie Watkins and Lauren Watkins.
Updated: 3:26 PM EDT May 22, 2018

ALIQUIPPA, Pa. —
TUESDAY UPDATE: Three more search warrants have been filed, each one seeking the same type of information as described below from the Facebook accounts of homicide victim Rachael DelTondo, Sheldon Jeter Jr. and Lauren Watkins.

No arrests have been made, and no suspects have been identified in the ongoing investigation.

ORIGINAL STORY FROM MONDAY:

Investigators want to see photos, private messages, wall posts and other information from the Facebook account of an Aliquippa police sergeant's wife, according to a new search warrant in the Rachael DelTondo homicide case.

The warrant requests "basic" and "expanded" subscriber information -- including "profile contact information, status update, shares, notes, wall postings, friend listings, futures and past events video listings user photos and private messages" -- from a Facebook account belonging to Stephanie Watkins, with the username Stephanie Moxley Watkins.

Information posted from May 11 to May 15 is requested in the warrant. The accompanying affidavit does not specifically say why police are interested in Watkins' Facebook account.

Watkins is married to Aliquippa police Sgt. Kenneth Watkins, who has been placed on paid leave during the investigation. The Watkins' daughter, Lauren, has been interviewed as a witness by police.

Lauren Watkins drove with DelTondo to several locations on the night of DelTondo's death, including a Circle K convenience store and Hank's Frozen Custard, and she dropped DelTondo at home shortly before the 33-year-old woman was found shot Sunday night, according to information in previous search warrants.

Another warrant shows that police have requested geolocation data for the cellphone of 20-year-old Sheldon Jeter Jr., whose attorney has confirmed that Jeter had a romantic involvement with DelTondo but denied that he had any involvement in her death.

Police believe Jeter was "substantially acquainted with both Rachael DelTondo and Lauren Watkins," that he tried to "minimize his involvement with and knowledge of both" to investigators, and that he "provided false or misleading information to the investigative team by representing that he met with Rachael DelTondo at Circle K," according to the warrant.

Nobody has been named as a suspect in DelTondo's death. Authorities have not disclosed a possible motive, although Beaver County District Attorney David Lozier has said that DelTondo likely knew her killer.

RELATED –

.... Investigation continues into death of teacher shot in Aliquippa driveway
.... Rachael DelTondo Search warrant lays out timeline on the night of Rachael DelTondo homicide in Aliquippa; attorney says she was set to go before grand jury
.... Rachael DelTondo Was Aliquippa murder victim set to testify to grand jury? DA responds as homicide investigation continues
.... Pennsylvania State Police logo on car Aliquippa grand jury probe looking into 'pensions'



http://www.wtae.com/article/police-search-aliquippa-municipal-building-in-grand-jury-probe/19056731
Aliquippa grand jury probe looking into 'pensions'
AP Updated: 11:12 PM EST Mar 7, 2018

ALIQUIPPA, Pa. (AP) —
Pennsylvania State Police searched Aliquippa City Hall Friday as part of a grand jury investigation.

They seized four computers as part of the investigation and City Hall was closed until the raid was completed.

Aliquippa leaders confirmed the investigation was into some sort of "theft" but said they had very little knowledge of the details of the investigation.

Nearly a week later, at the city council meeting Wednesday night, council members made little mention of the raid or the grand jury investigation. Mayor Dwan Walker briefly told the crowd that the city did not know much.

"We know what you know," Walker said.

Solicitor Myron Sainovich said he had learned that the computers would likely be returned on Friday.

“The allegation is was [sic] that there was some theft. They’ve been looking into pensions and things like that," Sainovich said.

"I don’t know what the issue is. They haven’t told us. We don’t know.

"They’re looking into the transfers of monies in some way. It has to be it. Now, I don’t see anybody here driving new cars or anything yet, so I don’t know what it possibly could be.”

Sainovich said he had not heard directly from state police or from the attorney general's office since the raid.

He said the city council is not overly worried about the situation.

“Are they concerned? Yes. But do they believe that there’s any culpability with any of them? No.”

None of the investigating agencies have shared any details about the investigation with the media.


BERNIE WAS PROVOKED INTO “LOSING HIS COOL,” YESTERDAY, OVER THE GUN SALES ISSUE. HE HAS SOMETIMES IN THE PAST VOTED AGAINST GUN CONTROL BILL(S). IN HIS DEFENSE, THE PEOPLE OF VERMONT ARE IN LARGE NUMBERS RURAL AND FAIRLY PLAIN. IN OTHER WORDS, THEY FREQUENTLY ARE NRA MEMBERS AND WANT THEIR GUNS. HOWEVER, HIS PERSONAL PAIN WAS OBVIOUS OVER THE NEWS VIDEO OF A TEENAGED GIRL WHO STOOD IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA, STATING THAT SHE FELT FRIGHTENED AND SADDENED, BUT NOT SURPRISED.

SANDERS’ FACE STRONGLY MIRRORED A REFLECTION OF HER SADNESS. THEN WHEN TODD RATHER AGGRESSIVELY (AS HE OFTEN DOES) ASKED HIM IF CONGRESS “HAS DONE ENOUGH,” HE EXPLODED. “OF COURSE NOT!” HE GAVE THE POWER OF THE NRA AS THE CAUSE OF MOST OF THEIR INACTION, AND CLEARLY THAT’S TRUE. LET’S FACE IT, IT IS MAINLY LIBERALS IN THIS COUNTRY WHO EVEN CARE ENOUGH ABOUT HUMAN LEVEL ISSUES LIKE MASS SHOOTINGS TO STAND UP FOR HUMANITY OVER DOLLARS; THEREFORE, THE NRA RIGHTISTS KEEP WINNING. AS LONG AS WE ALLOW CIVILIANS TO HAVE WHAT USED TO BE CALLED “TOMMY GUNS,” THESE MASS MURDERS WILL REMAIN THE NORM.

I HATE TO SAY THIS, BUT IN MY OPINION THE RIGHTISTS IN THIS COUNTRY ARE TOO MUCH LIKE MOBSTERS IN THEIR GOALS, METHODS AND ATTITUDES. WE NEED TO START CRACKING DOWN ON THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE OF THOSE PEOPLE AND LIMITING WHICH AND HOW MANY EXTREME GROUPS WE ALLOW TO WALK IN OUR STREETS ARMED TO THE TEETH. THERE IS A PHOTOGRAPH ON THE NET FROM JUST LAST YEAR OF THREE FAT, UGLY, CHILDISHLY ARROGANT SMIRKING MEN WALKING DOWN THE AISLE OF A WALMART STORE WITH THEIR AK’S STRAPPED ACROSS THEIR HUGE ABDOMENS. NOW, THAT’S “MALE PRIVILEGE.”

IT’S ALSO “WHITE PRIVILEGE.” DO YOU REMEMBER THE OTHER WALMART STORY FROM THAT SAME TIME PERIOD OF A YOUNG BLACK BOY OF MAYBE 11 YEARS, WHO WAS SHOT BY POLICE FOR BEING SEEN BY A (PRESUMABLY WHITE) SHOPPER HANDLING A PLASTIC TOY VERSION OF AN ASSAULT RIFLE. LIKE ALL BOYS, HE PUT IT UP TO HIS SHOULDER AND SIGHTED IT. WALMART WORKERS "ERRED ON THE SIDE OF CAUTION," WHICH TO THEM MEANT CALL THE POLICE. THE POLICE IN THEIR TURN “ASSUMED” THE TOY WAS REAL AND SHOT HIM. PRESUMABLY THEY DID IT BECAUSE THEY FEARED FOR THEIR LIVES.

WALMART HAS RAISED THE MINIMUM AGE TO 21 FOR A GUN PURCHASE OF ANY KIND IN ALL OF THEIR STORES, AND I NOTICED THAT DICKS’ SPORTING GOODS JUST DID THE SAME THING. EVEN THAT SMALL CHANGE IS HELPFUL. MONEY DOESN’T HAVE TO BE SOULLESS. ANY BIT OF GOODNESS HELPS. THIS STORY IS MEET THE PRESS, SO THERE IS NO TEXT, BUT IT’S VERY GOOD.

https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/video/full-bernie-sanders-unspeakable-for-students-to-face-gun-violence-in-school-1237915203976
Meet the Press – Bernie Sanders Interview
May 20, 2018
Full Bernie Sanders: 'Unspeakable' for students to face gun violence in school
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) joins Chuck Todd for an exclusive interview to talk about what it takes for Democrats to win elections, and about the shooting in Santa Fe, Texas.

* * * * *

THIS IS A VERY GOOD NEWS VIDEO ON A SUBJECT THAT STILL APPLIES TO TOO MANY TODAY. THE VIDEO REVIEWS PAST MEASURES TO ALLEVIATE HUNGER IN THE USA, AND SHOWS VICTIMS OF HUNGER TALKING ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES. I HAVEN’T KEPT UP WITH CONGRESS ON THIS SUBJECT, BUT I HAVE NOTICED NEWS RECENTLY OF THE REPUBLICANS / “CONSERVATIVES” TRYING TO PENALIZE PEOPLE WHO DO NEED AND USE SNAP BY ADDING A WORK REQUIREMENT. WORK IS HARD TO COME BY! BY THE WAY, ARE THEY ALL BLACK OR IMMIGRANTS? ABSOLUTELY NOT. HOW CONVENIENT THE UNDERCLASS ARE FOR THE PLACING OF BLAME AND THE MAKING OF EXCUSES.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-hunger-is-still-a-problem-in-america/
By AIMEE PICCHI MONEYWATCH May 22, 2018, 1:42 PM
Why hunger is still a problem in America

Half a century ago, the CBS Reports documentary "Hunger in America" shocked middle-class Americans with depictions of desperate hunger and malnutrition across the country.

"Child malnutrition in some parts were akin to rates in third-world countries," Bob Greenstein, the founder and president of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-leaning think tank, talking on CBSN about the documentary, which was broadcast nationwide to a primetime audience 50 years ago this week.

Greenstein, who directed the agency that oversaw the federal food assistance programs under President Carter, noted that Americans are still struggling with hunger. The realities of low-wage work, including fluctuating work hours, means that many families are making tough choices about paying for groceries or other bills.

"The minimum wage, adjusted for inflation, is now set about ... 20 percent below the level it was in 1968, so we have many more people who work full time but earn a wage that leaves them in or at the poverty line," Greenstein said. Food stamps are "a fundamental support of people who work hard for low wages."

Food insecurity -- or not having enough food because of a lack of money or other resources -- is a daily problem for almost 1 in 8 Americans. And that rate remains higher than before the recession, when the numbers were slightly more than 1 in 10, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

food-insecurity-percent-1.png
Food insecurity is defined as not having enough food because of a lack of money or other resources. It's a way of life today for almost 1 in 8 Americans, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data, up from more than 1 in 10 before the recession.
Meanwhile, lawmakers have been debating adding work requirements to the federal food stamp program. The farm bill that included the requirement was defeated last Friday, but the proposal could be wrapped into new legislation.

Adding work requirements "would increase the paperwork and red tape that would make it harder for the people in real need," Greenstein said.

Anti-hunger advocates in Maine, which introduced work requirements for its food stamp program a few years ago, say that's an issue in their state. Fewer people in Maine are receiving food stamps since the requirement was added, but advocates say many of them can't keep up with the reporting requirements, which stipulate they need to update the state if their hours or income changes.

Two-thirds of food stamp recipients are seniors, people with disabilities or children, said Stacy Dean, the vice president for Food Assistance Policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

If a worker loses a job or his or her income falls, the food stamp program "is an important response to that," she said. "Many people use it for short periods of time."

Instead of proposals to cut food stamps, research suggests investing more money in the program could help lower food insecurity within millions of households, Greenstein noted.

"The benefits average $1.40 per person per meal. It's quite modest," he said. "The research shows that many people run out of adequate food in the last week of the month."

He added, "There is evidence that the benefit level should be modestly higher than it is today."

Viewers of the 1968 CBS Reports video "Hunger in America" should know that the documentary contains images of hungry people, including children, that can be difficult to watch.

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc.. All Rights Reserved.



WAPO ON OR – ALMOST MOMENT TO MOMENT REPORTS DOWN THE BLOG PAGE TODAY. YOU CAN’T SAY AMERICANS ARE NOT INTERESTED IN THE SANDERS HOPE FOR THE FUTURE THAT WE STILL HOLD. WE DO NEED TO HAVE A PROFESSIONAL RATHER THAN AMATEUR REVOLUTION STAFF/BOARD OF DIRECTORS. PROMISING TO ISSUE A SUPPORT FOR A PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE AND THEN DELAYING THAT FOR “WEEKS,” IS NOT GOOD. HAVING A FOX NEWS COMMENTER ON THEIR STAFF WASN’T GOOD. A FOX IS A FOX IS A FOX. ALLOWING TURNER TO ISSUE THE ONLY REPLY FROM OUR REVOLUTION ISN’T GOOD EITHER. SHE HAS BEEN IN THE NEWS NEGATIVELY A NUMBER OF TIMES, PERSONALLY, AS WELL. I DON’T REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS FOR. OUR REVOLUTION’S DECISION NOT TO SUPPORT A CANDIDATE SPECIFICALLY RECOMMENDED BY SANDERS IS NOT GOOD, EITHER.

THE PROBLEM IS THAT WHAT HAPPENS ON THIS REALLY MATTERS TO A LARGE CHUNK OF AMERICA, SO LET’S CHEER TOGETHER FOR THE GOOD GUYS AND PRAY TO AVOID THE MACHINATIONS OF THE BAD.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2018/05/22/sanders-founded-group-likely-to-part-with-staffer-who-tweeted-about-illegal-immigrants/
Sanders-founded group likely to part with staffer who tweeted about ‘illegal immigrants’
By David Weigel
May 22 at 4:42 PM

The political group founded by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) after his presidential campaign ended may part ways with an associate whose Fox News appearances and tweets sometimes swerved into criticism of the Democratic Party’s focus on “illegal immigrants.”

In the wake of a critical story in Politico, and a subsequent Facebook post by former Our Revolution political director Erika Andiola, the Sanders-founded group said it would reevaluate the role of Tezlyn Figaro, who was brought on board last year when former Ohio state senator Nina Turner took over. (Politico had reported “board members have been told her contract will end soon.”)

“The comments made by Tezlyn Figaro are not beliefs espoused by myself or Our Revolution,” Turner said in a statement. “I understand that we all have room to grow and evolve, and while we encourage growth, I am committed to maintaining a work environment that is safe and supportive for all. Tezlyn has publicly apologized for her comments and while she is still part of our paid staff, the matter is under advisement by myself and the Our Revolution board of directors.”

In the Facebook post, Andiola posted images of several tweets Figaro sent before joining Our Revolution. In one, Figaro combined her frustration about a focus on the new administration’s immigration policy with a meme about black incarceration rates. “U r being distracted abt ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS meanwhile more blacks are under prison/parole control in in 2010 than were enslaved in 1850,” Figaro wrote.

In another, Figaro recapped what she had said that day on “Fox and Friends,” one of several Fox shows where she had made appearances as a disgruntled veteran of the Sanders campaign. “If AMERICAN black folks can go to jail when they break the law then certainly so can an illegal immigrant,” Figaro wrote.

“I became sick to my stomach and could not stop crying all night,” Andiola wrote, describing the posts. “Despite what the article says, there has been a lot of incredible work done at the grassroots level. But I also hope and pray that the organization doesn’t forget about Latinos and undocumented folks on the left. A good start would be to remove Ms. Figaro from staff, as well as to hold accountable the org leadership for this.”

On Monday night, after Andiola’s post began to spread widely, Figaro wrote tweets apologizing for her comments, adding she was not “given the chance” to “learn and grow” before being called out.

(1) I understand that my comments made before I began working on projects at @OurRevolution have hurt many today & for that I apologize as a life long advocate pushing racial equality specifically AA issues my goal was to try to bring awareness to issues that are rarely discussed

— Tezlyn Figaro (@TezlynFigaro) May 22, 2018
(2) While my attempt was trying to uplift black communities I certainly did not mean to tear down other marginalized communities although Latino & black blood runs through my veins I understand that I have hurt many Latino brothers & sisters

— Tezlyn Figaro (@TezlynFigaro) May 22, 2018
(3) I am disappointed that I did not have a chance to chat one on one with those that took issue with me because overall it’s hurts the entire mission that we are all fighting for so the motivation behind this is puzzling but I will take ownership on my part

— Tezlyn Figaro (@TezlynFigaro) May 22, 2018
(4) while working as the national racial justice director on the campaign OR as a consultant at OR I have worked hard to maintain professionalism & have not compromised the organization in any way, however tweets when I was not working with OR were found

— Tezlyn Figaro (@TezlynFigaro) May 22, 2018
(5) however I offer no excuse on past comments, I’m always open to grow & learn if given the chance sadly in this case I was not

— Tezlyn Figaro (@TezlynFigaro) May 22, 2018
(6) when I 1st met the board member who criticized me I told her how happy I was that she showed me new light regarding LGBT issues I wish she would have done the same regarding my word choices with immigration

— Tezlyn Figaro (@TezlynFigaro) May 22, 2018
(7) I could easily sit here & blame the establishment, disgruntle people or ppl who wish to tear @ninaturner down but I will NOT, even though I was NOT working at OR when it was said, I take full responsibility for my poor word choices

— Tezlyn Figaro (@TezlynFigaro) May 22, 2018

As first reported by Politico, Turner had wanted Figaro, her longtime communications consultant, to become Our Revolution’s chief of staff. She was overruled by the group’s board, in part because of her frequent Fox News appearances, where she has appeared both to debate conservatives and to criticize the Democratic Party.

In the final months of the 2016 campaign, as Sanders campaigned for Hillary Clinton, Figaro appeared on Fox to attack the Democratic nominee’s focus and funding. In 2017, she appeared on the network to argue that the Democratic National Committee would “lose millions of votes” as people angry about the outcome of the party’s leadership election would “go forward with the ‘Dem exit’” — at the same time that Sanders was urging supporters to focus on the “unity reform commission” that would change the party’s primary rules.

Andiola’s post went further than criticizing Figaro. In it, Andiola claimed that her late 2017 work to defend the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program led to her untimely departure from Our Revolution.

“When me and another Dreamer went to NYC on the day Trump rescinded DACA to sit in to defend our community, I had to do it on vacation time,” she wrote. Immigrants brought to the United States as children are often referred to as “dreamers.” “Senator Turner was going to force OR to leave the OurDream coalition we started because we were challenging Democrats as well as Republicans and because we believed our strategy had to include civil disobedience. Finally, I asked for a leave of absence or some way to work this out, but instead I was fired the very next day without any further dialogue.”

At the time, Andiola’s advocacy bothered Our Revolution — which, like Sanders, supported using must-pass funding bills to get a permanent DACA solution through Congress — when it crossed powerful Democrats. Andiola retweeted a video of activists crashing a news conference being held by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and tweeted other videos of activists sitting and singing inside the offices of Democrats whose votes on the plan were already secure.

But on Tuesday, Turner took a diplomatic approach to the criticism.

“I was sorry to see Erika Andiola’s statement last night,” said Turner. “I have the utmost respect for her commitment to immigrant justice, and I wish her the absolute best. Given the sensitivity of personnel matters, I am unable to comment further.”


David Weigel is a national political correspondent covering Congress and grass-roots political movements. He is the author of "The Show That Never Ends," a history of progressive rock music. Follow @daveweigel


FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH – WELL, ONE OF THE HORSES – TURNER ANSWER’S POLITICO’S ARTICLE. I WONDER IF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AGREE, THOUGH?

https://ourrevolution.com/press/
PRESS RELEASE
Former Senator Nina Turner Weighs in On Her Work at Our Revolution
22nd May, 2018

WASHINGTON – Following media reports on personnel and leadership matters at Our Revolution, Senator Nina Turner, president of the organization, today released the following statement:

“As you may know, Politico published an article impugning my leadership and questioning the effectiveness of Our Revolution. While there were many false assertions surfaced in the article, I want to focus on a couple of particular points.

“First, the comments made by Tezlyn Figaro are not beliefs espoused by myself or Our Revolution. I understand that we all have room to grow and evolve, and while we encourage growth, I am committed to maintaining a work environment that is safe and supportive for all. Tezlyn has publicly apologized for her comments and while she is still part of our paid staff, the matter is under advisement by myself and the Our Revolution board of directors.

“Relatedly, this organization has a strong history of standing firmly with undocumented immigrants. We have not and will not abandon immigrant individuals and families, and I look forward to continuing working with our board of directors and staff to strengthen this work.

"Let me also share that I was sorry to see Erika Andiola*'s statement last night. I have the utmost respect for her commitment to immigrant justice, and I wish her the absolute best. Given the sensitivity of personnel matters, I am unable to comment further.

“Finally, the other allegations in the article (that our fundraising is down or that I am using my position to run for political office) are categorically false. For an organization that has existed for less than two years, we are doing impressively well. This is evidenced by our 45 percent electoral success rate and the incredible growth of local grassroots groups to almost 600 with several international groups. Like any new organization, we are learning and growing each day, but the best is yet to come.

“In conclusion, while the comments about me and my leadership are disappointing, I am focused on the task at hand – supporting progressive groups, issues, and candidates. Our Board of Directors and staff remain committed to moving the progressive revolution forward and transforming our nation’s political system. On the heels of critical midterm elections, we can’t afford to do anything less.”


ARE THE BERNIE FORCES IN DANGER, OR IS THE WRITER OF THIS ARTICLE JUST STIRRING THE POT? PERHAPS HE SHOULD THROW IN SOME HAIR OF BAT OR EYE OF NEWT WHILE HE’S AT IT. IT DOES WORRY ME, THOUGH, THAT SANDERS “IS LEGALLY DETACHED” FROM THE ORGANIZATION. MAYBE HE HAD TO DO THAT FOR CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAWS. PERHAPS HE SHOULD DO SOMETHING LEGALLY TO CHANGE THAT ARRANGEMENT. I WISH I WERE A LAWYER, SO I COULD POSSIBLY MAKE A SOLID AND USEFUL SUGGESTION. LACKING THAT, I MIGHT SUGGEST MERELY ON MY INSTINCT A PERSONAL LAWSUIT FROM SANDERS BARRING THEM FROM USING HIS NAME AND ACCOUTREMENTS AT ALL ANYMORE? OR SUE TURNER FOR DAMAGES TO HIS FUTURE CAMPAIGNS?

THIS ARTICLE ANNOYS ME, THOUGH. IT’S MUCH TOO EARLY TO BE IMPLYING THAT SANDERS OR THE PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT ARE NOT GOING TO SUCCEED TWO YEARS FROM NOW, WHILE THEY HAVE SHOWN SUCH A STRONG CONTACT WITH AMERICANS SO FAR. WHEN I SEE THIS KIND OF WRITING, I SUSPECT A RIGHTIST FINGER IN THE PIE – OR JUST THE DNC WHEN BERNIE IS THE TARGET. THE PRESENCE OF A TRUMP FOLLOWER IN THE ORGANIZATION IS NOT GOOD AT ALL, EITHER. AS FOR HOW SANDERS DOES IN 2020, WE’LL JUST HAVE TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS. REALITY UNFOLDS MOMENT BY MOMENT. THAT’S THE MECHANISM BY WHICH MIRACLES HAPPEN, MOST OF THE TIME.

THIS NEGATIVE KIND OF TALK MAY ALSO BE AN ATTEMPT TO DISCOURAGE US, ESPECIALLY AS IT GIVES NO “ADVICE” THAT I SAW HERE. IN SHORT, IT ISN’T MEANT TO BE HELPFUL OR TO INSTRUCT. IT DOES HAVE TWO DOZEN SOURCES HOWEVER, INCLUDING BOARD MEMBERS, SO I’M THINKING OF ATTACHING THIS TO THE OUR REVOLUTION AND BERNIE’S PERSONAL FACEBOOK PAGES.

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/21/bernie-sanders-democrats-2018-599331
Bernie’s army in disarray
The Sanders-inspired grass-roots group ‘Our Revolution’ is flailing, an extensive review by POLITICO shows, fueling concerns about a potential 2020 bid.
By EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE 05/21/2018 05:00 AM EDT

PHOTOGRAPH -- Amid poor fundraising, Our Revolution earlier this month filed paperwork to launch a PAC so Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) can help it raise money directly. | Alex Wong/Getty Images

Bernie Sanders’ top operatives formed “Our Revolution” after he lost the 2016 primaries to keep his army organized and motivated — and potentially prepare for another presidential run in 2020.

But an extensive review of the Sanders-inspired group depicts an organization in disarray — operating primarily as a promotional vehicle for its leader and sometimes even snubbing candidates aligned with Sanders. Our Revolution has shown no ability to tip a major Democratic election in its favor — despite possessing Sanders’ email list, the envy of the Democratic Party — and can claim no major wins in 2018 as its own.

The result has left many Sanders supporters disillusioned, feeling that the group that was supposed to harness the senator's grass-roots movement is failing in its mission. The problems have also fueled doubts about Sanders’ organizational ability heading into 2020, even after his out-of-nowhere near-march to the nomination two years ago. Critics of the Vermont independent had been worried he’d have a juggernaut-in-waiting to fuel a second presidential campaign, but that anxiety has faded after watching Our Revolution the past year and a half.

“Our Revolution is going through growing pains,” acknowledged Jane Kleeb, the group’s treasurer, while arguing that progress is being made. “Creating a grass-roots organization is different from running a presidential campaign.”

The group writes on its website that “the next step for Bernie Sanders' movement is Our Revolution,” and uses his name, quotations and photos in its material under a logo of the colors and font Sanders used in his 2016 presidential campaign. But Sanders, who is legally separated from Our Revolution, does not keep up with its day-to-day activities and has expressed discomfort with attacks by affiliates of Our Revolution against some politicians.

Among the findings of POLITICO’s examination of Our Revolution, based on interviews with two dozen sources inside and outside the organization:

Board members and Sanders presidential delegates from 2016 have raised questions about whether the group’s president, Nina Turner, is using her position to prepare for a presidential run of her own, and to settle scores with the Democratic National Committee from 2016.

Two weeks ago, the group’s board of directors nixed Turner’s attempt to install her personal political consultant and friend as her chief of staff, even though the person had no experience in political organizing and had praised President Donald Trump repeatedly and attacked immigrants on Fox News.

Monthly online fundraising totals have plummeted to just one-third of the group's take a year ago, based on an analysis of processing fees reported to the IRS by Act Blue, the tool Our Revolution uses, and verified by several people familiar with its finances. Our Revolution maintains that it’s still running a surplus and that repeat donations are steady.

Amid the poor fundraising, Our Revolution earlier this month filed paperwork to launch a PAC so Sanders can help it raise money directly and so the group can coordinate directly with campaigns.
A founding board member resigned last month, saying Our Revolution wasn’t paying adequate attention to Latino candidates and issues of importance to Latinos.
Some Sanders stalwarts worry that Our Revolution’s performance could have a harmful spillover effect if he runs again: Though Sanders himself continues to reshape Democratic politics, with many presidential contenders signing on to his “Medicare for All” bill and primaries across the country being fought further on the left’s turf than in decades, supporters warn that the senator himself will suffer if the group formed in his name is seen as weak and floundering.

“What Bernie has to be careful about is that perception having an impact on his support going into 2020. He needs the enthusiasm,” said one Sanders 2016 delegate closely involved with one of this year’s primary races.

One early warning sign came in the Virginia governor’s race, last year’s marquee election. Our Revolution endorsed former Rep. Tom Perriello in the Democratic primary and offered to send two fundraising emails on his behalf using Sanders’ massive email list. Officials assured the campaign the emails would net between $150,000 and 300,000, according to two Perriello aides.

But weeks went by before the emails were sent. And when they were, the total combined haul was $50,000, according to the aides.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is pictured. | AP Photo
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Perriello lost the primary to the more centrist Ralph Northam, who went on to win the general election. Our Revolution declined to back Northam.

It also sat out Doug Jones’ upset Senate win in Alabama last year, and Conor Lamb’s triumph in a Western Pennsylvania congressional district that Trump carried by 20 points.

Though Jones and Lamb were ideologically to the right of Our Revolution, the group also had no part in either of the Sanders wing’s big primary wins a week ago. In Pennsylvania, Sanders endorsed Braddock Mayor John Fetterman in the lieutenant governor’s race; he went on to beat the incumbent Pennsylvania lieutenant governor, without the endorsement or backing of Our Revolution.

And in Nebraska, Kara Eastman, who was backed broadly by progressives, upset former centrist Rep. Brad Ashford in a House primary. Our Revolution skipped that election as well.

Our Revolution has frustrated Democrats by staying on the sidelines of so many races. Northam’s 2017 general election campaign was “the World Series of politics,” said Virginia Democratic Party chairwoman Susan Swecker, “and they chose not to go to the game.” It’s also left the group without tangible successes to point to or allies in power who’ll be able to help it or Sanders down the line.

In other races where it has endorsed, including for Ohio governor and Illinois governor, Our Revolution’s preferred candidates have lost.

Meanwhile, Our Revolution backed Texas House candidate Laura Moser only after the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee tried to torpedo her primary bid.

Our Revolution leaders said that what they’re building goes much deeper than winning elections. The focus, said Larry Cohen, the group’s volunteer chairman, “is not that scoreboard. The focus is: Can we grow in actually measurable ways in this movement?”

He described efforts to help 600 local chapters grow, get trained and employ technology such as personalized text messages and emails. Those tools, Cohen said, make Our Revolution more potent than people may realize if they’re paying attention only to traditional or surface-level politics.

Our Revolution, for example, said it texted 35,000 supporters on behalf of Dennis Kucinich‘s failed campaign for governor in Ohio, and sent 11,000 texts backing successful gubernatorial primary winner Paulette Jordan in Idaho.

But most of what Our Revolution has become known for in campaigns is an active and often combative Twitter account.

Turner’s tactics

Both fans and detractors of Sanders pin Our Revolution’s problems on Turner, the former Ohio state senator who became the group’s president and public face a year ago. Though some sources involved in Our Revolution said she’s been an effective spokesperson, several others told POLITICO they think she’s seeking to increase her profile and collect chits to run for president herself as the leader of the Sanders movement if the 76-year-old senator ultimately sits out 2020.

Nina Turner speaks during a women’s rally Jan. 21, 2018.| AP Photo
Many have pinned Our Revolution’s problems on Nina Turner, a former Ohio state senator who became the group’s president a year ago. | John Locher/AP Photo

“Based on the amount of time that she has spent doing that outward-facing work, that would be a logical question to ask,” said Lucy Flores, the board member who resigned in April. “At some point the question is … ‘Do you want to focus on running this organization and making sure it is transparent, building it up’” or on raising her profile? “You do have to make that decision.”

Asked if she’s interested in a White House run, Turner said she is supporting Sanders. “I hope he runs again; I am right with him,” she said.

But what if he doesn’t? Turner took a long pause.

“If he doesn’t, we’ll see what happens with other candidates,” she said.


Members of the national board, meanwhile, have griped privately that Turner has used the group to advance her own causes.

In a conference call two weeks ago, the board’s executive committee overruled Turner’s attempt to install her consultant and friend Tezlyn Figaro as the group’s chief of staff, according to people on the call. Not only had Turner sprung the decision on the board, but Figaro had no experience building a political organization.

Board members flagged Figaro’s frequent appearances on Fox News praising Trump. She has said on the network as recently as the end of April that the president’s critics mostly don’t like that he’s shaking up the system. And last year she said immigrants are “coming into the country and getting benefits that Americans do not get,” and getting away with crimes while African-Americans go to prison.

“It’s a red flag,” said founding board member Catalina Velasquez. “If I know someone is inflammatory, using hate speech at a time when all oppressed people need to come together, it puts me in a very difficult position.”

They also asked why Turner had sprung the hire on the board.

“She was on our payroll, and I didn’t know that. Apparently no one knew that,” Flores said.

“I do have purview over staffing, and that’s just it,” Turner said. “I have the organization’s best interests in mind, and all of my board members know it.”

“That is not completely true,” Velasquez said. “The board can get involved at any time when any decision by the staff compromises the mission and vision of the organization.”

Turner did not deny that she had been overruled on Figaro’s hiring. Figaro has remained on as a consultant, though board members have been told her contract will end soon.

A shrouded endorsement process

As Turner has led protests against the Democratic National Committee for being a closed, insider game — with a combativeness that has unsettled some on her own board — many Our Revolution endorsements have been issued with limited or no conversations with competing candidates.

Local chapters have been overruled by the national organization, often without warning, people involved say. The picks, those sources complained, are sometimes at odds with people promoting policies that Sanders supports. They’ve also frustrated supporters with scorched-earth attacks on some Democrats who don’t receive the group’s endorsement. In February, for instance, when Our Revolution endorsed Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, it issued a lengthy statement blasting her primary opponent, Stacey Evans.

“The failed electoral strategy of pursuing legacy dixiecrat voters and their sympathizers must be consigned to the dustbin of history,” the statement read, referring to Evans’ campaign.

State Sen. Vincent Fort, a Sanders delegate in 2016 who was endorsed by the senator in his race for Atlanta mayor last year and is backing Evans, said he was taken by surprise both by the endorsement of Abrams after a process that was cut short — it came down before Evans finished her questionnaire — and by the approach once the pick was made.

“I’m kind of dumbfounded at where we are now with how this endorsement went down,” he said. “The Georgia chapter of Our Revolution was established by several people who were former Bernie delegates to the convention, but I was not involved, nor was I even aware that Georgia Our Revolution was doing the endorsement.”

Turner appeared at a campaign kick-off event for Abrams last fall. Our Revolution’s endorsement was issued in February, before Evans had submitted her questionnaire, and she was never interviewed by the group, according to a campaign spokesman. (Sanders himself endorsed Abrams late last week.)

Other candidates describe a similar experience.

“There was no endorsement process,” said Joe Schiavoni, a liberal Ohio state senator who’d been working to get Our Revolution’s endorsement for a year before the group suddenly announced it had picked Kucinich when he jumped in late to the gubernatorial primary earlier this year. “I kept hitting the meetings, talking to the people, hoping that in a true grass-roots way I could earn the support of these grass-roots groups. Then all of a sudden, Our Revolution endorsed Kucinich.”

Turner said she was “surprised” to hear either of those complaints. Told that Fort had raised these concerns, she pointed out that he had been endorsed by Our Revolution last year and said, “What if someone leveled that same accusation when we endorsed him?”

Several active Democrats in Ohio contended that Turner, a former elected official in the state, had her own interests in the race, noting that she is close friends with the woman Kucinich picked as his running mate. Sanders himself remained neutral.

Even after all that, Kucinich came in a distant second, with under 23 percent of the vote.

One former Ohio Democratic official who watched the race closely said the episode reflected poorly on Sanders, despite his separation from Our Revolution.

“The process in which they chose Kucinich was not at all transparent, and the anemic performance and turnout for him — even though [Sanders] didn’t endorse — added up to something that undermines his own brand,” the person said.

Jeff Weaver, Sanders’ 2016 campaign manager and closest political adviser, said the senator is satisfied with how Our Revolution is being run, though he stressed “they don’t act in his name.”

“Our Revolution is doing a phenomenal job around the country, helping energize the grass roots, and helping to democratize the Democratic Party. And that is a service to the nation,” Weaver said.

Weaver was Our Revolution’s president for about a year. He took over just before its official launch in August 2016, amid questions of how closely Sanders would be involved, whether they were prepared to handle campaign finance issues and a burning fight between the former campaign manager and many younger aides. Weaver handed the baton to Turner last June. He said he no longer has ties to the group and is not being paid by it.

As for Our Revolution’s record in elections, Weaver said, “They’re trying to focus on getting the right shade of blue — they’re not always focused on the transactional approach of ‘electability.’”

Kleeb, who also serves as the Nebraska Democratic Party chairwoman, argued, “We have about a 50 percent win record, which I think is a miracle given the fact that we usually endorse the underdog, or a woman, or a person who comes from a community of color.” (The win record is closer to 40 percent.)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Fleming_Kleeb]

hp_women_rule.jpg
Here’s how many women have won or lost so far
By SARAH FROSTENSON

A prominent Latino parts ways

That level of recruitment wasn’t enough for Flores, a former Nevada assemblywoman who quit the Our Revolution board’s political committee in mid-April. She said she had complained internally for six months that the group was giving short shrift to getting Latinos involved in it, and to speaking to Latino issues on the Our Revolution Twitter account.

“I felt that Our Revolution was not headed in the direction I felt comfortable with,” Flores said.

Velasquez, a co-vice chair, said she has considered resigning herself.

“It deeply saddens me because I am an undocumented immigrant, and [Figaro’s] comments were very harsh," Velasquez said.

Board members said they believe the complaints about the endorsements are the product of inadvertent mistakes in a large organization that‘s quickly coming together, and of people both in local Our Revolution chapters and beyond not understanding the process. They take recommendations from local groups, and, inevitably, some people won’t get what they want.

Still, Our Revolution has acknowledged internally that the process needs fixing. At an April board meeting in Washington, attendees were shown a presentation on how the process was being formalized to include candidate interviews and questionnaires as standard practice going forward, and a set process for recommendations coming from local affiliates to the national political committee. This came after months of board members raising complaints that there wasn’t even information on the website about how to get endorsed.

Last week, Our Revolution endorsed actress Cynthia Nixon in the primary for New York governor after she filled out a questionnaire and did an interview with a local affiliate. But an aide to her opponent, Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who last year was joined by Sanders at an event promoting a state initiative on the senator’s signature issue of free college, said his campaign knew nothing of the process and learned of the endorsement from a press release.

Cohen acknowledged that there have been “bumps in the road” for Our Revolution, but he said that’s to be expected when trying to realign American politics this quickly.

“If you don’t do messy, you can’t do party building. If you don’t do party building, all you get is a treadmill of candidates,” he said. In 30 years as an organizer and labor activist, Cohen added, “I have never been prouder of any organization or any group of staff.”

Scott Bland contributed to this report.


THE WAY THIS ADMINISTRATION OPERATES IS REALLY UNNERVING. NOT BEING AN EXPERT I WON'T DELVE TOO DEEPLY INTO THINGS LIKE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, BEYOND WHAT SEEMS TO ME TO BE MORALITY AND FAIRNESS, BUT THAT TRUMP BUMP IN THE CHEST TECHNIQUE SEEMS TO HAVE WORKED AT LEAST A LITTLE ON KIM. AS ONE ARTICLE SAID ABOUT KIM, THOUGH, HE HAS AGREED TO DISCUSSIONS BEFORE WITHOUT SUCCESS ACTUALLY MATERIALIZING. I HOPE FOR THE BEST, AND WILL GET DOWN UNDER MY SCHOOL DESK AND COVER MY HEAD WHEN I FEAR THE WORST.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44200621
US vows 'strongest sanctions in history' on Iran
MAY 21, 2018 6 hours ago
US vows 'unprecedented pressure on Iran'
Iran nuclear deal


Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said the US is imposing the "strongest sanctions in history" on Iran.

In a speech in Washington, America's top diplomat said Iran would be "battling to keep its economy alive" after the sanctions took effect.

His Iranian counterpart said the US was a prisoner of its "failed policies" and would suffer the consequences.

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump took the US out of the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said Mr Pompeo had not demonstrated in his speech how abandoning the deal made the region safer from the threat of nuclear proliferation.

Could the Iran deal collapse?
Does US 'Plan B' on Iran risk war?
The impact of Iran sanctions - in charts
What can Iran expect to see and when?
US sanctions lifted after the 2015 deal will be re-imposed, Mr Pompeo said, and those and new measures will together constitute "unprecedented financial pressure on the Iranian regime".

Image copyrightAFP
Image caption
Danish shipping giant Maersk has said it will stop doing business in Iran
The older American sanctions prohibited almost all trade with Iran, making some exceptions only for activity "intended to benefit the Iranian people" such as the export of medical and agricultural equipment.

The secretary of state did not say what new measures Washington was contemplating but he described sanctions imposed last week on the head of Iran's central bank as "just the beginning".

Some of Europe's biggest firms who rushed to do business with Iran after the nuclear deal now find themselves forced to choose between investing there or trading with the US.

What is the nuclear accord?
Some of the biggest contracts at risk include:

French energy giant Total's deal, worth up to $5bn, signed to help Iran develop the world's largest gas field. Total now plans to unwind those operations by November unless the US grants it a waiver
Norwegian firm Saga Energy's $3bn deal to build solar power plants
An Airbus deal to sell 100 jets to IranAir
Iran is one of the world's largest oil producers, and the export of oil and gas is worth billions of dollars each year.

Both the country's oil output and its GDP fell noticeably under international sanctions.

The sanctions will not be re-imposed on Tehran immediately but are subject to three-month and six-month wind-down periods.

"Iran will never again have carte blanche to dominate the Middle East," Mr Pompeo said.

Javad Zarif said America was "regressing to old habits". Iran, he added, was working with the other partners of the nuclear deal to find a solution.

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Javad Zarif
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@JZarif
US diplomacy sham is merely a regression to old habits: imprisoned by delusions & failed policies—dictated by corrupt Special Interest—it repeats the same wrong choices and will thus reap the same ill rewards. Iran, meanwhile, is working with partners for post-US JCPOA solutions.

1:21 PM - May 21, 2018
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Ms Mogherini said there was "no alternative" to the JCPOA.

A diplomatic smokescreen?
Analysis by Jonathan Marcus, BBC diplomatic correspondent

This then is the US "Plan B" for Iran - to step up the sanctions pressure, to force the Tehran government into a new diplomatic deal. It would need to accept broader constraints not just on its nuclear activities but also on its missile programme and wider behaviour in the region.

It is certainly tough but may be totally unrealistic. For sanctions to work they must be comprehensive. The pressure that brought about the JCPOA deal that President Trump has now abandoned was long-standing and widely supported. Now Washington's European allies want to stick with the existing deal. Russia, China and India are unlikely to bow to US pressure.

Compelling allies and other countries to abandon trade with Iran risks damaging a whole series of wider diplomatic relationships.

Critics may charge that this "policy" is impossible - a diplomatic smokescreen intended to cloak a policy whose fundamental goal is regime change in Iran.

Read Jonathan's analysis in full

What are the demands Washington is making?

Mr Pompeo laid out 12 conditions for any "new deal" with Iran, including the withdrawal of its forces from Syria and an end to its support for rebels in Yemen.

Others include Tehran:

Giving the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) a full account of its former nuclear military programme, and giving up such work forever
Ending its "threatening behaviour" towards its neighbours, including "its threats to destroy Israel, and its firing of missiles into Saudi Arabia and the UAE"
Releasing all US citizens, and those of US partners and allies, "detained on spurious charges or missing in Iran"

Media captionIran nuclear deal: Trump announces US pull-out
Why is Iran seen as a regional threat?
It has spread its influence across parts of the Middle East where there are large communities of fellow Shia Muslims, from Iraq to Lebanon.

Its support for Lebanon's Hezbollah movement is particularly alarming for Israel while Saudi Arabia, another bitter enemy, accuses the Iranians of equipping rebels in Yemen.

In the Syrian civil war, it is one of President Bashar al-Assad's few outside allies, sending thousands of fighters and military advisers.

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Is the US on its own?

Israel praised the Trump administration's decision to pull out of the pact but the move was roundly criticised by fellow signatories, including France, Germany, the UK and Russia.

All of the above signatories pledged to honour their commitments under the deal.

Mr Pompeo has made clear he expects the backing of his allies in Europe but also called for support from "Australia, Bahrain, Egypt, India, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea [and] the UAE".

"We welcome any nation which is sick and tired of the nuclear threats, the terrorism, the missile proliferation and the brutality of a regime at peace with inflicting chaos on innocent people," he said.

What was agreed under the 2015 deal?

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) saw Iran agree to limit the size of its stockpile of enriched uranium - which is used to make reactor fuel but also nuclear weapons - for 15 years and the number of centrifuges installed to enrich uranium for 10 years.

Media caption -- What is the Iran nuclear deal?

Iran also agreed to modify a heavy water facility so it could not produce plutonium suitable for a bomb.

In return, sanctions imposed by the UN, US and EU that had crippled Iran's economy were lifted.

The deal was agreed between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - the US, UK, France, China and Russia - plus Germany.

Iran insists its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful, and its compliance with the deal has been verified by the IAEA.



BERNIE SANDERS NEWS

SANDERS IS MOVING THE PARTY BACK TOWARD ITS’ SPIRITUAL BEGINNINGS, AND TO ITS’ GOOD OLD FIGHTING SPIRIT. I’M SO GLAD TO HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS RETURN TO A NATION THAT DOES FILL ME WITH PRIDE. I FELT FOR MICHELLE OBAMA WHEN SHE SAID SOMETHING VERY MUCH LIKE THAT, AND WAS EXCORIATED FOR IT; BECAUSE I UNDERSTOOD WHERE SHE MUST BE AS A BLACK HUMAN BEING, AND HOW OUR TOO OFTEN SELF-RIGHTEOUS RAH RAH RAH IN THIS COUNTRY GETS STIFLING TO HONEST EMOTION.

“I’D LOVE FOR HIM TO ACCEPT THE NOMINATION AND BECOME A DEMOCRAT, BUT IT PROBABLY WON’T HAPPEN,” SHE SAID. “THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS BERNIE SANDERS SHOWS THE VALUES OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.” THIS IS SO VERY WELL-STATED.

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/21/bernie-sanders-democrat-independent-vermont-601844
Sanders to run as a Democrat — but not accept nomination
The Vermont senator announces his complicated reelection plans for another term.
By EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE
05/21/2018 05:40 PM EDT Updated 05/21/2018 06:00 PM EDT

PHOTOGRAPH -- “I welcome the Vermont Democratic Party's work to build bridges and not walls,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt) said. | Getty

Bernie Sanders is running for the Democratic nomination in Vermont — but he won’t accept it if he wins.

The famously independent senator, who briefly joined the Democratic Party to run in the 2016 New Hampshire presidential primary only to un-enroll later, officially announced Monday that he would seek a third term in the Senate this fall. He also said that he’ll pull the same maneuver that he did in his 2006 and 2012 Senate races: Running as a Democrat, declining the nomination when he wins and then running as an independent.

The move makes it virtually impossible for another Democrat to seek the party’s nod. And it allows Sanders to loom large in the party primary in August, but still preserve his independence.

But the move also comes at a time when Sanders supporters are pushing for changes to the presidential nominating process as part of the Democratic National Committee unity reform commission. One priority is to open up the party’s primaries to voters who aren’t registered as Democrats.

A Sanders spokeswoman did not answer when asked whether the senator considered doing things differently in light of his new party and Senate leadership roles.

The Vermont Democratic Party passed a resolution over the weekend supporting Sanders’ move, proclaiming that he could still be considered a member of the party “for all purposes and entitled to all the rights and privileges that come with such membership at the state and federal level.”

“It’s hard to explain to people from out of state how we’ve made peace with it as a party, how Bernie’s made peace with it. We’re on board,” said Vermont state chairman Terje Anderson.

Anderson pointed out that Sanders appears at party fundraisers, and participates in the coordinated campaign efforts with other Democrats. He acknowledged that the approach probably “intimidates people from running,” but he said that the complaints about this among state Democrats have faded, and the role that Sanders has taken on nationally has helped with that.

“It’s a minority, and it’s a shrinking minority over time as he’s done more and more for the party and with the party,” Anderson said.

Still, Anderson said he’s faced a number of tough questions about this arrangement at DNC meetings over the years.

In a statement, Sanders thanked the state party for the resolution, citing the work that he’s doing pushing for a change in the economy in Vermont and around the country.

“I welcome the Vermont Democratic Party's work to build bridges and not walls,” Sanders said. “Let's fight for our children's future and not over labels."

Amid the bitterness of the 2016 primaries, there had been some chatter among Hillary Clinton supporters of finding a candidate to run against Sanders. Nothing materialized. Nor have any other viable candidates emerged — the filing deadline is next week and Anderson said that he hadn’t heard of anyone else collecting signatures.

Donald Trump is pictured. | Getty Images
White House doubles down on Trump’s ‘animals’ comments
By MATTHEW NUSSBAUM and CHRISTOPHER CADELAGO
But the frustration was still evident among Clinton backers, if not in Vermont.

“And this guy wants to run for the Democratic nomination in 2020 lol,” tweeted Clinton political adviser Adam Parkhomenko.

“Seriously?” tweeted Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill.

Mary Sullivan, a state legislator and DNC member, said Sanders is “very popular, and for very good reason.”

“I’d love for him to accept the nomination and become a Democrat, but it probably won’t happen,” she said. “The most important thing is Bernie Sanders shows the values of the Democratic Party.”