September 14, 2020 |
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Warning that President Donald Trump poses a greater threat to vulnerable communities, the rule of law, and the planet with every day he remains in office, more than two dozen progressive groups on Tuesday urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to ditch the “political excuses” and immediately begin impeachment proceedings.
“The American people deserve a leader who is willing to bravely use power to rein in the Trump administration and defend our communities.”
—Letter
“Voters gave Democrats control of the House of Representatives because they wanted aggressive oversight of the Trump administration,” wrote CREDO, Indivisible, and 27 other groups in a letter to Pelosi.
“Yet,” the letter states, “your leadership is resulting in dangerous inaction that enables this racist and xenophobic president.”
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The groups expressed “deep disappointment and concern” about Pelosi’s refusal to listen to the public and members of her own leadership team on the necessity of launching impeachment hearings.
Citing ongoing efforts by the White House to block congressional oversight as well as Trump’s possible obstruction of justice, the groups wrote that waiting to take decisive action against the president “is a privilege.”
“But it is not a privilege available to the families separated by his deportation force or his Muslim ban, the asylum seekers languishing in Mexico, the people threatened by his embrace of white supremacy, the LGBTQ people whose rights he is taking away, the women whose bodies he is trying to control or the communities threatened by his denial of the climate crisis,” the letter states.
“The American people deserve a leader who is willing to bravely use power to rein in the Trump administration and defend our communities,” the letter continues. “You have stated that we are facing a constitutional crisis. But the remedy for such a constitutional crisis is not traditional congressional oversight—particularly when confronted with a president who has nothing but contempt for such oversight.”
The progressive coalition’s letter comes less than a week after Mueller delivered public remarks on his findings that many Democratic members of Congress interpreted as a clear “impeachment referral.”
But, following Mueller’s statement, Pelosi continues to voice opposition to impeachment hearings despite growing calls from Democratic members of Congress and the U.S. public. Instead, Pelosi has vowed to continue investigating the president—an approach progressives decried as “embarrassingly weak” and “out of touch.”
Pelosi reiterated her position during a private leadership meeting on Monday, according to CNN.
During her speech before the California Democratic Party Convention Saturday, Pelosi was interrupted by “impeach” chants from her home crowd, yet another indication of growing support for impeachment among the Democratic base.
In their letter on Tuesday, the progressive groups said Pelosi still has “a chance to turn things around” by throwing her support behind impeachment proceedings.
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“In the very near future, the Trump era will be one that evokes the question—what did you do?” the groups wrote. “We urge you to use your power to lead and to stop asking us to wait.”
Read the full letter:
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September 13, 2020 |
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Sean Casten, a clean-energy executive, pulled off a major upset Tuesday, unseating six-term GOP Rep. Peter Roskam Peter James RoskamLobbying world House votes to temporarily repeal Trump SALT deduction cap Feehery: How Republicans can win back the suburbs MORE in Illinois’s 6th Congressional District.
It was one of the most hotly-contested races in the country, with Democrats making the seat one of their top targets.
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The wealthy suburban Chicago district has traditionally leaned red and Roskam handily won reelection in 2016. But the district also voted for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham ClintonWhite House accuses Biden of pushing ‘conspiracy theories’ with Trump election claim Biden courts younger voters — who have been a weakness Trayvon Martin’s mother Sybrina Fulton qualifies to run for county commissioner in Florida MORE by 7 points that year.
Polls showed Casten with a slight edge over the incumbent in the days leading up to the vote. The Cook Political Report also put the race in the “Lean Democratic” column and Democrats outspent Republicans in the race.
In an election that has widely been seen as a referendum on President TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote Warren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Esper orders ‘After Action Review’ of National Guard’s role in protests MORE, Roskam also found himself under attack over his role in helping pass the Republican tax law. Roskam sits on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, which writes tax laws.
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September 13, 2020 |
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A day after voters headed to the polls to cast their ballots, the outcomes from a handful of competitive races remain up in the air.
Eighteen races — two in the Senate, 15 in the House and one gubernatorial election — have yet to be called as final vote counts trickle in. In some cases, the candidates are hoping for recounts or even runoff elections.
Here’s a rundown of some of the key races left on the map:
Florida Senate
One of the most expensive and hard-fought races of the 2018 cycle barreled into Wednesday undecided.
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Republican Rick Scott, Florida’s two-term governor, led Sen. Bill NelsonClarence (Bill) William NelsonNASA, SpaceX and the private-public partnership that caused the flight of the Crew Dragon Lobbying world The most expensive congressional races of the last decade MORE (D-Fla.) by an ultra-thin 0.4-point margin, prompting the three-term Democrat to demand a recount.
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In Florida, two candidates must be half a point apart to trigger an automatic machine recount or a quarter point apart to prompt a hand recount.
Despite Nelson’s call for a recount, Scott’s campaign insisted on Wednesday that the race was all but decided and accused Nelson of “desperately trying to hold on to something that no longer exists.”
Arizona Senate
Arizona presented Democrats with one of their best shots at picking up a GOP-held Senate seat. But the race between Reps. Kyrsten Sinema (D) and Martha McSallyMartha Elizabeth McSallyGOP senators introduce resolution opposing calls to defund the police No evidence of unauthorized data transfers by top Chinese drone manufacturer: study Senate Democratic campaign arm launches online hub ahead of November MORE (R) carried on into Wednesday, with the Republican leading by less than 1 point.
There are still a few votes that need to be counted — most of them in Democratic-leaning counties, like Maricopa and Pima.
The two candidates would have to be within a tenth of a point of each other to trigger a recount.
House races
CA-10
Rep. Jeff DenhamJeffrey (Jeff) John DenhamBottom line Bottom line Lobbying world MORE (R-Calif.) is locked in one of the closest House races in California. He currently holds a slim 1-point lead over his Democratic challenger, Josh Harder.
CA-25
Rep. Steve Knight (R-Calif.) could be on his way out of the House if Democrat Katie Hill holds her nearly 3-point lead.
CA-39
Republican Young Kim is leading Democrat Gil Cisneros by just under 3 points. If that lead holds, Kim could become the first Korean-American woman to serve in the House.
CA-48
Rep. Dana RohrabacherDana Tyrone RohrabacherDemocrat Harley Rouda advances in California House primary Lawyers to seek asylum for Assange in France: report Rohrabacher tells Yahoo he discussed pardon with Assange for proof Russia didn’t hack DNC email MORE (R-Calif.) is locked in a fight for political survival against Democrat Harley Rouda, who’s leading in the polls by just more than 1 point.
CA-49
Democrat Mike Levin is carrying a 4-point lead over Republican Diane Harkey in their race to succeed retiring Rep. Darrell IssaDarrell Edward IssaGOP sues California over Newsom’s vote-by-mail order Conservative group files challenge to California vote-by-mail order New poll shows tight race in key California House race MORE (R-Calif.). Still, there are a lot of votes to count.
GA-06
After a hard-fought special election last year that ended with a Republican win, Democrats are taking another stab at this Atlanta-area district. Rep. Karen HandelKaren Christine HandelJon Ossoff to challenge David Perdue after winning Georgia Democratic primary The Hill’s Campaign Report: Bad polling data is piling up for Trump Ossoff within reach of Democratic Senate nomination in Georgia, but counting continues MORE (R-Ga.) is currently trailing Democrat Lucy McBath by 1 point.
GA-07
Rep. Rob WoodallWilliam (Rob) Robert WoodallThe Hill’s Campaign Report: Bad polling data is piling up for Trump Democrats head to runoff in top Georgia House race The Hill’s Campaign Report: It’s primary night in Georgia MORE (R-Ga.) is locked in an ultra-close race against Democrat Carolyn Bordeaux. He’s currently leading by less than half a point.
ME-02
Rep. Bruce PoliquinBruce Lee PoliquinHouse Democrats make initial ad buys in battleground states The 5 most vulnerable senators in 2020 Maine Democrat announces he’ll vote for only one article of impeachment against Trump MORE (R-Maine) is struggling to hold back a challenge from Democrat Jared Golden in this vast Maine district. He’s holding on to a 0.1-point lead.
NC-09
Republican Mark Harris and Democrat Dan McCready are neck-in-neck in this southern North Carolina race. A libertarian candidate, Jeff Scott, has so far taken nearly 2 percent of the vote.
NJ-03
Rep. Tom MacArthurThomas (Tom) Charles MacArthurRepublicans plot comeback in New Jersey Republicans spend more than million at Trump properties The 31 Trump districts that will determine the next House majority MORE (R-N.J.) is fighting for his political life, with vote counts showing him and Democrat Andy Kim within 1 point of one another.
NM-02
Republican Yvette Herrell and Democrat Xochitl Torres Small are battling it out in this ultra-competitive House race. They’re currently within 1 point of one another.
UT-04
If Democrat Ben McAdams can hold on to his current lead in this race, it could spell the end of Rep. Mia LoveLudmya (Mia) LoveThe biggest political upsets of the decade Former GOP lawmaker: Trump’s tweets have to stop Congressional Women’s Softball team releases roster MORE’s (R-Utah) career in the House.
Georgia governor’s race
The gubernatorial race Georgia drew national attention as Democrat Stacey Abrams sought to become the first black woman elected governor in U.S. history. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, though, she’s trailing Republican Brian Kemp by a little less than 2 points.
Abrams isn’t conceding. She’s hoping that the race will go down to a runoff that’ll give her one more shot at defeating Kemp, Georgia’s conservative secretary of state.
In Georgia, a runoff election is triggered only if neither candidate receives 50 percent of the vote. With Kemp’s current count at 50.4 percent, he’s on track for a win — at least for now.
September 13, 2020 |
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The Washington, D.C., Council on Tuesday voted to indefinitely delay action on a proposed bill to lower the city’s voting age to 16.
Lawmakers in the body voted 7 to 6 to table the bill, according to The Washington Post.
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The Post notes that the proposal received a significant blow after a pair of councilors who initially introduced the bill flipped their positions.
Anita Bonds, one of the council members to reverse their stance, told the Post that parents had voiced confusion about the bill and that she needed to educate constituents.
The legislation would have allowed D.C. residents as young as 16 in to cast ballots in federal and local elections starting in 2020. Census data indicates that about 10,000 youth citizens would have become eligible to vote, according to The Post.
Nearly 80 percent of the teenagers who would have been impacted by legislation are youths of color, WJLA, a local ABC affiliate, previously reported.
Several small cities in the U.S. allow minors to vote in local elections. However, no district allows persons under 18 to vote in federal elections.
D.C. council member Charles Allen introduced the legislation in April. He said he championed the bill after seeing hundreds of students participate in the “March for Our Lives” event to protest gun violence.
Allen told The Post that the legislation is “not dead,” but noted that “something has to change for the votes to be able to bring it back.”
“Clearly, I’ve got some colleagues that are afraid of change. Change can be scary,” he said.
September 13, 2020 |
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Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) plans to visit New Hampshire for the second time in less than two months, WMUR reported Monday.
Booker’s Dec. 8 appearance in New Hampshire, which hosts the second nominating contest in presidential elections, will come amid speculation that he plans to run for president in 2020.
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Booker last visited New Hampshire at the end of October, and he also visited Iowa in October. The Iowa caucuses are the first presidential nominating contest.
When he visits New Hampshire next month, he will attend the New Hampshire Democratic Party’s “Post-Election Victory Celebration,” according to WMUR. The event will celebrate the Democrats’ gains in the midterm elections.
WMUR noted that Booker is the first potential Democratic candidate to make plans to visit New Hampshire since the midterm elections.
New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Raymond Buckley told WMUR that the party is “thrilled” that Booker will attend the event.
“For months, New Hampshire Democrats worked tirelessly to turn out the vote that delivered Democratic majorities in the U.S. House, Executive Council, state Senate, and state House. Sen. Booker has been incredibly supportive in these efforts, and we are grateful he will be returning to New Hampshire to join our celebration,” Buckley said.
Booker told WMUR in October that he planned to continue “coming to this state.”
“This is a very important state that clearly charts the destiny for our country, so I support you all and I look forward to being back here one way or another,” he said.
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September 13, 2020 |
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Two studies by the executive compensation firm Equilar on Friday revealed that CEOs of some of the wealthiest companies in the U.S. are seeing their pay rise at about twice the rate of the workers who make the day-to-day operations of their businesses run.
The Associated Press commissioned a study of compensation for 340 executives at S&P 500 companies which revealed that the CEOs earned raises averaging $800,000 in 2018—a seven percent increase over the previous year.
Workers would need to work 158 consecutive years to earn what their bosses make in one year, the AP reported.
“This is not sustainable,” wrote Kristen Clarke, president of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, in response to the AP report.
Equilar also conducted an annual survey for the New York Times, examining compensation for 200 of the highest-paid executives in the country.
CEOs at companies including Tesla, Oracle, and T-Mobile saw their pay increase by an average of $1.1 million in 2018, bringing their median compansation to $18.6 million.
American workers were given a raise of just 84 cents on average, reported the Times.
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CEOs were paid exorbitant sums “regardless of scandal,” Times reporter Peter Eavis wrote, with many companies paying their leaders millions above their base salary just “to do the basics” of their jobs.
Timothy Sloan, for example, stepped down from his post at the helm of Wells Fargo this year after coming under fire for presiding over the bank where employees had opened fraudulent accounts in customers’ names and sold them insurance that they didn’t need. Sloan walked away with stock grants worth over $24 million.
Meanwhile, Disney CEO Robert Iger and T-Mobile head John Legere received tens of millions in extra compensation to reward them for leading their companies through mergers—even though as Eavis wrote, “carrying out mergers could be considered a core part of a CEO’s job description, and not deserving of extra pay.”
The firm’s findings were bolstered by Bloomberg News‘ recent report on how the wealthiest CEOs in the U.S. were compensated in 2018.
Pedro Nicolaci da Costa of the Economic Policy Institute tweeted that mounting reports on astronomical executive compensation reveals that “CEO pay is totally out of control.”
Both Equilar reports come amid intensifying anger from progressive lawmakers like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-N.Y.) and presidential candidates Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
Sanders has frequently decried out-of-control income inequality, epitomized by the fact that the three wealthiest American families own more wealth than the bottom 50 percent of earners. One of Warren’s first policy proposals as a presidential candidate was her Ultra-Millionaires Tax, which would tax wealth over $50 million at three percent per year.
Montana Gov. and presidential candidate Steve Bullock tweeted a link to the Times report, writing, “We can get our country back on track, but that starts with ensuring every working family gets a fair shot at success.”
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September 13, 2020 |
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren made clear Wednesday that she has no sympathy for one of the Trump administration’s top bank regulators after he called a tough line of questioning on Wells Fargo “insulting.”
“The OCC never uttered a peep about their executives who were leading this. The OCC blew it once by letting Tim Sloan take over. This time, you need to show your work and make your supervision public.”
—Sen. Elizabeth Warren
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“Good,” responded Warren, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, after Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) chief Joseph Otting objected to the Massachusetts senator’s criticism of the Trump administration’s bank-friendly regulatory practices and lack of transparency.
The Massachusetts senator pushed Otting on his plan to keep secret the Trump administration’s assessment of the successor to former Wells Fargo CEO Tim Sloan, whose scandal-plagued tenure ended with his abrupt resignation in March.
Warren—who frequently called for Sloan’s ouster and applauded when he stepped down—asked Otting to commit to “publicly disclosing the OCC’s evaluation of the ‘competence, experience, character, or integrity’ of the next Wells CEO.”
When Otting refused—citing his “prerogative”—and claimed “no one has been more tougher [sic]” on Wells Fargo than himself, Warren said, “At the OCC? That’s a low bar.”
“I find that insulting that you would make that comment,” said Otting, to which Warren replied, “Good.”
Watch the exchange, which took place at a Senate Banking Committee hearing:
Warren proceeded to highlight the widespread impact Wells Fargo’s massive fake account scandal had on millions of Americans.
“You know, people all across this country were scammed and squeezed by Wells Fargo,” said Warren. “Their houses were taken away, their cars were stolen, because the bank’s executives were more concerned about making mountains of money than about following the law.”
“And the OCC never uttered a peep about their executives who were leading this. The OCC blew it once by letting Tim Sloan take over. This time, you need to show your work and make your supervision public. That way consumers and Congress can hold you accountable.”
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September 13, 2020 |
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New Hampshire on Thursday became the 20th state in the U.S. to call for a constitutional amendment to allow limits on political spending.
The state Senate passed the measure in a 14 to 10 vote, following the lead of the state House, which approved the resolution on March 7.
The resolution, which aims to roll back the infamous Citizens United 2010 Supreme Court case that largely erased any limit on campaign spending, allows for legislators at the state and federal level to “regulate the role of money in elections and governance to ensure transparency, prevent corruption, and protect against the buying of access to or influence over representatives.”
“No such regulation shall be deemed in violation of freedom of speech rights in the Constitution of the United States or its Amendments,” the bill reads.
New Hampshire joins 19 other states and 803 localities in passing a resolution calling for restrictions in political spending—the total amount representing 46 percent of Americans, 141 million people, according to advocacy group United for the People.
Jeff Clements, the president of the anti-corruption advocacy group American Promise, said in a statement that Thursday’s vote represented years of hard work.
“For years, Granite Staters have been working together across party lines, trying to get a constitutional amendment to renew the promise of equal citizenship and effective self-governance,” Clements said. “The unflagging work of so many citizens has paid off.”
Olivia Zink, executive director for Open Democracy NH, said that she was delighted to see the resolution pass.
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“I am elated, that my state, New Hampshire, becomes the 20th state to call for constitutional amendment to address the role of money in our elections,” said Zink.
Advocacy groups acknowledged there’s still work to be done.
In a statement, People for the American Way executive vice president Marge Baker praised New Hampshire activists for their efforts to pass the bill.
“We applaud the thousands of activists, organizers, and other citizens who fought for years in New Hampshire for the idea that our democracy belongs to all of us, not just corporations and the very wealthy,” said Baker. “Misguided Supreme Court decisions like Citizens United let wealthy special interests set the political agenda at the expense of ordinary Americans, but activists nationwide are fighting back with measures like H.B. 504.”
Baker added she hoped the New Hampshire resolution would be a rallying cry for other state and federal lawmakers.
“We hope that others will be as encouraged as we are by what organizers and policymakers have accomplished today in New Hampshire and use this moment to redouble our efforts to take back our democracy and to pass the Democracy For All amendment,” she said.
John Pudner, the executive director of Take Back Our Republic, said that the bipartisan approval for the amendment that his group sees across the country and in New Hampshire is a hopeful sign.
“A constitutional amendment is [in] everyone’s best interests,” said Pudner. “It’s good for voters, it’s good for candidates, and it’s good for elected officials who want to be able to focus on their constituents rather than Big Money donors.”
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September 13, 2020 |
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In what feels like a fitting addition to Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport, Homicide was announced as joining the card on Friday.
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The event is scheduled for Sunday, October 11th as part of GCW’s rescheduled The Collective weekend in Indianapolis, IN, originally slated for the canceled WrestleMania weekend in Tampa, Florida.
The 43-year-old has been in the game since 1993 and is a former Ring of Honor World Champion and Impact Wrestling Tag Team Champion and X-Division Champion. Of late, he has been working indies and had some dates with the NWA in 2019.
He joins Josh Alexander as the only other announced name for the Bloodsport show thus far.
This will be the third Bloodsport show under the Barnett name after taking it over from Matt Riddle starting in 2019. The shows feature between 7-10 matches in a wrestling ring with no ropes or turnbuckles with the only way to win being either knockout or submission.
September 13, 2020 |
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President Donald Trump said Monday night that his administration is preparing for a major assault on immigrant communities, a threat that triggered accusations of ethnic cleansing and increased fears over the long-term goals of the White House border agenda.
“First, children in concentration camps at the border. Now, ethnic cleansing.”
—Eric Holthaus
“Next week ICE will begin the process of removing the millions of illegal aliens who have illicitly found their way into the United States,” the president tweeted. “They will be removed as fast as they come in.”
The raids will specifically target families, The Washington Post reported Monday night:
“If they really do this,” tweeted Rolling Stone writer Jamil Smith, “it’ll be unimaginably horrific.”
The plan, reportedly developed by Trump and advisor Stephen Miller, the administration’s most enthusiastic anti-immigration voice, has been in the works for months. The plan was so controversial that it is believed to have played a role in the departure of then-Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen from the administration in April, though, as Common Dreams reported at the time, Nielsen’s issue with the policy seemed purely based on effectiveness, not morality.
Azadeh Shahshahani, a Georgia-based immigration rights attorney, told Common Dreams Tuesday that immigration advocates would have to be prepared to do what was necessary to resist the planned assault on undocumented people and immigrant communities.
“Trump’s outrageous threats are meant to instill fear in immigrant communities and must be forcefully condemned,” said Shahshahani. “As Americans strongly protested heartless family separations last summer, we must continue to stand up to the white supremacist dictates of this administration and provide sanctuary to migrants fleeing persecution.”
In a statement provided to Common Dreams, ICE spokesperson Carl Rusnok framed the president’s directive as part of the agency’s mission.
“The border crisis doesn’t start and stop at the border, which is why ICE will continue to conduct interior enforcement without exemption for those who are in violation of federal immigration law,” said Rusnok. “This includes routine targeted enforcement operations, criminals, individuals subject to removal orders, and worksite enforcement. This is about addressing the border crisis by upholding the rule of law and maintaining the integrity of the immigration system, as created by Congress.”
The planned raids may be hamstrung by both a lack of capacity in the agency to fulfill the president’s directive and what The Atlantic writer Adam Serwer described on Tuesday as a lack of competence on the part of the administration.
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“Which doesn’t mean they have not, or will not, do immeasurable damage,” said Serwer.
Immigration advocates expressed their concern over the raids and, more broadly, the administration’s escalation of its war on immigrants.
“First, children in concentration camps at the border,” Grist reporter Eric Holthaus said on Twitter. “Now, ethnic cleansing.”
“We cannot bear to turn a blind eye to atrocities happening in our names as Americans any longer,” added Holthaus.
The overwhelming horror of the Trump plan, said journalist Elizabeth King, is taking all of her attention.
“There’s a million different things going on and they’re all urgent but I can think of nothing other than the upcoming raids,” King tweeted.
In comments to MSNBC‘s Andrea Mitchell Tuesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) accused the president of avoiding dealing with real issues by targeting minorities, and said next week’s raids were part of a strategy to both distract and sow disunity.
“He will try to divide the American people up and he will go after minority people—in this case undocumented—who have very little political power,” said Sanders, a candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. “That’s what demagogues always do.”
One of Sanders’s opponents in the primary, former Vice President Joe Biden, has expressed his faith that if elected president, he can work with Republicans.
Trump, who ran on a virulently anti-immigration platform, regularly enjoys approval ratings around 90 percent in his party.
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