Tips, Comments, Complaints, Etc!

Jaffe held a facebook Town Hall yesterday:

A reminder:

Democrats divide on Bernie’s 2020 plans

Many top Democrats are furious that Bernie Sanders appears to be running for president again, or at least planning to drag out his decision long enough to freeze the race around him.

He’s frustrating alumni of his 2016 campaign, some of whom would like him to run again, by showing no interest in raising early money or locking down lower level staff — moves they say would indicate he recognizes the need for a different kind of campaign operation in 2020. Outside of his tighter-than-ever inner circle, friends and staffers who’d be happy to back him again say they rarely, if ever, speak to Sanders these days.

Sanders hasn’t made any decision, and he tends to dismiss the discussion about 2020 as dumb. He hasn’t even fully committed to running for re-election to the Senate next year.

..

Former DNC chair Donna Brazile warned party leaders against relying on Sanders, unless they’re willing to give in on opening the party to more independents like he wants.

“He’s not someone who we should go to, to build or rebuild or expand our party unless he’s willing,” she said.

..

Jeff Weaver, Sanders’ 2016 campaign manager and now the president of his Our Revolution group, still speaks with the senator all the time. He dismissed any speculation about 2020 as ridiculously early, but added that the door is wide open, and said those who worry about how he might tilt the party need to wake up.

“What is their goal, some kind of defense of the Democratic Party’s newfound centrism? If that’s what they’re looking to do, I guess that they would consider it a disaster. If they want to win the White House, I think it would be a good thing,” Weaver said.

Was the Election Rigged Against Bernie Sanders? DNC Lawsuit Demands Repayment for Campaign Donors

A class action lawsuit alleging the Democratic National Committee worked in junction with Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign to keep Bernie Sanders out of the White House has been raging on in the courtrooms for months on end–and yet, most people have no idea of its existence, in large part thanks to the mainstream media’s total lack of coverage.

Jared Beck, a Harvard Law graduate and one of the several attorneys who filed the suit against the DNC and its former chairperson Debbie Wasserman Schultz, want retribution for donations made by supporters to the Vermont senator’s campaign, citing six legal claims of the DNC’s deceptive conduct, negligent misrepresentation and fraud. The DNC violated Article 5, Section 4 of its own charter by working with a single campaign to effectively choose who would win the Democratic ballot, the attorneys stated in the suit.

..

The court decision could have major consequences for a party internally grappling with how to define itself in Trump’s America. Sanders, who represented a leftward shift from the Clinton and Obama centrists who typically receive large backings from wealthy Democratic donors, has become the symbolic face of the resistance under the new White house administration. He’s also the most popular politician alive in the U.S., according to recent polling.

At a time when most Americans no longer feel represented by the Democratic or Republican Party, a class action lawsuit could prove millions of supporters of an embattled progressive campaign right, or further support President Donald Trump’s notion that the 2016 election was, in fact, rigged.

Bernie Sanders blasts ‘reckless and dangerous’ Trump for reportedly sharing classified information

Bernie Sanders fiercely condemned President Donald Trump on Monday following reports that the president shared highly classified information with Russian officials during their White House visit last week.

The Vermont senator called Trump’s actions “reckless and dangerous” in a statement released Monday evening.

“President Trump, in a reckless and dangerous manner, has revealed highly classified information to the Russians at a meeting in the Oval Office, information that could expose extremely important sources and methods of intelligence gathering in the fight against ISIS,” Sanders said in the statement.

“Protecting our national security is one of the most important tasks a president has, and Trump is failing at it.”

DNC Faces Another Class Action Lawsuit After $1 Million in Bonuses Given Out

The Democratic National Committee and former DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz are currently facing a class action lawsuit filed on behalf of Bernie Sanders supporters in federal court for rigging the Democratic primaries in favor of Hillary Clinton. On May 12, CBS reported another class action lawsuit was filed against the DNC for stiffing dozens of field organizers all over the country for overtime work during the 2016 election while the DNC gave out $1 million in bonuses, including more than $300,000 to Democratic National Convention Host Committee Executive Director Kevin Washo. The lawsuit was filed by Justin Swidler of Cherry Hill, N.J. on behalf of 40 to 50 field organizers against the DNC, Pennsylvania state Democrats, and five other state Democratic Parties. “These workers were out there in a campaign that was promising $15 an hour minimum wage and expanding the overtime rights of workers,” Swidler told CBS. He added the lawsuit seeks “fair pay for fair work” and to hold the Democratic Party accountable to the ideals it markets itself with.

Chair of the Democratic National Convention Host Committee and former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell alleged that the Democratic National Convention was separate from the operations noted in the lawsuit. Many of the plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit worked 80 to 90 hours a week for Hillary Clinton’s campaign and were compensated only $3,000 a month.

Congressional Candidates Stump in the Flathead as Election Nears

For Gianforte, Donald Trump, Jr., the president’s eldest son, has paid multiple visits to campaign on the Republican’s behalf, while Vice President Mike Pence also turned up. In Bigfork on May 15, U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the Republican House Majority Leader from California, attended a fundraising event at a private residence. He’s also received support from state Attorney General Tim Fox, who is the subject of speculation about challenging Tester in 2018.

In addition to the endorsement from Tester, Quist has received support from former Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer, while actress Alyssa Milano hosted a get-out-the-vote drive during which she drove voters to the polling stations in Bozeman and Missoula.

On May 20, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, will launch a two-day barnstorming tour of the state, appearing alongside Quist at events in Missoula, Butte, Billings, and Bozeman. On May 15, Quist addressed members of the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce.

Libertarian candidate Mark Wicks, a rancher from Inverness, rounds out the ballot, and although he’s considered a long shot to win the race, his strong performance at last month’s sole debate for the seat may earn him an uptick in support that could potentially shift the balance.

Keystone XL operator will reassess interest of U.S. producers

TransCanada Corp. is reassessing whether oil producers in North Dakota and Montana are still interested in shipping crude through its long-delayed Keystone XL pipeline now that they have other new options to ship their product, including the Dakota Access pipeline.

The Calgary-based company’s announcement this month comes with the Keystone XL still needing approval of its proposed route through Nebraska and with the Dakota Access, which was designed to transport about half of North Dakota’s oil production, expected to be fully operational by June.

..

Work on that access line was never started, and TransCanada spokesman Matthew John said the company plans to re-engage with prospective shippers “because of a lot of changes in the oil market.”

John said the company also would be surveying Canadian shippers to firm up support for the entire Keystone XL.

“We are confident the project still has a need, absolutely,” he said.

Opponents of oil pipeline try going after the money

Opposition to the Dakota Access oil pipeline has persuaded some banks to stop supporting projects that might harm the environment or tread on indigenous rights, but calling the divest movement a success might be a stretch.

It doesn’t appear to be hurting the ability of energy companies to get financing and it doesn’t seem to concern lenders broadly. Yet pipeline opponents see victory in the fact that they have made financial institutions more aware of indigenous rights — and they’re intent on keeping up the fight on projects such as Keystone XL even after failing to stop the Dakota Access line.

“We aren’t ignoring the fact we couldn’t stop that pipeline,” said Vanessa Green, a campaign director with the DivestInvest initiative. “There’s a battle, and then there’s a war.”

..

In the meantime, opponents of such projects continue to seek to broaden their efforts to educate people about the potential effects not only on the environment, but on Native Americans.

“There’s a whole widening narrative woven into what was once an environmental movement,” said Green, with the DivestInvest initiative. “Now it’s much more integrated, with a social justice, indigenous rights focus.”

Leaving Scars: TransCanada Took Their Land for the Keystone XL

Dakota Access Pipeline’s First Oil Spill Will Be One of Many to Come

It recently came to light that the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline experienced a leak in April. Though the incident involved only 84 gallons -– a relatively small amount by oil pipeline spill standards –- it certainly casts doubt on the safety of the DAPL project as a whole.

On behalf of South Dakota’s Department of Environmental and Natural Resources, Brian Walsh stated that the leak was essentially anticipated. Additionally, the state remains content with the way the spill was handled and will not level fines against the pipeline’s developer.

Unsurprisingly, a spokesperson for DAPL developer Energy Transfer Partners issued a statement in an attempt to reassure the public that the pipeline is safe and the spill was dealt with “as designed.”

These attitudes — that view oil spills as routine and negligible — are concerning, to say the least.

Dave Archambault, a chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, claims this recent incident, though minor, is indicative of a future crisis: “These spills are going to be nonstop.” The tribe has been engaged in an ongoing lawsuit against the developer of DAPL over such concerns.

Trump Escalates Attack on Healthcare, Women With Rebranded and Expanded Global Gag Rule

President Donald Trump spent part of his first Monday in office following in the footsteps of other Republican presidents by reinstating the Global Gag Rule, officially known as the Mexico City Policy.

The Reagan-era rule bars U.S. aid from going to international NGOs that offer abortion services or even provide information about it as an option—even when they use non-U.S. funds to do so. It’s been criticized for devastating not only reproductive healthcare services but primary healthcare services as well, as clinics, faced with budget shortfalls, are forced to cut back or shut down completely.

And it was made clear, from that January memorandum, that Trump’s order would mark an expansion of the rule, as it directed the Secretary of State “to implement a plan to extend the requirements of the reinstated Memorandum to global health assistance furnished by all departments or agencies.” As Human Rights Watch explained in March:

Under previous Republican administrations, the restrictions in the Mexico City Policy applied specifically to U.S. family planning funds, approximately U.S.$575 million.

Trump’s policy extends restrictions to all U.S. global health assistance…

On Monday, CBN reported that “Trump is taking the pro-life policy to a whole different level,” as the rule, rebranded as the “Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance” program, will affect $8.8 billion in funding.

Hillary Clinton launches political action group Onward Together

Hillary Clinton is out of the woods and back in the game.

Clinton on Monday announced the launch of Onward Together, a political action organization that is dedicated to supporting progressive causes, ending months of speculation about whether the vanquished presidential nominee would return to political life.

“From the Women’s March to airports where communities are welcoming immigrants and refugees to town hall meetings in every community, Americans are speaking up and speaking out like never before,” Clinton wrote in an email to supporters.

“The challenges we face as a country are real. But there’s no telling what we can achieve if we approach the fights ahead with the passion and determination we feel today, and bring that energy into 2017, 2018, 2020, and beyond. Onward!”

Clinton made the announcement in a series of tweets on Monday afternoon, starting with a playful reference to her post-election, meditative hikes in the woods near her Chappaqua home.