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Crowley surprise tops huge night for left

September 19, 2020 | News | No Comments

Veteran Rep. Joseph Crowley’s (D-N.Y.) stunning defeat on Tuesday night rocked the political world, as progressive candidates stormed to victory in primaries held across the country.

Crowley, the chairman of the House Democratic Caucus who was seen as a potential future Speaker, lost in a massive upset to progressive challenger Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a 28-year-old organizer for Sen. Bernie SandersBernie SandersThe Hill’s 12:30 Report: Milley apologizes for church photo-op Harris grapples with defund the police movement amid veep talk Biden courts younger voters — who have been a weakness MORE’s (I-Vt.) presidential campaign.

Other liberal candidates won primary challenges in top House and gubernatorial races. Former NAACP President Ben Jealous, who was endorsed by Sanders, won the Democratic primary in Maryland’s governor race. And activist Dana Balter won her House primary in upstate New York.

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Those victories illustrate that voters have an appetite to buck the political establishment as progressives seek to move the Democratic Party farther to the left.

Meanwhile, 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 solidified his political clout, with wins from two incumbent lawmakers he backed: Rep. Dan Donovan (R-N.Y.) and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R).

Here are the most significant takeaways from Tuesday’s primary contests.

With Crowley, Dems have their Cantor moment

Crowley’s surprise loss on Tuesday is the biggest prize the reform-minded Democrats who backed Sanders have claimed so far.

Crowley’s loss is as stunning as then-House Majority Leader Eric CantorEric Ivan CantorTrump taps pollster to push back on surveys showing Biden with double-digit lead Bottom Line The Democrats’ strategy conundrum: a ‘movement’ or a coalition? MORE’s (R-Va.) primary defeat in 2014 — maybe more so, because while Cantor spent his fateful primary hobnobbing in Washington, Crowley had taken his challenge more seriously, actively campaigning for his own seat in a borough where he still runs the Democratic machine.

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But the result was the same: A member of Congress once poised for the Speakership is now out of a job.

Scheduling primary elections for federal contests separately from those for statewide office was supposed to mean a low-turnout affair that party bosses could control. It turned into a perfect opportunity for Sanders backers to score their biggest goal of the year — so far.

Crowley, 56, faced his first primary challenge in 14 years. He was seen as a potential successor to House Minority Leader Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiTrump on collision course with Congress over bases with Confederate names Black lawmakers unveil bill to remove Confederate statues from Capitol Pelosi: Georgia primary ‘disgrace’ could preview an election debacle in November MORE (D-Calif.). And he had longtime roots in his deep-blue New York City district that include parts of Queens and the Bronx. He’s also chairman of the Queens County Democratic Party.

But Ocasio-Cortez’s victory shows that voters were itching for change in one of the most diverse districts in the country. Hispanics make up half of the 14th District’s population.

Ocasio-Cortez ran on the need for new representation, criticizing Crowley for living outside the district and for taking corporate donations.

The 28-year-old challenger gained some last-minute traction, especially after a viral campaign video in which she said the race was about “people versus money.” She garnered a number of progressive endorsements, including from Our Revolution, MoveOn.org and Justice Democrats.

Progressive Rep. Ro KhannaRohit (Ro) KhannaProgressive Caucus co-chair endorses Kennedy in Massachusetts Senate primary Biden’s right, we need policing reform now – the House should quickly take up his call to action The Hill’s Coronavirus Report: Association of American Railroads Ian Jefferies says no place for hate, racism or bigotry in rail industry or society; Trump declares victory in response to promising jobs report MORE (D-Calif.), who won his own primary challenge against an incumbent in 2016, issued a dual endorsement. He initially backed only Crowley, but walked it back after pressure from progressive circles on social media.

Progressives have a big night — not just in New York

Progressives — and Sanders allies — are taking victory laps in several other high-profile races in Tuesday’s multi-state primaries.

In Maryland’s Democratic primary for governor, Jealous — a first-time candidate — defeated Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker for the right to take on Gov. Larry Hogan (R) in November.

Jealous touted his endorsements from national figures in the progressive movement, like Sanders and Sen. Kamala HarrisKamala Devi HarrisRand Paul introduces bill to end no-knock warrants The Hill’s Campaign Report: Biden campaign goes on offensive against Facebook McEnany says Juneteenth is a very ‘meaningful’ day to Trump MORE (D-Calif.). Meanwhile, Baker had solidified support from local Democratic leaders like Sen. Chris Van HollenChristopher (Chris) Van HollenDemocrats introduce bill to rein in Trump’s power under Insurrection Act Democratic senators kneel during moment of silence for George Floyd Hillicon Valley: Twitter flags Trump tweet for ‘glorifying violence’ | Cruz calls for criminal investigation into Twitter over alleged sanctions violations | Senators urge FTC to investigate TikTok child privacy issues MORE, House Minority Whip Steny HoyerSteny Hamilton HoyerOvernight Health Care: US showing signs of retreat in battle against COVID-19 | Regeneron begins clinical trials of potential coronavirus antibody treatment | CMS warns nursing homes against seizing residents’ stimulus checks Hoyer: House will vote soon on bill to improve ObamaCare Hoyer: Infrastructure package to hit floor this month MORE and former Gov. Martin O’Malley.

Sanders, who’s made few endorsements and campaign appearances this cycle, stumped alongside Jealous prior to the primary. Jealous backs many of Sanders’s core issues including “Medicare for all” legislation and a $15 minimum wage.

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“Ben showed that running a progressive, issue-oriented campaign can bring all working people together in the fight for justice,” Sanders said in a Tuesday night statement.

But Jealous will face a tough general election race against Hogan, who’s highly popular and has strong job approval ratings.

In New York’s 24th District, Balter cruised to victory in a race where local and national Democrats clashed over their preferred candidates to take on GOP Rep. John KatkoJohn Michael KatkoBipartisan group demands House prioritize communities of color in coronavirus relief bill Expanding tax credit for businesses retaining workers gains bipartisan support States plead for cybersecurity funds as hacking threat surges MORE in a top swing seat.

Balter, a professor at Syracuse University and progressive activist, consolidated support from four local Democratic county committees. Balter was also backed by Our Revolution.

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But weeks out from the filing deadline, national Democrats made a last-minute recruitment that irked local activists. They encourage former U.S. Navy officer and prosecutor Juanita Perez Williams to jump into the race.

National Democrats have waded into a number of high-profile primaries where they worked to get a candidate through that they believe would be stronger in the general election.

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The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) added Perez Williams to its program that provides financial and organizational support to candidates.

While Balter and Perez Williams didn’t differ on many issues, local Democratic leaders accused the DCCC of meddling in its primary.

But national Democrats did get their preferred pick through a primary in a top race in Colorado. Army veteran Jason Crow defeated Levi Tillemann, who worked in the Department of Energy during the Obama administration.

LGBT candidates continue to shine

In 2004, the first governor in American history to tell his constituents he was gay did so in a speech announcing his resignation, using carefully poll-tested language.

A decade and a half later, LGBT candidates have made enormous strides. On Tuesday, Rep. Jared PolisJared Schutz PolisState leaders urge protesters to get tested for coronavirus amid fears of new outbreaks The Hill’s Morning Report – Protesters’ defiance met with calls to listen Overnight Health Care: White House shifts focus from coronavirus | House Democrats seek information on coronavirus vaccine contracts | Governors detail frustrations with Trump over COVID-19 supplies MORE (D) won the Democratic nomination for governor of Colorado, becoming the third member of the LGBT community to win a gubernatorial nomination so far this year.

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Polis joins Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D), the first bisexual person to serve as governor, and former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez (D), who faces an uphill battle against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) in November.

Their wins do not mean LGBT members are equally represented in government by any means — only seven members of Congress are gay, lesbian or bisexual, and only one transgender woman has ever won election to a state legislature.

But it is a sign that — especially in a state like Colorado, where progressive Democrats compete with libertarian-minded Republicans — being gay is no longer a deal-breaker for voters.

In fact Polis’s biggest hurdle come November won’t be the fact that he is gay — it will be convincing voters to back his unabashedly progressive agenda. Polis supports “Medicare for all,” universal pre-K and slowly transitioning Colorado — a state with plenty of oil and gas business — to all-renewable energy.

But Polis will have plenty of opportunity to pitch himself to voters: Before his public service career, he built a massive fortune by running several internet startups. He has already spent $10 million of that fortune on his race for governor.

Trump flexes his muscles in primaries

Progressives weren’t the only ones who had a banner night. Trump also won big by helping to shepherd McMaster and Donovan through their respective primaries.

In one of the most bitter primary battles of the cycle, Donovan trounced former GOP Rep. Michael Grimm in the Staten Island primary. Grimm was looking to make a political comeback after serving an eight-month prison sentence for tax fraud.

Trump took center stage in New York’s 11th District primary, where the two Republicans battled over their loyalty to the president. Grimm sought to fashion himself as a fierce ally of the president, arguing that Donovan doesn’t support Trump since he voted against the GOP’s tax overhaul.

But Donovan earned a critical endorsement from Trump, who warned that backing Grimm could lead to another Alabama, where Republicans last year ceded a winnable race to Democrats. And in the final days of the race, Donovan got reinforcements from the White House, including Donald Trump Jr.Don John TrumpTrump Jr. calls elderly supporter who was assaulted Trump Jr. hits Howard Stern for going ‘establishment,’ ‘acting like Hillary’ Trump Jr., GOP senator lash out at Facebook for taking down protest pages on stay-at-home orders MORE and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R), who’s now Trump’s personal lawyer.

Meanwhile, in South Carolina, McMaster also won his GOP primary runoff against businessman John Warren. McMaster faced three well-funded challengers in a primary earlier this month but failed to avert a runoff, which triggered Tuesday’s race.

Trump made a last-minute swing through South Carolina on the eve of Tuesday’s primary on behalf of McMaster, who was the first statewide official to back Trump in the 2016 GOP presidential primary.

Trump has had mixed results when it comes to endorsements this year.

The president has been able to take down Republicans who don’t show unequivocal loyalty. He railed against Rep. Mark SanfordMark SanfordThe Memo: Can the Never Trumpers succeed? Libertarians view Amash as potential 2020 game changer for party Trump becomes presumptive GOP nominee after sweeping primaries MORE (R-S.C.), an outspoken critic of the president who lost in a primary earlier this month.

And several lawmakers who have voiced opposition to Trump — Sens. Jeff FlakeJeffrey (Jeff) Lane FlakeGOP lawmakers stick to Trump amid new criticism Kelly holds double-digit lead over McSally in Arizona: poll Trump asserts his power over Republicans MORE (R-Ariz.) and Bob CorkerRobert (Bob) Phillips CorkerGOP lawmakers stick to Trump amid new criticism Trump asserts his power over Republicans Romney is only GOP senator not on new White House coronavirus task force MORE (R-Tenn.) — have decided to retire.

But some candidates who earned Trump’s backing still couldn’t convince his voters to get behind them.

In Alabama, Trump got behind Sen. Luther StrangeLuther Johnson StrangeThe biggest political upsets of the decade State ‘certificate of need’ laws need to go GOP frets over nightmare scenario for Senate primaries MORE (R), who lost a primary runoff to former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy MooreRoy Stewart MooreSessions goes after Tuberville’s coaching record in challenging him to debate The 10 Senate seats most likely to flip Sessions fires back at Trump over recusal: ‘I did my duty & you’re damn fortunate I did” MORE. The president went on to endorse Moore in the general election, but Moore fell short to now-Sen. Doug Jones in a big political upset for Democrats.

And in Pennsylvania’s high-profile special election in March, Republican Rick Saccone lost in a district that Trump won by 20 points in 2016, despite the president holding a rally.

Russian hackers apparently made their first attempt to breach 2016 Democratic presidential candidate 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’s private emails around the same time that then-candidate Donald 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 publicly called on Russia to recover the missing emails from her private server

A new indictment released Friday as part of special counsel Robert MuellerRobert (Bob) MuellerCNN’s Toobin warns McCabe is in ‘perilous condition’ with emboldened Trump CNN anchor rips Trump over Stone while evoking Clinton-Lynch tarmac meeting The Hill’s 12:30 Report: New Hampshire fallout MORE’s investigation into Moscow’s election meddling details the attempts by Russian officials to infiltrate Clinton’s personal emails, her campaign’s emails and other private information belonging to Democratic campaign officials. 

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One portion of the indictment notes that “on or about July 27, 2016, the Conspirators attempted after hours to spearphish for the first time email accounts at a domain hosted by a third-party provider and used by Clinton’s personal office. At or around the same time, they also targeted seventy-six email addresses at the domain for the Clinton Campaign.” 

That same day, while Democrats were having their party’s official convention in Philadelphia, Trump gave a press conference at his Miami-area hotel where he made an explicit appeal to Russia to search for Clinton’s emails. Republicans had been furiously criticizing Clinton for deleting 30,000 emails she deemed personal from the private server she used as secretary of State before turning it over to the government.

“They probably have her 33,000 emails that she lost and deleted. You’d see some beauties, so we’ll see,” Trump said. 

“Russia, if you are listening,” he said, “I hope you are able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by the press.”

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Friday’s indictment shows that the Russian operation targeted Clinton earlier that year — in April, they tried to convince Clinton staffers to open an attachment that would have led the staffers to a Russian website. 

And it’s unclear whether Trump’s call predated the attempts to hack Clinton’s personal email, as the indictment is vague about the exact timing of those attempts. 

The revelation prompted outcry from Democrats blasting the president for what they see as encouraging the hacks.

A grand jury indicted 12 Russian military officials in the indictment, accusing them of being behind the hacks that roiled the 2016 presidential race. But while the indictment lays out the alleged scheme in serious detail, Deputy Attorney General Rod RosensteinRod RosensteinRepublicans release newly declassified intelligence document on FBI source Steele GOP’s Obama-era probes fuel Senate angst Graham postpones Russia probe subpoena vote as tensions boil over MORE noted that the indictment does not claim the scheme changed any votes or point to any lawbreaking from Americans.

Monsanto may soon be dead in name, but its “toxic legacy” lives on.

That’s how Friends of the Earth responded to the German pharmaceutical giant Bayer’s announcement on Monday that it will ditch the name “Monsanto” after its merger with the globally reviled agrochemical giant is finalized later this week.

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“Bayer will become Monsanto in all but name unless it takes drastic measures to distance itself from the U.S. chemical giant’s controversial past,” Adrian Bebb, a food and farming campaigner at Friends of the Earth Europe, said in a statement responding to Bayer’s decision. “If it continues to peddle dangerous pesticides and unwanted GMOs then it will quickly find itself dealing with the same global resistance that Monsanto did.”

Food safety groups and environmentalists have argued Bayer and Monsanto’s “merger from hell”—which won approval from President Donald Trump’s Justice Department last week—will tighten the stranglehold a few powerful corporations have on the global agriculture market, endangering people and the planet.

“This merger will create the world’s biggest and most powerful agribusiness corporation, which will try to force its genetically modified seeds and toxic pesticides into our food and countryside,” Bebb told the Guardian on Monday. “The coming together of these two is a marriage made in hell—bad for farmers, bad for consumers and bad for our countryside.”

After Bayer’s $62.5 billion purchase of Monsanto is complete, the company will be named simply “Bayer.”

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Thanks to a federal judge’s decision this week to approve AT&T and Time Warner’s $85 billion merger—which, if allowed to stand by the Trump Justice Department, will spawn a “massive media-telecom behemoth”—anti-monopoly advocates are ominously warning that a flood of major corporate acquisitions once considered “unthinkable” due to their potentially disastrous effects on consumers could be coming in the very near future.

“When big companies become so large they threaten to swallow government, the entire system is corrupted.”
—Zephyr Teachout, New York attorney general candidate

“The gates are wide open for more deals [and] for the closure of these existing deals,” billionaire investor and hedge fund manager Jamie Dinan acknowledged in an interview shortly before the AT&T-Time Warner deal officially closed on Thursday.

Confirming the fears of corporate critics, Dinan went on to cite just two examples of the kinds of deals Americans can expect to see finalized in the coming months following AT&T’s successful acquisition of Time Warner, including CVS’s proposed purchase of health insurance giant Aetna and Cigna’s attempt to swallow the pharma company Express Scripts.

Comcast also moved to get in on the merger-fest this week, offering $65 billion in cash to purchase the television and film assets of 21st Century Fox just a day after the AT&T-Time Warner merger was approved.

As New York attorney general candidate Zephyr Teachout noted in an op-ed for the Guardian this week, these recently proposed mega-mergers are part of a broader trend of corporate consolidation that is “especially disturbing” in the aftermath of the FCC’s net neutrality repeal, which gives telecom giants the power to discriminate against online content and raise costs on consumers.

“America is getting crushed by big, unresponsive, powerful corporate monopolies, the modern version of the trusts of the gilded age,” Teachout wrote. “This isn’t happening organically, but through mergers…These mergers hurt everyone except for the CEOs and the investors who make money off of monopolistic prices.”

And the dangers posed by mega-mergers reach far beyond higher prices for particular goods and services.

Because of the FCC’s net neutrality repeal—which officially went into effect on Monday—Free Press policy director Matt Wood warned in a statement that the AT&T-Time Warner merger will create a supercharged telecom giant capable of “surveil[ing] its customers across the entire internet.”

The Trump Justice Department’s failure to make a successful case against the $85 billion merger “will now set off a wave of communications and media consolidation that was unthinkable even a few years ago,” Wood concluded. “All of us, regardless of our broadband carrier and no matter what we watch, are about to see higher bills, fewer choices, worse quality for competing options, and a further erosion of our privacy rights.”

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Scanning an official list of White House-vetted endorsements and congratulatory statements issued in the wake of President Donald Trump’s nomination of right-wing and anti-choice jurist Brett Kavanaugh for the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday night, observers noticed an interesting pattern: all the people quoted have penises, but not a single one has a vagina or womb.

As ThinkProgress‘ Addy Baird pointed out, while confirmation of Kavanaugh could be the decisive factor in overturning the 1973 landmark decision Roe v. Wade, the Trump administration thought it not pertinent or necessary to find even one prominent women or female lawmaker voicing support for the president’s choice.

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“It was a glaring oversight,” Baird wrote, “considering the president’s campaign pledge to appoint justices to the Supreme Court who might overturn rulings affecting both women’s health and the health of anyone seeking an abortion or reproductive care.”

To illustrate the point, Baird’s colleague Judd Legum tweeted:

Meanwhile, millions of women—who have vaginas and voices—have declared their profound opposition to Kavanaugh’s nomination and declared they will do everything in their power to oppose his confirmation.

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After the U.S. Supreme Court this week crippled labor unions, sided with anti-choice health clinics, upheld President Donald Trump’s Muslim ban, and preserved GOP gerrymandering, Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement, which will enable Trump to nominate a far-right replacement—and the billionaire Koch Brothers’ political network plans to pour millions into promoting the president’s choice.

Once Kennedy’s departure was made public, a spokesperson for the Koch-backed group Americans for Prosperity (AFP) told NPR about plans to spend “seven figures” to support a forthcoming nominee.

As the Huffington Post noted, the Koch network—which includes the groups AFP, Freedom Partners, and Concerned Veterans for America—dropped millions on “waves of direct mail, canvassing, digital ads in a dozen states, town halls, and more than 500,000 phone calls” in support of Trump nominee Neil Gorsuch, who filled the seat left vacant by Antonin Scalia following a choice by Senate Republicans to block former President Barack Obama’s efforts to appoint a justice to the position.

Sarah Field, the vice president for judicial strategy at Americans for Prosperity, told the Post the network is “impressed with the whole list” of Trump’s 25 potential nominees—noting that “the president has a great record of picking judges with a fidelity to the Constitution”—and plans to back whichever candidate he ultimately chooses.

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As Washington Post reporter Michelle Ye Hee Lee pointed out, the billionaire brothers has been salivating over the chance to use their vast wealth and political power to shift the court even further to the right:

While Field said, “faced with a vacancy on the highest court, we encourage President Trump to build on that success by nominating a Supreme Court Justice in the spirit of Justice Neil Gorsuch—a nominee who will respect the rule of law, interpret the Constitution as written, and not seek to advance a political agenda,” adding to the court a justice who subscribes to that form of judicial interpretation would likely mean a series of victories for a far-right political agenda.

Although Kennedy has had a hand in forcing through 5-4 decisions that pleased Republicans, he also has been a key vote on cases involving reproductive and LGBTQ rights. The court cannot simply overturn past decisions without a case to weigh in on, but after Kennedy’s annoucement Wednesday, critics expressed concerns about future rulings on cases pertaining to abortion, marriage equality, or affirmative action if the president can get a nominee through the Senate before the midterms.

Critics slammed the Koch network’s plans to invest heavily in backing Trump’s nominee as “one more example of big money attempt to establish a society governed by the rich,” and declared, “This is not democracy.”

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Despite the profound unpopularity of the Republican Party’s tax law, pushed through last December amid loud protests directed at President Donald Trump and GOP lawmakers, party leaders on Tuesday unveiled framework for their “tax cuts 2.0” package—signaling that they are doubling down on their plans to benefit the rich at the expense of working Americans.

The framework, which House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) released, claims that it would permanently extend tax cuts for individuals that were set to expire in 2025, help families to save for college, and help small businesses create retirement plans for their workers.

The plan will “build on the growing successes of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and ensure this energized economy continues moving forward,” said Brady.

Critics pushed back against the notion that the Republican tax law has “energized” the economy and created “successes” to build on.

“The new line from Republicans in Congress is that Americans are ‘better off’ because of last year’s tax cut, so we have to extend it,” said Morris Pearl, a former managing director at Blackrock and chair of Patriotic Millionaires. “Well, some Americans are better off—people like me who are wealthy enough to not need work—but most Americans are still struggling. The first round of tax cuts was overwhelmingly skewed towards rewarding wealthy GOP donors rather than helping the middle class, and this second pass will be just as bad.”

As Brady, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), and Trump did last fall as they promoted their earlier tax plan, the framework released on Tuesday portrays the proposal as being beneficial for working Americans, with promises of “family-friendly savings plans” and the ability to grow “brand-new entrepreneurs.”

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But most benefits of the law that Republicans passed last winter have been shown to go to corporations and the wealthiest Americans, with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) showing that “a third of the benefits from corporate rate cuts will ultimately flow to the top 1 percent of households, not ordinary workers.”

“The new law will increase income inequality since it delivers far larger tax cuts to households at the top, as a share of income, than those at the bottom or middle,” wrote CBPP in April.

The GOP’s promises that companies would boost hiring and salaries after receiving their tax cuts have been proven categorically false since the beginning of the year, with just six percent of companies’ windfall going to employees’ wages and the vast majority rewarding wealthy shareholders.

The American public, just 25 percent of whom approved of the tax plan as Republicans prepared to pass it, have reported this year that they have seen few benefits from the law.

In April, more than half of those polled by Politico/Morning Consult reported that they had not seen a boost in their pay since the tax plan was passed.

The new framework, said Pearl, is likely to further line the pockets of wealthy corporations.

“The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act led to more money being funneled into the bank accounts of the ultra-rich while worker wages actually dropped, and there’s no reason for us to expect anything else from Tax ‘Reform’ 2.0.,” he said. “The framework says it expects GDP to increase by 2.2 percent, yet they only project wages to increase by 0.9 percent—even in their absolute most optimistic framing, they still admit that less than half the benefits of their bill will go to workers.”

As Bloomberg News reported, the plan also omits a provision that would have allowed victims of sexual harassment to write off their legal costs. As Republicans plan to use the framework as a talking point heading into the midterm elections, the omission may not be corrected until after November, if at all.

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Some have filed suit to stop it while others have argued there’s nothing to worry about, but whether you like it or not at 2:18 PM EDT your phone buzzed an irritating sound and vibrated as you received an unsolicited text message from none other than President Donald Trump himself.

Minutes later, at 2:20 PM EDT, for those listening or tunied in, the radio and television versions of the same alert system will be launched.

So what the hell is going on?

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which is in charge of the new system, the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) text message “will appear on consumers’ phones and read, ‘THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.’  Phones will display this national test using the header ‘Presidential Alert.’  These nationwide alerts, established pursuant to the WARN Act of 2006, are meant for use in a national emergency and are the only type of alert that can be sent simultaneously nationwide by FEMA.”

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According to Popular Mechanics:

No cause for alarm?

As Common Dreams has previously reported, plenty of people are concerned that President Donald J. Trump will now have at his disposal as system that allows him to send an unsolicited and unblockable message to every American with a smart phone.

“I’m not sure that the system would protect us from rogue announcements by a president who has exhibited the kind of behavior President Trump has over the last two years,” Irwin Redlener, director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University, told Vox in an interview last month. “I personally would not give this microphone to Donald Trump.”

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Democrats and Republicans in Michigan appear set to deliver sharply different verdicts in fights over the direction of their parties on Tuesday when they go to the polls to pick nominees for their next governor.

On the Republican side, Attorney General Bill Schuette is the front-runner ahead of Lt. Gov. Brian Calley in the latest race to pit a candidate backed by 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 against a more traditional Republican.

Trump endorsed Schuette last year, while Calley pulled his endorsement of the president after “Access Hollywood” tape was released weeks before the 2016 election. Calley does have the backing of term-limited Gov. Rick Snyder (R), but polls show Schuette with the lead.

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“With the White House and the Supreme Court on the line, Brian Calley deserted Donald Trump, helping 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’s campaign,” a narrator says in a Schuette campaign advertisement. “Now President Trump is standing with Bill Schuette.”

An EPIC–MRA poll, conducted for the Detroit Free Press two weeks ago by auto-dial, showed Schuette leading the GOP field with 42 percent of the vote. Calley trailed at 24 percent, and two other candidates hovered right at the double-digit mark.

While Schuette tries to ride the national conservative wave, a similar wave on the liberal wing of the political spectrum looks less likely to succeed.

Several prominent progressives, including Sen. Bernie Saners (I-Vt.) and his group Our Revolution, congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and organizations like the Progressive Change Campaign Committee have lined up behind Abdul El-Sayed (D), the former health director for the city of Detroit.

Over the weekend, Sanders campaigned with El-Sayed in front of a crowd of 1,400 in Detroit.

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But El-Sayed has struggled to build the kind of grass-roots enthusiasm that propelled Sanders over Hillary Clinton during the 2016 Democratic presidential primary in Michigan. 

He faces former state Sen. Gretchen Whitmer (D), who has backing from most of the state’s core Democratic constituencies such as the United Auto Workers and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan — and a lead in the polls.

The EPIC–MRA survey found Whitmer capturing 49 percent of the vote. El-Sayed clocked in at just 19 percent, behind self-funding businessman Shri Thanedar (D), who took 22 percent even after pouring $10 million into his own race.

While El-Sayed has pitched himself as the champion of “Medicare for all” and a $15 minimum wage, Whitmer has focused on her experience dealing with Snyder to expand Medicaid and raise the minimum wage, deals she made when she was the Democratic leader in the state legislature.

“Like a lot of people in Michigan, I was brought up to work hard,” Whitmer says in her latest advertisement. “I was … the first woman elected as a leader in the Michigan Senate, where I took on the tough fights, like expanding Medicaid and increasing the minimum wage.”

The two races illustrate the divergent paths the two parties have taken in the last decade or so, and to some extent the results of primary contests around the country this year.

On one hand, Republicans have increasingly nominated candidates favored by national factions, whether those who appear on Fox News frequently or those who manage to capture Trump’s attention.

Schuette is one of seven gubernatorial candidates Trump has endorsed this year, alongside GOP nominee Brian Kemp in Georgia and Rep. Ron DeSantisRonald Dion DeSantisGOP tentatively decides on Jacksonville for site of convention DeSantis pushing to host Republican National Convention in Florida Florida bars and theaters to reopen starting Friday, DeSantis says MORE, who now leads the Republican field in Florida.

On the other, Democrats have largely — but not entirely — chosen candidates who win support from more traditional Democratic constituencies. Democratic gubernatorial nominees like Rep. Jared PolisJared Schutz PolisState leaders urge protesters to get tested for coronavirus amid fears of new outbreaks The Hill’s Morning Report – Protesters’ defiance met with calls to listen Overnight Health Care: White House shifts focus from coronavirus | House Democrats seek information on coronavirus vaccine contracts | Governors detail frustrations with Trump over COVID-19 supplies MORE (Colo.), Fred Hubbell (Iowa), Janet Mills (Maine), Steve Sisolak (Nev.) and Richard CordrayRichard Adams CordrayPoll: Biden, Trump neck and neck in Ohio On The Money: Trump officials struggle to get relief loans out the door | Dow soars more than 1600 points | Kudlow says officials ‘looking at’ offering coronavirus bonds Ex-CFPB director urges agency to ‘act immediately’ to help consumers during pandemic MORE (Ohio) have won primaries in which they faced more liberal rivals. 

Even Georgia’s nominee, former state legislator Stacey Abrams (D), built her campaign on the back of support from Democratic-heavy Atlanta before she won endorsements from national figures like Sanders and Sen. Kamala HarrisKamala Devi HarrisRand Paul introduces bill to end no-knock warrants The Hill’s Campaign Report: Biden campaign goes on offensive against Facebook McEnany says Juneteenth is a very ‘meaningful’ day to Trump MORE (D-Calif.).

A matchup between Whitmer and Schuette, in a traditionally Democratic state that voted for Trump in 2016, is likely to become one of the marquee contests of the midterm elections. An Emerson College poll conducted last month, which also showed both Whitmer and Schuette leading their primaries, hinted at a tough race: Whitmer led Schuette by a 43 percent to 36 percent margin.

Democrats have made states like Michigan a top priority, both because of the role it plays in the electoral college and in the decennial redistricting process, which the next governor will oversee.

History suggests Michiganders will be in the mood to hand control to the outside party. Democrats and Republicans have traded control of the governorship since the 1980s, when Jim Blanchard (D) succeeded William Milliken (R) in the executive mansion. 

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Ned Lamont makes comeback in Connecticut

September 18, 2020 | News | No Comments

Twelve years after exploding onto the political stage with a shocking upset over a sitting senator, businessman Ned Lamont on Tuesday took a new step toward a political victory that has so far eluded him. Connecticut Democrats on Tuesday chose Lamont to be their nominee for governor. With 10 percent of the vote in, Lamont held 85 percent of the vote, The Associated Press projected. Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim (D) trailed with 15 percent. ADVERTISEMENTLamont used his ability to fund his own campaign to chase several other prominent candidates out of the race, including Susan Bysiewicz, the former secretary of state who opted to become Lamont’s running mate. Lamont will start out the favorite in the sprint to November when he will face businessman Bob Stefanowski, who won the Republican primary on Tuesday. Connecticut remains a heavily Democratic state; 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 won the state’s electoral votes by 14 percentage points in 2016. But Republicans believe they have a shot at making inroads in Connecticut, thanks in no small part to the man leaving the governor’s mansion. Gov. Dan Malloy (D) has narrowly won two terms in office, though his approval ratings may be lower than any other incumbent governor in the country. Republicans hold half of the 36 seats in the Connecticut state Senate. Democrats only control the upper chamber because of Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman’s (D) tie-breaking vote. Lamont’s political career began in 2006, when he challenged former Sen. Joe Lieberman, then a Democrat, over Lieberman’s support for the war in Iraq. Lamont beat Lieberman in the Democratic primary by about 3 percentage points — but Lieberman won the general election, as an independent candidate, by about 10 percentage points. Four years later, Lamont ran for an open governorship, but lost the Democratic primary to Malloy by 15 points. Click Here: cheap INTERNATIONAL jersey