DHS chief of staff under Trump endorses Biden, describes 'terrifying' dealings with president

58% OF BIDEN'S SUPPORT IS FROM
NEVER AGAIN TRUMP VOTERSKathryn Krawczyk, The Week•August 17, 2020

One of the Department of Homeland Security's top officials under President Trump is now turning against him

Miles Taylor, who worked as DHS chief of staff under Trump, announced in a Monday ad and a Washington Post op-ed that he would be supporting former Vice President Joe Biden this fall. While he once hoped Trump would "soberly accept the burdens of the presidency," Taylor said in the op-ed that "he did not rise to the challenge," and thus Taylor had no choice but to speak out against his re-election.

In the ad, Taylor said what he saw "after two and a half years in that administration was terrifying." He described how "we would go in and try to talk to [Trump] about pressing national security issues," but "he wasn't interested in those things." "The president wanted to exploit the Department of Homeland Security for his own political purposes and to fuel his own agenda," Taylor continued. For example, Trump tried to tell FEMA to stop sending aid to wildfire-stricken California because it didn't vote for him, and "wanted to restart zero tolerance" and "have a deliberate policy of ripping children away from their parents" at the border," Taylor said.

Taylor goes on to make clear in the ad that he's not a Democrat, and disagrees with Biden on many fronts. But Trump is "actively doing damage to our security," while Biden "will protect the country," he said. Watch the ad below, and find Taylor's op-ed at The Washington Post.

NEW: Testimonial ad from Trump's Former DHS Chief of Staff @MilesTaylorUSA, declaring his support for Joe Biden and describing Trump's presidency as "terrifying" and "actively doing damage to our security."

WATCH & go to https://t.co/Nz2NiSCquN for more. pic.twitter.com/iChqOdIIew
— Republican Voters Against Trump (@RVAT2020) August 17, 2020
Our goal is to create a safe and engaging place for users to connect over interests and passions. In order to improve our community experience, we are temporarily suspending article commenting.


DHS removes acting chief of intelligence and analysis after protest response

Black Lives Matter protesters against racism and police brutality storm the Justice Center and clash with local police and federal agents in downtown Portland, Ore., Monday. On Saturday reports surfaced that Brian Murphy, acting chief of intelligence and analysis for the Department of Homeland Security, following criticism of his department's handling of the protests. EPA-EFE/DAVID SWANSON

Aug. 1 (UPI) -- The Department of Homeland Security is removing its acting chief of intelligence and analysis amid criticism of his office's role in responding to civil unrest in Portland, Ore.

As of Saturday, Brian Murphy was still listed as Acting Under Secretary for the Office of Intelligence and Analysis Brian Murphy on the DHS website.

But the Washington Post has reported that DHS Secretary Chad Wolf has removed Brian Murphy from his role following a series of reports about how his office responded to nightly protests in the city.

Most recently, the reports surfaced reported that DHS had compiled "intelligence reports" on journalists who published leaked documents, and that the agency had monitored protesters' electronic communications.

On Saturday House Intelligence Committee chair Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said the committee had been conducting an investigation into Murphy and his department for more than two weeks.

"In light of recent public reports, we are concerned that Murphy may have provided incomplete and potentially misleading information to Committee staff during our recent oversight engagement, and that the Department of Homeland Security and I&A are now delaying or withholding underlying intelligence products, legal memoranda, and other records requested by the Committee that could shed light on these actions," Schiff said in the statement.

The demonstrations have been part of a nationwide protest against police brutality and racism following the May 25 death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.
.

Tensions between demonstrators and police -- who had used tear gas and other means of crowd dispersal repeatedly in late May and throughout June -- were high before the arrival of federal officers in early July.

After DHS agents arrived in the city, viral videos showed officers -- who have dressed in military gear have not worn badges revealing their names or agencies -- appearing to arrest protesters without probable cause, drawing criticism from city officials and the public.

Video also shows federal agents shooting a protester, who was holding a boom box over his head during the incident, in the head with a rubber bullet and sending the man to the hospital.

On July 23 U.S. District Judge Michael Simon blocked federal agents from arresting and using force against clearly identified journalists in Portland for 14 days.

A group of journalists and legal observers has filed a motion accusing federal agents of defying that order.

On Wednesday Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced federal officers would begin a phased withdrawal from the city beginning Thursday.

Wolf said later that day that DHS would remain in the city "until the violent activity toward our federal facilities end."

On Friday DHS published a press release saying federal officers had been present to protect the federal courthouse as part of a collaboration agreement with Oregon State Police and the Portland Police Bureau, but described the protests as peaceful and not resulting in any arrests.

Pro-democracy Milk Tea Alliance brews in Asia

HELLO KITTY BUBBLE TEA ACTIVISTS FOR 

BOURGEOIS DEMOCRATIC REVOLUTION

Patpicha Tanakasempipat and Yanni Chow,
Reuters•August 18, 2020

Protesters hold signs of the Hong Kong-Thailand-Taiwan network (Milk Tea Alliance) during a rally to demand the government to resign, to dissolve the parliament and to hold new elections under a revised constitution, in Bangkok

BANGKOK/HONG KONG (Reuters) - As Hong Kong pro-democracy advocates voiced support for Thai anti-government protests at the weekend, they used the hashtag #MilkTeaAlliance.

In Bangkok, flags representing Hong Kong and independence for Taiwan appeared on a sign bearing the tag at the biggest demonstrations in years.

And in Taipei, dozens of people gathered to back the Thai protests and give weight to a nascent community of cross-border youth movements pushing for democracy at home and uneasy with China's growing regional power.

"This is the first physical expression of the Milk Tea Alliance," said Thai student Akrawat Siripattanachok, 27, who helped organise the show of solidarity in Taipei joined by Hong Kong activists, a Chinese dissident and Taiwan students.

"We don't want to just talk about it online. We want a pan-Asian alliance for democracy."

A hashtag that began in April as a backlash to Chinese nationalist attacks on a Thai celebrity for a perceived slight to China shows signs of turning into a bigger movement uniting like-minded activists.

Why milk tea? The light-hearted name represents a shared passion for sweet tea drinks in Thailand, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

"The innovative idea of Milk Tea Alliance will enhance more students to push forward global solidarity which might confront hardline crackdown," prominent Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong told Reuters.

Wong tweeted support for the Thai protesters, while users on LIHKG, a social media forum used by Hong Kong demonstrators, also called on people to highlight the call of the Thai protesters for greater democracy and the departure of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former junta leader.

"The show of solidarity between different pro-democracy groups in Asia reflects a greater intensity and camaraderie," Parit 'Penguin' Chiwarak, 22, one of the Thai protest leaders, told Reuters.

'UNDER PRESSURE'

Help flows both ways.

Some Thai students have shown support for Hong Kong activists as Beijing has tightened its grip and for the Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the face of increased Chinese rhetoric over what China views as a breakaway province.

"The situation in Thailand isn't so different from Hong Kong or Taiwan, which are under pressure from the authoritarian government of China," said Rathasat Plenwong, 24, a student protester with a Milk Tea Alliance sign.

The Thai, Hong Kong, and Taiwan governments did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the alliance of activists and whether they were concerned about its impact.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian, dismissed the activists' cooperation.

"People who are pro-Hong Kong independence or pro-Taiwan independence often collude online, this is nothing new. Their conspiracy will never succeed," Zhao said.

While the groups' bonds may not concern China now, they were a clear sign of the challenge facing its influence in the region, Wasana Wongsurawat, a Chinese history professor at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University, told Reuters.

"It's amazing that the Hong Kong and Taiwan bond expanded into the Milk Tea Alliance with Thailand, a sovereign country that doesn't even list Chinese as a national language," she said.

Use of the hashtag peaked in April when Chinese internet users hit back against attacks on the Thai celebrities who had appeared to suggest that Hong Kong was a state and that Taiwan was not part of China.

While a few people have promoted it almost daily since then, the Thai protests saw a big increase in its use - mostly on Twitter, but also Facebook, TikTok and other platforms.

Data from a Twitter analytic tool showed the hashtag was used in more than 100,000 tweets on Sunday alone and nearly 200,000 times over the past eight days.

There have also been shows of interest from the Philippines, because of a dispute with China over the South China Sea, and India after border skirmishes with China since May.

Singaporean blogger and activist Roy Ngerng, who was found guilty of defaming Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in a 2014 blog post, was also in the crowd in Taipei.

"The Milk Tea Alliance became the common ground from which we can express our solidarity in humorous and safe spaces," Ngerng told Reuters.

"Solidarity is taking on a more organisational and structural form."
(Writing by Patpicha Tanakasempipat; Additional reporting by Ann Wang and Ben Blanchard in Taipei, Panu Wongcha-um in Bangkok, Yew Lun Tian in Beijing; Editing by Matthew Tostevin, Robert Birsel)

Right-wing militia pulls out of event with New Mexico Republicans, citing 'blatantly racist' remarks from some speakers

Charles Davis, Business Insider•August 17, 2020

Albuquerque police detain members of the New Mexico Civil Guard, an armed civilian group, following the shooting of a man during a protest over a statue of Spanish conqueror Juan de Oñate on Monday, June 15, 2020, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Adolphe Pierre-Louis/The Albuquerque Journal/APMore

The New Mexico Civil Guard announced on Sunday that it is pulling out of an August 22 rally that features a number of local Republicans.

The news comes after Business Insider reported on the existence of the rally, which was to pay "special tribute" to the group, whose leaders include a neo-Confederate and a member of the Proud Boys, a Southern Poverty Law Center-designated hate group.

In a post on Facebook, the New Mexico Civil Guard said that state Republicans had shown the group "an overwhelming amount of very appreciated support."

But the paramilitary group claimed it could not attend the rally because "key speakers have publicly made some remarks that came across as blatantly racist."

The rally is set to feature Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin, who has argued that Black athletes protesting racism in the US should "go back to Africa."s.

A right-wing militia is pulling out of a rally featuring elected Republicans days after Business Insider reported that one of its leaders is a member of a hate group who has denied the Holocaust.

The New Mexico Civil Guard, in a Facebook post on Sunday, said it had "made the decision not to attend the event" — where organizers planned to pay "special tribute" to the paramilitary group — for a number of reasons, among them: that the militia, while led by avowed supporters of President Donald Trump, is ostensibly nonpartisan.

"[T]he Republican side of the ticket in New Mexico has shown an overwhelming amount of very appreciated support," the militia said, "but we are not a Republican or Democratic organization." The "main reason" it will not be attending, however, is because "it has been brought to our attention that key speakers have publicly made some remarks that came across as blatantly racist."

The New Mexico Civil Guard, whose leaders include a neo-Confederate and a member of the Proud Boys, announced it is pulling out of an Aug. 22 rally featuring New Mexico Republicans.

Last week, Business Insider reported that the militia itself was founded by a man with a swastika tattoo who has served as the "commander" of a neo-Confederate organization; another leader is a member of the Proud Boys, designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, who has made comments denying the Nazi extermination of 6 million Jews.

The paramilitary organization is currently facing a lawsuit from the Bernalillo County District Attorney, Raúl Torrez, who alleges that is an illicit, far-right vigilante group.

On Facebook, the New Mexico Civil Guard said it is avowedly anti-hate, asserting that it "in no way condones or participates in racism, and by us being at this event we feel that is what we would be doing."

The New Mexico Civil Guard declined to comment further.

In an email to Business Insider, New Mexico Republican Pat Woods described the August 22 event, promoted by the Republican Party of Curry County, as a "GOP grand opening event." A flyer for the rally says it intends to honor law enforcement and the militia, listing the vice-chair of the state Republican Party, Rick Lopez, as a featured speaker.

Another special guest: Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin, an elected county commissioner who recently said Black athletes protesting racism should "go back to Africa."

The Republican Party of New Mexico has refused to say whether or not its vice-chair will be speaking at the event. In a statement, Anissa Tinnin, executive director for the Republican Party of New Mexico, instead lambasted critics of the rally, which she described as a "grassroots" event. "[W]e will not waste our energy assaulting New Mexicans' free speech," Tinnin said, contrasting the rally with "lawless Antifa protesters looting and shooting."

Tinnin did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the party agrees with the militia's statement that participating in the rally would be to condone racism.

However, three New Mexico Republicans who were listed as speakers at the August 22 rally have told Business Insider they are not planning to participate, with Stefani Lord, a candidate for the state legislature, citing the changing "tone and tenor" of the event.

Read the original article on Business Insider

A spectacular image reveals the electrical tentacles of red jellyfish sprite lightning in the skies above Texas
Aylin Woodward Business Insider•August 16, 2020

McDonald Observatory specialist Stephen Hummel captured a photo of this red jellyfish sprite from Mt. Locke, Texas, on July 2, 2020. Stephen Hummel


Sometimes during a thunderstorm, you can glimpse tentacles of jellyfish-shaped lightning drooping down from space.


This phenomenon is called a red sprite — it's a type of electrical discharge that happens up to 50 miles into the atmosphere.


In July, a scientist from the McDonald Observatory in Texas captured a rarely seen red sprite on camera.


Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

If you've ever looked up during a thunderstorm and glimpsed a red jellyfish sitting high in the sky, you weren't hallucinating.

These tentacle-like spurts of red lightning are called sprites. They're ultrafast bursts of electricity that crackle through the upper regions of the atmosphere — between 37 and 50 miles up in the sky — and move towards space, according to the European Space Agency.

The phenomenon is a rare sighting: It lasts just tenths of a second and can be hard to see from the ground since it's generally obscured by storm clouds. But Stephen Hummel, a dark-skies specialist at the McDonald Observatory, captured a spectacular image of one of these sprites on July 2 (shown above) from a ridge on Mount Locke in Texas.

"Sprites usually appear to the eye as very brief, dim, grey structures. You need to be looking for them to spot them, and oftentimes I am not certain I actually saw one until I check the camera footage to confirm," Hummel told Business Insider.


On the night he snapped this photo, he'd recorded 4 1/2 hours of footage before capturing the sprite on film.

"Overall I've probably recorded close to 70 hours' worth of footage and stills this year, and caught about 70 sprites," he said, adding that half of those were in a single storm.
Jellyfish sprites can be seen glimpsed from space

Davis Sentman, a professor of physics at the University of Alaska who died in 2011, proposed the name "sprite" for this type of weather phenomenon. He said the name was "well suited to describe their appearance," since the word evokes the lightning's fairy-like, fleeting nature.

Some sprites, like the one Hummel photographed, are jellyfish-shaped. Others are just vertical columns of red light with tendrils snaking down: these are called carrot sprites.

Jellyfish sprites can be enormous — the one Hummel photographed was "probably around 30 miles long and 30 miles tall," he said. Some can be seen from more than 300 miles away.

They occur because when lightning strikes the ground, it tends to release positive electrical energy that needs to be balanced out by equal and oppositely charged energy elsewhere in the sky. So sprites are the electrical discharges that balance the equation.

"The more powerful the storm and the more lightning it produces, the more likely it is to produce a sprite," Hummel said.

While similar to regular lightning, which shoots between electrically charged air, clouds, and the ground, sprites happen much farther from Earth's surface.

Astronauts sometimes spot them from the International Space Station.

Astronauts glimpse a red lightning sprite below the white light of an active thunderstorm from aboard the International Space Station, August 2015. NASA

As a sprite sparks, it turns red because of nitrogen floating high in Earth's atmosphere. The gas gets excited by the burst of electricity and emits a red glow.
—Paul M Smith (@PaulMSmithPhoto) April 21, 2019

Since the sprites' discovery in 1989, scientists have spotted them over every continent except Antarctica.
Dave Mosher contributed reporting to this story.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Virginia state senator, NAACP leaders charged with felony 'injury' to Confederate statue
Kathryn Krawczyk,
The Week•August 17, 2020


The arrest of Virginia's Senate president pro tempore is raising suspicions from the state's top Democrats.

Louise Lucas, the legislature's top ranking Democrat, who represents Portsmouth, was charged with felony "injury to a monument" and conspiracy Monday, as were the city's NAACP president and vice president, a school board member, and four others. The charges stemmed from a June protest where protesters tore down a statue of a Confederate soldier, though it's unclear if Lucas played a role in taking it down, per local station WAVY.

The timing of the arrest raised questions from Virginia House Rep. Lee Carter (D), given that the state legislature was set to reconvene this week for a special session on criminal justice reform. Virginia's constitution bars the arrest of General Assembly members during or 15 days before their sessions, except for "treason, felony, or breach of the peace."

If you're wondering why they dug up an obscure crime like "conspiracy to commit injury to a monument," it's because they need a felony to arrest a Senator within 15 days of a session.

It's not supposed to stick. The purpose is to prevent her from voting to rein in the cops. https://t.co/RRNHq4EDIo
— Lee J. Carter (@carterforva) August 17, 2020

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) echoed Carter's suspicion.
It's deeply troubling that on the verge of Virginia passing long-overdue police reform, the first Black woman to serve as our Senate Pro Tempore is suddenly facing highly unusual charges.@SenLouiseLucas, I look forward to seeing you in Richmond tomorrow—so we can get to work. https://t.co/flI9W5HnYH
— Ralph Northam (@GovernorVA) August 17, 2020

Virginia lawmakers this week will consider a change to "a law that allows police to charge people with felony assault even if the arresting officers are not seriously hurt," The Virginian-Pilot reports. Bills to bar police from using chokeholds and no-knock warrants, to make it easier to expunge criminal records, and to eliminate jury sentencing are also on the docket this week.

Fox News heaps praise on Michelle Obama’s DNC speech: 'She really flayed, sliced and diced Donald 


Proctor, Yahoo Entertainment•August 18, 2020

VIDEO Michelle Obama's DNC speech praised by Fox News analysts: 'It was a heck of a contribution' 2:01 

Michelle Obama wrapped up the first night of the first ever virtual Democratic National Convention Monday with a scathing speech in which she slammed the Trump White House for its “chaos, division,” and “lack of empathy,” and urged voters to vote for Joe Biden like their lives depend on it. She also made it clear that she doesn’t believe Trump is up to the task of being president. Still, following the speech, a panel on Fox News heaped praise on the former First Lady and her speech.

The Daily Briefing host Dana Perino was less than impressed with what the rest of the convention had to offer, but the same can’t be said for how she felt about Obama’s speech.

“You’ve just got the sense that when you talk about authenticity, she has it in spades,” Perino said. “She has that voice, she has clarity and she knows what she’s out there wanting to do. And she was trying to get everybody to really focus, and then she had a call to action: Ask for your ballot tonight. I think that the DNC, if they look over the course of the night, the first virtual convention of our history, I think they would say that Michelle Obama stuck the landing.”

Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace, who has been the target of Trump’s ire in the past, agreed.

“You know, it’s interesting. You know, Michelle Obama, as she said, doesn’t like politics and she said that this speech was her main contribution to the Biden campaign. It was a heck of a contribution,” Wallace said. “She really flayed, sliced and diced Donald Trump, talking about the chaos and confusion, and lack of empathy, especially coming from this president and this White House…And again, very practical. Not just, ‘This is what your feelings should be.’ But you gotta get out, you gotta vote, you gotta convince your neighbors to vote. This was a very effective speech.”

Fox News political analyst Brit Hume, who recently accused Biden of peddling “black grievance politics,” questioned the accuracy of some of Obama’s statements, saying it was “laced with exaggerations and distortions,” but even he had to agree on the effectiveness of the speech.

“But that’s what we expect in political rhetoric, that’s the way you do it,” Hume said. “So the question becomes, you know, not the actual truthfulness of the case that’s made, but how effectively it’s delivered and whether the attacks are likely to have the effect on the electorate that she hopes for. I suspect in this case, probably, it did.”

This came just one day after President Trump once again attacked the network and told Fox News viewers to look elsewhere. Following the praise for Michelle Obama, and just before ending convention coverage, anchor Bret Baier assured viewers that nothing has changed at the network.

“Listen, I just want to say, Fox News has not changed,” Baier said. “We have covered both parties’ conventions from the beginning of this network, fully and fairly from all sides, and we will continue to.”

Trump Says He’ll Seek a Third Term Because ‘They Spied On Me’

Peter Wade,
Rolling Stone•August 17, 2020

With the political world focused on the Democratic convention Monday night, President Trump looked to steal some of the limelight by saying that he will seek a third term if he wins reelection.

During a rally in Wisconsin, the president lied to a cheering crowd, telling them that he deserves eight additional years in office because, he falsely claimed, his campaign was spied on in 2016—an assertion his own FBI refuted in a detailed report.

“We are going to win four more years,” Trump said. “And then after that, we’ll go for another four years because they spied on my campaign. We should get a redo of four years.”
pic.twitter.com/0BA4GaJJpW
— PoliticsVideo23 (@politicsvideo23) August 17, 2020

But Trump has one problem: the Constitution. The 22nd Amendment says, “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”

THE ONLY AMENDMENT HE CARES ABOUT IS THE SECOND
During the same rally, Trump went on a bizarre rant about how well the economy was performing before the pandemic, touting the success of students who attended “crummy colleges” and “dumb people.”

i'm laughing so hard pic.twitter.com/Q9sl8L3pck
— Madeline Peltz (@peltzmadeline) August 17, 2020

The president’s manic Monday did not stop there. During a stop in Michigan, Trump told the assembled crowd a bullshit story he often repeats.

“I was ‘Man of the Year’ eleven years ago in Michigan. I don’t know why but they picked me,” the president said.
Trump: I was man of the year 11years ago in Michigan. I don’t know why but they picked me pic.twitter.com/APZ33Qrz6g
— Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) August 17, 2020

Trump doesn’t know why he was chosen for this honor because it’s a lie. According to a 2019 report in the Detroit News, the president has told the fabricated story at least six times—make that seven after today.

“Since 2016, Trump has claimed that he received Michigan’s ‘Man of the Year’ award, and no one in Michigan seems to know what he is talking about,” the report said.

Israeli forces shoot, wound deaf Palestinian at checkpoint

Associated Press•August 17, 2020

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli security guards on Monday shot and wounded a Palestinian who is deaf and couldn't hear their commands to stop at a West Bank checkpoint, police said, while a suspected Palestinian attacker was shot and killed in a separate incident in Jerusalem.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the 60-year-old man was walking in an area of the Qalandia Crossing north of Jerusalem where only vehicles are permitted. Rosenfeld said security guards called upon the man to stop but he continued to "approach them suspiciously."

They then opened fire toward his legs, moderately wounding him. Only after did the guards discover that the suspect did not respond because he “cannot hear or communicate,” Rosenfeld said.

Rosenfeld said later Monday that a guard involved in the shooting was detained as part of an investigation into the incident.


The incident comes less than three months after Israeli police shot and killed a 32-year-old Palestinian with severe autism. Israeli border police forces chased the man into a nook in Jerusalem’s Old City and fatally shot him as he cowered next to a garbage bin after apparently being mistaken for an attacker.

The shooting sparked criticism and calls for police to amend their open fire guidelines to take into consideration those with disabilities.

Later on Monday, police said one person was lightly wounded in a suspected stabbing attack in Jerusalem's Old City. Rosenfeld said the alleged attacker was shot and killed.

In recent years, lone Palestinian attackers have carried out a series of stabbings, shootings and car-rammings. But Palestinians and Israeli rights groups say Israeli forces often use excessive force and at times kill suspected attackers who could have been arrested.

Heba Yazbak, an Israeli lawmaker of Palestinian origin, said Monday's incident at the crossing exposed trigger-happy Israeli forces.

“First they shoot and then they check,” she said. “The shooting of an innocent deaf Palestinian is just another example of the ease in which Israeli security forces can harm human life.”

Bernie Sanders: 'Nero fiddled while Rome burned.

 Trump golfs.'

Bernie Sanders warns of authoritarianism under Trump at DNC

Hunter Walker White House Correspondent, Yahoo News•August 17, 2020

Bernie Sanders accused President Trump of “leading us down the path of authoritarianism” and having a “negligent response” to the coronavirus pandemic in his speech at the first night of the virtual Democratic National Convention on Monday.

The Vermont senator also urged the supporters who pushed him to a second-place finish in the Democratic primary to rally behind the party’s presumptive nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, and his running mate, California Sen. Kamala Harris.

“Nero fiddled while Rome burned. Trump golfs. His actions fanned this pandemic, resulting in over 170,000 deaths and a nation still unprepared to protect its people,” Sanders said. “Furthermore, Trump’s negligence has exacerbated the economic crisis we are now experiencing.”

Among other things, Sanders blamed Trump for inadequate supplies of protective gear that plagued the country at the start of the pandemic in March and the expiration of employment benefits for the record numbers of workers who have lost their jobs.

He also framed Trump’s overall handling of the presidency as “a threat to our democracy.” To make his case, Sanders, who spoke live during Monday night’s convention kickoff broadcast, listed a number of criticisms he has of the administration, and he took issue with Trump’s remark earlier in the day about staying in office beyond his constitutional term – a recurring bit for the president.

“During this president’s term, the unthinkable has become normal. He has tried to prevent people from voting, undermined the U.S. Postal Service, deployed the military and federal agents against peaceful protesters, threatened to delay the election, and suggested that he will not leave office if he loses,” said Sanders. “This is not normal and we must never treat it like it is. Under this administration, authoritarianism has taken root in our country.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks during the virtual Democratic National Convention on Monday. (via Reuters TV)

The speech was a preview of attacks to come from Sanders as the election approaches the home stretch. A source close to the senator said he “will continue finding venues to push the message” of why he thinks Trump must lose in November – including potentially holding live events if he is able to do so safely during the pandemic.

Sanders, a self-described “democratic socialist,” has become a leading figure of the party’s progressive wing. In his convention speech, Sanders briefly alluded to the deep divides that have emerged between progressives and more moderate elements of the Democratic Party when he noted that he and Biden “disagree on the best path” toward expanding health care.

However, Sanders also pointed to their common ground and cited “a few examples of how Joe will move us forward,” including Biden’s support for raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, expanding unions, combating climate change, and establishing paid family leave and universal pre-kindergarten. He also praised Biden’s health care proposals, saying they were a step in the right direction.

Despite the clear policy divisions within the Democratic Party, Trump has sought to paint Biden as being in lockstep with Sanders. The Trump campaign responded to Sanders’s speech with a statement saying his “socialist agenda is on the ballot.”

“There is nothing moderate about Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, and Sanders’s speech tonight proves it,” the Trump campaign statement said. 

Along with the critiques of his policies, Sanders called the president’s rhetoric extreme. He accused Trump of engaging in “the demonization of immigrants, the coddling of white nationalists ... racist dog whistling … religious bigotry and ... ugly attacks on women.” Sanders referenced a slogan of Biden’s campaign and said the former vice president would “heal the soul of our nation” and “end the hate and division Trump has created.”

“To everyone who supported other candidates in the primary and to those who may have voted for Donald Trump in the last election, the future of our democracy is at stake, the future of our economy is at stake, the future of our planet is at stake,” Sanders said.

“We must come together, defeat Donald Trump, and elect Joe Biden.”

How a Broward County teen organized hundreds of young DNC delegates during a pandemic

Alex Daugherty, Miami Herald•August 17, 2020


Like most high school seniors, Joseph Mullen had a lot of time on his hands this spring.

As the coronavirus pandemic began to close schools across Florida in March, the Broward County 18-year-old — who had become increasingly interested in the politics of climate change, gun violence and education policy — filled out a form to run as a delegate for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders at the 2020 Democratic National Convention.

Though Sanders dropped out and the Democratic National Convention — which began Monday — is now all virtual, Mullen never stopped his online work to connect with other young delegates.

The group he started in May, The Young Delegates Coalition, now has about 225 members. Most are Sanders supporters, though the group includes delegates for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden along with delegates for former presidential candidates Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg.

And now Mullen, a Weston resident and Cypress Bay High School graduate who will attend Cornell University this fall, will be virtually voting on the platform and for the 2020 nominee this week at the convention, along with the members of the group.

“A lot of people see it as a ceremonial opportunity, but delegates have power. Young people realize there’s power there,” Mullen said. “The pandemic and things being virtual have allowed a lot of young people to be involved.”

The Young Delegates Coalition has worked together to advocate for certain policy changes within the Democratic Party like legalizing marijuana and eliminating student loan debt. And they’ve also pushed for the DNC to include more speakers who they say represent the future of the party, arguing that young elected officials like New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez should get more speaking time than former Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich.

Mullen has a unique perspective as the only Sanders delegate from Florida’s 23rd Congressional District, which is represented by former Democratic National Committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Wasserman Schulz stepped down as DNC chair during the 2016 convention after Sanders supporters objected to her handling of the 2016 primary.

“People have to overcome the perception of the DNC as not being friendly to young people,” Mullen said. “My hope is the DNC can live up to its name and be more democratic. This year there has been a lot more of an effort to unite the party and focus on beating Donald Trump.”

Anthony Santiago, a 19-year-old Biden delegate from Kissimmee, started talking with Mullen on Twitter in May. They expanded their discussion on WhatsApp to include other young delegates, ranging in age from 18 to 35, and later moved the conversation to Slack, a virtual chat tool frequently used in workplaces.

Within the Slack group, different young delegates have worked together on press releases or policy memos before presenting their work to the entire Young Delegates Coalition for approval.

“Our main goal is to get young people involved in politics and voting,” Santiago said. “And in the future, if this stays together, we can elect our young delegates for local office.”

Though Mullen and Santiago represent different candidates, they both praised the Biden campaign’s work with Sanders delegates and commitment to policies like making public college tuition free for students from families with incomes up to $125,000.

“Biden has been moving farther left in his policies in a good way, I believe,” Santiago said. “He’s going for a free four-year public college, which I believe is a good thing to do. I believe he is indeed actually trying to get these [young] votes and earn these votes.”

Sabrina Javellana, the 22-year-old vice mayor of Hallandale Beach and a Sanders delegate, said the Biden and Sanders delegates in the group “haven’t really had any animosity.”

“We’re always talking in our Slack channel about totally different things,” Javellana said. “If there’s an issue we think would polarize one group of delegates or another, we don’t touch it.”

Biden has 2,629 pledged delegates heading into the convention, a figure that dwarfs the Young Delegates Coalition’s numbers and Sanders’ 1,038 delegates. While many Sanders delegates plan to vote against the DNC’s policy platform this week, their efforts will be mostly symbolic.

Javellana said the virtual convention and organizing effort are helping to grow the party’s next generation — and that young people can participate at a higher rate than under normal circumstances.

“The pandemic, and all the awful things that come with it, have it made it easier for us to participate,” Javellana said “Being on a video chat is so much easier for young people, and a lot of high schoolers and college students have been home. While older folks that aren’t as tech savvy are struggling with Zoom or struggling to create a Facebook page, we’ve been pushing candidates through Instagram stories.”

Zenaida Huerta, a 21-year-old member of the coalition and a Sanders delegate from California who also represented the Vermont senator at the 2016 convention, said she thinks members of the group will use their political experience as a springboard to a career in politics.

“There are young people and young delegates who have really interesting stories and who I know for certain at the next convention are going to be members of Congress or building the bench of this party,” Huerta said.