Progressive Breakfast: LGBT Families Caught in the GOP's Culture War Rift

MORNING MESSAGE

On a road trip to visit relatives in Georgia, our family traveled across the states that have become the newest battlegrounds in the latest phase of the “culture wars.” ... But this trip back home took us through states where legislatures voted to protect the people who might have discriminated against us. That forced us to think about the possibility that we might face discrimination, and how best to avoid experiencing it and exposing our children to it.
Join the Democracy Awakening mobilization – April 16 to 18 in Washington, D.C. – to deliver a massive wake-up call to Congress.
Join us to demand a democracy that works for all of us – a nation where our votes are not denied  and money doesn’t buy access and power. Find out more about planned demonstrations, teach-ins, direct action, music, the Rally for Democracy, and non-violent direct action and advocacy.  Let us know you are coming.

BURNING ISSUES: CUBAN-AMEriCAN RelatioNS AND HUMAN RIGHTS

Geoff Thale of the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) discusses President Obama’s recent opening of diplomatic relations with Cuba and the reactions of the presidential candidates in the latest Burning Issues video.

WI and NY LOOM LARGE

Battle for NY begins. NYT: “Mrs. Clinton used a rally at the Apollo Theater in Harlem to recall her efforts on behalf of New Yorkers as one of their senators for eight years. In doing so she contrasted her concrete actions, like fighting for health care aid for emergency workers after the Sept. 11 attacks, to the ambitious promises of Mr. Sanders and the harsh language used by the leading Republican candidate, Donald J. Trump … Mr. Sanders … plans to hold a rally in the Bronx on Thursday afternoon.”
Bernie opens up a Wisconsin lead ahead of Tuesday vote. NYT:Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont spent Wednesday crisscrossing Wisconsin, hosting events in three cities and arguing that his stances on trade deals, campaign finance and foreign policy make him a stronger candidate … As a new poll showed him leading Mrs. Clinton by four points in the Badger State ahead of Tuesday’s primary, Mr. Sanders attacked her for supporting what he characterized as ‘disastrous’ trade policies that led to thousands of Wisconsin jobs being shipped overseas…”
Campaigns negotiating future debates. NYT: “The campaign for Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont sent out a news release on Tuesday proclaiming that Hillary Clinton’s campaign had made ‘an agreement to debate him in New York before the state’s April 19 primary election.’ That, however, is not exactly what the Clinton campaign has said, at least publicly. ‘We have expressed our willingness to debate in April, and the campaigns are discussing different options, including the option of a debate in N.Y. before April 19,’ said Brian Fallon, the press secretary for the Clinton campaign, in an email on Wednesday.”

TRUMP LOSING STEAM

Majority of white men “unfavorable” to Trump in W. Post poll: “If Donald Trump secures the Republican presidential nomination, he would start the general election campaign as the least-popular candidate to represent either party in modern times.”
Trump falls behind in Wisconsin. NYT: “…Right-wing radio hosts are flaying him, Gov. Scott Walker and other elected Republicans have endorsed Senator Ted Cruz, and a new poll showed Mr. Cruz with a 10 percentage-point lead in the state before Tuesday’s primary. The Stop Trump movement may never have another opportunity like the one here…”
But still has delegate edge. The Hill: “He faces a tricky and uncertain path to [a majority.] Trump currently has 736 delegates. He needs to win 501 more – or about 55 percent of the more than 900 still up for grabs … Cruz, who has only 463 delegates, would have to secure another 774 — or about 86 percent of outstanding delegates — to win the nomination outright. That’s a near impossible feat…”

CA, NY RACE TO $15

$15 minimum wage clears CA Assembly committee. Reuters: “One Democrat, Tom Daly, joined six Republicans in opposing the measure, which now advances to the full Assembly for action as early as this week. It would then return to the Senate for a final vote … passage is not assured without backing from more moderate Democrats, including business-friendly Assembly members in swing districts.”
NYT edit board urges New York to beat California: “[Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s] challenge now is to get [Republicans] to go along without giving too much away. Some Republicans might vote for a $15 minimum for the New York City area if the governor agreed to a lesser increase for upstate New York. A better approach would be for the $15 minimum to be phased in for everyone on the same schedule that is currently in place for fast-food workers in New York, which lifts their minimum in New York City to $15 by the end of 2018 and in the rest of the state by mid-2021.”

Progressive Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to activists. Progressive Breakfast is a project of the Campaign for America's Future. more »