MORNING MESSAGE
Generally,
party platforms get no respect ... Platforms are, however, a statement of the
accepted beliefs of the party assembled. They are thus a measure of the evolving
consensus of the party. For citizen movements, they are a measure of their
progress in defining acceptable opinion in the party. And ideas matter ... there
is no question that [Bernie Sanders] has won the policy debate. And he has every
reason to push to have that victory written into the party’s platform.
BURNING ISSUES: THE U.S. ROle IN THE ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT
Raed
Jarrar, government relations manager at the American Friends Service Committee,
in this Burning Issues video segment says that the Israel-Palestine conflict
should not be viewed as a millennia-old intractable conflict, but a recent
crisis in which the United States has been a key instigator through its “blank
check” support of Israel.
CALIFORNIA GETS HOT
California
tight in latest poll. NYT: “The poll, released Wednesday night by the Public
Policy Institute of California, showed Mrs. Clinton leading Mr. Sanders among
likely voters, 46 percent to 44 percent … [Sanders] took to the airwaves this
week. And Mrs. Clinton has quickly responded … Her campaign had halted its
advertising.”
Sanders
and Trump say they want to debate. AP: “Trump … said he’d be happy to engage
Sanders in a one-on-one debate — as long as significant money goes to charity.
Sanders said on Twitter he’d welcome that. ‘Game on. I look forward to debating
Donald Trump in California before the June 7 primary.'”
Sanders
tees off on Clinton campaign tactics in Time interview: “Sanders issued a
long list of complaints. ‘The corporate media is incapable of covering a
national campaign in a serious way,’ he said, firing a shot at his interrogator.
The Clintons, he continued, ‘play very dirty.’ Hillary’s attacks on him had been
‘outrageous,’ courtesy of her super PAC helmed by ‘the scum of the earth.’ The
chair of the Democratic Party had ‘stacked’ the deck against him.”
“Clinton
urged to go liberal with vice presidential pick” reports The Hill: “Hillary
Clinton would be smart to move left in selecting a running mate to win over
supporters of presidential rival Bernie Sanders, say Clinton allies and
Democratic strategists … ‘She needs to do something in the coming weeks to show
that she’s also trying to unify the party,’ one Clinton surrogate said. ‘And
that would be a clear signal.'”
Clinton
beats Trump with middle-class Rust Belt voters. Bloomberg: “Likely voters
with annual family incomes of $30,000 to $75,000 in Michigan, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin back Clinton over Trump, 46 percent to 39 percent,
the latest Purple Slice online poll for Bloomberg Politics shows … When only the
white middle-income participants are considered, the billionaire beats Clinton
44 percent to 40 percent. That’s behind where Republican Mitt Romney
finished…”
Sanders
injects himself in Senate legislative matters. Politico: “He’s actively
urging Senate Democrats to reject a deal reached by House Republicans and the
Obama administration to ease Puerto Rico’s debt crisis and has emerged as one of
the few opponents of a landmark overhaul of chemical safety laws — the first
major environmental legislation in a generation.”
UAW
backs Clinton. Detroit Free Press: “[UAW President Dennis] Williams said the
former secretary of state ‘understands our issues on trade, understands the
complexities of multinational economies and supports American workers, their
families and communities.'”
“Wasserman
Schultz fights to keep her job” reports The Hill: “Perhaps the strongest
show of support for Wasserman Schultz came in the House … But the mood in the
Senate was different; talk of replacing Wasserman Schultz received little
pushback from Senate leaders.”
TRUMP TO OPINE ON CLIMATE
Trump
to speak to energy conference. NYT: “Speaking at an oil industry conference
in Bismarck, N.D., Mr. Trump is expected to embrace standard Republican calls
for more fossil fuel drilling and fewer environmental regulations, while
possibly elaborating on his positions on climate change.”
Speaker
Paul Ryan will unveil policy proposals after Memorial Day. NYT: “The first
of the policy proposals, which will constitute the House’s ‘Confident America’
agenda, will focus on combating poverty, Mr. Ryan said. He added that each
policy area, including national security and taxes, would be tackled less with
the amorphous ideas that he has been batting around for months, but with an
extensive legislative framework.”
Progressive
Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to
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