As if this wasn’t a bad enough week in Florida – from the murder of The Voice singer Christina Grimmie in Orlando Friday night, to the massacre at the Pulse nightclub Saturday night, and last night we learned that a two-year old toddler was grabbed by an alligator at a “lake” at the Walt Disney World Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.
Unfortunately, while this state struggles with these tragedies, the people tasked with running the state continuing to prove they’re unfit for office.
Take Governor Rick Scott, please. Seriously. This moron refused to even acknowledge that the club where 49 souls were extinguished by one murderer with a war weapon was a safe place for members of the LGBT community.
And then there’s the attorney general. Pam Bondi was just outed for solicitation of a $25,000 check she received from a Trump foundation in 2013 at a time when her office was considering whether to join a New York state investigation of consumer complaints against Trump University. Once the money came in, Bondi dropped her investigation.
And last night, Anderson Cooper called her out on her track record of fighting against the LGBT community — she vowed to fight marriage equality all the way to the Supreme Court and would have if they hadn’t ruled on it ahead of her suit, and she fought the idea of same sex couple adoptions until she was soundly defeated.
Anderson Cooper called her out on her lack of support for LGBT issues, and she fired back with a denial”
“I will say I have never really seen you talk about gays and lesbians and transgender people in a positive way until now,” Cooper said. “I read your Twitter history for a last year and you were tweeting about, you know, National Dog Month and National Shelter dog appreciation day or adopt a shelter dog day. It is Gay Pride Month. You never even tweeted about Gay Pride Month.”
“Well actually, if you look at my website now, we have hands clasped together, all different-colored, rainbow-hands people,” Bondi replied.
Except they don’t. Here’s the screen grab of her website
Once a liar…
Deborah Newell joined in to help me marvel at our state and all that’s wrong with it.
In hour two, Gaius Publius joined in from Down with Tyranny to talk about where we go from here as both parties are as divided as we’ve ever seen them, as each is poised to nominate their most unpopular candidate in history. Lovely.
Gaius also told us about the newest potential bombshells that could derail the race — Russian hackers have not only gotten into the DNC database, but apparently they have lots more of Hillary Clinton’s emails!
With almost 6 weeks until the convention, and 6 months until the election, we’ve still got a long way to go, and every day is an eternity in political time.
The 2016 presidential primary season officially ended with a whimper last night when the polls closed in Washington, DC. Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton met last night, not too long after Bernie spoke to the press. I played it near the top of today’s show, as the corporate media has gone back to ignoring Sanders at all costs.
And his campaign sent out an email inviting us to a live web address from Bernie on Thursday evening.
Nicole –
Washington, D.C. votes today in the final contest of the Democratic primary. Our staff and volunteers are working hard for every vote and every delegate in the District of Columbia because each is an important declaration of support for the values we share, and the issues that have powered our campaign.
When we started this campaign, I told you that I was running not to oppose any man or woman, but to propose new and far-reaching policies to deal with the crises of our time. And for the past fourteen months, through the entire primary process, we’ve sent the establishment a message they can’t ignore: we won’t settle for the status quo.
After today, the voting is done, but our political revolution continues.
I want to talk to you directly on Thursday night about what’s next for our campaign in a live, online video address at 8:30 p.m. EDT / 5:30 p.m. PDT. I hope that you will join:
This campaign is about more than Bernie Sanders. It is about all of us together. It is about millions of people from coast to coast knowing that we can do much better as a nation.
I hope that you will join the conversation on Thursday night and ask your friends to do the same.
In solidarity,
Bernie Sanders
Let’s all be there…
I won’t be here tomorrow or Friday, as we’ll hopefully be putting the finishing touches on our new studio. My intention is to start broadcasting from there next week. Stay tuned to the radioornot chat room to find out when we’ll be testing the streams, if you’d like to help.
Please don’t forget The People’s Summit this weekend in Orlando. In case you missed the details when I spoke about it with Donna Smith last week, here it is again. Chicago.. I’m with you in spirit this weekend!
What’s Next for the Populist Movement?
All-Star Lineup Gathers in Chicago June 17-19 to Build on Populist MomentAt a pivotal moment in a year which has seen enormous populist upsurge in the 2016 Presidential campaign, an all star line up of progressive and community leaders and activists will gather in Chicago June 17-19 for a People’s Summit.
Thousands are expected to join the three-day Summit, which is intended to step up the momentum and movement building associated with the populist moment and the broad grassroots organizing on progressive issues that has been underway with less media fanfare around the nation for years.
The Summit will also bring together many of the leaders and organizations who have participated in the Bernie Sanders campaign, as well as other community leaders and activists who have worked for social, political, and economic change for years.
What: People’s Summit
When: June 17-19, McCormick Place, Chicago
How to Get Involved: Via http://www.thepeoplessummit.orgor info@thepeoplessumit.orghttps://www.facebook.com/events/772454342884561/
Twitter: @pplsummitProgram begins 7 p.m. Friday night, June 17. Continues through 12 noon, Sunday, June 19.
(Press Registration – Lakeside Ballroom, McCormick Place. Best Parking – Parking Lot C)Sen. Sanders is one of the invited but not confirmed speakers.
Confirmed speakers and participants include:
· Naomi Klein, environmental/social activist, author, “This Changes Everything”
· Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, veteran, Meritorious Service Medal awardee
· RoseAnn DeMoro, Executive Director, National Nurses United
· Van Jones, CNN commentator/correspondent, President, co-Founder of Dream Corps, former White House green jobs advisor
· Former Ohio State Sen. Nina Turner
· Rosario Dawson, actress/activist
· Gaby Hoffman, actress/activist
· Josh Fox, documentary filmmaker, showing his new film “How to Love Everything Climate Can’t Change”
· Frances Fox Piven, author, activist
· Heather McGee, President, Demos
· Cook County Commissioner Jesus “Chuy” Garcia
· Juan Gonzalez, co-host Democracy Now, author, writer, “Harvest of Empire”
· Jim Hightower, American populist
· Shaun King, New York Daily News columnist, Occupy activist
· Rev. Lennox Yearwood, President, Hip-Hop Caucus
· George Goehl, Co-Director, People’s Action
· Tobita Chow, chair, People’s Lobby
· Becky Bond, former Executive Director CREDO, director digital organizing Sanders campaignA Vision of Change
The Summit opens Friday night, June 17 with presentations by Naomi Klein, Van Jones, RoseAnn DeMoro, and Juan Gonzalez outlining visions of social justice and continuing the progressive movement building going forward to the November election and beyond.
On Saturday morning, leaders of social justice and environmental organizations will discuss how collective actions have already led to a number of significant victories for social change. Presenters include Dante Barry from A Million Hoodies: Movement for Justice, Linda Sarsour founder of MPOWER, and Mark Schlosberg, Food and Water Action Fund.
That will be followed by additional presentations and discussions of how to continue the momentum to strengthen the unity of the broad diversity of movements around the country.
Later Saturday, Congress members Tulsi Gabbard, Raul Grijalva, former Ohio State Sen. Nina Turner, and Cook County Commissioner Jesse “Chuy” Garcia will lead discussion of formation of a “people’s agenda” that can help unify many movement activists.
Saturday’s program will also feature workshops on a broad range of topics including energy democracy and climate justice; racial and economic justice; ending voter suppression, mass incarceration, and deportations; the push for guaranteed healthcare through Medicare for all; student actions to raise wages, not tuition; and building a movement while interacting with an increasingly concentrated corporate media.
An additional highlight Saturday evening, June 18, will feature a “People’s Speak” of dramatic theatrical readings by celebrated actors including Rosario Dawson, Gaby Hoffman, Wallace Shawn, and Kendrick Sampson.
Sunday morning, the Summit concludes with a celebration of Juneteenth, an anniversary of the abolition of slavery, and discussions of how to bring actions back to local communities.
Summit endorsers/participants include National Nurses United, Peoples Action, Presente, People for Bernie, United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS), 350.0rg, Food and Water Action Fund, MillionHoodies: Movement for Justice, Physicians for a National Health Program, Iowa Citizens for Community Involvement Fund, Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), Progressive Maryland, the United Students Student Association, Progressive Democrats of America (PDA), African Americans for Bernie, Working Families Party, HealthCare Now, and Friends of the Earth.
We’ve still got our work cut out for us, but the infrastructure is in place. See you Monday!
