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Marcy Playground - Sherry Fraser

In South Carolina, Biden finds shelter from the storm

COLUMBIA, S.C. — For nearly 90 minutes on a sweat-soaked stage in South Carolina on Friday night, it was almost as if Joe Biden had put the uproar surrounding his comments about segregationists behind him.

Speaking at a gathering of 21 presidential candidates here, the former vice president did not mention the controversy from the platform. Nor did his rivals confront him about it directly at Rep. Jim Clyburn’s annual fish fry event, a reflection of their reticence to criticize Biden in front of a crowd that adored him.

Even Sen. Cory Booker — the New Jersey senator who had been forcefully calling for Biden to apologize this week — delivered a conciliatory message on stage.

“We all must make sure that we may be in the midst of a primary,” Booker said, “but when the primary’s over, we become a united force.”

The evening served as a reminder of how difficult it remains for any of Biden’s rivals to mount a sustained attack against him.

In South Carolina, voters “either don’t know about [the controversy surrounding segregationists], or it doesn’t bother them," said Antjuan Seawright, the ubiquitous local Democratic strategist who was set to host an after-party at a nearby steakhouse.



https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/22/joe-biden-south-carolina-fish-fry-1376705

More than one-third of voters want Bernie Sanders to drop out of the 2020 presidential race

More than one-third of voters want Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont to drop out of the 2020 presidential race, making him one of the highest in that category among the large field of candidates.

The results of the poll as the 2020 primary race heats up could ultimately spell trouble for Sanders, who has carved out a lane as the Democrats' far-left option to unseat President Donald Trump.

According to a new poll from USA Today and Suffolk University, 35% of respondents said Sanders should drop out, compared with 40% who were excited about his candidacy, 21% with no opinion, and 4% who had never heard of him.

But enthusiasm for Sanders' candidacy comes in at 40%, second only to former Vice President Joe Biden, for whom 51% of respondents expressed being excited about his campaign.



https://www.businessinsider.com/democrats-want-bernie-sanders-drop-out-suffolk-university-poll-2019-6

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Democrats turned Nevada blue last year, and now they've passed a bundle of laws to improve voting

Democrats won full control of Nevada’s government for the first time in two decades following Gov. Steve Sisolak's victory last year, and they further made history by electing the nation’s first majority-woman legislature. Lawmakers quickly used their newfound powers to pass a major package of laws designed to protect voting rights, make voting easier, and increase turnout.

Chief among the changes is an omnibus law that enables same-day voter registration and implements automatic voter registration at the DMV. That same law also expands early voting availability and gives all voters the option to sign up to permanently receive an absentee ballot at each election.

And there’s still more good news. Absentee ballots will now be counted so long as they're postmarked by Election Day; under current practice, ballots had to be received by officials by Election Day. Additionally, when absentee ballots have a problem, such as when a voter's signature is missing or doesn’t appear to match the one on file, officials will be required to contact voters to confirm their identity so that they aren't disenfranchised.

Voters will further be guaranteed the right to vote in person on Election Day so long as they're in line by the time polls close, and voters who have to cast a provisional ballot will get to vote on all races in their jurisdiction instead of just in federal contests. Additionally, the legislation codifies into law the option for counties to adopt vote centers. Such centers allow any voter in the county to cast a ballot regardless of where they live, as opposed to the traditional practice that requires voters to visit their local precinct.

But that’s not all. The legislature was very busy this year and passed a slew of other bills related to voting to complement this omnibus law. One measure, which passed with bipartisan support, consolidates all local election dates with federal and state elections. That ends the practice in some cities of holding elections in the spring or in odd-numbered years. This change will likely save money, since officials will have to hold fewer elections. More importantly, it will increase voter participation dramatically in local elections across the state, since turnout is almost always much higher in federal and state races.



https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/6/18/1865420/-Democrats-turned-Nevada-blue-last-year-and-now-they-ve-passed-a-bundle-of-laws-to-improve-voting

Marchers confront Pete Buttigieg, police chief with frustrations after South Bend shooting

SOUTH BEND -- One by one, people at the “Justice for South Bend” rally Friday night confronted Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Police Chief Scott Ruszkowski, calling for everything from firing police officers to requiring more training programs for the city’s police force.

As the 150 or so demonstrators circled in, the event billed as a march actually spent its first 40 minutes in a tense discussion in front of police headquarters on West Sample Street, featuring shouts, expletives and raw emotions.

The rally was another gathering this week in the wake of Sunday’s shooting of Eric Logan, 54, by Sgt. Ryan O’Neill in the parking lot of the Central High Apartments. While responding to a call for someone breaking into vehicles, O’Neill confronted Logan, who reportedly had a knife. O’Neill shot Logan when he went toward the police officer, officials have said.

“I’m mad because my brother died,” Tyree Bonds, brother of Eric, said in the middle of the loud, intense dialogue. “People are getting tired of you letting your officers do whatever they want to do.”

Shirley Newbill, Eric’s mother, asked Buttigieg and the city to act on her son’s death.

“I have been here all my life, and you have not done a damn thing about me or my son or none of these people out here,” she said. “It’s time for you to do something.”



https://www.southbendtribune.com/news/local/marchers-confront-pete-buttigieg-police-chief-with-frustrations-after-south/article_25ff0d24-c317-53ed-9999-4f51ac5bcf36.html

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Trailblazing out lawmaker Sharice Davids takes on inequality

Kansas representative Sharice Davids was the first openly gay person elected to Congress from Kansas and was the one of the two first Native American woman elected (Rep. Deb Haaland of New Mexico was elected the same evening). Davids sat down with OUT to discuss equality and the importance of her mixed martial arts to her mentality.


https://www.nbcnews.com/video/trailblazing-out-lawmaker-sharice-davids-takes-on-inequality-61840453720?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma

Quinton Lucas to serve as next mayor of Kansas City, Missouri

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Quinton Lucas, a councilman and attorney, will be the next mayor of Kansas City, Missouri.

Lucas advanced out of a crowded field of primary candidates to face off against Jolie Justus in the general election.

On Tuesday night, Lucas knocked off Justus with 59 percent of the vote to her 41 percent.

He grew up on the east side of Kansas City. While attending the Barstow School on scholarship, Lucas often found himself homeless. He hopes his victory shows young people their options are limitless.

"I never could have imagined being mayor of Kansas City," Lucas said, "At the end of the night I have to go pinch myself, thank my mom, thank my sisters, thank so many people who made the difference for me in life, and I want to make sure we have more opportunities like that for children in the future in Kansas City."

At just 34 years old, Lucas will be the youngest mayor in living memory. In fact the man who was mayor when Lucas was born attended his watch party Tuesday night.


https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/quinton-lucas-to-serve-as-next-mayor-of-kansas-city-missouri