Sunday, July 24, 2016
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) said Sunday she would resign her chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee at the conclusion of the party's convention this week in Philadelphia.
The move came as party leaders sought to quell an uproar over leaked DNC emails suggesting that committee staffers had undermined Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) presidential campaign. In one internal email, released Friday by WikiLeaks, DNC chief financial officer Brad Marshall asked two other party officials whether the organization could "get someone" to ask Sanders about his faith — an apparent effort to hurt his electoral chances in Kentucky and West Virginia.
Speaking Sunday morning on CNN's "State of the Union," Sanders called the emails "outrageous," but "not a great shock to me."
"I mean, there's no question, to my mind, and I think no question to any objective observer's mind, that the DNC was supporting [presumptive Democratic nominee] Hillary Clinton — was in opposition to our campaign," he said. "So I'm not quite shocked by this."
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Friday, July 15, 2016
As the Democrats prepare for their nominating convention in Philadelphia on July 25 to 28, Seven Days is looking back at what Bernie has accomplished, and we need your help. Please take a few minutes to answer our (very short!) survey below by Sunday, July 17. We'll publish a collection of your responses in the paper and online.
[UPDATE: You really came through with your responses! Thanks for your participation — the form is now closed.]
Tags: Senator , Bernie Sanders , presidential campaign , interactive , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
“I’m grieving,” Nelson said hours later after returning home to Norwich. “It’s fair to say it’s not what we, Bernie supporters, wanted.”
As a strident Sanders supporter and Vermont delegate to the Democratic National Convention, Nelson had held out hope against all odds that Sanders would continue to pursue the nomination at the convention later this month in Philadelphia.
“We could have headed to Philadelphia with a contested convention,” Nelson said. “Neither candidate has the official threshold of pledged delegates.”
Tags: Senator , Bernie Sanders , Shyla Nelson , presidential campaign , Hillary Clinton , Ken Dean , Image , Recommended Reading , Web Only
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) brought his insurgent presidential campaign to a close Tuesday morning and offered a robust endorsement to Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
Standing beside her in a Portsmouth, N.H., high school gymnasium, Sanders thanked his supporters for delivering more votes, states and delegates “than almost anyone thought we could win.”
“But it is not enough to win the nomination,” he conceded. “Secretary Clinton has won the Democratic nomination.”
The campaigns worked hard to project a message of unity, hanging blue and white banners throughout the gym reading “Stronger Together.” The candidates emerged together, waved to audience members and stood arm in arm, whispering to one another.
But they were quickly reminded of the deep divisions that marked their protracted campaign. Sanders supporters held his campaign placards aloft and chanted his name. Some booed when he announced his endorsement — and at least a dozen walked right out of Portsmouth High School. Others in the crowd responded with cheers of “Hillary!” and “Unity!”
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Monday, July 11, 2016
The reason: gender imbalance.
The Democratic National Committee directed the Vermont Democratic Party to remove two men from the list of delegates and replace them with women, said Conor Casey, the state party’s executive director.
Tags: Senator , Bernie Sanders , Vermont Democratic Party , Democratic National Convention , Tim Ashe , Ken Dean , presidential campaign , Image , Recommended Reading , Web Only
Sterling, 37, was killed early Tuesday morning in Baton Rouge, La. Castile, 32, was fatally shot after being pulled over for a broken taillight outside of St. Paul, Minn. Castile's girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, narrated the aftermath of his shooting via Facebook Live, with her 4-year-old daughter sitting in the car's back seat.
The Champlain Area NAACP, a local chapter of the civil rights organization founded in 1909, organized the event. The Vermont chapter was established in July 2015 under the leadership of president Mary Brown-Guillory. The vigil was also a call to action. Many who turned out on a rainy evening held Black Lives Matter signs.
At a Dallas demonstration against the shootings on Thursday, an African American army veteran shot and killed five police officers. In response, Burlington Police Chief Brandon del Pozo suspended Burlington officer's solo patrols.
Brown-Guillory spoke to the Burlington crowd, as did others, including Pastor Mark Demers of Burlington's First United Methodist Church. One young man recited his poem, "For Trayvon," which included a call-and-response recitation of names of African Americans killed by police.
Tags: burlington , naacp , black lives matter , police brutality , alton sterling , philando castile , brandon del pozo , Slideshow , Image , Web Only
Citing unnamed sources, multiple news organizations have reported since late last week that Sanders is expected to endorse Clinton at the unity event. His campaign did not respond to several requests for comment.
The joint appearance comes more than five weeks after Clinton locked up the Democratic presidential nomination. It follows a tense weekend in Orlando, Fla., where delegates for both candidates hammered out a final draft of the party's platform.
Calling it "the most progressive platform in party history," Sanders' campaign declared victory on several planks it supported — most notably a commitment to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. The senator lost another high-profile fight: to enshrine opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal in the platform.
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Thursday, July 7, 2016
Senators passed the legislation by a 63-30 vote. It would allow food manufacturers to disclose GMO ingredients by labeling products with codes that consumers could scan via smartphone. The food industry supports the measure, which critics say would not provide consumers with adequate information. If it becomes law, the bill would supersede Vermont’s GMO labeling law, which passed in 2014.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) both opposed the bill. In a speech on the Senate floor, Leahy called it a “farce.”
“I remain concerned that this proposal doesn’t truly support a consumer’s right to know,” Leahy said in his prepared remarks. “Consumers were an afterthought in the crafting of this ‘deal.’ The prime motivation was to let large corporations get by with doing as little as possible.”
“People should not need a smartphone in order to get basic information about what is in their food,” Sanders tweeted earlier Thursday.
Leahy tried to introduce amendments for more stringent labeling standards, but they never received a vote.
Passage of the bill seemed a fait accompli on Wednesday, when the Senate voted 65-32 to advance the bill to a final vote.
The bill now goes to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
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Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Vermont’s congressional delegation opposes the bipartisan Senate bill. The bill would allow food manufacturers to disclose GMO ingredients by labeling products with codes that consumers could scan via smartphone. Critics say that would be insufficient to inform consumers.
The bill cleared the 60-vote threshold to advance on Wednesday, setting the stage for a formal Senate vote to pass it that could occur as early as Thursday.
It would supersede Vermont’s law, which requires food manufacturers and retailers to label products made with GMOs. The state’s law confused some local retailers.
The food industry is backing the Senate bill. Supporters argue that a national versus a state-by-state approach is preferable. Labeling advocates have criticized the Senate bill as too lax.
Tags: Senator , GMO labeling , food , Bernie Sanders , Peter Shumlin , Patrick Leahy , Image , Web Only
Friday, July 1, 2016
Advocates say it is a signal achievement in consumer rights. Vermont Right to Know GMOs and other groups are planning a celebration on the Statehouse lawn this afternoon.
But it’s not clear how much change the average consumer will immediately notice.
The Vermont Office of the Attorney General says that because many packaged foods have long shelf lives, regulators are essentially granting a six-month grace period. Until January 1, improperly labeled foods will be assumed to have been packaged and distributed before today, and manufacturers will not be held liable if the labels are not in compliance.However, the attorney general’s office warned that no manufacturer, retailer or producer will be granted an extension beyond that, and manufacturers can be fined $1,000 per violation.
(Just what the heck is a GMO? Vermont Public Radio posted a good explainer last week.)
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