Sunday, October 28, 2018

Cory Booker statement on Pittsburgh synagogue shooting

US Senator Cory Booker released the following statement via Twitter on the tragic and senseless shootings at The Tree Of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.

My heart is broken over the horrific anti-Semitic acts in Pittsburgh and for all affected by the evil shooting at The Tree Of Life Synagogue.

We must counter this hate with love and love's public face which is justice - tireless work for justice and peace.

Saturday, October 27, 2018

Obama: ‘Nobody in my administration got indicted’

During a Democratic campaign event in Milwaukee former President Obama on Friday took a swipe at President Trump over those who have been caught up in special counsel Robert Mueller's probe.

Thousands of absentee ballot applications “missing” in largely black Georgia county

Democratic officials in Georgia say that thousands of absentee voter requests have gone “missing” in one of the state's most heavily Democratic counties.

The Georgia Democratic Party reports that more than 4,700 vote-by-mail applications went missing in DeKalb County, a Atlanta-area county where more than 54 percent of residents are black.

The New York Times reports that county officials confirmed the missing applications in a phone call with Democratic officials and vowed to notify affected voters of the error. But a spokesman for the county elections board would not confirm the call and Sam Tillman, the chairman of the board, insisted that the county had received just 50 requests of the 4,700 names the party said it submitted.

“After reviewing the list of names, there is only evidence that the county received 50 of those voter absentee ballot request forms,” he said. “All 50 of those forms have been processed. At this time, there is no evidence that there are any missing or lost absentee ballot request forms. The Elections Department receives request forms daily and processes them within three days of receipt. At this time there are approximately 250 forms pending processing.”

Georgia Democratic Party spokesman Seth Brigman rejected the denial and said the episode is another example of voter suppression, a charge that has been leveled repeatedly in the state against Secretary of State Brian Kemp and other officials. Kemp is running in a tight gubernatorial race against former state legislator Stacey Abrams, who would become the nation's first black female governor if elected.

“Our message to voters is this: If you requested a vote-by-mail ballot from your county and your county did not send you a ballot, go in-person if you are able to an early voting site,” Brigman told the Times. “We will not allow Brian Kemp’s voter suppression or mistakes by election officials to take away your right to vote.”

Read more: Thousands of absentee ballot applications “missing” in largely black Georgia county

Friday, October 26, 2018

Barack Obama aims to boost Wisconsin, Michigan Democratic turnout

Former President Barack Obama has appearances in Wisconsin and Michigan on Friday aimed at boosting turnout to aid Democrats, including black voters.

Low turnout in Milwaukee by African-Americans proved costly for Hillary Clinton in 2016 when she narrowly lost Wisconsin. One analysis found turnout fell nearly 20 points compared to Obama’s 2012 run.

It was much the same story in Detroit, and Clinton also lost Michigan.

Obama’s Friday appearance at a Milwaukee high school in a majority black neighborhood is aimed at helping Democratic candidates including U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Tony Evers, who is challenging Republican Gov. Scott Walker.

The former president will be in Michigan later Friday for an event at a Detroit high school.

[SOURCE: KTIV]

Suspicious package sent to Sen. Cory Booker intercepted

An explosive "pipe-bomb" style device similar to those targeting Democratic politicians and activists critical of President Trump was sent to the Camden office of U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., NJ Advance Media has learned.

Booker has been both a frequent and vocal critic of Trump, as well as a putative 2020 Democratic challenger to replace him.

The package containing the explosive device was intercepted at a South Florida U.S. Postal Service center mail sorting facility in Opa-locka, according to a source familiar with the investigation, which is on-going. The Opa-locka facility handles packages mailed from Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.

An FBI spokeswoman in Washington, D.C., confirmed that the explosive device addressed to Booker was intercepted in Florida, but declined to be more specific about the location.

[SOURCE: NJ.COM]