Rep. Jahana Hayes endorses Kamala Harris for president

U.S Rep. Jahana Hayes is backing Kamala Harris for president, becoming the seventh member of the Congressional Black Caucus to endorse the California Democrat.

In an op-ed piece published Wednesday in Essence magazine, Hayes called Harris “the perfect antidote to our current President’s false narratives."

"With her intellect, strength and empathy at the helm, we can work to be better together. Senator Harris has laid out a powerful and bold vision for this country that is inclusive of everyone’s lived experience and grounded in the belief that success should not be defined by race, gender, socioeconomic status or zip code,'' Hayes wrote.

Harris was an early supporter of Hayes, backing for the 5th District seat before she won a primary against former Simsbury First Selectman Mary Glassman to secure the Democratic nomination.

[SOURCE: Hartford Courant]

Cory Booker Public Education Platform

Cory Booker Public Education Platform

Access to a high-quality public education should not depend on a child’s zip code. Teachers across the country are overworked, underpaid, and under-supported at a time when they are going above and beyond for our students. They deserve better. We must pay teachers more, stop Republican attacks on public education, and invest in our schools.

As president, Cory will massively expand support for public schools and our public school teachers:

* Guarantee universal early childhood education.

* Invest in teachers by raising pay, eliminating student debt, and providing financial assistance for teacher certification and licensing.

* Strengthen our public schools by putting additional resources into underperforming school districts.

* Fully fund special education.

* Expand the Office of Civil Rights at the Department of Education.

Rep. Bobby Rush endorses Kamala Harris

Congressman Bobby Rush (D-IL 1st District) of the Congressional Black Caucus is backing Kamala Harris's bid for the presidency.

Rush has been sharply critical of former Vice President Joe Biden in the wake of comments in which he recalled working alongside two segregationist Southern senators. Rush told Politico that Biden, another Democratic presidential candidate, was "wholly out of touch and woefully ignorant of the nuances of the black American experience." Rush will serve as Harris' Illinois campaign co-chair.

Rush said Harris was "the only candidate prepared to fight for all Americans against a Trump Administration that has left them behind" and that she is a "once-in-a-lifetime leader" who "exemplifies what global leadership is all about."

Endorsements from the caucus, which counts more than 50 members, could be influential in the Democratic presidential primary. With Rush's endorsement, Harris now has six endorsements from the CBC.

[SOURCE: NBC CHICAGO]

Tuskegee Airman gets diploma 80 years after high school

James Shipley, who was unable to finish high school but went on to serve as crew chief for the famed Tuskegee Airman has received an honorary diploma nearly 80 years after leaving high school.

During a speech, Shipley acknowledged he wasn't a good student during high school, but he was happy to receive a diploma.

Shipley said discrimination was more prevalent when he was younger. "People are beginning to realize that color doesn't matter. It's what's in the heart," he said to applause.

Military historian Jeremy Amick, who organized the event says Shipley didn't have a chance to earn his diploma years ago. He attended an all-black high school that wasn't credentialed through 12th grade. Shipley would have had to travel to Sedalia for his final year, and he didn't have the resources to do so.

The event took place at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1003 in St. Martins. Attendees included Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, Sen. Mike Bernskoetter, retired Army Maj. Gen. Hank Stratman, and a representative to U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley.

Kamala Harris vaults to second in major poll

Kamala Harris has rocketed into the top tier of the Democratic presidential primary, while Joe Biden’s once double-digit lead has crumbled in a national poll taken after last week’s debate.

The CNN/SRSS poll, which was released on Monday and conducted entirely after the first two Democratic presidential primary debates last week, has Harris, the California senator in second place, among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents who are registered to vote, at 17 percent.

Harris' surge places her firmly within the top tier, which now consists of four candidates. Biden still sits at the top of the pack with 22 percent, but his once-commanding lead has eroded significantly. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is in third with 15 percent, followed by Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 14 percent.

Both Harris and Warren saw sizable jumps in their support over a previous CNN national poll, taken at the end of May. Harris went up 9 points, from 8 percent in May, and Warren rose by 8 points, from 7 percent in May.

Biden is still the leader among black voters, 36 percent to 24 percent for Harris, but his advantage with what had been his strongest cohort is diminished.

[SOURCE: POLITICO]