Beltway Insider: Obama/Dems in Philly; DNC Chair Out; PM Slows Brexit; Munich/Kabul; IOC/Russia; Garry Marshall

President Obama and the stars of the Democratic Party head to Philadelphia to outline the platform for the nation during the three-day convention that concludes with the official awarding of the delegates nominating Hillary Rodham Clinton as the Democratic Presidential Candidate.

According to Gallup, President Obama's job approval, over the past week, remained consistent at 49% of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness as President also remained consistent at 46%.  

President Obama, President Clinton, Senator Bernie Sanders Support Hillary

The Democratic National Convention begins Monday in Philadelphia, the birthplace of freedom, as delegates of the democratic party, Hillary Clinton and chief rival Bernie Sanders, begin the last leg of the primary process before the awarding of delegates.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who throughout the primary season went head to head with Secretary of State Clinton, appears to have conceded his campaign fell short of the necessary delegates to secure the nomination and is now dedicating his effort and support to stopping the GOP nominee.

Sanders, the underdog and new wave socialist democrat, gained a respectable delegate total with successive and repeated wins against his formidable challenger has announced his endorsement of the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Now, his chief responsibility is to ensure his disgruntled followers, a near even split in the democratic party voters, remain loyal to the party and vote for the nominee. Sanders drew big crowds throughout the bohemian Northwest winning two-thirds of the Western Wall. His message of change resonated with those tired of politics as usual which they saw in Hillary.

Given primetime opportunity during the Democratic National Convention, Sanders is expected to rouse his followers and endorse Hillary Clinton for President and announce the single most important vote his followers can cast is the one that stops the Donald J. Trump Presidency.

Clinton, conversely must embrace his followers, who feel deeply disappointed, and his message with some authenticity to encourage the 13,168, 214 million Democrats who voted for him during the primary season.

The convention, oddly, remains a challenge between the grandfatherly Sanders and the historic first female candidate to lead a major ticket, Clinton. Sanders, with 23 state wins and 43.1% of the vote is still a major hurdle for the hard charging, never concede, Clinton.

However, It is Clinton's Party. She has won the necessary delegate total. Confusion, dissension, splintered or fractured party politics and a Trump Presidency gains ground. Both candidates have no choice but to bury the rhetoric between the two and unite in a single message.

Sanders, expected to give a full endorsement even over promises of a floor challenge, will speak first Monday, July 25, at 8:00pm. He is followed by First Lady Michelle Obama.

Reaching to a disgruntled population Presumptive Nominee Hillary Clinton has included in the Convention primetime speakers the Mothers of the Movement, an organization birthed from gun violence tragedies by police or others.

The controversial group stands as a voice against the senseless gun violence which is at epidemic levels in the streets of America. The members who share the all too common tragedy of murder by gun violence have all experienced the unfathomable, the unimaginable call, the morgue visit, the funeral, the loss.

Former President Bill Clinton, who message resonated with the minority and African American communities, will follow the Mothers of the Movement, Tuesday, July 26, beginning at 8:00pm.

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will address the convention on Wednesday.

Other confirmed speakers include Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Presumptive VP pick Senator Tim Kaine,  New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren.

Chelsea Clinton will take to the podium on Thursday and introduce the presumptive 2016 Presidential Candidate and her mother, Hillary Rodham Clinton who will address the delegates, convention and nation.

DNC Chair Barred from Convention

Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the Chairwoman of the Democratic National Convention, has been banned from participation in the upcoming historic Convention.

Wasserman-Schultz, a staunch Clinton alley, opted to resign from her position after emails surfaced of her attempts throughout the primary process to undermine the efforts of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, Clinton's chief challenger.

The emails, allegedly, also prove the DNC had planned anti-Trump protests which should not singularly be an issue. If violence had resulted from the protests than the fallout would have been greater. Protesting for change is the right of free citizens. Undermining a candidate's campaign is what the American people have witnessed throughout the political process.

Party officials have expressed concern and doubt over her ability to remain impartial and have banned her from speaking and replaced her permanently with Representative Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, who will chair the committee and provide the chairperson address.

DNC Platform

Ensuring every voice is heard, the Democratic National Convention has outlined a schedule which gives affiliations the opportunity to attend hour long caucuses at multiple times throughout the four-day convention to cement and confirm platform.

Attempting to present an agenda and platform that includes all people groups, the DNC will hold special interest group meetings for everyone represented from Latinos, African Americans to LGBT and Mothers of the Movement. The schedule is available here: https://www.democrats.org

The office of the Presidency is not won on the popular vote.  Throughout the primary process the two, Clinton and Trump, each had impressive collective popular vote totals.

The Republican candidate may win 14, 009, 107, the exact total he secured throughout the primary season with minor totals in electoral votes. And the reserve may be true, Clinton would win 16, 847, 075 million votes and have the popular vote and not secure the 270 necessary electoral votes to win the presidency.

The Electoral College is the next and last hurdle in what is probably the most exciting political season American politics has seen in some time.

Pundits are already calling the totals; The GOP candidate 191 and Clinton 217 with 130 swing state votes.

Already historic the general election will usher in permanent and historic change: A female or a business leader, both represent a first for highest political office and leader of the free world.

AlsoBeltway Insider: Obama Honors Fallen; UK PM Change; Nice Attack; Turkish Coup; JFK

PM May Slows Brexit

Britain's new Prime Minister Theresa May met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel allegedly discussing the upcoming Brexit as well as the strong relationship the two nations share.

What has been billed as a working dinner, the two leaders also discussed the ever growing and deepening concerns over the Islamic State's insidious and continuous terrorism attacks, the migration crisis and trade between the two.

May, who secured her position after the historic vote which called for the separation from the European Union, has continue to gently put on the brakes after Scotland, an integral part of the United Kingdom, has refused to honor the separation vote calling for their own vote and membership with the EU if necessary.

The rush for a quickie divorce after the vote is genuinely reflective of the differences between men and women as women will slow a divorce process and men want to get on with it. Former Prime Minister David Cameron wanted to get on with and left. May put on the brakes and slowed the runaway train.

May has yet to declare Article 55 which initiates the United Kingdom's withdrawal procedure.

ISIS Strikes Three Nations After Nice Attack

The Islamic State Terror organization claimed responsibility for the attacks on three nations this week in Germany, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

A bomb blast in the Bavarian State of Germany, Sunday, killed the bomb maker and injured twelve others. The blast is the third terror attack in the Bavarian State over the past three weeks.

In Munich, Germany, a lone wolf gunman ran into a shopping mall and murdered nine people and injured ten others. According to published reports a recent arrest included a 16-year-old afghan boy.

ISIS supporters also attacked passengers with an axe on a train, resulting in injuries and no deaths.  

"The United States condemns in the strongest terms the terrorist attack that has claimed innocent lives in Munich, Germany one of Europe's most vibrant cities. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of the deceased, just as we wish those wounded a full recovery. In the midst of this tragedy, the United States will work closely with our German partners to whom we will make available any resources that would assist their investigation. The resolve of Germany, the United States, and the broader international community will remain unshaken in the face of acts of despicable violence," President Obama said.

Kabul, Afghanistan; 80 Dead; 260 injured

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the twin suicide bomb blasts, targeting a public demonstration, that left 80 dead and more than 260 injured in the deadliest attack on Kabul in fifteen years.

"The United States condemns in the strongest terms the horrific attack today in Kabul, Afghanistan, which has left more than 80 dead and hundreds wounded.  We offer our condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed, and a swift recovery to the wounded.  This heinous attack was made all the more despicable by the fact that it targeted a peaceful demonstration," President Obama said.  

Media reports indicated thousands had gathered for a peaceful demonstration in the center of town, when the blasts struck, leaving a bloodied mass of mutilation, severed limbs, pulp and matter. The main objective besides instilling fear and incapacitating a people was to destroy the unified political Shia-sunni harmony.

A major offensive to counter this deadly strike is under way between Afghanistan and the United States.

"As we reaffirmed at the NATO Warsaw Summit earlier this month, the United States and the international community stand firm in our ongoing support for the people and Government of Afghanistan, and together with the Afghan people and government, we remain committed to work jointly with the Afghan security forces and countries in the region to confront the forces that threaten Afghanistan's security, stability, and prosperity," the President said.

Baghdad Blasts Leaves 21 Dead

A car bomb blast in a busy section Karada neighborhood killing 21 and leaving dozens injured. Four police officers were killed in the blast that was self-detonated by a suicide bomber.

As the war on ISIS escalates and the terror group loses strongholds and key leadership the attacks become more deadly, in greater intensity, and in quick succession.

Attacking the Karada neighborhood in Baghdad, according to the ISIS admission, was due to the large military and political presence that is reflective of life returning to some normalcy.

Baton Rouge Police Killings

Six police officers in Baton Rouge Louisiana were lured into a trap, last Sunday morning, responding to an emergency call and when they arrived were gunned down by Gavin Eugene Long, 29, of Missouri, who killed three and wounded the other three.

President Obama, on that day, was speaking at a memorial service for the officers killed in Dallas when the stunning news spread quickly across media platforms.

"I condemn, in the strongest sense of the word, the attack on law enforcement in Baton Rouge.  For the second time in two weeks, police officers who put their lives on the line for ours every day were doing their job when they were killed in a cowardly and reprehensible assault.  These are attacks on public servants, on the rule of law, and on civilized society, and they have to stop," Obama said.

Vice President Biden issued a statement condemning the "cowardly" attacks.

Long, who travel to Louisiana to murder the police, was a retired Marine who had served in Iraq. His family stated he never spoke of Iraq but had been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He reached his boiling point as the news of another black man was shot and killed.

Long returned to Baton Rouge the city where Alton Sterling, and been brutally gunned down by officers insisting the gun in his pocket posed an immediate life or death threat to them and the six pumps to the chest was the best they could do to subdue him.

The attacks on law enforcement do nothing to stop the violence and escalating use of force against black Americans. The two are polar opposite issues.

Violence against the police bring the heavy hand of government law enforcement and every means necessary to stop the continued violence against law enforcement will be employed from local, to state to national guard to military presence if needed.

Garry Marshall

Garry Marshall, beloved by legions of fans around the world for his uncanny ability to capture the heartstrings of audiences passed away this week. He was 81.

A string of wildly successful romantic comedies turned unknown lead actress into America's Sweetheart many times over beginning with Julia Roberts in the global phenomenon Pretty Woman, which is still being released, 25 years later, in countries around the world just acquiring the technology to display the film. Anne Hathaway is another of Marshall's discoveries, who went from schoolgirl to Princess in The Princess Diaries and its sequel.

Hector Elizondo met Garry Marshall, it has been said while playing basketball and the two became friends. Always remembering loyalty Marshall, wrote roles for Elizondo in every film he made.

Marshall's last film Mother's Day, released in April 2016, reunited Roberts and Elizondo and added Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson and Jason Sudeikis.

Marshall died in a Burbank Hospital after suffering complication for a recent stroke. He is survived by his legion of fans, his wife and three children, director Scott Marshall, Lori and Kathleen, and his sister Penny Marshall.

IOC Steps Back on Russian Ban

The International Olympic Committee, (IOC), one month before the XXXI (31st) Olympic Games are to begin, has stepped back from a complete, blanket, ban of all Russian Athletes.

The Russian team faced a complete ban for all its athletes after the World Anti-Doping agency and other anti-doping organizations recommended a ban on Russia's entire team. Following allegations of state wide endurance and performance enhancing doping scandal the IOC was expected to follow on the recommendation.

After deliberations, the IOC stepped back from a total ban and Russian Athletes must appeal to each individual sports federation for participation consideration in order to receive permission to attend the Rio de Janeiro Games schedule to begin in August.

The Russian Track and Field team lost its appeal Thursday. They will not be permitted to attend the 31st Olympiad.

For more information on President Barack Obama: www.whitehouse.gov

Sources: Whitehouse.gov, Wikipedia.com,

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