Beltway Insider: Clinton Projected to Secure Tuesday; Apocalyptic Flooding; Jobs; AIDS at 35; Mohammad Ali

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Category: Beltway Insider

Published on Sunday, 05 June 2016 20:15

Written by Janet Walker

Presumptive Democratic Presidential Nominee Hillary Rodham Clinton, a title she should secure over this next week, and her hard-charging democratic challenger Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders are in a fight to the finish line.

According to Gallup, President Obama's job approval, over the past week, increased by five percentage points to 52% of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness as President decreased by five percentage points to 44%.

Election 2016: Clinton/Sanders Hard-Charging Toward the Finish; Violence Benchmark of Trump Campaign

Hillary Clinton's strong win in Sunday's Puerto Rico Primary, the first female democratic presidential candidate remains 26 delegates from victory. Her resounding win among the Latino vote propels the candidate into the California primary with hopes of winning strong with the large minority population.

Super Tuesday West, with the prize of 694 delegates, across six states will go a long way for both candidates in shifting the debate within the party and the precursor to the Democratic convention and general election.

Clinton, with only 26 awarded delegates shy to rightfully clinch the title of Democratic Presidential Party nominee, is assured the victory this week.

She nor Sanders will secure a slam dunk win and as the delegates are awarded proportionately her totals, as will his, will increase by Tuesdays final tally.

Her victory could play out early with New Jersey, with 126 awarded delegates, the only eastern seaboard state to head to the polls this week. The other five states, North Dakota, 18, South Dakota, 20, Montana, 21, which Sanders should win; and California with a whopping 475 awarded delegates and New Mexico, with 34, should be wins for Clinton.

Californians remain so deeply divided in all issues, not simply in political choices, and have talked of succession for many years dividing the largest state in the nation, with a budget that surpasses the nation of Brazil, into six different states.

The diverse population, with Northern Tech giants and the 1960's iconoclast left overs, the Entertainment Industry and Hang Ten Hippies will play heavily in the division of votes.

Clinton will win the day in an election that will be so close the victory will be between, a photo finish victory and as little as 2 percentage points separating the winner.

If Sanders wins California, he will have won the western wall and the entire pacific northwest a fact that should play out heavily as the Democratic National Convention inches closer.

Clinton, like any long distance runner, needs to remember her win isn't secure until the balloons drop in Philadelphia. The title is a shift in play. The win comes in July.

Senator Sanders, most recently has announced his intention to conduct brokered convention believing his strong performance, even as he remains shy of the needed delegates, should be enough to challenge the former Secretary of State and leverage awarded delegates at the convention to change their allegiance.

With the powder keg conventions ahead the 2016 Electoral Process remains one of the most exciting times in political history.

The GOP Caves, Cowers and Cringes as Trump Marches On

Donald J. Trump, the Republican Presidential Nominee, is again facing a no hold barred media as violence erupted again outside his San Jose rally.

The second protest to turn violent for the former New York Real Estate developer cum politician following on the heels of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Highlights from Trump's Week include a concession from Speaker of the House, GOP Leader Paul Ryan, who has agreed, at least verbally and for unity's sake to vote for Donald Trump.

More violence as the nation erupts over the possibility of the billionaire that reaches the muddled mind mass will actually win the general election.

Trump joins Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Rally in Washington declaring his support for Veterans without declaring he received a pass on military service.

Trump has continued his personal racist rants and attacks as Trump University continues to defend its program and financials.

Trump stated in a Wall Street Journal articles he believes U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel has a conflict of interest regarding the Trump University case. He also stated he doesn't believe he would receive fair treatment from Muslim judges as well.

Party Stalwarts barely managing to admit he is the party designee have pressed the candidate to refrain from his rants which are equal opportunistic and inclusive to all racial and ethnic groups.

Former Congressman and onetime Republican Presidential Candidate Newt Gingrich, "If Trump doesn't start consulting and coordinating with his allies, he will not have any," he said in an email which was reprinted in the Washington Post.

And finally, the media has taken off the gloves so to speak, as the primary season is ending and are announcing a no holds barred, take no prisoner approach to Mr. Trump. Should it be hidden, it will be uncovered and exposed. 

It's going to be a long hot summer.

Also Beltway Insider: Obama, G7, Agenda; Election; Egypt Air; Syria Bombings; Cosby in Court; Bob Dylan

Apocalyptic Rains Cited for Global Flooding; Death Tolls Around the World Rise

Twelve soldiers on a training mission were overtaken by a swift moving flash flood that flipped the 2 ½ ton Light Medium Tactical Vehicle the unit were riding in killing nine.

Four bodies were recovered Thursday, three additional bodies were found down river and the final two missing were recovered Friday. The three soldiers who survived the freak accident were hospitalized and were released.

This is not the first training exercise death at the large Texas military installation. The flood deaths are the largest single one-time death to occur during a military exercise.

Since the beginning of the century, death at the largest military base have increased. In 2007 death of Lawrence George Sprader from navigational disorientation. In 2009 a mass shooting left 13 dead and 32 wounded. In 2014 another shooting spree left six dead and 16 wounded.

In 2014, Fort Hood was rocked by the allegations of a prostitution ring that forced cash strapped female soldiers into prostitution. The most riveting revelation from the testimony stemmed included the sexual assault prevention officer facilitated the prostitution ring. She has since been arrested.

The United States is not alone in suffering through deadly floods.

Paris Drys Out With More Rain Predicted 

Paris, France, in one of the few times in history has closed its famed museums and moved the priceless artifacts to higher ground as The Seine, the river that runs through the center of the city, crested at 20feet above flood stage, the highest in thirty years.

The Louvre and Museed'Orsay remained closed for three days as flood waters crept close to the collections. Damage from the historic floods have reached 1 billion euros.

Homes, stores, the same scenario through the world, neighbors paddling in small water craft and kayaks checking on neighbors hoping the intense damage won't take everything.

Flooding through central Europe has claimed 18 lives and more than 11,000 Parisians are without electricity.

The Clean-up with a week of rain forecasted is slow going as crews work around the clock to clear the partisan highway exchanges around the capital where motorists and big rigs have been abandoned over the last four days. Nearly 400 cars were removed and returned to their owners.

Sydney Hit With Ten Year Storm

Not to be outdone by the global deluge Australians have been pummeled this past week by what local meteorologists have called "The Ten Year Storm."

Rainwaters from the Sydney Storm have claimed the lives of three citizens in the New South Wales region. The intensity of the winter storm has caused severe erosion damage along the coastline.

Meteorologists expected the monster storm to dump another 10 inches of rain on the already bursting river banks.

Dismal Jobs Report

The U.S. economy added a dismal 38,000 jobs throughout May 2016, the lowest job growth for nearly 84 months, dropping the national unemployment level to 4.7%, the lowest it has been for more than a decade.

The surprisingly low numbers, which can either be a signal to an economic slow-down or simply a one-time lull in what will prove a prelude to larger June numbers. For either reason the White House did address the glaring drop.

"So what we're really focused on is some trends that we've seen particularly so far in 2016 that tell sort of the better story of where things stand.  A couple of data points for you on that.  Payroll growth has averaged 150,000 jobs a month, which is well above the pace necessary to maintain a low and stable employment rate.  Average hourly earnings for private employees have increased 3.2 percent in 2016.  And in addition, this week actually marks 65 consecutive weeks of initial jobless claims below 300,000.  And that's actually the longest streak since 1973," said Jennifer Friedman.

AIDS at 35

June 5, 1981 the Centers for Disease Control issued what would then become the most comprehensive and definitive report on an unknown and deadly virus affecting predominantly the Gay Community.

Labeled The Gay Disease, AIDS, the acronym for its first medical determination Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, was accompanied by hysteria as no one knew exactly how the contagion was spread. All most understood is AIDS took, it took the talented, the timid, the hopeful, children, adults, men, women, without discrimination it took.

 "From the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program to the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief we've saved millions of lives worldwide.  We implemented the first comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy, and updated it through 2020.

We've invested in research and evidence-based practices that have given us revolutionary tools like treatment as prevention and pre-exposure prophylaxis.  We've made critical investments to help eliminate waiting lists for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program.  We've continued efforts to support the promise of a vaccine.  The Affordable Care Act has resulted in millions of individuals gaining affordable, health coverage – all without denial for pre-existing conditions like HIV," the President said.

Today, thirty-five years later we are an educated people, hopeful, even as we mourn those we've lost, we are a determined people. Each year the moneys raised draw us closer to a vaccination that will end even the spread.

For the population who may have never seen the AIDS quilt, the fabric of life that binds all of us in a single community of humanity, see it, read the names, understand the early days of AIDS took heterosexuals through contaminated blood transfusions, "normal" men and women through intravenous drug use and hidden habits.

"Nearly five years ago, I said that an AIDS-free generation is within reach, and today, the global community is committed to ending this epidemic by 2030," the President said. 

For those interested the 1993 HBO Film, And The Band Played On sheds light on the early days and the discovery of the AIDS virus.

Muhammad Ali Dies

Muhammad Ali, the world's greatest boxer, a man who danced around his opponents, before the powerhouse of modern fighters, the class, pizazz, determination, skill and championship belief and the freedom to speak it there was Ali.

"Muhammad Ali was The Greatest.  Period.  If you just asked him, he'd tell you.  He'd tell you he was the double greatest; that he'd "handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder into jail," Obama said.

Born in 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky, Cassius Clay, Ali would rise to fame trash talking his opponents into mistakes. His declaration of "The Greatest," delivered with the fervency of a tent revival preacher distracted his challengers driving them off their game.

When Ali walked into weigh-in he was ready, game face on and declared the win. "Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee," he said. "Impossible is not a fact. It is an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration, it is a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary."

Since the announcement of his death, the world has reacted to the passing of an icon, not limited to the sports world, Ali, was lauded by president's, world leaders, street gym boxers, from the least to the greatest, the man who began a slow climb to greatness would be known in two simple words: "The Greatest."

Ali, as Cassius Clay lived an almost non-descript life. Rescued by boxing he began training at 12, in 1960, six years after he began he represented the United States at the Rome Olympics, winning a gold medal in light heavyweight.

Ali was quoted as saying "I hated every minute of training, but I said "'Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion."'

In 1964, at 22, in a surprising upset he shocked the boxing world with a stunning victory over Sonny Liston. A match some consider the greatest moment in boxing history.

"It's the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction things begin to happen,"' Muhammad Ali said.

 "I am America," he once declared. "I am the part you won't recognize. But get used to me – black, confident, cocky; my name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my goals, my own. Get used to me."

Muhammad lived his life his way. He worked hard, stood for something, believed, walked the walk and chose the path of greatest resistance. 

He will be laid to rest in his hometown.

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

Sources: Whitehouse.gov, Wikipedia.com,