theguardian--2020-03-02--Pete Buttigieg drops out as crucial Super Tuesday looms  - live updates

“ You ’ ve probably seen more ads for Michael Bloomberg than the rest of us running for president put @ @ @ @ @ in one of her new campaign ads .
CBS News have an interesting piece here @ @ @ @ @ ad-spend is going before Super Tuesday .
It is no surprise who is spending the @ @ @ @ @ Super Tuesday , Bloomberg has spent more than $ 170 million on ads in the @ @ @ @ @ Bloomberg , only Sanders is airing TV and radio ads in nearly all Super Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ can be chalked up to his success in record-breaking grassroots fundraising .
Buttigieg was also @ @ @ @ @ the plug on his campaign at the weekend .
Elizabeth Warren , Amy Klobuchar and @ @ @ @ @ likely to rely on Super PAC money .
Warren ’ s campaign has spent less @ @ @ @ @ ads , but the Persist PAC supporting her has splashed out $ 12m .
Read @ @ @ @ @ CBS News : Where are candidates spending on the airwaves before Super Tuesday ?

3 Mar 2020 03.03 GMT Evening summary We’re wrapping up our politics live blog for tonight, as a rally for Joe Biden in Dallas, Texas, marks a new stage in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, with centrist candidates ending their campaigns and rallying for Biden against Bernie Sanders. Evening updates: Speaking at an energetic rally in Dallas, Texas, Sen. Amy Klobuchar ended her campaign and endorsed Joe endorses Biden for president, telling Americans: “Joe knows you, and he will fight for you.” In response, Biden quipped more than once, “Amy won all the debates.”
ended her campaign and endorsed Joe endorses Biden for president, telling Americans: “Joe knows you, and he will fight for you.” In response, Biden quipped more than once, “Amy won all the debates.” Earlier, millennial mayor Pete Buttigieg endorsed Biden outside Chicken Scratch, a restaurant in Dallas. The two politicians were photographed together in Texas. Biden reportedly said that Buttigieg reminded him of his son, Beau Biden, who died from brain cancer at age 45.
endorsed Biden outside Chicken Scratch, a restaurant in Dallas. The two politicians were photographed together in Texas. Biden reportedly said that Buttigieg reminded him of his son, Beau Biden, who died from brain cancer at age 45. In his speech, still ongoing now, Biden is talking about Trump’s dangerous effect on America, including how children are bullying other children and citing the president’s example. “Just a few days ago, the press and the pundits has declared this campaign dead,” Biden said.
is talking about Trump’s dangerous effect on America, including how children are bullying other children and citing the president’s example. “Just a few days ago, the press and the pundits has declared this campaign dead,” Biden said. Longtime MSNBC anchor Chris Matthews resigned. He had recently compared Sen. Bernie Sanders’ victory in Nevada to the Nazi invasion of France, then questioned why Elizabeth Warren would suggest Mike Bloomberg was lying about an allegation a female employee made about him. He announced his resignation on air, citing a conversation with NBC, and apologized for the comments he has made about women. Journalist Laura Bassett, who wrote in GQ just days ago about Matthews’ inappropriate behavior towards her and his decades of inappropriate behavior towards other women, wrote, “It’s about time.”
3 Mar 2020 02.47 GMT “We want to win big, and Joe Biden can do that,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar says as she endorses Biden for president. She also criticizes “people in the extremes who are trying to drown out people.” “Let’s go Joe!” the crowd chants. “We need to unite our party and our country and to do it not just with our words but with our actions,” Klobuchar says as she endorses Biden. pic.twitter.com/suj1bi51OO — Oliver Laughland (@oliverlaughland) March 3, 2020
3 Mar 2020 02.42 GMT Sen. Amy Klobuchar is paying tribute to her supporters and her campaign right now as she prepares to formally endorse Joe Biden. LIVE: Joe Biden holds rally in Dallas, Texas, on the eve of Super Tuesday.
Sen. Klobuchar, who announced the end of her campaign, is expected to join Biden at the rally . https://t.co/YPT7SE9pOY — NBC News (@NBCNews) March 3, 2020
3 Mar 2020 02.39 GMT Trump wraps rally in North Carolina as Biden gains momentum in Texas President Donald Trump is already heading back to Washington after a rally for supporters in Charlotte, North Carolina, as Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden, energized by a win in South Carolina and endorsements from his previous centrist Democratic competitors, has not even begun to speak at his rally in Dallas, Texas. From Dallas, my colleague Oliver Laughland reports that Biden’s rally is energized and already running an hour and a half late, and that Biden is finally about to speak. “The Biden campaign has been putting on a show of endorsements from across the state. Over a dozen local politicians; state senators, representatives and congresspeople have come out to address the crowd. We still don’t know for certain if former Texas congressman Beto O’Rourke will come out to endorse, or whether Pete Buttigieg, the millennial mayor who ended his campaign yesterday and endorsed Biden in front of a restaurant in Dallas earlier this evening, will make another appearance.” Earlier, Biden and Buttigieg were photographed together in Texas. CBS News reported Biden compared the 38-year-old Buttigieg to his son Beau, the former attorney general of Delaware, who died of brain cancer in 2015, at age 46. NEWS: @JoeBiden and @PeteButtigieg in TEXAS pic.twitter.com/EmzF1DYvWh — Bo Erickson CBS (@BoKnowsNews) March 3, 2020
3 Mar 2020 02.24 GMT Goodbye Hardball Chris, Goodbye Politics as Macho Sport? Some of the journalists and media observers tweeting about Chris Matthews’ departure from Hardball described how much Matthews had represented a particular approach to political journalism that they would also like to see retired. Cannot overstate how much better off we are without Chris Matthews — a relic of amoral, politics-as-sports journalism who cared more about access to party elites than to advocating for the public he was supposed to serve. — Carlos Maza 🌹 (@gaywonk) March 3, 2020 Matthews was a creature of another time, when cable pundits could frame politics as sport and build shows around the game without giving much attention to those hurt by politics-as-sport. Consequences were usually about political costs, not human costs. I’m not sad he’s done. https://t.co/TEge30ab6R — Jeremy Littau (@JeremyLittau) March 3, 2020 What does "hardball' mean in the show's title and @HardballChris? Politics as sport. The game frame. To call your show Hardball is to advertise your maturity, masculinity, and readiness for combat. At the opposite end of Hardball is not softball but sentimentality about politics. — Jay Rosen (@jayrosen_nyu) March 3, 2020
3 Mar 2020 02.16 GMT My colleague Oliver Laughland reports that Pete Buttigeg endorsed Joe Biden for president outside Chicken Scratch, a restaurant in Dallas, rather than at the big rally Biden is holding tonight. It’s not immediately clear why that’s the case, though Buttigieg’s senior adviser, Lis Smith, tweeted repeatedly about the difference between the “big rally” in Dallas and what Buttigieg’s team set up separately.
If you are mad about this tweet- @petebuttigieg didn’t go to endorse at the big Dallas rally as CNN reported.
We set up an OTR separately and CNN got it wrong. At some point, media outlets should acknowledge when they get it wrong. https://t.co/N5HJhKBqLG — Lis Smith (@Lis_Smith) March 3, 2020
3 Mar 2020 01.44 GMT Oliver Laughland I’m in Dallas at a packed rally for Joe Biden. This is a large and diverse crowd that are clearly pumped to see what happens on stage tonight, as other centrists Democrats fall in line behind Biden. It’s a marked contrast from some of Biden’s earlier events, which critics have labelled dry and a little rambling. Before tonight, one of the major contrasts between Sanders and Biden, policy aside, has been their respective abilities to draw large crowds and excite an array of voters. It’s so packed that people are lining up behind the press risers and filing centre, where they have no view of the stage. pic.twitter.com/giRyrFGmat — Oliver Laughland (@oliverlaughland) March 3, 2020
3 Mar 2020 01.35 GMT Speaking in Dallas, Buttigieg endorses Biden “When I ran for president, we made it clear that the whole idea was about rallying the country together to beat Donald Trump. And to win the era for the values that we share. And that always a goal that was much bigger than me becoming president. And it is in the name of that very same goal that I am delighted to endorse and support Joe Biden for president.” Confusingly, while Buttigieg is endorsing Biden in Dallas, he did not endorse him at the main rally where Biden is speaking tonight. Pete Buttigieg officially endorses Joe Biden for president at a rally in Dallas. pic.twitter.com/GTHAZIheP0 — Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) March 3, 2020
3 Mar 2020 01.23 GMT Reactions to Chris Matthews’ Resignation from MSNBC In announcing his own retirement on air tonight, following a conversation with network executives, Chris Matthews cited a generational divide, and changing attitudes about what is appropriate in the workplace. “Compliments on a woman’s appearance some men, including me, might have once incorrectly thought were okay were never okay. Certainly not today. For making such comments in the past, I’m sorry,” Matthews said. That framing is false, feminist journalist Jessica Valenti writes: “His behavior was always wrong.” What's telling about Chris Matthews' farewell comments is how he characterized his long history of sexism as simply making "compliments on a woman’s appearance." He wants this to be about something it's not — Jessica Valenti (@JessicaValenti) March 3, 2020 Condescending leering remarks aren't "compliments." Nor is joking about a "Bill Cosby pill" or saying a female politician's voice is “fingernails on a blackboard.”
Matthews wants it to seem as if he was just behind the times - but the truth is that his behavior was ALWAYS wrong — Jessica Valenti (@JessicaValenti) March 3, 2020
Updated at 01.23 GMT
3 Mar 2020 00.45 GMT Chris Matthews announces his retirement, citing his remarks about women The veteran MSNBC host Chris Matthews announced his immediate retirement from Hardball, citing his inappropriate comments about women and a conversation with network executives. “The younger generation” is “improving the workplace” with “better standards than we grew up with, fairer standards,” Matthews said. Matthews said “compliments on a woman’s appearance” that some men, himself included, once “incorrectly thought were OK, were never OK.” Freelance journalist Laura Bassett wrote for GQ on 28 February about Matthews’ inappropriate flirtatious remarks about her when she was on his show, part of what she described as a long history of “inviting smart women onto his show, flirting with them or otherwise making them uncomfortable before or while the camera rolls, asking them a question on air and then immediately interrupting them to tell them why they’re wrong.” WATCH: Chris Matthews announces his retirement. https://t.co/vlxoAGp4ZH — MSNBC (@MSNBC) March 3, 2020 Matthews’ on-air comments in the past days have sparked repeated calls for him to be fired. First, he compared Bernie Sanders’ victory in the Nevada caucuses on Saturday to the Nazi invasion of France. Then, in an interview with Senator Elizabeth Warren, he repeatedly questioned why she thought rival presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg would have lied about the employee who claimed he told her to “kill it” when she said she was pregnant. “And why would he lie?” Matthews said. “Just to protect himself?” In her GQ piece, Bassett cited Matthews’ interview with Warren as part of a long pattern of sexist and inappropriate behavior, and wrote that he was “unfit for his job”. The decision to keep “a man with this flagrant bias as the anchor of a major cable-news evening show” was “downright irresponsible,” she wrote. After Matthews announced he was retiring, Bassett tweeted, “It’s about time.” She wrote that she had faced “invasive, cruel and personal” harassment this week in the wake of making public allegations about Matthews’ behavior towards her. “And it’s all worth it if he will never have the platform to demean and objectify us again,” she wrote. No, I have more to say than that. Since calling out Chris Matthews, this week has been really rough. The harassment has been invasive, cruel and personal. And it’s all worth it if he will never have the platform to demean and objectify us again. https://t.co/YS1FxW25zt — Laura Bassett (@LEBassett) March 3, 2020
Updated at 01.01 GMT
3 Mar 2020 00.17 GMT My colleague Oliver Laughland is in Dallas, Texas, where Joe Biden is holding a campaign event tonight and will be endorsed by Amy Klobuchar and, reportedly, Pete Buttigieg. Meanwhile, Donald Trump is holding a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina. I’m in Dallas for Joe Biden’s campaign event tonight with Amy Klobuchar at Gilley’s. The crowd is snaking around the venue, and the PA system is rehearsing intros for both Biden and Klobuchar. pic.twitter.com/V7CkLS6l7G — Oliver Laughland (@oliverlaughland) March 2, 2020
Updated at 00.22 GMT


theguardian--2020-03-02--Texas closes hundreds of polling sites, making it harder for minorities to vote

Last year , Texas led the US south in an unenviable statistic : closing down the most polling stations , making it more difficult for people to vote and arguably benefiting Republicans .
A report by civil rights group The Leadership Conference Education Fund found that 750 polls had been closed statewide since 2012 .
Long considered a Republican bastion , changing racial demographics in the state have caused leading Democrats to recast Texas as a potential swing state .
Texas Democratic party official Manny Garcia has called it “ the biggest battleground state in the country ” .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chronically low voter turnout rates , to the advantage of incumbent Republicans .
Ongoing research by University of Houston political scientists Jeronimo Cortina and Brandon Rottinghaus indicates that people are less likely to vote if they have to travel farther to do so , and the effect is disproportionately greater for some groups of voters , such as Latinxs .
“ The fact of the matter is that Texas is not a red state , ” said Antonio Arellano of Jolt , a progressive Latino political organization .
“ Texas is a nonvoting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the changes can be stark .
McLennan county , home to Waco , Texas , closed 44 % of its polling places from 2012 to 2018 , despite the fact that its population grew by more than 15,000 people during the same time period , with more than two-thirds of that growth coming from Black and Latinx residents .
In 2012 , there was one polling place for every 4,000 residents .
By 2018 that figure had dropped to one polling place per 7,700 residents .
A 2019 paper by University of Houston @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s transition to vote centers , more voting locations were closed in Latinx neighborhoods than in non-Latinx neighborhoods , and that Latinx people had to travel farther to vote than non-Hispanic whites .
Some counties closed enough polling locations to violate Texas state law .
Brazoria county , south of Houston , closed almost 60 % of its polling locations between 2012 and 2018 , causing it to fall below the statutory minimum , along with another county .
In a statement , Brazoria county clerk Joyce Hudman said the closures were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happen again in 2020 .
A Guardian analysis based on that report confirms what many activists have suspected : the places where the black and Latinx population is growing by the largest numbers have experienced the vast majority of the state ’ s poll site closures .
The analysis finds that the 50 counties that gained the most Black and Latinx residents between 2012 and 2018 closed 542 polling sites , compared to just 34 closures in the 50 counties that have gained the fewest black and Latinx residents .
This is despite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former group of counties has risen by 2.5 million people , whereas in the latter category the total population has fallen by over 13,000 .
‘ Turned out to be a nightmare ’ Until 2013 , hundreds of counties and nine states , including Texas , with a history of severe voter suppression had to submit any changes they wanted to make to their election systems to the Department of Justice under the Voting Rights Act .
The department sought to ensure that the changes did not hurt minority voters .
But seven @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gutted this law and allowed these jurisdictions to operate without oversight , and now the previously mandatory racial-impact analysis is no longer performed .
The rush of poll closures in Texas can not be attributed to any one policy .
Just over half of the closures are part of a push toward centralized , countywide polling places , called “ vote centers ” , which exist in almost a third of US states .
Under countywide voting schemes , voters are no longer assigned to a polling place in their local precinct and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ polling location in the county .
Voting rights advocates and both Republican and Democratic leaders have largely been in favor of vote centers because they can make it more convenient to vote – by allowing people to vote near work , for instance – and because they can reduce the number of people whose votes are thrown out because they went to the wrong polling place .
But Texas state law allows a county that transitions to vote centers to operate with half as many locations as they would otherwise have needed under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether to close a polling station , elected officials typically consider how many people used it , as well as factors like public transportation accessibility .
Some elections administrators who agree on the importance of protecting minority voters warn against assuming that closures are automatically a bad thing .
“ I ’ d be curious to know how many of the consolidation efforts were good faith efforts [ to ] … increase the number of options for a voter but also improve the kind of polling place that a particular voter may have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Williamson County elections administrator and former president of the Texas Association of Election Administrators .
He pointed out that some precinct polling places were ADA-inaccessible .
McLennan county GOP chair Jon Ker called concerns about closures impacting turnout “ hogwash , ” saying that turnout was actually higher in his county after the number of voting locations dropped from 59 to 33 .
The 2018 midterm elections did indeed have higher turnout than the 2014 midterms in McLennan county , though voting also surged more broadly across the state and nation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ McLennan County Democratic party , has soured on the centralization program since the county entered it in 2014 .
“ It turned out to be kind of a nightmare , ” she said , pointing to large areas of the county without a voting location .
And activists argue that low turnout at a particular polling place is not a reason to close it – it is a sign that the turnout itself , which is typically lower in Latinx neighborhoods , must be addressed .
Closing a polling station for reasons of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , activists say .
The 334 poll closures between 2012 and 2018 that took place outside the vote center program would by themselves still rank Texas among the biggest poll closers in the country , ahead of Arizona , Georgia , Louisiana and Mississippi .
Elections officials have cited tight budgets and difficulty recruiting poll workers as among the reasons for the reductions .
For many Texas voters , the ballot box is ever further away .

Last year, Texas led the US south in an unenviable statistic: closing down the most polling stations, making it more difficult for people to vote and arguably benefiting Republicans.
A report by civil rights group The Leadership Conference Education Fund found that 750 polls had been closed statewide since 2012.
Long considered a Republican bastion, changing racial demographics in the state have caused leading Democrats to recast Texas as a potential swing state. Texas Democratic party official Manny Garcia has called it “the biggest battleground state in the country”.
The closures could exacerbate Texas’s already chronically low voter turnout rates, to the advantage of incumbent Republicans. Ongoing research by University of Houston political scientists Jeronimo Cortina and Brandon Rottinghaus indicates that people are less likely to vote if they have to travel farther to do so, and the effect is disproportionately greater for some groups of voters, such as Latinxs.
“The fact of the matter is that Texas is not a red state,” said Antonio Arellano of Jolt, a progressive Latino political organization. “Texas is a nonvoting state.”
texas ppl per polling station 2012 - 2018 Guardian graphic | Source: The Leadership Conference Education Fund. *The counties in gray did not respond to public records requests. 21 counties out of 249 do not have 2012 data, so 2014 figures were used instead
On a local level, the changes can be stark. McLennan county, home to Waco, Texas, closed 44% of its polling places from 2012 to 2018, despite the fact that its population grew by more than 15,000 people during the same time period, with more than two-thirds of that growth coming from Black and Latinx residents.
In 2012, there was one polling place for every 4,000 residents. By 2018 that figure had dropped to one polling place per 7,700 residents. A 2019 paper by University of Houston political scientists found that after the county’s transition to vote centers, more voting locations were closed in Latinx neighborhoods than in non-Latinx neighborhoods, and that Latinx people had to travel farther to vote than non-Hispanic whites.
Some counties closed enough polling locations to violate Texas state law. Brazoria county, south of Houston, closed almost 60% of its polling locations between 2012 and 2018, causing it to fall below the statutory minimum, along with another county. In a statement, Brazoria county clerk Joyce Hudman said the closures were inadvertent, and that this would not happen again in 2020.
A Guardian analysis based on that report confirms what many activists have suspected: the places where the black and Latinx population is growing by the largest numbers have experienced the vast majority of the state’s poll site closures.
The analysis finds that the 50 counties that gained the most Black and Latinx residents between 2012 and 2018 closed 542 polling sites, compared to just 34 closures in the 50 counties that have gained the fewest black and Latinx residents. This is despite the fact that the population in the former group of counties has risen by 2.5 million people, whereas in the latter category the total population has fallen by over 13,000.
A cyclist passes election signs near an early voting site in San Antonio, on 18 February 2020. Photograph: Eric Gay/AP
‘Turned out to be a nightmare’
Until 2013, hundreds of counties and nine states, including Texas, with a history of severe voter suppression had to submit any changes they wanted to make to their election systems to the Department of Justice under the Voting Rights Act. The department sought to ensure that the changes did not hurt minority voters. But seven years ago, a supreme court ruling gutted this law and allowed these jurisdictions to operate without oversight, and now the previously mandatory racial-impact analysis is no longer performed.
The rush of poll closures in Texas cannot be attributed to any one policy. Just over half of the closures are part of a push toward centralized, countywide polling places, called “vote centers”, which exist in almost a third of US states. Under countywide voting schemes, voters are no longer assigned to a polling place in their local precinct and can instead cast their ballot at any polling location in the county.
Voting rights advocates and both Republican and Democratic leaders have largely been in favor of vote centers because they can make it more convenient to vote – by allowing people to vote near work, for instance – and because they can reduce the number of people whose votes are thrown out because they went to the wrong polling place.
But Texas state law allows a county that transitions to vote centers to operate with half as many locations as they would otherwise have needed under a traditional precinct-based system.
When deciding whether to close a polling station, elected officials typically consider how many people used it, as well as factors like public transportation accessibility. Some elections administrators who agree on the importance of protecting minority voters warn against assuming that closures are automatically a bad thing.
“I’d be curious to know how many of the consolidation efforts were good faith efforts [to] … increase the number of options for a voter but also improve the kind of polling place that a particular voter may have voted in,” said Chris Davis, the Williamson County elections administrator and former president of the Texas Association of Election Administrators. He pointed out that some precinct polling places were ADA-inaccessible.
McLennan county GOP chair Jon Ker called concerns about closures impacting turnout “hogwash,” saying that turnout was actually higher in his county after the number of voting locations dropped from 59 to 33. The 2018 midterm elections did indeed have higher turnout than the 2014 midterms in McLennan county, though voting also surged more broadly across the state and nation.
Mary Duty, chair of the McLennan County Democratic party, has soured on the centralization program since the county entered it in 2014. “It turned out to be kind of a nightmare,” she said, pointing to large areas of the county without a voting location. And activists argue that low turnout at a particular polling place is not a reason to close it – it is a sign that the turnout itself, which is typically lower in Latinx neighborhoods, must be addressed. Closing a polling station for reasons of low turnout can have a discriminatory impact, activists say.
The 334 poll closures between 2012 and 2018 that took place outside the vote center program would by themselves still rank Texas among the biggest poll closers in the country, ahead of Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi.
Elections officials have cited tight budgets and difficulty recruiting poll workers as among the reasons for the reductions.
The upshot is that for many Texas voters, the ballot box is ever further away.


theguardian--2020-03-02--Bernie? Warren? Which candidate is raking in the most tech industry dollars?

From software engineers at Facebook and Google to drivers for Uber and warehouse workers for Amazon , the employees that power California ’ s technology industry donate to Senator Bernie Sanders above all other presidential candidates , a Guardian analysis found .
The Vermont senator received the most money , from the highest number of individual donors among employees of Facebook , Google , Amazon , Apple , Uber , Tesla and SpaceX , Oracle and Microsoft .
Overall , Senator Elizabeth Warren came second in the money race from tech employees , followed by Pete Buttigieg .
Buttigieg beat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Microsoft donations , though Warren had more individual donors among the employees of both companies .
The analysis points to Sanders ’ strong appeal in one of the most important states in the Democratic primary .
Long considered little more than an ATM for presidential campaigns due to a late primary , California and its 415 pledged delegates have become the most coveted prize for the races on 3 March , known as Super Tuesday .
This analysis is based on campaign finance filings for the presidential campaigns through 31 January 2020 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ made directly to campaigns , as well as smaller donations made through ActBlue , which processes online donations for Democratic candidates .
The analysis is limited to voters who listed their home addresses in California .
Both sides of the great tech divide The tech industry has a vast economic impact in California and employs a wide diversity of people .
Amazon , for example , has a workforce that extends far beyond software engineering and common corporate roles to include television producers and actors ( Amazon Studios ) ; bakers , butchers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as well as warehouse workers and delivery drivers .
Of the 1,714 California donors who work for Amazon , an approximately equal number performed blue collar ( 856 ) and white collar ( 858 ) work , though the total from white-collar workers ( approximately $ 96,000 ) was much higher than from blue-collar workers ( approximately $ 34,000 ) .
Sanders ’ s campaign has emphasized solidarity with workers – including organizing alongside Amazon warehouse workers campaigning for cleaner air – while taking shots at millionaires , whose ranks include many of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still dominated both sides of the class divide , however , receiving donations from 667 drivers or warehouse and retail workers , and 429 donations from professionals .
The same held true among those Californians who listed Uber as an employer .
Of 545 Uber drivers , Sanders received the most donations and the highest sum ( nearly $ 20,000 from 378 people ) .
He also came first among Uber ’ s technical workforce , receiving more than $ 30,000 from 174 donors ( of 384 who donated ) .
Among California @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all – Sanders raised the most money ( more than $ 1.1m ) from the most individuals ( 6,508 ) .
Warren came second ( with more than $ 580,000 from 3,262 people ) , followed by Buttigieg ( about $ 180,000 from 1480 people ) .
More than 1,000 Californians who work in the gig economy ( driving for Uber , Lyft , Postmates , GrubHub or Instacart ) made donations , the vast majority of them ( 71 % ) to Sanders .
To Republicans , California remains more a cash @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to win .
Donald Trump ’ s re-election campaign has raised more than $ 24m from donors in the state , but for the most part , that money is not coming from people employed in the tech industry .
At many of the largest companies , Trump donations number in the single digits .
He ’ s received cash from three Facebook employees , four Amazonians , three Microsoft employees , and 13 Googlers .
Among all California software engineers , the president racked up just 69 donors , who gave him @ @ @ @ @ @

From software engineers at Facebook and Google to drivers for Uber and warehouse workers for Amazon, the employees that power California’s technology industry donate to Bernie Sanders above all other presidential candidates, a Guardian analysis found.
The Vermont senator received the most money, from the highest number of individual donors among employees of Facebook, Google, Amazon, Apple, Uber, Tesla and SpaceX, Oracle and Microsoft.
Overall, Elizabeth Warren came second in the money race from tech employees, followed by Pete Buttigieg, who dropped out late on Sunday. Buttigieg beat Warren to second place with Facebook and Microsoft donations, though Warren had more individual donors among the employees of both companies.
The analysis points to Sanders’ strong appeal in one of the most important states in the Democratic primary. Long considered little more than an ATM for presidential campaigns due to a late primary, California and its 415 pledged delegates have become the most coveted prize for the races on 3 March, known as Super Tuesday.
This analysis is based on campaign finance filings for the presidential campaigns through 31 January 2020. It includes donations greater than $200 made directly to campaigns, as well as smaller donations made through ActBlue, which processes online donations for Democratic candidates. The analysis is limited to voters who listed their home addresses in California.
Both sides of the great tech divide
The tech industry has a vast economic impact in California and employs a wide diversity of people. Amazon, for example, has a workforce that extends far beyond software engineering and common corporate roles to include television producers and actors (Amazon Studios); bakers, butchers and cashiers (Whole Foods); as well as warehouse workers and delivery drivers.
Of the 1,714 California donors who work for Amazon, an approximately equal number performed blue collar (856) and white collar (858) work, though the total from white-collar workers (approximately $96,000) was much higher than from blue-collar workers (approximately $34,000).
Sanders’s campaign has emphasized solidarity with workers – including organizing alongside Amazon warehouse workers campaigning for cleaner air – while taking shots at millionaires, whose ranks include many of Amazon’s higher-paid employees.
Sanders still dominated both sides of the class divide, however, receiving donations from 667 drivers or warehouse and retail workers, and 429 donations from professionals.
The same held true among those Californians who listed Uber as an employer. Of 545 Uber drivers, Sanders received the most donations and the highest sum (nearly $20,000 from 378 people). He also came first among Uber’s technical workforce, receiving more than $30,000 from 174 donors (of 384 who donated).
Among California software engineers – more than 12,000 in all – Sanders raised the most money (more than $1.1m) from the most individuals (6,508). Warren came second (with more than $580,000 from 3,262 people), followed by Buttigieg (about $180,000 from 1480 people).
More than 1,000 Californians who work in the gig economy (driving for Uber, Lyft, Postmates, GrubHub or Instacart) made donations, the vast majority of them (71%) to Sanders.
What about Trump?
To Republicans, California remains more a cash cow than a state they are trying to win. Donald Trump’s re-election campaign has raised more than $24m from donors in the state, but for the most part, that money is not coming from people employed in the tech industry.
At many of the largest companies, Trump donations number in the single digits. He’s received cash from three Facebook employees, four Amazonians, three Microsoft employees, and 13 Googlers.
Among all California software engineers, the president racked up just 69 donors, who gave him slightly more than $22,000.


theguardian--2020-03-02--Remain in Mexico: asylum seekers at border see hopes raised then dashed

Esmeralda Martínez got the news via a WhatsApp message : a court had invalidated the US “ remain in Mexico ” program , which had obliged her to stay put south of the border while her asylum claim was heard .
It had been six months since she fled Guatemala after the murder of her husband .
For a brief moment , it seemed she and her 13-year-old daughter Jazmín might be able to move on from the dismal frontier encampment were they have been stranded .
She packed her court papers in a black and yellow backpack , stuffed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to move on .
But just hours after Friday ’ s ruling , the same three-judge panel suspended its own order pending fresh arguments , leaving the policy formally known as Migrant Protection Protocols ( MPP ) in full effect .
Despite the confusion , the temporary invalidation of MPP offered rare hope for around 2,500 migrants living in the insecure and insalubrious tent city along the Rio Grande in the city of Matamoros , a stronghold of the notorious Gulf Cartel .
Dozens of asylum-seekers , some clutching printed copies of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bridge separating Matamoros and Brownsville , Texas .
They were turned back by US border guards .
“ We were all hoping for this inhumane and macabre program to be invalidated , ” said Joel Fernández , 51 , a Cuban asylum-seeker who also had his bags packed .
MPP has forced more than 60,000 migrants to wait in some of Mexico ’ s most dangerous cities .
The Mexican government pledged to provide work permits and access to healthcare , housing and educational opportunities , but those promises have largely gone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the migrants are easy targets for criminal gangs .
In one month last year , three-quarters of asylum seekers seen by physicians working for Doctors Without Borders in the city of Nuevo Laredo reported having been kidnapped for ransom .
“ It ’ s tough living here , ” said Martínez , 30 , as a pot of beans boiled over an open fire outside her tent .
“ It ’ s cold .
It ’ s unsafe .
We ’ ve been followed three times [ by the gangs ] ” .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to clear the confusion , convening scrums of migrants and trying to answer their questions .
“ There ’ s good news and bad news , ” said Jodi Goodwin , a Brownsville immigration attorney , counselling the asylum seekers stay the course : “ Everyone must continue preparing their cases ; you need to continue going to court.
” She also cautioned against illegal entry to the US .
“ The risks if you jump the river are one these consequences : you go to prison or you go to Guatemala [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seekers ] or you ’ ll face expedited expulsion , ” she said .
The number of asylum claims in cities like Brownsville has been declining .
A crackdown by Mexican authorities has choked the migrant flow , while expedited expulsion and the new policy of sending migrants to Guatemala has reduced the numbers of people waiting for an asylum decision .
“ We ’ re seeing dramatically lower numbers in Brownsville , ” said Charlene D ’ Cruz , an immigration lawyer .
MPP “ worked ” as proponents hoped , D @ @ @ @ @ @ @ took 60,000 people out ” of the traditional asylum process .
“ But do we mean by success ?
Humanity-wise , we have completely failed as a people.
” As the number of asylum seekers from Central America and further afield slowly dwindles in Matamoros , a new group has replaced them : Mexicans fleeing rampant violence in central and southern states .
Mariana came to the camp with her family six weeks ago from Veracruz state , where she says a drug cartel tried to forcibly recruit her teenage son .
Her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ approaching – and couldn ’ t come fast enough .
“ We ’ ve gone hungry .
We ’ ve been cold .
We ’ ve had to bathe in the river , ” she said as she cooked eggs and chilies for her children .
“ This is a desperate place .
”

Esmeralda Martínez got the news via a WhatsApp message: a court had invalidated the US “remain in Mexico” program, which had obliged her to stay put south of the border while her asylum claim was heard.
It had been six months since she fled Guatemala after the murder of her husband. For a brief moment, it seemed she and her 13-year-old daughter Jazmín might be able to move on from the dismal frontier encampment where they have been stranded.
She packed her court papers in a black and yellow backpack, stuffed her clothes into a suitcase and prepared to move on.
But just hours after Friday’s ruling, the same three-judge panel suspended its own order pending fresh arguments, leaving the policy formally known as migrant protection protocols (MPP) in full effect.
Despite the confusion, the temporary invalidation of MPP offered rare hope for about 2,500 migrants living in the insecure and insalubrious tent city along the Rio Grande in the city of Matamoros, a stronghold of the notorious Gulf cartel.
Dozens of asylum seekers, some clutching printed copies of the 57-page court decision, headed straight to the bridge separating Matamoros and Brownsville, Texas. They were turned back by US border guards.
“We were all hoping for this inhumane and macabre program to be invalidated,” said Joel Fernández, 51, a Cuban asylum seeker who also had his bags packed.
MPP has forced more than 60,000 migrants to wait in some of Mexico’s most dangerous cities. The Mexican government pledged to provide work permits and access to healthcare, housing and educational opportunities, but those promises have largely gone unfulfilled.
And as they wait, the migrants are easy targets for criminal gangs.
In one month last year, three-quarters of asylum seekers seen by physicians working for Doctors Without Borders in the city of Nuevo Laredo reported having been kidnapped for ransom.
“It’s tough living here,” said Martínez, 30, as a pot of beans boiled over an open fire outside her tent. “It’s cold. It’s unsafe. We’ve been followed three times [by the gangs]”.
Over the weekend, immigration lawyers attempted to clear the confusion, convening scrums of migrants and trying to answer their questions.
“There’s good news and bad news,” said Jodi Goodwin, a Brownsville immigration attorney. “Everyone must continue preparing their cases; you need to continue going to court.”
She also cautioned against illegal entry to the US.
“The risks if you jump the river are one these consequences: you go to prison or you go to Guatemala [where the US is now sending asylum seekers] or you’ll face expedited expulsion,” she said.
The number of asylum claims in cities like Brownsville has been declining. A crackdown by Mexican authorities has choked the migrant flow, while expedited expulsion and the new policy of sending migrants to Guatemala has reduced the numbers of people waiting for an asylum decision.
Members of the Mexican National Guard patrol in a refugee camp in Matamoros. Photograph: Cristóbal Herrera/EPA
“We’re seeing dramatically lower numbers in Brownsville,” said Charlene D’Cruz, a border fellow for Lawyers for Good Government’s Project Corazon.
MPP “worked” as proponents hoped, D’Cruz said, because “it took 60,000 people out” of the traditional asylum process. “But what do we mean by success? Humanity-wise, we have completely failed as a people.”
As the number of asylum seekers from Central America and further afield slowly dwindles in Matamoros, a new group has replaced them: Mexicans fleeing rampant violence in central and southern states.
Mariana came to the camp with her family six weeks ago from Veracruz state, where she says a drug cartel tried to forcibly recruit her teenage son.
Her turn to apply for asylum was fast approaching – and couldn’t come fast enough.
“We’ve gone hungry. We’ve been cold. We’ve had to bathe in the river,” she said as she cooked eggs and chilies for her children. “This is a desperate place.”


theguardian--2020-03-02--'Greenwashing': are Republicans sincere about climate legislation?

Republican lawmakers under pressure to address the climate crisis are trying to move beyond denying the problem and start proposing solutions .
But they still refuse to commit to what scientists say is necessary if the US is to rapidly cut back on burning fossil fuels .
A recent package of legislation proposed by House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy would encourage capturing climate pollutants from power plants but use them to drill for oil .
It would also lead to the planting of a trillion trees to absorb carbon emissions but also ramp up logging , an idea Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ greenwashing , ” said Randi Spivak , public lands director at the Center for Biological Diversity , which organized a letter of opposition on the tree bill from dozens of environment groups to the House natural resources committee .
“ The science is very clear , ” Spivak said .
“ We need to slash our carbon pollution by 50 % over the next 10 years if we want to avert the worst impacts of global warming and keep global warming to a 1.5C increase.
” The Republican party has seen a pendulum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ platform emphasized the importance of cutting emissions .
By 2016 , Donald Trump ran on a campaign of climate denial .
Now at least some prominent Republicans are breaking from the president and veering away from questioning the science and toward efforts that do not directly attack the coal , oil and gas industries .
Facing pushback from the far right , on the other side of the aisle they are criticized by some Democrats who believe they are not proposing legislation in good faith .
Alex Flint , executive director of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ organization that advocates reducing carbon pollution while growing the US economy – said the House bills were “ directionally correct ” but “ need to grow to address the scale of our climate problem ” .
“ I give [ House Republicans ] a great deal of credit for acknowledging the problem and stepping forward with proposals and recognizing that the politics of this has changed , ” he said .
“ But also acknowledging that they are in the early stages of really substantive climate proposals.
” Bruce Westerman , an Arkansas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ insisted his proposal would curb emissions even as it promotes logging .
When trees are cut down , they stop absorbing carbon .
Westerman , a forester who worked for an engineering consulting firm in the timber , pulp and paper business , said forest managers would just plant them again .
Products made from the trees would pay for continual planting , he said , and the wood would be used for sustainable buildings with lower emissions footprints .
A scientist called to testify by Democrats , Yale ecology professor Carla Staver @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proposals .
Forest management is an important way to fight climate change but it is not enough and it must be done properly , experts agree .
A bill from Democrats would aim to conserve forests without increasing logging and by banning oil and gas drilling on public lands if climate emissions exceed targets .
Westerman told the Guardian Democrats should be working with Republicans who want to address climate change .
“ Even someone who ’ s not a forester should be able to recognize an olive branch when they see one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Westerman defended his bill , the top Republican on his committee seemed to dismiss the overall effort .
At the beginning of the meeting , to which he was late , Rob Bishop of Utah suggested the elevators in House office buildings would be more timely under the rule of Benito Mussolini than they are with Democrats in charge .
Democratic climate proposals , he said , offered not a “ silver bullet ” to fix the problem but “ another bullet that is going to be used to shoot ourselves in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ graph demonstrating how US heat-trapping emissions have declined over time .
While the Republican bills are far from aggressive , the right of the party is pushing back .
The conservative Club for Growth Pac painted the package as “ stifling liberal environmental taxes , regulations , and subsidies ” and vowed to withhold support from any backers .
At the annual Conservative Political Action Conference gathering near Washington , the climate change denial group the Heartland Institute presented a German teen activist who calls herself a “ climate sceptic ” as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Republican state senators fled the state capitol in order to derail a climate change bill .
Despite that backdrop , the top Democrat on the House natural resources committee welcomed Westerman ’ s proposal .
Raul Grijalva said he hoped for a “ new chapter ” , focusing on solutions not denial .
“ For too long my friends on the other side of aisle denied that this was even a real issue , ” he said .
“ They would reject or even mock the overwhelming scientific consensus that climate is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ needs to be taken .
”

Republican lawmakers under pressure to address the climate crisis are trying to move beyond denying the problem and start proposing solutions. But they still refuse to commit to what scientists say is necessary if the US is to rapidly cut back on burning fossil fuels.
A recent package of legislation proposed by House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy would encourage capturing climate pollutants from power plants but use them to drill for oil.
It would also lead to the planting of a trillion trees to absorb carbon emissions but also ramp up logging, an idea Donald Trump has endorsed.
“It’s greenwashing,” said Randi Spivak, public lands director at the Center for Biological Diversity, which organized a letter of opposition on the tree bill from dozens of environment groups to the House natural resources committee.
“The science is very clear,” Spivak said. “We need to slash our carbon pollution by 50% over the next 10 years if we want to avert the worst impacts of global warming and keep global warming to a 1.5C increase.”
The Republican party has seen a pendulum swing. In 2008, its election platform emphasized the importance of cutting emissions. By 2016, Donald Trump ran on a campaign of climate denial.
Now at least some prominent Republicans are breaking from the president and veering away from questioning the science and toward efforts that do not directly attack the coal, oil and gas industries. Facing pushback from the far right, on the other side of the aisle they are criticized by some Democrats who believe they are not proposing legislation in good faith.
Even someone who’s not a forester should be able to recognize an olive branch when they see one Congressman Bruce Westerman
Alex Flint, executive director of the Alliance for Market Solutions – a right-of-center organization that advocates reducing carbon pollution while growing the US economy – said the House bills were “directionally correct” but “need to grow to address the scale of our climate problem”.
Flint’s group backs revenue-neutral carbon tax and deregulation.
“I give [House Republicans] a great deal of credit for acknowledging the problem and stepping forward with proposals and recognizing that the politics of this has changed,” he said. “But also acknowledging that they are in the early stages of really substantive climate proposals.”
Bruce Westerman, an Arkansas Republican who introduced the trees bill, insisted his proposal would curb emissions even as it promotes logging.
When trees are cut down, they stop absorbing carbon. Westerman, a forester who worked for an engineering consulting firm in the timber, pulp and paper business, said forest managers would just plant them again.
Products made from the trees would pay for continual planting, he said, and the wood would be used for sustainable buildings with lower emissions footprints.
A scientist called to testify by Democrats, Yale ecology professor Carla Staver, strongly disagreed with Westerman’s proposals.
Forest management is an important way to fight climate change but it is not enough and it must be done properly, experts agree. A bill from Democrats would aim to conserve forests without increasing logging and by banning oil and gas drilling on public lands if climate emissions exceed targets.
Bruce Westerman. Photograph: Katheleen Williams
Westerman told the Guardian Democrats should be working with Republicans who want to address climate change.
“Even someone who’s not a forester should be able to recognize an olive branch when they see one,” he said.
Even as Westerman defended his bill, the top Republican on his committee seemed to dismiss the overall effort.
At the beginning of the meeting, to which he was late, Rob Bishop of Utah suggested the elevators in House office buildings would be more timely under the rule of Benito Mussolini than they are with Democrats in charge. Democratic climate proposals, he said, offered not a “silver bullet” to fix the problem but “another bullet that is going to be used to shoot ourselves in the foot”.
He then showed a graph demonstrating how US heat-trapping emissions have declined over time.
While the Republican bills are far from aggressive, the right of the party is pushing back. The conservative Club for Growth Pac painted the package as “stifling liberal environmental taxes, regulations, and subsidies” and vowed to withhold support from any backers.
At the annual CPAC gathering near Washington, the climate change denial group the Heartland Institute presented a German teen activist who calls herself a “climate sceptic” as a foil to Greta Thunberg.
In Oregon, Republican state senators fled the state capitol in order to derail a climate change bill.
Despite that backdrop, the top Democrat on the House natural resources committee welcomed Westerman’s proposal. Raúl Grijalva said he hoped for a “new chapter”, focusing on solutions not denial.
He said: “For too long my friends on the other side of aisle denied that this was even a real issue. They would reject or even mock the overwhelming scientific consensus that climate is warming humans are responsible and urgent action needs to be taken.”


theguardian--2020-03-02--Pete Buttigieg quits Democratic race: 'The path has narrowed to a close' – video

Pete Buttigieg has dropped out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination on Sunday , saying he no longer @ @ @ @ @ , the day after fellow moderate Joe Biden won a big victory in South Carolina @ @ @ @ @ the Democratic contest to pick a candidate to take on Republican president Donald Trump in @ @ @ @ @ two days before the 14-state Super Tuesday nominating contests that will offer the biggest electoral @ @ @ @

Pete Buttigieg has dropped out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination on Sunday, saying he no longer saw a chance of winning, the day after fellow moderate Joe Biden won a big victory in South Carolina.
The move shook up the Democratic contest to pick a candidate to take on Republican president Donald Trump in November's election and came two days before the 14-state Super Tuesday nominating contests that will offer the biggest electoral prize so far.


theguardian--2020-03-02--'Bernie is problematic on all levels': why centrist Democrats are flocking to Biden

Centrist Democrats candidates are rapidly rallying around Joe Biden following his decisive victory in the South Carolina Democratic primary on Saturday .
Biden ’ s double-digit win effectively anointed the former vice-president as the most viable Democrat among the remaining centrist candidates in the field .
And on Monday , a waterfall of endorsements poured down onto Biden ’ s campaign .
Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar suspended her presidential campaign and scheduled her endorsement for Biden during a rally in Dallas later on Monday .
On Sunday , former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg ended his campaign .
He ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Klobuchar and Buttigieg were two of Biden ’ s biggest rivals in the field .
The Biden campaign sent out over a dozen press releases on Monday , each one a new endorsement .
Those endorsements included former influential Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid .
Donors of the former candidates also flocked to Biden .
The rush of support for the former vice-president underscores the desire by a large swath of the Democratic establishment to rally around an alternative to Senator Bernie Sanders , the most liberal candidate in the field who recently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg and Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren are still in the race ahead of Super Tuesday , but some Democrats see the primary as headed to a two-man fight between 78-year-old Sanders and 77-year-old Biden .
“ The South Carolina race made clear that this is really coming down to Sanders and Biden , ” said Tom Lopach , a veteran Democratic strategist .
“ As such , Democrats are coalescing because they recognize we need to beat Trump and we need someone who will be strong for Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As Sanders rose from a second tier position within the Democratic primary to being the frontrunner , some establishment Democrats have also both publicly and privately worried that if the Vermont senator won the nomination Democratic candidates around the country would suffer in their own races by Republicans pegging them as part of a party that would nominate a Democratic socialist for president .
“ Bernie is problematic on every level you can count , ” said Orin Kramer , a former top donor for Buttigieg who is now backing Biden .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on fire ?
In other words , any Democrat running in the country – it doesn ’ t matter if it ’ s governor , state legislator , senator , House of Representatives – anyone who ’ s election is significantly reliant on swing voters , those people are all petrified of what Bernie would mean to them.
” Some Democrats also worry that Sanders simply might not be able to win over moderate Republicans or independents , resulting in a landslide win for Donald Trump in the November general election , similar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Richard Nixon carried 49 out of 50 states against Democrat George McGovern .
“ It ’ s about electability and it ’ s also the fact that Democrats understand that beating Donald Trump is job number one , ” Lopach added .
But Biden remains the underdog .
According to his most recent public filing , Biden only has about $ 7m in his war chest , while Sanders ’ own report says the Vermont senator has about $ 16m .
And Sanders has shown he can outraise every other candidate in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raised $ 134m while Biden ’ s campaign has raised about $ 69m , according to the most recent Federal Election Commission filings .
Biden needed the influx of support and donors he received since the South Carolina primary .
“ I think this has the potential to really really help Joe Biden , ” said Democratic strategist Eli Kaplan .
Meanwhile , Bloomberg and Warren showed no sign of exiting the race .
“ I ’ m in it to win it , ” Bloomberg told reporters on Monday .
Bloomberg opted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and has been betting his campaign on dominating the rest of the field on Super Tuesday through an aggressive and well funded campaign push in those states .
Sanders has also been laying the groundwork in the crucial set of Super Tuesday states .
“ I think Sanders has a very formidable operation and I think he ’ s probably the favorite at this point but I think that Biden has gotten a lot of momentum in the last 48 hours , ” Kaplan said .
“ Who knows , this thing could @ @ @ @ @ @

Centrist Democrats candidates are rapidly rallying around Joe Biden following his decisive victory in the South Carolina Democratic primary on Saturday.
Biden’s double-digit win effectively anointed the former vice-president as the most viable Democrat among the remaining centrist candidates in the field. And on Monday, a waterfall of endorsements poured down onto Biden’s campaign.
Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar suspended her presidential campaign and scheduled her endorsement for Biden during a rally in Dallas later on Monday. On Sunday, the former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg ended his campaign. He’s also expected to endorse Biden. Klobuchar and Buttigieg were two of Biden’s biggest rivals in the field.
The Biden campaign sent out over a dozen press releases on Monday, each one a new endorsement. Those endorsements included the former influential Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid. Donors of the former candidates also flocked to Biden.
The rush of support for the former vice-president underscores the desire by a large swath of the Democratic establishment to rally around an alternative to Senator Bernie Sanders, the most liberal candidate in the field who recently rose to frontrunner status.
Billionaire and former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg and Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren are still in the race ahead of Super Tuesday, but some Democrats see the primary as headed to a two-man fight between 78-year-old Sanders and 77-year-old Biden.
“The South Carolina race made clear that this is really coming down to Sanders and Biden,” said Tom Lopach, a veteran Democratic strategist. “As such, Democrats are coalescing because they recognize we need to beat Trump and we need someone who will be strong for Democratic candidates up and down the ballot.”
As Sanders rose from a second tier position within the Democratic primary to being the frontrunner, some establishment Democrats have also both publicly and privately worried that if the Vermont senator won the nomination Democratic candidates around the country would suffer in their own races by Republicans pegging them as part of a party that would nominate a Democratic socialist for president.
“Bernie is problematic on every level you can count,” said Orin Kramer, a former top donor for Buttigieg who is now backing Biden. “Why do people leave buildings which are on fire? In other words, any Democrat running in the country – it doesn’t matter if it’s governor, state legislator, senator, House of Representatives – anyone who’s election is significantly reliant on swing voters, those people are all petrified of what Bernie would mean to them.”
Some Democrats also worry that Sanders simply might not be able to win over moderate Republicans or independents, resulting in a landslide win for Donald Trump in the November general election, similar to the 1972 presidential race where Republican Richard Nixon carried 49 out of 50 states against Democrat George McGovern.
“It’s about electability and it’s also the fact that Democrats understand that beating Donald Trump is job number one,” Lopach added.
But Biden remains the underdog. According to his most recent public filing, Biden only has about $7m in his war chest, while Sanders’ own report says the Vermont senator has about $16m. And Sanders has shown he can outraise every other candidate in the field.
Overall Sanders’ campaign has raised $134m while Biden’s campaign has raised about $69m, according to the most recent Federal Election Commission filings.
Biden needed the influx of support and donors he received since the South Carolina primary.
“I think this has the potential to really really help Joe Biden,” said Democratic strategist Eli Kaplan.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg and Warren showed no sign of exiting the race.
“I’m in it to win it,” Bloomberg told reporters on Monday.
Bloomberg opted to skip the first four primary states and has been betting his campaign on dominating the rest of the field on Super Tuesday through an aggressive and well funded campaign push in those states.
Sanders has also been laying the groundwork in the crucial set of Super Tuesday states.
“I think Sanders has a very formidable operation and I think he’s probably the favorite at this point but I think that Biden has gotten a lot of momentum in the last 48 hours,” Kaplan said. “Who knows, this thing could change on a dime.”


theguardian--2020-03-02--Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg set to endorse Biden at evening rally – live

Donald Trump supporters awaiting his campaign rally in Charlotte , North Carolina , expressed confidence in the president ’ s handling of the coronavirus outbreak and accused Democrats of playing political games .
“ Nobody knows what to expect but he ’ s got a lot of people around him that know how to handle this , ” said Suzette Gerhardt , wearing a pink “ Women for Trump ” cap and T-shirt .
“ He ’ s listening to their advice and I believe he ’ s doing all he can .
People are criticising but it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Gerhardt , 57 , a real estate agent , added : “ I think the Democrats talk out of both sides of their mouths .
They ’ re exploiting it to their benefit .
They haven ’ t given him any credit on the economy , the jobs he ’ s created or anything good he ’ s done.
” Critics have suggested that the virus has brutally exposed Trump ’ s incompetence and could ultimately cost him the election .
But David Walters , 65 , an electrical contractor , insisted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much as he can .
He made some good initial decisions to not let certain people into the country .
“ The health secretary did a good job of explaining that this is like flu and you need to take precautions but not panic .
At this point it is serious but I think they ’ re doing a good job .
I don ’ t know what else they could do.
” A 51-year-old woman , who gave her name only as Rebecca J , backed the president ’ s allegations of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was all fake news , ” she said .
“ He was saying it ’ s not as bad as people make out .
It ’ s scary , don ’ t get me wrong , but I ’ m good.
” A 43-year-old man , who gave his name only as Scott S , rejoined : “ We pray God is strong and we trust the Lord .
”

Lois Beckett in San Francisco (now), and Joan E Greve  in Washington and Martin Belam (earlier)


theguardian--2020-03-02--Washington slashes Chinese journalist quota after Beijing expels US reporters

The United States has slashed by nearly half the number of Chinese nationals allowed to work for their state-run media in the United States , vowing reciprocity as Beijing restricts foreign press .
The move comes two weeks after China expelled three Wall Street Journal reporters , although the United States said its decision was based on leveling numbers between the countries rather than retaliating over content .
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that China has “ imposed increasingly harsh surveillance , harassment and intimidation against American and other foreign journalists operating in China ” .
“ We urge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ international commitments to respect freedom of expression , including for members of the press , ” Pompeo said in a statement .
A state department official said that five media outlets , which last month were reclassified by the United States as foreign missions , would be allowed to employ a maximum 100 Chinese nationals as of 13 March , down from around 160 now .
The United States is not explicitly expelling the 60 staff members , who in theory can seek employment elsewhere , although most are expected to be obliged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 19 February threw out three reporters from the Wall Street Journal – two US nationals and an Australian – over what it deemed a racist headline on an opinion piece in its harshest move against international media in years .
Chinese citizens who work for other media outlets in the United States are not affected , the official said , and state-run media outlets will not be barred from hiring employees of other nationalities .
“ The US government has long welcomed foreign journalists , including PRC journalists , to work freely and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ Our goal is reciprocity .
As we have done in other areas of the US-China relationship , we seek to establish a long-overdue level playing field.
” Last year the United States issued 425 journalist visas to Chinese citizens , including family members , according to official data .
The organization most affected by the order will be the state news agency Xinhua , which will be allowed to keep 59 Chinese staff in the United States , according to a state department official The China Global Television Network will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Daily can have nine Chinese employees and China Radio International will be permitted two.

The United States has slashed by nearly half the number of Chinese nationals allowed to work for their state-run media in the United States, vowing reciprocity as Beijing restricts foreign press.
The move comes two weeks after China expelled three Wall Street Journal reporters, although the United States said its decision was based on leveling numbers between the countries rather than retaliating over content.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that China has “imposed increasingly harsh surveillance, harassment and intimidation against American and other foreign journalists operating in China”.
“We urge the Chinese government to immediately uphold its international commitments to respect freedom of expression, including for members of the press,” Pompeo said in a statement.
A state department official said that five media outlets, which last month were reclassified by the United States as foreign missions, would be allowed to employ a maximum 100 Chinese nationals as of 13 March, down from around 160 now.
The United States is not explicitly expelling the 60 staff members, who in theory can seek employment elsewhere, although most are expected to be obliged to leave the country.
China on 19 February threw out three reporters from the Wall Street Journal – two US nationals and an Australian – over what it deemed a racist headline on an opinion piece in its harshest move against international media in years.
Chinese citizens who work for other media outlets in the United States are not affected, the official said, and state-run media outlets will not be barred from hiring employees of other nationalities.
“The US government has long welcomed foreign journalists, including PRC journalists, to work freely and without threat of reprisal,” Pompeo said. “Our goal is reciprocity. As we have done in other areas of the US-China relationship, we seek to establish a long-overdue level playing field.”
Last year the United States issued 425 journalist visas to Chinese citizens, including family members, according to official data.
The organization most affected by the order will be the state news agency Xinhua, which will be allowed to keep 59 Chinese staff in the United States, according to a state department official
The China Global Television Network will be permitted 30 nationals. The China Daily can have nine Chinese employees and China Radio International will be permitted two.


theguardian--2020-03-02--Pete Buttigieg to endorse Joe Biden for Democratic nomination

Former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg plans to endorse fellow centrist Joe Biden in the Democratic presidential nominating contest on Monday , shortly after ending his own bid for the White House , a top Buttigieg adviser told Reuters .
The boost to Biden comes along with an endorsement from outgoing rival Amy Klobuchar , a day before 14 states vote on Super Tuesday , in an apparent bid to consolidate support behind Biden and stop progressive socialist US senator Bernie Sanders .
Five candidates remain for the nomination to take on Donald Trump in the November election , down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ race .
Buttigieg , who entered the Democratic presidential race as a relative unknown , ended his White House bid on Sunday .
Billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer gave up his campaign on Saturday night after a third-place finish in the southern state in which he had invested most heavily .
Biden ’ s high-stakes triumph in South Carolina , where his campaign had said his popularity with black voters would propel him to victory after early disappointing finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire , helped winnow the field .
But it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the departures of Buttigieg , Klobuchar and Steyer .
A Morning Consult poll taken 23-27 February , for example , before Buttigieg exited the race , showed that 21 % of his supporters named Sanders as their second choice , 19 % picked Biden , another 19 % chose the Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren and 17 % favored the billionaire Mike Bloomberg .

Former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg plans to endorse fellow centrist Joe Biden in the Democratic presidential nominating contest on Monday, shortly after ending his own bid for the White House, a top Buttigieg adviser told Reuters.
The boost to Biden comes along with an endorsement from outgoing rival Amy Klobuchar, a day before 14 states vote on Super Tuesday, in an apparent bid to consolidate support behind Biden and stop progressive socialist US senator Bernie Sanders.
Five candidates remain for the nomination to take on Donald Trump in the November election, down from more than 20 earlier in the race.
Buttigieg, who entered the Democratic presidential race as a relative unknown, ended his White House bid on Sunday. Billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer gave up his campaign on Saturday night after a third-place finish in the southern state in which he had invested most heavily.
Biden’s high-stakes triumph in South Carolina, where his campaign had said his popularity with black voters would propel him to victory after early disappointing finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire, helped winnow the field.
But it was not immediately clear who would immediately benefit from the departures of Buttigieg, Klobuchar and Steyer.
A Morning Consult poll taken 23-27 February, for example, before Buttigieg exited the race, showed that 21% of his supporters named Sanders as their second choice, 19% picked Biden, another 19% chose the Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren and 17% favored the billionaire Mike Bloomberg.


theguardian--2020-03-02--Amy Klobuchar drops out of 2020 race and will throw support behind Biden

Amy Klobuchar , the senator from Minnesota who campaigned as a pragmatic and moderate midwesterner , has dropped out of the race to become the Democratic presidential candidate for the 2020 US election .
Two Klobuchar campaign officials told the Guardian she plans to endorse her rival Joe Biden , in an apparent effort to unify moderate voters behind the former vice-president ’ s White House bid ahead of the crucial Super Tuesday primary elections .
She is flying to Dallas and is set to join Biden at his rally Monday night .
Klobuchar ’ s endorsement was the latest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg decided to end his campaign Sunday evening , and was also reported to be considering endorsing Biden on Monday .
Billionaire Tom Steyer dropped out over the weekend after a disappointing showing in the South Carolina Democratic primary .
Klobuchar had argued that she was the best fit to face Donald Trump in the general election because of her experience and history of statewide wins in Minnesota , including in the more conservative parts of the state .
Despite a high profile endorsement from the New York Times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through into the very top tier of the primary field .
She qualified for more debates than most of her competitors and outraised other Democratic candidates who have won competitive races .
But Klobuchar , 59 , never polled beyond the high single digits or low double digits , and failed to rally the support of broad swaths of the electorate to remain in the race beyond the earliest primary contests .
On policy , Klobuchar refrained from leaning to the left in an effort to win over early state activists .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arguably the most popular policy position of hardcore progressives such as Bernie Sanders , who is currently considered the frontrunner in the race .
Instead , she focussed on pledges to improve mental health care , infrastructure projects , antitrust enforcement and lowering drug costs .
That decision was characteristic of her approach to the 2020 race : run as a candidate who could appeal to the Democratic party at large rather than just one wing , and also make sure not to alienate Republicans or general election voters .
She also hoped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a strong showing in Iowa , arguing that being a native of the midwest made her especially competitive .
But it was not her night .
Klobuchar was dogged by persistent allegations that she was cruel to her staff .
Even when the New York Times endorsed her , the paper ’ s editorial board noted that those reports were problematic .
“ Reports of how Senator Klobuchar treats her staff give us pause .
They raise serious questions about her ability to attract and hire talented people , ” the Times endorsement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a team of seasoned , reasoned leaders is critical to the success of an administration , not doing so is often the downfall of presidencies .
Ms Klobuchar has acknowledged she ’ s a tough boss and pledged to do better.
” On multiple occasions , Klobuchar contrasted her record as an experienced lawmaker with that of Buttigieg .
Klobuchar at times took aim at the 38-year-old mayor for being young and comparatively inexperienced .
“ I have been very clear that I respect the mayor ’ s experience very much in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debate in Iowa .
“ I just have different experience .
”

Amy Klobuchar, the senator from Minnesota who campaigned as a pragmatic and moderate midwesterner, has dropped out of the race to become the Democratic presidential candidate for the 2020 US election.
Kobluchar endorsed her rival Joe Biden at a rally in Dallas on Monday night, ahead of the crucial Super Tuesday primary elections. “I cannot think of a better way to end my campaign than joining his,” she told the crowd.
Klobuchar was the latest in a string of dropouts. The former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg decided to end his campaign Sunday evening, and also endorsed Biden on Monday. The billionaire Tom Steyer dropped out over the weekend after a disappointing showing in the South Carolina Democratic primary.
Klobuchar had argued that she was the best fit to face Donald Trump in the general election because of her experience and history of statewide wins in Minnesota, including in the more conservative parts of the state.
Despite a high profile endorsement from the New York Times, however, Klobuchar failed to break through into the very top tier of the primary field. She qualified for more debates than most of her competitors and outraised other Democratic candidates who have won competitive races.
But Klobuchar, 59, never polled beyond the high single digits or low double digits, and failed to rally the support of broad swaths of the electorate to remain in the race beyond the earliest primary contests.
On policy, Klobuchar refrained from leaning to the left in an effort to win over early state activists. She did not support Medicare for All, arguably the most popular policy position of hardcore progressives such as Bernie Sanders, who is currently considered the frontrunner in the race. Instead, she focussed on pledges to improve mental health care, infrastructure projects, antitrust enforcement and lowering drug costs.
That decision was characteristic of her approach to the 2020 race: run as a candidate who could appeal to the Democratic party at large rather than just one wing, and also make sure not to alienate Republicans or general election voters.
She also hoped to break out of the field with a strong showing in Iowa, arguing that being a native of the midwest made her especially competitive. But it was not her night.
Klobuchar was dogged by persistent allegations that she was cruel to her staff. Even when the New York Times endorsed her, the paper’s editorial board noted that those reports were problematic.
“Reports of how Senator Klobuchar treats her staff give us pause. They raise serious questions about her ability to attract and hire talented people,” the Times endorsement said.
03:00 Bigger than Trump: John Legend's guide to what matters in the US election – video
“Surrounding the president with a team of seasoned, reasoned leaders is critical to the success of an administration, not doing so is often the downfall of presidencies. Ms Klobuchar has acknowledged she’s a tough boss and pledged to do better.”
On multiple occasions, Klobuchar contrasted her record as an experienced lawmaker with that of Buttigieg.
Klobuchar at times took aim at the 38-year-old mayor for being young and comparatively inexperienced.
“I have been very clear that I respect the mayor’s experience very much in the military,” Klobuchar said during a debate in Iowa. “I just have different experience.”


theguardian--2020-03-02--Donald Trump accuses Democrats of 'fearmongering' over coronavirus

Donald Trump has accused Democrats of “ fearmongering ” over the coronavirus outbreak , while claiming his decisions have “ saved many lives ” and asking drug companies to accelerate work on a vaccine .
The president made the claim on Twitter on Monday morning , continuing a spat which has seen him accused of politicising the health crisis as America struggles to deal with the outbreak on US soil .
Two people have died from the coronavirus in the US and new cases were reported over the weekend in Washington state , New York , Florida , Rhode Island @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases of the respiratory illness recorded in the US .
“ The country ’ s doing very well , our professionals are doing an incredible job , ” Trump told journalists at the White House on Monday .
“ We ’ re also working with other countries to help them because they really have a fear of the unknown.
” “ Also I ’ m meeting with the pharmaceutical companies later on this afternoon , we have a big meeting with the biggest companies .
We ’ re talking about a vaccine , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possible , we ’ ll see about that … We ’ ve asked them to accelerate whatever they ’ re doing in terms of a vaccine.
” Most who contract coronavirus survive but it can develop into pneumonia-like illness and the elderly and those with chronic health problems are especially at risk .
According to the World Health Organization , more than 87,000 cases have been confirmed worldwide and nearly 3,000 deaths .
Most are in China but the illness is spreading .
International financial markets have plummeted and travel , business and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Trump administration announced new measures to contain the outbreak on Saturday and sought to calm fears with appearances across the US media by figures including officials of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the US health secretary , Alex Azar .
But Mike Pence , in charge of the White House task force , caused controversy when he refused to condemn remarks by Trump supporters including Donald Trump Jr which claimed Democrats were politicising the outbreak .
Appearing on Fox News on Friday , Trump Jr said : “ For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and seemingly hope that it comes here and kills millions of people so that they could end Donald Trump ’ s streak of winning is a new level of sickness.
” The vice-president told NBC on Sunday : “ When you see voices on our side pushing back on outrageous and irresponsible rhetoric on the other side , I think that ’ s important , and I think it ’ s justified.
” In his Monday tweet , the president returned to the offensive .
“ I was criticized by the Democrats when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many weeks ahead of what almost everyone recommended , ” he wrote .
“ Saved many lives .
[ Democrats ] were working the Impeachment Hoax .
They didn ’ t have a clue !
Now they are fear mongering .
Be calm & vigilant !
” Trump did not close travel from China but did impose controls .
Several airlines have suspended flights to and from China .
Media coverage of the outbreak has been criticized but Trump has also attracted flak for placing himself front and center of a White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chaotic and uncoordinated .
Trump has also been criticized for seeming to play down the seriousness of the outbreak .
On Sunday , Joe Biden , who won the South Carolina primary the night before , tweeted : “ Only Donald Trump could make the coronavirus about him .
This president is dangerous.
” Trump ’ s use of the word “ hoax ” revisited remarks at a rally in South Carolina on Friday night .
At a White House press briefing on Saturday , Trump insisted he used it in reference to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , rather than the outbreak itself .
In the Oval Office on Monday , Trump told reporters he did not think it was unwise to continue to hold large public gatherings as coronavirus spreads .
His scheduled event in North Carolina on Monday “ was set up a long time ago and others are , ” he said .
“ You could ask that to the Democrats … They ’ re all having rallies , that ’ s what they ’ re doing , they ’ re campaigning .

Martin Pengelly in New York and Julian Borger in Washington

Donald Trump has accused Democrats of “fearmongering” over the coronavirus outbreak, while claiming his decisions have “saved many lives” and asking drug companies to accelerate work on a vaccine.
The president made the claim on Twitter on Monday morning, continuing a spat which has seen him accused of politicising the health crisis as America struggles to deal with the outbreak on US soil.
Two people have died from the coronavirus in the US and new cases were reported over the weekend in Washington state, New York, Florida, Rhode Island and Illinois. There are about 75 cases of the respiratory illness recorded in the US.
“The country’s doing very well, our professionals are doing an incredible job,” Trump told journalists at the White House on Monday. “We’re also working with other countries to help them because they really have a fear of the unknown.”
“Also I’m meeting with the pharmaceutical companies later on this afternoon, we have a big meeting with the biggest companies. We’re talking about a vaccine, maybe a cure, it’s possible, we’ll see about that … We’ve asked them to accelerate whatever they’re doing in terms of a vaccine.”
We’re talking about a vaccine, maybe a cure, it’s possible, we’ll see about that Donald Trump
Most who contract coronavirus survive but it can develop into pneumonia-like illness and the elderly and those with chronic health problems are especially at risk. According to the World Health Organization, more than 87,000 cases have been confirmed worldwide and nearly 3,000 deaths. Most are in China but the illness is spreading.
International financial markets have plummeted and travel, business and sporting events have been increasingly affected.
The Trump administration announced new measures to contain the outbreak on Saturday and sought to calm fears with appearances across the US media by figures including officials of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the US health secretary, Alex Azar.
But Mike Pence, in charge of the White House task force, caused controversy when he refused to condemn remarks by Trump supporters including Donald Trump Jr which claimed Democrats were politicising the outbreak.
Appearing on Fox News on Friday, Trump Jr said: “For them to try to take a pandemic and seemingly hope that it comes here and kills millions of people so that they could end Donald Trump’s streak of winning is a new level of sickness.”
The vice-president told NBC on Sunday: “When you see voices on our side pushing back on outrageous and irresponsible rhetoric on the other side, I think that’s important, and I think it’s justified.”
In his Monday tweet, the president returned to the offensive.
“I was criticized by the Democrats when I closed the Country down to China many weeks ahead of what almost everyone recommended,” he wrote. “Saved many lives. [Democrats] were working the Impeachment Hoax. They didn’t have a clue! Now they are fear mongering. Be calm & vigilant!”
Trump did not close travel from China but did impose controls. Several airlines have suspended flights to and from China.
Media coverage of the outbreak has been criticized but Trump has also attracted flak for placing himself front and center of a White House response that has been reported to be chaotic and uncoordinated. Trump has also been criticized for seeming to play down the seriousness of the outbreak.
On Sunday, Joe Biden, who won the South Carolina primary the night before, tweeted: “Only Donald Trump could make the coronavirus about him. This president is dangerous.”
Trump’s use of the word “hoax” revisited remarks at a rally in South Carolina on Friday night. At a White House press briefing on Saturday, Trump insisted he used it in reference to the Democrats’ behaviour around the outbreak, rather than the outbreak itself.
In the Oval Office on Monday, Trump told reporters he did not think it was unwise to continue to hold large public gatherings as coronavirus spreads.
His scheduled event in North Carolina on Monday “was set up a long time ago and others are,” he said. “You could ask that to the Democrats … They’re all having rallies, that’s what they’re doing, they’re campaigning.
“I think it’s very safe.”


theguardian--2020-03-02--California's rules for independent party voters could suppress the Bernie vote | Greg Palast

In February , California mailed 3.7m primary ballots that , to the astonishment of many who received them , excluded the presidential candidates .
These ballots do have candidates for all other primary races , including for Congress , but not the race for president .
Within this mountain of primary ballots , artifacts of California ’ s arcane and complex voting system , lies the potential to cripple the campaign of Senator Bernie Sanders , the favored candidate among independent party voters .
Particularly at risk of losing their vote are 18- to 24-year-olds and Latinx voters , groups @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A quarter of independent voters , more than 1 million people , are Latinx , according to the Public Policy Institute of California .
Even if Sanders , as expected , wins the plurality of California ’ s votes , he could well be shorted out of hundreds of thousands of votes and scores of delegates .
The other candidate at risk in California ’ s odd , troubled balloting : Mike Bloomberg .
How did this happen ?
While Californians , including independent voters , vote overwhelmingly for Democrats in general @ @ @ @ @ @ @ register “ NPP ” , : no party preference .
These 5 million independents legally have the right to vote in the Democratic primary , but the Democratic party has created an inscrutable obstacle course for them to do so , one that amounts to another type of voter suppression .
Last autumn , all 5 million NPP voters were mailed a postcard allowing them to request a ballot with the Democratic party presidential choices .
However , as many states have learned , postcards with voter information largely look like junk mail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ independents don ’ t respond to the postcards , they get a ballot without presidential choices .
But they have one more chance to vote for a candidate in the primaries : at the ballot box .
At the polling station , though , things remain confusing .
According to rules set by the national Democratic party , the independent voters have to bring in their NPP ballot to the polling station and request to exchange it for a “ crossover Democratic ” ballot that lists the candidates .
However , if the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crossover ” ballot by its specific name , the poll worker is barred from suggesting it and they won ’ t receive it .
Jen Abreu , a poll worker , told me about the disaster this created in 2016 : “ If this NPP voter did not specifically ask for a Democratic crossover ballot , they were given an official NPP ballot , which did not list presidential candidates.
” There ’ s another , new way NPP voters may obtain a presidential ballot : re-register from NPP to Democrat right at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thereby get a presidential ballot .
However , this same day registration option is little known , not advertised by the state – and I found not a single sign at the four voting centers I visited that mentioned the new option .
What ’ s the impact of this labyrinthine ballot dance ?
A lot , according to the statistician Paul Mitchell , vice president of Political Data Inc , a private firm employed by both the Republican and Democratic parties .
Mitchell recently completed a poll of 700 independent voters and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote in the Democratic primary , nearly half ( 45 % ) were clueless about how to get a Democratic ballot .
Another third of NPP voters believed that they could not exchange their no-candidate ballots – though the law says they may .
This year , hundreds of thousands of these voters have already mailed back the NPP ballot without presidential candidates because , according to Mitchell ’ s polling , they assumed they had no ability to exchange it .
This past week , Mitchell ’ s pollsters also asked 300 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for if they had obtained the correct ballot .
About 26 % preferred Sanders , which translates to 553,000 potential lost votes , by Mitchell ’ s estimates .
Mike Bloomberg , meanwhile , could come up 383,000 votes short .
The Democratic National Committee chiefs , who created and uphold the rules , show little sympathy for the millions of non-Democrats who want to exercise their right to vote in their primary but refuse to register as Democrats .
And that could be because they will continue to back only establishment candidates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the California official who directs this tragi-comic voting process , the secretary of state , Alex Padilla .
By contrast , in Colorado , another vote-by-mail state , the secretary of state simply ignores the DNC , sending every independent voter both a Republican and a Democratic party primary ballot – providing an easy way to vote as they choose .
Will California ’ s voters choose the Democratic candidate ... or will the DNC obstacle course bend the outcome ?
• None Greg Palast has investigated vote suppression for 20 years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the BBC ’ s Newsnight

In February, California mailed 3.7m primary ballots that, to the astonishment of many who received them, excluded the presidential candidates. These ballots do have candidates for all other primary races, including for Congress, but not the race for president.
Within this mountain of primary ballots, artifacts of California’s arcane and complex voting system, lies the potential to cripple the campaign of Senator Bernie Sanders, the favored candidate among independent party voters.
Particularly at risk of losing their vote are 18- to 24-year-olds and Latinx voters, groups that strongly favor “Tio Bernie”. A quarter of independent voters, more than 1 million people, are Latinx, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.
Even if Sanders, as expected, wins the plurality of California’s votes, he could well be shorted out of hundreds of thousands of votes and scores of delegates.
The other candidate at risk in California’s odd, troubled balloting: Mike Bloomberg.
How did this happen? While Californians, including independent voters, vote overwhelmingly for Democrats in general elections, 5.3 million Golden state voters register “NPP”,: no party preference.
These 5 million independents legally have the right to vote in the Democratic primary, but the Democratic party has created an inscrutable obstacle course for them to do so, one that amounts to another type of voter suppression.
The problem begins with a postcard.
Last autumn, all 5 million NPP voters were mailed a postcard allowing them to request a ballot with the Democratic party presidential choices. However, as many states have learned, postcards with voter information largely look like junk mail and get thrown out.
If the independents don’t respond to the postcards, they get a ballot without presidential choices. But they have one more chance to vote for a candidate in the primaries: at the ballot box.
At the polling station, though, things remain confusing. According to rules set by the national Democratic party, the independent voters have to bring in their NPP ballot to the polling station and request to exchange it for a “crossover Democratic” ballot that lists the candidates.
However, if the voter fails to ask for the “crossover” ballot by its specific name, the poll worker is barred from suggesting it and they won’t receive it.
Jen Abreu, a poll worker, told me about the disaster this created in 2016: “If this NPP voter did not specifically ask for a Democratic crossover ballot, they were given an official NPP ballot, which did not list presidential candidates.”
There’s another, new way NPP voters may obtain a presidential ballot: re-register from NPP to Democrat right at the polling station on election day and thereby get a presidential ballot.
However, this same day registration option is little known, not advertised by the state – and I found not a single sign at the four voting centers I visited that mentioned the new option.
What’s the impact of this labyrinthine ballot dance? A lot, according to the statistician Paul Mitchell, vice president of Political Data Inc, a private firm employed by both the Republican and Democratic parties.
Mitchell recently completed a poll of 700 independent voters and found that while 61% wanted to vote in the Democratic primary, nearly half (45%) were clueless about how to get a Democratic ballot. Another third of NPP voters believed that they could not exchange their no-candidate ballots – though the law says they may.
This year, hundreds of thousands of these voters have already mailed back the NPP ballot without presidential candidates because, according to Mitchell’s polling, they assumed they had no ability to exchange it.
This past week, Mitchell’s pollsters also asked 300 NPP voters whom they’d vote for if they had obtained the correct ballot. About 26% preferred Sanders, which translates to 553,000 potential lost votes, by Mitchell’s estimates. Mike Bloomberg, meanwhile, could come up 383,000 votes short.
The Democratic National Committee chiefs, who created and uphold the rules, show little sympathy for the millions of non-Democrats who want to exercise their right to vote in their primary but refuse to register as Democrats.
And that could be because they will continue to back only establishment candidates. Notably, Joe Biden is endorsed by the California official who directs this tragi-comic voting process, the secretary of state, Alex Padilla.
By contrast, in Colorado, another vote-by-mail state, the secretary of state simply ignores the DNC, sending every independent voter both a Republican and a Democratic party primary ballot – providing an easy way to vote as they choose.
Will California’s voters choose the Democratic candidate ... or will the DNC obstacle course bend the outcome?