Recapping Donald’s Day of New Housing Discrimination Revelations

Yesterday, Donald Trump suffered a day of new revelations and reporting on his real estate company’s history of  discrimination against black families. Mother Jones and NBC News published new reports on an additional racial discrimination suit from the 1980’s, as well as a disturbing anecdote in which Trump stood by his  father as he used the “N”-word and directed employees to put applications from aspiring black tenants “in a drawer.” The Las Vegas Sun reported on a local woman who served as a housing discrimination tester who, in her words, was “the right color” for a Trump apartment. And just today, the New York Observer exposed some of the aggressive and troubling tactics Trump’s lawyers used to discredit black individuals who wanted to rent in his buildings, including questioning their political affiliations and sexual activity.

Hillary for America also released a new video telling the story of Mae Brown Wiggins, a registered nurse who was turned away from an apartment Trump managed because of her skin color. The video is narrated by Senator Tim Kaine, who spent 17 years as a civil rights lawyer fighting housing discrimination–a stark contrast with Trump, who got his start managing apartment buildings that discriminated against African American renters.

Contrary to Trump’s claims, this level of discrimination was not common practice. The Department of Justice’s lawsuit against Donald Trump and his father and was “one of the strongest cases the Justice Department had ever seen for violations of the Fair Housing Act.”

Donald Trump must be held to account for his history of racial discrimination.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Mother Jones: Here’s Another Time a Trump Company Was Sued for Discriminating Against Black People: “Nor did [Trump] mention another relevant fact, which has not received prominent coverage during the current presidential campaign: just as the Trumps’ standoff with the Justice Department was winding down, their real estate business was hit by a group of similar lawsuits for again allegedly discriminating against black New Yorkers looking for apartments.”

• “In April 1982, the Open Housing Center, a fair housing advocacy outfit, filed class action lawsuits against several landlords and real estate brokers on behalf of nine African Americans who had been denied apartments in Queens.”

TIME: Hillary Clinton Campaign Video Highlights Trump Housing Discrimination Case: “An emotional new campaign video for Hillary Clinton highlights reports of discriminatory rental practices by Donald Trump’s business that led to a 1973 Justice Department lawsuit. The video, released Tuesday, features Mae Brown Wiggins, who shares her story of being denied an apartment in one of Trump’s New York City buildings ‘based on the color of my skin.’”

• Mae Brown Wiggins: “‘I felt very, very angry,’ Wiggins says in the video, wiping tears from her eyes. ‘So much so that it still evokes—it still evokes anger and hurt. Deep, deep hurt.’”

Las Vegas Sun: Henderson woman shares story as housing discrimination tester at Trump property: “A Henderson woman is coming forward to share her story as a housing discrimination tester at one of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s properties in the 1970s.”

• Sheila Morse: “She said that when she said she would take the apartment, the superintendent was ‘thrilled’ and said he would have the lease ready the next day. ‘I guess I was the right color and the gentleman was the wrong color,’ Morse said.”

NBC News: ‘Not Wanted’: Black Applicants Rejected for Trump Housing Speak Out

• Annette Gandy Fortt: “In 1973, New York City school teacher Annette Gandy Fortt was looking for a decent place to live. A listing for an apartment in a building owned by Donald Trump’s father, Fred, caught her eye — but she says the super told her there were no units available. ‘I was black,’ Fortt said recently. ‘I was not wanted.’”
• Maxine Brown: “The breadth of the allegations doesn’t surprise Maxine Brown, who applied for an apartment in a Queens building owned by Fred Trump in 1963. ‘I was turned away because of my color,’ said Brown, 86, whose account was first reported by the New York Times in August.”
• Stanley Leibowitz, former Trump rental agent who took Ms. Brown’s application: “‘Mr. Trump and his son Donald came into the office. I asked what I should do with this application because she’s calling constantly and his response to me was, ‘You know I don’t rent to the N-word. Put it in a drawer and forget about it,’’ Leibowitz, 89, told NBC News.”

WATCH the segment on NBC News’ reporting on last night’s Rachel Maddow Show.

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Hillary Clinton Statement on Senate Republicans’ Refusal to Act on Gun Violence

On Monday, the Senate took up four bills aimed at restricting gun sales following the shooting in Orlando, Florida that killed 49 club goers. Two of the bills were aimed at introducing background checks. One bill, penned by the Democrats, called for mandatory background checks, while the other, written by Republicans, would have pushed resources to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, but would not have made background checks mandatory for all gun purchases. The other two bills would have blocked suspected terrorists from purchasing a firearm, and, again, there were two versions of the bill with one penned by a legislator from each party. Each of the four bills were voted down along party lines with Republicans voting against each of the measures.

Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has advocated for increasing gun control by banning assault weapons, closing a number of loopholes, prevented suspected terrorists from accessing guns, and making background checks required for all gun purchases. The bills would have been a step, albeit a weak one, in the right direction. Following the Senate’s failure to agree on a single piece of legislation, Clinton released a strong, single worded statement:

“Enough.”

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News Source: Politico

Clinton Comes Out Against the TPP

On Wednesday, Hillary Rodham Clinton announced that she is against the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Clinton was asked about the agreement at an event today in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, but she also discussed the TPP on PBS’s NewsHour during an interview with Judy Woodruff. Her opposition of the deal is in direct conflict with President Barack Obama and his administration, but the deal does face a tough battle in Congress. In addition to speaking about the TPP during the interview, Clinton also released a statement explaining in more detail why she is opposed to the deal. A copy of the statement is below. A video from Clinton’s full interview on PBS NewsHour is above.

Hillary Clinton Statement on Trans-Pacific Partnership

I’m continuing to learn about the details of the new Trans-Pacific Partnership, including looking hard at what’s in there to crack down on currency manipulation, which kills American jobs, and to make sure we’re not putting the interests of drug companies ahead of patients and consumers.  But based on what I know so far, I can’t support this agreement.

As I have said many times, we need to be sure that new trade deals meet clear tests:  They have to create good American jobs, raise wages, and advance our national security.  The bar has to be set very high for two reasons.

First, too often over the years we haven’t gotten the balance right on trade.  We’ve seen that even a strong deal can fall short on delivering the promised benefits.  So I don’t believe we can afford to keep giving new agreements the benefit of the doubt.  The risks are too high that, despite our best efforts, they will end up doing more harm than good for hard-working American families whose paychecks have barely budged in years.

Second, we can’t look at this in a vacuum.  Years of Republican obstruction at home have weakened U.S. competitiveness and made it harder for Americans who lose jobs and pay because of trade to get back on their feet.  Republicans have blocked the investments that we need and that President Obama has proposed in infrastructure, education, clean energy, and innovation.  They’ve refused to raise the minimum wage or defend workers’ rights or adequately fund job training.

As a result, America is less competitive than we should be.  Workers have fewer protections, the potential positive effects of trade are diminished, and the negative effects are exacerbated. We’re going into this with one arm tied behind our backs.

I still believe in the goal of a strong and fair trade agreement in the Pacific as part of a broader strategy both at home and abroad, just as I did when I was Secretary of State.  I appreciate the hard work that President Obama and his team put into this process and recognize the strides they made.  But the bar here is very high and, based on what I have seen, I don’t believe this agreement has met it.

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News Source: PBS NewsHour, The Briefing

Clinton Unveils Energy Plan

Yesterday, Hillary Rodham Clinton unveiled her energy plan after coming out against the Keystone XL Pipeline earlier this week. In a blog post on Medium, Clinton announced her plan to make the United States “the clean energy superpower of the 21st century”. Her plan calls for a series of infrastructure improvements including repairing and replacing outdated oil and gas lines, increase safety of railroad transpiration, and enhancing the security of the current energy grid. She is also calling for new resources including a National Infrastructure Bank, grants, accelerated federal investment, and innovation. She is also proposing the creation of a North American Climate Compact to encourage the US, Canada, and Mexico to work together to reduce their impact on the environment and combat climate change. Full details of Clinton’s plan can be viewed on The Briefing.

In her blog post, Clinton outlined this and explained why she opposes the building of the Keystone XL Pipeline. Her full post is below:

When I was secretary of state, the department began reviewing an application to build a pipeline that would bring Canadian oil sands crude across the border, run more than a thousand miles through the American heartland, and terminate in Nebraska — Keystone XL.

As the secretary who initiated the review, I refrained from commenting on the pipeline after I left the federal government. I didn’t want to get ahead of President Obama while the process was still underway — because the decision was and is his to make.

Since the application was filed, the effects of climate change have grown more acute. More than 8 million acres have burned in the United States so far this wildfire season. California is in the fourth year of a historic drought scientists say has been made worse by climate change. More severe storms and extreme heat waves have wreaked havoc around the world.

I have come to feel I can’t stay silent on an issue that matters so much to so many. Though I wanted to give the president space to make a decision, the process has taken far longer than I expected. I want the American people to know where I stand. That’s why I am making it clear:

I am opposed to the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.

We shouldn’t be building a pipeline dedicated to moving North America’s dirtiest fuel through our communities — we should be focused on what it will take to make America the clean energy superpower of the 21st century. For too long, the Keystone XL pipeline has been a distraction from the real challenges facing our energy sector — and the job-creating investments that we should be making to meet them. Building a clean, secure, and affordable North American energy future is bigger than Keystone XL or any other single project. That’s what I will focus on as president.

That’s why today I am announcing a comprehensive strategy to modernize American energy infrastructure and forge a new partnership with Canada and Mexico to combat climate change across the continent, unleashing billions in investment, delivering reliable and affordable energy, protecting the health of our families and communities, and creating good-paying jobs and careers.

The United States trades as much energy with Canada and Mexico each year as with all other countries combined, through a deeply integrated pipeline network, rail system, and electrical grid. As President, I will immediately launch negotiations with Canada and Mexico to forge a North American Climate Compact that sets strong national targets to cut carbon pollution, so all three countries demonstrate a commitment to climate action; provides accountability measures, so each country has confidence that the others are living up to their end of the bargain; and creates certainty for investors and confidence in the future of our climate, so we can all marshal resources equal to the challenges we face.

In recent years, American communities have endured toxic pipeline spills and rail car explosions. We have yet to harness new technologies that reduce costs and increase consumer choice or to sufficiently protect the grid against the growing threat of cyber-attack. Even as states and the Obama administration have worked to accelerate clean energy deployment, we need to do more. Simply put, our infrastructure has not kept pace with the changing energy sector.

To help unleash the investment we need, I will create a national infrastructure bank that leverages public and private capital, and work with Congress to close corporate tax loopholes and increase transportation funding to cut commute times, oil consumption, and pollution. Along with my Clean Energy Challenge to boost low-carbon electricity, improve building efficiency, and make our cars and trucks cheaper to fuel and cleaner to operate, these steps will create jobs and opportunity across the country.

Our more than 2 million miles of oil and natural gas pipes are in disrepair, resulting in oil spills, chronic methane leaks, and even devastating explosions. I will strengthen national pipeline safety regulations and partner with pipeline operators, local regulators, and technology providers in repairing and replacing thousands of miles of the country’s oldest pipes.

Over the past five years, a 20-fold increase in the amount of oil shipped by rail has led to devastating accidents. My plan speeds up the retirement of the oldest and riskiest train cars, repairs track defects, and guarantees first responders and the public have better information about oil and hazardous materials passing through their communities.

We must also invest in grid security and resilience. My plan creates a new threat assessment team to improve coordination and protect our grid from cyberattack, and strengthens the grid to reliably and affordably meet both base load and peak demand.

American energy policy is about more than a single pipeline to transport Canada’s dirtiest fuel across our country. It’s about building our future — a future where the United States will once again lead the world by constructing state-of-the-art infrastructure, creating new jobs and new markets, accelerating the transition to a clean energy economy, and improving the health, safety, and security of all Americans.

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News Source: The Guardian, Medium

Clinton Unveils Prescription Drug Plan in Iowa

On Tuesday, Hillary Rodham Clinton continued addressing heath care issues by announcing her plan to curb the rising costs of prescription drugs. Speaking at Moulton Elementary School in Des Moines, Iowa, Clinton said that, “We’re going to add on to the good work that was done by the Affordable Care Act.” The plan she outlined would require pharmaceutical companies to reinvest profits into research, allow for the import of drugs from other countries, expand opportunities for generic medications, allow Medicare to negotiate for lower drug costs, and cap the out-of-pocket expense for everyday Americans with chronic health issues.

Clinton made it clear that she would tougher on the companies, especially since many of them receive tax payer funded grants from the government to supplement the funding of their research. Then, they charge an exorbitant amount for the drug. She said, “That is not the way the market is supposed to work. That is bad actors making a fortune off of people’s misfortune. Pharmaceutical companies can charge astronomical fees, far beyond anything it would take to recoup their investment and far beyond.” Read a full fact sheet of Clinton’s plan from The Briefing.

Clinton also made headlines during the event when she declared that she is against the building of the Keystone XL Pipeline. She said, “I think it is imperative that we look at the Keystone XL pipeline as what I believe it is: A distraction from the important work we have to do to combat climate change, and, unfortunately from my perspective, one that interferes with our ability to move forward and deal with other issues. Therefore, I oppose it. I oppose it because I don’t think it’s in the best interest of what we need to do to combat climate change.” The video below is not complete and will be updated when/if a full is available.

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News Source: USA Today, CNN, NBC News