On Sunday, Hillary Clinton spent the day in Charlotte, North Carolina. Clinton had planned on visiting Charlotte a week ago, but due to the unrest in the city and limited resources, Mayor Jennifer Roberts asked that she delay her trip until local authorities had a better handle on the situation. The protests in the city followed the death of Keith Lamont Scott who was shot by a Charlotte police officer. A video of Scott’s encounter with police was released by the police department earlier this week.
In Charlotte, Clinton spoke during Sunday morning church services at Little Rock AME Zion Church today. She spoke about the need for additional police training to ensure situations are deescalated. She also spoke about a number of her plans such as criminal justice reform and reducing the cost of higher education, both she said would benefit the African American community and end the “so-called school to prison pipeline.” She also criticized Donald Trump’s tone deaf response to shootings such as the one in Charlotte. Before she completed her remarks, Clinton invited Zionna Oliphant, a local fourth-grader, to join her. Oliphant recently spoke about race relations in Charlotte before the City Council. Clinton said, “Protecting all of God’s children is our calling.” While in Charlotte, Clinton also met with with local officials. A video of Clinton’s remarks is below.
Meanwhile, in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday, Senator Cory Booker spoke at a fundraiser on behalf of Hillary for America.
On Saturday, Hillary For America Senior Advisor Maya Harris released a statement following a Democratic Platform Drafting Committee meeting in St. Louis, Missouri. The meeting was one of four held around the country allowing national and local Democrats to gather and discuss the party’s platform. While the official platform will not be adopted until the Democratic National Convention next month, several proposed platform points are discussed in Harris’ statement including a $15 minimum wage, updates to the country’s prison system, a commitment to clean energy and fighting climate change, and ensuring everyone pays their fair share of taxes. Videos from the drafting committee hearings are available on the Democratic National Convention’s YouTube Channel and, the full statement from Harris is below:
“We are proud that the draft 2016 Democratic Platform, which the drafting committee approved yesterday, represents the most ambitious and progressive platform our party has ever seen, and reflects the issues Hillary Clinton has championed throughout this campaign, from raising wages and creating more good-paying jobs to fixing our broken immigration system, reforming our criminal justice system, and protecting women’s reproductive health and rights. As our Chairman, Congressman Elijah Cummings, directed us at the outset, our platform does not merely reflect common ground—it seeks higher ground.
For the first time ever, our platform calls for ending mass incarceration, shutting down the school-to-prison pipeline, and taking on the challenges of systemic racism. This year’s platform contains the most ambitious jobs plan on record, including historic investments in infrastructure, pledges to increase American manufacturing and stop companies from shipping jobs overseas, and a robust, stand-alone plank on youth jobs. It contains ambitious, progressive principles on wages, stating that working people should earn at least $15 an hour, citing New York’s minimum wage law and calling for raising and indexing the federal minimum wage. It also calls for the elimination of the ‘tipped’ wage and for the right of workers to form or join a union. And for the first time, the Democratic Party platform explicitly calls for repealing the Hyde Amendment, which restricts access to women’s reproductive rights, particularly low-income women and women of color.
Four years ago, the Democratic platform called for an ‘all-of-the-above’ energy strategy. This platform moves far beyond that framework, with a robust commitment to combating climate change and ambitious goals, like generating 50 percent of our electricity from clean sources within a decade. This vision was further strengthened through an amendment offered by representatives of both campaigns to see America running entirely on clean energy by mid-century.
We are also pleased that there were many issues where committee members worked collaboratively to articulate a bold vision, including making sure Wall Street greed and recklessness never again threatens American families and businesses on Main Street; proposing a surtax on multi-millionaires to ensure the richest among us are paying their fair share to build an economy that works for everyone; and expanding Social Security benefits by raising more revenue above the $250,000 threshold.
Members also worked together on framing Democrats’ shared commitment to comprehensive immigration reform, with an eloquent unity amendment stating, ‘Immigration is not a problem to be solved, it is a defining aspect of the American character and history to be supported and defended against those who would exclude or eliminate legal immigration avenues and denigrate immigrants.’
And we are proud the draft 2016 Democratic platform sets forward progressive principles and high standards on trade, including calling for trade agreements to be more protective of workers’ rights, labor rights, the environment, and public health. The draft reviewed by committee members yesterday included a call to review past trade agreements and update them to reflect these principles. An amendment adopted yesterday further emphasized the fact that many Democrats oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership because ‘the agreement does not meet the standards set out in this platform.’ Hillary Clinton is one of those Democrats, and has been strongly and unequivocally on the record opposing TPP. Just this week, she said, ‘We will defend American jobs and American workers by saying ‘no’ to bad trade deals and unfair trade practices, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership.’
Make no mistake about it: The 2016 Democratic platform represents an ambitious, progressive agenda that all Democrats can and should be proud of.”
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at the Douglass Park Gymnasium in Indianapolis, Indiana during a campaign stop on May 1, 2016.
On Sunday, Hillary Clinton returned to the campaign trail visiting Indiana and Michigan. Her first appearance of the day was in a taped interview on this morning’s State of the Union on CNN. During her interview with Jake Tapper, Clinton refused to call herself the presumptive nominee for the Democratic nomination saying that while she was ahead, there is still work to be done. She also said that she would be willing to work with rival Bernie Sanders in building a progressive platform for the Democratic Party going forward. A video of the full interview is below.
Clinton began her public events today in Indianapolis, Indiana where she spoke at an organizing event. She focused on the importance of the 2016 election and how it will affect key policies and the Supreme Court going forward. Clinton spoke about her manufacturing plans saying, “Indiana has so much potential for the future and I want it to be part of the kind of positive, confident future I’m offering in this election.” Clinton went on to criticize Indiana Governor Mike Pence and the Republican controlled General Assembly for placing strict restriction on abortion access and the passage of a right-to-work law. She said, “I worry very much, and I don’t mean this to be partisan or political, but if you look at what built the American middle class, it really had a lot to do with the rise of the American labor movement. So all the efforts you are seeing in Republican-dominated states to erode (and) undercut unions, I think makes it harder for us to raise middle-class wages, to raise the opportunity for people to go further, to really rebuild the middle class.” A full video from the event is below.
Clinton traveled to Michigan where she was the keynote speaker at the Detroit NAACP Annual Fight For Freedom Fund Dinner. During her speech, she spoke about a number of platform topics including criminal justice reform, prison reform, gun control, and the refinancing of student loan debt. Clinton said that she wanted to continue to the progress of the last eight years. Speaking about President Barack Obama, Clinton said “We cannot let Barack Obama’s legacy fall into Donald Trump’s hands.” A full video of her speech is below.
While in Michigan, Clinton attended a fundraiser in Birmingham that was hosted by Jerry and Caryn Acker, Dr. Mahmoud Al-Hadidi, Wayne County Executive Warren C. Evans, Barry and Nicole Goodman, Patti Kukula, and Suzanne Shank.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton listens to a question at town hall meeting at White Mountain Community College, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2015, in Berlin, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Today, Hillary Clinton released a statement following the release of American prisoners being held by Iran and the implementation of the nuclear agreement with Iran. Clinton came out in support of the agreement with Iran but urged caution. In her statement, she continues to air on the side of caution and promises that, if elected president, she will continue to work with UN to ensure Iran does not develop nuclear weapons. The full text of her statement is below:
I am greatly relieved by the safe return of American prisoners from Iran. Their families and our country have waited and prayed for this day to come.
I also welcome the full implementation of the nuclear agreement, an important achievement of diplomacy backed by pressure. Implementation marks an important step forward in preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Iran has dismantled centrifuges, disabled a reactor, and shipped out almost all of its enriched uranium. These are important steps that make the United States, our allies, and the entire world safer. I congratulate President Obama and his team, and I’m proud of the role I played to get this process started.
But we shouldn’t thank Iran for the prisoners or for following through on its obligations. These prisoners were held unjustly by a regime that continues to threaten the peace and security of the Middle East. Another American, Bob Levinson, still isn’t home with his family. The treatment of our Navy sailors earlier this week was offensive, including the release of a demeaning and provocative video. Iran is still violating UN Security Council resolutions with its ballistic missile program, which should be met with new sanctions designations and firm resolve.
So we can’t take our eye off the ball. As President, my approach will be to distrust and verify. I will vigorously enforce the nuclear deal as part of a comprehensive strategy that confronts all of Iran’s negative actions in the region and stand side-by-side with our ally Israel and our Arab partners.
While Hillary Clinton was in Colorado on Tuesday, she was interviewed by the Denver CBS affiliate. Shaun Boyd asked Clinton about many topics including the closure of the prison base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. She said, “I have as secretary of state supported the closing of Guantanamo and did everything I could to move prisoners there back to countries that would take them, but I’m not going to prejudge whatever the president proposes because I think we have to weigh all the pros and cons, and I want to see what his plan is.” You can watch the full the interview by CLICKING HERE.
On Friday, Hillary Rodham Clinton sat down with activists, including members of Black Lives Matter and Campaign Zero, to discuss racism and race relations in America. For an hour in Washington DC, Clinton and the group of activists discussed a wide variety of issues affecting the black community including police brutality, violence against black members of the LGBT community, and the prison system. Participants in the meeting said that Clinton provided a few specific proposals, but Clinton said that she is planning to release detailed plans to address racial injustice soon. Many of the activists were encouraged by the meeting, but others waiting to hear specifics of her platform.
Racism is America's original sin. To those I met with today, thank you for sharing your ideas. -H https://t.co/ICqYepExxB
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks during a campaign stop at River Valley Community College Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2015, in Claremont, N.H. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)
Yesterday, Hillary Rodham Clinton penned an op-ed in the New Hampshire Union Leader where she outlined her plans to combat the growing substance abuse issue in the United States. An estimated 23 million Americans suffer from addiction. The long-term plan calls for reforming prison and sentencing laws, bolstering community based support programs, and expanding mental health coverage so that it covers long term care. The plan is estimated to cost $7.5 billion over ten years. The full op-ed is below:
Another View – Hillary Clinton: How we can win the fight against substance abuse By HILLARY CLINTON
ON MY first trip to New Hampshire this spring, a retired doctor spoke up. I had just announced I was running for President, and I had traveled to Iowa and New Hampshire to hear from voters about their concerns, their hopes and their vision for the future. He said his biggest worry was the rising tide of heroin addiction in the state, following a wave of prescription drug abuse.
To be candid, I didn’t expect what came next. In state after state, this issue came up again and again — from so many people, from all walks of life, in small towns and big cities.
In Iowa, from Davenport to Council Bluffs, people talked about meth and prescription drugs. In South Carolina, a lawyer spoke movingly about the holes in the community left by generations of African American men imprisoned for nonviolent drug offenses, rather than getting the treatment they needed.
These stories shine light on some harrowing statistics. Twenty-three million Americans suffer from addiction, but only 1 in 10 get treatment. Fifty-two million Americans over 12 have misused prescription drugs at some point, including one in four teenagers. In 2013, more Americans died from overdoses than car crashes.
This is not new. We’re not just now “discovering” this problem. But we should be saying enough is enough. It’s time we recognize as a nation that for too long, we have had a quiet epidemic on our hands. Plain and simple, drug and alcohol addiction is a disease, not a moral failing — and we must treat it as such.
It’s time we recognize that there are gaps in our health care system that allow too many to go without care — and invest in treatment. It’s time we recognize that our state and federal prisons, where 65 percent of inmates meet medical criteria for substance use disorders, are no substitute for proper treatment — and reform our criminal justice system.
Today I’m releasing a strategy to confront the drug and alcohol addiction crisis. My plan sets five goals: empower communities to prevent drug use among teenagers; ensure every person suffering from addiction can obtain comprehensive treatment; ensure that all first responders carry naloxone, which can stop overdoses from becoming fatal; require health care providers to receive training in recognizing substance use disorders and to consult a prescription drug monitoring program before prescribing controlled substances; and prioritize treatment over prison for low-level and nonviolent drug offenders, so we can end the era of mass incarceration.
Achieving these goals won’t be easy. It will take commitment from all corners — law enforcement, doctors, insurance companies and government at every level. That’s why my plan starts by partnering with states and communities across America to meet these goals and substantially expand access to treatment. We’ll ask states to design ambitious plans using the programs that make most sense for their communities’ needs. In return for strong proposals to address the substance abuse crisis, the federal government will draw on a new $7.5 billion fund to help states meet their goals.
My plan would also increase access to treatment by boosting funding for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant by 25 percent, so communities have more resources to work with immediately. I will ensure that existing federal insurance parity laws are enforced. I will direct the government to reevaluate Medicare and Medicaid payment practices, to remove obstacles to reimbursement and help integrate care for addiction into standard practice. And for those who commit low-level, nonviolent drug offenses, I will reorient our federal criminal justice resources away from more incarceration and toward treatment and rehabilitation. Many states are already charting this course — I will challenge the rest to do the same.
Every town and city I’ve visited so far in this campaign has stories of families upended by drug addiction. But I’ve also heard about second chances. The young mother who overcame her addiction to alcohol and heroin so her son would never see her with a drink or a drug. The man who served 11 years in prison who is now serving others through a prison ministry.
They all say the same thing: No matter how much time has passed, they’re all still in recovery. It’s a process — one that began when a family member, a friend, a doctor, or a police officer extended a hand to help. As one New Hampshire woman said, “We’re not bad people trying to get good, we’re sick people that deserve to get well.”
There are 23 million Americans suffering from addiction. But no one is untouched. We all have family and friends who are affected. We can’t afford to stay on the sidelines any longer — because when families are strong, America is strong. Through improved treatment, prevention, and training, we can end this quiet epidemic once and for all.
Hillary Rodham Clinton appeared on Reverend Al Sharpton’s radio show “Keepin’ it Real”. She was interviewed by Sharpton and the conversation primarily focused on race and the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which the Supreme Court gutted in 2014. Clinton expressed her concern over those who have attacked the Voting Right Act saying that Congress needed to renew the act to protect voting rights for everyone.
Clinton and Sharpton went on to discuss race and justice pointing to recent police brutality against African-American suspects. But she also addressed prison population saying, “I know that this is a serious problem, but it falls disproportionately on the African American community.” Sharpton asked if Clinton was planning to watch this evening Republican debate on Fox News. She responded, “I don’t think I need to watch it to know that nearly everybody standing on that stage, in the first or the second debate, has either actively sought to limit the right to vote in their states or supported the efforts to limit the right to vote if the were not governors but were in the Congress.”
Audio or video from the event is currently unavailable; however, a number of clips from Clinton’s interview were aired during Sharpton’s MSNBC show “Politics Nation.” A video from last night’s episode is below.
Tomorrow, Clinton continues the private fundraiser streak by attended events in California and Texas. Follow along with Clinton on the campaign trail on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Hillary Clinton Speeches 