Amy Klobuchar withdraws from Biden VP selection to make room for ‘woman of color’: report
By Brie Stimson | Fox News
https://i.imgur.com/toimFedl.jpg
Sen. Amy Klobuchar announced Thursday she was removing herself as a candidate to be former Vice President Joe Biden’s vice presidential pick.
Klobuchar told MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell she called Biden Wednesday evening with her decision, saying she believes “this is a moment to put a woman of color on that ticket."
Biden pledged earlier this year to pick a woman to be his running mate as is currently considering about a half dozen candidates, including several women of color.
“After what I’ve seen in my state and what I’ve seen across the country, this is a historic moment and America must seize on this moment,” she said. “There are so many incredibly qualified women. But if you want to heal this nation right now -- my party, yes, but our nation -- this sure is a hell of a way to do it. And that’s just what I think after being through this in my state."
The police custody death of George Floyd last month, a black man who died after a white officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes in Minneapolis, had already complicated Klobuchar’s case to be Biden’s pick as her record as a Minnesota prosecutor came under new scrutiny. Her record of not bringing charges against officers involved in alleged cases of police brutality against black men espeically became a liability, according to The New York Times.
Klobuchar dropped out of the Democratic primary shortly before Super Tuesday and immediately endorsed Biden.
With Klobuchar out of the running for VP, Biden is still reportedly considering Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Kamala Harris, former national security adviser Susan Rice, Florida Rep. Val Demings, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.
He said he plans to announce his running mate by August 1.
Shortly after Klobuchar made her announcement Biden reacted on Twitter.
"Amy — from the moment you announced you were running for president in a snowstorm, it wasn't hard to see you had the grit and determination to do anything you set your mind to," Biden said. "You know how to get things done. With your help, we’re going to beat Donald Trump."
Possible Biden VP pick dodges question on taking down George Washington statues
By Ronn Blitzer | Fox News
https://i.imgur.com/oRmqytQl.jpg
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., is among the shortlist of political figures that presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is rumored to be considering as a running mate, but she balked when asked about a sensitive subject that has been on the forefront of political discourse.
Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday morning, Duckworth was asked about recent calls to remove monuments commemorating American founding fathers like Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson because they were slave owners.
Rather than answer directly, Duckworth first changed the subject, then made inaccurate references to President Trump’s speech at Mount Rushmore on Friday evening.
“Well let me just say that we should start off by having a national dialogue on it at some point, but right now we’re in the middle of a global pandemic … and one the countries who are opposed to us, Russia, has put a bounty on American troops’ heads," she said. "What really struck me about the speech that the president gave at Mount Rushmore was that he spent more time worried about honoring dead Confederates than he did talking about the lives of 130,000 Americans who lost their lives to COVID-19 or by warning Russia off the bounty they’re putting on Americans’ heads.”
At no point in Trump’s speech did he show respect to or even mention the Confederacy or its leaders. In fact, the only times he referenced the Civil War was in the context of Union victory and honoring President Abraham Lincoln. He also celebrated the memories of Washington and Jefferson, noting – as CNN’s Dana Bash did – that there are those who seek to eliminate monuments to their memories.
After Duckworth made another allusion to the Confederacy by accusing Trump of honoring “dead traitors,” Bash noted that Washington is not a traitor and that there are people who want to remove statues of him.
“Is that a good idea?” Bash asked.
Duckworth again did not answer but did say she was willing to hear from those who do want to take down statues of the first president.
“I think we should listen to everybody,” she said. “I think we should listen to the argument there.”
Kanye West Announces He Is Running For President Of The United States
By Ryan Saavedra - The Daily Wire
https://i.imgur.com/0uLy2NAl.png
Rapper Kanye West announced Saturday on Twitter that he is running for President of the United States.
“We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future,” West wrote. “I am running for president of the United States! #2020VISION”
Entrepreneur Elon Musk responded by writing: “You have my full support!”
West’s wife, Kim Kardashian West, quote retweeted her husband’s tweet with an American flag emoji.
West has become more political in recent years and has repeatedly met with President Donald Trump.
“A Kanye presidential run has been teased for years,” Politico reported. “He and Kardashian West have worked with Trump on several occasions, including on commuting the sentences of individuals convicted of nonviolent offenses.”
Last year, West repeatedly praised the Republican Party for ending slavery, saying at a church service, “Abraham Lincoln was the Whig Party, that’s the Republican Party that freed the slaves.”
“That’s the Republican Party that freed the slaves,” West continued.
West told GQ Magazine earlier this year that he is definitely voting in the 2020 election.
“And we know who I’m voting on,” West said. “And I’m not going to be told by the people around me and the people that have their agenda that my career is going to be over. Because guess what: I’m still here!”
“Black people are controlled by emotions through the media,” West continued. “The media puts musicians, artists, celebrities, actors in a position to be the face of the race, that really don’t have any power and really are just working for white people. When it’s said like that, it’s kind of obvious, right? We emotionally connect to someone of our color on TV and feel that this person is speaking for us. So let me say this: I am the founder of a $4 billion organization, one of the most Google-searched brands on the planet, and I will not be told who I’m gonna vote on because of my color.”
“Both my parents were freedom fighters, and they used to drink from fountains they were told they couldn’t drink from, and they used to sit in restaurants where they were told they couldn’t eat from,” West said. “They didn’t fight for me to be told by white people which white person I can vote on.”