Ny Safidinao

Residents of Puerto Rico can't vote in presidential elections. But with the island's economy in shambles, many are fleeing to the U.S. mainland, potentially shifting demographic norms in some of the most closely contested states. The impact of Puerto Rican migrants on the election hinges on how successful voting advocates are in getting them to the polls, with many focused more on finding jobs, homes and schools. Together, Pennsylvania, Florida and Ohio — three pivotal states in the fall — absorbed more than 22,500 Puerto Rican migrants in 2013 alone. Many more Puerto Ricans already living on the mainland have relocated to these states from traditional hubs such as New York. Recent polls suggest that for now, Democrat Hillary Clinton leads in Pennsylvania and has the edge in Ohio, while Clinton and Republican Donald Trump are in a close race in Florida. "Think about what happened in 2000" with the presidential recount in Florida, said Sandra Suarez, a profess...

Former Secretary of State and Democratic Presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, was in Kissimmee on Monday evening, to share her jobs plan with voters in Central Florida, as the second part of a three part, two day, swing through the state. Clinton hit the stage after being introduced by Florida Senator  Bill Nelson , to define what she believed the race was going to be against Republican nominee Donald Trump in the final months leading up to November. “This election really does come down to what kind of people we are in our country, what kind of values we really cherish.” she began “I am proud to be on the side of those who want to build a proud optimistic future and wants to get the economy working for everybody” The former Secretary of State and First Lady then took a jab at Florida Governor Rick Scott and his position on climate change. She was critical of the Governor for his lack of use of the term and cited changing conditions around the state where she believed the e...

Norb has opinions on everything: Puerto Rican statehood. First, some history. Puerto Rico, officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is an unincorporated U.S. territory in the northeastern Caribbean Sea. It is an archipelago that includes the main island of Puerto Rico and a number of smaller islands. Currently, there are 16 territories of the United States, only five of which are permanently inhabited. They are Puerto Rico, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa. The most populous city in Puerto Rico is the capital, San Juan, with over 395,000 residents. Other major cities include Bayamón, Carolina, Ponce and Caguas. Of the 10 most populous cities on the island, eight are within what is considered San Juan’s metropolitan area, while the other two are located in the south and west portions of the island. The island was claimed in 1493, by Christopher Columbus for the Kingdom of Spain. During four centuries of Spanish rule, the island’s ethnic,...

Among the cobblestone streets of Old San Juan stands a big chalkboard mural on a building on Calle de Tetuan. It spells out: “Mandela is still ashamed of you. Free Oscar.” People in  Puerto Rico , where a crippling debt crisis is currently unfolding, have much to say about political prisoner Oscar López Rivera. All over the city, young people are wearing “Free Oscar” T-shirts, and a few days before my arrival, activists hit the streets with makeshift signs, calling for his release. Last May, while campaigning against Hillary Clinton in advance of Puerto Rico’s 5 June caucuses,  Bernie Sanders addressed voters  during a town hall in San Juan. He promised that as president, he would pardon Oscar López Rivera. Later, Sanders shared his message on Twitter: “Oscar López Rivera has served 34 years in prison for his commitment to Puerto Rico’s independence. I say to President Obama: let him out.” However, although there’s a growing movement calling for López Rivera’s rele...

He’ll be with her. Bernie Sanders said Friday that he will vote for Hillary Clinton in November. “Yes,” the Vermont senator replied when asked about the possibility on “Morning Joe.” “I think the issue right here is: I’m going to do everything I can to defeat Donald Trump,” he continued. “I think Trump, in so many ways, will be a disaster for this country if he were to be elected president. We do not need a president whose cornerstone of his campaign is bigotry.” Sanders is continuing to soldier on in the Democratic primary despite the fact that Clinton, the party’s presumptive nominee, has already reached the delegate threshold and every primary contest has been held. Some of his supporters have vowed to not vote for Clinton in the general election. He visited New York City on Thursday to give a “Where We Go From Here” speech to his supporters, vowing to campaign further on behalf of his populist policy platform. Later in the day Friday, he plans to give another such speech in Albany...

President Obama formally endorsed Hillary Clinton for president Thursday, her campaign announced . The endorsement came right after after the president met with her primary rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders, at the White House. “I don’t think there’s ever been someone so qualified to hold this office,” Obama said in a video released by Clinton’s team. “She’s got the courage, the compassion and the heart to get the job done.” The two will campaign together in Green Bay, Wisc., Wednesday. The president, whose national approval rating hovers around 50 percent, will be a key ally for Clinton going into the general election. Presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump, as of now, has no former presidents campaigning for him, as both former Bush presidents have indicated they will stay out of the race. Obama has been impatient and eager to campaign openly for Clinton against Trump, but wanted to remain neutral during the Democratic primary. “I want us to run scared the whole time,” Obama told a g...

And it was actually a very big deal. Here’s why. 1. It’s the only say this US territory gets in the election Wait—Puerto Rico isn’t even a state. They get to vote in a primary? Yep. Because Puerto Rico is a US territory , along with Guam , Northern Mariana Islands , the US Virgin Islands , and American Samoa . Most US territories aren’t continuously inhabited, but five are, and those get to vote in presidential primaries or caucuses. (Wikipedia) The citizens of these territories don’t vote in the presidential election in November, but they do vote in the primaries. So this is the only chance they get to have a voice in this election. The Virgin Islands voted this weekend too, on Saturday. Altogether, these five territories have 112 delegates —and Puerto Rico has the most. 2. Puerto Rico has a lot of delegates It’s a pretty small island. But it has a lot of delegates: 67 . (Guam and the USVI each have 12, Northern Mariana Islands have 11, and American Samoa has 10.) To put that ...

Hillary Clinton overwhelmed Bernie Sanders in Puerto Rico's Democratic presidential primary on Sunday, putting her within striking distance of capturing her party's nomination. After a blowout victory Saturday in the U.S. Virgin Islands and a decisive win in the U.S. territory, Clinton is now less than 30 delegates short of the 2,383 needed to win the nomination, according to an Associated Press count. "We just won Puerto Rico! ¡Gracias a la Isla del Encanto por esta victoria!" tweeted Clinton. As the race was called, Clinton was on stage on Sacramento, rallying voters in California. The results were slow to arrive on Sunday, as officials counted ballots by hand and focused first on releasing results tied to the island's local primary elections, said Kenneth McClintock, Puerto Rico's former Democratic National Committeeman. As the results from Puerto Rico trickled in, Clinton maintained a steady 2-to-1 lead over Sanders. While Puerto Rican residents cannot vot...

Hillary Clinton is claiming victory the Democratic presidential primary in Puerto Rico, putting her very close to the number of delegates she needs to clinch her party's nomination . The Associated Press reports Clinton led Bernie Sanders by a wide margin in Puerto Rico's vote Sunday. After a blowout victory Saturday in the U.S. Virgin Islands and a decisive lead in Puerto Rico, Clinton is now less than 30 delegates short of the 2,383 needed to win the nomination, according to an AP count. "I'm for Hillary, girl," said 83-year-old Candida Dones. "I can't wait for a female president. She's one of us. She wears the pants. If we don't look out for our own interests, who will?" The results were slow to arrive on Sunday, as officials counted ballots by hand and focused first on releasing results tied to the island's local primary elections, said Kenneth McClintock, Puerto Rico's former Democratic National Committeeman. As the results...

Hillary Clinton will try to inch closer to the Democratic nomination -- and further distance herself from Bernie Sanders -- in two island contests this weekend. The Virgin Islands has seven delegates on the line in its caucuses on Saturday. Then, on Sunday, Puerto Rico has 60 delegates up for grabs in its Democratic primary. The contests essentially serve as a warm-up act for the big prize: Tuesday's slate of contests in California, New Jersey, New Mexico, Montana and South Dakota. But for Clinton, who is close to reaching the 2,383 delegates she needs to clinch the Democratic nomination, the two weekend contests could leave her on the precipice. Clinton currently has 2,313 delegates -- including 1,769 pledged delegates and 544 superdelegates. Sanders has 1,545 delegates total -- 1,501 pledged and 44 super delegates, according to the latest CNN estimates. The weekend contests come as Clinton and Sanders battle over Democratic superdelegates -- with Sanders arguing that his stronge...

Three days before Puerto Rico’s primary, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is digging in on his opposition to a House deal to rescue the U.S. territory from $70 billion in debt. Sanders said Thursday that he will introduce his own legislation to help the island. His bill would allow the Federal Reserve to give the territory emergency loans and provide broad bankruptcy protections, unlike legislation approved by a House committee last week that would create a control board to oversee limited debt restructuring. Sanders’ bill would also boost Medicaid and Medicare payments to the island and designate $10.8 billion to rebuild the territory’s crumbling infrastructure. Bernie Sanders Says He Has a Plan to Save Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico Gov. Alejandro Padilla endorsed Hillary Clinton Hillary Rodham Clinton Is there still time for a viable third-party candidate? Trump's aversion to data puts RNC on the hot seat Kristol's third-party pick was evangelical organizer for Romney MORE for president Wednesday, four days before the island's Democratic primary election. Padilla, in a Spanish statement, said the Democratic front-runner "will be an ally of Puerto Rico to get out of the crisis," according to  Metro PR . The government of Puerto Rico is embroiled in a financial crisis, unable to pay back roughly $70 billion it owes to creditors. The island, whose residents are American citizens, has lost nearly 10 percent of its population to the mainland over the past decade, in large part due to a lack of economic opportunity. Puerto Ricans can vote in primary elections, but cannot vote in the general election for president unless they move to one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia....

Three days before Puerto Rico’s primary, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is digging in on his opposition to a House deal to rescue the U.S. territory from $70 billion in debt. Sanders said Thursday that he will introduce his own legislation to help the island. His bill would allow the Federal Reserve to give the territory emergency loans and provide broad bankruptcy protections, unlike legislation approved by a House committee last week that would create a control board to oversee limited debt restructuring. Sanders’ bill would also boost Medicaid and Medicare payments to the island and designate $10.8 billion to rebuild the territory’s crumbling infrastructure. The Vermont senator has said the existing House bill would make “a terrible situation even worse” and that it serves Wall Street bondholders over ordinary Puerto Ricans. The compromise bill is backed by House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California and the Obama administration....

Voting rights has become an increasingly partisan issue. In Wisconsin, new voter ID laws led to brutal lines at the polls in urban areas—a development designed, even according to Republicans themselves , to suppress Democratic turnout . In Virginia at the end of April, governor Terry McAuliffe re-enfranchised all felons who had finished parole. In theory, the move returned the vote to 200,000 people. This was a refutation of a policy originally designed to explicitly deny black people the vote . It was also, potentially, a way to give more votes to more minority and poor voters, and tip a narrowly balanced purple state more Democratic in the US presidential election. The focus on voter IDs and felon disenfranchisement —while important—has inadvertently obscured other voting rights issues. Every year, with little comment, the United States denies millions of people representation in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and other territories. Washington, DC, has a population o...

1. Can Republicans really change the rules in Cleveland to block Trump’s nomination? In a story titled “ Five Ways the Republican Convention Could Still Be Contentious ,” Jeremy Peters of the New York Times reported Sunday that at least some Republicans “hostile” to Donald Trump continue to daydream about derailing his nomination at the last minute in Cleveland. How? By changing the rules that govern the party’s nominating process. Peters went on to outline two possible scenarios. The first, which he labeled the “nuclear option,” could only be “described anonymously” by a rules expert. “It is tantalizing,” Peters explained, “because it is so simple”: Mr. Trump could be stopped with just a single-word change requiring the nominee to receive a supermajority of votes at the convention rather than the majority currently required. Mr. Trump, after all, had floated changing majority to plurality when it was not clear he would win the 1,237 delegates he needed. The second option, according to...