Ny Safidinao

DES MOINES — Elizabeth Warren has  surged in Iowa , narrowly overtaking Joe Biden and distancing herself from fellow progressive Bernie Sanders, the latest Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa Poll shows.   Warren, the U.S. senator from Massachusetts, now holds a 2-percentage-point lead, with 22% of likely Democratic caucusgoers saying she is their first choice for president. It is the first time she has led in the Register’s poll.  Former Vice President Biden, who had led each of the Register’s three previous 2020 cycle polls, follows her at 20%. Sanders, the U.S. senator from Vermont, has fallen to third place with 11%. o other candidate reaches double digits.  “This is the first major shakeup” in what had been a fairly steady race, said J. Ann Selzer, president of Selzer & Co., which conducted the poll. “It’s the first time we’ve had someone other than Joe Biden at the top of the leader board.”  ...

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is laying an election “elephant trap” for the opposition Labour Party that it should avoid, former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair warned on Monday. Britain's Former Prime Minister Tony Blair attends a service of thanksgiving for Lord Heywood in Westminster Abbey in London, Britain June 20, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls/Pool “Boris Johnson knows that if no-deal Brexit stands on its own as a proposition it might well fail but if he mixes it up with the Corbyn question in a general election he could succeed despite a majority being against a no-deal Brexit because some may fear a Corbyn premiership more,” Blair said. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn “should see an election before Brexit is decided for the elephant trap it is,” he said. Johnson has pledged to deliver Brexit on October 31 whether he agrees a new deal with the European Union or not. Opposition lawmakers - and a contingent from Johnson’s Conservative...

Here are the key differences in the Iowa Democratic and Republican caucuses In February 2019, Iowa Democrats  announced a plan to allow people to "caucus virtually"  in the week leading up to the 2020 caucus on Feb. 3. Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Troy Price called the proposed changes the "most significant" alterations to the Iowa caucuses since their inception in 1972. However, on Aug. 30, 2019, Democratic National Committee officials said they will reject  Iowa's plan . What is a caucus? A caucus is a gathering of fellow party members to discuss their presidential preferences, elect local party leadership and discuss issues that make up the party’s platform. The Iowa caucuses for both parties  will be held Feb. 3, 2020 .  There are several differences between the Democratic and Republican caucuses, but the key one is that in the Democratic caucus, the participants separate into groups based on their support of a cand...

Iowa Democrats' plan for virtual caucuses hit a major snag Friday when the Democratic National Committee  rejected the state party's plans . The state Democrats now have a two-week deadline to get national approval for its caucus plan. Here's how we ended up here and why it matters. Why did Democrats propose virtual caucuses? Caucuses, by their very nature, aren't as easy to participate in as primary elections. They're officially party organizing events, not formal elections, even though participants indicate who they support for president. Traditionally, participants need to carve out perhaps hours of time and appear in person, no matter their family or work obligations, life events, health or mobility concerns. Crowds, such as the  record-setting turnouts in 2016 and 2008 , can create chaos and add to the stress. To address those issues, the Democratic National Committee mandated Iowa and fellow caucus-holder Nevada allow so...

Just days before his dramatic ousting on Aug. 2, former Puerto Rico governor Ricardo Rosselló signed a law, with little fanfare, to move up Puerto Rico’s Democratic presidential primary elections in 2020 from June to March. It was one of his last actions before stepping down, a move that Rosselló believed could place the embattled island on the U.S. political map next year. While Puerto Ricans on the island can’t vote in the presidential election, they’ve had the right to vote in the primaries since 1979. And in the midst of a crowded field with 23 candidates, every delegate could prove crucial to win the nomination. “This law intends to bring national attention to Puerto Rico, especially in the upcoming Democratic primaries,” Rosselló said when he signed the law. “Currently, the primary is to be held in June, which reduces the impact we may have. By making Puerto Rico an early voting state, candidates will be forced to pay attention to our needs.” The law’s signing coincided ...