Bernie Sanders Wins Wyoming Democratic Caucuses

Senator Bernie Sanders at a rally in Laramie, Wyo., on Tuesday. He won the state’s caucuses

Continuing a string of victories across the West, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont won the Wyoming caucuses on Saturday, a symbolic triumph, if not a race-altering one, in the last Democratic contest before the April 19 New York primary.

Mr. Sanders beat Hillary Clinton statewide by about 11 percentage points, though the end result was effectively a tie, as each candidate took seven of Wyoming’s 14 pledged delegates, the fewest any state had to offer. Mrs. Clinton’s nationwide lead remained at 219.

But after Mr. Sanders’s recent big victories in Washington State, Alaska, Idaho, Utah, Hawaii and Wisconsin, it was more evidence of Mrs. Clinton’s weaknesses among white and liberal voters as the race moves to major primaries in New York and elsewhere in the Northeast.

“We just won Wyoming,” Mr. Sanders said, pausing unexpectedly while speaking at a rally at the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center in Queens.

His supporters leapt to their feet and gave him a standing ovation. He thanked Wyoming voters, but said with a smile, “There are probably more people in this room than there are in Wyoming.”

It was the only contest of the day for the Democrats. In Colorado, SenatorTed Cruz of Texas swept all of the state’s delegate elections, which ended on Saturday at the state Republican convention when he picked up the remaining 13, bringing his total there to 34.

Mr. Cruz, the only candidate to speak at the convention, received a rousing reception.

Republican delegates and their supporters cheered for Senator Ted Cruz of Texas as he spoke at the Colorado Republican State Assembly in Colorado Springs on Saturday.

“The real question is: Do you understand the principles and values that made America great in the first place?” he said, taking a jab at his rival, Donald J. Trump, whose organization struggled with the most basic tasks in Colorado, such as printing the right delegate names next to the right ballot numbers on the lists of preferred candidates that Trump volunteers distributed on Saturday.

Like Mr. Sanders, Mr. Cruz still trails the front-runner in his race, Mr. Trump. And the campaign now moves to territory likely to be far more favorable to Mr. Trump.

Though Mr. Sanders was favored in the Wyoming Democratic race, Mrs. Clinton had endorsements from more elected officials, as she does in most states, and the state’s four superdelegates are supporting her. In 2008, she lost to Barack Obama in Wyoming by 24 percentage points.

The contest was exactly the type she struggles in. It is mostly white, and it uses a caucus format. Mrs. Clinton did not campaign in Wyoming, choosing instead to devote time and resources to delegate-rich New York and Pennsylvania, which holds its primary April 26.

President Bill Clinton did appear on his wife’s behalf. On a stop in Cheyenne, he talked about the need for clean energy and a transition away from coal and other fossil fuels, as 500 Wyoming coal workers faced being laid off. A protester outside held a sign that read, “God, guns and coal made America great.”

Mr. Clinton spoke about the layoffs. “Just think about the jobs that would be created in Wyoming if we decided to maximize your capacity to export wind as you export coal,” he said.

The former president seemed acutely aware of his wife’s chances in the state. “There are a lot of young college students who have been very enthusiastic about her opponent because he promises free tuition for everyone,” he said. (Mr. Sanders has proposed free tuition at public colleges.)

“If you read the fine print,” he said, “the free tuition comes two-thirds from the federal government and one-third from the state.” He said it was unrealistic to expect the state’s Republican governor and Legislature to support the program.

Mr. Sanders showed up in Wyoming, holding a rally Tuesday in Laramie, where he delivered his victory speech after winning the Wisconsin primary.

“I believe we have an excellent chance to win New York and a lot of delegates in that state,” Mr. Sanders said in Laramie.

Referring to his large deficit among superdelegates, the party leaders and elected officials who have overwhelmingly backed Mrs. Clinton, but who could still change their minds, he said: “I think a lot of these superdelegates are going to be looking around them. And they are going to be saying, ‘Which candidate has the momentum?’ ”

James King, a political-science professor at the University of Wyoming, said the state was a good fit for Mr. Sanders. “He really has to, I think, at each success build on another success, and he is running out of states, obviously,” Professor King said.

Mr. Sanders’s missives about a corporate-driven political system touched a nerve among Wyoming voters like John Hess, a 28-year-old veteran who spoke up for Mr. Sanders at Sheridan County’s caucus and sounded not unlike the candidate himself.

“How can an average working citizen make an informed decision about health care,” he asked, “when the for-profit health services industry is blasting ideals on your TV and radio that support their own profits over ideals that would increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the health care industry?”

Mrs. Clinton received a handful more votes than Mr. Sanders did in that caucus, held at the Sheridan County Fairgrounds exhibit hall, the site of many local 4-H and rodeo competitions in an area bracketed by the Bighorn Mountains to the west and vast open spaces to the east.

“We live in a very complex world, internationally and nationally, and we need a representative for our country who has the kind of experience and understanding of that complexity,” Michelle Sullivan, a daughter of former Gov. Mike Sullivan, said as she spoke up for Mrs. Clinton. “I think she has that.”

Bernie Sanders says 'of course' Hillary Clinton is qualified to be president, seeks return to ‘real issues’

Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders struck a more conciliatory tone Friday toward his rival Hillary Clinton, saying that “of course” she is qualified to be president and adding that he is eager to return to a discussion of “real issues.”
Sanders’s assessment came two days after a speech in which he ticked off ways in which he said Clinton is unqualified for the presidency, including her acceptance of special interest money, her support of free trade deals and her support of the Iraq war.
During an appearance at a “town hall” meeting broadcast live on NBC’s “Today” show on Friday, Sanders said, as he has repeatedly since Wednesday, that his comments were prompted by attacks from Clinton’s campaign following his win this week in the Wisconsin primary.
The senator from Vermont was asked by co-anchor Savannah Guthrie if he had overreacted to comments by Clinton earlier Wednesday suggesting he was unprepared for the presidency.
“Did you overreact because you thought she said something more than she did?” Guthrie asked.
“Here’s the truth,” Sanders said. “I’ve known Hillary Clinton for 25 years. I respect Hillary Clinton. We were colleagues in the Senate, and on her worst day, she would be an infinitely better president than either of the Republican candidates.”
“She’s qualified?” Guthrie asked.
“Of course,” Sanders said, “but the point is I would hope we get away from these attacks, which by the way, the media likes very much, and start focusing — maybe we can do that today — on the real issues.”
Co-host Matt Lauer then asked if the spat between the two Democratic candidates was damaging the party.
“Again, that’s media stuff,” Sanders said. “People out here want to know why they’re working longer hours for lower wages. Kids want to know why they’re graduating college 50 or 70 thousand dollars in debt. People want to know why we have so much income and wealth inequality.”
The balance of the 15-minute segment was devoted to audience questions on those and other subjects.
Toward the end, Sanders was asked if he doesn’t win the presidency whether he will continue to lead a political “revolution,” inspiring young people in particular to be involved in politics.
 “Obviously our hope and expectation is that we’re gonna win, but that’s a fair question,” Sanders said. “We have brought out and seen so much excitement on the part of young people, who have so much hope for this country, who want to make this country a better place. We will continue that revolution.”

Humanism's Role in a 'Political Revolution'

David Noise

With religion fading, Humanism is vital to transformative change.

Bernie Sanders has shown that many Americans are ready for a "political revolution," but it can't happen without social movements and activist groups pushing for a progressive agenda even after the election. With the decline of religion in America, this leaves an important role for secular humanism.

Win or lose, Bernie Sanders has certainly demonstrated that the idea of a “political revolution” has much appeal to ordinary Americans. There’s room for debate about exactly how to define such a revolution, but there can be no question that the general themes expressed by Sanders—controlling Wall Street, addressing wealth disparity, providing quality health care and education for all, and moving America toward a system more akin to European-style social democracies—have resonated with voters.

As some have pointed out, however, a real political revolution cannot occur via the campaign of one presidential candidate. Truly systemic change requires a broad popular uprising, a recognition that old institutions have failed and must be replaced or transformed. New thinking. New paradigms. While the Sanders campaign has engaged many in the political process and generated excitement for progressive reforms, it remains to be seen whether its calls for "political revolution" are anything more than catchy campaign rhetoric. 

Many are skeptical but hopeful. Patrick Barrett of the University of Wisconsin, in an insightful piece in Truthout, says the Sanders effort is unlikely to translate into real change without the accompaniment of strong social movements. "Autonomous organizations" must be established, Barrett says, to flex muscle by “disrupting business as usual” via tactics such as strikes, boycotts, and civil disobedience. These organizations—such as unions and community groups—would not be primarily political, he says, but would warily enter the electoral arena “with the goal of transforming it.”

It’s hard to argue with Barrett’s reasoning, since he’s simply saying that strong underlying social forces must be present to bring about major progressive change (whether we call it democratic socialism or something else). The political energy generated by Sanders is remarkable, but will mean little if everybody goes home after the election and does nothing to oppose the relentless efforts of corporate lobbyists and other conservative interests to control the system and shape policy.

What should trouble those hoping for Sanders's hoped-for "political revolution," however, is that there are few such social movements and autonomous organizations that appear ready to fill the role suggested by Barrett. Unions have been decimated in America, and there is no reason to believe that they are ready to become major sources of progressive power. As for community groups, there are undoubtedly many small organizations across America that fit that label, but there is little indication that such groups are poised to mobilize in a way that suddenly launches the nation on a new trajectory.

There is, however, one noteworthy type of “autonomous organization” that has traditionally been important in promoting progressive change: liberal churches. But it would be a mistake to expect liberal religious congregations to take the lead in a new progressive movement. They surely have a role to play, but given the decline of religion in general (and liberal religion in particular) no broad-based progressive movement would get far with liberal churches as the primary source of momentum. (Conservative and fundamentalist churches, often of the megachurch variety, are the only area of Christianity showing much growth.)

In fact, the key demographic that is likely to engage in the progressive activism of a "political revolution"—the Millennial generation—is disassociating from organized religion. America is rapidly trending secular, with almost one in four now identifying as religiously unaffiliated, and young people are leading the charge. Thus, while the historical role of liberal churches in progressive movements, particularly the Civil Rights Movement, is undeniable, it is unrealistic to expect liberal religion to play that kind of role in a contemporary drive for major social and political change.

This all results in a problematic conclusion: Barrett has diagnosed the problem and even written the prescription, but he hasn’t shown progressive where they can fill that prescription—where they can realistically expect to find the “autonomous organizations” with the muscle to fuel a true, lasting movement for transformation.

But there are possibilities that many progressives and other commentators have overlooked. One such possibility is organized humanism.

If we consider that America is becoming increasingly secular, the importance of secular humanism in any contemporary progressive movement should be obvious. Humanism, as a worldview, is inherently progressive. As liberal churches have declined over the last generation, humanist groups have been springing up around the country and indeed the world, many of them well positioned to serve as instruments of change.

The American Humanist Association, for example, now has almost 200 chapters and affiliates across the United States. (Full disclosure: I'm AHA's legal director.) As activists, humanists overwhelming favor progressive, egalitarian public policy: reproductive freedom, equality for women, sensible regulation of corporate power, LGBT rights, racial equality, and science-based decision making. (In one poll of humanists last fall, 74 percent supported Bernie Sanders, 21 percent Hillary Clinton, 2 percent Donald Trump, and less for everyone else. It would be hard to find a stronger demographic of progressive support.)

Sensing the opportunity to play a larger role in shaping the agenda, humanists have taken steps in capitalize. Groups such as the Center for Freethought Equality and the Secular Coalition for America are now lobbying in Washington on behalf of secularism and humanist public policy. Humanists now even have a PAC, directly pursuing political aims.

There are many challenges facing humanist organizations as they seek more prominence in pushing for progressive goals. Some humanist groups have been criticized for being too white and too male, for example, and some have preferred intellectual conversation and debate over on-the-street activism. There is legitimacy to much of this criticism, but many groups are working hard to address such issues. The AHA recently created a position ofsocial justice coordinator, for example, and many high-profile humanists have been increasingly calling attention to the link between humanism and social justice.

It will take more than the humanist movement to transform America, but the importance of humanists and humanist groups in promoting a strong progressive agenda (or if you prefer, a "political revolution") should not be underestimated. With neither labor nor liberal religion nearly as influential as they were in their heydays, strong and autonomous organizations that are poised to enunciate a progressive vision, and fight for it as well, are few and far between. If there is any hope of maintaining constant pressure on the political establishment to move toward major, transformative change, humanists surely must play a role.

Check out David Niose’s latest book, Fighting Back the Right: Reclaiming America from the Attack on Reason.

Sanders: Clinton's not qualified to be president

Hillary Clinton is not qualified to be president, Bernie Sanders told a crowd of supporters in Philadelphia on Wednesday night in his sharpest attack yet on the struggling Democratic front-runner.

"Now the other day, I think, Secretary Clinton appeared to be getting a little bit nervous," he started.

"We have won, we have won seven out of eight of the recent primaries and caucuses. And she has been saying lately that she thinks that I am, quote unquote, not qualified to be president," he continued.

"Well let me, let me just say in response to Secretary Clinton: I don't believe that she is qualified if she is, if she is, through her super PAC, taking tens of millions of dollars in special interest funds."

"I don't think you are qualified if you get $15 million from Wall Street through your super PAC," he went on.

"I don't think you are qualified if you have voted for the disastrous war in Iraq. I don't think you are qualified if you've supported virtually every disastrous trade agreement, which has cost us millions of decent paying jobs. I don't think you are qualified if you supported the Panama free trade agreement, something I very strongly opposed and which, as all of you know, has allowed corporations and wealthy people all over the world to avoid paying their taxes to their countries," he concluded.

Following Sanders' remarks, Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon disputed the notion that she had said the Vermont senator wasn't qualified to be president.

"Hillary Clinton did not say Bernie Sanders was 'not qualified.' But he has now - absurdly - said it about her. This is a new low," he tweeted.

Clinton did, however, decline to say on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Wednesday that Sanders is qualified.

When asked point-blank by host Joe Scarborough whether Sanders was ready for the Oval Office, Clinton raised the senator's recent interview with the New York Daily News.

"Well, I think the interview raised a lot of serious questions," Clinton said. "I think of it this way: The core of his campaign has been 'break up the banks,' and it it didn't seem in reading his answers that he understood exactly how that would work under Dodd-Frank."

Asked again whether Sanders is qualified, Clinton dodged. "Well, I think he hadn't done his homework, and he'd been talking for more than a year about doing things that he obviously hadn't really studied or understood, and that raises a lot of questions," she said.

Asked a third time, Clinton said she would "leave it to voters to decide who of us can do the job the country needs."

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/04/sanders-clinton-not-qualified-to-be-president-221666#ixzz456WvIlOW 

US elections: Sanders, Cruz emerge victorious in Wisconsin primaries

Supporters cheer while waiting for the arrival of Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., during a campaign rally in Laramie, Wyoming. (AP Photo)

Republican Ted Cruz stormed to a commanding victory in Wisconsin Tuesday, denting front-runner Donald Trump’s chances of capturing the Republican nomination before the party’s convention. Bernie Sanders defeated Hillary Clinton in the Democratic contest, a win that still leaves him with a mathematically difficult path to the White House.

Trump’s defeat capped one of the worst periods of his campaign, a brutal stretch that highlighted his weaknesses with women and raised questions about his policy depth. While the billionaire businessman still leads the Republican field, Cruz and an array of anti-Trump forces hope Wisconsin signals the start of his decline.

“Tonight is a turning point,” Cruz, an ultra-conservative Texas senator, told cheering supporters at a victory rally. “It is a call from the hardworking people of Wisconsin to America. We have a choice. A real choice.”

For Sanders, Wisconsin was the latest in a string of victories that have given him an incentive to keep competing against Clinton. But he still trails her in the pledged delegate count and has so far been unable to persuade superdelegates— the party officials who can back any candidate — to drop their allegiance to the former secretary of state and back his campaign.

The results in Wisconsin make it likely both parties’ primaries will continue deep into the spring, draping front-runners Trump and Clinton in uncertainty and preventing both from fully setting their sights on the general election.

For Sanders, Wisconsin was favorable territory, with an overwhelming white electorate and liberal pockets of voters, and the Vermont senator’s victory gives him a fresh burst of momentum.

Because Democrats award delegates proportionally, Sanders and Clinton will both emerge from Tuesday’s contest with more delegates. The state-by-state nominating contests are choosing delegates to the parties’ national conventions who will select the presidential nominees.

Heading into Wisconsin, Clinton had 1,243 delegates to Sanders’ 980 based on primaries and caucuses. When including superdelegates, the party officials who can back any candidate, Clinton holds a much wider lead — 1,712 to Sanders’ 1,011. It takes 2,383 delegates to win the Democratic nomination.

Clinton’s campaign has cast her lead as nearly insurmountable. Yet Sanders’ continued presence in the race has become an irritant for the former secretary of state, keeping her from turning her attention to the general election.

Sanders would need to win 67 percent of the remaining delegates and uncommitted superdelegates to catch up to Clinton. So far, he’s winning 37 percent.

According to exit polls, Sanders has excited voters in Wisconsin, with more than half of Democratic primary-goers saying the senator inspires them more about the future of the country. But three-quarters of Democratic voters say Clinton has realistic policies.

The exit polls were conducted by Edison Research for The Associated Press and television networks.

Trump battled a series of campaign controversies in the lead-up to Wisconsin, including his campaign manager’s legal problems following an altercation with a female reporter and his own awkward stumbles in clarifying his views on abortion. Wisconsin’s Republican establishment, including Gov. Scott Walker, also campaigned aggressively against the businessman.

Exit polls in the state underscored the concerns about Trump that are surging through some corners of the Republican Party. Nearly 4 in 10 Republican voters in Wisconsin said they were scared about what Trump would do as president.

Complicating the primary landscape for both Cruz and Trump is the continuing candidacy of John Kasich. The Ohio governor’s only victory has come in his home state, but he’s still picking up delegates that would otherwise help Trump inch closer to the nomination or help Cruz catch up.

If Cruz wins all of Wisconsin’s 42 delegates, Trump would need to win 57 percent of those remaining to clinch the Republican nomination before the July convention. So far, Trump has won 48 percent of the delegates awarded.

Heading into Wisconsin, Trump had 737 delegates to Cruz’s 475, with Kasich trailing with 143.

To win a prolonged convention fight, a candidate would need support from the individuals selected as delegates. The process of selecting those delegates is tedious, and will test the mettle of Trump’s slim campaign operation.

Cruz prevailed in an early organizational test in North Dakota, scooping up endorsements from delegates who were selected at the party’s state convention over the weekend. While all 28 of the state’s delegates go to the national convention as free agents, 10 said in interviews that they were committed to Cruz. None has so far endorsed Trump.

Despite the concern among some Wisconsin Republicans about Trump becoming president, nearly 6 in 10 Republican voters there said the party should nominate the candidate with the most support in the primaries, which so far would be Trump. Even among voters who favored Cruz, 4 in 10 said the candidate with the most support going into the convention should be the party’s nominee.

Among Democrats, Sanders, a self-declared democratic socialist, has taken his dark-horse candidacy from a mere annoyance to Clinton to a serious challenge for the former first lady and U.S. senator, who had largely been expected to take the Democrat nomination in a walk when the contest began last year.

Clinton and Sanders Set Debate date for New York

The debate about the next Democratic debate is, finally, settled.
After weeks of bickering over semantics, Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders have agreed to meet for a debate on April 14 in Brooklyn, less than a week before New Yorkers head to the polls for the critical April 19 primary.
The agreement was announced by CNN, which will host the debate.
It follows weeks of public squabbling, with the Sanders campaign urging a debate before the New York primary and the Clinton team saying it had agreed only to a debate sometime in April.
Tensions were apparently still a little raw even after the agreement. Moments after CNN made the debate official, the Sanders campaign released a statement saying it was glad Mrs. Clinton “finally agreed,” and pointed to the logistical challenges it overcame.
“Fortunately, we were able to move a major New York City rally scheduled for April 14 to the night before,” Michael Briggs, a spokesman for the Sanders campaign, said in a statement, referring to a campaign event in Washington Square Park in Manhattan. “We hope the debate will be worth the inconvenience for thousands of New Yorkers who were planning to attend our rally on Thursday but will have to change their schedules to accommodate Secretary Clinton’s jam-packed, high-dollar, coast-to-coast schedule of fundraisers all over the country.”
The Clinton campaign pointed out that April 14 was the date it initially suggested, but one the Sanders campaign balked at, citing its previously scheduled rally.
“We had thought the Sanders campaign would have accepted our offer for a Brooklyn debate on April 14 in a New York minute, but it ended up taking a few extra days for them to agree,” Brian Fallon, a spokesman for the Clinton campaign, said in an email. “We are glad they did. We are grateful to have both NY1 and the Daily News sponsoring this debate, ensuring a New York focus to the discussion.”
The debate will be moderated by Wolf Blitzer, airing from 9 to 11 p.m. Eastern. The network will team with NY1, and Dana Bash of CNN and Errol Louis of NY1 will also be on the panel.

‘I’m absolutely confident I will be the nominee’ - Hillary Clinton

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says she’s “absolutely confident” she’ll be the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee but that she’s not taking anything for granted at this point.

Asked if she had to win the New York primary on April 19, Mrs. Clinton demurred.

“I am going to do everything I can to win in as many places as possible, but I’ve been through this before,” she said in an interview that aired Monday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

“I can remember how hard it was when my husband ran in ‘92; I ran a really tough campaign against then-Senator Obama,” she said. “I ended up with slightly more votes, but he ended up with more delegates, so we have a system, and I’m very confident that I will be the nominee, but I’m not taking anything or anyplace or anyone for granted.”

Even if she doesn’t win New York? she was asked.

“Oh, I’m absolutely confident I will be the nominee,” she said. “Now, I’m going to do everything I can to win New York. I represented New York for eight years, I care deeply about this state; I’m proud of the work that I did with so many thousands of New Yorkers, so of course I’m going to work incredibly hard.”

Trump: ‘I Don’t Think’ I’m Blowing My Campaign Trump

Fox News host Chris Wallace bluntly asked Donald Trump on Sunday if he was “blowing” his campaign after a spat of negative headlines the past two weeks, to which Trump responded, “I don’t think so.”

Over the past two weeks, Trump courted controversy by retweeting an flattering photo of rival Ted Cruz’s wife, suggested there should be “punishment” for women who have abortions, made eyebrow-raising remarks about nuclear weapons, and saw his campaign manager charged with simple battery.

“This may sound harsh, but are you in the process of blowing your campaign for president?” Wallace asked.

“I don’t think so,” Trump said.

The GOP frontrunner reminded Wallace that rumors of his campaign’s demise had been consistent among the talking class since his candidacy began last June. However, Trump has seen his lead vanish in the Wisconsin polls over the past month, and his favorability numbers have hit staggering lows, particularly among women.

“I just got great polls from NBC nationwide,” Trump said. “I think that we’re doing very well. Don’t forget you have been thinking about that or asking me that question numerous times … ‘He just blew his campaign,’ only to end up having higher poll numbers.”

Wallace reminded Trump of his love of discussing polls, bringing up the massive swing in Wisconsin over the past month. He led Cruz by 11 points there in February, but now trails by 10 points, a 21-point swing. Wisconsin’s primary is Tuesday.

“If you had purposely set out to turn off voters, especially women voters, over the last two weeks, I”m not sure you could have done a better job,” Wallace said.

Trump admitted the “retweet” was not wise, something he discussed at length with the New York Times‘ Maureen Dowd in a column published Saturday.

“All I can do is do what I do,” Trump said. “I’m self-funding my campaign … I think I’m doing very well. Was this my best week? I guess not. I could have done without the retweet, et cetera, et cetera, but I think I’m doing OK.”

Clinton Says FBI Hasn't Reached Out for an Interview on E-Mails

Hillary Clinton said she’s not worried that an FBI investigation into her e-mail practices as U.S. secretary of state will linger through the Democratic convention in July and cloud her presidential aspirations.

“No, I’m not. Because I don’t think anything inappropriate was done,” Clinton said in an interview broadcast Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “And so I have to let them decide how to resolve their security inquiry, but I’m not at all worried about it.”

The former first lady said the FBI hadn’t reached out to her for an interview: “They haven’t. But, you know, back in August, we made clear that I’m happy to answer any questions that anybody might have. And I stand by that.”

Democratic competitor Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont has chipped away at Clinton’s wide lead in Democratic delegates with recent victories in western state contests, including landslide wins last weekend in Washington state, Hawaii and Alaska.

Clinton said a campaign advertisement now running in New York, which assails Republican positions on immigration, wasn’t a sign that she assumes the Democratic nomination is assured and that she’s focused entirely on November’s general election.

“I know that I still have work to do to win the nomination, and I’m going to keep reaching out to every voter, everywhere, in these remaining contests,” Clinton said.

Clinton’s campaign continues to squabble with Sanders’ about the potential timing for a debate in New York ahead of that state’s delegate-heavy primary on April 19.

“I’m confident that there will be” a debate, Clinton said. “But I’m not the one negotiating it.”

Trump: Obama's "Like a Baby" on Iran Deal

Republican front-runner lashes out at president for remarks urging Iran to realize that 'businesses want to go where they feel safe.'

Donald Trump

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Saturday mocked President Barack Obama after criticizing Iranian leaders for undermining the “spirit” of last year’s nuclear agreement.
“I hear Obama is very unhappy with Iran because he feels they haven’t lived up to the ‘spirit’ of the agreement. What the hell did he think was going to happen? He is like a baby. He’s like a baby,” Trump said during a campaign rally in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. “They defaulted on day one. How we have this man as a president is so embarrassing. Anybody in their right mind would have known what he is getting into.”
Trump was referring to President Obama’s comments during a press conference at the conclusion of the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C., on Friday. “Iran so far has followed the letter of the agreement, but the spirit of the agreement involves Iran also sending signals to the world community and businesses that it is not going to be engaging in a range of provocative actions that are going to scare businesses off,” Obama said. “When they launch ballistic missiles with slogans calling for the destruction of Israel, that makes businesses nervous.”
“Iran has to understand what every country in the world understands, which is businesses want to go where they feel safe, where they don’t see massive controversy, where they can be confident that transactions are going to operate normally,” he added.
But Trump stuck to his claim that Iran violated the nuclear deal by launching several ballistic missile tests in past months by not respecting the United States. “The agreement is two seconds old. The ink hasn’t even dried,” the Republican presidential front-runner said. “They were buying missiles from Russia; they were testing missiles. They don’t care about him.”
Later on, Trump said the Iranians abused Sec. of State John Kerry "mentally” and “like a child” during the nuclear negotiations. “They took advantage of him like he was a baby,” he said while claiming that he would outsmart and outmaneuver Iran’s Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif.

More Woes for Trump As He Expresses Regrets Over Heidi Cruz Tweet

Following one of the worst weeks of his campaign, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was on defense Saturday as he kicked off a three-day sprint to Wisconsin's primary.
Trump began the afternoon with a rally in the Milwaukee suburb of Racine, where he defended a series of controversial comments in recent days on NATO, abortion and his remark that Japan and South Korea should perhaps be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons.
"This politics is a tough business," said Trump, whose performance in Tuesday's contest will help determine whether he can seize the Republican nomination without a fight at the convention. "Because you can say things one way and the press will criticize you horribly. You say it another way and the press will criticize you horribly."
Off the stage, in a more reflective moment, Trump expressed regret that he had retweeted an unflattering photo of rival Ted Cruz's wife, Heidi, paired with a glamorous photo of his own wife, Melania, as part of a bitter feud between the two men.
"Yeah, it was a mistake," he told New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd. "If I had to do it again, I wouldn't have sent it."
Among his biggest missteps have been Trump's recent comments on abortion, which have managed to unite both abortion rights activists and opponents in their criticism.
During a taping of "Face The Nation" on Friday, Trump said he believed that, when it comes to abortion: "The laws are set. And I think we have to leave it that way." His spokeswoman, Hope Hicks, quickly issued a clarification that Trump meant that laws won't change until he's president and appoints judges who can interpret them differently.
It was the second time in days that he'd stepped in hot water over the issue. On Wednesday, he'd said women should be punished for getting abortions if they're ever banned — a position the notoriously unapologetic campaign quickly reversed.
Trump told the audience on Saturday that his words had been repeatedly taken out of context, and complained that he was being held to a different standard than his rivals. He called his comments on "Face the Nation" ''perfect" and "so good."
"They took words out that I said," Trump told the rally, implying CBS had edited his answer about keeping abortion laws as they are. But the video made clear there was no editing in the exchange about abortion and his response was given in full.
"It's a tough question," he added of abortion. "You know, 50 percent of the people hate you. Fifty percent of the people love you, very simple."
Trump's comments raised concerns in the Republican Party about whether his unpopularity with women as measured in preference polling would make him unelectable in a general election match-up against Democrat Hillary Clinton.
In an apparent effort to address that concern, Trump said his wife will be campaigning with him Monday. His daughter Ivanka, who just had a baby, will also be returning to campaign with him in another week or so, he said.
Trump responded at length to criticism from both of his rivals as well as from President Barack Obama over his call to consider allowing South Korea and Japan to acquire nuclear weapons — a position the president said betrayed an ignorance of foreign policy and the world.
"Now I didn't say anything about letting Japan nuke," Trump said. "But I did say, perhaps if we can't do the right deal, we'll have to let them take care of themselves."
Trump said, "if that means they'll have to someday get nuclear weapons, in all fairness folks, I know the way life works, eventually they're going to probably want to do it anyway." And he later claimed that his much-panned assertion that NATO was irrelevant was suddenly being embraced by people who had "studied the organization for 30 years."
Recent polls suggest Ted Cruz is favored in Wisconsin. Trump appeared aware of the struggle he faces.
While he said he's popular in some areas, "in certain areas, the city areas, I'm not doing well. And I'm not doing well because nobody knows my message." He said people were given misinformation, and partly blamed "crazy talk show hosts" including Charlie Sykes, with whom he had a contentious radio interview.
But Trump said he's hoping he'll be able to win some of those skeptics over as he campaigns across the Wisconsin — and went so far to predict, in an afternoon rally in Wausau, that he would win the state.

U.S. State Department halts review of Clinton emails at FBI’s request

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton walks on stage during a rally in Syracuse, New York, on Friday. | AP

At the request of the FBI, the U.S. State Department has suspended plans for an internal review of whether classified information was properly handled in former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s emails, a spokeswoman said on Friday.

Clinton, the front-runner in the race for the Democratic Party nomination in the Nov. 8 presidential election, has apologized for using a private email server for official business while in office from 2009 to 2013 but said she did nothing wrong. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is probing the arrangement.

On Jan. 29, the State Department said 22 emails sent or received by Clinton had been upgraded to top secret at the request of intelligence agencies and would not be made public as part of the release of thousands of Clinton’s emails. It said none of the emails was marked classified when sent.

At the time, the department also said it would conduct an internal review on whether the information in the emails was classified at the time it passed through Clinton’s private clintonemail.com account, which was run on a server in her New York home.

The State Department consulted the FBI about this in February, and in March the law enforcement agency asked the State Department to halt its inquiry.

“The FBI communicated to us that we should follow our standard practice, which is to put our internal review on hold while there is an ongoing law enforcement investigation,” State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau told reporters. “The internal review is on hold, pending completion of the FBI’s work. We’ll reassess next steps after the FBI’s work is complete.”

A U.S. State Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the State Department had only done “administrative work” on its review and had held off while waiting for a response from the FBI.

“It took a little bit of time for the FBI to respond to our request for advice, and in the interim we did not pursue the review out of prudence,” said the official, who declined further comment.

The government forbids the handling of classified information — which may or may not be marked that way — outside secure government-controlled channels, and sometimes prosecutes people who remove it from such channels. The government classifies information as top secret if it deems a leak could cause “exceptionally grave damage” to national security.

Two judges have allowed a group suing for Clinton’s records to seek sworn testimony from officials. On Tuesday, one judge said there was “evidence of government wrongdoing and bad faith” over the arrangement.

Obama warns Erdogan's Turkey headed down troubling path

US President Barack Obama admitted Friday he was "troubled" by the path President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is taking Turkey down, amid rows over press freedom and the war in Syria.

"It's no secret that there are some trends within Turkey that I have been troubled with," Obama said, when asked whether he considers the Turkish leader an authoritarian.

"I think the approach they have been taking toward the press is one that could lead Turkey down a path that would be very troubling."

Obama said he had expressed these sentiments to Erdogan "directly."

The pair met at the White House on Thursday for talks away from the cameras.

Erdogan was on a rare trip to Washington to take part in a major nuclear security summit with other world leaders.

Ahead of the trip, the White House had suggested Obama would not formally meet him, prompting suggestions of a snub.

The possibility of no meeting had been glaring -- the two countries are meant to be close NATO allies in the thick of a fight against the Islamic State group in Syria.

But tensions have been stirred by Ankara's attacks on Kurdish militants, some of whom are seen by Washington as the best bet for tackling IS fighters in Iraq and northern Syria.

Turkey says the groups are linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has fought a long battle for Kurdish independence and is seen by Ankara and Washington as a terrorist group.

Turkish forays into northern Iraq have also strained ties.

Before the meeting with Obama, there were ugly scenes when Erdogan gave a speech at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank.

Ahead of his arrival, Turkish security officials clashed with protesters -- both sides exchanging insults and scuffling -- before police were able to separate them.

The Turkish guards also took aim at the press. One aimed a chest-high kick at an American reporter attempting to film the harassment of a Turkish opposition reporter while another called a female foreign policy scholar a "whore."

The US National Press Club accused Erdogan of trying to export oppression.

Obama Shades Trump's Remarks On Nuclear Weapons

Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a town hall event in Appleton, Wisconsin, on Wednesday. | REUTERS

REUTERS

Donald Trump is facing bipartisan pressure to adopt a more presidential tone in his White House run including from Democratic President Barack Obama and Republicans who worry his missteps may do irreparable harm to the party and his campaign.

The Republican front-runner came under fire from Obama on Friday over his recent comments that he will not rule out using nuclear weapons in Europe and that Japan and South Korea might need nuclear weapons to ease the U.S. financial commitment to their security.

“The person who made the statements doesn’t know much about foreign policy or nuclear policy or the Korean Peninsula, or the world generally,” Obama told a news conference at the conclusion of a nuclear security summit in Washington.

“I’ve said before that people pay attention to American elections. What we do is really important to the rest of the world,” he said.

Trump lost ground on the online prediction market after drawing fire for his suggestion earlier in the week, which he later dialed back, that women be punished for getting abortions if the procedure is banned.

Those who marveled at Trump’s rise are now warning the New York billionaire that his shoot-from-the-lip approach to campaigning could jeopardize his chances of winning the Republican nomination for the Nov. 8 election.

Tuesday could be a turning point when Wisconsin hosts its nominating contest. Trump, 69, trails his leading rival, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, 45, of Texas in the Upper Midwestern state.

A Cruz win will make it harder for Trump to reach the magic number of 1,237 delegates needed to secure the nomination before the Republican national convention in July. The winner will get to claim all of Wisconsin’s 42 delegates.

“If he continues to fumble the ball, he risks everything,” said David Bossie, who as president of the conservative group Citizens United has helped to introduce Trump to grassroots activists. “These types of ham-handed mistakes give his opponents even greater opportunity.”

But losing the Republican nomination may not keep Trump out of the November election.

In excerpts of an interview on “Fox News Sunday” to be aired Sunday, Trump said he wants to run as a Republican but declined to rule out a third-party candidacy.

Asked what he will do if he does not get the Republican nomination, Trump replied: “We’re going to have to see how I was treated.”

A businessman and former reality TV show host, Trump has never held public office but hails his mastery of negotiating business deals as the sort of experience a U.S. president needs to be successful at home and abroad.

He sent ripples through the Republican Party, which promotes a muscular foreign policy, by declaring NATO obsolete and for asserting that as president he might loosen the ties with long-standing U.S. allies.

Trump made a surprise visit Thursday to the Republican National Committee in Washington where he said he and Chairman Reince Priebus discussed how to unify the party going into the July convention.

Priebus also addressed any confusion Trump may have had about delegate allocation rules that will govern the proceedings, a source familiar with the meeting said.

Should Trump fail to win enough delegates to secure the nomination outright in the state-by-state contests ending in June, party delegates will select a nominee at the convention in a complex process of sequential votes.

Online predictions market PredictIt said Friday that the probability Trump will win his party’s nomination has dropped sharply in the past week while the likelihood of a contested convention to choose another candidate has risen.

Those Republicans who see in Trump a chance to generate voter turnout beyond party regulars to blue-collar Democrats and win the White House say his detail-free style of campaigning has come back to haunt him and he needs to gear up for a new phase.

Trump needs to be less sensitive about attacks from opponents and let some go by without responding, said retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, a former Republican presidential candidate who dropped out of the race earlier this year and has since endorsed Trump.

“If he can just get beyond that and learn how to bite his tongue and redirect people to something that is important, it will show a level of statesmanship,” Carson said.

During the Wisconsin campaign, Trump has relentlessly attacked Gov. Scott Walker, another Republican who dropped out of the presidential race last year and who has since endorsed Cruz.

Former U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich, who has offered Trump informal advice, said Trump should replicate the type of performance he gave at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee on March 21, when he spoke from a Teleprompter and offered a well-thought-out case for strong U.S.-Israeli relations.

Gingrich said Trump should make eight to 10 policy speeches in order to give voters “a sense of stability and seriousness.”

“He’s gone from being an insurgent that people laughed at and a front-runner that people were amazed by to the potential nominee. That requires you to change your role as all this comes together,” Gingrich said.

Alternatively, Trump could start to listen to what he says is his wife Melania’s longtime admonishment: “Darling, be more presidential.”

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders will compete in Wisconsin on Tuesday on the Democratic Party’s side. Both have hop-scotched between Wisconsin and New York, which holds its primary on April 19.

Clinton, a former U.S. senator from New York with national campaign headquarters in Brooklyn, is trying to prevent the Brooklyn-born Sanders, who represents Vermont in the Senate, from eroding support on her home turf.

Both candidates are to attend a state party fundraising dinner in Wisconsin on Saturday.