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What is the role of the Democratic National Committee in presidential elections? Is it to sway the vote toward a safe, solid and respected insider who will supposedly drive the party straight into the White House, or is it to provide voters the ultimate decision as to which campaign will take the ballot, without any bias or partiality?

That is the question at the heart of a class-action lawsuit charging the Democratic National Committee with fraud, deceptive conduct and negligent misrepresentation over the course of the 2016 primaries, in which Vermont SenatorBernie Sanders was defeated by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the Democratic ticket. Jared Beck, a Harvard law expert and one of the attorneys backing the suit, has demanded the DNC repay its donors and Sanders supporters for contributions made throughout the election, citing a misappropriation of public funds.

Related: Was the 2016 Election Rigged Against Bernie Sanders?

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Article 5, Section 4 of the DNCs charter states the organization will operate with total neutrality throughout the course of the Democratic primaries. Court documents revealthe organization'slawyers made a lengthy case suggesting impartiality isnothingmore than a political promise, howevereven though the defense claimed it did not support any specific campaign over another.

Did the DNC rig the election for Hillary Clinton? A class action lawsuit demands retribution for Bernie Sanders' supporters who donated to his campaign and the Democratic National Committee during the 2016 election. Reuters

If the lawsuit gets past a pending motion to dismiss the case, currently under consideration with no specific time frame by afederal judge in southern Florida (with a hard-liner reputation on squashing corruption), Sanderssupporters have a chance of fundamentally shaping how the DNC and the Democratic Party conduct their business.

But progressives shouldinsteadfocus their efforts on working within the DNC right now to stop"the real opponent" currently in Washington,rather than hoping a class-action lawsuit shifts the way the institution operates in the upcoming midterm elections and general election in 2020, according to Scott Bolden, a Democratic strategist and former chair of the D.C. Democratic Party.

That opponentfor liberals, many independents and conservative Democrats alikebeing the Donald Trump administration.

Protesters gathered to rally against President Donald Trump's firing of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey, outside the White House in Washington, May 10, 2017. Reuters

"The DNC is not as dangerous as Donald Trump is,"Bolden tells Newsweek. "Sanders supporters are forceful, theyre vocal, but they havent learned how to win yet. The importance of the DNC fraud lawsuit is that it shows theyre trying to change the rules and regulations and the leadership of the DNC so they can win in upcoming elections."

Attorneys for the DNC and its former chairperson, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, attempted to dismiss the lawsuit on multiple occasions, originally claiming it wasnt properly served by Beck and his team, before stating there are no enforceable obligations for the organization to practice neutrality during the primaries.

That argument could be deadly to their chances of garnering support from Democrats, liberals and independents who grew inspired by Sanders'message of change in the Democratic Party last year.

"What if Apple went into a court of law and said, 'We actually dont believe we have any enforceable obligations to our shareholders,'"Beck said in an interview last week. "What do you think would happen to the Apple stock price?"

Meanwhile, strategists like Bolden say the partys best shot at winning back control of the House and Senate in 2018 would be to adapt its approach in engaging with Sanders supporters and working families who feel unrepresented by either party at the moment.

"I think the Democrats are still trying to win support from Sanderssupporters, and whether they have been successful to date is still an open question,"Bolden says. "You still have this lawsuit. You still have progressive factions who believe they and Sanders were wronged by the DNC. But at the end of the day, you cant prove he didnt get enough votes to beat Hillary because of the committees actions.... What you can do is move forward together, which is something [DNC Chair] Tom Perez and Sanders will have to continue to fight for."

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Did the DNC Help Hillary Clinton Beat Bernie Sanders? Fraud Lawsuit Takes Aim at Leadership - Newsweek

New York Times

Hillary Clinton Starts Onward Together, a New Political Group New York Times Credit Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images. Hillary Clinton on Monday announced the launch of Onward Together, a new political group aimed at advancing progressive causes by harnessing grass-roots opposition to President Trump's policies. Mrs. Clinton, 69 ... Hillary Clinton launches 'Onward Together,' a political group designed to resist Trump's agendaChicago Tribune Hillary Clinton officially launches 'resistance' outside groupCNN Hillary Clinton launching new political groupWashington Post ABC News -CNBC -Fortune -Politico all 72 news articles »

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Hillary Clinton Starts Onward Together, a New Political Group - New York Times

Update: Ryan said through spokesman Doug Andres: "We have no way to know what was said, but protecting our nation's secrets is paramount. The speaker hopes for a full explanation of the facts from the administration."

Speaker Paul Ryan spoke on the importance of classified information at a press conference on July 7, 2016. (Speaker Paul Ryan)

In July 2016, few in Washington were more incredulous that the FBI decided not to charge Hillary Clinton with a crime for sending and receiving classified information on her private email server than House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.).

Ryan issued one of the Republicans' irate statements:

No one should be above the law. But based upon the director's own statement, it appears damage is being done to the rule of law. Declining to prosecute Secretary Clinton for recklessly mishandling and transmitting national security information will set a terrible precedent. The findings of this investigation also make clear that Secretary Clinton misled the American people when she was confronted with her criminal actions.

And then he held a news conference, where he asked the Obama administration to stop giving Clinton, who was the Democrats' newly minted presidential nominee, classified briefings. Individuals who are 'extremely careless,' close quote, Ryan said, using the term then-FBI director James B. Comey used to describe Clinton's email practices, should be denied further access to information. (That proposal never got anywhere). (Ryan's office reached out to underscore that he thought Clintonshould be able to receive classified briefings if she became president, since you can't deny presidents classified information.)

The message was clear: Ryan thought the FBI should have charged Clinton for a crime for sending and receiving classified information on a private email server she used exclusively as secretary of state.

Ryan piped up again about this 11 days before the election, when Comey told Congress his team had found new emails related to Clinton that they were looking into. The FBI did not describe it as a reopening of an investigation, but Ryan sure did:

We're spending so much time parsing Ryan's words about a candidate in an election that is now over because suddenly, it's not Clinton who is on the receiving end of criticism about the way she handled classified information. It's President Trump.

[Trump revealed highly classified information to Russian foreign minister and ambassador]

The Washington Post's ace national security team reported Monday that while in an Oval Office meeting last week with top Russian officials, Trump told them highly classified information about the Islamic State. The information he told to the Russian ambassador and foreign minister is so secret it's not even relayed to some U.S. allies, let alone a country that most intelligence officials think meddled in the U.S. election.

During the May 10 meeting at the White House with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak, Trump began describing details about an Islamic State terror threat related to the use of laptop computers on aircraft, according to current and former U.S. officials. (The Washington Post)

It is all kind of shocking, a former senior U.S. official who is close to current administration officials told The Post's Greg Miller and Greg Jaffe. Trump seems to be very reckless and doesnt grasp the gravity of the things hes dealing with, especially when it comes to intelligence and national security. And its all clouded because of this problem he has with Russia.

Reckless. That's exactly the word Ryan used in another statement, issued in September, after the FBI released its report of its interview with Clinton. The FBI's investigation demonstrates, Ryan said, Hillary Clintons reckless and downright dangerous handling of classified information during her tenure as secretary of state.

It's also the exact word that at least oneformer intelligence official used to describe the fact Trumpshared information so secret it requires a code word just to talk about it among U.S. officials.

The Fix's Aaron Blake rounded up their comments to Miller and Jaffe:

Perhaps reckless is in the eye of the beholder. As president, Trump has the authority to declassify government secrets, while anyone else in government (like secretaries of state) does not.

In his initial statement about Trump's comments to Russian officials, Ryan made no attempt to provide cover for the president.

But it's going to take a lot more explaining from Ryan and all the other Republicans who bashed Clinton, including Trump why this situation is somehow less careless and less reckless and less dangerous than the one they lambasted Democrats for just a few months ago.

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Paul Ryan might regret having said this about Hillary Clinton - Washington Post

Toms was among the pioneers of the "one for one" social good model. The problem is, just because you want a pair of canvas shoes, doesn't mean that a needy child in a different country will want the same exact pair. (Maybe they don't wear shoes in their culture? Or maybe they would really prefer a good meal to new kicks?)

Adelante, a shoe brand founded by Peter Sacco, wants to use shoes to improve the lives of people in Guatemala, but through different means. Sacco has been working with expert craftsmen in small Guatemalan villages to develop a line of shoes that will be appealing to Americans. Using a social impact model know as the Living Well Line, the brand pays these workers a fair price for work done well, as defined by them and their families.

The brand, which launches online today, uses a made-to-order model to minimize wasted materials and excess inventory. When a customer places an order, a craftsman gets to work, and the shoes are delivered to their doorstep for free shipping between seven to 10 days later. The direct-to-consumer model also means more reasonable prices: Shoes cost between $175 and $195, and are made from premium leather.

[Photos via Adelante; top creditMonsterJazz Photography, styled by Bakert-Miceli Design, bottom creditEmily Belz Photography] ES

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Hillary Clinton launches new resistance political group - Fast Company

One of the lefts favorite weapons against Republican President Donald Trump has been comparing him to Adolf Hitler. Attempts to paint Trump as on par with the mass-murdering Nazi dictator have been going on for a while now and have been dismissed as nonsense.

Not that its curtailing the comparison, which keeps getting pounded home to this day:

Which brings us to the grave case of New York Islanders goalie Thomas Greiss.

Seems the NHL player who hails from Germany hopped on Instagram during the presidential campaign and liked a meme comparing Hitler to Hillary Clinton, Newsday reported. Greiss also liked a couple of other anti-Clinton memes.

The Hitler-Clinton meme showed an image of Hitler and read, Never arrested. Never convicted. Just as innocent as Hillary.

The other two memes featured a T-shirt that read, Guns dont kill people. Clintons do, and a gladiator affixed with Trumps face holding aloft a severed head that looked like Clintons.

Anyway, outrage hit Greiss like a flurry of slapshots particularly from the German hockey federation, which has Greiss on its World Championships roster, Newsday said.

So the goalie quickly issued his mea culpa.

I apologize for interacting with several posts that appeared in my timeline, which were wrong to engage with, Greiss said in a statement issued by the Islanders. Liking these posts was a mistake, and I sincerely apologize again.

It doesnt appear Greiss will be disciplined by the Islanders or Team Germany, the Sporting News said.

All athletes have an important role model in the public arena, German Olympic Sports Confederation president Alfons Hrmann told German news agency SID, according to Puck Duddy. Political extremism has nothing to do with sport. We will continue to emphasize the special importance of the values of sport for the Olympics our team in Germany Zero tolerance. Therefore, maintaining this communication would be a clear exclusion criterion for this or other player.

According to the Sporting News, German Ice Hockey Federation Vice President Marc Hindelang told The Associated Press that Hitler is a no-go, thats clear but added that players have the right to express their political opinions.

Thats democracy and we all have to deal with it. Theres a fine line between tastelessness and intolerable things,Hindelang said.

The Islanders said the team does not condone the actions of Thomas Greiss on social media and are addressing the situation internally. And Thomas regrets his actions and recognizes that he made a mistake.

Greiss signed a three-year, $10-million contract with the Islanders in January, the Sporting News said.

This story has been updated.

(H/T: The American Mirror)

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Hillary Clinton-Adolf Hitler meme 'liked' by NHL goalie from Germany and fury follows - TheBlaze.com