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Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg swung through Fresno on Monday, meeting with voters and delivering a campaign speech at Fresno City College to kick off early voting as the first ballots are being mailed to California voters.

California, as you know, has the most delegates, and were going to do everything that we can to win them, Bloomberg said. Were opening 20 offices, including one here in downtown Fresno.

Bloomberg said that he has over 300 staff members for his campaign in California and expects to have 800 by the end of next week.

Bloombergs Latino coalition group Ganamos con Mike was active at the event, and Bloomberg expressed his support for the Latino community.

The Central Valley issues are Latino issues, and Latino issues are American issues, Bloomberg said.

Immigration reform will be a priority in his presidency, Bloomberg said.

Getting it done means finally fixing our broken immigration system and creating a path to citizenship for the 11 million people who are living in the shadows in our country, Bloomberg said.

Another issue Bloomberg discussed was gun control, saying that it will be at the top of his agenda. He told the crowd about Everytown for Gun Safety, an organization that he founded, which helped pass gun control laws in more than 20 states.

Unfortunately, disagreements in our country seem to end in death all too often, and we just got to do something about it, Bloomberg said. And there are some common sense steps I think we can take to reduce gun violence and save lives. The president wont take them, but I can just promise you, if I get elected, I will. You just have to do something.

Bloomberg continued on attacking President Donald Trump and said that his work and contributions in getting Democrats elected to the House of Representatives in 2018 was a key factor in Trumps impeachment.

At the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, I warned that Donald Trump was not fit for this office, Bloomberg said. In 2018, when I saw the Republican Congress wouldnt hold him accountable, I worked to help flip 21 house seats which made Nancy Pelosi Speaker and brought on the impeachment process. And now its time for the Senate to act and remove Trump from this office, and its obviously not going to do that, so well have to do it in November. You and I will get it done.

As far as his competition to win the Democratic nomination, Bloomberg took a shot at the other candidates for being career politicians.

Now let me be clear, Bloomberg said. My fellow Democrats in this race are all good people, and Ive worked with all of them. If one of them wins the nomination, God forbid, I will support them. But this election seriously is just too important to have the kind of divisions that we saw back in 2016. We just cant do that again. I think I offer a different choice and a different type of leadership. I didnt spend my whole career in politics, and I dont just make speeches.

The California presidential primary will be on March 3.

Photo by Gage Skidmore

Excerpt from:
Bloomberg hits on immigration, gun control, and Trump in Fresno swing - The San Joaquin Valley Sun

David Anthony Jaramillo, 32, a Waco-based Marine veteran and former Veterans Administration employee, seeks to become the Democratic nominee in the November general election to succeed Republican Congressman Bill Flores in representing Congressional District 17. He pledges reform of veterans benefits, including prompt delivery of those benefits; comprehensive health-care benefits for all; and prison reform arising from his experience in the criminal justice field, including the Bill Logue Juvenile Justice Center. He supports border security, primarily through a virtual border wall bolstered by technological advances eclipsing any shortcomings in a physical wall. During our editorial board interview, we found Jaramillo concise, straightforward in his policy stances but with little elaboration or rumination.

QWhy are you running?

AMy time in the Marine Corps taught me many things and one of the most important things it taught me is never back down from something you believe in. I couldnt stand idly by watching whats happening in our government any longer. I want to fight for things such as health care for all, prison and immigration reform, VA disability and compensation reform.

QYour campaign bio says you were deployed to Iraq in 2005.

AThat was 2008. I actually went there before but not for a full deployment. I was on a full deployment to Iraq from 2008 to 2009, but I also went to Iraq [earlier], not for a full deployment.

QWhat can you tell us about the fight in Iraq that might add to a better understanding of the United States decision to invade it and how well we did? By the time you got there, we were obviously involved in a lot of nation-building that has been very controversial. Yet when I have talked with veterans who served in Iraq, thats one thing theyre very proud of.

What do you think we got right and what did we get wrong?

AWhat we got right was definitely being able to help rebuild the area, the [defense] forces out there. That way they can take care of themselves. However, this [U.S. involvement there] is going on 19 years and we actually have service members now that are being deployed that werent even born during the conflict. So to me its time to bring the troops home. Invest that money in local infrastructure and education and health care for our people.

QWas it a good idea to go over there in the first place? It has been suggested that in toppling Saddam Hussein we threw the balance of power out of whack in the Middle East, allowing Iran to grow stronger by virtue of eliminating Sunni leadership in Iraq in favor of Shia leadership. Does any of this make sense to you?

ANo, I understand what youre saying. Saddam was a dictator. He was a bad person inside and out. People like him and Osama bin Laden needed to get the power taken away from them not necessarily their lives. I mean, for Saddam Hussein, we left that up to the people. However, he was oppressing his own people. He was allowing things to happen that shouldnt happen out there. So doing that, we were able to make sure that we were safe, make sure we werent being attacked any longer.

QAfter eight years in the Marines, it looks like you decided to pursue a career in criminal justice. How did that come about?

AActually I had two things that I wanted to pursue in the future psychology, and that was to benefit veterans and children. I felt a good way to pursue that would be to get firsthand experience working at a juvenile justice facility. So I worked at the Bill Logue Juvenile Justice Center here in Waco at their bootcamp program. So I got to see the ins and outs of what happens on a daily basis and how, not in a negative way, but how theyre treated. And so I was able to see what exactly goes into rehabilitation efforts. So seeing that firsthand, I understand that we need more rehabilitation for the children as well as adults in the system.

QWhy then did you jump to the Department of Veterans Affairs?

AAgain, I wanted to work with veterans in some way, shape or form. I actually started off with health benefits. I was able to contact veterans, explain their benefits, what their doctor visits would be like, co-pays if there were co-pays based off of their disability rating. From there I was actually hired on at the regional office where I worked until I resigned.

QDid you reach any conclusions about veterans health care during that process?

Waco was one of the places that didnt get high marks initially in terms of prompt delivery of health care to veterans. I remember Congressman Flores talking quite a bit about it. Why do you think the VA has had a long struggle with this problem? We still hear from veterans about this.

AIts the lack of doctors thats causing the main issues. And the reason why we have a lack of doctors is because we cant compete with the private sector versus pay. So we need to be able to juggle that, to make a compromise in a sense, to be able to have more doctors. What I propose is that we actually make a contract with new doctors at medical schools and say, For five to seven years, based on your specialty work for the Department of Veteran Affairs, we defer your student loans. And after the five to seven years, well waive your student loans. That will leave a constant supply of doctors in the existing facilities and we can open up rural clinics. That way we can have veterans care.

QI noticed on your website you only have two topics under the heading of Issues health care and veterans benefits. Isnt that kind of narrow, given all the problems we face today?

AI do have more issues.

Another big thing is prison and immigration reform. For prison reform, we have become a country of investing in longer sentences when what we need to do is reduce those sentences and invest more in rehabilitation such as education and on-the-job training. That way when we send somebody back to society, they have all the tools necessary to make them a successful part of society. In immigration, we have less than 500 immigration judges currently working on a huge backlog, not including whats piling up at this moment. So what we need to do is, at the very least, hire more immigration judges. That way we can start tackling the backlog, we can start tackling the paper copies and electronic copies coming in for immigration.

QWhat do you think of the First Step Act signed by the president? Sen. John Cornyn helped craft it. We thought it was a significant step forward in criminal justice.

AI dont really have too many opinions on that. Can you go a little more into detail? That way Im making sure I know what

QThe First Step Act signed by the president generally expands rehab programs in prisons. There are specific programs to battle recidivism. And Sen. Cornyn has said that it actually draws a lot on Texas criminal justice models and how Texas manages prisons and prison populations.

QI mean, if youre not familiar with it, lets move on.

ANo, I am. I just want to make sure I was understanding correctly. Which is a great thing. We do need to invest in rehabilitation. However, were still pushing for maximum sentences and this is not just a local issue. This is nationally. So what we need to do is, on a national level, we need to do more to invest in rehabilitation. Again, on-the-job training, education for prisoners.

QOK. A recent survey confirms that health care is the biggest concern for veterans 53% of veterans said they had chronic physical conditions, 33% said they had chronic mental health conditions. The most common conditions were chronic pain, sleep problems, anxiety and depression. More than half said satisfaction with their own health declined within months of leaving the service. The study suggested its important for veterans to become readjusted to society quickly.

AI want to kind of go on both sides of active duty as well as the veteran side. While on active duty, we have a thing we call TAPs [Transition Assistance Program] and its kind of just, this is what happens when you get out. Its a program and its there to basically let you know whats going to happen about VA, about some jobs, if you want to do education. However, what it lacks is more of the preparation of the mental effects of coming out. So when you come out, and knowing from personal experience, you feel a little isolated from everybody because youre used to a certain routine. Youre used to having everybody around you whos gone through the same things. Thats a huge problem. We need to have more counseling.

QPresident Trump has been impeached over matters relating to the delay of security assistance funding to the Ukraine, which is an ally under attack by Russia. Lets put aside the impeachment. We can all agree to disagree on impeachment. Do you support the freezing of congressionally approved funding by this president and all presidents, Republican or Democrat, going forward?

ANo. If its for our allies, we have it allocated for a reason. Any change in that needs to be approved. We have checks and balances for a reason in our federal government.

QTheres been the suggestion made that presidents have the right to hold up congressionally approved funding to evaluate whether the moneys going to be applied in perhaps a corrupt manner or not.

AIt still strikes me as inappropriate. Any sort of change from the allocation of funds should be approved by Congress.

QYoure no longer working for the VA right now?

ANo, I had to resign due to [running for office].

QOh, thats scary. I saw in your campaign that you have two kids. How are you doing in terms of livelihood and health insurance?

AWe have a little nest egg built up and were watching how we spend money. I actually sold my car to help out.

QHas your wife come after you with a rolling pin yet?

ANo. I sat down before I did this with her and I said, This is something I need to do. I definitely need to help our veterans and our people. And she understood and she agreed. And she supported me.

QIs there a common theme that runs through your conversations with potential constituents?

AIts things like the infrastructure. If youve taken a drive through Mart lately, they have some pretty Grand-Canyon-sized potholes. And so they want their roads fixed. And also going to the rural areas, they want doctors. They want to be able to see a doctor without having to drive 40, 45 minutes to an hour to go see that specific doctor thats covered under their insurance. Thats the things we hear. Thats a common thing.

Interview conducted by Trib editor Steve Boggs and opinion editor Bill Whitaker. It has been condensed for space and edited for clarity.

Excerpt from:
Sacrificing for veterans, children and second chances: Q&A with Democratic congressional candidate David Anthony Jaramillo - Waco Tribune-Herald

By Dr. Didar Singh

FridayFeb7,2020at7:35PMFeb7,2020at7:35PM

I am a physician at Springfield Clinic. Im originally from India, but my family and I have lived in the United States for 13 years. In that time, I have worked hard to take care of my patients and to build a life in this community all on my temporary visa for exceptional ability.

There are now about 800,000 immigrants working legally in the United State, but waiting for a green card. Many of them are from India. This unprecedented backlog means an Indian national may have to wait up to 50 years to receive a green card. For an immigrant from most European countries, the backlog is much shorter and so, too, is their wait.

My eldest son was just 2 years old when we came here, and will soon age out of my green card application, meaning he will no longer be allowed to live here on my temporary visa and will either be forced to self deport to India or obtain his own student visa. We have to ask ourselves: can we find a way to keep our family together in the country we have called home for so many years? There are dozens of other physicians in our community in similar situations.

A bill in Congress S.386 would lift discriminatory country caps and make the skills-based green card system first come, first served. This bill passed in the House with tremendous bipartisan support. The Senate would have passed it, too, but Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) blocked the bill in October 2019, using it as leverage to try to accomplish other immigration reform. That gamble ignores the urgency of this situation and leaves me and my colleagues in a dangerous limbo.

Families like mine of Indian origin are going through a silent trauma simply because we were born in the wrong country.

Didar Singh, MD, FACP

Springfield Clinic

Continued here:
Commentary: The silent trauma of simply being born in the wrong country - The State Journal-Register

Carl Voss, Des Moines City Council member and a precinct chair, shows photographers the app that was used for caucus results reporting on his phone after he unsuccessfully attempted to drop off a caucus results packet at the Iowa Democratic Party headquarters. (Alex Wong / Getty Images)

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No one votes for president at a Democratic caucus in Iowa. People sit or stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their neighbors and choose their favorite candidate. If that candidate has less than 15 percent of those neighbors choices, people have an opportunity to choose again.Ad Policy

But in a lesser-known way, precinct caucuses are elections. After most people and the TV cameras leave, those who remain cast votes for precinct committee members, county convention officials, and a slate of delegates representing the presidential preferences of the caucus members.

At my caucus of 846 people, for example, participants awarded five delegates each to Sanders and Warren and two to Klobuchar. They then elected 12 people to serve as those delegates at the county convention, the next step in the party-building process that was the original intent of the caucus system. Its truly democratic to decide who will represent you in party affairs that affect your neighborhood, your county, your city, your state.

In the good old days (i.e., the previous century) before the glare of national publicity began to threaten the existence of the caucuses, one more election would be held: the adoption of resolutions that eventually become the partys platform. Those resolutions ranged from the cosmic (e.g., We support world peace) to the comic (e.g., We believe that everyone here should help put away the chairs), but they also tackled relevant issues like marriage equality, immigration reform, health care, and support or opposition to specific pieces of state and federal legislation. Sadly, to some of us, only a handful of caucus-goers linger into the night to discuss ideas, big and small, with their neighbors.Related Article

The expectation of rapid results coming from nearly 1700 events run by volunteers (not the secretary of state, not the county auditor, not paid professionals) is ridiculous. Most Iowa caucus attendees waited patiently and with good humor for their neighbors to work through the caucus process in their school gyms, church basements, and college buildings, in contrast to Chris Cuomo in his CNN studio demanding hard numbers immediately.

The Iowa Democratic Party (IDP) had a plan to make the caucuses more inclusive. It worked hard to, among other things, hold so-called virtual caucuses to allow more people to participate. But then something happened.

On August 31, 2019, the Democratic National Committee told the IDP to scrap its plans due to hacking concerns. This left the IDP five months to come up with a new plan that would improve inclusivity, satisfy the ever-demanding New Hampshire Democratic party, and please the media and others who wanted, for the first time, raw numbers as well as delegate equivalents.Related Article

In a primary you cast your ballot, usually in a few minutes, and go home. You dont interact with the family who lives down the street, the couple who just moved into your apartment building, the young person who shovels your walk, the people on your bus route or the farmer down the road. In a primary you dont get to elect people who represent you locally. In a primary you dont build community by hanging out with old friends and meeting new people, or by volunteering to check people in, count cards, or by talking with strangers about which candidate youre supporting.

In the words of one Democrat at her first caucus, It was such an experience, aiding democracy in a concrete way. Im grateful to be able to associate with so many wonderful people in the neighborhood.

The Iowa caucus has had a target on its back for decades. Maybe App-gate will be the final stake in its heart. Despite its problems, this year it succeeded once again in winnowing the field (remember when 22 candidates tested the water in Iowa?) and giving candidates real-world training. Like vampires, it will be hard to kill.

Read the rest here:
Don't Count Out Iowa Just Yet - The Nation

Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, and Reps. Mike Simpson and Russ Fulcher weighed in after the president's speech.

BOISE, Idaho Idaho's congressional delegation offered up their thoughts on the State of the Union address, delivered by President Trump to Congress and the nation Tuesday night.

Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, and Reps. Mike Simpson and Russ Fulcher released the following statements after the president's speech:

Sen. Mike Crapo

In his third State of the Union address, President Trump delivered a strong and optimistic message that highlighted the many economic and national security successes his Administration and Congress have developed throughout this presidency. Significant progress has been made in the last three years to deliver commonsense approaches that address the needs of all Americans.

President Trump addressed these present-day issues with optimism. But the Presidents promises to the American people also include a long-term vision of success by working steadily to appoint a record number of judicial nominees to Americas courts--including two Supreme Court Justices, 50 Circuit Court judges and 133 district judges. The Senate has confirmed more judges in President Trumps first full term than in any other presidents since 1980.

I will continue to work with President Trump and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass legislation that builds on the many successes of the last three years and develops an inclusive economy where people of every background can continue to find new opportunities.

Note: The above is only part of Sen. Crapo's statement. You can watch the full statement in the video below.

Sen. Jim Risch

Note: Sen. Risch's statement comes from a live interview he gave to NBC News after the speech.

"I've done public service my entire adult life, and I've sat through hundreds of speeches. This was as good as it gets. I would really hope that every American would take an hour out of their day and listen to this president talk about the greatness of this country, where we've been, both in history and recently and the potential of where we're going. This was a classic speech, an instant classic, and I hope every American will take time to watch it.

Question: What did you like best [about the speech?]

"It's hard to say, there were so many good parts of it. It was a classic in that he, first of all, took a victory lap for the incredible job he's done with the economy. We haven't seen a year like this for well over half a century in every measurable economic respect.

"[He] had some surprises in there with the returning serviceman. Seeing Juan Guiado here from Venezuela was absolutely stunning. To see him in the audience tonight, it really was an all-time classic speech."

Rep. Russ Fulcher

Note: Sen. Risch's statement comes from a live interview he gave to NBC News after the speech.

"If you're a red-blooded American, then you had to love that speech tonight. It was positive, it was upbeat. Of course, the president had to talk about his accomplishments, and they're good. He also pumped up the nation, he talked about where we're moving forward, he talked about health care, immigration reform and those types of things which is important to everyone. And [he] stood up for the conservative causes, which so many of us champion: Life andSecond Amendment and religious freedom. And so I thought he did a fabulous job, and I was just proud of him tonight. He was talking like a president, not like a campaign person.

"I was also very pleased that he didn't bring up the whole impeachment issue. That didn't get brought up at all. I thought that was classy. I thought that was appropriate and that's what I was hoping would happen."

Rep. Mike Simpson

The President covered a lot of ground tonight, largely discussing the robust economy we all enjoy. This stimulated economy wasnt by accident, it came from implementing tax reform, trade policies, and by reducing onerous federal regulations. President Trump worked tirelessly to ensure USMCA was signed into law and under this new and improved trade deal, U.S. agricultural exports alone are expected to increase by more than $2 billion annually, further helping our economy. President Trump has been a leader on these economic drivers, and I applaud his Administration for their efforts.

In Idaho, we have a record low unemployment rate of 2.7 percent and our strong economy is benefiting greatly by reducing overreaching federal regulations. Less than two weeks ago, I joined many of my colleagues and the Administration announcing the new rule concerning the Waters of the United States. For almost a decade Ive heard concerns from farmers, ranchers, small businesses, governors, and many others about the extremely broad definition of waters of the United States under the Clean Water Act. This Administration took note of those concerns and rewrote the rule in a way that maintains critical protections under the Clean Water Act, while also appropriately delegating state and local jurisdictions in charge of regulating smaller bodies of water, as the law was intended.

Once again President Trump laid out several bipartisan goals; addressing our countries infrastructure needs, educational needs by offering vocational and technical education in high school, lowering the costs of prescription drugs, and covering pre-existing conditions.

Despite being the target of impeachment talk since the very beginning of his term, he has seated two accomplished U.S. Supreme Court Justices, secured a bipartisan budget deal, enacted historic tax cuts and reforms, negotiated a better deal for the United States with the USMCA, reduced illegal border crossings, and rebuilt our military, not to mention the benefits of a consistently strong and growing economysomething ALL Americans currently enjoy. I hope tomorrow marks the end of partisan fights and the beginning of bipartisan governing so we can continue the strong positive momentum in our great nation.

Read more State of the Union coverage:

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Idaho congressional delegation reacts to President Trump's State of the Union address - KTVB.com