Richmond's Mervin Mayo on America's Got Talent; VCU-Wilder Poll: Black Vote Drop for Biden, Trump Ahead +3; Union Leader at RNC;☀️10 Events
➡️ 17 days until the Virginia Black Business Expo on Aug. 2
➡️ 30 days until the DNC in Chicago on Aug. 19
➡️ 48 days until the Bobby Scott Labor Day Cookout on Sept. 2
🚩 66 days until early voting in Virginia: Sept. 20
🚩 112 days until Election Day Nov. 5
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Honoring Ida B. Wells-Barnett who was born on this day in 1862.
Tonight @8P: Richmond Virginia’s Mervin Mayo: On America’s Got Talent
Richmond singer will be seen on American’s Got Talent tonight at 8pm.
Virginia: Black Voter Drop of 20% for Biden Since Dec. 2023, Trump Up +3 in VCU-Wilder Poll
NEW VCU-WILDER POLL. In a poll conducted by Virginia Commonwealth University’s Wilder School released the results of their most recent Commonwealth Poll, conducted between the dates of June 24, 2024 and July 3, 2024.
Voters cite “high cost of living as the top issue about which they will make their decision to vote,” according to the poll. Once again: It’s the economy that’s the number one issue for voters.
Overall, Virginians site the rising cost of living (31%), women’s reproductive rights (23%), and immigration (12%) as their top three issues.
“With 111 days before Election Day, President Biden trails President Trump in Virginia 39% to 36%. President Biden’s approval hovers around the same support number, at 36% of voters approving of his job as President,” VCU’s introduction to the polls reads.
“I think the results show that Virginia is truly a battleground state' for the presidency. The drop by 20% (46%) of Black Virginians since December, where 67% supported Biden, should be concerning relative to turnout affecting congressional races, in particular in competitive districts 7 and 2,” said L. Douglas Wilder, the 66th governor of Virginia.
The poll is now the third in a row showing that Trump is either tied or leading President Biden in Virginia. Trump leading in Virginia at the top of the ticket is likely to impact other Democrats in Virginia. Those races would include Eugene Vindman, who is running in congressional district 7 against Republican Derek Anderson, and Missy Cotter Smasal, who is running in congressional district 2 against Rep. Jen Kiggans.
Though the VCU-Wilder poll shows incumbent U.S. Senator Tim Kaine ahead of Republican challenger Hung Cao by 10 points, a Trump victory over Biden is likely to make the U.S. Senate closer than expected.
The Saturday, July 13 assassination attempt on Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania does not factor in to the poll results. The VCU-Wilder poll consisted of telephone interviews with 809 Virginia adults, age 18 or older, with about a third conducted on landlines and the rest on cellphones.
Download PDF of the press release and the poll below:
Top Labor Leader Praises Trump in Milwaukee After Rs Voted 100% Against Union Pensions
TEAMSTERS PRESIDENT AT RNC CONVENTION. A $36 billion rescue plan saving the pensions of 350,000 members of the Teamsters union was successfully worked on by Democrats in Congress and President Biden in late 2022.
All of the Republicans in Congress voted against saving the pensions. The Teamsters remain the last major union to endorse President Biden in the 2024 race for the The White House.
Teamsters President Sean O'Brien spoke at the RNC Convention on July 15, But Didn’t Mention that Republicans Are Against Policies Unions and Labor
But last night in Milwaukee, Teamsters President Sean O’Brien became the first Union leader to speak at a Republican National Convention. Though he was critical of corporations he praised Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump as being a “tough SOB.”
RELATED: Biden Devotes $36 Billion to Save Union Workers’ Pensions (NYT, Dec. 8, 2022)
CNN’s Dana Bash asked O’Brien in an interview today, why is he [President Biden] not your automatic pick?
“Well look I mean he is definitely the most pro labor President we’ve ever had and ever seen. Your correct, he did fix pensions nationwide not just the Teamsters — but $100 billion — so he has done a lot of work on behalf of the Teamsters Union and we’re very proud of the work that he did. But the reality of it is I represent 1.3 million members, very diverse membership. We’ve got a lot of Republicans. We’ve got a lot of Democrats. We have an obligation to do our due diligence and just not serve one part of our membership,” O’Brien responded to Bash.
Bash then ran down several incidents where Trump pushed policies against unions when the was in office.
The millions in pensions saved in late 2022 and were the focus of Democrats in Congress led by Congressman Bobby Scott, who was then the Chairman of the Education and Workforce Committee in the House and is now the ranking member. President Biden has also always made unions and labor policy a top priority during a five decades long political career.
Stopping severe cuts to the retirement incomes of 350,000 Teamsters and retirees in the U.S. is an under-reported fact of union related policy as media searches for clicks in a dying journalistic business model that requires sensationalism.
“It’s about everything you worked for. It’s about finding a dignified retirement,” President Biden said with Sean O’Brien and other labor union leaders standing feet from him in Dec. 2022 at The White House.
“Congressional Democrats and President Biden delivered a historic victory that keeps the promises made to retirees, saves businesses from going under, and shields taxpayers from the even greater cost of a multi-employer pension collapse,” Chairman Scott said in Dec. 2022 after the pensions were saved.
With no Republican support, Democrats in Congress saved pensions and dealt with the COVID crisis as part of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. The legislation passed with no Republican votes. In 2023, President Biden became the first President to walk a picket line with striking workers.
RELATED: Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Biden Becomes First President to Walk a Strike Picket Line; Joins UAW in Michigan (AFL-CIO, Sept, 2023)
Despite consistent policy support by Democrats over decades, O’Brien spoke at the RNC Convention and became the first Teamsters President to address the RNC. The camera panned to an unsmiling Trump during the speech as O’Brien criticized corporations.
🚩 House Education and Workforce Committee Democrats have a Pension Tracker to illustrate the impact of their work on pensions.
Flashback to Another Bill All Congressional Republicans Were Against…
In July 2023, Democrats pushed legislation that would protect workers from extreme heat.
“This summer, Americans across the country are grappling with some of the hottest temperatures on record. Yet workers in this country still have no legal protection against excessive heat—one of the oldest, most serious and most common workplace hazards. Heat illness affects workers in our nation’s fields, warehouses, and factories, and climate change is making the problem more severe every year,” said Congressman Bobby Scott, the senior Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
“This legislation will require OSHA to issue a heat standard on a much faster track than the normal OSHA regulatory process,” he added.
“It’s long past time for meaningful legislation to protect Teamsters and other workers from the effects of prolonged heat exposure and dangerous heat levels while at work,” said Teamsters President Sean O’Brien.
“Paid breaks in cool spaces, access to water, and limitations on time exposed to heat are simple common sense steps that should be mandated immediately. Waiting to implement these measures is unacceptable and will result in the further loss of lives.”
The Republicans in Congress are opposed to it and won’t even hold a hearing, because they are against the legislation.
It’s HOT: List of Cooling Centers in Portsmouth
Gov. Youngkin Focuses on Virginia at RNC Convention
The Republican National Convention began Monday, and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin helped kick off the festivities by celebrating former president Donald Trump, who became the party’s official nominee.
Virginia’s Governor, Glenn Youngkin, spoke at the Republican National Convention yesterday and focused on Virginia. He was also interviewed by CNN and mentioned how well his party did with Black voters in 2021. A CNN exit poll demonstrated that Youngkin won 13 percent of the Black vote in 2021.
RELATED: Exit Poll Results from the 2021 Election for Virginia Governor (Nov. 2, 2021)
“In November 2021, Virginians elected a Republican outsider businessman as their 74th governor,” Youngkin said as one of the featured speakers at Monday’s convention. “And I believe this year Virginia will elect another Republican outside businessman as president of the United States.” READ ENTIRE
Below: Gov. Youngkin spoke to CNN from the convention floor
Youngkin’s name had been among a few rumored to be considered for Trump’s vice presidential pick. By Monday afternoon, however, freshman Ohio senator and author of the bestselling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” J.D. Vance had been announced as Trump’s VP.
10 Upcoming Events
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