|
Tuesday will be the last major primary day of this election cycle. Hours before voting contests began in six states, Hillary Clinton was declared the Democrats'' presumptive nominee Monday night by the Associated Press. In response, Clinton said she was 'flattered,' and her campaign called it an 'important milestone.' But the former secretary of state said she first wants to focus on winning the final primaries and caucuses, contests which will leave Bernie Sanders with a choice of whether to remain in the race.
Five states are holding Democratic and Republican primaries—California, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota. North Dakota will hold its Democratic caucuses. Most polls will close at either 7 or 8 p.m. local time in each state, and then unofficial results will start to appear on the respective secretary of state websites.
Clinton over the weekend won caucuses in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, which moved her closer to securing the nomination. But recent polls show Sanders has closed the gap with Clinton in California, and the two now are in a virtual tie. In New Jersey, the other top delegate prize of the day, Clinton has a significant lead. Neither contender needs to win outright in either state to claim delegates because they are allocated based on vote share.
Many of Sanders''s loyal supporters continue to say they won''t back down. Some encourage him to fight until the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia next month, when the party officially will declare its presidential nominee. Other Democrats have accused the senator of damaging the party''s unity by remaining in the race. The lingering question is whether his fans ultimately will back Clinton if he ends his presidential campaign soon.
During a news conference Monday, Sanders declined to speculate whether he will endorse Clinton ahead of the July convention. 'Let''s assess where we are after tomorrow before we make statements based on speculation,' he said Monday in Emeryville, California. He plans to return to his home in Burlington, Vermont, after the primaries.
He also encouraged residents to vote in this week''s contests, stressing the importance of the California primary. He said he was confident he could win if voter turnout is high and called on Americans to ensure Trump doesn''t become the next U.S. president.
'It is incomprehensible to me that in the year 2016…given all that we have gone through as a nation for hundreds of years—in trying to end racism, trying to end bigotry, trying to end discrimination—that we have a candidate of a major political party today who is essentially running his campaign on bigotry,' he said.
Sanders has used the results of recent polling to argue he is the superior Democratic candidate who could beat the real estate tycoon in November''s election. In a recent speculative matchup with Trump, Sanders was ahead of the mogul by about 11 points, according to RealClearPolitics.
'It''s absolutely imperative that we beat Donald Trump,' Sanders said. 'I believe I am the stronger candidate.'
Meanwhile in the Republican race, many members of the party are urging unity around Trump in an effort to defeat Clinton later this year. Prominent Republicans, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, have changed their earlier views about Trump and have declared their support for the candidate.
But others remain uneasy about Trump''s most recent controversial remarks, this time against a federal judge. He continues to defend his claims that District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, an American whose parents are from Mexico, has conflict of interests as he cons
|
|
Tamanna died on Sunday, along with NPR photojournalist David Gilkey, when the Afghan convoy they were traveling in was attacked by Taliban fighters.
|
|
Human Rights Watch and Iraqi officials outline abuses on both sides in the battle.
|
|
Russia''s air force reports it has hit four oil production sites in Syria linked with militant group Islamic State (ISIS), the Ministry of Defense announced on Monday.
'Aircraft from Russia''s Aerospace Forces destroyed four illegal oil supply facilities situated in the provinces of Raqqa and Homs, under the control of ISIS fighters,' the ministry''s daily news bulletin read.
The government also blamed militant group the al-Nusra front of opening fire in three different provinces of Syria, though no casualties were reported.
A UN-brokered ceasefire between the Syrian government, opposition forces and international allies of either is currently in place in Syria, however ISIS are not part of the signatories and combat with ISIS militants has continued.
What is more, independent observers have reported airstrikes have once again continued across several regions of Syria Idlib suffering the worst hit since the start of the ceasefire last week.
The targets of Russia''s airstrikes in Syria have been repeatedly contested as the Kremlin has simply said it is targeting ISIS and 'a list' of other groups; however, opposition groups fighting the Moscow-backed Syrian government as well as ISIS have repeatedly complained of sustaining hits from Russia.
|
|
Iran-backed militias told to stay out of fight in Fallujah, but desire for revenge may prevail.
|
RELATED ARTICLES | | | | |
|
Jordan is a close U.S. ally in the fight against the Islamic State.
|
|
 The NPR photojournalist and his Afghan colleague killed in Afghanistan on Sunday died on the first day of an embed with local troops, highlighting the risks for reporters in a country where increasing amounts of territory are off-limits.
Photographer David Gilkey and Zabihullah Tamanna, an Afghan journalist working as a translator, were killed in a Taliban ambush shortly after joining Afghan troops in Helmand province, one of the most volatile areas in the country.
The NPR team, including Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman and producer Monika Evstatieva, had just spent several days with coalition troops, including U.S. special forces, before they went over to an Afghan unit, said Colonel Michael Lawhorn, a spokesman for the NATO-led military coalition.
The team spent Sunday morning in the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah interviewing local officials, according to Shakil Ahmad Tasal, a public affairs officer for the 205th Corps who accompanied the NPR team during the drive.
NPR photojournalist David Gilkey is pictured at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, in a May 29 handout photo.
Michael M. Phillips/Wall Street Journal/Reuters
The team carried a letter from the Afghan Ministry of Defence, directing the soldiers to escort them to the town of Marjah, roughly 30 km (18 miles) away, he said.
While Lashkar Gah has remained in government control, some surrounding areas of Helmand have been under serious pressure from Islamist militants from the Taliban insurgency.
Earlier this year in Marjah, U.S. forces conducted several air strikes to help beleaguered Afghan troops, and a U.S. Special Forces soldier was killed and two others were wounded during a Taliban attack.
On Sunday afternoon, a convoy of six lightly armoured Humvees, which also carried an Afghan general, was nearing Marjah when Taliban gunmen opened fire, pelting the vehicles with small arms and rocket fire.
'We were taking very heavy fire,' Tasal told Reuters.
The Humvee carrying Tamanna and Gilkey was hit by a shell and caught fire, killing the journalists and the soldier driving the vehicle, according to witnesses and NPR.
DOZENS FORM GUARD OF HONOR
A gunfight raged for at least 30 minutes before coalition and Afgh
|
|
Rapid victory will boost credibility, but drawn-out conflict will undermine struggle to regain Mosul
|
|
