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The Senate on Wednesday rejected an attempt by Sen. Bernie Sanders Wednesday to block sales of offensive weapons to Israel for its war in Gaza over mounting civilian deaths there. The Vermont lawmaker and a small group of Democrats sought to put legislation up for a Senate vote that would block the sale of some tank and mortar rounds and smart-bomb kits to Israel. The first attempt to block the sales was rejected overwhelmingly, and two more were expected to go down to defeat. Sanders, in making the case for stopping the sales, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has not simply waged war against Hamas. It has waged an all-out war against the Palestinian people. Known as joint resolutions of disapproval, the measures would have had to pass both houses of Congress and withstand any presidential veto to become binding. Congress has never succeeded in blocking any arms sales with the joint resolutions. But the vote served as a test of broader frustration among ..
Leader of the progressive movement, Senator Bernie Sanders, set a series of conditions on Sunday for supporting incumbent US President Joe Biden in the November presidential election. "We need a strong agenda that benefits working families and not just wealthy campaign contributors. The American people want change. It will either be the change of Trump's reactionary and xenophobic policies, or change that benefits working families," Sanders, the independent senator from Vermont, said in a statement. Highly popular among youngsters and the working class, Sanders is considered as the leader of the powerful progressive movement in the country, which now has a sizable control over the ruling Democratic party. "Biden and Democrats can win this election if they address the needs of the working class," Sanders said. The statement gains significance given that the Biden campaign is experiencing a crisis after the president's poor performance during the June 27 debate against his Republican
In April, Bernie Sanders repeatedly stood shoulder to shoulder with President Joe Biden, promoting their joint accomplishments on health care and climate at formal White House events while eviscerating Donald Trump in a widely viewed campaign TikTok video. Then just last week, Sanders was bluntly warning that the crisis in Gaza could be Biden's Vietnam" and invoking President Lyndon B. Johnson's decision not to run for reelection as the nation was in an uproar over his support of that war. Such is the political dichotomy of Bernie Sanders when it comes to Joe Biden. They are two octogenarians who share a bond that was forged through a hard-fought primary in 2020 and fortified through policy achievements over the last three years. Now, in this election year, Sanders will be Biden's most powerful emissary to progressives and younger voters a task that will test the senator's pull with the sectors of the Democratic Party most disillusioned with the president and his policies, especial
Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont said Monday that he would run for reelection this year, squelching speculation that the 82-year-old progressive icon might retire at a time when the Democratic Party is anxious about the advancing age of its top leaders. Hailing from a Democratic stronghold, Sanders' decision virtually guarantees that he will return to Washington for a fourth Senate term. And his announcement comes at a critical moment for Democrats as the party navigates a growing divide over Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. Sanders has criticised President Joe Biden's handling of the US relationship with Israel even as he's hailed much of the Biden's domestic agenda ahead of what could be a tough reelection bid against GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump. With the prospect of Trump's possible return to the White House, Sanders framed his bid to return to the Senate as being driven by concerns about the future of democracy in the US. In an announcement video, he said that in many
A man was charged Sunday with setting a fire outside the Vermont office of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, federal prosecutors said. Shant Soghomonian, 35, who was previously of Northridge, California, entered the building on Friday and went to Sanders' third-floor office where security video showed him spraying a liquid on the door and setting it afire, officials said. The building's interior suffered some damage from the fire and sprinklers that doused the area with water, but no one was hurt. Sanders, an independent, was not in the office at the time. Soghomonian was arrested Sunday on a charge of using fire to damage a building used in interstate commerce, according to a statement from Nikolas Kerest, the U.S. attorney for Vermont. The motive remained unclear. Soghomonian was detained Sunday and could not be reached for comment. It was not immediately known if had a lawyer, and an initial court appearance had not been set, officials said. The crime carries a maximum penalty of 20 ye
Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont said Tuesday that he would forgo another presidential bid of his own and instead endorse President Joe Biden's reelection. The leading progressive, who was Biden's chief rival in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, told The Associated Press that he would do everything I can to see the president is reelected. The last thing this country needs is a Donald Trump or some other right-wing demagogue who is going to try to undermine American democracy or take away a woman's right to choose, or not address the crisis of gun violence, or racism, sexism or homophobia, Sanders said in an interview. So, I'm in to do what I can to make sure that the president is reelected. Biden on Tuesday announced his decision to seek a second term, even as polls suggest that voters in both parties don't want him to run again. The Democratic president will face the winner of the crowded Republican primary, which features former President Donald Trump and a half dozen ...