President, Governor Josh Shapiro reaffirmed his full support for the Vice President’s campaign and talked about the stark contrast with Donald Trump.
See below for key excerpts from the Governor’s remarks today and full press conference here:
ON PRESIDENT BIDEN’S RECORD OF LEADERSHIP AND HIS ENDORSEMENT OF KAMALA HARRIS
«Well, let me begin by saying a word about President Biden. I had the privilege to be able to speak to him just a few moments after he issued his statement yesterday. President Biden is an extraordinary public servant. He has served this country, the state of Delaware, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as our third senator for a long time, and of course, this nation so honorably, and the work that he has done is going to lead to positive change for generations to come. We’re talking about one of those particular decisions here that the EPA is announcing today. I couldn’t be more grateful for President Biden’s service. President Biden has often remarked that one of the most important decisions he had to make was selecting a Vice President. And in that he selected Vice President Harris, who has been by his side, as this nation has built ourselves back and made extraordinary progress. President Biden yesterday endorsed Vice President Harris, as did I, as did many across this country. Not only because of how honorably she has served in the past, but how absolutely ready she is to be president and to be the standard bearer for our party. She will now have to make an important decision as then candidate Biden had to make and that is, who to run with – who should be her running mate.
«That’s a deeply personal decision and a decision that should be made really free from any political pressure. It’s a decision she needs to make who she wants to govern with, who she wants to campaign with, and who can be there to serve alongside her when she serves as, God willing, the 47th President of the United States, she will make that decision when she is ready. I have all the confidence in the world that she will make that decision along with many others – in the best interests of the American people.»
ON HOLDING DONALD TRUMP ACCOUNTABLE AND WINNING IN NOVEMBER
«I spoke to the Vice President yesterday, shortly after I spoke with the President. You know what we focused on? Defeating Donald Trump. Our conversation was all about defeating Donald Trump and how we protect our freedoms here in the Commonwealth. We talked about how we can’t go back to a time, as Donald Trump did, where he ripped away our freedoms from the freedom to be able to try and join a union. Remember, this is the same guy who went to the Supreme Court to try and turn this Commonwealth and this country into a right to workplace. We will never be a right to work state as long as I’m governor and we will never be a right to work nation as long as Kamala Harris is our President. This is a guy who injected chaos in our lives in the past and wants to do it again. He wants to rip away health care from 1.2 million Pennsylvanians. This is a guy who has looked at the kind of workers who work here with great disdain. He spent a career screwing over the kind of workers that work here at CBS. The kind of workers that work with Darren Kelly and our unions here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
«And so the conversations I’ve had with the Vice President are all about one thing and one thing only, how do we defeat Donald Trump? How do we protect our freedom? And how do we make Pennsylvania – which was the epicenter of the creation of our democracy, the epicenter of our politics today. How do we make sure that Pennsylvania elects Kamala Harris to be our next president?»
ON DOING EVERYTHING HE CAN TO DEFEAT DONALD TRUMP
«Listen, all I’m focused on is defeating Donald Trump. I served as Attorney General when he was President. I had to take that guy to court over and over and over again — by the way, one every single time – to defend our right to vote, to defend women’s reproductive rights, to defend the rights of workers to be able to form and join a union. We do not want to go back to that. We don’t want to go back to a time where Donald Trump literally sued the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to disenfranchise our voters here. By the way, he and his allies sued us 43 times. He went 0 – 43. I went 43 – 0.
«We had a free and fair, safe and secure election that Joe Biden won in 2020. What I am focused on is making sure we don’t go back to Donald Trump’s chaos, and that we elect Kamala Harris, next President of the United States. I will tell you that I have known the Vice President for nearly 20 years, nearly 20 years. We have both been prosecutors. We have both stood up for the rule of law. And we have always both been for the people. That is diametrically opposed to everything Donald Trump has stood for. A man who has routinely screwed over the people, a man who has no respect for the rule of law. And I’ll tell you what, I like our chances running a prosecutor against the guy who’s a convicted felon 43 times over so far.»
HIS MESSAGE TO PENNSYLVANIANS WHO ARE CONCERNED RIGHT NOW
«I stood by President Biden years ago, when he selected Kamala Harris to be his vice president, because he knew she had what it took to be able to be president then. And when he endorsed her just yesterday – he knows she has what it takes to be president tomorrow. She has been preparing for this and she is ready to go. And I’m proud to stand with her as our scores of democratic elected officials, as well as Democrats and Republicans and independents I’ve spoken to in the community, who are excited about this. Who understands the very serious threat that Donald Trump poses to our fundamental freedoms, who understands the very serious risk our democracy faces if Donald Trump is given the keys to the White House again, those folks I’ve talked to, they want to win. And they believe Kamala Harris is our best chance to win. And I believe that too, which is why I endorsed her immediately yesterday after the President did.
«The president knows better than anyone else that Kamala Harris is up to this job. And I think the good people of Pennsylvania and the good folks all across this country are gonna get to see that as we go forward in this campaign over the next 100 plus days.»
PHILADELPHIA.— A fired Philadelphia police officer who pleaded guilty to murder in the shooting of a fleeing 12-year-old boy was sentenced Monday to at least eight years in prison.
Edsaul Mendoza, a five-year veteran of the force who was fired a week after the shooting in 2022, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder in April in the shooting of Thomas “T.J.” Siderio.
Mendoza said in court that he felt sorrow and regret just before he was sentenced to 8 to 20 years. He originally was charged with first- and third-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter but agreed to a plea deal. A message seeking comment was left with his attorney, and exact details of the sentencing provisions weren’t immediately available.
Prosecutors said the 12-year-old boy was on the ground and unarmed when Mendoza fired the fatal shot into his back. Police said the youth had first fired a shot at an unmarked police car, injuring one of four plainclothes officers inside.
The boy threw a gun down about 40 feet (12 meters) before he was shot and then either tripped or dropped to the ground, according to authorities.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said surveillance video contradicted some of the officer’s statements. That included Mendoza’s account that the boy pointed a gun at him and that he was standing in the street when he fired, rather than almost over him on the sidewalk, according to information prosecutors presented to a grand jury.
Four officers had been in an unmarked car, looking for a teenager they wanted to talk with about a firearm investigation, police have said. They saw Siderio and an unnamed 17-year-old and maneuvered the car around the block and next to them to initiate a stop.
Prosecutors said that almost at the same time the officers turned their red and blue lights on, a shot came through the back passenger window and ricocheted around the car. One officer was treated for injuries to his eye and face caused by broken glass.
Mendoza and another officer on the passenger side got out and fired one shot each, according to police. Mendoza then chased Siderio down the block, firing twice and striking the boy once in the back in what prosecutors say was “relatively close range.”
La vicepresidenta de Estados Unidos, Kamala Harris, ha recaudado más de 81 millones de dólares en solo 24 horas tras el anuncio del presidente, Joe Biden, de no buscar la reelección, marcando un hito en la actual campaña presidencial estadounidense.
La campaña de Harris, que heredó de Biden muchos de sus operativos, considera que esta gran cantidad de recaudación muestra el entusiasmo que despierta su candidatura.
«El histórico apoyo a la vicepresidenta Harris representa exactamente el tipo de energía y entusiasmo de base que gana elecciones», afirmó en un comunicado el portavoz de la campaña, Kevin Muñoz.
Según la campaña, el entusiasmo se refleja en la gran cantidad de nuevos donantes. En concreto, más de 888.000 personas realizaron aportaciones en las últimas 24 horas, siendo el 60 % nuevos donantes en el ciclo electoral de este año.
Además, el equipo de Harris ha conseguido 43.000 nuevos donantes que se han comprometido a aportar fondos de manera regular, con más de la mitad optando por contribuciones semanales.
Asimismo, las redes sociales oficiales de la campaña, @KamalaHQ, duplicaron sus seguidores en una noche.
La mayor recaudación de Trump en este ciclo electoral fue de más de 50 millones de dólares, lograda tras ser declarado culpable en el juicio por pagos irregulares en Nueva York a finales de mayo.
Biden recaudó 38 millones en los días siguientes a su polémico debate.
Los líderes demócratas en la Cámara de Representantes y en el Senado de Estados Unidos, Hakeem Jeffries y Chuck Schumer, destacaron este lunes el «buen comienzo» de la campaña de Kamala Harris para lograr la nominación presidencial del partido, aunque todavía no han expresado su respaldo oficial.
«La vicepresidenta Kamala Harris ha tenido un gran comienza con su anuncio de buscar la nominación presidencial de una manera transparente y coherente con las bases establecidas por el Comité Nacional Demócrata», declararon en un comunicado conjunto.
Jeffries y Schumer destacaron que la vicepresidenta «está ganando rápidamente el apoyo de los delegados de un extremo al otro del país» y anunciaron que se reunirán próximamente con ella.
«Esperamos reunirnos en persona con la vicepresidenta Harris en breve mientras trabajamos juntos para unir al Partido Demócrata y al país», detallaron.
Desde que el presidente, Joe Biden, abandonó el domingo su campaña de reelección y expresó su respaldo a Harris como candidata demócrata, la vicepresidenta ha ido ganando el respaldo de varios miembros clave del partido.
Varios gobernadores demócratas que sonaban como posibles aspirantes a la candidatura han cerrado filas con Harris, como el de California, Gavin Newsom; el de Pensilvania, Josh Shapiro, o la de Míchigan, Gretchen Whitmer.
Más de 200 legisladores demócratas también han expresado su apoyo a Harris, incluida la influyente Nancy Pelosi, expresidenta de la Cámara de Representantes.
La vicepresidenta tiene además garantizado ya el apoyo de 1.034 de los 1.976 delegados del partido que necesita de los 4700, para hacerse con la nominación en la Convención Nacional Demócrata, que se celebrará en Chicago del 19 al 22 de agosto.
Vice President Kamala Harris arrives to speak from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Monday, July 22, 2024, during an event with NCAA college athletes. This is her first public appearance since President Joe Biden endorsed her to be the next presidential nominee of the Democratic Party. (Photo: AP/Alex Brandon)
The announcement that Vice President Kamala Harris will seek the Democratic nomination for president is inspiring a wave of false claims about her eligibility and her background. Some first emerged years ago, while others only surfaced after President Joe Biden’s decision to end his bid for a second term.
Here’s a look at the facts.
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CLAIM:Harris is not an American citizen and therefore cannot serve as commander in chief.
THE FACTS:Completely false. Harris is a natural born U.S. citizen. She was born on Oct. 20, 1964, in Oakland, California, according to a copy of her birth certificate, obtained by The Associated Press.
Her mother, a cancer researcher from India, and her father, an economist from Jamaica, met as graduate students at the University of California, Berkeley.
Under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, anyone born on U.S. soil is considered a natural born U.S. citizen and eligible to serve as either the vice president or president.
“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside,” reads the amendment.
There is no question or legitimate debate about whether a citizen like Harris is eligible to serve as president or vice president, said Jessica Levinson, a professor at Loyola Law School.
“So many legal questions are really nuanced — this isn’t one of those situations,” Levinson told the AP on Monday.
Still, social media posts making the debunked assertion that Harris cannot serve as president went viral soon after Biden announced Sunday that he was dropping out of the race and would back Harris for president.
“Kamala Harris is not eligible to run for President,” read one post on X that was liked more than 34,000 times. “Neither of her parents were natural born American citizens when she was born.”
False assertions about Harris’ eligibility began circulating in 2019 when she launched her bid for the presidency. They got a boost, thanks in part to then-President Donald Trump, when Biden selected her as his running mate.
“I heard today that she doesn’t meet the requirements,” the Republican said of Harris in 2019.
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CLAIM: Harris is not Black.
THE FACTS: This is false. Harris is Black and Indian. Her father, Donald Harris, is a Black man who was born in Jamaica. Shyamala Gopalan, her mother, was born in southern India. Harris has spoken publicly for many years, including in her 2019 autobiography, about how she identifies with the heritage of both her parents.
Despite ample evidence to the contrary, social media users are making erroneous claims about Harris’ race.
“Just a reminder that Kamala Harris @KamalaHarris isn’t black,” reads one X post that had received approximately 42,000 likes and 20,400 shares as of Monday. “She Indian American. She pretends to be black as part of the delusional, Democrat DEI quota.”
But Harris is both Black and Indian. Indeed, she is the first woman, Black person and person of South Asian descent to serve as vice president. This fact is highlighted in her biography on WhiteHouse.gov and she has spoken about her ethnicity on many occasions.
Harris wrote in her autobiography, “The Truths We Hold: An American Journey,” that she identifies with the heritage of both her mother and father.
“My mother, grandparents, aunts, and uncle instilled us with pride in our South Asian roots,” she wrote. “Our classical Indian names harked back to our heritage, and we were raised with a strong awareness and appreciation for Indian culture.”
In the next paragraph, she adds, “My mother understood very well that she was raising two black daughters.” Harris again refers to herself as a “black woman” in the book’s next chapter.
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CLAIM:Harris got her start by having an affair with a married man, California politician Willie Brown.
THE FACTS: This is missing some important context. Brown was separated from his wife during the relationship, which was not a secret.
Brown, 90, is a former mayor of San Francisco who was serving as speaker of the California State Assembly in the 1990s when he and Harris were in a relationship. Brown had separated from his wife in 1982.
“Yes, we dated. It was more than 20 years ago,” Brown wrote in 2020 in the San Francisco Chronicle under the article title, “Sure, I dated Kamala Harris. So what?”
He wrote that he supported Harris’ first race to be San Francisco district attorney — just as he has supported a long list of other California politicians, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Harris, 59, was state attorney general from 2011-2017 and served in the Senate from 2017 until 2021, when she became vice president. She has been married to Doug Emhoff since 2014.
Harris’ critics have used the past relationship to question her qualifications, as Fox News personality Tomi Lahren did when she wrote on social media in 2019: “Kamala did you fight for ideals or did you sleep your way to the top with Willie Brown.” Lahren later apologized for the comment.
Trump and some of his supporters have also highlighted the nearly three-decade old relationship in recent attacks on Harris.
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CLAIM: An Inside Edition clip of television host Montel Williams holding hands with Harris and another woman is proof that Harris was his “side piece.»
THE FACTS: The clip shows Montel with Harris and his daughter, Ashley Williams. Harris and Williams, a former marine who hosted “The Montel Williams Show” for more than a decade, dated briefly in the early 2000s.
But social media users are misrepresenting the clip, using it as alleged evidence that Harris was Montel’s “side piece” — a term used to describe a person, typically a woman, who has a sexual relationship with a man in a monogamous relationship.
Williams addressed the false claims in an X post on Monday, writing in reference to the Inside Edition clip, “as most of you know, that is my daughter to my right.” Getty Images photos from the Los Angeles gala identify the women as Harris and Ashley Williams.
“@KamalaHarris and I briefly dated about 20 years ago when we were both single,” he wrote in an X post at the time. “So what? I have great respect for Sen. Harris. I have to wonder if the same stories about her dating history would have been written if she were a male candidate?”
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CLAIM: Harris promised to inflict the “vengeance of a nation” on Trump supporters.
THE FACTS: A fabricated quote attributed to Harris is spreading online five years after it first surfaced.
In the quote, Harris supposedly promises that if Trump is defeated in 2020, Trump supporters will be targeted by the federal government: “Once Trump’s gone and we have regained our rightful place in the White House, look out if you supported him and endorsed his actions, because we’ll be coming for you next. You will feel the vengeance of a nation.»
The quote was shared again on social media this week. One post on X containing an image of the quote was shared more than 22,000 times as of Monday afternoon.
The remarks didn’t come from Harris, but from a satirical article published online in August 2019. Shortly after, Trump supporters like musician Ted Nugent reposted the comments without noting they were fake.
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CLAIM: A video shows Harris saying in a speech: “Today is today. And yesterday was today yesterday. Tomorrow will be today tomorrow. So live today, so the future today will be as the past today as it is tomorrow.”
THE FACTS: Harris never said this. Footage from a 2023 rally on reproductive rights at Howard University, her alma mater, was altered to make it seem as though she did.
In the days after Harris headlined the Washington rally, Republicans mocked a real clip of her speech, with one critic dubbing her remarks a “word salad,» the AP reported at the time.
Harris says in the clip: “So I think it’s very important — as you have heard from so many incredible leaders — for us, at every moment in time, and certainly this one, to see the moment in time in which we exist and are present, and to be able to contextualize it, to understand where we exist in the history and in the moment as it relates not only to the past, but the future.”
NARAL Pro-Choice America, an abortion rights nonprofit whose president also spoke at the rally, livestreamed the original footage. It shows Harris making the “moment in time” remark, but not the “today is today” comment.
The White House’s transcript of Harris’ remarks also does not include the statement from the altered video. Harris’ appearance at the event came the same day that Biden announced their reelection bid.
Hace poco hablamos del sistema de creencias pobres sobre el dinero, y de cómo nos condicionan para que paguemos cuentas y “vivamos bien”, como si no hubiera más posibilidades de abundancia. Pero, resulta que la “identidad escasa” también conforma una psicología pobre sobre el dinero.
La identidad es la fuerza más poderosa a nivel psicológico. Lo que bloquea tu primer millón es una identidad pobre. Hay dos diferencias muy simples: identidad de consumidora e identidad de inversora.
La mujer del millón tiene una psicología de inversión. Está acostumbrada y entrenada para invertir su dinero, sobre todo en aprendizaje. A diferencia de la consumidora, que lo gasta en viajes, vacaciones, bolsas de lujo (a crédito, porque no puede pagarlas), maquillaje, coches. En fin, gasta dinero para aparentar un estatus que no tiene.
Cuando estaba quebrada, yo era una mujer consumidora y mi tarjeta era “la american estrés”. Una vez, entré a una tienda en automático. Ya tenía en mi carrito 2.000 dólares en ropa, pero cuando fui a pagar tuve un momento de conciencia: “¿lo puedes pagar en efectivo, de contado y con dinero que hayas generado de inversiones?”. Mi respuesta fue rotunda: no a todo. Así que me dije: “Entonces, no puedes pagarlo”. En ese momento, dejé la ropa y supe que había cambiado mi identidad de consumidora a inversora.
Hay una razón que siempre bloquea a la gente: el miedo a perder el dinero. Es acertado estudiar oportunidades y educarte a nivel financiero para ser inteligente con los ingresos, pero la mayoría no evalúa asertivamente una oportunidad, vive con terror de pérdida, y eso evita que puedan invertir (el único vehículo que multiplicará el dinero).
El miedo a perder es un exceso de precaución que lleva a la ruina económica, y es un rasgo de la identidad de consumidor.
Hay muchos tipos de inversión, pero me enfocaré en el más importante: ¡La capacidad de invertir en tu cerebro! Confiar en ti… para invertir en ti. No inviertes porque no sabes cómo generar nuevo dinero, te falta confianza en ti. En vez de invertir en un programa de autoeducación, compras zapatos, vas de vacaciones o gastas muchísimo en un concierto. Yo lo llamo “mediocridad financiera”. Tuve un doctorado sobre esto, lo conozco íntimamente.
No debes invertir primero en bienes raíces o bitcoin, sino en tu persona, porque eres una mina de oro. Con Grant Cardone aprendí que ahorrar es la muerte. No es estratégico. Si ahorras dinero en efectivo, ya estás perdiendo, solo por la inflación.
Siempre que vayas a poner dinero, pregúntate cuál será el retorno de inversión. Esto será crítico en tu vida. El retorno interno es el que primeramente haces a tu cerebro, ya que se queda contigo para siempre.
* Coral Mujaes es comunicadora de la Universidad Iberoamericana de México, empresaria digital con más de un millón de seguidores, conferencista, autora bestseller y atleta de alto rendimiento. https://coralmujaes.com/
La Administración Biden anunció recientemente el nuevo programa inmigratorio “Proceso para promover la unidad y estabilidad de las familias”. Se ampliaría así el actual programa de libertad condicional en el lugar (parole in place), disponible para los familiares de miembros del servicio militar de EE. UU.
El DHS establecerá un nuevo proceso para considerar, caso por caso, las solicitudes de determinados cónyuges no ciudadanos de ciudadanos estadounidenses: que han vivido en Estados Unidos durante 10 años o más; que no supongan una amenaza para la seguridad pública o nacional; que reúnan los demás requisitos para solicitar un ajuste de estatus y merezcan un ejercicio favorable de la discreción.
Si cumplen los requisitos, estos no ciudadanos podrán solicitar la residencia permanente legal, sin tener salir de Estados Unidos y someterse a un proceso consular en una embajada estadounidense en el extranjero
El DHS estima que aproximadamente 500.000 cónyuges no ciudadanos de estadounidenses podrían ser elegibles para acceder al nuevo programa. Aproximadamente, 50.000 hijos de estos cónyuges también podrán acogerse a este proceso.
Requisitos y proceso
Para ser considerado caso por caso para este proceso, un individuo debe:
Estar presente en Estados Unidos sin admisión o libertad condicional (parole); haber estado continuamente presente en Estados Unidos durante al menos 10 años a partir del 17 de junio de 2024; estar legalmente casado con un ciudadano estadounidense al 17 de junio de 2024.
Además, las personas no deben tener antecedentes penales que constituyan una causal de inadmisibilidad según la ley de inmigración, o constituir una amenaza para la seguridad nacional o la seguridad pública y deben merecer un ejercicio favorable de la discreción.
Igualmente, en el marco del proceso, los hijastros de los ciudadanos estadounidenses también pueden ser considerados para la libertad condicional (parole in place), siempre y cuando se encuentren físicamente presentes en Estados Unidos sin admisión o libertad condicional y tengan una relación de hijastro calificado con un ciudadano estadounidense, antes al 17 de junio de 2024.
Esta relación se determina si el matrimonio civil entre su progenitor y el ciudadano estadounidense se celebró antes de que este cumpliera 18 años de edad.
Tras la recepción de una solicitud de parole in place, el USCIS determinará caso por caso si se justifica la concesión de la libertad condicional y si el solicitante merece un ejercicio favorable de la discreción. Todas las solicitudes tendrán en cuenta el historial de inmigración anterior del solicitante, antecedentes penales, los resultados de las verificaciones de antecedentes, la seguridad nacional y la investigación de seguridad pública, y cualquier otra información pertinente disponible o solicitada por el USCIS.
(Con la colaboración de Fernando Atencio, law clerk)
* Héctor Benítez Cañas es abogado de inmigración en Miami. Su firma Benme Legal se dedica a la práctica exclusiva de la Ley de Inmigración. https://www.benmelegal.org/
Dr. Mattingly Will Pay $72,000 and Agrees to Permanent Ban on Future Prescribing of Oxycodone and Almost All Other Controlled Substances.
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Dr. David L. Mattingly, a doctor of osteopathic medicine in the Philadelphia area, has agreed to resolve allegations that he improperly prescribed opioid controlled substances to individuals. Dr. Mattingly will pay $72,000 to the United States and agree to strict limitations preventing him from prescribing almost all controlled substances, including drugs like oxycodone.
Under the Controlled Substances Act, physicians like Mattingly are registered with the DEA and are generally permitted to prescribe controlled substances only based on a valid prescription. A prescription is valid only when issued for a legitimate medical purpose and in the usual course of professional practice. That legal obligation applies to controlled substances broadly and includes drugs like the opioid oxycodone. The settlement between the United States and Mattingly resolves allegations that, from February 5, 2015, through September 1, 2018, Mattingly illegally prescribed opioid controlled substances like oxycodone without satisfying these important legal obligations as to a certain number of patients whose records were subpoenaed by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The settlement agreement covers liability under the Controlled Substances Act, which imposes substantial civil penalties for illegal controlled substance prescriptions.
The settlement agreement permanently prevents Mattingly from prescribing almost all controlled substances, including oxycodone. Mattingly also entered into an administrative agreement with the DEA that includes additional compliance measures, such as continuing education courses.
“Doctors like Mattingly have a responsibility to their patients and the community when they prescribe controlled substances, particularly opioids like oxycodone,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “It is critical that physicians uphold that responsibility and focus on the safety and well-being of their patients. When they do not and they violate the law by illegally prescribing controlled substances like oxycodone, my office will not hesitate to hold them accountable.”
“Doctors are required to satisfy a two-prong standard when prescribing controlled substances; the first of which is that the prescription be issued for a legitimate medical purpose and the second being that it is done in the usual course of professional practice,” said Thomas Hodnett, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Philadelphia Field Division. “As part of his obligations under the Controlled Substances Act, Dr. Mattingly was required to ensure that both of these standards were met when he prescribed powerful painkillers such as oxycodone.”
The case was investigated by the Philadelphia Field Division of the DEA. The civil investigation and settlement were handled by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony D. Scicchitano, Investigator Jeffrey Braun, and Auditor Dawn Wiggins.
The claims resolved by this settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
La vicepresidenta Kamala Harris habla desde los jardines de la Casa Blanca, en Washington, el lunes 22 de julio de 2024, durante un evento con deportistas universitarios. (AP Foto/Alex Brandon)
Harris elogia el legado «inigualable» de Biden, sus primeros comentarios públicos desde que él salió de la contienda
La vicepresidenta Kamala Harris después de reunirse en la Casa Blanca con campeones atletas de universidades de la Unión Americana, se dirigirá a Wilmington Delaware, donde Biden tenía su sede la campaña, para reunirse con su nuevo personal de campaña.
En los jardines de la Casa Blanca, se pudo sentir el entusiamo de muchas de las jovenes mujeres asistentes al primer acto de la vicepresidenta despues del anuncio de que Biden le dejara su lugar para buscar la relección.
El domingo por la tarde, la campaña de Biden cambió formalmente su nombre a “Harris para Presidenta”, lo que refleja que ella está heredando una operación política de más de 1.000 colaboradores y un fondo que ascendía a casi 96 millones de dólares a finales de junio. El lunes por la mañana se hizo más grande: la portavoz de la campaña, Lauren Hitt, informó que Harris había recaudado casi 50 millones de dólares en donaciones en las primeras 15 horas después de recibir el respaldo de Biden.
Harris actuó rápidamente para encerrar a los delegados demócratas detrás de su campaña para la Casa Blanca después de que el presidente Joe Biden dimitiera en medio de preocupaciones dentro de su partido de que no podría derrotar al republicano Donald Trump.
Con el objetivo de dejar atrás semanas de drama intrapartidista sobre la candidatura de Biden, destacados funcionarios electos demócratas, líderes de partidos y organizaciones políticas se alinearon rápidamente detrás de Harris en las horas posteriores a que Biden anunciara que abandonaría su campaña de reelección.
La salida de Biden deja a sus delegados libres para votar por quien quieran. Harris, a quien Biden respaldó después de poner fin a su candidatura, es hasta ahora el único candidato declarado.
Menos de 24 horas después de que el presidente estadounidense, Joe Biden la nominara como su sucesora, Harris ya contaba con más de medio millar de apoyos de delegados, de los 1.986 que necesita para conseguir la nominación.
Según un recuento elaborado por el diario The Hill, Harris ha logrado el sí de al menos 531 delegados, quienes han confirmado que votarán por ella en la Convención Nacional Demócrata, que se celebrará en Chicago del 19 al 22 de agosto.
Tras unas duras semanas con cuestionamientos sobre la idoneidad de su candidatura por su avanzada edad, el presidente Joe Biden decidió ayer domingo abandonar la carrera a la reelección «por el interés» del Partido Demócrata y de Estados Unidos, y ofreció su apoyo a Harris de cara a las elecciones del 5 de noviembre.
Harris agradeció el apoyo y aceptó el reto de iniciar la campaña para convertirse en la candidata demócrata: «Me siento honrado de contar con el respaldo del Presidente y mi intención es ganar esta nominación», afirmó en una carta.
Desde entonces, numerosas figuras políticas del partido le han mostrado su apoyo. Según un recuento del diario Washington Post, entre los 263 senadores y legisladores demócratas y 23 gobernadores, un total de 179 han apoyado a Harris, frente a 107 que no lo han hecho por el momento.
Cerca de 4.000 delegados se reunirán en la Convención, a la que Biden iba a llegar con más de 3.800 de esos delegados, después de los diferentes procesos de primarias y caucus que se han celebrado en los últimos meses.
Según las reglas del Comité Nacional Demócrata, un candidato debe recibir el apoyo de al menos 300 delegados para aparecer en la papeleta electoral de la convención, y una vez allí lograr 1.986 votos para ser el candidato elegido para enfrentarse a Donald Trump (2017-2021).
Durante la jornada del domingo, los delegados de varios estados se reunieron telemáticamente. Tennessee fue el primer estado en comprometer a todos sus delegados a Harris, y después hicieron lo propio Carolina del Sur, Carolina del Norte, New Hampshire y Florida.
La jornada de ayer fue un día intenso para Harris, quien tuvo varias conversaciones telefónicas con el presidente antes de su anuncio de que no buscaría la reelección y que, en cambio, la respaldaría.
Según una fuente cercana a la vicepresidenta, la política demócrata pasó más de 10 horas haciendo llamadas a más de 100 líderes de partidos, miembros del Congreso, gobernadores, líderes sindicales y líderes de organizaciones de defensa y derechos civiles.
«En cada una de esas llamadas, la vicepresidenta dejó en claro que estaba extremadamente agradecida por el respaldo del presidente, pero que planea trabajar duro para ganarse la nominación demócrata por derecho propio», apuntó dicha fuente.
Harris pasó el día vestida con ropa de deporte, con su sudadera de la Universidad de Howard, y entre tanta llamada organizó el almuerzo y la cena para los asistentes, familiares y personal de su residencia, un menú que consistió en ensalada y sándwiches para el almuerzo y pizza y ensalada para la cena.
La pizza de la vicepresidenta, apuntó dicha fuente, venía con anchoas, su aderezo favorito.
San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris poses for a portrait in San Francisco, June 18, 2004. She's already broken barriers, and now Vice President Harris could soon become the first Black woman to head a major party's presidential ticket after President Joe Biden's ended his reelection bid. The 59-year-old Harris was endorsed by Biden on Sunday, July 21, after he stepped aside amid widespread concerns about the viability of his candidacy. Photo: AP/Marcio Jose Sanchez/File)
President Joe Biden’s decision to step down as the Democratic Party’s nominee for president opens the door for other contenders to become the Democratic nominee in November. The president has thrown his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris, and other prominent Democrats moved quickly to rally around her candidacy, but it’s unclear just how smooth her path to the party’s nomination is. Here are some of the leading contenders for a spot on the Democratic ticket:
Kamala Harris
Born in Oakland, California, Vice President Kamala Harris calls Thurgood Marshall an inspiration and talks often about growing up with parents deeply involved in the civil rights movement.
Her economist father and cancer specialist mother met as graduate students at the University of California, Berkeley, where Harris recalled they spent ample time «marching and shouting about this thing called justice.”
In choosing Harris as his running mate in 2020, Biden called her a “fearless fighter for the little guy.” She has not wavered as his vice-presidential nominee and has become more visible campaigning for the Biden-Harris ticket in recent weeks.
Harris, who is Black and also of South Asian descent, is the nation’s first female vice president and the first person of color to hold that office. A graduate of Howard University, she also is the first person from a historically Black college or university to hold the office of either president or vice president.
Harris won her seat in the U.S. Senate in 2016 after twice being elected California attorney general. As a Senate candidate, she stressed her fights with big banks during the mortgage crisis, for-profit colleges that were financially exploiting students and environmental wrongdoers.
She’s talked for years about recidivism and criminal justice reform, and pushed for a different approach to non-violent crimes that emphasizes rehabilitation instead of severe, one-size-fits-all punishment. She calls it smart on crime.
As vice president, Harris has been asked by Biden to take on some of the most challenging tasks his administration has faced, including securing the nation’s borders. As the presiding officer of the U.S. Senate, she has cast a record number of tie-breaking votes on legislation promoted by Democrats, who are defending a razor-thin majority in both houses of Congress in this year’s elections.
Harris, 59, is married to Los Angeles lawyer Douglas Emhoff.
— By Christopher Weber
J.B. Pritzker
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, the richest politician holding office in the U.S., is an heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune, a former private equity investor and philanthropist. His net worth of $3.4 billion puts him at No. 250 on the Forbes 400 list of the richest Americans.
The 59-year-old Pritzker won the nomination for governor in 2018, besting a crowded Democratic field. He beat one-term incumbent Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and inherited mountains of state debt, unpaid bills and ratings by Wall Street credit houses just above junk status because of Rauner’s two-year feud with legislative Democrats that resulted in the state going without a budget plan.
Working with Democratic supermajorities in the House and Senate, Pritzker has boasted balanced budgets and paid down billions of dollars in debt, prompting multiple credit upgrades. He also has overseen increased education funding, the centralization of early childhood services, and new laws to make health insurance more comprehensive, accessible and affordable.
After receiving generally high marks for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, he defeated a Trump-endorsed MAGA Republican with 55% of the vote, becoming the first Illinois governor to be elected to a second term in 16 years. He then promptly delivered a victory speech that sounded like it came from a national candidate, denouncing Trump and asking, “Are you ready to fight?”
Even before his reelection, when there was speculation Biden might not seek a second term, Pritzker was criticized for saying he was happy being governor while traveling to the early primary state of New Hampshire and campaigning for or funding Democratic candidates nationally. And he’s continued to boost his coast-to-coast profile by bankrolling a political organization called “Think Big America” that aims to protect abortion rights and has supported state constitutional amendments to strengthen those protections in Ohio, Arizona and Nevada.
— By John O’Connor
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker speaks before President Joe Biden at an event with United Auto Workers at the Community Building Complex of Boone County, Nov. 9, 2023, in Belvidere, Ill. (Photo: AP/Evan Vucci/File)
Gretchen Whitmer
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has rapidly risen in prominence within the Democratic Party since first winning the 2018 gubernatorial election after serving for a decade and a half in the state Legislature.
Her national profile grew significantly during the final years of Donald Trump’s presidency when she emerged as one of the Democratic Party’s most effective voices opposing the then-president. She delivered the Democratic response to Trump’s 2020 State of the Union address and frequently clashed with him over how the federal government handled the COVID-19 pandemic.
Near the end of 2020, the FBI uncovered a plot to kidnap Whitmer, which led to nine men either being convicted by jury or pleading guilty.
In her 2022 reelection campaign, Whitmer focused on reproductive rights, resulting in a double-digit victory and passage of a voter-approved measure codifying abortion rights in the state. Her party also flipped both chambers of the state Legislature, securing a Democratic trifecta for the first time in nearly four decades.
The massive Democratic victories in a swing state that Trump won in the 2016 presidential election positioned Whitmer as a leading advocate for reproductive freedom and a strong contender for a future presidential nomination.
Whitmer — who was one of the top surrogates for Biden’s reelection campaign — has long deflected questions about whether she has interest in higher office, telling The Associated Press earlier this month that she would not step in as a candidate this year if Biden were to step aside.
But the 52-year-old Democrat has been working to boost her national profile. She met with Biden in 2020 as he considered who to select as a running mate and she is currently on a national press tour for her new memoir. Whitmer has also set up a national political action committee that has raised millions this election cycle.
— By Joey Cappelletti
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivers her State of the State address, Jan. 24, 2024, at the state Capitol in Lansing, Mich. (Photo: AP/Al Goldis/File)
Gavin Newsom
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is a native of San Francisco who got involved in politics by volunteering for Willie Brown’s 1995 campaign for mayor. Two years later, Mayor Brown appointed Newsom to a vacant seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, where he was later elected and reelected.
Newsom then became mayor himself and received national attention in 2004 when he directed the San Francisco clerk to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
He was elected lieutenant governor in 2010 and unapologetically pushed a progressive agenda when he successfully ran for governor eight years later. Now in his second term, he says he is “standing up for California values — from civil rights, to immigration, environmental protection, access to quality schools at all levels, and justice,” according to his official bio.
Newsom, 56, has maintained a high national profile this year, challenging Republican presidential candidates in public appearances despite not being a candidate himself. He has been one of Biden’s staunchest defenders even as criticism mounted following the president’s faltering debate performance. During an early July stop in New Hampshire on behalf of the president, Newsom said of Biden: “He’s going to be our nominee.”
The governor was a baseball star at Santa Clara University. After graduating, he worked briefly in sales before starting a retail wine shop that grew into the PlumpJack Group, which includes restaurants, resorts and vineyards throughout California.
He is married to Jennifer Siebel Newsom. They have four children.
— By Christopher Weber
California Gov. Gavin Newsom greets people, July 8, 2024, near the Common Man Roadside Market and Deli, in Hooksett, N.H. (Photo: AP/Steven Senne/File)
Josh Shapiro
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, long seen as a rising political star in Pennsylvania, is halfway through his second year as governor after easily winning his last election by trouncing a far-right, Donald Trump-endorsed candidate in the premier presidential battleground.
Shapiro, 51, has been a surrogate for Biden, backing the president in appearances on cable networks, and has years of experience making former President Trump the focus of his attacks, first as state attorney general and now as governor.
If he joins a Democratic ticket, Shapiro would become the first presidential nominee of Jewish heritage or the second vice presidential nominee of that background, after former Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut in 2000.
Shapiro has won three statewide races — two as attorney general, one as governor — with a tightly scripted, disciplined campaign style, offering voters something of a lower-key alternative to the state’s brash political star, U.S. Sen. John Fetterman.
As governor, Shapiro has begun to shed a buttoned-down public demeanor and become more confident and plain-spoken. In one recent MSNBC appearance, he said Trump should “quit whining” and stop “sh— talking America.”
Shapiro has aggressively confronted what he viewed as antisemitism cropping up from pro-Palestinian demonstrations, and has professed solidarity with Israel in its drive to eliminate Hamas.
He is a staunch proponent of abortion rights in Pennsylvania and routinely touts his victories in court against Trump, including beating back challenges to the 2020 election results.
He also has positioned himself as a moderate on energy issues in the nation’s No. 2 natural gas state and plays up the need for bipartisanship in the politically divided state government.
— By Marc Levy
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro arrives in Blue Bell, Pa., Jan. 5, 2024. (Photo: AP/Matt Rourke/File)
Roy Cooper
North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper has won six statewide general elections over two decades in a state where Republicans routinely prevail in similar federal races and also control the legislature.
Cooper, 67, has received strong job-approval ratings as governor, benefitting from a booming state economy, for which his administration and lawmakers takes credit. He also portrays himself as a fighter for public education and abortion rights. While Cooper finally persuaded GOP legislators last year to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, other efforts have been thwarted by a General Assembly with veto-proof majorities that has eroded his formal powers.
A native of small-town Nash County, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) east of Raleigh, Cooper was his high school quarterback and head of the Young Democrats at the University of North Carolina, where he obtained both his undergraduate and law degrees. “Coop,” as he was known to friends, came home and worked at his father’s law firm.
Cooper upset the Democratic incumbent in a 1986 state House primary race and was elected to the General Assembly. He served 14 years there and later became the Senate majority leader.
Cooper was elected attorney general in 2000, a position he held for 16 years. In that post, he’s likely best known nationally for declaring three former Duke University lacrosse players innocent after they were wrongly accused of sexual assault by an escort service dancer.
Cooper unseated another incumbent in 2016, this time Republican Gov. Pat McCrory by roughly 10,000 votes. A top campaign issue was the “bathroom bill” that McCrory signed requiring transgender people to use public restrooms that corresponded with the sex on their birth certificates. As governor, Cooper quickly reached an agreement with legislators to partially repeal the law.
His time as governor also was marked by restricting business and school activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. He won reelection in 2020 by 4.5 percentage points, even as Donald Trump won the state’s electoral votes.
Cooper and his wife, Kristin, have three grown daughters.
— By Gary Robertson
N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper speaks at the North Carolina Democratic Unity Dinner fundraiser in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, July 20, 2024. (Photo: AP/Karl B DeBlaker/File)
Andy Beshear
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear secured his reputation as a rising Democratic star by beating Trump-endorsed Republicans in his bright red state.
He displayed a disciplined, tenacious style in winning reelection last year, defeating then-Attorney General Daniel Cameron. The governor has urged Democrats to follow his winning formula by focusing on the everyday concerns of Americans, from good-paying jobs to quality education and health care.
Beshear supports abortion rights, but in Kentucky has tailored his message to push back against what he calls an extreme ban that lacks exceptions for rape and incest victims.
The governor won widespread praise for his empathy and attention to detail in guiding the Bluegrass State through the COVID-19 pandemic and leading the response to tornadoes and flooding that caused massive damage. He honed his speaking skills by holding regular news conferences that often last an hour or so.
Beshear has presided over record-setting economic growth in Kentucky, and he typically begins his briefings by touting the state’s latest economic wins. He frequently mentions his Christian faith and how it guides his policymaking.
An attorney by trade, Beshear won election as state attorney general in 2015. He then unseated Trump-backed Republican incumbent Matt Bevin to first win the governorship in 2019.
Beshear entered politics with a strong pedigree as the son of former two-term Gov. Steve Beshear, but the son has faced tougher political obstacles. Andy Beshear, unlike his dad, has dealt with an entirely GOP-controlled Legislature and Republican lawmakers have stymied some of his priorities. One of them is state-funded preschool for every Kentucky 4-year-old.
— By Bruce Schreiner
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear responds to a question during an interview, Dec. 19, 2023, in Frankfort, Ky. (Photo: AP/Timothy D. Easley/File)
Mark Kelly
U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona leveraged his career as an astronaut to build a brand as a moderate in a state that long supported Republicans.
In his two campaigns — the first in 2020 to finish the late Republican Sen. John McCain’s last term, and the second two years later for a full term — Kelly has earned more votes than any other Democrat on the ballot. He outpolled Biden, who narrowly won Arizona, by 2 percentage points in 2020.
Kelly’s first turn in the national political spotlight came through tragedy. His wife, then-U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, was shot in the head while meeting with constituents outside a grocery store in Tucson, a shooting that left six people dead and spawned an early reckoning with political violence and partisan rancor.
Giffords’ improbable survival made her a national inspiration but snuffed out a promising political career of her own. She and Kelly went on to found a gun-control advocacy group, and Giffords has been a powerful surrogate as Kelly has taken her place in politics.
In the Senate, Kelly has focused on national security and the military as well as the drought plaguing the U.S. West. He was instrumental in crafting the CHIPS and Science Act, a bill signed by Biden to boost U.S. semiconductor manufacturing.
Kelly was a Navy test pilot and flew 39 combat missions during the Gulf War before joining NASA, where he flew three missions on the space shuttle.
Originally from New Jersey, he settled with Giffords in Tucson after retiring from NASA and the Navy.
Unlike Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who was elected as a Democrat two years before Kelly but later left the party to become an independent, Kelly has managed to retain the support of the party’s grassroots base without alienating independent voters. —By Jonathan J. Cooper
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., speaks about the southern border outside the West Wing of the White House, Tuesday, June 4, 2024, in Washington. (Photo: AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta/File)
Si alguna vez ha visto un programa de televisión o una película que incluye a la policía como parte de la trama, es probable que haya escuchado la frase «Tiene derecho a un abogado. Si no puede pagar un abogado, se le proporcionará uno sin costo alguno”.
Ese derecho no es ficción, es un hecho.
Según la Constitución de los Estados Unidos y la del estado de Pensilvania, cualquier persona acusada de un delito tiene derecho a asistencia jurídica. Este derecho ha sido reafirmado durante 60 años por ambas cortes supremas, quienes lo han descrito como una de las “barreras esenciales contra la privación arbitraria e injusta de los derechos humanos”.
A pesar de que este derecho está consagrado en la doctrina jurídica y la cultura pop, la intención de este no es sólo tener una presencia física con un título en derecho sentado a tu lado en el tribunal. El derecho a un abogado es el derecho a un abogado competente. Este derecho significa que un defensor público o un abogado designado por el tribunal debe tener el tiempo, los recursos, capacitación y capacidad para preparar adecuadamente y defender enérgicamente a sus clientes.
Desafortunadamente, Pensilvania no proporciona financiamiento estatal para los defensores públicos. En cambio, ELA deja casi todo el financiamiento y el control de las oficinas de defensores públicos a la discreción de cada condado.Dejando a los condados con menos oportunidades de recaudar ingresos. Y en la política local, el apoyo a servicios para adultos mayores, carreteras, salud pública y aplicación de la ley siempre prevalecerá sobre una oficina que, por diseño, atiende sólo a personas acusadas de delitos que no pueden pagar un abogado privado.
La falta de financiamiento estatal para los defensores públicos significa que las personas arrestadas y encarceladas a menudo no se reúnen con un abogado durante días o incluso semanas.
Esto es claramente inconstitucional.
Por eso, después de más de dos años de investigación, análisis de datos, observación judicial e innumerables entrevistas con participantes en el proceso penal, especialmente los defensores públicos y sus clientes, ACLU de Pensilvania demandó al estado. Nuestra demanda solicita al tribunal multar a la delegación de Pensilvania de brindar casi todo el financiamiento y control de los defensores públicos a los condados lo cual viola las Constituciones de Pensilvania y de Estados Unidos. El commonwealth tiene la obligación última
garantizar que los defensores públicos de Pensilvania puedan brindar la asesoría legal requerida constitucionalmente.
Para ser claros, esto no es un ataque a los defensores públicos. La gran mayoría son profesionales trabajadores, dedicados y con muy pocos recursos. El problema no son ellos; el problema es el sistema bajo el que trabajan. Incluso el abogado más talentoso no podría brindar una representación efectiva con una carga de casos que solo permite unos minutos para ayudar a cada cliente.
ACLU de Pensilvania no es la única que hace sonar la alarma sobre la crisis de financiamiento de defensa pública en el Commonwealth.
Un estudio reciente realizado por el Centro Quattrone de la Facultad de Derecho Penn Carey de la Universidad de Pensilvania encontró que al menos 64 de los 67 condados de Pensilvania no tenían suficientes abogados en sus oficinas de defensores públicos para cumplir con los estándares establecidos.
El estudio de Quattrone también identificó 47 condados de Pensilvania que necesitarían más del doble de personal de abogados para cumplir con los estándares nacionales.
Una buena noticia es que muchos de los líderes electos de Pensilvania han reconocido la crisis de financiamiento y han comenzado a dar algunos pequeños pasos para abordarla. El gobernador Josh Shapiro obtuvo $7,5 millones en su propuesta de presupuesto anual 2023-24 para financiar a defensores públicos y ha propuesto $10 millones adicionales del presupuesto del próximo año. Es un buen comienzo, pero no es suficiente.
Tener oficinas de defensores públicos totalmente financiadas es la única manera de garantizar que todos los habitantes de Pensilvania tengan una oportunidad justa de navegar por el sistema legal penal. La Constitución exige que el derecho a una representación efectiva no sea sólo para los ricos.
Cientos de miles de residentes de Pensilvania se ven afectados directamente cada año por la crisis de recursos para la defensa pública. Son las personas encarceladas que esperan que se les asigne un defensor público. Son los defensores públicos que trabajan incansablemente para representar a una abrumadora cantidad de clientes. Son los niños cuyos padres están injustamente en la cárcel. Son los cónyuges que luchan por llegar a fin de mes mientras sus parejas esperan su día en el tribunal. Y tantos otros. Esta demanda no se trata solo de garantizar que Pensilvania cumpla con la ley. Se trata de prevenir el sufrimiento injusto e innecesario de tantos residentes de Pensilvania como resultado de un sistema fallido.
Veronica Miller es asesora principal de políticas para la reforma legal penal en la ACLU de Pensilvania. Ari Shapell es el abogado becario de Toll Public Interest en ACLU de Pensilvania.
