Here’s the latest   in the Harris saga

By Alex P. Vidal 

“Grooming a successor, is it an inheritance? In a democratic party, you don’t want leaders appointed that way. They have to be appointed properly by the people.” — Robert Mugabe

AT past 10 ‘clock in the evening July 22 (July 23 morning in the Philippines), we received a “flash” report that Vice President Kamala Harris has earned enough delegates to become the likely Democratic party nominee, after California delegates voted unanimously to endorse her.

By July 22 (Monday) night, Harris had the support of at least 2,471 delegates, according to the Associated Press (AP) tally of delegates, more than the 1,976 delegates she’ll need to win on a first ballot.

It was reported that no other candidate was named by a delegate contacted by the AP.

California state Democratic Chairman Rusty Hicks said 75 percent to 80 percent of the state’s delegation were on a call and they unanimously supported Harris.

“I’ve not heard anyone mentioning or calling for any other candidate,” Hicks said. “Tonight’s vote was a momentous one.”

Still, the AP is not calling Harris the new presumptive nominee. That’s because the convention delegates are still free to vote for the candidate of their choice at the convention in August or if Democrats go through with a virtual roll call ahead of that gathering in Chicago.

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi made the motion to endorse Harris for president at a virtual meeting of California’s DNC delegation on Monday evening, a spokesperson confirmed.

Pelosi, who represents San Francisco in Congress, announced that with the endorsement of California’s delegation, Harris–a native Californian–had earned enough delegates to win the Democratic nomination for president.

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As this developed, Harris’ campaign sent an email with more detail on her first official campaign event July 23 in Milwaukee:

Tomorrow (July 23), Vice President Kamala Harris is traveling to the Milwaukee area for her first rally since announcing her presidential campaign Sunday evening.

It will be her ninth visit to Wisconsin since becoming Vice President and her fifth visit to the state this year. We’re proud to welcome Vice President Harris to Wisconsin, a state she once called home, where she will rally excited supporters after announcing her presidential campaign.

As Vice President Harris made clear in her remarks to the Harris for President campaign team today, she is prepared to prosecute the case against Donald Trump – and there’s no better place to drive this contrast than Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Just last week, Trump and MAGA Republicans descended on this city for the Republican National Convention, highlighting his Project 2025 agenda to ban abortion nationwide, raise taxes for middle-class families, cut Social Security and Medicare, and give Trump virtually unchecked power. In Milwaukee, Trump paraded out JD Vance – a rubber stamp for his extreme agenda – the architect of Trump’s family separation policies, authors of Trump’s Project 2025, and governors who have signed dangerous and extreme abortion bans.

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THE true “state of our nation” mirrors the way people think and live—their economic well-being, health, employment opportunities or livelihood, and quality of life in general.

If people are satisfied and happy it’s a reflection of the true state of the nation where they live.

An urban developer from Iloilo City in the Philippines once argued that the best barometer whether the economy is “alive and kicking” or in tailspin is the number of carinderia, a food stall with a small seating area, typically in a market or at a roadside, in the villages.

“Kon naga damu ang carinderia buot silingon pigado mga tawo kay halos tanan gusto na lang mag baligya sud-an (If carinderias mushroom in the villages that means many people are in dire straits because most of them think they can survive by selling viands),” said the Ilonggo urban planner, an architect by profession, who unsuccessfully ran for city councilor four times in as many attempts.

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Microsoft has reported that some 8.5 million Windows devices were impacted by global internet outage on July 19. The outage was caused by a software update rolled out by CrowdStrike, a major US cybersecurity firm.

The issue led to the cancellation of more than 5,000 flights worldwide and disrupted businesses, governments, banks and some hospitals.

While CrowdStrike has apologized, it has not mentioned whether it intends to compensate affected customers.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)