Latest news with #LeeSaunders
CNN
5 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Wooing Canadian tourists, DNC turmoil, trouble at the Louvre: Catch up on the day's stories
5 Things Democratic Natl Committee Democratic Natl ConventionFacebookTweetLink Follow 👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! Mothers bear much of the burden for a child's physical, emotional and cognitive growth. But a large new study found that a father's poor mental health also could harm his kids' development. Here's what else you might have missed during your busy day. 1️⃣ Border tension: States along the US-Canada border have seen steep drops in tourism, so they're rolling out deals aimed at wooing back visitors. Some are offering special pricing to Canadians to offset the strong dollar. 2️⃣ DNC turmoil: Union leaders and longtime Democratic National Committee members Randi Weingarten and Lee Saunders resigned from the national party, marking the latest internal dispute of chairman Ken Martin's tenure. 3️⃣ Food safety: Illnesses such as salmonella and E. coli crop up more often during the summer. Recent outbreaks were linked to eggs, cucumbers and ground beef. CNN wellness expert Dr. Leana Wen explains how to keep safe. 4️⃣ Too many tourists: The Louvre — the world's most-visited museum and a global symbol of art and beauty — remains closed. The Paris landmark's staff said they're exhausted and overwhelmed and the institution is crumbling from within. 5️⃣ Wearable tech: Samsung wants a bigger piece of the digital health market, and the company's upcoming smartwatch update is another step in that direction as it tries to catch up to Apple. Both are experiencing slower smartphone sales. Get '5 Things' in your inbox If your day doesn't start until you're up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to your new favorite morning fix. Sign up here for the '5 Things' newsletter. 🤐 Zip it? Mouth tape has become a billion-dollar industry. But experts say it's a waste of money without learning more about how your mouth and throat work together while sleeping. • Iranian president says Tehran doesn't want to expand war with Israel• Trump does not intend to sign joint G7 statement on Iran• Minnesota suspect went to 4 politicians' homes 'to kill them,' prosecutor says 🧊 That's how many of the world's glaciers are already doomed, scientists say. ✝️ Millennial saint: Pope Leo XIV said the canonization of Carlo Acutis will take place on September 7. Acutis, who was 15 when he died from leukemia, used his computing skills to spread awareness of the Catholic faith by creating a website that documented reports of miracles. 'Enough is enough. We have to make a stand right now.' Stephen Nunez, who attended a rally in New York 💬 'Fighting for democracy': Protesters took part in more than 2,000 'No Kings' rallies across the US this weekend to oppose President Donald Trump's agenda and his attempts to expand executive power. ⛳ J.J. Spaun won the US Open golf championship, which was played at Oakmont Country Club in the suburbs of which city?A. AtlantaB. DenverC. PittsburghD. Chicago⬇️ Scroll down for the answer. 👄 Lip-smacking good: Blue Moon is collaborating with the beauty company Eos to make a lip balm inspired by the Valencia orange flavor brewed into its beer. It's part of an effort to revive the struggling Molson Coors brand. 👋 We'll see you tomorrow.🧠 Quiz answer: C. Oakmont Country Club is in the suburbs of Pittsburgh.📧 Check out all of CNN's newsletters. 5 Things PM is edited and produced by CNN's Chris Good, Meghan Pryce, Kimberly Richardson and Morgan Severson.
CBS News
8 hours ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Two large labor union leaders leave DNC over disagreements
Two leaders of some of the largest labor unions in the country are leaving the Democratic National Committee (DNC) due to disagreements with the committee's leadership over its future. Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, wrote in a June 5 resignation letter to DNC Chair Ken Martin that she felt "out of step with the leadership you are forging." "I do not want to be the one who keeps questioning why we are not enlarging our tent and actively trying to engage more and more of our communities," Weingarten wrote in the letter, obtained by CBS News. Lee Saunders, the president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), declined his nomination as a member of the DNC weeks ago in a letter to Martin, his union confirmed. Saunders said his decision was about the future for working people and the party. "These are new times. They demand new strategies, new thinking, and a renewed way of fighting for the values we hold dear. We must evolve to meet the urgency of this moment. This is not a time to close ranks or turn inward," Saunders said in a statement. Their two unions represent a combined membership of just over 3 million. Their departures come after a different internal controversy was settled on activist David Hogg, whose election as a party vice chair was voided by a committee vote in June. Hogg decided he would exit his role rather than run in a redo of the DNC vice chair elections. The vote to hold new vice chair elections came amid internal disagreements over Hogg's plans to back primary challenges against incumbent Democrats, though the challenge that led to the new contests was technically unrelated to Hogg's controversies. Weingarten had been a DNC member since 2002, and a member of the Rules and Bylaws committee since 2009, but Martin took both her and Saunders off that committee and offered to let them remain as at-large members of the party. Both declined their nominations. Both Saunders and Weingarten supported Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler, and not Martin, in this year's election for a new DNC chair. News of Saunders' and Weingarten's departures was first reported by The New York Times. A source close to the DNC, who was granted anonymity to talk about an internal issue, said that ever since "the horse [Weingarten] bet on in the Chairs race lost, she has always been on the other side of the fence as Ken– this is no surprise." In reaction to the departure of the two labor union leaders, DNC Labor Council Chair Stuart Applebaum defended Martin and said he understands "that workers are the backbone of the Democratic party." "Martin is bringing new people into our tent, reasserting the strength of the Democratic Party, and is already winning races to make us competitive in every part of the country," he said.
Fox News
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Randi Weingarten, Lee Saunders quit DNC in latest blow to Dem Party leadership
Two top union leaders have departed the Democratic National Committee (DNC), escalating an internal conflict about the future of the party that was stirred up by former vice chair David Hogg. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, and Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, declined offers to stay on as at-large members of the DNC, as first reported by The New York Times. "I appear to be out of step with the leadership you are forging, and I do not want to be the one who keeps questioning why we are not enlarging our tent and actively trying to engage more and more of our communities," Weingarten, the education leader and longtime voice in Democratic politics, said in a letter to Chair Ken Martin which is now circulating on social media. The union labor leaders' departure is the latest blow to Martin, who just last week put his Hogg problem behind him. Hogg, the 25-year-old progressive firebrand, announced last week he would not seek re-election for vice chair after sparking internal rifts with his $20 million plan to primary challenge older incumbent Democrats he said are "asleep at the wheel" through his outside political action group, Leaders We Deserve. "There is a huge vacuum of leadership in the Democratic Party and Ken is proving to be a weak, ineffective leader who isn't ready for any of this," a former DNC official, who asked for anonymity to speak more freely, told Fox News Digital. A DNC committee member, who was also granted anonymity, told Fox News Digital it was "not surprising" the union leaders decided to step down from the DNC, "given they both supported another candidate." Both Weingarten and Saunders supported Martin's competitor in the race for DNC chair, Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler. As chair, Martin later removed Weingarten from the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee, which is the group responsible for drafting the Democratic Party's presidential nominating calendar and election process. The committee member said Weingarten and Saunders "are both incredible leaders" with the country's best interests in mind, and they are "confident we will all come together and focus and continue beating Republicans." "I have no doubt both of them, and the labor unions, will move forward and work together with the Chairman, and every other Democrat who is, first and foremost, focused on beating Donald Trump and the existential threat that he and Republicans pose to Americans' lives and livelihoods and our democracy," they added. Another source close to the DNC also pointed to Weingarten's support for Wikler in a statement to Fox News Digital: "Ever since the horse she bet on in the Chairs race lost, she has always been on the other side of the fence as Ken — this is no surprise." Weingarten was also among those in the party who supported Hogg's controversial plan to primary incumbent older Democrats in safe blue districts. Hogg's decision to leave the DNC followed a damning Politico report, which included leaked audio from a Zoom meeting of Martin lamenting over Hogg's fallout at the DNC, claiming it had made it harder for Democrats to do their jobs and for Martin to demonstrate his ability to lead. "I don't think you intended this, but you essentially destroyed any chance I have to show the leadership that I need to. So, it's really frustrating," Martin said. Martin affirmed the DNC would stay neutral in Democratic primaries after Hogg's $20 million primary pledge. The DNC chair gave Hogg the ultimatum to either rescind his vice chair position or forego his political influence through his PAC. However, that did not stop Hogg from defying advice and wading into additional Democratic primaries by endorsing Virginia state Del. Irene Shin in the special election to replace the late Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va. Members voted Wednesday to uphold the Credentials Committee's resolution proposed by longtime Democratic Party activist, Kalyn Free, to host a re-election for two vice chair positions, which were held by Hogg and DNC Vice Chair Malcolm Kenyatta. Martin commended Hogg's decision Wednesday, thanking him for "his years of activism, organizing, and fighting for his generation," as the Democratic Party seemed prepared to leave their Hogg drama in the dust. The union leaders' departure is the latest public infighting to plague the Democratic Party in the aftermath of losing the White House and Congress in 2024. Weingarten and Saunders did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
CNN
13 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Union leaders Randi Weingarten and Lee Saunders quit DNC posts in the party's latest dispute
Two union leaders and longtime Democratic National Committee members have resigned from the national party, marking the latest internal dispute of chairman Ken Martin's tenure. The departures of American Federation of Teachers leader Randi Weingarten and Lee Saunders, the president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, comes as the party has tried to establish itself as a counterweight to President Donald Trump. Both Weingarten and Saunders had endorsed Martin's top opponent for the DNC chairmanship, former Wisconsin Democratic Party chair Ben Wikler. After Martin reshuffled top committee placements, Weingarten and Saunders were removed from the powerful rules and bylaws committee. Both were offered at-large positions but declined them. 'While I am proud to be a Democrat, I appear to be out of step with the leadership you are forging, and I do not want to be the one who keeps questioning why we are not enlarging our tent and actively trying to engage more and more of our communities,' Weingarten said in a June 5 letter obtained by CNN. In a statement, Saunders said his decision to leave the committee was not made lightly. 'These are new times. They demand new strategies, new thinking, and a renewed way of fighting for the values we hold dear. We must evolve to meet the urgency of this moment,' Saunders said. 'This is not a time to close ranks or turn inward.' The New York Times first reported on the resignations. Last week, outgoing DNC vice chair David Hogg announced he would not seek reelection to his position after the committee voted to redo his February election over a procedural error. Hogg's brief tenure with the DNC was consumed by an ongoing fight over his pledge to spend part of a $20 million investment backing primary challenges to incumbent Democrats he deemed 'asleep at the wheel.'
CNN
13 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Union leaders Randi Weingarten and Lee Saunders quit DNC posts in the party's latest dispute
Two union leaders and longtime Democratic National Committee members have resigned from the national party, marking the latest internal dispute of chairman Ken Martin's tenure. The departures of American Federation of Teachers leader Randi Weingarten and Lee Saunders, the president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, comes as the party has tried to establish itself as a counterweight to President Donald Trump. Both Weingarten and Saunders had endorsed Martin's top opponent for the DNC chairmanship, former Wisconsin Democratic Party chair Ben Wikler. After Martin reshuffled top committee placements, Weingarten and Saunders were removed from the powerful rules and bylaws committee. Both were offered at-large positions but declined them. 'While I am proud to be a Democrat, I appear to be out of step with the leadership you are forging, and I do not want to be the one who keeps questioning why we are not enlarging our tent and actively trying to engage more and more of our communities,' Weingarten said in a June 5 letter obtained by CNN. In a statement, Saunders said his decision to leave the committee was not made lightly. 'These are new times. They demand new strategies, new thinking, and a renewed way of fighting for the values we hold dear. We must evolve to meet the urgency of this moment,' Saunders said. 'This is not a time to close ranks or turn inward.' The New York Times first reported on the resignations. Last week, outgoing DNC vice chair David Hogg announced he would not seek reelection to his position after the committee voted to redo his February election over a procedural error. Hogg's brief tenure with the DNC was consumed by an ongoing fight over his pledge to spend part of a $20 million investment backing primary challenges to incumbent Democrats he deemed 'asleep at the wheel.'
