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Political update: Country divided, Sanders endorses Hillary, VP pick looms

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With the deaths of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile and five police officers in Dallas, the country seems more divided than ever on law enforcement violence, guns and race. The social media-oriented world we live in has placed these issues center stage.

Democrats

Hillary gets her endorsement

Hillary Clinton finally got the monkey off of her back. No, not the email scandal and the concluded FBI investigation about it. Bernie Sanders has finally endorsed Hillary as the nominee to the Democratic Party. He may have lost steam in the last few months, but the endorsement and the votes from his supporters may give Hillary a win in November.

Obama arrives in Dallas

President Barack Obama and former President George W. Bush attended the memorial of the five officers who where killed last Thursday in Dallas. Obama and Bush are expected to meet with the families after the ceremony. Obama urged the people to convert the anger into a push toward change and Bush called for unity.

Hillary to meet with House Democrats

On the heels of Sanders’ endorsement, Hillary is going to meet with House Democrats this week. This will be her last chance to garner support from Democrats who have been on the fence before they break for the summer. Hillary is two weeks away from becoming the party nominee, and she is smart in trying to build relationships as soon as possible before November.

Secretary_Clinton_Meets_With_Supreme_Court_Justice_Ginsburg_(6765534461)

Hillary Clinton meets Supreme Court Justice Ruth Ginsburg and at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on January 25, 2012.|State Department photo/ Public Domain

GOP

Justice comes for Trump

In an interview with the New York Times, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg bashed Donald Trump.

“I can’t imagine what this place would be — I can’t imagine what the country would be — with Donald Trump as our president.”

—Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Her comments have been met with criticism and scorn, not only from Trump, but also many who think she crossed a line as a Supreme Court justice.

If an apology is expected from the senior member of the liberal wing and leading voice countering conservative Chief Justice John Roberts, then you don’t really know Ginsburg. She doubled down on her criticism of Trump and called him to show his tax returns, but mentioned no apology when asked for a response regarding her actions.

Gingrich as VP?

The GOP convention is less than a week away and Donald Trump has yet to name his running mate. Speculations have ranged from Chris Christie to Sarah Palin, but it looks like the picture is starting to become clearer.

Although still just rumors, the thought of Newt Gingrich as Trump’s VP choice is making more sense. Just last week, the usually ultra-conservative Gingrich told CNN, “If you are a normal white American, the truth is you don’t understand being black in America.” With a man who seems to understand the state of the country like Gingrich, Trump will be getting a running mate that provides good prospective on many points.

The Trump campaign has set this up perfectly.

News broke that Fox News and Gingrich have suspended their contributor contract, which could be a sign of the obvious. On top of this, the Trump campaign has announced a public event to showcase his VP pick on Friday.

Mike Pence is also picking up steam among conservatives after his rally appearance with Trump last night. Trump is even meeting with Pence and his family for breakfast this morning. All signs point to Gingrich, but anything can happen when it comes to the unpredictable GOP candidate.

Opinion editor Frank Campos is a media production senior and can be reached at [email protected]

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