LOS ANGELES (AP) — Bernie Sanders said Tuesday he was “really disappointed” and “upset” that The Associated Press declared rival Hillary Clinton the presumptive Democratic nominee on the eve of primary elections in six states, adding a somewhat muted voice to the outrage expressed by many of his supporters.
In an interview with NBC News, Sanders expressed concern that the news of Clinton’s victory came the night before “the largest primary” and that it was based on what he described as “anonymous” commitments from superdelegates — the party insiders and Democratic officials who can vote for the candidate of their choice at the summer convention.
“They got on the phone as I understand it, and started hounding superdelegates to tell them in an anonymous way who they were voting for. The night before the largest primary, biggest primary in the whole process, they make this announcement,” he said. “So I was really disappointed in what The AP did.”
The AP’s delegate count is based on pledged delegates won in primaries and caucuses, as well as a survey of superdelegates. The AP only included superdelegates in its tally if they said they would unequivocally vote for Clinton or Sanders at the convention.
According to the AP’s count, Clinton secured the commitments of enough delegates to become the presumptive nominee on Monday night, the day before primary elections in California, New Jersey and four other states.
Asked if he believed the news might suppress the vote, Sanders demurred, repeating that he was disappointed in the decision.
Sanders’ tone didn’t match the anger expressed by some of his supporters, who vehemently protested the decision of the AP and several television networks to report on Clinton’s delegate count Monday night.
“When the mainstream media calls the polls, calls the election, because they’re already planning to do it to suppress the vote in California, we will fight on,” Nina Turner, a former Ohio state senator and one of Sanders’ top surrogates, said at a Monday night campaign rally.
Morgan Reed, a rafting guide from Mendicino, California, attended the rally and said it was unseemly for the media to call the race for Clinton so close to the start of voting in California, warning that it amounted to “disenfranchising the vote.”
“It’s ridiculous. California is the biggest state in the nation,” she said.
Patrick Bryant of San Francisco, who also attended the Sanders’ rally, said the decision was disappointing: “It’s what bookies do. They call fights before they’re over.”
On Tuesday, that frustration was evident on social media, as angry Sanders’ supporters accused the AP and the television networks of stifling voter turnout and relying upon superdelegates who won’t formally cast their vote until the party’s Philadelphia convention in July.
Clinton now has the support of 1,812 pledged delegates won in primaries and caucuses, and the support of 571 superdelegates — adding up to the 2,383 needed to become the presumptive nominee.
In the AP’s survey, which began in late 2015, no superdelegate has flipped support from Clinton to Sanders. None has suggested that could happen.
Since their creation in 1982, superdelegates have rarely strayed from their original endorsements — unless there is a change in the pledged delegate tally. In 2008, some superdelegates flipped from Clinton to Barack Obama after he overcame her early lead in pledged delegates.”
Clinton’s faithful also worried that the call might affect turnout in California, where the former secretary of state seeks victory to stifle Sanders’ momentum. Said actress Eva Longoria during a Clinton fundraising concert in Los Angeles: “Don’t let that keep you away tomorrow. We need California. We need New Jersey, we need North Dakota. Please find your polling place and help Hillary create history.”
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Follow Ken Thomas on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/kthomasdc
ORANGEBURG, S.C. (AP) — NBA great Earvin “Magic” Johnson will work with South Carolina State University to raise $2.5 million for scholarships that bear his name.
The university announced in a release Monday that the Earvin “Magic” Johnson Endowed Scholarship Fund will help students seeking business degrees at the state-supported, historically black university in Orangeburg.
Johnson spoke at the school last year and said he would work to strengthen the university. More details about the scholarship are expected to be released Sunday during a fundraising event in Washington.
The announcement comes amid a sharp increase in giving to the university. Private donations are up more than 360 percent over last year to $4.2 million, while donations from alumni are up more than 80 percent to almost $975,000.
SAN JUAN, Texas (AP) — A South Texas officer is accused of leaving his police dog to die in a hot vehicle as temperatures outside rose into the 90s.
San Juan police Officer Juan Cerrillo Jr. was charged Friday with cruelty to non-livestock animals in the death of Rex, a Belgian Malinois (MAL’-ihn-wah). Cerrillo is free on $4,000 bond.
Cerrillo called 911 from his McAllen home Thursday after finding Rex unresponsive in the unmarked vehicle.
San Juan police Chief Juan Gonzalez suspended Cerrillo without pay. Gonzalez says Cerrillo is an experienced K9 handler but the dog’s death is an “unacceptable loss for the department.”
Internal and criminal investigations are underway.
The Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, representing Cerrillo, declined comment Tuesday but said the officer has received commendations for his police work.
CINCINNATI (AP) — The Cincinnati Zoo reopened its gorilla exhibit Tuesday with a higher, reinforced barrier installed after a young boy got into the exhibit and was dragged by a 400-pound gorilla, which was then shot and killed.
The exhibit’s reopening came a day after Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said he would not bring charges against the boy’s mother, who was tending to another child when her 3-year-old “just scampered off,” as children sometimes do.
The barrier, which had passed repeated inspections by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, will now be 42 inches high — a half-foot taller than before — with solid wood beams at the top and bottom, plus knotted rope netting at the bottom, the zoo said. Surveillance cameras also were added.
Director Thane Maynard said the exhibit had been safe for 38 years, but the new barrier helps to reassure guests and protect everyone on both sides of it henceforward.
It “redoubles our effort to make sure that our animals are safe and that our visitors are as well,” Maynard said.
The boy apparently climbed over the previous barrier May 28, made his way through some bushes and fell about 15 feet into a shallow moat. A special response team shot the agitated, 17-year-old gorilla to protect the boy, who was treated for scrapes.
Cincinnati resident Rebekah Ridgeway was visiting with her 7-year-old daughter as the exhibit reopened and said while the previous barrier was good, she feels more comfortable as a parent with the new fencing that visitors can see over but that blocks someone from climbing through.
“It was shocking to hear something like that happen at this zoo, because we know that they have such good safety measures here,” she said. “So it was really heartbreaking for Harambe the gorilla, as well as for the child and their family.”
The gorilla’s killing set off a torrent of criticism online, with some commenters vilifying the zoo for shooting the animal and others blaming the boy’s mother for not watching her child more closely.
The family has said the boy is doing well and they’re taking steps to put the “tragic episode” behind them.
Deters said he has been a bit surprised by the reaction to the gorilla’s death. He said the zoo suffered a great loss, “but it’s still an animal. It does not equate human life, and they felt that this boy’s life was in jeopardy, and they made the painful choice to do what they did.”
The zoo’s actions will be reviewed separately by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. An animal protection group has urged that the zoo be fined.
The zoo says its 10 remaining gorillas are doing well. Two are 20-year-old females that were grouped with Harambe. The others are a family group of eight, led by a silverback named Jomo.
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Associated Press writers Dan Sewell in Cincinnati and Kantele Franko and Andrew Welsh-Huggins in Columbus contributed to this report.
NEW YORK (AP) — “Late Late Show” host James Corden says he has no interest in taking over for his lead-in on CBS, Stephen Colbert.
Colbert’s “Late Show” brought in a new executive producer in April and has been running neck and neck with ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” in the ratings behind NBC’s Jimmy Fallon. Of the possibility of replacing Colbert at 11:30 p.m., Corden tells Howard Stern “that’s never going to happen” and that Colbert’s show “is working.”
Corden also touched on the origins of his wildly popular “Carpool Karaoke” skits, which feature Corden driving alongside singers like Adele and Justin Bieber belting out hits. He tells Stern his first-ever guest on the segment, Mariah Carey, initially told him she wasn’t able to sing before joining in once Corden put her songs on the stereo.
WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles County sheriff’s detectives are investigating a suspected arson attempt at the West Hollywood DASH clothing boutique owned by the Kardashian sisters.
Lt. Edward Ramirez says a witness reported seeing a man throw a flaming object through the front window of the store on Melrose Boulevard late Monday. The store was closed at the time.
Ramirez says the boutique did not catch fire and there was no damage to any property inside. Investigators say the object hurled through the window was heavy and wrapped in fabric.
No arrests have been made.
Detectives were on the scene until early Tuesday and the investigation is ongoing.
Reality TV stars Kourtney, Kim, and Khloe Kardashian founded the DASH boutique in 2006.
Requests seeking comments from the Kardashians were not immediately returned.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Facing elimination, Bernie Sanders vowed Monday to win primaries in California and beyond even as Hillary Clinton secured the commitments of enough delegates to become the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
Campaigning in San Francisco, Sanders declined to speculate to reporters about what a poor showing in Tuesday’s primaries might mean to his presidential campaign. “Let me just talk to you after the primary here in California where we hope to win. Let’s assess where we are after tomorrow,” he said.
Hours later, at an evening rally at Crissy Field in the Presidio, Sanders steered clear of reports from The Associated Press and multiple television networks that Clinton had reached the 2,383 delegates needed to become the presumptive Democratic nominee. She has 1,812 pledged delegates won in primaries and caucuses, and the support of 571 superdelegates.
Sanders’ supporters expressed disappointment that the calls were made before California’s primary and urged the senator to continue on despite the pronouncements.
“We’re going to keep fighting until the last vote is counted,” said Kristen Elliott, a Sanders’ supporter from San Francisco who attended the rally.
Said another attendee, Patrick Bryant of San Francisco: “It’s what bookies do. They call fights before they’re over.”
He said the campaign’s job is to convince the superdelegates that the Vermont senator is “by far the strongest candidate against Donald Trump.” He said calling the Democratic contest before superdelegates formally vote at the convention was a “rush to judgment.”
Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs said Clinton’s support was dependent upon superdelegates who could still change their minds between now and the July convention.
Sanders’ tone was more subdued before reporters after saying over the weekend that the Democratic convention would be contested if no one wins the nomination based solely on delegates awarded in the primaries and caucuses. Sanders also faced new questions about the future of his campaign amid reports that President Barack Obama was readying an endorsement of Clinton.
Sanders and Clinton are competing in contests in six states on Tuesday, headlined by California, the nation’s largest state, offering 475 pledged delegates. Clinton, a former New York senator, is heavily favored in Tuesday’s New Jersey primary and winning a share of the state’s 142 pledged delegates would likely put her over the top.
Obama, who bested Clinton in 2008 during her first bid for the Democratic nomination, is preparing to formally endorse her and start aggressively making the case against Trump. White House officials said the announcement could come within days, although not before Tuesday’s elections.
Obama called Sanders on Sunday as he campaigned in California, a Democrat familiar with the call told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss the private conversation, and would not reveal any details about it.
Asked by reporters in San Francisco if he had talked to Obama, Sanders demurred. “I have spoken to President Obama many, many times about many issues, and I really think it’s not appropriate to talk about my discussions with the president,” he said. “I try to keep that private.”
Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, who has won 20 states and pushed the heavily favored Clinton for the nomination, has outlined plans to influence the party platform and try to persuade superdelegates that he would fare better than Clinton against presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.
Sanders has previously said that Clinton should not be deemed the party’s nominee because she would be relying on superdelegates — party officials and elected leaders — who do not actually vote until the Democratic National Convention.
But he did not make that case to reporters Monday, instead focusing on Tuesday’s outcome. Rallying supporters at City College of San Francisco’s Mission Center, Sanders said Clinton’s voters were more reliable and he would need a large turnout among recently registered voters, independents and young people.
While Clinton has been in the driver’s seat for the nomination for weeks, a victory by the front-runner in California would give Sanders much less leverage as he seeks to sway superdelegates.
Sanders has campaigned intensively in California for more than two weeks straight, blanketing the state with rallies and events in 34 cities aimed at talking directly to thousands of voters at a time.
He capped the day with a concert rally featuring singer Dave Matthews and then was traveling to Los Angeles on Tuesday for the primary. Sanders said he would return home to Vermont on Wednesday.
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Follow Ken Thomas on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/kthomasdc
PARIS (AP) — Despite what it calls the most comprehensive anti-doping program at a European Championship, UEFA says some players might go through the tournament without being blood-tested.
UEFA revealed the details of its anti-doping plans for the month-long tournament on Tuesday at the French anti-doping laboratory, where samples will be tested.
Euro 2016 starts on Friday in France.
Marc Vouillamoz, the UEFA head of medical and anti-doping, said all players from the 24 teams have been in a testing pool since January. But because some national anti-doping organizations don’t perform blood collection, Vouillamoz said “it may be that some players did not have a blood test.”
UEFA will, however, carry out targeted doping tests during the tournament from June 10-July 10, and Vouillamoz said “it’s very unlikely that some players won’t be tested at all.”
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — An Orlando woman is facing charges after being accused of burning her teenage son’s hands on a hot stove as punishment for selling marijuana he found under his parents’ bathroom sink.
WESH-TV reports (http://bit.ly/1PCG3Mz) 34-year-old Zayme Flores appeared in court Monday on felony child abuse charges and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Arrest reports say Flores’ 15-year-old son sold the bag of marijuana so his parents wouldn’t use it.
As punishment, Orlando police say Flores told him to put his hands on the kitchen stove, burning his palms.
Officers who arrived at the family’s home say the boy had blisters on his hands.
The child and another sibling were placed with relatives.
Officials say Flores was released from jail on bond. It’s unclear whether she has an attorney.
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Information from: WESH-TV, http://www.wesh.com/index.html
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — On the day his grandmother died back home, Angel Di Maria’s mother asked him to stay with his team, stay focused, and represent his country well in Copa America.
He made them all proud with a gutsy performance.
Di Maria scored in the 51st minute off a pass from Ever Banega, then later assisted on Banega’s goal, and top-ranked Argentina looked plenty powerful without injured captain Lionel Messi in beating Chile 2-1 in its Copa America opener Monday night.
After his goal, Di Maria held up a shirt reading “Grandma, I’ll miss you very much.”
“I am so happy because I was able to score. It was for my grandmother and my family that are having a difficult time,” Di Maria said. “In the morning when I knew what happened I knew that I would score today, and that happened, and it was for her. I was afraid of not playing, but if I didn’t play, my grandma was going to get mad.”
His coach didn’t even know until afterward and was impressed with Di Maria’s poise given the emotional day.
“Those are very important circumstances and aspects of life that transcend football,” Gerardo Martino said. “He didn’t tell me anything. He was feeling good to play. Not all people respond the same in those situations.”
Di Maria assisted on Banega’s deflected goal in the 59th minute as Messi cheered from the bench.
Jose Pedro Fuenzalida scored in the third minute of stoppage time as Chile avoided a shutout.
There were five yellow cards issued in a testy rematch of last year’s final won by La Roja on penalty kicks. Cards were given to Di Maria and Gary Medel in the 65th minute after they tussled near the left sideline of Argentina’s offensive half.
Chile’s Eugenio Mena was taken off on a stretcher in the 53rd minute after pulling up and appearing to grab his right hamstring, with no contact made.
Playing at home last year, Chile beat Argentina and Messi 4-1 on penalty kicks for La Roja’s first Copa championship. Argentina’s senior team has not won a major title since the 1993 Copa, losing to Germany in the 2014 World Cup final.
Argentina beat Chile 2-1 in World Cup qualifying in Santiago on March 24.
Monday’s match in the San Francisco 49ers’ $1.3 billion stadium attracted a sellout crowd of 69,451 — outdrawing the Friday opener in which Colombia beat the United States 2-0 and a crowd of 67,439 was announced.
Both teams had good chances in a fast-paced first half featuring two yellow cards against Chile.
Nicolas Gaitan had a header from 8 yards in the second minute that Chile goalkeeper Johnny Herrera punched over the crossbar.
In the 18th minute, Gaitan — starting in place of Messi — went down hard and his right knee buckled after a tackle from behind by Arturo Vidal that earned him a yellow card.
Gonzalo Higuain’s shot from the left side in the box went just left off the post in the 23rd minute, then Argentina had another chance thwarted on Marcos Rojo’s header off a corner kick.
La Albiceleste goalkeeper Mariano Andujar made a great diving stop in the 30th minute, using his right hand to swat away a shot by Alexis Sanchez after a pair of pretty passes from Marcelo Diaz and Vidal, prompting Messi to clap on the bench.
“The team is different if Messi is playing or not,” Chile coach Juan Antonio Pizzi said. “Messi’s probably more dangerous than any other soccer player. That’s an advantage we had. But the player who replaced Messi, Gaitan, played well. He has other virtues, other characteristics. He helped them have a better structure and made them a solid team. They were able to take advantage of their opportunity.”
The news about Messi not starting was hardly a surprise given the 28-year-old Barcelona star’s recent back injury. The midfielder practiced on the side during Sunday’s training and not with the full team.
Martino is optimistic Messi might be ready to return for Friday’s match against Panama in Chicago.
“Everything has to do with him being healthy and in good condition to play the next game,” Martino said. “We expect in four days he will be in condition to play. We’re thinking he will recover by then.”
Messi testified last Thursday in his tax fraud trial in Spain and joined the national team the next day. He didn’t get to catch up with Golden State Warriors superstar MVP Stephen Curry, who instead offered his well wishes after a Game 2 NBA Finals win against Cleveland.
“He’s got business to take care of, so good luck to him,” Curry said. “I know he’s going to be ready.”
Chile defender Gonzalo Jara played in his first Copa match since sticking his finger into the backside of Uruguay’s Edinson Cavani in the 2015 Copa quarterfinals that earned Jara a three-game suspension.
U.S. Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati was in attendance Monday ahead of traveling to Chicago for the Americans’ second Group A stage match Tuesday against Costa Rica.