Found the problem! A loose fitting at the ABS modulator has caused all the woes.
Tonight, I was investigating further why there wasn't any brake pressure building up and was determined to find a leak since that really had to be the reason this wasn't working. Finally found the leak because I had pumped enough fluid out that eventually a drip had hit the floor. From there I was able to hunt it down. I didn't see any fluid earlier because it was up inside the fairing and the leakage was getting trapped behind the tupperware. The leak had soaked a part of a wiring loom going to the modulator, so I untaped it and cleaned the wires off with some shop towels. (Those are the colorful wires at the bottom of the pic.)
I noticed that when pulling new fluid with the vacuum pump that it never looked quite right or at least what I thought I would see. Anyway, it makes sense now. With that loose fitting at the modulator, it was allowing air to be sucked into the line as I was pulling new fluid down from the reservoir. That explains why I wasn't getting a good bleed on the brakes and was unable to build pressure at the handle. It sounds so simple now in retrospect.
Hopefully this experience will be helpful for someone in the future since we often don't think about a fitting coming loose at the ABS modulator, nor does this happen very often.
Another photo, only a little further out to see the location.
All better now. New fluid front and rear and fronts are bled. I had to stop short of bleeding the rear. Probably get that tomorrow. Then it's time to change the clutch fluid.