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MORNING MESSAGE
As a Bridge Crumbles, Congress Fumbles
It’s too bad that Congress was out of session this past Friday. Members would have gotten a first-hand look at the consequences of their inaction on infrastructure spending ... the [Memorial Bridge] had become so corroded that [it requires] extensive repair ... there was a water main break a short distance from the Capitol ... [But] Congress put off until the end of July work on a long-term funding bill that would enable states and localities to plan and execute repairs ... Among the presidential candidates, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont has stepped forward with a $1 trillion plan that would at least be a solid down payment on our infrastructure needs over the next five years.
DRAFT WARREN WINDS DOWN
Draft Warren effort ends, but Ilya Sheyman and Charles Chamberlain declare victory in Politico Magazine oped:“Although Run Warren Run may not have sparked a candidacy, it ignited a movement … [we have] already built the kind of campaign infrastructure a candidate aims for in the final months before a caucus or primary … We’ll help wage the battle against fast-track authority [and] for a country where education is not synonymous with debt, where Social Security can live up to its name, and where money does not equal speech…”
Hillary to hold first rally June 13. W. Post:“The event will take place at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park in Manhattan … The launch will kick-off a five-day swing through the four early voting states – Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. On Saturday evening following the launch, Clinton will hold an organizing meeting in Iowa with volunteers and supporters to plan a ‘ground-up, grassroots-focused organization.'”
Hedge funder attacks Hillary. Bloomberg:“‘I don’t need anybody crapping all over what I do for a living,’ Leon Cooperman, the billionaire founder of the Omega Advisors hedge fund, told CNN on Monday, adding that she ‘hangs out with all these people in Martha’s Vineyard and in the Hamptons and then the very first thing she has to say is to criticize hedge funds.'”
Martin O’Malley’s populist bona fides questioned. Politico:“…in November of 2013, O’Malley schmoozed with some top Wall Street Democrats in a private dining room at Lever House, a fancy restaurant in midtown … Critics of O’Malley’s current populist approach also note that he penned an op-ed for the Washington Post in 2007 with former Tennessee congressman and current Morgan Stanley executive Harold Ford Jr. calling for Democrats to heed the ‘vital center’ and praising the moderate views and approach of former President Bill Clinton…”
Donald Trump sounds like a candidate in Des Moines Register interview:“The theme of my campaign is ‘Make America Great Again.’ … I’m the most successful person ever to run for the presidency, by far … Romney — I have a Gucci store that’s worth more than Romney.”
Jeb woos coal industry. W. Post:“Bush was the only potential presidential candidate on the agenda at the fourth annual meeting of the Coal & Investment Leadership Forum, which includes top officers of some of the largest coal firms in the eastern United States.”
Lindsey Graham may be the only GOP candidate serious about climate. Maybe. HuffPost:“Among the Republican presidential contenders, former New York Gov. George Pataki is the only other candidate who has been proactively engaged on climate. But while Graham gets a lot of credit for his views on the climate, his record on the issue has been mixed and at times contradictory.”
FAST TRACK LOBBYING CONTINUES
House Majority Leader aims for a fast track vote “this month.” The Hill:“The end of July might be the deadline for Obama’s top legislative priority. When lawmakers return to Washington after the August recess, the presidential election will have heated up, and it could be impossible politically to navigate the trade debate …”
Rep. Alan Grayson urges supporters to pressure pro-fast track Dems. Politico:“‘…18 Democratic Members of Congress … are leaning in favor of voting for “Fast Track,”… As a public service, we provide you their office phone numbers,’ Grayson wrote in the email sent Monday.”
Sen. Bob Menendez urges House to include anti-slavery provision in fast-track bill. HuffPost:“It’s a change of tune for Menendez, who had worked out a deal with Obama to include modified language in the Senate bill. The newer language, which didn’t make it into the Senate-passed bill, would have allowed Tier 3 nations — the lowest rank that a country engaged in modern-day slavery can receive from the State Department — into Obama’s trade deals.”
BREAKFAST SIDES
“Oil giants call for global carbon pollution fees” reports The Hill:“Six major European oil companies are asking the United Nations to help impose carbon dioxide emission pricing in all countries. The oil giants said their request to the U.N. represents the best way they could contribute to reducing carbon emissions and fighting climate change … The letter was signed by representatives of the United Kingdom’s BG Group and BP, Italy’s Eni, the UK-Netherlands’s Royal Dutch Shell, Norway’s Statoil and France’s Total.”
“Feds fast-track approval for 3 solar power farms”reports The Hill
California may raise minimum wage again. Sacramento Bee:“…the California Senate on Monday approved raising the state’s required hourly rate to $11 in 2016 and $13 in 2017 … California’s minimum wage would also begin increasing annually in 2019 based on inflation. The measure heads next to the Assembly.”
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