George Wenschhof
“As Christians, my family and I remember the incredible sacrifice Jesus made for
each and every one of us – how he took on the sins of the world and extended the
gift of salvation.”
Obama said other religions shared a similar commitment to helping people.
“From Judaism to Islam; Hinduism to Sikhism; there echoes a powerful call to
serve our brothers and sisters. To keep in our hearts a deep and abiding
compassion for all. And to treat others as we wish to be treated ourselves,”
Obama said.
Easter and Passover are opportunities for Americans to suspend their daily
lives and contemplate the important things in life, he concluded.
“This weekend, I hope we’re all able to take a moment to pause and reflect”
Obama said. “To embrace our loved ones. To give thanks for our blessings. To
rededicate ourselves to interests larger than our own.”
---
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Obama Weekly Address
Republican Weekly Address
George Wenschhof
Representative Lee Terry (R-NE) calls for the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline.
---
Friday, March 29, 2013
Daily Political Wire
George Wenschhof
Obama To Give Speech on Infrastucture Investment in Miami Today - President Barack Obama will press Congress to pass new tax incentives and other flexibility measures aimed at attracting more private sector investment in infrastructure projects around the country, a senior administration official said.
The president will flesh out the details of his proposals during a speech Friday at a Miami port that is undergoing $2 billion in upgrades, funded by public and private money. In his quick trip to South Florida, Obama will try to show the public that the economy remains his top priority in the midst of high-profile campaigns on immigration reform and gun control.
Among the proposals Obama will call for Friday:
— Higher caps on “private activity bonds” to encourage the private sector to spend more on highway projects and other infrastructure needs. State and local governments use the bonds to attract investment.
— Giving foreign pension funds tax-exempt status when selling U.S. infrastructure, property or real estate assets. U.S. pension funds are generally tax exempt under such circumstances. The administration says some international pension funds cite the tax burden as a reason for not investing in American infrastructure.
— $4 billion in new spending on two infrastructure programs that award loans and grants.
— A renewed call for a $10 billion national “infrastructure bank” — a proposal from his first term that gained little traction. You can read more here.
---
Obama Uses Executive Power to Move Gun Violence Legislation Forward - The president has used his executive powers to bolster the national background check system, jumpstart government research on the causes of gun violence and create a million-dollar ad campaign aimed at safe gun ownership.
The executive steps will give federal law enforcement officials access to more data about guns and their owners, help keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill, and lay the groundwork for future legislative efforts. TheHill.com has more here.
---
North Korea Readies Rockets Aimed at U.S. - North Korea put its missile units on standby on Friday to attack U.S. military bases in South Korea and the Pacific, after the United States flew two nuclear-capable stealth bombers over the Korean peninsula in a rare show of force.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed off on the order at a midnight meeting
of top generals and "judged the time has come to settle accounts with the U.S.
imperialists in view of the prevailing situation", the official KCNA news agency
said. Reuters.com has more here.
---
Republican Representative Don Young Calls Immigrants "Wetbacks" - A Republican congressman from Alaska on Thursday used a slur referring to immigrants, particularly Mexicans, in an interview with a public radio station in his home state.
Amid a hot-button debate in Washington over how to overhaul the nation's immigration laws, Rep. Don Young, a 21-term lawmaker, referred to immigrant workers as "wetbacks" — a term that could threaten to inflame the debate about immigration reform.
"My father had a ranch; we used to have 50-60 wetbacks to pick tomatoes," Young said in an interview with radio station KRBD. He was discussing the number of jobs that have been made irrelevant due to advances in automation. The interview was first surfaced by Buzzfeed. NBC News has more here.
---
Your financial contributions to Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof are appreciated - Click here to donate. Thank You!
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Daily Political Wire
George Wenschhof
Obama To Speak On Gun Violence at 11:40 AM ET - President Obama is scheduled to deliver remarks on "common-sense measures to protect children from gun violence" at 11:40 a.m. ET Thursday, the White House said.
Biden, along with law enforcement officials and gun violence victims, will attend the speech, the White House said. TPM.com has more here.
---
Obama Wants Supreme Court To Rule on Same Sex Marriage - President Obama wants to see the Supreme Court rule on the merits of the same-sex marriage arguments they heard this week, he said Wednesday, even though his solicitor general suggested that the court should not be considering one of the cases under review.
"My hope is that the court reaches these issues," Obama said in an interview with Spanish-language network Telemundo that focused on his renewed push for comprehensive immigration reform. Politico.com has more here.
---
Bipartisan Senate Immigration Bill Moves Closer to Release - The bipartisan group of eight senators drafting immigration overhaul legislation is still haggling over the details of its bill but hopes to make its self-imposed deadline of early April, members said Wednesday.
Arizona GOP Sen. John McCain, speaking at a press conference near the U.S. border in Nogales, Ariz., noted that the bill is being written in a bipartisan manner with the intention of winning as many votes as possible.
“Nobody is going to be totally happy with this legislation,” McCain said. “No one will be because we are having to make compromises, and that’s what makes for good legislation. It’s compromise that brings everybody together.”
Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., who attended the press conference after touring the border at McCain’s invitation, said the gang of eight is “very close” to finalizing the bill. RollCall.com has more here.
---
Obama To Travel To Mexico and Costa Rica - President Obama will travel to Mexico and Costa Rica from May 2-4 on a trip to "reinforce" the United States' ties with the region and engage in discussions on economic development, the White House announced Wednesday.
Press Secretary Jay Carney released the following statement explaining the trip:
In Mexico, the President looks forward to meeting with President Peña Nieto, with whom he spoke by telephone today. The President welcomes the opportunity to discuss ways to deepen our economic and commercial partnership and further our engagement on the broad array of bilateral, regional, and global issues that connect our two countries. In Costa Rica, the President looks forward to the opportunity to meet with President Chinchilla as well as heads of state of the other Central American countries and the Dominican Republic, whom President Chinchilla has graciously offered to host. The trip will be an important chance to discuss our collective efforts to promote economic growth and development in Central America and our ongoing collaboration on citizen security. TheHill.com has more here.
---
Ashley Judd Not Running For Senate - Ashley Judd declared on Wednesday that she's decided against a run for Senate in Kentucky against Sen. Mitch McConnell (D-KY). She broke the news in a series of tweets.
"After serious and thorough contemplation, I realize that my responsibilities & energy at this time need to be focused on my family."
Chris Cillizza of The Washington Post explains why he believes the Democrats are better off without her running here.
---
U.S. Military Exercise off S. Korea Includes Stealth Bombers - Two American B-2 Spirit stealth bombers practiced an attack on the Korean Peninsula Thursday as part of a military exercise that has sparked angry threats from North Korea.
The U.S. military said the planes involved in the firing drill left Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri on a "long-duration, round-trip training mission."
Inert munitions were dropped on a range facility on the Jikdo islands off the western coast of South Korea before the jets returned to the continental U.S. in a single continuous flight.
On Wednesday, North Korea said it was cutting the last channel of communications with the South because war could break out at "any moment."
The U.S. military announced on March 15 that it was bolstering missile defenses in response to threats from the North, including a threat to conduct a preemptive nuclear strike against the United States. NBC News has more here.
---
Your financial contributions to Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof are appreciated - Click here to donate. Thank You!
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Daily Political Wire
George Wenschhof
Obama Maintains High Favorability in Latest Poll - Fifty-seven percent of people view Obama favorably in the new Post-ABC survey while 41 percent regard him unfavorably. Those numbers are remarkably similar to the 60 percent favorable/37 percent unfavorable ratings for Obama in Post-ABC polling conducted in late January — just weeks after the president had been inaugurated for a second term. You can read more here.
---
Obama Signs Continuing Resolution - President Obama on Tuesday signed the continuing resolution that will keep the government funded through the end of the fiscal year, averting a government shutdown.
The six-month stopgap measure will keep government agencies funded through Sept. 30, maintaining funding at $984 billion. The bill cleared the House last Thursday in a 318-109 vote.
The funding measure includes spending cuts that were part of the sequester — $85 billion in across-the-board cuts implemented earlier this month after lawmakers failed to reach a budget deal. TheHill.com has more here.
---
Supreme Court Hears DOMA Arguments Today - An 83-year-old former IBM programmer is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down a law that cost her more than a quarter of a million dollars and deprived her, and thousands of other gay couples, of federal marriage benefits.
At issue is the Defense of Marriage Act, known as DOMA, passed by overwhelming margins in both houses of Congress in 1996 and signed by President Bill Clinton. It bars federal agencies from recognizing the validity of same-sex marriages in the states where they are legal.
The arguments are being heard just one day after a challenge to California’s Proposition 8, which put an end to same-sex marriage in that state, was brought to the high court. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court hinted that it might be hesitant to issue any kind of sweeping ruling declaring that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. The justices seemed wary of issuing a broad decision that would apply to any state outside of California. You can read more here.
---
Petraeus Apologizes for Affair - In his first public speech since resigning as head of the CIA, David Petraeus apologized for the extramarital affair that “caused such pain for my family, friends and supporters.”
The hero of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars struck a somber, apologetic tone as he spoke to about 600 people, including his wife and many uniformed and decorated veterans, at the University of Southern California’s annual ROTC dinner on Tuesday.
“I know I can never fully assuage the pain that I inflicted on those closest to me and a number of others,” Petraeus said. The Washington Post has more here.
---
Support For Gun Violence Legislation Wanes - Two days after 20 first-graders were gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School in what Obama has said was the worst day of his presidency, he took the podium at the memorial service with a simple message: Americans’ approach to guns was wrong, and it had to change. Too many children had died, and he wouldn’t let more follow them.
And yet more than 100 days later, no bill has passed either house of Congress — and members are now off on a two-week spring break.
Obama may still get a bill, but not like the one he and his allies envisioned in December. There won’t be new bans on assault weapons or high-capacity ammunition magazines. Universal background checks have moved from an assumed yes to a wish list item for gun control advocates. Even a new gun trafficking law — the smallest and weakest of the issues — is not a sure thing to pass the Senate. Politico.com has more here.
---
EPA Says More Than Half of U.S. Rivers Unsuitable for Aquatic Life - Fifty-five percent of U.S. river and stream lengths were in poor condition for aquatic life, largely under threat from runoff contaminated by fertilizers, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Tuesday.
High levels of phosphorus and nitrogen, runoff from urban areas, shrinking ground cover and pollution from mercury and bacteria were putting the 1.2 million miles of streams and rivers surveyed under stress, the EPA said.
"This new science shows that America's streams and rivers are under significant pressure," Nancy Stone, acting administrator of the EPA's Office of Water, said in a statement.
Twenty-one percent of the United States' river and stream length was in good biological condition, down from 27 percent in 2004, according to the survey, carried out in 2008 and 2009 at almost 2,000 sites. NBC News has more here.
---
Your financial contributions to Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof are appreciated - Click here to donate. Thank You!
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Daily Political Wire
George Wenschhof
---
Supreme Court Hears Same Sex Arguments - A four-year legal battle to extend the right of marriage to same-sex couples no matter where they live gets its moment before the Supreme Court on Tuesday in historic oral arguments difficult to imagine even a decade ago.
The first of two days of oral arguments over what supporters call marriage equality brings the boldest of the claims that gay rights activists will make — that there is a constitutional right to same-sex marriage that states may not deny.
The nine justices will consider California’s Proposition 8, which voters passed in 2008 to define marriage as between a man and woman and to overturn a state Supreme Court decision earlier that year that approved same-sex marriage. The Washington Post has more here.
---
Republican Senators Threaten Filibuster On Gun-Violence Legislation - A trio of Republican senators on Tuesday warned Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) they plan to filibuster any attempts at bringing new gun control legislation to the floor of the Senate.
The move comes just days after Reid announced plans to push forward on a gun control bill which would expand background checks and penalties on straw purchasers.
Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) argue in a letter to Reid that the proposed bill amounts to an infringement of Second Amendment rights. TheHill.com has more here.
---
Senator Tim Johnson Won't Seek Re-Election - NBC News is reporting South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson will not seek re-election in 2014, NBC News has confirmed. He is expected to make a formal announcement of his retirement Tuesday.
Johnson’s decision opens an opportunity for Republicans to take over the seat in a state that favored Mitt Romney over Barack Obama by almost 20 points.
His departure is no great surprise to operatives on both sides of the aisle. Johnson has been recovering from a brain hemorrhage in 2006 that left him partially paralyzed. (He did, however, run successfully for re-election in 2008.)
He is the seventh senator to announce his retirement in 2014.
---
Cyprus Bailout Deal Reached, Questions Remain - European leaders Monday hailed a last-minute bailout for Cyprus as an important step in defending their unified currency, but some officials and analysts questioned whether the deal raised new problems that could still threaten the survival of the euro.
The arrangement will grant Cyprus $13 billion in emergency loans from an international group of lenders but will force the country to shutter its second-largest bank and will push massive losses on large depositors there. The deal effectively wipes out Cyprus’s appeal as an international banking haven but saves Europe from cutting off support to one of the 17 nations that use the euro currency.
Cypriot banks closed for a 10th day Monday and are not due to reopen until Thursday. With many depositors limited to withdrawing no more than $130 from an ATM, some analysts questioned whether the agreement would weaken faith in the currency union and whether a euro deposited in a Cypriot bank was worth as much as one deposited elsewhere. You can read more here.
---
North Korea Threatens U.S. Again - North Korea on Tuesday served up its latest round of threats against the United States, saying it plans to place military units tasked with targeting U.S. bases under combat ready status.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Daily Political Wire
George Wenschhof
Bloomberg Buys $12 Million in Ads Promoting Gun Violence Legislation - A new $12 million television ad campaign from Mayors Against Illegal Guns will push senators in key states to back gun control efforts, including comprehensive background checks.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the ad buy Saturday — just days after Senate Democrats touted stronger background checks while acknowledging insufficient support to restore a ban on assault-style weapons to federal gun control legislation.
“These ads bring the voices of Americans — who overwhelmingly support comprehensive and enforceable background checks — into the discussion to move senators to immediately take action to prevent gun violence,” Bloomberg said in a statement issued by the group he co-founded in 2006. The Washington Post has more here.
---
Kerry To Meet with Netanyahu and Abbas - Secretary of State John Kerry will meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Amman before flying to Israel for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later on Saturday as he seeks ways to revive long-stalled peace talks.
---
Musharraf Returns To Pakistan - In his first address since returning to Pakistan from self-exile, former President Pervez Musharraf declared his intention to run for office, saying he defied risks to "save" the country.
---
Keystone XL Pipeline Gets Senate Approval - The Senate issued a symbolic, filibuster-proof endorsement of the Keystone XL pipeline Friday evening, further increasing the pressure on President Barack Obama to green-light the project despite massive resistance from his environmental base.
Seventeen Democrats joined all of the Senate’s Republicans in a 62-37 vote for Sen. John Hoeven’s budget amendment urging approval of TransCanada’s oil pipeline. Politico.com has more here.
---
Time Running Out For Cyprus Bailout - Eight days after hashing out a bailout deal that the financial world reviled and the Cypriot Parliament unanimously rejected, the Eurogroup of finance ministers and Cyprus officials plan to meet here Sunday night with their pencils sharpened.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Sunday Morning "Talking Heads" Cheat Sheet
George Wenschhof
Likely topics for discussion will be the passage of a budget by the Senate early Saturday morning for the first time in four years, the struggle to pass gun violence legislation in Congress, same sex marriage and President Obama's Middle East trip.
Expect a lively exchange on the issue of gun violence legislation when NRA President Wayne LaPierre squares off against New York mayor Michael Bloomberg on NBC "Meet The Press".
Bloomberg will also be asked about his legislation curtailing sales of "large" soft drinks, which a judge issued a stay on and his recent proposed legislation on smoking.
It should also be fun to watch when former Obama campaign manager Jim Messina is matched with Republican political operative Karl Rove on ABC "This Week".
"This Week" will also feature a roundtable discussion on President Obama's Middle East trip with Christiane Amanpour.
With California's Proposition 8 before the Supreme Court next week, same sex marriage discussion will take place. Look for sparks when Freedom to Marry President Mary Wolfson and Family Research Council President Tony Perkins appear on CBS "Face The Nation".
Plan to tune into CNN "State of The Union" where Colorado governor John Hickenlooper (D-CO) will discuss his signing of two landmark bills, as Colorado becomes the sixth state to legalize civil unions, and the second state to enact gun control bills in the wake of the Newtown, Connecticut shootings.
Also appearing on "State of the Union" will be Veteran Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki who will discuss the growing backlog of veterans claims, the high rate of unemployment among vets, and the transition for troops as they come home from war.
Below are the scheduled guests.
NBC "Meet The Press" - Michael Bloomberg, Wayne LaPierre
David Boies on constitutionality of same sex marriage and Richard Engel on the just concluded Middle East trip by President Obama
Roundtable discussion with Ralph Reed, Hilary Rosen, EJ Dionne and David Brooks
ABC "This Week" - Jim Messina and Karl Rove
Roundtable discussion with Donna Brazille, Terry Moran, Peggy Noonan.
Middle East roundtable with Christiane Amanpour, Jeffrey Goldberg, Dan Senor and Rana Foroofar.
CBS "Face The Nation" - Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), Evan Wolfson and Tony Perkins
Roundtable discussion on Middle East with Tom Friedman, Clarissa Ward and Bobby Ghost
CNN "State of The Union" - Governor John Hickenlooper (D-Col.), Eric Shinseki, Kamala Harris, Peter Gaytan, Tom Tarantino and Ana Navarro
Fox News Sunday - Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Nicolle Wallace andGary Bauer
Roundtable discussion with Newt Gingrich, Evan Bayh, Jennifer Rubin and Juan Williams.
---
Your financial contributions to Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof are appreciated - Click here to donate. Thank You!
Obama Weekly Address
George Wenschhof
President Obama in his weekly address urged both chambers of Congress to hold a vote on a series of gun-control measures, including the controversial assault weapons ban and a limit on magazine sizes.
---
Your financial contributions to Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof are appreciated - Click here to donate. Thank You!
Republican Weekly Address
George Wenschhof
Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) delivered the Republican weekly address and continued with the party refrain of cutting spending and not increasing taxes.
---
Your financial contributions to Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof are appreciated - Click here to donate. Thank You!
Friday, March 22, 2013
Daily Political Wire
George Wenschhof
Obama also visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial complex and the gravesite of Zionism founder Theodor Herzl, where he also laid a stone, as he wrapped up his three-day trip to Israel, the first of his presidency. TheHill.com has more here.
---
Final Senate Budget Vote Nears - The Democrat-controlled Senate appears set to approve its first budget resolution in four years.
Votes on amendments to the budget began Thursday night, with a final vote set for late Friday or early Saturday.
Democrats can only afford to lose only five votes on their budget, which would allow Vice President Biden to cast a tie-breaking ballot. A handful of Democrats from red states, several of whom are facing re-election in 2014, are the key.
Undecided senators include Sens. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Kay Hagan (D-N.C.), Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), Mark Begich (D-Alaska), Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.). If they all voted “no,” the budget would fail. You can read more here.
---
Gingrich and Santorum Considered Unity Ticket - Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum held discussions in February last year over a unity ticket that they believed could have toppled eventual GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, according to Bloomberg Businessweek. But the deal fell apart when neither man could envision himself in the No. 2 slot.
“I was disappointed when Speaker Gingrich ultimately decided against this idea, because it could have changed the outcome of the primary,” Santorum told Bloomberg BusinessWeek. “And more importantly, it could have changed the outcome of the general election.” You can read more here.
---
Bloomberg and Biden Continue Push For Assault Weapons Ban - Days after lawmakers sidelined a proposed assault weapons ban, Vice President Joe Biden and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Thursday offered a stern warning to Congress: there are still political consequences for opposing the measure.
"Even though restrictions on military-style weapons will not be part of the bill that goes to the floor of the U.S. Senate, it will get a vote by the full Senate as an amendment to the bill. And everyone’s going to have to stand up and say yea or nay, and then the rest of us have to decide just how we feel about people and their stands," Bloomberg said at a New York press conference with Biden and several family members of children killed in last year’s Sandy Hook Elementary shooting. NBC News has more here.
---
Your financial contributions to Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof are appreciated - Click here to donate. Thank You!
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Daily Political Wire
George Wenschhof
Obama: U.S. Committed To Two States - "The United States is deeply committed to the creation of an independent and sovereign state of Palestine," Obama said at the press conference. "The Palestinian people deserve an end to occupation and the daily indignities that come with it."
But the president also strongly condemned the overnight rocket attack. The attack did not cause any damage or injuries, but effectively ended an eight-day cease-fire in the region.
"We condemn this violation of the important ceasefire that protects both Israelis and Palestinians, a violation Hamas has a responsibility to prevent," Obama said.
Obama’s visit with Abbas came on the second day of his trip to the Middle East and hours after Hamas militants fired two rockets from the Gaza Strip into the Israeli town of Sderot. TheHill.com has more here.
---
Senate Passes Continuing Resolution - A far-reaching six-month funding bill cleared the Senate on Wednesday afternoon after final adjustments were made for the meat industry to forestall the planned furloughs of food safety inspectors this summer in the wake of sequestration.
The measure goes next to the House, which is expected to give its quick approval Thursday so as to avoid any threat of a government shutdown when the current continuing resolution runs out March 27.
The final 73-26 Senate roll call followed a 63-36 vote in which 10 Republicans — nine of them from the Senate Appropriations Committee — again provided pivotal support. Politico.com has more here.
---
House Passes Continuing Resolution - CNN) - The House of Representatives approved legislation Thursday funding the government through the end of September and avoiding a partial federal shutdown, while also softening the blow of forced spending cuts. The measure, which passed the Senate on Wednesday, now goes to President Barack Obama to be signed into law.
The vote was 318-109.
---
House To Vote on Ryan Budget Today - Republican leaders are poised to pass Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) budget on Thursday, having convinced centrists and conservatives to back the blueprint that Democrats believe is their road map back to the House majority.
As of late Wednesday, only three Republicans had publicly said they intend to vote against the Ryan plan, while 33 House GOP lawmakers were undecided or declined to comment, according to a whip count conducted by The Hill. Among the undecided lawmakers, several noted they would probably support the measure.
With all Democrats expected to vote “no,” House Republicans can only afford about 15 defections. Last year, 10 Republicans rejected Ryan’s budget; the House GOP majority is smaller in 2013. You can read more here.
---
Report: U.S. Intelligence Distorted - A panel of White House advisers warned President Obama in a secret report that U.S. spy agencies were paying inadequate attention to China, the Middle East and other national security flash points because they had become too focused on military operations and drone strikes, U.S. officials said.
Led by influential figures including new Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and former senator David L. Boren (D-Okla.), the panel concluded in a report last year that the roles of the CIA, the National Security Agency and other spy services had been distorted by more than a decade of conflict. The Washington Post has more here.
---
Clinton Leads Rubio and Bush in Florida Poll - According to a Quinnipiac University survey released Thursday, the former first lady, former senator from New York, 2008 Democratic presidential candidate and former secretary of state leads Bush, the former two-term governor of Florida, 51%-40% in the Sunshine State. And the poll indicates Clinton topping Rubio, the first term senator from Florida, 52%-41% in his home state.
---
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Daily Political Wire
George Wenschhof
Air Force One touched down in Tel Aviv early Wednesday afternoon after an overnight flight from Washington. Among those there to greet him were President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. TPM.com has more here.
---
Reid Drops "Assault Weapons Ban" from Senate Gun Legislation - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid decided not to include an assault-weapons ban in the gun legislation he’ll bring to the Senate floor next month.
“Obviously I'm disappointed," Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who authored the assault-weapons ban, said yesterday. NBC News has more here.
---
House Bipartisan Group Close To Immigration Reform Proposal - A group of eight lawmakers — four Republicans and four Democrats — has been meeting privately to craft a comprehensive immigration overhaul, and they told Boehner and other Republican leaders last week that they were close to a deal.
The House group has kept a tight lid on details of the legislation they are drafting, but Hoyer said it would include a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S., which is perhaps the most contentious issue in the immigration debate.
“I do not anticipate the announcement of a bill or bipartisan principles in the next week,” Gutierrez said at a breakfast sponsored by The Christian Science Monitor, “but I am hopeful that after recess, after Easter, the process will move forward quickly in both the House and the Senate.” TheHill.com has more here.
---
Sanford Moves on To Runoff Election - The first chapter in a wild race to fill a Congressional seat in South Carolina was written Tuesday when former Gov. Mark Sanford staged something of a comeback in a Republican field crowded with 16 candidates, and Democrats overwhelmingly picked Elizabeth Colbert Busch, a businesswoman on leave from Clemson University.
By the time the polls closed in the district, which stretches along the coastal Low Country and includes Charleston, it was clear Mr. Sanford had at least some political redemption. With 99 percent of the votes counted, he got 37 percent of them.
Crist as Democrat, is Favored in Florida Governor Race - According to a Quinnipiac University poll, 50% of Florida registered voters say they would back Crist, running as a Democrat, with 34% supporting Gov. Rick Scott, if next year's gubernatorial contest was held today.
And the survey indicates that half of Florida voters say Crist's switch from Republican to independent and now to Democrat is a positive thing that shows he's a pragmatist, with four in ten saying it's a negative move which shows he lacks core beliefs. CNN.com has more here.
---
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Daily Political Wire
George Wenschhof
Pope Francis Inaugurated: Appeals for Protection of Poor, Environment - Pope Francis issued an appeal for the protection of the weak, the poor and the world environment Tuesday at a special Mass marking his inauguration as the new leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics.
---
Obama Begins Middle East Trip - Tonight, President Obama begins his trip to Israel, the West Bank and Jordan.
As White House officials readily acknowledge, Mr. Obama’s visit beginning Wednesday is primarily aimed at allowing him to build bridges both to Israelis and to Mr. Netanyahu, who just formed a new government that will likely keep him in office for several more years. The Hill.com has more here.
---
Cyprus Vote Expected to Reject Bailout - Cyprus’s Parliament is likely to reject an international bailout package that involves taxing ordinary depositors to pay part of the bill, President Nicos Anastasiades said Tuesday, despite a revision that would remove some objections by exempting small bank accounts from the levies.
Lawmakers were scheduled to vote late Tuesday on the €10 billion, or $13 billion, bailout.
---
Rand Paul Supports "Pathway To Citizenship" - Republican Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) is endorsing a path to citizenship for the nation’s illegal immigrants, a move that could bolster support for the proposal among conservative lawmakers.
Paul will announce his support during an address to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, The Associated Press first reported.
“If you wish to live and work in America, then we will find a place for you,” Paul will say, according to his prepared remarks, the AP reports.
---
Training Accident Kills 7 Marines in Nevada - The Marine Corps says seven Marines have been killed in a training accident at the Hawthorne Army Depot, Nev.
The Corps said in a statement Tuesday that the accident at around 10 p.m. Monday also injured several with the 2nd Marine Division. The cause is under investigation. Politico.com has more here.
---
South Carolina 1st District Primary Election Today - The dramatic South Carolina special congressional primary election has turned into a battle for who will face disgraced former Gov. Mark Sanford in a GOP runoff on April 2.
With Sanford all but certain to finish first but unlikely to clear the 50 percent bar needed to avoid the runoff, the fight is for the No. 2 spot. Among the more than dozen Republican candidates competing for the slot are state Rep. Chip Limehouse, former Charleston City Councilman Curtis Bostic and Teddy Turner, the son of media mogul Ted Turner. Also in the running are former state Sen. John Kuhn and state Sen. Larry Grooms.
Whoever wins the GOP nod is expected to face Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch, sister of comedian Stephen Colbert, in the May general election. The race is to replace Republican Tim Scott, who vacated the seat when he was appointed to the Senate. You can read more here.
---
Your financial contributions to Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof are appreciated - Click here to donate. Thank You!
Monday, March 18, 2013
Daily Political Wire
George Wenschhof
Hillary Clinton Announces Support for Same Sex Marriage
---
RNC: Voters See GOP as "Scary" and "Out of Touch" - The Republican National Committee concedes in a sprawling report Monday that the GOP is seen as the party of “stuffy old men” and needs to change its ways.
Among the RNC’s proposed fixes: enacting comprehensive immigration reform, addressing middle-class economic anxieties head on and condensing a presidential primary process that saw Mitt Romney get battered for months ahead of the general election.
The committee also proposes major improvements to the party’s voter database and digital technology, which paled next to that of the Democrats and contributed to the party’s losses last year. Politico.com has more here.
---
Obama Expected To announce Perez as Labor Secretary Today - as reported previously, President Obama will make the announcement this morning.
Seeking to fill yet another second-term Cabinet vacancy, President Barack Obama is set to nominate Thomas Perez, an assistant attorney general, to be the next secretary of labor, the White House says.
If confirmed by the Senate, Perez, who has been head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division for 3½ years, would take over the Labor Department as Obama undertakes several worker-oriented initiatives, including an overhaul of immigration laws and an increase in the minimum wage.
Before taking the job as assistant attorney general, the 51-year-old Perez was secretary of Maryland’s Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, which enforces state consumer rights, workplace safety and wage and hour laws. TPM.com has more here.
---
Obama To Visit Israel for First Time as President - As he embarks Tuesday on his first presidential trip to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, Obama will seek to clarify his support for the Jewish state’s theory of its historical roots — addressing one of several subtle, but essential, missteps he is attempting to fix in his second term. The trip is a mission of remedial diplomacy, rather than the kind of specific peace initiative common for previous presidential visits.
Obama will also travel to the West Bank city of Ramallah during his four-day trip for air-clearing meetings with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and other leaders, who are deeply disappointed by Obama and his staunch opposition to their diplomatic push for statehood through the United Nations.
“Rather than a preemptive strike, I see this visit as a preemptive kiss,” said Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of J Street, a pro-Israel advocacy group that favors a two-state solution to the conflict. “It’s a way to say to both sides, ‘I love you, I’m with you, now as we get down to work on this, I don’t want to hear any complaints or excuses that I don’t.’ ” The Washington Post has more here.
---
Budget Battles Highlight House and Senate Action This Week - Warring 10-year budget plans come before the House and Senate this week, even as lawmakers must pass a six-month stopgap bill to avert a shutdown and keep agencies operating in the wake of cuts ordered under sequestration.
President Barack Obama is counting on Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-Wash.) to get her resolution across the Senate floor and set up talks this spring with the Republican House. Playing Martha to Murray’s Mary is Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), whose charge is to keep the government household running through the summer while the “grand bargainers” — well, bargain.
---
U.S. Stocks Decline With Turmoil in Cyprus Over Bailout Plan - Leaders in Cyprus and Brussels scrambled Monday to contain the fallout from an unprecedented effort to force ordinary bank depositors in this crisis-hit nation to pay for part of an international bailout, as stock markets faltered on concerns about the wider implications for Europe’s long-running debt crisis.
President Nicos Anastasiades was trying to compel policy makers in Brussels to soften demands for a tax to be assessed on Cypriot bank deposits, saying European Union leaders used “blackmail” to get him to agree to those conditions early Saturday in order to receive a bailout package worth 10 billion euros, or $13 billion.
---
Your financial contributions to Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof are appreciated - click here to donate. Thank You!
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Daily Political Wire
George Wenschhof
CPAC Conference Highlights "Wacko Birds" in Republican Party - If there was any doubt about the huge amount of discord within the Republican Party, the three-day Conservative Political Action Conference should put it to rest.
The suburban Washington gathering of the most conservative elements of the GOP this week featured speaker after speaker picking fights with other Republicans and offering criticisms — sometimes indirect and often direct — of party figures such as Mitt Romney, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Karl Rove, former president George W. Bush and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
Most of the speakers urged Republicans not to change but rather to double down on conservative principles. They included keynote speaker Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), a leader of the new generation of Republicans whom McCain recently labeled “wacko birds.” The Washington Post has more here.
---
Van Hollen: Job Creation, Not Deficit Reduction, Is Immediate Priority - As both the House and Senate work on budget blueprints for the new fiscal year, Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, emphasized on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday that for his party “our priority is job growth”.
“Right now our big problem is to sustain the economic recovery. We’ve seen momentum in the job market and the last thing we want do right now is to put the brakes on that,” Van Hollen told NBC’s David Gregory. “In fact one half of this year’s deficit is due to unemployment.” NBC News has more here.
---
Senator Corker: GOP Would Consider Revenue in Exchange for Entitlement Reform -A key Senate Republican conceded on Sunday that his party may be open to increasing taxes in exchange for a grand deal on cutting entitlement spending.
“I think Republicans if they saw true entitlement reform would be glad to look at tax reform that generates additional revenues, and that doesn't mean increasing rates that means closing loopholes, that also means arranging our tax system so that we have economic growth,” Tennessee Republican Sen. Bob Corker told “Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace. TheHill.com has more here.
---
Senator Durbin: Open to Entitlement Reform, Slams Ryan Budget - While suggesting Democrats were open to reforming Medicare and other entitlements, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin also took some shots Sunday at Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget, saying it would eliminate Medicare.
Appearing on “Fox News Sunday,” Durbin said that once the Senate passes the budget resolution fashioned by Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), “we’re going to move to the next stage, and that is the grand bargain stage.”
“That is what the president is trying to set up, both sides sitting down on a bipartisan basis, not eliminating Medicare, as I’m afraid the Paul Ryan budget would do, but making sure that it’s going to survive for generations to come, putting revenues on the table that are fair and won’t penalize the working people across America and making sure it’s a balanced approach,” the Democratic senator from Illinois said. Politico.com has more here.
---
Continued Israeli Settlements Complicate Peace Efforts - Israel’s building of Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem and West Bank territories seized during the 1967 war has been a longstanding friction point between Jerusalem and Washington.
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Sunday Morning "Talking Heads" Cheat Sheet
George Wenschhof
This Sunday the conversation will be a bit of a hodge podge with topics likely to include the ongoing budget stalemate in Congress, President Obama's trip to Israel next week, comprehensive immigration reform, the CPAC conference, a new Pope, and the Republican fixation on the Benghazi tragedy.
Former Maryland Lt. Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend makes an appearance on NBC "Meet The Press" where she will probably discuss the Global Virus Network which she chairs.
“The global community faces serious threats from new viruses every day, including SARS, Hantavirus, Dengue, West Nile and the specter of pandemic influenza viruses,” said Kennedy Townsend. “Our best defense is a rigorous and worldwide research network poised to engage in any outbreak situation. GVN is the very safety net that we need to protect the health of the world’s citizens from new viral threats. To put this safety net in place requires support from governments, the private sector, and citizens. I will bring all of these partners together to protect human health through GVN and its many partners.”
---
NBC "Meet The Press" - Reps. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Kevin McCarthy (R-Calf.), Cardinal Francis George, and Wis. Governor Scott Walker (R)
Roundtable with Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Chris Matthews, Frank Keating and Ann Navarro
ABC "This Week" - House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio)
Roundtable with George Will, Matthew Dowd, Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calf.), Audie Cornish and Carly Fiorina
And as President Obama heads to the Middle East next week, a special foreign policy roundtable examines major challenges abroad, including the state of the war in Afghanistan and the growing cyber-security threat, with former Clinton Secretary of State Madeleine Albright; former Bush National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley; and former Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chair Gen. James Cartwright (USMC, Ret.).
CBS "Face The Nation" - Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), Reince Priebus, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.)
Foreign Policy Panel - David Sanger of the New York Times, Danielle Pletka of the American Enterprise Institute, David Rohde of The Atlantic, and Richard Haass of the Council on Foreign Relations.
CNN "State of The Union" - Reps. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.), Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.)
Roundtable with Al Cardenas of the American Conservative Union, Democratic Strategist KiKi McLean, Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona and a new face in the political world, Dr. Ben Carson.
Fox News Sunday - Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.)
Roundtable with Bill Kristol, Nina Easton, Karl Rove and Joe Trippi
---
Your financial contributions to Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof are appreciated - Click here to donate. Thank You!
