Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof

Hillary Clinton receives 65%, O'Malley only 1% in latest 2016 presidential poll - Hillary Clinton clears the field as the Democratic candidate of choice in a new 2016 presidential poll.

The former Secretary of State crushes other potential Democratic contenders, garnering 65 percent of her party’s support, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday.

Vice President Joe Biden is a way distant second with 13 percent, followed by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo with 4 percent, while Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick; Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and Virginia Sen. Mark Warner each registered at 1 percent or less.  Politico.com has more here.

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Obama to nominate Pritzker as Commerce Secretary and and Froman as U.S. trade representative - President Obama is set to nominate Penny Pritzker as his administration's next commerce secretary and Michael Froman as U.S. trade representative, according to a White House official. Obama is scheduled to announce the nominations at 10 a.m. ET Thursday at the White House before leaving for Mexico.  TPM.com has more here.

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President Obama and Mexican President Peña Nieto to hold a press conference at 4:10 p.m. -With the immigration debate heating up in Washington, D.C., President Obama heads south of the border Thursday, embarking on a three-day trip to Mexico and Costa Rica as he tries to focus discussions on the economic ties between the United States, Mexico and Central America.
 
On his fourth trip to Mexico since becoming president, Obama will engage in conversations with newly installed President Enrique Peña Nieto that are intended to extend beyond security concerns and focus heavily on the economic relationship between Mexico and the U.S.  ABC News has more here.

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Obama administration appeals ruling on morning-after pill -The Obama administration on Wednesday appealed a federal judge’s order to lift all age limits on who can buy morning-after birth control pills without a prescription.

In appealing the ruling, the administration recommitted itself to a position Obama took during his re-election campaign that younger teens shouldn’t have unabated access to emergency contraceptives, despite the insistence by physicians groups and much of his Democratic base that the pill should be readily available.

A day earlier, the Food and Drug Administration lowered the age that people can buy the Plan B One-Step morning-after pill without a prescription to 15 — younger than the current limit of 17 — and decided that the pill could be sold on drugstore shelves near the condoms, instead of locked behind pharmacy counters.  You can read more here.

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North Korea sentences American to 15 years for trying to overthrow government -North Korea on Thursday sentenced a detained American to 15 years of “compulsory labor,” punishment for what Pyongyang describes as an attempt to overthrow its government.

In a brief statement released by its state-run news agency, the North said the sentence for Kenneth Bae, a tour operator from Washington state, had been handed down by its Supreme Court on Tuesday.  The Washington Post has more here.

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European Central Bank cuts rates to support euro zone economy - The European Central Bank cut interest rates for the first time in 10 months on Thursday, driven to act by an economy wallowing in recession and freed to do so by sharply falling inflation.

The ECB lowered its main interest rate by a quarter point to a new record low of 0.50 percent in response to a drop in inflation well below its target level, and rising unemployment.

The cut was widely expected, after ECB President Mario Draghi said last month the bank stood ready to act. He will hold a news conference at 8:30 a.m. ET to explain the decision. Reuters.com has more here.

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