Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof

Congressional Hispanic Caucus says Heritage Foundation Immigration Study "Ugly Racism" - The Heritage Foundation came under fire Wednesday from Hispanic lawmakers after reports that the author of a controversial immigration study previously wrote a dissertation warning of the lower intellectual capacity of immigrants.
 
Rep. Rubén Hinojosa (D-Texas), the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, called the group’s study “ugly racism and xenophobia dressed up in economic hyperbole” after learning of the dissertation. TheHill.com has more here.

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Colorado Moves Closer to Legalizing Marijuana - For the first time in the United States, lawmakers in Colorado are poised to approve a set of rules and taxes regulating the sale of marijuana for recreational use.

On Wednesday, both the state Senate and House passed a bill creating a sales and excise tax on marijuana that now awaits Gov. John Hickenlooper's (D) signature. The Senate also passed legislation creating rules for stores selling marijuana that is now awaiting final approval in the House.  The Denver Post has more here.

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Markey Leads Gomez in Massachusetts Senate Race - US Representative Edward J. Markey heads into the general election with a significant advantage over Republican nominee Gabriel E. Gomez in their Senate race, according to a poll released Wednesday that shows the Malden Democrat with a 17-point lead.

Markey pulled 52 percent support to Gomez’s 35 percent in the Suffolk University/7News survey of 500 likely voters who showed some knowledge that the election is scheduled for June 25. The poll, which Suffolk said had an error margin of plus-or-minus 4.4 percent, was conducted May 4-7.  The Boston Globe has more here.

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G7 Finance Chiefs Meet To Discuss Bank Reform - Some of the world's most powerful finance chiefs will meet in an English stately home on Friday and Saturday to try to speed up banking and finance reforms, with Cyprus' near meltdown fresh in their minds.

Officials from two of the G7 economies said the talks - on Friday and Saturday at a 17th-century country house 40 miles northwest of London - were likely to focus more on the slow progress of reforms to banking and finance around the world.  Reuters.com has more here.

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