Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof

Egypt Police Clear Out Morsi Supporters - Egyptian security forces, backed by armored cars and bulldozers, swept in Wednesday to clear two sit-in camps of supporters of the country’s ousted President Mohammed Morsi, showering protesters with tear gas as the sound of gunfire rang out at both sites.
 
At least three members of the security forces were confirmed to have died in the morning’s crackdown in Cairo, while the Health Ministry said nine protesters were killed and over 80 were injured.

The political arm of Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood claimed that more than 500 protesters were killed and some 9,000 wounded in the two camps on opposite ends of the city, but there was no official confirmation of the Islamist group’s figures. There was nothing in the footage provided by the Associated Press or local TV networks that suggests such a high death toll. TPM.com has more here.

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Israel-Palestine Peace Talks To Resume - Israel freed 26 Palestinian prisoners on Wednesday to keep U.S.-sponsored peacemaking on course for a second round of talks, but diplomacy was dogged by Israeli plans for more Jewish homes on occupied land the Palestinians claim for a future state.

Negotiators are due to convene with little fanfare later on Wednesday in Jerusalem, the holy city at the heart of the decades-old conflict of turf and faith. The envoys held first talks in Washington last month, ending a three-year stand-off.

Paving the way for the continuation of negotiations, Israel released an initial number of Palestinians serving long jail terms, many for deadly attacks on Israelis, bussing them in the dead of night to the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.  Reuters.com has more here.

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Booker Cruises to New Jersey Democractic Primary Win - Newark Mayor Cory Booker easily won the New Jersey Senate Democratic primary on Tuesday night, more than doubling his nearest opponent's share of the vote at the time the race was called.

With just seven percent of precincts reporting, Booker took 57 percent of the vote, to Rep. Frank Pallone's (D-N.J.) 25 percent, Rep. Rush Holt's (D-N.J.) 14 percent and state Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver's 4 percent support.

Republican Steve Lonegan, former mayor of Bogota who twice before ran unsuccessfully for the GOP nomination for governor, won the Republican primary with more than 80 percent of the vote. The Associated Press has called both races.  TheHill.com has more here.

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De Blasio Leads NY City Mayoral Race - As Anthony Weiner’s poll numbers slide in the New York mayor’s race, a new poll shows Public Advocate Bill de Blasio benefiting the most, overtaking the front-runner, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.

With strong support from white Democratic likely primary voters and voters critical of the so-called stop-and-frisk police tactic, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio leads the Democratic race for New York City mayor with 30 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

With four weeks to go, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has 24 percent, with 22 percent for former Comptroller William Thompson, 10 percent for former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, 6 percent for Comptroller John Liu, 1 percent for former Council member Sal Albanese and 7 percent undecided, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds.

Stop-and-frisk is excessive and harasses innocent people, 60 percent of likely Democratic primary voters say, while 31 percent say it is an acceptable way to make the city safer. Among those critical of stop-and-frisk, 34 percent back de Blasio, with 24 percent for Thompson and 22 percent for Quinn.  Quinnipiac has more here. --- States Look to Reinstate Glass-Steagall, Break up Big Banks - Elizabeth Warren’s effort to break up Wall Street banks through a return to Depression-era laws may not have a lot of support in Congress, but it has a sympathetic audience in state capitals across the country. Lawmakers in at least 18 states have introduced resolutions this year calling on Congress to split up banking giants by putting back in place a wall between commercial banking, taking deposits and making loans, and investment banking, the world of traders and deal-makers. And if these proposals gain enough traction in state legislatures, a growing number of members of Congress could feel pressure to get behind this effort to reinstate the 1933 Glass-Steagall Act — a cause Warren championed as a candidate and has reinvigorated as a freshman Massachusetts senator.  Politico.com has more here. ---

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