Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof

U.S. Military Action Against Syria Imminent - Missile strikes against Syria could be launched “as early as Thursday” senior U.S. officials said Tuesday as the White House intensified efforts toward an international response to the suspected use of chemical weapons.
 
The “three days” of strikes would be limited in scope, and aimed at sending a message to the regime of Syria president Bashar Assad , U.S. officials told NBC News.

It followed another round of telephone diplomacy by President Barack Obama, who held discussions with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and French President Francois Hollande on Monday to lay the groundwork for potential military action.  NBC News has more here.
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Sen. Barbara Boxer Calls For $10 Hour Minimum Wage - Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) said Monday that the minimum wage should be raised to $10 per hour, citing the widening gulf between the wealthy and the working poor.
 
"We need to raise the minimum wage," Boxer told MSNBC's Ed Schultz. "That will make a huge difference out there. People are struggling. The difference between the very wealthy and the working poor has grown. We raise that minimum wage and we move forward with the vision of this president that we have, which is everyone pays their fair share. We make investments where it matters. We're going to be...it's going to be a great century for us."
When Schutlz asked her what she would raise the minimum wage to, the California Democrat said "about $10."

"I think that would be right," she added.  TPM.com has more here.

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Treasury: Nation Will Hit Debt Ceilng in Mid October - The Treasury Department told Congress on Monday it must raise the $16.7 trillion national debt limit by mid-October.

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew in a letter to lawmakers said his department would exhaust the "extraordinary measures" it holds to keep the U.S. from breaching the limit at that time.

"Congress should act as soon as possible to meet its responsibility to the nation and to remove the threat of default," he wrote. "Under any circumstance — in light of the schedule, the inherent viability of cash flows, and the dire consequences of miscalculation — Congress must act before the middle of October."  TheHill.com has more here.

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Wildfire Expands in Yosemite National Park - A wildfire raging in the northwest part of Yosemite National Park was expected to advance farther into the park on Tuesday and continue to threaten a reservoir that supplies most of San Francisco's water.

The so-called Rim Fire has charred more than 160,000 acres, which is larger than Chicago, most of that in the Stanislaus National Forest west of Yosemite.

But the blaze was expected to move east overnight and push deeper into Yosemite, as well as in areas to the north, said U.S. Forest Service spokesman Trevor Augustino.  Reuters.com has more here.

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