Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof



Watch Obama Speech For Victims of Boston Bombings

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One Boston Bombing Suspect Dead - Authorities shot and killed one suspect in Monday’s Boston Marathon bombings and were conducting a massive hunt for a second suspect in Watertown, Mass., Friday morning following a chaotic night that left one police officer dead and another critically wounded in the Boston suburbs.  The Washington Post has more here.

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Bowles, Simpson Release New Debt Reduction Plan - The former chairmen of President Obama’s 2010 fiscal commission, Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson, on Friday will release a new deficit reduction plan in the hopes of reviving a debt grand bargain this year.
 
The two-step plan has about $700 billion more spending cuts than President Obama is seeking and $1.1 trillion more than Senate Democrats have proposed, while adopting roughly the same amount of new taxes called for in Obama’s 2014 budget.  TheHill.com has more here.

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DCCC Buys Air Time in Sanford Special Election - The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has reserved airtime in South Carolina’s 1st District special election, two GOP sources tell CQ Roll Call.

The buy comes less than 24 hours after the House GOP’s campaign arm abandoned their nominee, former Gov. Mark Sanford, announcing they would not make any expenditures to help him win the safe GOP district.

Sanford faces Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch on May 7.

The buy is for at least $143,000, a GOP source noted. It will run April 19-28.  RollCall.com has more here.

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Court Says Musharraf Must Face Charges - Musharraf ended his years of exile last month, it was with a vision of himself as a political savior, returning in the nick of time to save Pakistan from chaos.

Instead, he contributed a new and bizarre chapter to the country’s political turmoil on Thursday, fleeing the halls of the High Court after a judge ordered his arrest. Speeding away in a convoy of black S.U.V.'s as a crowd of lawyers mocked him, he hurried to his fortress compound outside the capital, where he was declared under house arrest.       
 

Early Friday, the police escorted Mr. Musharraf from his house to a court in central Islamabad where a magistrate formally charged him. Television pictures showed him saluting briefly as he entered his S.U.V., before returning once again to his Islamabad home. Television stations reported that Mr. Musarraf was due to appear in anti-terrorism court in two days, but it was not clear if that meant Sunday or Monday. The NY Times has more here.

 

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Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof

Obama in Boston Today - President Barack Obama is seeking to refocus a nervous nation’s attention on those killed and gravely wounded in what he called an “act of terror” at the Boston Marathon.
 
Americans also will be looking to the president to offer reassurances about the nation’s safety as investigators scramble to answer key questions about an attack with origins that are yet unknown.

The president was to speak Thursday at an interfaith service in Boston honoring the three people killed and 170 injured when a pair of bombs ripped through the crowd gathered Monday afternoon near the finish line of the famous race. Investigators have an image of a potential suspect, though much about what happened remains a mystery, keeping tensions high in Boston and elsewhere around the country.

Obama and his wife, Michelle, are heading to Boston for the “Healing Our City” service. He may also meet with some of those injured, as well as the first responders who rushed toward the blast to help the scores of runners and spectators.

“We send our support and encouragement to people who never expected that they’d need it — the wounded civilians who are just beginning what will be, I’m sure for some of them, a long road to recovery,” Obama said Wednesday.  You can read more here.

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Obama Blasts Republicans for Blocking Background Checks - A visibly angry President Obama tore into Senate Republicans on Wednesday for voting down legislation to expand background checks on gun sales, accusing opponents of the measure of deliberately lying to derail its passage.

“Families that know unspeakable grief summoned the courage to petition their elected leaders not just to honor the memory of their children but to protect the lives of all of our children,” Obama said, standing alongside Vice President Biden and a handful of people whose lives had been affected by gun violence. “A few minutes ago a minority in the United States Senate decided it wasn’t worth it.”

The bill garnered a 54-vote majority versus 46 opposed, but fell short of the 60 needed to overcome the minority’s filibuster.  TPM.com has more here.

President Obama’s ambitious effort to overhaul the nation’s gun laws in response to December’s school massacre in Connecticut suffered a resounding defeat Wednesday, when every major proposal he championed fell apart on the Senate floor.

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Gabrielle Giffords NY Times Op-Ed "A Senate in The Gun Lobby's Grip" - SENATORS say they fear the N.R.A. and the gun lobby. But I think that fear must be nothing compared to the fear the first graders in Sandy Hook Elementary School felt as their lives ended in a hail of bullets. The fear that those children who survived the massacre must feel every time they remember their teachers stacking them into closets and bathrooms, whispering that they loved them, so that love would be the last thing the students heard if the gunman found them.

On Wednesday, a minority of senators gave into fear and blocked common-sense legislation that would have made it harder for criminals and people with dangerous mental illnesses to get hold of deadly firearms — a bill that could prevent future tragedies like those in Newtown, Conn., Aurora, Colo., Blacksburg, Va., and too many communities to count. Read the entire op-ed here.

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Arrest Made in Ricin Case - By Wednesday night, authorities had arrested Paul Kevin Curtis of Corinth, Miss., as a suspect in the ricin mailings, the FBI said in a statement. Curtis also sent a third letter to a Mississippi justice official, the FBI said. He is well known to law enforcement as a frequent letter-writer to lawmakers, two officials said.

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), in a statement late Wednesday, thanked law enforcement officials “for their professionalism and decisive action in keeping our family and staff safe from harm.”  The Washington Post has more here.

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Majority in U.S. Want Wealth More Evenly Distributed - About six in 10 Americans believe that money and wealth should be more evenly distributed among a larger percentage of the people in the U.S., while one-third think the current distribution is fair. Although Americans' attitudes on this topic have fluctuated somewhat over time, the current sentiment is virtually the same as when Gallup first asked this question in 1984. Slightly fewer have favored a more even distribution since October 2008.

Wealth distribution is a key polarizing issue in contemporary U.S. politics. Partisan reactions to this question reflect that polarization, with more than eight in 10 Democrats saying money and wealth need to be more evenly distributed, compared with 28% of Republicans. There is a similar, although less extreme, divide between the views of liberals -- 79% of whom say money and wealth should be more evenly distributed -- and those of conservatives (41%).  Gallup.com has more here.

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National GOP Will Not Help Sanford Campaign - National Republicans on Wednesday abandoned former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) amid his ex-wife’s allegations that he trespassed in her home.

As damaging new details of Sanford’s family dispute emerged, the National Republican
Congressional Committee said it would not support his political comeback bid in South Carolina’s 1st congressional district.

The former governor is facing Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch, the sister of comedian Stephen Colbert, in his comeback attempt.

Strategists in both parties have been predicting a tight race. But the most recent allegations against Sanford — and the NRCC’s decision to stay on the sidelines —represent a dire threat to the Republican candidate’s chances.

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) had previously endorsed Sanford. His office did not respond to questions about whether he still supported the former governor.  TheHill.com has more here.

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House Democratic Campaign Committee Raises $22.6 Million in 1st Quarter - House Democrats’ campaign arm raised an unprecedented $22.6 million in the first quarter of this year, thanks in large part to member contributions, committee officials say.

According to fundraising figures provided to CQ Roll Call, $4.3 million, or 19 percent, of what the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee raised so far this year came directly from caucus dues. RollCall.com has more here.

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Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof



Watch Obama Interview on "Today"

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Obama To Visit Boston Thursday - President Barack Obama will travel to Boston on Thursday to speak at an interfaith service dedicated to those injured or killed in the terrorist attack against the one of the city's most beloved events.
 
His trip to Massachusetts comes as investigators continue to sort through evidence from the dual blasts near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. His schedule had previously called only for unspecified meetings at the White House. You can read more here.
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Update on Boston Marathon Bombing - On Wednesday morning, a federal law enforcement source with firsthand knowledge of the investigation told CNN's Fran Townsend that a lid to a pressure cooker thought to have been used in the bombings had been found on a roof of a building at the scene.
 

While such clues move the investigation forward, even for seasoned investigators, the theories run the gamut on whether Monday's attack was an act of domestic or foreign terrorism.  CNN.com has more here.

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Senate To Vote On Gun Background Checks Today - The Senate is set to vote on the Manchin-Toomey background check legislation Wednesday around 4 P.M., according to a Democratic leadership aide -- a moment of truth for the centerpiece of Congress's efforts to curb gun violence.
 
As of Tuesday it remained unclear whether the Manchin-Toomey measure had the necessary 60 votes to pass. Democrats have been considering new carve-outs in an effort to win over skeptical conservative senators.

As of roughly 6:00 P.M. Tuesday, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) told TPM they were working hard to secure the votes but appeared less than certain the bill would pass.

It's the first of nine amendments that Democratic and Republican leaders agreed to hold votes on as part of the gun legislation filed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). Other amendments include a Democratic bill to ban assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips, and a GOP measure to ensure that a concealed carry permit obtained in one state applies to all states. TPM.com has more here.

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Tea Party Fizzles After 4 Years - When the Tea Party movement made its official debut on April 15, 2009, it made quite a political splash with events across the country protesting President Obama's policies on that Tax Day.
 
Four years later, that splash looks more like pebble thrown into a pond.
Yesterday, Tea Party groups held events tied to this year’s Tax Day. The group FreedomWorks, for example, organized an "action day" at the U.S. Capitol (which took place before the Boston bombings).

But judged by its sparse attendance -- dozens, not thousands, attended the FreedomWorks rally -- the Tea Party is no longer a national force shaking American politics, although it has continued to influence today's Republican Party.  NBC News has more here.

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Letter To Senator Wicker Contained Racin - Federal officials said a letter addressed to a U.S. senator was discovered to contain a potential poison. It was intercepted at an off-site facility in Landover where congressional mail has been examined before delivery since anthrax-laced letters were sent to Capitol Hill in 2001.

The letter was addressed to Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and initially tested positive for ricin, but officials familiar with the case said it was undergoing further testing late Tuesday. The officials gave no indication why the letter was sent to the second-term senator.  The Washington Post has more here.

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Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof

Obama: "We will find out who did this, and we will hold them accountable" - President Obama was briefed overnight on the investigation into the explosions at the Boston Marathon, according to a White House official. Obama also directed his administration to provide all the resources necessary to assist those investigating the blasts, which killed three people and wounded more than 140 others.
 

The President will receive a briefing Tuesday morning from Assistant for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Lisa Monaco, FBI Director Robert Mueller and others, the White House said.  TPM.com has more here. 

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Person of Interest's Apartment Searched - Authorities searched a suburban-Boston apartment Monday night into early Tuesday morning in connection with the Boston Marathon bombings which left at least three dead and more than 140 injured, according to reports.
 
FBI and Boston Police as well as other investigators searched 364 Ocean Ave. in Revere, Mass., which the Revere Fire Department said in a statement was connected to a “person of interest,” according to a Revere Fire Department Facebook post earlier Tuesday.  Politico.com has more here.

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Details of Senate Immigration Bill Released - The plan outlines an emphasis on shifting legal immigration towards more skilled workers; sets ambitious goals for surveillance and security along the nation’s southern border; and offers qualifying undocumented immigrants a decade-long process – dependent on external border security triggers -- towards legalization and eventual citizenship in the United States.

Included in the bill are the following provisions, according to a summary memo provided to NBC News:

• Allow undocumented immigrants who have lived in the United States continually since before December 31, 2011 to apply for “Registered Provisional Immigrant Status” if they pay back taxes and $500 in fines, and if they have not been convicted of a felony or 3 or more misdemeanors or voted illegally. Individuals with this status can work for any employer and travel outside the country but are not eligible to receive means-tested federal public benefits.
• After 10 years in Registered Provisional Immigrant Status, individuals will be eligible – pending border security measures and a clearing of existing backlogs for legal immigrants – to earn a merit-based green card if they have worked in the United States, demonstrated knowledge of the English language and paid an additional fine of $1000.
• Allow eligible DREAM act applicants and certain agricultural workers to apply for green cards within five years
• Regarding border security, the bill would set a goal of “90% effectiveness” – meaning the rate of apprehensions and turnbacks of potential entrants – per fiscal year in the most high-risk areas of the southern border. If that goal is not met within five years, a bipartisan “Border Commission” made up of border state governors and experts will be formed to issue new recommendations on how to achieve it.
• Allocate $3 billion for increased surveillance and manpower along the country’s southern border and an additional $1.5 billion for fencing.
• Include a border security “trigger” requiring that no undocumented immigrant can achieve legal “Registered Provisional Immigrant” status until strategies for border security have been submitted by the Department of Homeland Security to Congress.
• Require an additional “trigger” that prevents those with “Registered Provisional Immigrant” status from becoming eligible to apply for Lawful Permanent Resident status until the Department of Homeland Security and the Comptroller General certify that border security strategies are operational and a mandatory employment verification system has been implemented.
• Create a new “W” visa program to allow non-agricultural temporary workers to come to the United States to work for registered employers.
• Eliminate family-based visas for siblings of United States citizens as well as the Diversity Visa program while eliminating caps on visas for certain employment-based categories.
• Use a point system for a new “merit based” visa, of which 120,000 would initially be awarded per year, with a maximum cap of 250,000 annually. Points will be awarded based on criteria including education, employment and length of residence in the U.S.
• Require an “enhanced E-Verify” system to prevent ineligible workers from taking jobs in the United States. Employers with more than 5,000 employees will be phased in within two years; employers with more than 500 employees will be phased in within three years.
• Raise the annual cap on H1-B visas for high-skilled workers from 65,000 to 110,000, with provisions to prevent such workers from undercutting American wages. Set a maximum cap at 180,000 such visas.

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Concern Grows on Strength of Global Economy - The broad rout in commodities and stocks seen in recent sessions has been triggered by weak data from China and the United States that have sparked fresh concerns about the strength of the global economy's recovery.

A closely watched survey of German economic sentiment added to the worries after the euro zone's ongoing crisis and economic weakness were blamed for a larger-than-expected drop in confidence in Europe's biggest economy.

There was no sign of a complete collapse in sentiment that some economists had feared following the recent bungled bailout of Cyprus and the relief helped shares prune losses.

Gold rebounded more than 1.5 percent after falling to two-year lows and oil cut losses following another sell-off on Tuesday, although shares dropped for a third day as worries over the health of the global economy prevailed.  Reuters.com has more here.

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