Jeremy Todd Addaway has the latest from Blount County, Alabama now that same-sex marriage in legal.
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Speculation Grows That Kitzhaber Will Resign
Gov. John Kitzhaber’s private attorney, Jim McDermott, “sought to tamp down a flurry of speculation that the governor was planning to resign,” the Oregonian reports.
Said McDermott: “I have every reason to believe the governor will stay in office.”
“Sepculation about the governor’s future was fueled Wednesday morning after Secretary of State Kate Brown cut short a trip to Washington, D.C. to return to Oregon. The governor’s office has not responded to requests for comment about whether he was getting ready to leave office amid controversy over fiancee Cylvia Hayes’ consulting contracts and how he and his aides handled them.”
Tennessee Lawmaker Wants Bible to be Official Book
Tennessee state Rep. Jerry Sexton (R) “has introduced a bill to make the Bible the official state book, after two other Southern states considered similar moves in recent months,” the Huffington Post reports.
“Although Tennessee doesn’t have a state book, it does have a state fruit (the tomato), mineral (agate) and wild animal (raccoon).”
Newsom Launches 2018 Campaign for California Governor
California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced that he has opened a fundraising account to run for governor in 2018, the Los Angeles Times reports.
“Newsom has long wanted to be governor, and the move – more than three years before the election – is an early shot across the bow at other potential Democratic candidates. By forming a committee, Newsom can raise up to $28,200 per supporter for both the primary and general elections, meaning he can collect $56,400 per donor.”
Montana Lawmaker Seeks to Outlaw Yoga Pants
Montana state Rep. David Moore (R) “is seeking to strengthen the state’s indecent exposure law, stopping just short of his wish to outlaw yoga pants,” the Billings Gazette reports.
“The proposal would expand indecent exposure law to include any nipple exposure, including men’s, and any garment that ‘gives the appearance or simulates’ a person’s buttocks, genitals, pelvic area or female nipple… Moore said he wouldn’t have a problem with people being arrested for wearing provocative clothing but that he’d trust law enforcement officials to use their discretion.”
Walker’s Strength Is In His Donor List
“The best way to see the threat that Scott Walker, the Wisconsin governor, poses to Jeb Bush in the Republican presidential race is to look at Mr. Walker’s donors,” the New York Times reports.
“They extend far beyond Wisconsin, in large part because of the 2012 recall election that made Mr. Walker a nationwide conservative hero. Many of Mr. Walker’s biggest donors are deeply conservative, giving him an opportunity to emerge as an alternative to the more moderate Mr. Bush. They also include many small-money donors, a group that many national Republicans have struggled to attract.”
Meanwhile, the Washington Post has a great piece on Walker’s college years.
Why Hasn’t Christie Written a Book Yet?
A top New York literary agent with knowledge of Gov. Chris Christie’s plans “says the problem is money – specifically, who’d get the proceeds from the sale of any book aimed at positioning Christie for a 2016 run,” the Newark Star Ledger reports.
“Under New Jersey state law, a sitting governor is barred from ‘receiving or agreeing to receive, whether directly or indirectly, any compensation, salary, honorarium, fee, or other form of income from any source, other than the compensation paid or reimbursed to him/her by the State for the performance of official duties.'”
“But that could change in the coming weeks or months. Late last year, lawmakers worked on a deal that would rewrite the law to allow Christie to profit from a book deal in exchange for more money for legislative staff and judicial salaries.”
Bush Email Dump Contained Highly Personal Information
Jeb Bush “decided to publish hundreds of thousands of emails sent to him during his time as governor of Florida. On its face it seems like a great idea in the name of transparency, but there’s one huge problem: neither Bush nor those who facilitated the publication of the records, including the state government, decided to redact potentially sensitive personal information from them,” The Verge reports.
“We reviewed many of the emails released by Bush, and found a wide variety of communications — everything from religious parables, to praise of the governor’s support of creationism, to routine bureaucratic correspondence. But some of the emails appear to be highly sensitive or personal… Some include personal appeals from citizens with medical or employment issues. And a subset of these messages contain sensitive data like social security numbers.”
Can Republicans Avoid a Homeland Security Shutdown?
First Read: “With about two weeks to go before the Department of Homeland Security runs out of funding, congressional Republicans appear to be stuck. You have House Republicans saying they’ve done their part by passing their DHS spending bill, which includes language rolling back President Obama’s immigration actions. And you have Senate Republicans throwing the ball back in the House’s court, because the House GOP measure — due to Democrats’ successful filibusters — can’t get 60 votes in the Senate. And right now, no one knows (or at least is telling us) how we get out of this mess.”
“Now two weeks is a lifetime in Washington politics. But if cooler heads are going to prevail, they need to start working on a solution ASAP. Don’t forget this reality of governing in times of divided government: For legislation to become law, it needs to get 1) 218 votes in the House, 2) at least 60 votes in the Senate, and 3) the president’s signature. In other words … compromise. And that’s something that’s been missing all too often over the past four-plus years.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I hope it’s not half. I mean, there are a lot of people who go into public service and are in for the right reasons and to do the right thing. But it–it’s an unfortunate percentage.”
— U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, quoted by the New York Observer, on the portion of New York state lawmakers who are corrupt.
Reid Makes It Clear He’s Running Again
Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) “summoned dozens of staffers to the Senate’s Mansfield Room Tuesday and delivered a clear message: He’s running for reelection next year,” Politico reports.
“The comments are in part aimed at putting to rest growing speculation inside the Senate that the 75-year-old Nevada Democrat — badly hurt from a painful injury to his right eye — would call it quits after nearly three decades in the chamber. The Senate minority leader faces what could be a difficult reelection race next year, plus his would-be successors are ready to run the Democratic Caucus the moment he calls it quits.”
New Recruits Flow to Islamic State
“The U.S. bombing campaign in Iraq and Syria has failed to slow the pace of foreign fighters flocking to join the Islamic State and other extremist groups, including at least 3,400 from Western nations among 20,000 from around the world, U.S. intelligence officials say in an updated estimate of a top terrorism concern,” the AP reports.
Rifts Develop On Team Clinton
“Lingering tensions between Hillary Rodham Clinton’s loyalists and the strategists who helped President Obama defeat her in 2008 have erupted into an intense public struggle over who will wield money and clout in her emerging 2016 presidential campaign,” the New York Times reports.
“At issue is controlling access to the deep-pocketed donors whose support is critical to sustain the outside organizations that are paving the way for Mrs. Clinton’s campaign. It is a competition that has been exacerbated, many Clinton supporters said, by Mrs. Clinton’s reluctance to formally enter the race and establish a campaign organization with clear lines of authority.”
Bush Holds $100K Per Ticket Fundraiser
“Jeb Bush will raise money on Wall Street on Wednesday at an eye-popping $100,000 per-ticket Park Avenue event hosted by private equity mogul Henry Kravis and his wife,” Politico reports.
“The price of admission to the event, which will raise funds for Bush’s Right to Rise super PAC, surprised even Wall Street veterans used to high-dollar fundraisers. The event comes as Bush continues a shock and awe approach to early 2016 fundraising that people close to the campaign say could eventually see the former governor reach a total of between $50 million and $100 million between the super PAC, a traditional political action committee and an eventual presidential campaign.”
Quote of the Day
“You go to war with the president you’ve got, which would give us all pause.”
— Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL), quoted by the New York Times, on President Obama seeking war powers to fight the Islamic State.
Kitzhaber Tried To Shut Down Corruption Inquiry
Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber (D) “declared at a press conference Jan. 30 that he and fiancée Cylvia Hayes would fully cooperate with a review of corruption allegations by the Oregon Government Ethics Commission,” the Oregonian reports.
“He didn’t mention that, behind the scenes, their attorneys had been fighting for weeks to spare Hayes from any ethics inquiry.”
Is Aaron Schock In Trouble?
National Journal: “What began as an inquiry into Rep. Aaron Schock’s (R-IL) opulent scarlet-painted office has quickly spun into a weeklong media probe of the congressman’s lavish travel accommodations and real-estate dealings. Now, the looming question is: How serious are the allegations against Schock and what could they mean for the man who had been a rising star for the Republican Party?”
Brian Williams Suspended Without Pay
“Brian Williams, the embattled NBC news anchor whose credibility plummeted after he acknowledged exaggerating his role in a helicopter episode in Iraq, has been suspended for six months without pay,” the New York Times reports.
“The suspension culminated a rapid and startling fall for Mr. Williams.”
Dylan Byers: “There are two scenarios in which Williams returns: One, he pulls off a stunning apology tour and wins back the favors of the nation. Two, ‘Nightly’ tanks so bad under its new host(s) that NBC is forced to bring Williams back in a last-ditch effort. I wouldn’t place my money on a Williams’ return, but you can never underestimate the power of the redemption narrative, especially in this country.”
