Washington Post: “No, the United States isn’t trying to build a military force of centenarians. It just seems that way after the Selective Service System mistakenly sent notices to more than 14,000 Pennsylvania men born between 1893 and 1897, ordering them to register for the nation’s military draft and warning that failure to do so is ‘punishable by a fine and imprisonment.'”
Landrieu Holds Edge in Louisiana
A new Rasmussen survey in Louisiana finds Sen. Mary Landrieu (D) just ahead of challenger Bill Cassidy (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 46% to 43%.
Judge Invalidates Florida Congressional Districts
“In a ruling released late Thursday, Circuit Court Judge Terry Lewis ordered the redrawing of Florida’s congressional map, contending that it violates the Fair District standards,” the Tampa Bay Times reports.
House Unveils Lawsuit Against Obama
House Republicans plan to sue President Obama for failing to enforce the Affordable Care Act, according to a resolution authorizing the lawsuit posted on the House Rules Committee website, Roll Call reports.
The focus is health care: “In 2013, the president changed the health care law without a vote of Congress, effectively creating his own law by literally waiving the employer mandate and the penalties for failing to comply with it. That’s not the way our system of government was designed to work. No president should have the power to make laws on his or her own.”
Vox: “Individual members of Congress, and groups of members, have filed many lawsuits against the president and the executive branch. But neither the House or Senate has ever institutionally sued the president for failing to enforce the law.”
GOP Senator Says Clinton is Too Mainstream for Democrats
Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), who may run for president in 2016, said Hillary Clinton’s potential White House bid won’t intimidate others from seeking the office, Bloomberg reports.
Said Portman: “The Democratic Party is more populist and more liberal than it was when she ran last time, and yet she’s more mainstream. It is no longer the party of Bill Clinton.”
Quote of the Day
“When is he going to take responsibility for something?”
— Speaker John Boehner, quoted by National Journal, on President Obama asking for $3.7 billion for border security.
Obamacare Customers Are Generally Happy
A new Commonwealth Fund survey finds that people who signed up to purchase health insurance through the Obamacare exchanges are pleased with their purchases.
New York Times: “It found that about 15 percent of adults younger than 65 now lack health insurance, down from 20 percent before the Affordable Care Act rolled out in January. What was more surprising is that people who got the new coverage were generally happy with the product. Overall, 73 percent of people who bought health plans and 87 percent of those who signed up for Medicaid said they were somewhat or very satisfied with their new health insurance. Seventy-four percent of newly insured Republicans liked their plans. Even 77 percent of people who had insurance before — including members of the much-publicized group whose plans got canceled last year — were happy with their new coverage.”
Wonk Wire: Uninsured rate plunges to 13.4%
Ex-Georgia GOP Aide Claims Staff Used Racial Slur
A former Georgia GOP employee has sued the party and claims she was discriminated against because she is black, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.
Qiana Keith says in a lawsuit that she overheard co-workers refer to her as the “house n*gger,” showed her disrespect and humiliated her.
GOP Lawmaker Praises Conditions in Detention Centers
Rep. Randy Neugebauer (R-TX) downplayed the bad conditions in detention centers for undocumented immigrants, the Huffington Post reports.
Said Neugebauer: “They belong back with their families. When you look at the lovely way they’re getting treated — they’re getting free health care, free housing, you know, they’re watching the World Cup on big screen TVs.”
Meanwhile, the Houston Chronicle runs photos of the terrible conditions in these detention centers.
Paul Emerging as the Strongest GOP Contender
First Read: “When looking at the potential 2016 GOP field, here’s a question to ponder: Who looks stronger today than at the beginning of the year?”
“It’s not Chris Christie (whose administration has been besieged by the Bridge-gate scandal). It’s not Jeb Bush (consider how his ‘act of love’ statement would be playing right now during this current immigration debate if he were running for president). It’s not Scott Walker (who got bad headlines from the release of those John Doe documents, though the prosecutor walking things back is a temporary help). And even though he’s had a bit of Inside-the-Beltway renaissance, it’s not Marco Rubio (if Eric Cantor’s support for a limited Dream Act took him down in his GOP primary, think of how Rubio’s authorship of the ‘Gang of 8’ could play out in 2015-2016). No, the person who’s arguably had the strongest 2014 — and remember we’re still a year away from the contest beginning — is Rand Paul.”
Not Throwing the Bums Out This Year
Kyle Kondik: “With the primary season more than half over, it’s fair to say that incumbents have done just fine this cycle so far: better than fine, in fact.”
“So far this cycle, 273 of 275 House incumbents who wanted another term have been renominated, and 18 of 18 Senate incumbents. That includes results from the 31 states that have held their initial primaries; while a few of those states — Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina — have runoffs coming up later this month, those overtime elections for House or Senate seats are all in open seats. This is a better performance than the postwar averages in both chambers.”
Judge Says Colorado Gay Marriage Ban Unconstitutional
A Colorado judge declared the state’s “ban on same-sex marriages unconstitutional, but he immediately stayed his ruling,” the Denver Post reports.
Judge C. Scott Crabtree “pulled no punches” in his 49-page ruling, saying the state’s voter-approved ban “bears no rational relationship to any conceivable government interest.”
Todd Akin Takes Back His Apology
Failed Missouri U.S. Senate candidate Todd Akin (R) is out with a new book, Firing Back.
Politico: “Two years after the Missouri Republican’s comments on rape, pregnancy and abortion doomed his campaign and fueled a ‘war on women’ message that carried Democrats to victory in the Senate, one of the few regrets he mentions in a new book is the decision to air a campaign ad apologizing for his remarks.”
Writes Akin: “By asking the public at large for forgiveness, I was validating the willful misinterpretation of what I had said.”
Alec Baldwin Developing TV Show Based on Rob Ford
Alec Baldwin is developing a new TV show “in which he would play the central character, a Rob Ford-type Mayor of New York City,” Deadline reports.
Scott Holds Edge in Close Florida Race
A new SurveyUSA poll in Florida shows Gov. Rick Scott (R) edging challenger Charlie Crist (D) in the race for governor, 45% to 43%.
Shaheen Holds Big Lead Over Brown
A new WMUR Granite State Poll in New Hampshire finds Sen Jeanne Shaheen (D) with a comfortable 12-point lead over Scott Brown (R), double what it was in April when Brown made his candidacy official.
Outside Spending Could Set Record
The Fix: “So far in the 2014 election cycle, 114 super PACs have spent money on federal races, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Yes, 114. And that’s before the primary season is over. Those 114 super PACs have spent $77.8 million so far — a number that will jump up after the groups submit their latest Federal Election Commission filings next week. The top five super PAC spenders this year have spent $38.3 million of that total. In total, 23 super PACs have spent more than $1 million.”
The Impeachment Delusion
Wall Street Journal editorial: “One unfortunate reality of modern politics is the right-left mutually reinforcing media echo chamber. The most extreme voices on either side broadcast the most outrageous statements of the other side as a way to define their opposition and attract attention to themselves. This is the way to understand the flurry of fever-swamp chatter about impeaching President Obama.”
“Sarah Palin joined the impeachment calls on Tuesday, which could mean that the former Alaska Governor has been feeling neglected. She is following the talk radio hosts and obscure authors who are trying to increase audience share or sell books by posing as Mr. Obama’s loudest opponents. ”
