BBC: “Iran has turned all of its enriched uranium closest to the level needed to make nuclear arms into more harmless forms, the UN nuclear agency says. The conversion of its stock of 20%-enriched uranium was part of a deal to curb Iran’s nuclear programme. The US said last week it would unblock $2.8bn in frozen Iranian funds in return for Iran’s compliance. A four-month extension to talks on Iran’s nuclear ambitions was agreed on Friday between Iran and world powers.”
Quote of the Day
“Don’t be depressed with how bad government is. Use your ingenuity, use your big head to think of solutions the marketplace can figure out, that the idiots and trolls in Washington will never come up with.”
— Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), quoted by the Los Angeles Times.
Cuomo Holds Massive Lead
A new Siena poll in New York finds Gov. Andrews Cuomo (D) leading challenger Rob Astorino (R) by 37 points in the race for governor, 60% to 23%.
Said pollster Steven Greenberg: “With a little more than a hundred days until voters go to the polls, Astorino has a gigantic hole to climb out of to even make the race for governor competitive. Cuomo currently has the support of 80 percent of Democrats, 56 percent of independents and 32 percent of Republicans. Cuomo’s lead among independents is larger than the lead Astorino has among Republicans.”
Fingers Point to Russia in Downing of Jet
“The U.S. leveled its most-explicit allegations yet of Russia’s involvement in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 and subsequent efforts to conceal evidence, and European leaders threatened broad new sanctions against Moscow, marking a turning point in the standoff between the West and the Kremlin,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Officials in Europe, meanwhile, departed from their initially muted reaction as anger grew across the continent over the attack that left 298 people dead and the chaos at the crash area in eastern Ukraine. Reports that bodies were being handled haphazardly and that separatist guards on the scene were drunk have caused fury in European countries where victims came from, including the Netherlands.”
Megachurches Still Prove Influential in GOP
“The influence of religious conservatives might be waning nationwide, but the movement only stands to grow in Congress,” Roll Call reports.
“Already this year, three candidates with close ties to massive churches won decisive Republican primaries. A fourth — Pastor Jody Hice — could win a Tuesday GOP primary runoff in Georgia and come to Congress in November.”
“Their victories come as public opinion has shifted dramatically on some social issues, notably same-sex marriage, denounced by most religious conservatives. The rise of the tea party and libertarian factions in the Republican Party has also diluted the influence of social conservative activists in the GOP.”
Fallin in Close Race in Oklahoma
A new Rasmussen survey in Oklahoma finds Gov. Mary Fallin (R) with a slim lead over challenger Joe Dorman (D) in the race for governor, 45% to 40%.
A New Rick Perry
Des Moines Register: “An animated Rick Perry yanked the microphone from the podium and paced the stage, leaning into his words as told Iowans tonight that he knows how to start getting the country ‘back on track’… A guy who in the past didn’t seem like he could run for a governor’s office much less the Oval Office seemed like a different candidate, Iowans said tonight, after Perry talked about ‘prosperity and hope and freedom,’ as well as a favorite topic of his lately, immigration reform.”
Said Perry: “We know how to secure the border and if the federal government will not do its duty, then I will suggest to you that the state of Texas will.”
“That remark brought the audience of about 200 of northwest Iowa Republicans to their feet for an extended standing ovation. And the room was buzzing after the 16-minute speech at the dinner, a fundraiser for nine county Republican parties.”
Quote of the Day
“This is the turning point. The lines are drawn now. We know who our friends are; we know who our adversaries are. Now we’re going to take it back.”
— Chris McDaniel (R), quoted by the Jackson Clarion Ledger, on challenging the results of the GOP Senate runoff that he lost.
Distorted Audio in Ad Draws Criticism
Connecticut gubernatorial candidate John McKinney (R) ran his first ad of the election cycle which included audio of rival Tom Foley (R) that was significantly edited to change its meaning, the Hartford Courant reports.
In the commercial, Foley is twice heard saying, “I’m not going to cut spending.”
But according to the original audio from the radio station that ran the interview, Foley actually said the following: “I’m not saying I’m going to cut spending; I’m saying I’m going to hold spending flat.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“She’s always trying to find the mythical center on controversial issues — and if you do that, someone else is going to take the bouquet for courage.”
— Former Sen. Gary Hart (D-CO), quoted by the Washington Post, on Hillary Clinton being too cautious.
Ukraine Links Russia to Missile System That Felled Jet
“The Ukrainian government said on Saturday, that it had proof that Russia had provided the surface-to-air missile system that shot down a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet over eastern Ukraine on Thursday, killing all 298 people aboard,” the New York Times reports.
“The allegations of a cover-up, both to hide the weaponry in the hours immediately after the missile strike and to stop investigators from collecting evidence, threatened to further inflame an already highly-charged international incident.”
McDaniel Says GOP Should Be Purged
Chris McDaniel (R) that other Republicans used “race-baiting” to hurt him in a U.S. Senate primary, and the GOP needs to be “purged” of people who use racially inflammatory campaign techniques against members of their own party, the Jackson Clarion Ledger reports.
Said McDaniel: “They hired Democratic operatives to go out into Democratic communities and call me a racist. That’s despicable. It’s the scarlet letter that they know works in society. It’s the way Democrats campaign. It’s the way liberals campaign.”
He added: “It goes to show that there are elements within our own party that have to be purged. There are elements within our own party that have no business being Republicans. Republicans should not behave in that fashion.”
Families Use Super PACs to Funnel Money to Candidates
USA Today has found “dozens of deep-pocketed super PACs financed by a handful of donors — some of which have close ties to the candidates they support. More than 40 super PACs that have raised at least $100,000 since Jan. 1 list fewer than five donors on campaign-finance reports.”
“Federal candidates can’t accept donations larger than $2,600 for a primary or general election. Super PACs can accept unlimited corporate, union and individual donations as long as they operate independently of the candidates they back. It’s perfectly legal for candidates’ mothers, siblings, grandparents and other relatives to finance super PACs. Campaign-finance watchdogs argue the practice demonstrates the broken state of election laws and regulations.”
Black Voters May Be Key to Midterm Outcome
Nate Cohn: “Southern black voters don’t usually play a decisive role in national elections. They were systematically disenfranchised for 100 years after the end of the Civil War. Since the days of Jim Crow, a fairly unified white Southern vote has often determined the outcome of elections.”
“This November could be different. Nearly five decades after the passage of the Voting Rights Act, black voters in the South are poised to play a pivotal role in this year’s midterm elections. If Democrats win the South and hold the Senate, they will do so because of Southern black voters.”
Quote of the Day
“I’m very excited about where we are. It’s tight but we got momentum. And we’re going to shock some people Tuesday. There’s some powerbrokers who are really throwing their weight and money around. And it’s not sticking.”
— David Perdue (R), quoted by the Atlanta Journal Constitution, after polls showed a much closer GOP Senate runoff with Jack Kingston (R) than expected.
Border Crisis Divides Republicans
New York Times: “Today, as a wave of unaccompanied minors fleeing Central America poses a new crisis for Congress and the White House, Republicans are struggling to calibrate a response that is both tough and humane, mindful of the need to reconcile their freighted history with Hispanic voters and the passions of a conservative base that sees any easing of immigration rules as heresy.”
“Some senior Republicans are warning that the party cannot rebuild its reputation with Hispanics if it is drawn into another emotional fight over cracking down on migrants — especially when so many are young children who are escaping extreme poverty and violence. But pleas for compassion and even modest proposals for change are dividing the party, and setting off intense resistance among conservative Republicans who have resisted a broader overhaul of immigration.”
Ex-Lawmaker Blames Obama for Airline Crash
Former Rep. Allen West (R-FL) thinks President Obama is “indirectly responsible” for the Malaysian Airlines plane crash in Ukraine which was officials say was caused by an anti-aircraft missile from pro-Russian separatists, Business Insider reports.
Said West: “The blood on Vladimir Putin’s hands was poured by Barack Obama, who is indirectly responsible, accountable …. and no different than Neville Chamberlain’s weakness in the face of the 20th Century maniacal dictator Adolf Hitler.”
On Wonk Wire
Some great clicks over at Wonk Wire:
- All Core iPhone Technology Was Initially Funded by the Federal Government
- Where’s Karl Rove’s Brilliant Alternative to Obamacare?
- Washington’s Uninsured Rate Plummets to 8.65 Percent
- Education is Producing a Nationwide Gentrification Effect
- Voter ID Laws Are Deliberately Racist
- Decriminalized Prostitution Led to Fewer Rape, Gonorrhea Cases
