A new Gallup study finds that television remains the leading source of news for most Americans
and that Fox News tops all
of its competitors.
Become a member to get many great benefits -- exclusive analysis, trending news, a private podcast, no ads and more!
Thompson Still Taking Money Linked to Bernie Madoff
New York Daily News:
“The last time William Thompson ran for mayor, he promised to donate
thousands of dollars from his campaign war chest to charity after the
Daily News discovered that of his biggest longtime donors was linked to
Bernie Madoff. But four years later, Thompson not only hasn’t donated
the money — he’s also pocketed even more campaign contributions from the
Madoff-tainted financier Seymour Zises. Zises — who was sued by victims
of the Ponzi schemer for secretly investing the majority of their money
with Madoff — has given more than $21,000 to Thompson’s various
campaigns over the years.”
Tough Choice for Republicans
Jessica Taylor:
“Some Republican lawmakers are increasingly facing a tough choice –
support a comprehensive immigration bill and face a backlash from their
own voters or oppose efforts to provide a path to citizenship for
undocumented workers and contribute to larger GOP losses in the future.
Republican strategists are already fretting about the long-term
implications for the party if they reject a comprehensive immigration
bill, but that’s a bitter pill for conservative activists to swallow,
who are promising primary challenges and substantial blowback if
lawmakers back reform. With fewer and fewer competitive House districts
and Senate lawmakers who voted for the reform bill passed last week
already facing threats of primary challenges, conservative activists are
threatening to kill the effort, and it’s one reason GOP leadership and
House Speaker John Boehner has been hesitant to even bring up the Senate
bill for a vote.”
White House Moves to ‘Hands-On’ Approach on Egypt
First Read: “As the news out of Egypt gets worse — 42 were killed and 322 were injured after the Egyptian military fired on Muslim Brotherhood supporters — one thing is certain: Expect the Obama administration will take a more hands-on approach to dealing with the political unrest there. This includes creating incentives for Egypt to get this right this time, getting Morsi released from his house arrest, having a more inclusive government, and propping up governing institutions. The White House realizes that if you can’t get a country like Egypt right, then it seems impossible to get stability in more problematic Middle East countries such as Syria.”
“If there was a regret from the last round of Egyptian unrest, it was the decision to stay more hands off during the transition to democracy. As involved as the president was in helping escort Mubarak out of office, there was a hesitancy — understandable to many — of being very involved with the new government. After all, American involvement is a double-edged sword in these countries; no one can be successful in Egypt if they are seen as an American puppet. But at the same time, the Obama administration now realizes it needs to use its influence more than it did the last time. And make no mistake, the U.S. does have influence here; it’s just not clear how to use it. But it all starts with getting Morsi released.”
Perry to Announce Plans Today
Austin American-Statesman:
“Gov. Rick Perry will unveil his political plans Monday afternoon in
San Antonio, raising the curtain on what has the makings of a tumultuous
2014 election cycle. Perry did not tip his hand about his announcement
in a nearly 12-minute appearance on Fox News Sunday.”
First Read: “The smart money is on Perry saying that he WON’T run for re-election as governor next year… Then again, Perry — the longest-serving governor in Texas history — has surprised folks before. In 2010, it was widely expected he’d step aside to make way for Kay Bailey Hutchison. But he ended up running and crushed KBH in the primary. So anything could happen…”
Headline of the Day
“Here we ho again.”
— New York Post, on the political comeback attempt by former New York Gov. Eiliot Spitzer (D).
Obama Shifts Focus to Immigration, Economy
“With several controversies fading and a period of intense foreign travel over, President Obama is narrowing his focus this summer to two issues, immigration and the economy, that could help determine the success or failure of his second term,” the Washington Post reports.
“On immigration, Obama is devising a new, more public strategy that will include events in states with large Latino populations… — part of an aggressive effort to pressure House Republicans who remain skeptical of proposed changes….”The president also plans a series of summertime events focused on steps the government can take to drive economic growth.”
Kansas Schools Lose Insurance Over New Gun Law
A new Kansas law allowing gun owners to carry weapons in public buildings, including schools, has thrust a major insurer into the national gun control debate, USA Today reports.
“The EMC Insurance Cos. insures 85 percent to 90 percent of all Kansas school districts and has refused to renew coverage for schools that permit teachers and custodians to carry concealed firearms on their campuses under the new law, which took effect July 1. It’s not a political decision, but a financial one based on the riskier climate it estimates would be created, the insurer said.”
Hillary Clinton’s Response to the Has-Been Charge
“Republicans in search of an attack line against Hillary Clinton have begun to cast her as a tired relic of the past — an implicit contrast to their own bench of up-and-comers like hip hop-listening Marco Rubio and libertarian-leaning Rand Paul,” Politico reports.
“But Democrats are confident that giving voters the chance to make history by electing the first female president — by definition a forward-looking act – would trump any argument that Clinton is too 20th century and give her a ‘change’ mantra of her own.”
Said Democratic operative Stephanie Cuitter: “If Secretary Clinton runs, she’ll be the nominee — the first female nominee of either party. That breaks through the ‘old’ tagline that the Republican geniuses are cooking up because, if handled correctly, women of all ages will absolutely be inspired by that. I don’t recommend that be the totality of her message or platform, but there’s no way to hide that fact and it certainly shouldn’t be discounted.”
Quote of the Day
“What the Senate just passed was, again, a bunch of, you know, candy thrown down there, a bunch of assets thrown down there to gain votes, but without a methodical, smart border approach.”
— Rep. Mike McCaul (R-TX), quoted by Huffington Post, on the immigration reform legislation.
Congress Returns to Total Gridlock
Congress returns today with many pressing issues and little guarantee that any of them will be dealt with, the New York Times reports.
“Even in some of the worst years of partisan gridlock, a deadline has meant something to Congress — until 2013. Drop-dead dates have come and gone this year, causing real-world consequences. On Jan. 1, tax rates went up not only for affluent families, but also for virtually all workers when lawmakers looked the other way and let a payroll tax cut expire. On March 1, after leaders from both parties declared that automatic, across-the-board spending cuts would never happen, they happened anyway because of inaction.”
“At this time in 2011, Congress had passed 23 laws on the way toward the lowest total since those numbers began being tracked in 1948. This year, 15 have been passed so far.”
David Hawkings: “The small number of new laws projected for this year, in other words,
is another good indication of the brokenness of the legislative branch.”
Why Spitzer is No Weiner
Ben Smith: “Eliot Spitzer’s attempt to return to public life — with a perilously late entrance into the race for New York City Comptroller — was being compared to Anthony Weiner’s mayoral campaign about 20 times a minute on Twitter, last I checked.”
“But Spitzer has basically nothing in common with Weiner, aside from their low body fat, and shared (and lightly observed) Jewish faith. Weiner is a talented politician who left Congress with no major legislative accomplishments and everything to prove. Spitzer was a major force in American public life for eight years despite having no particular talent for politics. Weiner’s online romances brought him down because they were weird. Spitzer’s ordinary sin — any number of politicians have survived prostitution scandals — ended his tenure as governor because his governorship was already going terribly.”
Spitzer himself told the New York Observer of Weiner’s comeback attempt: “I don’t see any parallels between that race and this one.”
Ellsberg Says Snowden Was Right to Run
Daniel Ellsberg: “Many people compare Edward Snowden to me unfavorably for leaving the country and seeking asylum, rather than facing trial as I did. I don’t agree. The country I stayed in was a different America, a long time ago.”
“After the New York Times had been enjoined from publishing the Pentagon Papers — on June 15, 1971, the first prior restraint on a newspaper in U.S. history — and I had given another copy to The Post (which would also be enjoined), I went underground with my wife, Patricia, for 13 days. My purpose (quite like Snowden’s in flying to Hong Kong) was to elude surveillance while I was arranging — with the crucial help of a number of others, still unknown to the FBI — to distribute the Pentagon Papers sequentially to 17 other newspapers, in the face of two more injunctions. The last three days of that period was in defiance of an arrest order: I was, like Snowden now, a ‘fugitive from justice.'”
Spitzer Seeks Political Comeback
Eliot Spitzer (D), “who resigned as governor of New York five years ago amid a prostitution scandal, is re-entering political life, with a run for the citywide office of comptroller and a hope that voters have forgiven him his previous misconduct,” the New York Times reports.
Said Spitzer: “I’m hopeful there will be forgiveness, I am asking for it.”
“Spitzer, an aggressive watchdog over Wall Street when he served as attorney general, wants to overhaul the sometimes overlooked office into a more activist one, given the power the comptroller exercises over the city’s pension funds and city spending.”
A source tells the New York Post that Spitzer “will self fund his campaign and plans to spend millions if he needs to.”
Quote of the Day
“Super PACs may be bad for America, but they’re very good for CBS.”
— CBS CEO Leslie Moonves, quoted by the New York Times.
Last Words of the Presidents
Mental Floss has an interesting look at the last words and final moments of 38 presidents.
Aide Says McDonnell Not Resigning
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s (R) communications director denied a report that the governor is resigning, the Virgnian Pilot reports.
Said Tucker Martin: “It is false.”
Secret Court Dramatically Expands Surveillance Powers
“In more than a dozen classified rulings, the nation’s surveillance court has created a secret body of law giving the National Security Agency the power to amass vast collections of data on Americans while pursuing not only terrorism suspects, but also people possibly involved in nuclear proliferation, espionage and cyberattacks,” the New York Times reports.
“The rulings, some nearly 100 pages long, reveal that the court has taken on a much more expansive role by regularly assessing broad constitutional questions and establishing important judicial precedents, with almost no public scrutiny.”
