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Minimum Wage Push Could Tip 2014

Dems pushing ballot initiatives to raise wages in battleground states. W. Post's Harold Meyerson: "...Democrats are working to put wage-increase initiatives before voters in states that will have contested House and Senate races in 2014, including Arkansas, Alaska, South Dakota and New Mexico. Such ballot measures have proved an effective way to increase turnout of low-income and minority voters, which can translate into more ballots cast for Democratic candidates."

$10.10 minimum wage means 4.6M out of poverty. HuffPost: "... it would reduce the poverty rate among Americans between the ages of 18 and 64 by as much as 1.7 percentage points, a study released Monday from University of Massachusetts-Amherst economist Arindrajit Dube finds. That would bring about 4.6 million people out of poverty directly and reduce the ranks of the nation's poor by 6.8 million, accounting for longer-term effects."

The Atlantic's Matthew O'Brien pinpoints the states hit hardest by cutoff of extended unemployment insurance: "...states like California, Georgia, and New York, among others, will get hit the hardest now that benefits are capped at 26 weeks. They had the highest percentage of people on extended benefits, and now they have the highest percentage of people on their own who employers won't hire."

Obamacare Already Scores Big

10M so far have health coverage thanks to Affordable Care Act, tallies TPM: "...just over 2.1 million people have purchased ACA-compliant health care policies through the federal and state health care exchanges ... Next there are [roughly] 4.3 million people who have been enrolled in Medicaid through Medicaid expansion ... Next there's a number that's been in effect for a couple years now and no one seems to want to discuss: roughly 3.1 million young adults under the age of 26 who now remain covered under their parents policies..."

With website fixed, ad campaign revs up. National Journal: "The Health and Human Services Department has reportedly reserved at least $12 million worth of TV ad time for spots promoting the health care law and encouraging people to enroll. Outside groups will spend even more ... The administration will also have some help from the insurance industry ... a sign that the industry believes early problems with the enrollment process have been worked out ... The White House and its allies will focus most of their money on a handful of markets, targeting places with large numbers of uninsured residents as well as uncooperative state governments."

WH still working on conservative governors. McClatchy: "The White House said Thursday it's willing to work with Republican governors who don't want to expand Medicaid but want to boost health insurance coverage for the poor ... [The administration] noted governors in Iowa and Arkansas have enacted different models -- Iowa is offering its poorest residents Medicaid while using federal Medicaid dollars to subsidize private insurance for people who earn between 101 percent and 133 percent of poverty..."

Kerry Targets Climate

Sec of State Kerry eyes climate pact. NYT: "...while the public’s attention has been on his diplomacy in the Middle East, behind the scenes at the State Department Mr. Kerry has initiated a systematic, top-down push to create an agencywide focus on global warming. His goal is to become the lead broker of a global climate treaty in 2015 that will commit the United States and other nations to historic reductions in fossil fuel pollution ... As a result of midlevel talks Mr. Kerry set up to pave the way for a 2015 deal, the United States and China agreed in September to jointly phase down production of hydrofluorocarbons ... For decades, the world has been skeptical of American efforts to push a climate change treaty [but new EPA rules] are viewed as a sign that the United States is now serious ..."

Climate push may impact 2014 elections. The Hill: "Energy and environmental issues are expected to take a front seat in dozens of races across the country, from coal country in West Virginia and Kentucky to the Gulf Coast, where Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) faces a tough reelection race just as she prepares to take up the chairmanship of the Senate Energy Committee ... In Alaska, Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) faces a difficult reelection battle in a major energy state. On Thursday, he distanced himself from Obama's climate agenda, pushing for more oil exploration. Open-seat Senate races in South Dakota and Montana are also places where energy will be a major theme as the natural-gas boom becomes a prominent debate in 2014."

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