Progressives Rattle NY Gov. Cuomo
Progressive challenger to NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo scores more than third of the primary vote. NYT: "Though she ran her campaign on a shoestring and with scarcely any organizational support, Ms. Teachout was on pace to record the strongest challenge to an incumbent governor since primaries for the office were established in New York in 1970 ... Ms. Teachout carried counties in large portions of New York, from the Canadian border to New York City’s northern suburbs. She and Mr. Wu, who were endorsed by one of the major unions of state workers, also ran away with the race in Albany County and much of the capital region ... an embarrassing rebuke to Mr. Cuomo, and it could put a dent in any national aspirations he may hold."
"You have been heard" declares Teachout. NY1 quotes concession speech: "There is no politician in this state who doesn't know about you and know about what you care about right now tonight. You created a courageous and marvelous campaign, waged against all odds, with very little resources, against this massive and corrupt New York political machine ... Maybe the governor is pushing for more tax cuts for the wealthy. Maybe somebody is pushing for more cuts to education. Maybe somebody is pushing for hydrofracking. Democrats in New York have to shed their fear and speak up against it."
The "success of his Mean Girls–esque strategy of ignoring rival Zephyr Teachout is still up for debate" notes NY Mag's Margaret Hartmann: "That's not exactly the landslide Cuomo was looking for, and the governor embarrassed himself through his ridiculous efforts to avoid acknowledging the Fordham Law School professor, even when she was standing two feet away from him ... Cuomo kept up the act straight through primary night. He did not hold a victory party (which would have suggested he participated in a primary), and Teachout was reportedly unable to concede to the governor with a phone call, as he wouldn't give her his number."
Public Demands Action On Inversions
"Strong Support for Congressional Action on Inversions" in NBC/WSJ poll: "About 59% of registered voters said they believe Congress should take action to 'penalize and discourage companies' from inverting because it results in lost tax revenues in the U.S. About 32% disagreed, saying companies 'have a duty to their shareholders to lower costs and grow their business.'"
Treasury Secretary pledges action in Bloomberg interview: "If Congress doesn’t act, we have to take the steps we can, which will reduce the economic value of inversions. It will not take away the need for legislation. But it will take a lot of the value out of these inversions, which I hope will change the decisions companies make ... The real answer is tax reform, because as long as we have a system where the United States has the highest statutory tax rate in the developed world, even though a lot of companies pay no taxes, it creates a very bad incentive."
House Moves To Avoid Shutdown of Government, Including Ex-Im Bank
House GOP plans to only fund government through December, will also keep Ex-Im Bank afloat. W. Post: "House Republican leaders Tuesday unveiled a temporary government funding bill that includes a short-term extension of a trade-promotion agency that has been targeted by conservative activists, eliminating a key sticking point ... 'People want to keep the government running. We don’t want to watch a rerun of the same movie,' said Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) ... At this stage, according to lawmakers and senior aides in both parties, [Sen. Ted] Cruz does not have near the support he did last fall [to force a shutdown.]"
Ex-Im Bank would be extended through June. The Hill: "The deal to extend the controversial Ex-Im Bank came after many top House Republicans, including Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said they did not want to reauthorize the agency ... Democrats had pushed for a much-longer extension, with Republicans divided. Ex-Im supporters had pushed for the bank’s reauthorization to coincide with the length of the continuing resolution. The bank’s backers believed they had more leverage to save the institution alongside broader talks over a continuing resolution."
Fine print boosts military. Politico: "...the bill provides only a temporary solution to the threat of new domestic spending cuts that could be triggered in January. At the same time the GOP allows for up to $85.1 billion in overseas contingency funds for the military— $26.5 billion more than President Barack Obama has requested ... the $26.5 billion difference is greater than some entire cabinet departments."
