SCOTUS Expands Gay Marriage
Supreme Court establishes equal marriage rights for majority of America. HuffPost: "The court declined to hear appeals from five states that were challenging lower-court rulings legalizing same-sex marriage ... It also set the stage for legalization in six other states that also fall under the lower courts' jurisdiction ... When all is said and done in those states ... same-sex marriage will be legal in 30 states and the District of Columbia ... Just over 60 percent of the U.S. population now lives in a state where marriage equality soon will be legal. Prior to Monday, that total was just under 44 percent..."
Republican leaders quiet as conservatives grumble. W. Post: "Conservative religious groups and a handful of Republican lawmakers decried the Supreme Court’s decision ... But most Republican leaders in Congress and elsewhere stayed relatively silent ... Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), a popular tea party conservative and potential 2016 presidential contender, called the court’s move 'tragic and indefensible' ... In Iowa, where there is a closely fought Senate battle, the issue will be featured prominently in 350,000 voter guides that [Ralph] Reed’s group plans to distribute in more than 1,000 churches ..."
Midterm Momentum For Democrats?
Polls suggest hope for Senate Democrats. Roll Call: "A new poll suggests Democrats in 12 Senate battleground states have made significant gains with their messaging to key demographics, putting the races at a 'tipping point' where the opinion of women — specifically unmarried women — may provide the path for Democrats ... The poll of 1,000 likely voters in battleground states found a 2-point advantage for Democrats overall..."
While House Dems "retrench." The Hill: "The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is shifting its ad spending plans to protect vulnerable incumbents and double down on a few top pickup opportunities, moving money away from a number of districts they'd once hoped to target ... The DCCC has raised more money this cycle than the National Republican Congressional Committee, and Democratic outside groups have been outspending their GOP opponents at this point. But Republican outside groups have been increasing their ad buys in recent weeks."
Voter interest is low. W. Post's Chris Cillizza: "Just 15 percent of Americans said they were following the 2014 midterm elections 'very closely' in the past week ... The election is in one month from tomorrow and it remains a back-of-the-mind story for most people. Midterms are largely battles between the two party bases ..."
The Atlantic's David Graham on why Obama said his policies are on the ballot: "It might have something do with the kind of voters to whom Obama is speaking. Having stipulated that swing voters don't really exist, the trick to winning is to maximize base turnout."
Paulson Testifies
Bush's Treasury Secretary testifies why AIG bailout terms were harsher than other institutions. Bloomberg: "[Henry Paulson] said yesterday that regulators wanted to send a message to markets that government help would cost them ... Paulson drew a distinction between AIG’s treatment and that of Citigroup Inc., which he acknowledged received better terms than the insurer ... The government avoided punitive terms for Citigroup because it feared doing so would encourage shortsellers to attack other banks, further destabilizing the economy..."
Geithner testifies today notes NYT.
Obama meets with top financial regulators. The Hill: "The president also urged the regulators to 'consider additional ways to prevent excessive risk-taking across the financial system, including as they continue to work on compensation rules and capital standards,' [and] to consider adopting a flexible approach that takes into account the 'size and complexity of different institutions.'"
