Obama Prepares Immigration Action
Immigration action "going to happen," says Obama at press conference, but date not set. The Hill: "There is concern within the administration about rolling out the action before Congress agrees to a spending bill. Lawmakers have until Dec. 11 to strike an agreement to prevent a government shutdown, and Democratic leaders have encouraged the White House to wait until after then to make their announcement."
More details emerge about expected order. AP: "The immigration advocates ... said that final details of the plan remained in flux. But the White House is likely to include parents and spouses of U.S. citizens and permanent residents, stipulating that they've resided in the U.S. for some period of time — possibly as little as five years. That group totals around 3.8 million ... Adjustments also are expected to the existing Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program ... Removing the upper age limit so that applicants don't have to be under 31 — one option under consideration — would make an additional 200,000 people eligible ... Changes are also expected on the law enforcement side, including to a controversial program called Secure Communities that hands over people booked for local crimes to federal immigration authorities..."
GOP looks for ways to stop Obama. Politico: "Several options are being considered, including a standalone bill to strip or restrict funding from agencies that deal with immigration ... some in the top rung of the party aren’t certain the House has the ability to stop the Obama administration ... 'if he wants to go off on his own, there are things he’s just not going to get,' Boehner said..."
Boehner may dust off lawsuit. W. Post: "Boehner reportedly wants to respond forcefully and quickly should the president act and believes a lawsuit would do that ... Boehner first announced plans to initiate a federal suit against Obama in late June, when he called the president’s executive orders an unconstitutional power grab by one branch of government. But the suit has wallowed ever since as GOP lawmakers have struggled to find a D.C. area law firm willing to take up their legal fight."
Warren In Spotlight
Warren says no to donors pushing presidential bid. Politico: "Elizabeth Warren insists she has no interest in running for president in 2016, but the rich liberals to whom she spoke Thursday afternoon seemed unwilling to take 'no' for an answer. The Massachusetts senator got a rock stars’ welcome during a closed-door speech to major donors, one of whom interrupted her by yelling 'Run, Liz, Run!'"
Dems should put trust in Warren, says NYT's David Firestone: "...senators and their aides are telling reporters that she will act as a 'liaison to liberal groups,' which sounds a bit like an ambassador to a distant country ... A mere liaison is not what the Democrats need right now. ... If Ms. Warren is allowed to become the voice of Democratic opposition to the worst Republican policies, she may just help lead the party out of the wilderness."
Wall Street blasé about Senate leadership role. Politico: "'What else is she going to do that she hasn’t already?' said one financial services executive."
Warren opposes Treasury nominee. Politico: "Sen. Elizabeth Warren plans to oppose President Barack Obama’s nomination of Antonio Weiss, a Wall Street investment banker, to be Treasury Undersecretary for Domestic Finance ... he advised on Burger King’s acquisition of Canadian doughnut chain Tim Horton’s, a so-called 'tax inversion deal.' Defenders say the deals are commonplace across Wall Street and Weiss did not advise on the tax portion."
Breakfast Sides
Mother Jones reveals "the Left's Confidential $100 Million Plan to Win Back the States": "The plan comes from a little-known outfit called the Committee on States ... That money will go toward funding left-leaning organizations that focus on data and analytics, grassroots organizing, messaging and opposition researching, and of course fundraising. The goal is to create durable political machines in each targeted state."
Obama hits skeptical note on Keystone bill. The Hill: "Lawmakers shouldn’t 'short-circuit' the existing process for evaluating the Keystone XL pipeline, President Obama told reporters ... 'I’ve been clear in the past… and my position hasn’t changed, that this is a process that is supposed to be followed,' President Obama said..."
"Democrats Try for Quick Confirmation of NLRB Nominee" reports WSJ: "Less than 24 hours after the White House’s announcement Wednesday that President Obama nominated Lauren McFerran to the federal labor board, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions scheduled a hearing next Thursday to vet her ... Republicans haven’t publicly opposed Ms. McFerran but they’ve repeatedly accused the board’s Democratic majority of being union advocates."
Coal executive indicted in 2010 WV disaster. NYT: "The former chief executive of the company involved in the nation’s worst coal mine disaster in 40 years, in which 29 men died in West Virginia in 2010, was charged on Thursday with widespread violations of safety rules and deceiving federal inspectors ... Mr. Blankenship faces a maximum of 31 years’ imprisonment."
