Union Full-Court Press Against Fast-Track
AFL-CIO's Richard Trumka leads charge against fast-track. USA Today: "'We are going all out to oppose it: phone banks, leaf letting, door knocks in various congressional districts and Senate states in informing the general public, and we will continue this until we are successful in defeating it,' AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said during a reporter roundtable."
Sen. Robert Menendez pressured to reject fast-track to protect Latinos, by Presente.org's Arturo Carmona in Roll Call oped: "The TPP would displace 1.2 million workers across Mexico and the Caribbean and nearly 170,000 in the U.S. ... Menendez cannot morally remain on the sidelines while our communities are sold out to multinational corporate behemoths, yet again. Latinos across New Jersey and the country will not forget elected officials who leave us out in the cold this time."
Progressives Storm Primaries
Progressive primary challenges on the rise. W. Post: "In municipal and statewide Democratic primaries all across the country, liberal candidates have emerged in strong competition against more moderate opponents at a time when the party base is increasingly longing for populist, outspoken standard-bearers ... In some races, liberal candidates have cleared or are expected to clear the field ..."
Possible presidential candidate Jim Webb makes populist pitch at firefighters conference. Roll Call: "...Webb’s populist message pleased the union crowd ... He criticized the hundreds of millions of dollars the heads of corporations can make and the tripling of the stock market over the last six years while middle and working class wages stagnated. 'This is not sour grapes, and it is not a cheap shot,' Webb said. 'It is the reality of our current system, and it has got to stop.'"
Breakfast Sides
CFPB should tackle forced arbitration, argues Public Citizen's Lisa Gilbert in The Hill oped: "...the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued its final study on forced arbitration, and the results are straightforward: ... lenders use arbitration clauses to make it significantly more difficult for consumers who have been cheated or the victims of illegal conduct to get any relief ... only 7 percent understand that they can't go to court ... These take-it-or-leave it contracts that we all must sign often include dangerous clauses buried in the fine print that take away our rights ... [CFPB is] now armed with the necessary data to act quickly to ban forced arbitration clauses..."
Citigroup thriving while other investment banks struggle. NYT: "The bank’s resurgence on Wall Street is all the more remarkable because it is taking place as many of its rivals pull back in the face of new regulations intended to make the financial system safer ... Citigroup’s advance has involved acquiring vast amounts of derivatives ... Derivatives often earn bigger profits for Wall Street dealers than stocks and bonds. But new rules, including higher capital requirements, have started to take their toll, persuading many banks to cut back on the amount of derivatives they hold."
Unions sue to stop new Wisconsin law. AP: "The state A.F.L.-C.I.O. and two local unions filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to at least temporarily block a new law barring unions from requiring workers to pay the equivalent of dues ... The unions say that the law is an unconstitutional taking of their property without just compensation and that enforcement would cause them irreparable harm."
Sen. Lindsey Graham floats "mini Simpson-Bowles deal." The Hill: "Budget ceilings on defense and non-defense spending will be relieved next year if a group of Republican and Democratic senators get their way. Sen. Lindsey Graham ... told reporters Tuesday that the group is considering a plan that would allow the government to spend more than what’s allowed under a 2011 budget deal that introduced budget cuts known as sequestration ... He said he was willing to close 'loopholes' in the tax code if Democrats were willing to make concessions on entitlements ..."
