Clinton Doesn't Rattle Wall Street
Wall Streeters shrug off Clinton's populist rhetoric. Politico: "It’s 'just politics,' said one major Democratic donor on Wall Street, explaining that some of her Wall Street supporters doubt she would push hard for closing the carried interest loophole as president, a policy she promoted when she last ran in 2008."
Sen. Bernie Sanders says Clinton won't take on 1%. Bloomberg: "'It's not what she says, it's what she does,' Sanders said ... He said he'll be making a decision 'shortly' on whether to launch a presidential campaign 'Is Hillary Clinton, are other candidates, prepared to take on the billionaire class?' Sanders said. 'Based on her record, I don't' think so, he said."
W. Post's Harold Meyerson offers a populist agenda for Clinton: "... raising the tax on capital income to that imposed on income derived from work, and the tax on short-term investments to levels well above that ... linking CEOs’ pay not to their companies’ stock prices but rather to the median income of their employees ... mandating corporate restructuring policies that would make employees a more powerful influence on a company’s conduct than wealthy in-and-out shareholders..."
Hillary Clinton writes Elizabeth Warren's entry for Time's "100 Most Influential People": "...she never hesitates to hold powerful people’s feet to the fire: bankers, lobbyists, senior government officials and, yes, even presidential aspirants."
And indicates support for Fight for $15 strikers in tweet: "Every American deserves a fair shot at success. Fast food & child care workers shouldn't have to march in streets for living wages."
But also tells Iowa small business owners there are too many "unnecessary regulations." Des Moines Register: "American business startups and small business creation is down ... Clinton told the business leaders ... 'Slowly over time it's become more difficult — more expensive, more red tape, unnecessary regulations that have really put a damper' ..."
Fast-Track Bill Looms
Fast-track deal may be near. Reuters: "U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch said on Wednesday he was working with the panel's top Democrat, Ron Wyden, to get a deal ... 'It's a work in progress,' Hatch, a Republican, told reporters ... [A Democratic] aide said the bill would add a new step by requiring the House of Representatives and Senate committees responsible for trade to vote to certify trade agreements meet the objectives set by Congress before going to a yes-or-no floor vote."
Unions, progressives unmoved by WH TPP push. Politico: "Organized labor’s unified message against the President Barack Obama’s free trade agenda is simple: No thanks, we’ve been here before ... [Worker rights] requirements haven’t dampened labor’s vociferous opposition to the deal ... Previous side deals to protect workers’ rights in a raft of trade agreements simply haven’t worked..."
Breakfast Sides
Court battle over Obama's climate regs begins. NYT: "In the two cases, Murray Energy v. E.P.A. and West Virginia v. E.P.A., the plaintiffs contend that the E.P.A. lacks the authority to issue the rule in the first place, and so should stop working on the rule before making it final ... it is also possible that the judges could throw the case out, since the rule has only been proposed and thus contains language that could change when released in the final form."
Senate Dems push gas tax hike, tied to refunds. USA Today: "Democrats, contractors and unions are pressing Congress to raise the gas tax to fund the Highway Trust Fund despite opposition from key Republicans that makes any increase unlikely ... At a Wednesday news conference on the Capitol lawn, Boxer outlined a proposal to be introduced later this week that would reduce the effect of a tax increase by providing gas tax refunds to middle-income households."
