Debate Night Tonight
Sanders previews tonight's GOP debate. Politico quotes: "When you watch that debate just imagine if you are one of the wealthiest people in this country and extremely greedy and selfish, and you’re going to have 10 candidates more or less talking about your needs and not the needs of working people."
Hillary trains fire on Jeb. NYT: "'It makes sense to start trying to define the race against Bush as early as possible,' said Anna Greenberg, a Democratic pollster. 'She’ll do much better in contrast to Republicans.' ... The strategy is not risk-free: Mrs. Clinton could be accused of ignoring her own primaries..."
Bernie accepts invite to speak at Liberty University. W. Post: "'It goes without saying that my views on many issues -- women’s rights, gay rights, education and many other issues -- are very different from the opinions of some in the Liberty University community,' Sanders [said.] ... But Sanders said he would like to see if 'we can reach consensus regarding the grotesque level of income and wealth inequality in our country, about the collapse of the middle class, about the high level of childhood poverty, about climate change and other issues.'"
Democrats to announce debate schedule soon. McClatchy: "Of the six sanctioned events, one each will be held in the four early nominating states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. The first will take place this fall ... Some of Clinton’s four opponents, as well as a handful of liberal groups, have called for the DNC to add more debates and drop a new policy that bars candidates from DNC debates if they participate in other non-sanctioned debates."
Sick Leave Executive Order Soon
Obama plans sick leave executive order. NYT: "Stymied by Republicans in Congress, President Obamahas drafted an executive order to force any company that contracts with the federal government to issue paid leave to employees who are sick, are seeking medical attention or need to care for a sick relative ... [It] could affect hundreds of thousands of workers ... The order would set a minimum of 56 hours a year of paid sick leave, about seven days, but it is broad in scope..."
Senate Dems demand higher pay for Capitol cafeteria workers. Roll Call: "Though the letter did not dictate a wage amount, [Sen. Sherrod] Brown said a 'living wage' would constitute $15 an hour."
A victory for CEO-Worker pay ratio disclosure. OurFuture.org's Sam Pizzigati: "...an SEC majority today adopted regulations that will finally allow the enforcement of the Dodd-Frank Act provision that requires corporations to annually disclose the ratio between their CEO and median worker compensation."
Skepticism over effort to link highway bill to corporate tax reform. The Hill: "Tax observers speculate that [Rep. Paul] Ryan and his partners face an uphill climb to gain traction for their efforts during a condensed fall schedule likely to be dominated by government funding, Iran and even an unprecedented visit from the pope. But even if they are successful, McConnell has told lobbyists that he’s dead set against linking highways and tax reform. Publicly, he’s said that the international tax issues are serious enough to be dealt with on their own, and that he wants the sort of comprehensive overhaul of the tax code that’s unlikely as long as Obama is in office."
Public Backs Carbon Cuts
Poll shows strong support for new climate plan. The Hill: "Fifty-eight percent of respondents to an Americans United for Change poll said they support the Clean Power Plan ... The poll — a survey of 4,517 registered voters in a handful of swing states — included positive and negative descriptions of the plan ... Fifty-nine percent of respondents said states should comply with the rule."
Yet Senate Republicans move to block plan. The Hill: "The bill passed by voice vote at a hastily organized meeting of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee ... The nine Democrats on the committee did not attend the afternoon meeting. They walked out on an earlier meeting, denying Republicans a quorum for their vote, due to objections over an unrelated bill on pesticides."
16 states push for delay on climate regs. The Hill: "They want the Obama administration to put the rule on hold until all litigation against it is complete ... EPA spokeswoman Melissa Harrison reiterated the Obama administration’s position that the rule falls within the confines of the law and will stand up to court scrutiny."
