Bernie The Frontrunner?
Sen. Bernie Sanders edges ahead in Quinnipiac Iowa poll. Time: "The Vermont senator is favorite among 41% of Iowa likely Democratic participants, compared with 40% supporting the former Secretary of State ... 'Sanders has seized the momentum by offering a message more in line with disproportionately liberal primary and caucus voters,' said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll."
70,000 labor members join Sanders conference call. W. Post: "During brief remarks on the conference call, Sanders touted his support for raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, launching a $1 trillion program to rebuild the country’s infrastructure and creating a single-payer 'Medicare for all' health-care system."
Clinton picks up union endorsement. The Hill: "The International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC), a group with about 80,000 members, said in a statement that 'no presidential candidate is better qualified than Hillary Clinton to occupy the White House.' ... It’s the third union endorsement for Clinton [after] the American Federation of Teachers and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers."
Hillary Clinton puts some daylight between herself and Obama on foreign policy. W. Post: "Again and again, Clinton pointed to instances overseas where she would have taken a tougher stance than Obama, from arming Syrian rebels to confronting an expansionist Russia ..."
Sanders builds campaign infrastructure to win delegate race. Bloomberg: "In Colorado, Minnesota, and Massachusetts for example, the campaign believes it has an organizational advantage ... depending on how those early contests go, [Sanders aide Tad] Devine said, the campaign will either 'dramatically expand the playing field' or attempt to lose by as little as possible in the delegates race..."
GOP Disarray Over Iran Deal...
House conservative revolt complicates Republican strategy on Iran. The Hill: "Instead of a single vote to disapprove the deal, the House will now hold three separate votes on the agreement ... [One would] express a sense of the House that the Obama administration has not met the requirements of the Iran review legislation ... resorting to litigation could take months or even years to resolve — during which time Obama would be likely to lift the sanctions within his control."
Senate GOP not in sync with House GOP. NYT: "...Senate Republicans conceded that the White House had prevailed and the accord could not be stopped. A Senate vote to cut off debate on a resolution disapproving the accord could come as soon as Thursday, and Democrats might have the votes to filibuster it."
...And Potential Shutdown
Boehner tries to tamp down shutdown talk. Politico: "Speaker John Boehner warned his Republican colleagues Wednesday morning that shutting down the government over Planned Parenthood could damage the cause of lawmakers who oppose abortion ... Boehner did not explicitly rule out a [continuing resolution to fund the government] that defunds Planned Parenthood, but told lawmakers that shutting down the government would not stop the group from getting government funds ... House Republicans expect a government-funding vote next week."
May need Democrats to keep government open. W. Post: "With up to three dozen Republicans balking, Boehner must go to Democrats in order to avoid a federal shutdown ... Pelosi told reporters Wednesday that her demand ... is to have a public commencement of 'good-faith' negotiations that would lead to a bipartisan deal loosening ... 'sequestration.' Democrats are seeking an additional even split in increased funds for domestic agencies and the Pentagon."
Republicans grumble about Sen. Ted Cruz. Politico: "The effort, they say, carries more than a whiff of his losing strategy to defund Obamacare in 2013 ... Cruz is circulating a letter among senators hoping to get them to sign on to his vow to oppose any bill that funds Planned Parenthood this month, but his colleagues aren't biting."
Jeb Plans To Give The Wealthiest More
"Jeb Bush’s Tax Plan Is a Large Tax Cut for the Wealthiest" says NYT's Josh Barro: "...typical taxpayers would get tax cuts that raise their after-tax income by amounts ranging from 1.9 percent (for a single adult earning $50,000) to 4.3 percent (for a married couple making $250,000). By The Times’s calculation, taxpayers earning over $10 million would experience a 6.8 percent rise in their after-tax incomes on average under the Bush plan."
Massive loss in tax revenue. NYT's Paul Krugman: "It’s $3.4 trillion in lost revenue. But most of this will be made up through higher growth, Bush’s advisers, led by Glenn Hubbard, assure us. And that’s highly credible, right?"
Breakfast Sides
Justice Department issues new guidelines on white-collar crimes. NYT: "Stung by years of criticism that it has coddled Wall Street criminals, the Justice Department issued new policies on Wednesday that prioritize the prosecution of individual employees — not just their companies ... Though limited in reach, the memo could erase some barriers to prosecuting corporate employees and inject new life into these high-profile investigations."
Gov. Andrew Cuomo to back $15 minimum wage. NYT: "Mr. Cuomo, who earlier this year said that a $13 minimum wage was a 'nonstarter' in Albany, is scheduled on Thursday afternoon to call for an across-the-board increase in the wage to $15 ... Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. will join the governor ..."
Republicans introduce bills to overturn NLRB ruling on franchise workers. WSJ: "[The NLRB decision] means thousands of companies could be drawn into union-organizing campaigns involving subcontracted and franchise workers. Senate Republicans said Wednesday that their Protecting Local Business Opportunity Act would roll back the ruling and restore the previous standard."