Million Student March Against Student Debt
Students are more than 100 colleges protest student debt yesterday. USAToday: "College students across the country rallied Thursday to protest student debt at the Million Student March ... Among their demands: cancellation of all student debt, tuition-free public college and a $15 minimum wage for campus workers."
Presidential candidates compete over student debt solutions: "[Sanders] has vowed to make tuition free at public universities and colleges, and has pledged to cut interest rates for student loans, tweeted in support of the movement on Thursday afternoon. His rival Hillary Clinton has said she would increase access to tuition grants, let graduates refinance loans at lower interest rates, and streamline income-based repayment plans. Florida U.S. Senator Marco Rubio ... says he would establish an income-based repayment system for federal student loans and would simplify applications for federal aid."
Dems Debate Tomorrow
Sanders may challenge Clinton more forcefully. NYT: "Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont is preparing new lines of attack againstHillary Rodham Clinton on trade, gun control, and even the controversy over her State Department email to use on Saturday at their next televised presidential debate ..."
Martin O'Malley eyes immigration as opening. NYT: "Mr. O’Malley has been telegraphing the punches he might throw on Saturday ... such as highlighting Mrs. Clinton’s stumble on the question of driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants in a debate in October 2007. Mr. O’Malley has a potential second issue to bring up: Last week, in New Hampshire, Mrs. Clinton highlighted her votes as a Senator supporting some version of a border fence."
Clinton proposes $30B aid package for coal communities. NYT: "Her plan for coal workers and their families would entail job retraining for those who are put out of work and support for public schools in their areas to supplant the tax dollars that would disappear if coal plants are closed."
Clinton walking a fine line in coal country. Bloomberg: "Clinton's proposal to fund education, entrepreneurship, broadband access, and clean energy production (as well as preserve future benefits for the employees of coal companies) is a more-than tacit acknowledgement that her energy plan will move away from America's most abundant source of fuel in favor of alternative energy sources that emit less carbon."
Cruz v. Rubio
Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio joust over immigration. WSJ: "In an interview with conservative radio host Laura Ingraham, Mr. Cruz taunted the Florida senator for opposing controversial amendments to the legislation to beef up border security and internal enforcement. 'He opposed every single one of them,' Mr. Cruz said ... The Rubio campaign blasted out a series of quotes from the Texas senator during the height of the debate over the Senate bill in which Mr. Cruz expressed his support for granting these immigrants legal status, if not citizenship."
Republicans worry. Bloomberg: "...that is raising concerns among some party strategists that the high-profile fight could further alienate Latino and Asian-American voters, wrecking the party's chances in a general election where 30 percent of the electorate is projected to be non-white."
And worry some more. W. Post: "...there is growing anxiety bordering on panic among Republican elites about the dominance and durability of Donald Trump and Ben Carson and widespread bewilderment over how to defeat them ... some in the party establishment are so desperate to change the dynamic that they are talking anew about drafting Romney..."
Warren Aims To Block Dodd-Frank Rollback
Bank-friendly Dems challenge Sen. Warren on Dodd-Frank. Politico: "The group — including Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, and Jon Tester of Montana — has been talking with Senate Banking Chairman Richard Shelby of Alabama ... The 'crux' of the conversations is whether to just reduce regulatory demands on small banks, or [include] changes to the Federal Reserve and ... the Financial Stability Oversight Council ... Shelby will likely keep trying to move the regulatory changes as appropriations riders before turning to an alternative route ... 'If there's anyone in this chamber, Republican or Democrat, who thinks they can slip goodies for Wall Street into these bills without a fight, they are very wrong,' [Warren] said."
Sen. Orrin Hatch could thwart TPP. NYT: "...Hatch is objecting to language that would limit brand-name drug makers’ monopoly protections abroad for their new, cutting-edge medicines known as biologics. In recent days he went so far as to call for the agreement to be renegotiated, during a speech at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which backs the accord ... all sides are mulling whether Mr. Hatch’s remarks are a potentially fatal blow ... or just the latest legislative bluff ... intended to extract advantage elsewhere."
House Freedom Caucus drafting new Contract With America. Bloomberg: "[The early draft calls] for House votes in the first 100 days of 2016 on replacing Obamacare, overhauling entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare, and repealing the estate tax ... legislation to slash government regulations by 20 percent, cut corporate tax rates and expand offshore oil drilling."
