Sanders Keeps Going
Sanders campaign insists it still has a winning path. Strategist Tad Devine on MSNBC: "We think we can win more states. We think we can win more delegates. We think we can prove to Democratic leadership that he is the best possible candidate for a general election.”
Boston Globe suggests Sen. Elizabeth Warren could be on Clinton's VP list: "Hillary Clinton’s short list of vice presidential options will include a woman, a top campaign official said in an interview ... The development immediately injects liberal darling Senator Elizabeth Warren’s name into the growing speculation..."
Trump Storms Indiana
Trump delivers populist pitch to Indiana. Indianapolis Star: "Indiana is the most manufacturing-intensive state in the nation ... He lambasted massive layoffs at air conditioner manufacturer Carrier's plant in Indianapolis. The company and its affiliates announced in February they would eliminate 2,100 Indiana jobs as they move production to Mexico. The layoffs have been a favorite target of Trump, who said Wednesday he would 'tax the hell' out of the company."
Cruz has hard time winning endorsements. Politico: "...Cruz’s colleagues are grudgingly saying nice things about the Texas senator ... But when it comes down to it, they just can’t bring themselves to make it official..."
And raising money. W. Post: "Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas is burning through money nearly as fast as he is raising it, intensifying the pressure on his campaign to expand its donor base."
Kasich mocks his own party in W. Post interview: "If you don’t have ideas, you got nothing, and frankly my Republican Party doesn’t like ideas."
W. Post looks at Paul Ryan's plan to sell his conservative agenda: "House Speaker Paul D. Ryan plans to roll out a wide-ranging conservative agenda in the weeks before Republicans gather in Cleveland ... Republicans say the speaker’s agenda project ... will provide specifics, and perhaps even draft legislation, on key issues of importance to conservatives, including health care, taxes and national security."
Sentencing Reform Stuck
Sentencing reform bill in limbo. Politico: "...chief Republican backers ... have quietly courted key GOP senators for weeks to show ... they could produce sweeping support for the bill, which would relax some mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent offenders ... But time is running short, and other issues are competing for what’s left of it."
WH adviser Jason Furman pens joint NYT oped with Republican Douglas Holtz-Eakin on sentencing reform: "Research finds that more incarceration has, at best, only a small effect on crime because our incarceration rate is already so high ... A growing body of research shows that incarceration and longer sentences could increase recidivism."
Breakfast Sides
Big bipartisan vote for Senate energy bill. The Hill: "The legislation is a collection of policy changes aimed at tasks like electric grid modernization and natural gas exports, although it avoids the most controversial proposals on either side. Accordingly, it passed on an 85-12 vote ... House and Senate lawmakers will now meet to craft a compromise package ... Time is running out for a deal..."
Sen. Graham praises Merrick Garland, still opposes vote. Politico quotes: "He’s, I think, an honest, very capable judge ... “so there’s no beef with him. Well-qualified man.”
Robert Reich and Nick Hanauer criticize Republicans for trying to block overtime pay rule, in NYT oped: "Senate Republicans have introduced legislation to block the Department of Labor from implementing the new rule, arguing that it would hurt workers and employers. True, some businesses predicated on low wages and abusive scheduling practices may struggle to adapt. But the great thing about capitalism is that where one entrepreneur fails, another quickly figures out how to fill his niche."
