MORNING MESSAGE
Something
unusual happened Friday. Regular Americans were able to beat Wall Street and the
giant corporations in Congress, winning a battle over “fast tracking” so-called
“trade” agreements. This sort of thing just doesn’t happen very often, but it
has been happening more and more lately. A sea change is taking place ... There
is broad public opposition to the corrupt, corporate-dominated politics of our
country, people are speaking out and making their wishes known, and that is
starting to make a difference. This time The Money didn’t win.
Fast Trackers Grope For Way Out
WH,
GOP try to revive fast track. NYT: “…House Republicans took steps Monday
night to give Speaker John A. Boehner until the end of July to try again …
Republicans were also exploring whether it would be possible to advance the
expedited trade authority that narrowly cleared the House on its own and try to
push that through the Senate…”
“White
House Officials to Meet With Pro-Trade Democrats Tuesday” reports Roll Call:
“Administration officials and House Democrats will specifically discuss how to
overcome the roadblock …
Hillary
Clinton dismisses fast track dispute as a “process issue.” WSJ: “More
important, she said, is the agreement itself, and she said she would withhold
judgment until the negotiations are done.”
But
criticizes arbitration process in TPP. LAT: “…Clinton raised questions about
a so-called Investor State Dispute Settlement process created under the accord.
Critics have dismissed it as a ‘secret’ tribunal that would benefit mostly big
corporations. Clinton called it ‘an anti-Democratic process.'”
CNN
finds Hillary Clinton expressed support for TPP 45 times: “…as members of
the Obama administration can attest, Clinton was one of the leading drivers of
the TPP when Secretary of State…”
Trump Is In?
Donald
Trump looks like he’s running. W. Post: “The tycoon planned a Tuesday
morning announcement at the eponymous Trump Tower in New York. That event,
according to people familiar with his plans, was set to be followed by the
release of a self-drafted financial summary of his assets, including an outline
of his debts … it remains to be seen how he will distinguish himself from his
rivals on policy issues, in part because he’s steered clear of many policy
specifics.”
Bernie
Sanders drawing bigger crowds than even he expected. WSJ: “Aides have set up
loudspeakers for people left outside Sanders events, and scrambled to find
larger venues to accommodate unexpected crowds …Money has been coming in at a
healthy clip, enabling the campaign to hire more staff…”
Hillary
pushes universal pre-K. NYT: “[She is] proposing more federal money for
states to provide preschool to children from moderate and low-income families.
The proposal is the first policy proposal Mrs. Clinton has put forth since she
officially kicked off her campaign…”
Spending Fight Step Toward Shutdown
Senate
Dems prepare to filibuster first GOP spending bill. Politico: “[Democrats] o
aim to force Republicans to increase domestic spending by killing every
GOP-written funding bill until they extract some concessions … Senate Majority
Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) hopes to tempt some defense-minded Democrats to
vote with Republicans by putting forward a national security spending bill as
his opening move in the chess game, followed by other tough votes on military
construction and veterans affairs.”
Step
toward September shutdown? The Hill: “One likely way out is passing a
continuing resolution (CR) at the end of September that would keep current
funding levels in place. Some Democrats believe McConnell is angling for such a
solution.”
Pope's Climate Encyclical Leaks
Pope
may lambaste greed as destroying planet. Slate: “A Vatican representative
[said] this version isn’t final. Still, it seems fair to assume that this is
fairly close to the document that will be officially released Thursday….the text
is both a practical and theological treatise on the ills of the 21st century …
‘We’ve glossed over the power relationship of a capitalistic society, and it’s
put us on the path to not only destroy creation but humanity as well…'”
International
Energy Agency warns nations need bigger carbon cuts to avoid climate crisis. The
Hill: “The greenhouse gas cuts proposed by some of the world’s biggest
economies won’t be enough to stop global temperatures from rising beyond the
important 2-degree Celsius threshold … IEA said the plans introduced so far,
taken together with climate policies in other countries, would result in a
temperature increase of 2.6 degrees Celsius by the end of the century.”
WH
raises $4B in private sector funds for clean energy. USA Today: “The White
House is touting $4 billion in commitments from the private sector to invest in
clean energy technologies as it convenes a Clean Energy Investment Summit
Tuesday. And the Obama administration is announcing new executive actions it
hopes will make it easier for the private sector to interest in solar, wind and
fuel cell technologies.”
Breakfast Sides
FDA
bans trans fat. Bloomberg: “Artificial trans fat will be banned from the
U.S. food supply over the next three years under a ruling by regulators that the
products pose health risks that contribute to heart disease … Food companies
will be able to petition the FDA to gain approval of specific uses of partially
hydrogenated oils if they have data proving the use isn’t harmful.”
Fed
not expected to raise rates this month. Bloomberg: “Any possibility of a
rate hike at the meeting’s conclusion on Wednesday was already crushed under the
weight of weak data early in the year … Instead, turn to September as the next
opportunity for the first rate hike of this cycle.”
Progressive
Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to
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