MORNING MESSAGE
On
Wednesday, a judge in Flint authorized charges against three officials involved
in the water crisis ... Conspicuously absent from the criminally charged, in the
minds of some, were Flint’s emergency managers Ed Kurtz, who signed the
agreement to switch water systems; Darnell Early, who rejected the city
council’s vote to return to Detroit’s water system; and governor Rick Snyder ...
For the children of Flint, the crisis is far from over
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.”
Progressive
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