MORNING MESSAGE
The
Federal Reserve’s Chairwoman Janet Yellen is intimating that it might begin to
lift interest rates in the middle of this year. If so, its decisions over the
next year could well lock millions of Americans out of the workforce, and insure
that wages generally continue to stagnate. That is why it is vital that
President Obama act now to nominate someone with a clue about the real
conditions of working people in this economy ... Progressives should be rallying
support for the nomination of a leader like Larry Cohen, the dynamic retiring
president of the Communications Workers of America...
Pressure On House GOP To Avert DHS Shutdown
Senate
could pass bill to fund Homeland Security today, House prospects unclear. W.
Post: “…Boehner repeatedly declined to say Wednesday whether he would take
up the Senate’s ‘clean’ bill … Sen. Mark Kirk (Ill.), a moderate Republican,
defended McConnell and laid blame at the feet of House Republicans … Democrats
were happy to twist the knife. ‘There’s trouble in paradise. I don’t understand
it,’ said a chuckling Sen. Richard J. Durbin…”
“Boehner
and his leadership team are mulling several different options” reports
Politico: “One is to approve a one- to two-week stopgap funding bill,
alongside a request for a formal negotiation between [House and Senate] …
Another alternative House leaders are weighing is to tie DHS funding to the
outcome of [the] court fight …”
“Disgruntled
right wing keeps Boehner coup talk alive” says The Hill: “While there’s not
a coordinated effort yet, chatter of another coup attempt has grown louder now
that the Senate is moving to pass a funding bill to avert a shutdown of the
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) without the immigration riders.”
Obama
expects to prevail in court on immigration. AP: “‘People should be gathering
up their papers, make sure you can show you are a long standing resident of the
United States,’ Obama said at a town hall meeting hosted by the Spanish-language
TV network Telemundo. He said immigrants should make sure that by the time the
legal issues are sorted out, ‘you are ready to go.'”
Warren Intensifies Fight Against TPP
Sen.
Elizabeth Warren takes on TPP in W. Post oped: “Who will benefit from the
TPP? … One strong hint is buried in the fine print of the closely guarded draft.
The provision, an increasingly common feature of trade agreements, is called
‘Investor-State Dispute Settlement,’ or ISDS. The name may sound mild, but don’t
be fooled. Agreeing to ISDS in this enormous new treaty would tilt the playing
field in the United States further in favor of big multinational corporations.
Worse, it would undermine U.S. sovereignty.”
Politico
Magazine’s Zachary Karabell frets Germany will “crash the world economy”:
“Instead of easing the language and giving the new Greek government some room to
claim that it has honored its election pledges to remove the more onerous
conditions of the bailout and attend to the needs of the average Greek citizen,
the German-led champions of austerity are seizing on the moment to stand on
their antiquated principles, even if those principles result in a Greek exit and
untold economic damage.”
Walker Closer To Kneecapping Private Sector Unions
Wisconsin
closer to passing anti-union law. NYT: “[Gov.] Walker is now preparing to
sign a measure … that would bar unions from requiring workers to pay the
equivalent of dues … The State Senate passed the bill, 17 to 15, mostly along
party lines, Wednesday night after about eight hours of debate … The State
Assembly is expected to take up the measure next week. Where Mr. Walker’s
earlier high-profile strike against labor cut collective bargaining rights for
most public-sector unions, this one is aimed at workers in the private
sector.”
Gov.
Christie backtracks from claims of a pension deal with the teachers’ union. USA
Today: “He blamed the media for butchering his message, though [union]
leaders who attended the speech Tuesday blasted the Republican governor for
jumping the gun, saying there are negotiations but no deal.”
Progressive
movement rallies around Chuy Garcia in Chicago mayoral runoff. Politico:
“García’s chances of winning the April 7 run-off are, as even his supporters
admit, pretty slim. He got 34 percent to Emanuel’s 45 in a five-way race, and
the mayor can now likely consolidate support, money and attention … Even if
García doesn’t catch fire in the run-off, some progressive groups are hoping
that just having Emanuel go through the next two months of campaigning will be
humbling enough to get him to shift more in their direction.”
Progressive
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