MORNING MESSAGE
Bernie
Sanders routed Hillary Clinton in three Western states on Saturday ... with
stunning percentages: Alaska 82-18; Hawaii 70-30; Washington 73-27. He’s taken
five of six in the West, and chipped away Clinton’s lead in pledged delegates,
trailing in pledged delegates by 1243 to 975. The Clinton campaign, echoed by
the talking heads, sought to discount the victories as “expected” from the
“largely white and liberal” Pacific northwest. But just as Clinton’s victories
in the South should not be dismissed because they were built on loyal
African-American voters, Sanders’ victories shouldn’t be dismissed either.
Liberals are Democrats, too ... the mainstream media would be well advised to
cover the Sanders surge, not dismiss it, and put a bigger spotlight on the
Democratic race.
BURNING ISSUES: UNDERSTANDING THE CRISIS IN SYRIA
Jim
Zogby, the president of the Arab American Institute, explains the “conflict
within a conflict within a conflict” in Syria in this segment of the Burning
Issues video series.
"WEEKEND AT BERNIE'S" BRINGS MOMENTUM BOOST
Sanders
campaign aims for Wisconsin and New York. W. Post: “His advisers, spoiling
for a brawl, have commissioned polls to show which contrasts with Clinton — from
Wall Street to fracking — could do the most damage to her at home [in New York
on April 19] … ‘If we’re going to have a serious shot at the nomination, we’re
going to have to defeat her in Wisconsin,’ [chief strategist Tad] Devine said.
Sanders then hopes to slingshot into New York, which will award a whopping 247
delegates…”
Sanders
campaign presses for NY debate. NYT: “Jeff Weaver, Mr. Sanders’s campaign
manager, sent a letter on Sunday to his counterpart in the Clinton campaign,
Robby Mook, asserting that the two teams had agreed to have a debate in
California in May but had not yet come to terms on an April showdown [in New
York.] ‘Can you please explain why New York should not host the April debate? Is
the Secretary concerned about debating before the people who twice elected her
to the U.S. Senate?'”
Politico
deems Bernie’s delegate path, “Improbable, not impossible”: “He would have
to win slightly fewer than 60 percent of the remaining pledged delegates to
surpass Clinton – a huge improvement over the roughly 45 percent of pledged
delegates he’s captured so far …a narrow win for Sanders [in Wisconsin] would
allow him to maintain his momentum through the rest of the month’s contests. But
mathematically, a narrow Sanders victory there would only have a limited impact
on the delegate deficit.”
CLINTON TO PRESS GOP ON SCOTUS
Clinton
to pressure GOP on Supreme Court. Politico: “In a speech about the Supreme
Court that Clinton is scheduled to deliver at the University of Wisconsin at
Madison, the Democratic front-runner is expected to single out Iowa Sen. Chuck
Grassley and challenge him to hold hearings on the nomination of Merrick
Garland…”
Senators
begin to meet with Garland: “At least five senators are scheduled to return
to Capitol Hill for private sessions with the nominee, Judge Merrick B. Garland.
Those sessions will include a meeting with Senator Mark S. Kirk of Illinois, who
will be the first Republican to sit down with Judge Garland.”
TRUMP NEEDS LOYAL DELEGATES
Trump
struggles to master delegate process. Politico: “…he may be lapping Ted Cruz
at the ballot box, but Cruz is outmaneuvering him in the quieter — and equally
crucial — hunt for loyal delegates … From Louisiana to Georgia to South Carolina
— all Trump victories — delegates and delegate candidates are lining up to back
Cruz…”
Trump
threatens to sue Louisiana GOP. The Hill: “The executive director of
Louisiana’s Republican Party says the state GOP is ready for a potential lawsuit
from Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump over delegate allocation.
‘[I’m] really confident in the rules,’ Jason DorĂ© said on Sunday, according to
The Times-Picayune. ‘[We] are taking it seriously and will be prepared.'”
NAFTA
backlash driving Trump support. Bloomberg: “In three particularly hard-hit
counties north of Detroit, for example, he took almost 50 percent of this
month’s primary vote, more than double the tally for his nearest rival.”
Cruz
aims for Wisconsin’s working-class. W. Post: “Cruz has been demoing a new
message for a voter bloc that has mostly spurned him. In TV ads and artfully
staged rallies, Cruz is talking more about trade and turning his cocktail of
economic ideas – ‘repeal Obamacare,’ ‘rein in the EPA,’ ‘end welfare benefits
for those here illegally’ – into a ‘morning in America’ vision of growth.”
BREAKFAST SIDES
Labor
Dept. rule coming to bring transparency to union-busting efforts. The Hill:
“The Labor Department finalized the so-called union ‘persuader’ rule on
Wednesday, requiring third-party lawyers and outside consultants to disclose
when they are paid to advise businesses on resisting union-organizing campaigns.
The rule takes effect on July 1.”
California
moves toward $15 minimum wage. NYT: “California lawmakers have reached a
tentative deal to raise the state minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2022 … If
approved, California would become the first state to adopt a $15 an hour minimum
wage … [Governor Jerry] Brown’s office did not immediately respond to requests
for comment.”
Progressive
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