MORNING MESSAGE
...while
the Paris climate agreement, to be signed by 155 nations Friday in honor of
Earth Day, may be too little, it is not too late. The agreement creates a
critical global commitment to combating climate change, sets the stage for an
initial round of carbon pollution cuts and establishes a framework for action
that can be built upon over time ... But how do we finish the job? ... economist
Robert Pollin has laid out a concrete game plan in his book “Greening The Global
Economy.”
BURNING ISSUES: AVOID TO FAILURES OF MILITARISM
The
next president should heed the wisdom of an electorate that is “fed up” with
the follies of military adventurism because of the fiascos in Iraq, Afghanistan
and Libya, says Emira Woods, a foreign policy fellow at the Institute for Policy
Studies, in this Burning Issues video.
BErNIE BACK ON TRAIL
Bernie
continues his case against Hillary in PA. WSJ: “Mr. Sanders [said[ Mrs.
Clinton is benefiting from super PACs raising millions of dollars from Wall
Street firms and ‘special interests.’ In a mocking tone, he took aim at her for
delivering paid speeches … sarcastically saying that she should be eager to let
the public read texts so eloquent that they commanded such high fees.”
But
acknowledges uphill climb in NBC interview. W. Post: “Look, if we do not
have a majority [of pledged delegates], it’s going to be hard for us to
win.”
Bernie
channels Biden. The Hill: “‘I like the idea of saying, “We can do much
more,” because we can,’ Biden said [in a NYT interview] … At his rally, Sanders
called Biden ‘a great son of Pennsylvania.’ I think the vice president is
exactly right,’ Sanders said. ‘That is what this campaign is about.'”
TRUMP, CRUZ TARGET INDIANA
Indiana
may be last chance to stop Trump. W. Post: “With Trump poised to rack up
more delegates in five Northeastern states on Tuesday, Indiana’s May 3 primary a
week later is shaping up as a must-win for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz … [But] the
anti-Trump groups here are riven by divisions over strategy and tactics and
limited in their financial resources.”
Trump
woos Rubio. The Hill: “Donald Trump on Thursday said that he would welcome
Sen. Marco Rubio into his presidential cabinet. ‘Frankly, Marco I’d love to have
involved … The party has to unite.'”
Cash-strapped
RNC scales back operations in key states. NYT: “…Sean Spicer, the
committee’s chief strategist, acknowledged this week that the committee had
begun informing state parties and statewide campaigns that fulfilling such plans
would now be ‘slower.” [But] the party is also taking steps to create a separate
fund-raising entity dedicated to Senate races … many of the wealthiest
contributors are increasingly focused on protecting Republican control of
Congress rather than on a presidential campaign they fear is lost.”
BREAKFAST SIDES
Speaker
Ryan admits he can’t pass budget. Politico: “Speaker Paul Ryan on Thursday
said he does not have enough GOP support to pass a budget, something he once
called the basic function of governing when he was House Budget chairman.”
Privatizing
federal government doesn’t cut costs, argues John J. DiIulio Jr. and Paul R.
Verkuil in W. Post oped: “…there is no evidence that outsourcing federal
administrative work saves money … the federal government’s worst and most
persistent performance problems are concentrated among its most outsourced
programs … the most catastrophic federal government performance failures have
occurred when federal agencies had too few full-time workers.”
Obama
pens Telegraph oped urging Britain to stay in EU: “The European Union
doesn’t moderate British influence – it magnifies it. A strong Europe is not a
threat to Britain’s global leadership; it enhances Britain’s global
leadership.”
Republican
senator meets with Garland, then attacks him. NYT: “Senator John Hoeven …
met quietly with Judge Merrick B. Garland [then] expressed unusually pointed
opposition … because he had not alleviated his discomfort about his perspective
on gun rights and federal regulations that would affect those working in
farming, ranching and energy sectors.”
Progressive
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