MORNING MESSAGE
Why
is [NY Gov. Andrew] Cuomo intent on cutting higher education and raising tuition
at the very same time government leaders are exhorting young people to take
their education beyond higher school? It’s not just Cuomo. According to a new
report, most states are on par with New York or even worse in cutting their
commitments to higher education ... Students, of course, are the ones having to
take the brunt of the funding crunch by taking on more college loan
debt
SANDERS CLOSES IN
Two
point race in CA. W. Post: “The latest and most closely watched of the three
‘live caller’ polls …. was the Field Poll … Clinton led Sanders by a 45-43
margin … Polls this week from the Public Policy Institute of California and NBC
News/Marist found the same margin…”
Sen.
Harry Reid tells Bernie to quit. AP quotes: ” I don’t think he should [stay
in to the convention]. I don’t know what that’s going to prove. Sometimes you
just have to give up. I’ve lost before. The numbers aren’t there.”
Clinton
laces into Trump’s business dealings. WSJ: “Hillary Clinton seized on Donald
Trump’s legal troubles concerning a defunct real-estate school during a rally
Wednesday, calling him a ‘fraud’ who is ‘trying to scam America the way he
scammed all those people at Trump U.’ …
“DNC
vetoed union leader pick for platform committee” reports W. Post: “… at a
news conference today, Sanders revealed that the DNC had actually vetoed his
nomination of a key labor ally, and said he was told not to pick anyone else
from the labor movement … DNC platform committee spokeswoman Dana Vickers
Shelley confirmed that the DNC had not wanted labor leaders on the platform
drafting committee, limiting labor’s presence to Paul Booth of the American
Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees union.”
Clinton
talks up clean energy. The Hill: “The tenfold boost in electricity
production from sources like wind, solar and geothermal is one of the top
features of a conservation and public land agenda the Democratic presidential
candidate rolled out Wednesday.”
Sanders
criticizes WH move on offshore fracking. W. Post: “Just days after two
federal agencies seemed to clear the way for offshore fracking in the Pacific
Ocean, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called on it to stop … ‘[It] will not be
allowed to stand if I have anything to say about it,’ said Sanders … Clinton has
not responded to the report…”
Backlash
against fossil fuels. WSJ: “Many major fossil-fuel projects across the U.S.,
from pipelines to export terminals, have been shelved or significantly delayed
because of a confluence of new regulations, grass-roots opposition and a drop in
energy prices. Overall, more than a dozen projects, worth about $33 billion,
have been either rejected by regulators or withdrawn by developers since
2012…”
OBAMA STUMPS
Obama
sells economic progress, rips GOP, in Indiana address. W. Post: “He slammed
the Republican message as ‘anti-government, anti-immigrant, anti-trade and,
let’s face it, anti-change.’ … His aim, he said, was ‘to bust this myth of
crazy, liberal government spending.’ … He castigated Republicans for criticizing
regulations imposed on Wall Street …”
Obama
embraces expanded Social Security. Politico: “President Barack Obama called
for expanding Social Security on Wednesday, prompting progressive groups to
declare victory after they tangled with him over a plan to save costs in the
entitlement program three years ago … ‘it’s time we finally made Social Security
more generous and increased its benefits so that today’s retirees and future
generations get the dignified retirement that they’ve earned,” Obama said in an
economic call to arms in Elkhart, Indiana. ‘We could start paying for it by
asking the wealthiest Americans to contribute a little bit more.'”
TRUMP LACKS SWING STATE SUPPORT
Trump
lacking key swing state endorsements. Politico: “…a host of key
establishment figures in Ohio and Florida — including current Ohio Gov. John
Kasich, former Gov. Bob Taft, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Florida Reps. Ileana
Ros-Lehtinen and Carlos Curbelo and other influential Latino leaders in Florida
— are still refusing to get behind the GOP nominee.”
MI
Gov. Rick Snyder won’t endorse Trump reports Politico.
“Conflicts
of Interest? President Trump’s Would Be Amazing” says Bloomberg’s Timothy
O’Brien: “…he would still be allowed to oversee operations and collect
income from the more than 500 businesses … Some of Trump’s businesses also
appear to be in countries that don’t necessarily sync up with the candidate’s
foreign-policy message…”
CFPB Cracks Down ON PAYDAY LENDERS
CFPB
targets payday lenders. NYT: “The payday loan industry … could soon be
gutted … Under the guidelines from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau …
lenders will be required in many cases to verify their customers’ income and to
confirm that they can afford to repay the money they borrow. The number of times
that people could roll over their loans into newer and pricier ones would be
curtailed. The new guidelines do not need congressional or other approval to
take effect, which could happen as soon as next year.”
Rep.
Debbie Wasserman Schultz pushes for delay. Politico: “The debate has spawned
bipartisan legislation backed by Wasserman Schultz to delay the new rules for
two years, a move that she says would give states time to adopt stricter laws.
That stance has drawn attack ads by opponents of the industry … The legislation
also invited a sharp rebuke from [Sen. Elizabeth] Warren…”
People’s
Action’s Liz Ryan Murray says “this fight has just begun”: “The CFPB’s
announcement launches a 90-day public comment period on the rules. Join the 600
families who’ve shared their personal stories and the more than 59,000 people
who’ve taken action so far. Tell
the CFPB to stop the debt trap once and for all.”
Progressive
Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to
activists. Progressive Breakfast is a project of the Campaign for America's
Future. more
»