CNN's GUT CHECK for August 6, 2014
CNN’s POLITICAL GUT CHECK | for August 6, 2014 | 5 p.m.
— n. a pause to assess the state, progress or condition of the political news cycle
‘READY FOR WARREN’ REGISTERS AS PAC, TARGETS IOWA … Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren says she's not seeking the White House, but her supporters are still gearing up for a potential run. On Wednesday, ‘Ready for Warren’ announced it has registered as a PAC in hopes of expanding the group’s grassroots outreach effort. “At the moment, one thing that (the outreach plan) includes is building our operation in Iowa so we can hire a Ready for Warren organizer to talk with Iowans about the campaign and hear about what kind of candidate they want to caucus for in 2016,” Ready for Warren campaign manager Erica Sangras told CNN in a statement. Sangras says she’s heading to the Hawkeye State on Thursday to meet with Warren supporters at the Iowa State Fair.
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… AS RAND PAUL WRAPS UP THREE-DAY IOWA TOUR WITH MARRIAGE, CONTRACEPTION TALK: Asked whether he would support a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman, Sen. Rand Paul said Wednesday he supports the idea of traditional marriage but thinks Washington shouldn’t be involved in the issue. “I’m in favor of the concept,” the Kentucky Republican told an audience in Iowa. “I am in favor of traditional marriage, and I think that’s been the foundation for civilization for thousands of years.” – Ashley Killough
ON THE HILL … BENGHAZI PROBE CONTINUES, DESPITE NEW REPORT SHOWING NO INTEL FAILURES: A GOP-led select committee on Benghazi shows no signs of backing down in its investigation despite a report unanimously approved by the House Intelligence committee which found, according to the top Democrat on that committee, there were no intelligence failures. "There is more work to be done, and more to be investigated,” a spokeswoman for the Chairman of the House Select Committee, Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-South Carolina, told CNN on Wednesday The Intelligence panel approved its report shortly before Congress departed for its five week summer break, but it hasn’t been declassified yet or publicly released. – Deirdre Walsh
SURROGATE ALERT: BILL CLINTON STUMPS FOR LUNDERGAN GRIMES IN KENTUCKY … Former President Bill Clinton tried to transfer his popularity in the Bluegrass State Wednesday to Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes in her quest to oust Republican incumbent Mitch McConnell. Clinton, who won Kentucky in both of his presidential elections in the 1990s, called for raising the minimum wage as he spoke late Wednesday morning to a crowd of about 750 at the Carrick House, a special events locale in downtown Lexington owned by Grimes' father. – Lexington Herald Leader’s Jack Brammer
AUGUST 27: BILL CLINTON TO CAMPAIGN FOR FORMER AIDE'S SON … No race is too small for Bill Clinton, especially when you are the son of a former Clinton White House aide and longtime friend. Clinton will campaign for Rhode Island's Democratic general-treasurer candidate Seth Magaziner on August 27 at the Rhode Island Convention Center, a campaign spokesman tells CNN. – Dan Merica
ABOUT LAST NIGHT … INCUMBENT SENATOR'S WIN ENDS UGLY KANSAS SHOWDOWN: Tuesday's Senate primary in Kansas ended another ugly showdown that pitted a tea party-backed challenger against an establishment Republican incumbent. Incumbent Sen. Pat Roberts fended off conservative challenger Milton Wolf in the state's GOP Senate primary, and is now the overwhelming favorite to win reelection in November. – Paul Steinhauser and Dana Davidsen
Paul Kane (@pkcapitol)
Of incumbent Rs on Kansas ballot last night – Gov, Sen, 4 US House members – 5 of 6 held below 70%. Remarkable. http://elections.nytimes.com/2014/results/p …
THE BUZZ … TAXPAYER-SUBSIDIZED MANICURES OUT AT SENATE BARBERSHIP: Good news, taxpayers: federal spending on the Senate's barbershop has decreased more than 50 percent in the past three years. Also, the Senate has a barbershop. Wait, what? – Washington Post’s Christopher Ingraham
MARKET WATCH: Stocks end mixed, as Dow adds 13 points. But two stocks lose big: Time Warner drops 13% and Walgreens falls 14%.
TRAIL TRIVIA
(Answer Below)
Which sitting U.S. senator worked for Jerry Springer's 1982 gubernatorial campaign?
the LEDE
Did you miss it?
Leading CNNPolitics: 5 reasons Obama's Africa leaders' summit matters
By any measure it's historic: The vast majority of Africa's leaders flying to Washington at the invite of the President, whose father was born on the continent, to mark what the White House hopes is a new era of cooperation. – Kevin Liptak
Leading CNNMoney: Live in a nice area? You may pay more for People magazine
If you live in an affluent area, prepare to pay more for your copy of People magazine. Time Inc. CEO Joe Ripp said the company is testing the idea of charging more for magazines at newsstands based on the affordability level of counties across the country. – Emily Jane Fox
Leading The Hill: Democrats throw kitchen sink at Republicans ahead of midterms
While the Democrats’ official campaign strategy focuses wholly on the economy, education and women’s rights, party leaders have charged into the August recess with a much broader message that paints Republicans as too tough on immigrants, too easy on corporate election donors and too focused on toppling President Obama in lieu of helping the middle class.- Mike Lillis
Leading Chicago Sun Times: Walgreens won't use inversion strategy that would have cut corporate tax bill
Walgreens made it official on Wednesday: the drug giant will seek shareholder approval to acquire its remaining 55 percent stake of Alliance Boots and will keep its headquarters in north suburban Deerfield, rejecting an option of reincorporating overseas to save on corporate taxes — called a corporate inversion — a strategy under attack by President Barack Obama.
Gut Check Flash Back: SEN. DICK DURBIN, D-ILLINOIS, IN A LETTER TO THE CEO OF DEERFIELD, ILLINOIS-BASED WALGREENS ON JULY 22: “Customers have many choices about where to shop and where to have their prescriptions filled. I believe you will find that your customers are deeply patriotic and will not support Walgreen’s decision to turn its back on the United States. Nearly all of your $2.5 billion in profits earned last year were from sales to U.S. taxpaying customers … Is ‘the corner of happy and healthy’ somewhere in the Swiss Alps?”
Leading HuffPo: 'Ridiculous': Frank Rips Gay Rights Groups' Flip
Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) rebuked the gay rights groups opposing a bill that would ban workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, calling their strategy "ridiculous." – Amanda Terkel
Leading Politico: The most popular guy in Washington
Whenever President Barack Obama is down, David Plouffe’s name comes up.
Democrats have speculated that Plouffe would take over as Obama’s chief of staff since the moment he left the White House in 2013. It flared up last fall during the botched rollout of HealthCare.gov.- Carrie Budoff Brown
Leading Drudge: Redford Sues NY Over $1.6m Tax Bill
Robert Redford is suing New York state related to the sale of Sundance Channel.
The actor-director sued the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance in Albany County Supreme Court on July 30, claiming that he's being overtaxed on money his company made when it sold off a stake in the channel in 2005. – Hollywood Reporters’ Kimberly Nordyke
Leading New York Times: As U.S. Speeds the Path to Deportation, Distress Fills New Family Detention Centers
After declaring the surge of Central American migrants crossing the border a humanitarian crisis, the Obama administration has shifted sharply to a strategy of deterrence, moving families to isolated facilities and placing them on a fast track for deportation to send a blunt message back home that those caught entering illegally will not be permitted to stay. – Julia Preston
HOT SOTS
The political bites of the day
- Bergen: U.S. general's killing is an ominous sign -
CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST PETER BERGEN IN A CNN OP-ED: “The attack is an ominous sign regarding the potential risks to American service members as the majority of U.S. forces withdraw from Afghanistan … Although directed at high-ranking officers, it was far from the first insider attack on coalition troops in Afghanistan.”
- Amash to Ellis: I beat you. Now apologize. -
JUSTIN AMASH, R-MICHIGAN IN HIS VICTORYSPEECHAFTER DEFEATING GOP PRIMARY CHALLENGER BRIAN ELLIS: “To Brian Ellis, you owe my family and this community an apology for your disgusting, despicable smear campaign …You had the audacity to try and call me today after running a campaign that was called the nastiest in the country. I ran for office to stop people like you.”
- FLOTUS: 'Women are smarter than men' -
MICHELLE OBAMA AT THE AFRICAN LEADERS SPOUSAL SUMMIT IN WASHINGTON: “Women are smarter than men … And the men can't complain because you're outnumbered today."
- Steve Israel: Israel did the best they could do -
DCCC CHAIR STEVE ISRAEL TO CNN’S JAKE TAPPER: "I do not know what more Israel could have done … Any war, you're always going to get the tragedy of those casualties … It is Hamas who decided to launch rockets in an asymmetric way, and so it is Hamas who has the responsibility for increasing the number of fatalities.”
TOP TWEETS
What stopped us in 140 characters or less
Vaughn Sterling (@vplus)
CNN: U.S. intel agencies fear Snowden's celebrity could be inspiring others to leak classified national security info -@evanperez
Taegan Goddard (@politicalwire)
Man Says McDaniel Paid Him to Lie About Vote Buyinghttp://politicalwire.com/archives/2014 /…
Alex Pappas (@AlexPappas)
Scott Brown on death of general in Afghanistan: "General Greene was a good man, a great leader and a mentor to me and all who knew him."
Erin Ruberry (@erinruberry)
Hillary Clinton made a surprise appearance on 'The Colbert Report' last night and stole the show http://thecolbertreport.cc.com/videos/imtefo/-hard-choices--hillary-clinton …
Amy Chozick (@amychozick)
"Hard Choices" sold 6,556 copies last week, bringing total to 217,282 in US (excluding ebooks), ranks #97 in nonfiction.
Damon Darlin ✒️ (@darlin)
AOL still has 2.34 million users and is charging each $250 a year. Should we be impressed or horrified?
Kevin Robillard (@PoliticoKevin)
Actual line in my notes from an interview with @GroverNorquist: "was in play — camelot — needed to find white tights"
Frank Thorp V (@frankthorpNBC)
Rep Stephen Fincher (R-TN) tweets Pandora link, says he loves "...beach music. AND shagging." Then deletes:
TRIVIA ANSWER from @sarafischer
Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, worked as a volunteer on Springer’s successful Cincinnati mayoral run in 1977, as well as on his unsuccessful Ohio gubernatorial campaign in 1982.
"I think people will be surprised by his intellect,” Cantwell told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in 2003. “There's much more to him than his TV show. He's an incredibly smart person,"
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Rand Paul holding forth on marriage and contraception has all the substance of a chimpanzee hand-signing his/her understanding of calculus.
We all know that [R] politicians have shown themselves to be dumber that wet teabags. But this Nov. we will all see if our fellow citizens are equally as dumb. It is one thing to choose to elect someone who subsequently proves themselves to be a party-first dumba$$, it is quite another thing to re-vote for such FAILURE when the evidence is clear, and it is quite ANOTHER thing altogether to actually vote in celebration of such [R] failure and malignancy.
Well. It seems that the goal of destroying all or most of the tunnels that was used not for food.. Goods.. Or anything was claimed to be used for except what was found.. Explosives.. Bomb making materials. Stolen materials used to attempt more killings. Smuggled in weapons. The list goes on.. Proof to the world now shown of terrorist activities. The ebola outbreak is more important in rest of worlds eyes and worries. And that is the one thing thats upsetting hamas the most. Most everyone is not listening or ignoring them now. But thats the result of not improving the living conditions like promissed. And the huge amount of expenditure that went to nothing but rubble in 3 weeks. Instead of farming and nesesities. Lesson should be learned. But wont be. Year.. Two.. Maybe three and it will start again.
"Rand Paul holding forth on marriage and contraception has all the substance of a chimpanzee hand-signing his/her understanding of calculus."
Now now...let's be fair...Giggles the Wonderchimp and his first lady Henrietta are both far better at hand-signing differential equations than the GOP/Teatrolls are at speaking English to women and minorities.
So embody tell this quack that there's something called video and when he says something it can been played back. This includes everything he's ever said on foreign aid, civil rights, plagiarism and lies and backtracking these lies.
No money to Israel means just that. You can't take it back nor can you take back that you don't like the idea of telling business owners, aka private ownership, that if they don't like blacks in their place of business they have the right to deny access. Did he just found out now that he is "running" for president (LOL) what the 14th amendment is all about.
You are a libertarian trying to run as a republican but you can't go too to the right before you go moderate and all the cra pola you have ever said.
This is the perfect example of your stand on immigration and illegal status that it was meant for children to slaves to now folks from South America.
Good luck since that worked so well for the flip flopping twit.
Ol' Yeller
@smith
The fact is GWB served in the military and Clinton did not.
There was a website all during dubya's two terms of playing president where a gentleman was offering 10,000 dollars to anyone who could bring any proof that dubya ever stepped foot on the base he was 'reportedly' stationed at. That 10,000 dollars never got claimed.
So let's not play so hard and loose with that 'fact' word you like to throw around. Apparently there is no proof bush ever 'served' in the military... anymore than there is that Clinton did... Clinton could have just as easily dressed up as a pilot (or a cowboy, I suppose).... it doesn't make him one
This is beyond dumb. Bush's DD214 proves he served in the military. Also, there is no difference between the Birthers and Ol' Yeller. Denial of the facts..smh
Little Ayn Rand Paul got lucky when Democrats sat out the last mid term elections. The luck will run out for this Tempest in a Teapot!
When will Ted Cruz tell the tax man how much he and his friends made by shutting down the Government ?
These companies that take advantage of this inversion TAX DODGE stratagey need to be TAXED EXTRA on their USA sales to stop making their living by trying to profit EXTRA on the backs of American costemors. Companies like GE that pay NO TAXES for doing business here NEED TO BE BOYCOTED by the American people. These companies off shore your jobs and then avoid. taxes that YOU end up paying. BOYCOTT THESE TAX CHEAT COMPANIES . remines me of the tax cheat ROMNEY!!
Today is election day across most of the US for final in november. And a lot are worried. Not for jobs they claimed to have made.. But the one they want to keep. Very worried that will see something they only vaguely heard about.. The UNEMPLOYMENT LINE..!