Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton split yesterday's primary contests, as expected. Clinton won big in Kentucky, CNN (5/21) reports, topping Obama 65%-30%. In Oregon, with 86% of the votes counted, CNN report Obama defeated Clinton 58%-42% -- a larger margin than predicted by the two most recent polls (ARG and Suffolk), which had him up by about 5 points. The AP (5/21) reports that Obama now has 1,956 delegates to Clinton's 1,776 delegates, although not all of yesterday's delegates have been allocated as counting continues in Oregon. Obama needs 2,026 to secure the nomination.
McClatchy says Sen. Barack Obama "took a major stride" yesterday, "locking up a majority of the elected delegates to the Democratic National Convention and declaring that the title is within his grasp." Speaking at a rally last night in Iowa, site of his first nominating contest victory, Obama also "offered what sounded like a valedictory to Clinton as he tried to nudge her out of the race. 'The road here has been long...partly because we've traveled it with one of the most formidable candidates to ever run for this office,' he said." USA Today, in an article titled, "Obama crosses key threshold," reports this morning that Obama "sought to pivot from a fierce primary fight to a general-election battle" after his win in Oregon yesterday. Obama reached out to Clinton, praising her for her "commitment and perseverance," while "focusing his fire on McCain and what he called a contest of 'the past vs. the future.'"
The AP adds that Obama "declared himself 'within reach' of" winning the Democratic nod. Obama also "paid tribute to Clinton in his remarks, but left little doubt that he has put the lengthy and hard-fought contest against her behind him." The Chicago Tribune reports Obama "also called for unity in his party following the 15-month nomination fight. 'More than anything, we need this unity and this energy in the months to come, because while our primary has been long and hard-fought, the hardest and most important part of our journey still lies ahead,' Obama said."
Obama Preparing To Take Over DNC In another sign that he is moving to general election mode, the AP reports this morning that Obama "is quietly planning to take over the Democratic National Committee and assemble a multistate team for the general election. ... Top Obama organizer Paul Tewes is in discussions to run the party, several Democratic officials said Tuesday." According to the AP, Tewes "is one of the leading architects of Obama's success. ... He engineered Obama's critical victory in the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3."
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The New York Times reports this morning that Sen. Hillary Clinton's massive victory in Kentucky, "with its large population of blue-collar Democrats, underscored the problems that" Sen. Barack Obama "faces as he tries to persuade the party to support him as the nominee. The Washington Post, in a front-page article, says Sen. Clinton "came close to replicating in Kentucky her blowout victory in West Virginia a week earlier, and in doing so she once again exposed Obama's weakness among working-class white voters in that region." In his "Washington Sketch" column for the Washington Post, Dana Milbank writes, "Maybe it's the Kool-Aid talking, but this kind of lopsided loss feels like a big problem for Obama."
According to the Wall Street Journal, "Exit polls show just 40% of Kentucky's working-class white voters said they would back Sen. Obama if he gets the nomination. ... About an equal number said they would support" Sen. John McCain "and the rest said they wouldn't vote. Clinton staffers will likely point to that metric as they try to persuade superdelegates that Sen. Clinton would be the best nominee to take on Sen. McCain in November." USA Today notes, however, that Kentucky "is unlikely to be a key state" in the general election. "Bill Clinton, the last Democrat to win it, eked out 1992 and 1996 wins in three-way races including independent Ross Perot."
The AP reports this morning that exit polls show Obama did better with white voters in Oregon, where 57% backed him, and the two Democrats "were evenly dividing working-class whites -- those who have not finished college -- a group that has decisively stuck with Clinton in most states this year. In addition, only one in 10 voters in Oregon said the race of the candidates was important, one of the lowest proportions in primary states this year."
The AP reports that Sen. Hillary Clinton told her Kentucky supporters that "she has pressed on in the race 'not because I've wanted to demonstrate my toughness, but because I believe passionately that for the sake of our country, the Democrats must take back the White House and end Republican rule. ... That's why I'm still running and that's why you're still voting.'" The Lexington Herald-Leader reports Clinton "pledged to keep her campaign going in Puerto Rico, Montana and South Dakota. 'This continues to be a tough fight and I have fought it the only way I know how: with determination,' she said at her victory speech at Louisville's Marriott Hotel Downtown. She added, 'I'm going to keep making our case until we have a nominee, whoever she may be.'" The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Clinton's "blockbuster victory -- on the heels of a whopping 40-point win in West Virginia last week -- handed her ammunition to argue that she is the stronger candidate for the general election." Clinton, in a speech that "was clearly aimed at superdelegates," argued "that she is more competitive among working class, less educated and white rural voters in key swing states critical to Democrats in November."
According to the New York Times, Clinton "has begun asserting that she believes sexism, rather than racism, has cast a shadow over the primary fight, a point some of her supporters have made for months. Advisers say that continuing her candidacy is partly a means to show her supporters - especially young women - that she is not a quitter and will not be pushed around."
The Washington Times reports this morning that Federal Election Commission reports filed yesterday "showed continued good news" for Sen. Barack Obama, "who collected $31.3 million in April from more than 200,000 new donors. He had $37.3 million cash on hand to spend until the convention in late August." Bloomberg News reports Obama "has now raised $256 million for the primary election, just behind the $262 million taken in by President George W. Bush in 2004. Obama has already surpassed the $219 million raised by 2004 Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry.
The AP reports that Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign brought in about $22 million in April, and began this month with $8 million in cash she can use in the primary and $19.5 million in debt, including $10 million to herself. In addition, the Clinton campaign had $22 million that could only be used in the general election. Clinton had brought in $20 million in March.
McCain Closes Money Gap With Obama. In a story headlined "McCain Gets Rich Off Democrats' Fight," the New York Daily News reports that Clinton "is bleeding away" Obama's "financial advantage over" Sen. John McCain, "new fund-raising figures show." McCain brought in $18.5 million during April, spent only $8.5 million, and started this month with $22 million in the bank. The result? McCain "has whittled Obama's financial advantage from nearly 5 to 1 at the start of April to slightly more than 2 to 1 at the start of May."
McClatchy reports, "Provoking emotional outbursts from a friendly Latin American audience in Miami," Sen. John McCain "assailed" Sen. Barack Obama "for his willingness to talk to Cuba and his opposition to free trade with Colombia." Obama "suggested that he would support lifting the embargo on Cuba when he ran for the U.S. Senate in 2003 but now says it should stay in place. He does, however, favor talking to the communist government and allowing Cuban Americans to travel freely to the island in hopes of instigating democratic reforms." McCain said, "These steps would send the worst possible signal to Cuba's dictators -- there is no need to undertake fundamental reforms, they can simply wait for a unilateral change in U.S. policy. I believe we should give hope to the Cuban people, not to the Castro regime." The AP adds that McCain "hammered" Obama and called him a "tool of organized labor" for opposing the Colombia Free Trade Agreement.
The New York Times reports Sen. John McCain's "chief advertising strategist," Mark McKinnon, "announced Tuesday that he was resigning, following through on a vow he had made months ago not to work against the candidacy of Senator Barack Obama." The AP adds that McKinnon "said last year that he didn't want to work against an Obama candidacy. Electing Obama 'would send a great message to the country and the world,' McKinnon said at the time, although he added that he intended to vote for McCain."
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News that Ted Kennedy has a malignant brain tumor shocked the political world yesterday, sparking an outpouring of affection and praise for the ailing senator. Cable news programs ran hours of virtually uninterrupted coverage of the news. The CBS Evening News reported Kenney is "fighting for his life. His doctors announced today that the last surviving Kennedy brother has a cancerous brain tumor." USA Today calls Kennedy "one of the most consequential and controversial lawmakers of his time," and notes President Bush, "scion of another political dynasty whose fortunes have been intertwined with those of the Kennedys, released a statement saying, "Our thoughts are with Sen. Kennedy and his family during this difficult period. We join our fellow Americans in praying for his full recovery." Senate Democrats "emerged somber from a party luncheon, where they were told of Kennedy's illness."
McClatchy says "the news hit Washington like a thunderbolt and ignited a nationwide outpouring of concern." Sen. Robert Byrd "cried and told colleagues he was 'distraught and terribly shaken.'" Sen. John McCain "was also among Kennedy's well-wishers. 'I have described Ted Kennedy as the last lion in the Senate, and I have held that view because he remains the single most effective member of the Senate,' McCain said." The Washington Post reports on the front page that Kennedy "teamed with Bush during the president's first term to enact Bush's signature No Child Left Behind education legislation, but later became one of his fiercest critics on the invasion of Iraq."
On its front page, the Wall Street Journal reports, "Long known as a liberal lion, partisan warrior and scion of a Democratic family dynasty, Sen. Kennedy has, in the gridlocked environment of recent years, played a role as a key deal-maker in nearly all significant domestic-policy achievements." The Politico reports, "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) delivered the news of the diagnosis at the Democrats' weekly policy lunch. The usually boisterous session fell into 'stunned silence,' Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) said." The New York Times also reports the news "jolted people in Washington, Massachusetts and beyond, generating reaction from around the world."
The Washington Post reports, "For millions of Americans, the announcement that Sen. Edward M. Kennedy has brain cancer was at least the fourth chapter of a tragic epic that began on Nov. 22, 1963, with the assassination of John F. Kennedy. It continued through the death of his brother Robert in 1968, then of John Jr. in a plane crash in 1999. And yesterday it was the sudden reminder of the mortality of the last surviving son of Joseph P. Kennedy, the patriarch who created this family of strivers and doers." The Financial Times reports Sen. Barack Obama said yesterday, "It's heartbreaking. Ted Kennedy is not only a giant of the Senate â he's a good friend."
Kennedy Faces Tough Odds The Hill notes "the doctors said the usual treatment called for radiation and chemotherapy, and that Kennedy would stay at the hospital 'for the next couple of days.'" The AP reports "some experts gave the liberal lion less than a year to live." The Los Angeles Times reports, "With standard treatments, the median survival is 15 months, according to Dr. Keith L. Black, chairman of the department of neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Two years after diagnosis, about 8% of patients are still alive."
A rumor that the Bush Administration is planning to launch an attack on Iran drew a swift denial from the White House. The AP reports the White House flatly denied a report published in the Jerusalem Post yesterday that alleged President Bush plans to attack Iran before the end of his term. The Post report was based on an unnamed senior Israeli official who "claimed that a 'senior member' of Bush's traveling entourage made the statement about attacking Iran in a closed meeting" during the President's visit to Israel last week. In a statement, White House press secretary Dana Perino said, "An article in today's Jerusalem Post about the president's position on Iran that quotes unnamed sources -- quoting unnamed sources -- is not worth the paper it's written on." Perino also stressed that the US remains "opposed to Iran's ambitions to obtain a nuclear weapon," but is "working to bring tough diplomatic and economic pressure on the Iranians to get them to change their behavior and to halt their uranium enrichment program."
The New York Times notes the White House yesterday "sharply criticized a news organization...for the second time in two days over reports about administration policy toward Iran." Perino's statement, "following an even angrier attack on NBC the day before, appeared to reflect a heightened sensitivity to what Mr. Bush's aides view as mischaracterizations of his intentions in confronting Iran."
The Washington Times notes Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen told the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee "that the influence of the Quds Force, a paramilitary arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, is risking progress made in Iraq." The AP reports that in response to Mullen's testimony, Sen. Arlen Specter "said he is most concerned about the Bush administration's refusal to fully engage Iran in diplomatic discussions," noting that "past talks with the Soviet Union, Libya and North Korea proved helpful." Sens. Patrick Leahy and Dianne Feinstein "agreed and urged Defense Secretary Robert Gates...to challenge President Bush's no-talk policy on Iran." For his part, Gates "said he supports sitting down with officials from Tehran, but only after the US has developed significant leverage."
Report On Iranian Support For Iraqi Insurgents Delayed The Wall Street Journal reports the Pentagon "has postponed the release of a report detailing allegations of Iranian support for Iraqi insurgents." According to the Journal, the Pentagon "had initially planned to publicize the report several weeks ago but instead turned the dossier over to the Iraqi government," which is "using the information to pressure Tehran to curb the flow of Iranian weaponry and explosives into Iraq."
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The Financial Times reports the "prospects of a big government intervention in the ailing US mortgage market were significantly increased on Tuesday when the Senate banking committee overwhelmingly agreed on a plan allowing up to $300bn of federal guarantees for refinanced home loans." The "injection of liquidity into the mortgage market could come at a crucial time for the US economy." The Washington Post reports "every Republican except Jim Bunning (Ky.) and Mike Enzi (Wyo.)" voted "with the Democratic majority," clearing "the way for Senate approval of the plan, which is likely to come soon after the Memorial Day break." It also "raises hopes that President Bush will sign the measure."
The AP says the bill "would give cheaper, government-backed mortgages to up to 500,000 strapped borrowers," and tighten "regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which would finance a new affordable housing fund that would temporarily be used to pay for the foreclosure prevention program."
The New York Times reports the Administration, "which previously said it would oppose legislation to rescue troubled homeowners, has suggested that it was willing to consider the Senate deal because lawmakers had found a way to eliminate any direct cost to taxpayers." The Wall Street Journal reports, "In a statement, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said the legislation would create 'a world-class financial regulator.'"
ABC World News reported last night that the Justice Department's inspector general "said today that since 2002, FBI agents repeatedly complained about tactics used on terrorism suspects, by CIA interrogators and the military. The report says the FBI agents refused to take part in the interrogations, which included forcing water down detainees' throats." NBC Nightly News said the IG report "finds...FBI agents time and again...complained about abuses by Defense Department interrogators; but the report faults FBI leadership for waiting until after the Abu Ghraib scandal to clearly define what was off limits and for not pushing hard enough to address the agents' complaints about the harsh treatment."
On its website, Newsweek reported that in an interview with DOJ Inspector General Glenn Fine's investigators, former senior FBI counterterrorism official Pasquale D'Amuro "stated that his exact words" to FBI Director Robert Mueller were '"we don't do that' and that someday the FBI would be called to testify and he wanted to be able to say that the FBI did not participate in this type of activity." Mueller "agreed with D'Amuro and issued what became a 'bright line rule' barring FBI agents from participating in CIA and military interrogations involving such methods. The action by Mueller is one of a number of moves that Fine praises by the FBI in distancing themselves from the actions of other agencies." CNN reported on its website, "The FBI issued a statement saying it is 'gratified' by the report's findings, and Mueller promised that the bureau will continue to use 'rapport-building techniques in interviews' of detainees."
Under the headline "Audit Finds FBI Reports Of Abuse Were Ignored," the Washington Post reports in a front-page story, "Reports that Guantanamo detainees were being subjected to extreme temperatures, religious abuses and nude interrogation were conveyed at White House meetings of senior officials in 2003, yet these questionable tactics remained in use. ... In one instance, colleagues of then-Attorney General John D. Ashcroft reported that he personally aired concerns about Defense Department strategy toward a particular detainee with Condoleezza Rice, then the national security adviser, while other Justice managers shared similar fears with the council's legal adviser in November 2003, the report said."
The New York Times reports that the DOJ audit "provides new insight into the intense debates at senior levels of the Justice Department, the Defense Department and the National Security Council over what should and should not be allowed - a debate in which the Defense Department prevailed." According to the AP, "CIA and military interrogators bucked repeated warnings from the FBI that methods used to question terror suspects were in some cases 'borderline torture' and potentially illegal."
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Jay Leno: "Barack Obama" is "expected to do well with more affluent, educated voters," and Hillary Clinton is "expected to win Kentucky."
Jay Leno: "President Bush is back from his big trip to the Middle East. He went over to Saudi Arabia to talk to them about the high price of gasoline. And while he was there, the price went up eight cents a gallon. Doing a hell of a job, Bushy."
Jay Leno: "In fact, when President Bush spoke in the Middle East, he reminded the Saudis that, sooner or later, they'd run out of oil. And they said, 'Yeah, but not before you run out of money.'"
David Letterman: "Don't discount Hillary because she's nothing if not shrewd also. These people are professional politicians. Don't ever forget that. Hillary has a back-up plan. First, nothing but superdelegates. Remember when we heard all about the superdelegates? Now she has another back-up plan to get to the White House. She's going to marry John McCain."
Conan O'Brien: "Yesterday, Barack Obama visited an Indian reservation. And I don't know if you heard about this," but "the chief adopted him and gave him the name 'Black Eagle.' ... The chief also gave Hillary Clinton the name 'Runs Even After Losing.'"
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