Starting soon: Weiner-Wolfson, Round 2:
In a supplement to his story this morning about former Hillary Clinton aides taking a pre-emptive pass on 2016, Jason Horowitz has an online addition that details how Howard Wolfson was converted from a critic of Mayor Michael Bloomberg to one of his most trusted advisers.
Bio: Reid Pillifant is a political reporter for Capital. He was previously an editor and reporter at the New York Observer. Contact him at reid[at]capitalnewyork.com.
Americans for Responsible Solutions, the gun control PAC founded by Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly, sent an email to supporters this morning touting the results in yesterday's Illinois special election as a model for how to defeat the National Rifle Association.
"Chicago candidate Robin Kelly made universal background checks and other critical legislation the centerpiece of her campaign, and created a model for how we can elect candidates who share our values while sending a message to members of Congress who resist commonsense solutions to reduce gun violence," wrote Kelly in the email, which encourages members to sign up for localized updates. More
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on February 27th, 2013 1:14pmMayor Michael Bloomberg won a big victory in Illinois last night, and, unlike some of the other races where his super PAC has been involved, this one was all about guns. More
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on February 27th, 2013 9:15amChuck Hagel was finally, officially, confirmed as the next Secretary of Defense on Tuesday, after weeks of squabbling and a ceremonial filibuster.
The confirmation is a victory for the president, who nominated Hagel over some preemptive grumbling from pro-Israel groups, and, to a lesser extent, a win for Chuck Schumer, who provided key early cover for the nominee after a 90-minute White House meeting. More
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on February 26th, 2013 5:17pmOnly two members of Congress were among the several dozen Republicans who signed on to a legal brief asserting the constitutionality of same-sex marriage, and one of them was upstate Rep. Richard Hanna.
Hanna's signature comes in defiance of last fall's election results, when three the of four Republicans in the State Senate who voted with Democrats to pass same-sex marriage were defeated at the polls. In the eyes of same-sex marriage opponents, what Hanna did was even worse. More
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on February 26th, 2013 4:11pmToday, Democratic voters in a Chicago-based House district will decide between a candidate who opposes the assault-weapons ban and a pro-gun control candidate who has been backed, to the tune of $2 million, by Michael Bloomberg. More
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on February 26th, 2013 12:30pmAt a press conference in Midtown this morning, Sen. Chuck Schumer said he was "optimistic" that a last-minute deal to avert the impending sequestration might come together before the cuts are scheduled to take effect on Friday.
"I am hopeful that both parties will rise to the occasion and avoid sequestration," Schumer said. "Things do happen at the last minute in Washington. We are hopeful, optimistic that that can happen here."
Schumer appeared with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand at her office, three floors below his own, to denounce the $3 billion reduction in Hurricane Sandy aid, and the $27 million in cuts to the 9/11 health compensation fund, that would be part of the sequestration cuts. More
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on February 25th, 2013 1:38pmWith the National Governor's Association holding its annual meeting in Washington this weekend, the Sunday shows were stocked with state executives, some of whom were clearly auditoning for a part in all the drama leading up to 2016.
The most conspicuous was Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who appeared on "Meet the Press" alongside Massachusetts' Democratic governor Deval Patrick. More
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on February 24th, 2013 1:03pmA coalition of progressive groups and left-leaning lawmakers is trying to convince President Obama to take chained CPI out of the debate over sequestration cuts and a new budget deal.
In a blog post last night, the White House reiterated that president is still open to chained CPI, which would reduce Social Security payments over time by using a more nuanced formula to calculate inflation.
The White House calls it a cost-saving reform; liberals call it a cut, and one that they can't support.
"Voters across the political spectrum oppose cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security benefits, and we must do whatever it takes to protect these vital benefits from cuts," wrote twenty lawmakers in a letter to the president. More
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on February 22nd, 2013 2:00pmSen. Kirsten Gillibrand emailed supporters this morning to make the case for why a $9 minimum wage would be particularly helpful to working women.
"We all know this increase is long overdue," Gillibrand wrote. "But here’s something you may not know: an incredibly disproportionate number – 64% of minimum wage earners – are women." More
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on February 21st, 2013 10:14amIn a speech to business leaders this morning, Sen. Chuck Schumer said the key to securing New York's coastline from future storms is for the state and local governments to defer to a comprehensive study conducted by the Army Corps of Engineers.
"New York can’t wait to sort through three or four separate plans," Schumer said, in a speech to the Association for a Better New York. "There must be one comprehensive and central plan. The Army Corps study will provide this and should be the main vehicle that will lead to the long-term protection of New York. It should be our north star when it comes to protecting New York from future storms." More
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on February 21st, 2013 9:21am
Azi: @reidpillifant budget stuff
grynbaum: @reidpillifant I hear this pig already has its own 2013 exploratory committee.
howiewolf: Proud to be an alum “@reidpillifant: Nice map from @marcatracy of the Schumer diaspora http://t.co/tB7MAk0P”
GregHanlon: @reidpillifant on Koch, Mayor & movie: "Something classically Koch about the fact that his last act was to upstage it." http://t.co/lLlm1C4f
erickuo: @reidpillifant badass
Vilkomerson: @reidpillifant @RogerClark41 And an excellent jukebox.
aaronshortstory: @reidpillifant I don't think Nadler's face should be on it. Why not Tyrone Biggums?
choitotheworld: @reidpillifant @tmcgev @joepompeo iron-on or stitched laurel wreath insignia
