The Commentariat -- July 1

Paul Krugman: President Obama has been "clueless" about Republican motives. "It’s hard to avoid the suspicion that G.O.P. leaders actually want the economy to perform badly. Republicans believe, in short, that ... for practical purposes his presidency is already over. It’s time — indeed, long past time — for him to prove them wrong." ...

... I've posted a comments page on Krugman's column on Off Times Square and have added my comment.

Republicans aren't just opposing the president any more, they are opposing the economic recovery itself and all that means for America's working and middle class families. -- Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) ...

... Steve Benen: "One of Congress’ most prominent Democrats has effectively accused Republicans of trying to sabotage the nation’s economy, and Republican officials aren’t expressing any outrage, and aren’t even calling for an apology.... And why not? Because to do so would be to engage in the very debate the GOP is desperate to avoid. The lesson for congressional Democrats, then, is to follow Schumer’s lead."

I find it ironic that at times people who continually attack the president, beat him up not only on policy, personality, a whole bunch of things, the minute he takes a tone that is a little more direct, and it was not personal, it was direct in that the leaders of Congress in both parties and especially those who are saying that revenue are off the table period..., that somehow that’s going to hurt the feelings of people. This is not a time to worry about feelings, this is a time to get results. -- White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley ...

... Prof. Jack Balkin on the history of the Fourteenth Amendment re: the Republican-generated debt crisis:

The original purpose of Section Four [of the Fourteenth Amendment], which is reflected in its text, was to prevent political disruption and party wrangling over the public debt following the Civil War. However, the language of the Amendment went beyond this particular historical concern. It was stated in broad terms in order to prevent future majorities in Congress from repudiating the federal debt to gain political advantage, to seek political revenge, or to try to disavow previous financial obligations because of changed policy priorities. ...

Stan Collender of Capital Gains & Games: "Tim Geithner was thinking about the 14th Amendment over a month ago, and ... Geithner absolutely wanted to make sure that others knew about it.... The White House wants to make sure that invoking the amendment won't be a shock if it is used and that the bond market will be comfortable buying debt issued without specific congressional approval.... The White House clearly wants to show congressional Republicans that their plan to demand ransom for the debt ceiling might well be based on a completely incorrect assumption that they can hold the borrowing limit hostage."

New York Times Editors: "The framers of the Constitution envisioned law as having authority apart from politics. They gave justices life tenure so they would be free to upset the powerful and have no need to cultivate political support.... The justices must address doubts about the court’s legitimacy by making themselves accountable to the code of conduct." ...

... Dana Milbank: "The real campaign-finance abuses are more horrible than [Stephen] Colbert’s fiction. The Supreme Court, in five straight campaign-finance decisions, has largely wiped out post-Watergate campaign reforms and, in the case of corporate contributions, undone nearly a century of law. Adding to the anarchy, Congress has been unable to agree on legislation requiring donors disclosure. For those who violate what’s left of the law, there is little risk of punishment, because the FEC, paralyzed by a partisan split, has been unable to agree on much enforcement." ...

... Colbert reports on his grueling FEC hearing. See also yesterday's Ledes for an updated video of his speech following the hearing:

The President of the United States set up an officially authorized system of off-the-book, extralegal prisons and a regimen of government-sanctioned torture; and the consequences of this dark period will be -- at most -- two criminal prosecutions. -- David Kurtz of TPM on the news that the DoJ is conducting criminal investigations into the deaths of two prisoners who were in CIA custody

In preparation for today's David Brooks column, read Driftglass on Brooks' last column. CW: what these "moderate" Republican hacks, like Brooks & Mark Obama-Was-Sort-of-a-Dick Halperin, are doing is attempting to coax Obama to accommodate the right-wing loon-o-garchy. Don't be aloof, Mr. President, don't be direct, Mr. President, roll the fuck over & take it like a wimp. It makes me think Obama has been taking their advice all along, & Wednesday's surprise (to us) presser was an expression of his frustration with the ineffectiveness of his Republican pundit-buddies' sagacious counsel. ...

     ... Update: okay, I really couldn't finish reading Brooks today. He writes something about mediocre teachers, testing & Diane Ravitch. and finishes off with an opinion on a subject about which he seems to know almost nothing. In other words, standard Brooks. This is so not recommended reading.

Cash-In Time for Turbo-Boy. Hans Nichols of Bloomberg: "Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner has signaled to White House officials that he’s considering leaving the administration after President Barack Obama reaches an agreement with Congress to raise the national debt limit, according to three people familiar with the matter.

CW: According to my own winger buddies, today is Glenn Beck's last regular show on Fox "News." Media Matters produces this fine commemorative video of Glenn's Greatest Hits, or what David Ferguson of the Raw Story calls a "Beck-quiem":

     ... Remember this isn't dubbed. Beck really said this stuff. ...

     ... Update: guess Beck's last show was yesterday. Well, how would I know? And how sad to have missed it. Just as I missed every single other Glenn Beck Show.

Right Wing World *

The President's failed. He did not cause this recession, but he made it worse. -- Mitt Romney, June 27

When he took office, the economy was in recession, and he made it worse, and he made it last longer. -- Mitt Romney, June 2 in his annoucement address

The "I Didn't Say What I Said" Fallacy. Mark Murray & Matt Loffman of NBC News: "Over the last few weeks, Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has argued that President Obama's policies have made the economy worse.... When NBC producer Sue Kroll asked the former Massachusetts governor why he believes that Obama's policies have made the economy worse..., Romney gave this answer:

I didn't say that things are worse. -- Mitt Romney, June 30 ...

... Lying about Lying. Steve Benen: "It was amusing when Michele Bachmann falsely characterized John Quincy Adams as a Founding Father, but Romney getting caught telling a blatant falsehood about one of the central themes of his presidential campaign is infinitely more important." ...

... AND this from Dave Weigel on Romney's attacking Obama because Allentown (Pennsylvania) Metal Works went out of business. But, as Weigel writes, "AMW's only chance for survival was an infusion of capital from the government into local projects, something Romney opposed. Its collapse was classic creative destruction -- there simply wasn't business for the plant to do anymore. If you're against bailouts, as Romney is, and you're for bankruptcies and restructing in failing industries, as Romney is, how exactly were you going to save AMW? You weren't."

* Where facts never intrude.

Local News

St. Pete Times: "In an affront to his tea party base and to backers of a Florida bullet train he killed earlier this year, Gov. Rick Scott on Friday gave the green light to SunRail, a controversial Orlando-area commuter rail project on hold since he took office. Critics characterized the move as hypocritical in light of Scott's high-speed rail decision and stated principle of limited government spending, but he defended it by saying SunRail was in the works before he became governor and was so far along he had no choice but to approve it."

News Ledes

New York Times: "The House Ethics Committee confirmed Friday that it is investigating two lawmakers, Representatives Gregory W. Meeks, Democrat of New York, and Jean Schmidt, Republican of Ohio."

New York Times: "A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction on Friday preventing new regulations from taking effect that would have forced the closing of two of the state’s three abortion clinics."

New York Times: "The sexual assault case against Dominique Strauss-Kahn is on the verge of collapse as investigators have uncovered major holes in the credibility of the housekeeper who charged that he attacked her in his Manhattan hotel suite in May.... Senior prosecutors met with lawyers for Mr. Strauss-Kahn on Thursday and ... the parties are discussing whether to dismiss the felony charges." ...

     ... Update: "Dominique Strauss-Kahn was released from house arrest on Friday as the sexual assault case against him moved one step closer to dismissal after prosecutors told a Manhattan judge that they had serious problems with the case." ...

     ... New York Times: "The release of Dominique Strauss-Kahn on Friday from house arrest in New York represented a startling turnaround, sharpening the focus of political debate [in France] on a central and potent issue: with the weakening of sexual assault charges against him, will he be able to resume a potentially stellar career that could lead to the presidency of his country?" ...

     ... Here's a reproduction of the letter from the Manhattan D.A. to the defense in the Strauss-Kahn case. ...

     ... Don’t worry, this guy has a lot of money. I know what I’m doing. -- Alleged Strauss-Kahn rape victim, to a prison inmate, 28 hours after the incident; trans. from a dialect of Fulani

New York Times: "Fulfilling the wishes of local political leaders, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Friday that a special election to fill the seat of former Representative Anthony D. Weiner would be held on Sept. 13. The special election means that party leaders will select the candidates to represent the Ninth Congressional District...."

New York Times: "Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner said Thursday that he planned to stay in his job 'for the foreseeable future.'”

New York Times: "The Cuomo administration is seeking to lift what has effectively been a moratorium in New York State on hydraulic fracturing, a controversial technique used to extract natural gas from shale, state environmental regulators said on Thursday. The process would be allowed on private lands, opening New York to one of the fastest-growing — critics would say reckless — areas of the energy industry. It would be banned inside New York City’s sprawling upstate watershed, as well as inside a watershed used by Syracuse, and in underground water sources used by other cities and towns. It would also be banned on state lands, like parks and wildlife preserves."

AP: "Minnesota's state government is closed for business. It shut down at 12:01 a.m. CDT Friday, the victim of an ongoing dispute over taxes and spending between Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton and Republican legislative majorities.... Even before the final failure, officials padlocked highway rest areas and state parks, herding campers out. The full impact will hit Friday morning as thousands of laid-off state employees stay home until further notice and a wide array of services are suspended."

AP: "Kansas still has one abortion provider, but two others that don't have state licenses were hoping to persuade a federal judge to block a new licensing law and health department regulations they consider burdensome."

AP: "Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez revealed that he is fighting cancer after having a tumor removed in Cuba, raising uncertainty about his political future even as he assured his country he expects to fully recover. Chavez was noticeably thinner and paler as he appeared on television Thursday night...."

Today there are new democracies fighting for life, there are vicious autocrats clinging to power. This is an hour or need. And every democracy should stand up and be counted. -- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in a speech in Lithuania today

AP: "Monaco's reigning prince, Albert II, wed Charlene Wittstock of South Africa on Friday in a long-awaited civil ceremony that transformed the one-time Olympic swimmer into the Princess of Monaco.... On Saturday, the new royal couple is holding an elaborate religious wedding ceremony and a star-studded wedding gala." The civil ceremony:

The Commentariat -- June 30

I've added an Open Thread for today's Off Times Square.

On the President's Press Conference

Now is the time to go ahead and make the tough choices. That’s why they’re called leaders…. They’re in one week, they’re out one week. And then they’re saying, ‘Obama has got to step in.’ You need to be here. I’ve been here. I’ve been doing Afghanistan and bin Laden and the Greek crisis. You stay here. Let’s get it done. And so, this thing, which is just not on the level, where we have meetings and discussions, and we’re working through process, and when they decide they’re not happy with the fact that at some point you’ve got to make a choice, they just all step back and say, ‘Well, you know, the president needs to get this done.’ They need to do their job.
-- Barack Obama

Bravo! This is the fight House Democrats have been making for the last six months under the Republican Majority as they move to end Medicare and continue tax breaks for Big Oil. -- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi

This was Obama as he ought to be. -- Dana Milbank (good column by Milbank)

Ron Fournier of the National Journal: "In Obama's world, Democrats are for kids and Republicans are for corporate jets. That is a sharp distinction that could help put the GOP on defensive, but it may not be enough to persuade Republicans to change their posture on the debt-ceiling talks."

Greg Sargent: "President Obama ... mounted a surprisingly aggressive moral case for ending high end tax cuts, casting it as a test of our society’s priorities, and argued — crucially — that anyone who fails to support ending them is fundamentally unserious about the deficit."

Ezra Klein sees the President's sharp language today as evidence that negotiations with Republicans have failed.

Jed Lewison of Daily Kos: "If you don't ask the wealthy to pay their share, the money is going to come from children and the elderly. And that's not morally defensible."

E. J. Dionne: "... President Obama put a question to congressional Republicans that should be asked over and over and over until they blink: Are they really willing to risk the nation’s credit and economic turmoil in order to preserve tax breaks for corporate jets, outlandishly low tax rates for hedge fund managers and loopholes for the oil companies?

The Weather Service Matters. Stephen Stromberg of the Washington Post: "The biggest danger on debt is that our leaders don't do enough to balance America's books. The next biggest is that, whether guided by ideology, ignorance or desperation, our leaders decide to shortchange the cost-effective investments that will sustain my generation's standard of living, relegating us to crumbling infrastructure, poor education, pathetic government services — and, perhaps, sloppy weather reports."

CW: Andrew Sullivan could be right here: "By staying ever so slightly above on this issue, Obama is doing the right presidential thing -- while presiding over what may well be the most seismic period for gay equality in history." Still, I find it more than a little dismaying that gay Americans are denied many rights the rest of us enjoy, and I would like to see the POTUS speak out against such nonsensical discrimination.

Dear Jim, You are unbelivably ignorant, but I will try to set you straight for the umpteenth time. Love, Tim. Or words to that effect. The Wall Street Journal publishes an epistolary exchange on the debt limit between Sen. Jim DeMint (Radical Right-Wing Tea Party R-S.C.) and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner (Just Plain R).

CW: Okay, now I get why Washington doesn't care about jobs. In a post about on-line headhunters TheLadders.com, Annie Lowrey of Slate cites a February 2010 Northwestern U. study that found

The recession hit all workers, but it did not hit them equally . According to the study, the unemployment rate topped 30 percent in the lowest income decile. For workers in the second-highest decile, those making about $100,000 a year, the unemployment rate was only 4 percent. And those in the highest-income bracket, making more than $138,700 a year, the jobless rate was just 3 percent. In short, unemployment was 10 times worse for those in the bottom rung of the income ladder than for those at the top of the ladder....

Steve Benen: "... as frustrated as Americans are, they’re not blaming Obama for the mess."

The New Harold Koh. Glenn Greenwald on how low a respected law school dean will go when corrupted by power. Oh, yeah: pay no attention to what Barack Obama says.

Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) speaks on the Senate floor on Monday:

     ... Full transcript of his remarks here. Thanks to Karen Garcia for posting this link on Sardonicky.

Adam Serwer of American Prospect on the significance of the 6th Circuit's ruling for the Affordable Care Act. Although one of the three judges disagreed that the individual mandate was consititutional, they all agreed that the right's "activity/inactivity" distinction was ridiculous. Serwer also notes that this is the first case in which a Republican-appointed judge decided the individual mandate was constitutional. CW: It was also the first appelate-level decision on the ACA.

One of Ezra Klein's readers highlights a way anti-abortion Congressional jerks are likely to effect an increase health inequality, "possibly eradicating these diseases [detected in fetuses] among the affluent and concentrating them among the poorest of society." CW: the test that is the subject of this post has not been administered yet, but the writer's point is well-taken & should make you even sicker about being governed by stupid, sexist bigots.

"Memoirs of Torturers." David Swanson: President Obama's decision not to prosecute Americans involved in torture allowed for a boomlet of books by those advocating for & committing torture. Swanson reviews The Interrogator: an Education by former CIA agent Glenn Carle. "This is the story of how a none-too-bright, self-centered, insecure, careerist bureaucrat with weak principles, a fragile ego, a troubled marriage, and no interrogation experience, but the ability to actually speak Arabic, was chosen to lead the interrogating (or 'interviewing') of an innocent man the CIA boneheadedly believed to be a 'top al Qaeda terrorist' when they kidnapped him off a street and flew him to an undisclosed location outside any rule of law."

Right Wing World *

Sarah Bufkin for Think Progress: Rep. Michele Bachmann's husband Marcus Bachmann calls gays "barbarians" who "need to be educated" and "disciplined."

The People's Encyclopedia. Matthew Desmond of Addicting Info finds that Bachmann's supporters -- in a futile & hilarious effort to make one of her latest gaffes seem less loony (see yesterday's Commentariat) -- altered the Wikipedia entry for John Quincy Adams to designate him "a founding father." With screengrab of the altered page. CW: The Wiki page has since been corrected.

* Is downright disgusting.

News Ledes

Stephen Colbert's victory speech:

The FEC's decision on ColbertPAC:

Washington Post: "In a meeting devoid of anything beyond a gentle chuckle, the FEC decided that [Stephen] Colbert could go ahead with his plans to form a self-titled 'super PAC' that could raise and spend unlimited money on the 2012 elections. But the panel also concluded that the television host’s employer, Viacom Corp., would have to report any help it gives to Colbert for political activities outside the 'Colbert Report' show. The FEC’s 5-1 decision came as something of a relief to campaign-finance reformers, who feared the panel might go further by allowing Viacom — and thus any other media company — to spend unlimited resources in elections without having to disclose the spending." The Hill story here.

Washington Post: "A federal prosecutor has expanded his inquiry into harsh CIA interrogation practices during the Bush administration and is conducting a full criminal investigation into the deaths of two detainees, U.S. officials said Thursday. At the same time, Assistant U.S. Attorney John Durham has concluded that no charges will be filed in the interrogations of 99 other detainees who were in U.S. custody after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said. At Holder’s request, Durham has been examining the actions of CIA interrogators and contractors at 'black site' prisons for nearly two years."

The Hill: "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced Thursday morning that he will cancel the July 4 recess so that lawmakers can continue to focus on deficit-reduction negotiations. Reid will schedule a vote on Tuesday, July 5, forcing senators to cancel their plans and show up to the Senate floor. Reid said lawmakers will also work on legislation to create more jobs...."

     ... Washington Post: "President Obama surprised Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates on Thursday with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, paying tribute to his four decades of public service at a regal farewell ceremony outside the Pentagon. The honor came on Gates’s last day as defense secretary after four and a half years in the job. The citation for the medal — the highest civilian honor the commander in chief can bestow — said that Gates had 'selflessly dedicated his life to ensuring the security of the American people.'”

New York Times: "Hundreds of thousands of teachers and public-sector workers across Britain walked off their jobs on Thursday to protest the government’s proposed changes to their pension plans. Union officials warned that this could be the beginning of a wave of strikes this summer and fall over pensions and public-sector budget cuts."

** New York Times: "In a decision that could have far-reaching effects on immigration cases involving same-sex couples, federal officials have canceled the deportation of a Venezuelan man in New Jersey who is married to an American man, the couple’s lawyer said Wednesday. The announcement comes as immigration officials put into effect new, more flexible guidelines governing the deferral and cancellation of deportations, particularly for immigrants with no serious criminal records." CW: one reason to have a Democratic president.

Washington Post: "The Federal Election Commission ... finds itself the target of a very public joke by television comedian and provocateur Stephen Colbert, who is set to testify Thursday on his tongue-in-cheek bid to form an eponymous 'super PAC' for the 2012 election season."

Reuters: "The United States would immediately have its top-notch credit rating slashed to 'selective default' if it misses a debt payment on August 4, Standard & Poor's managing director John Chambers told Reuters. Chambers, who is also the chairman of S&P's sovereign ratings committee, said on Tuesday that U.S. Treasury bills maturing on August 4 would be rated 'D' if the government fails to honor them. Unaffected Treasuries would be downgraded as well, but not as sharply, he said."

Reuters: "President Barack Obama's plan for pulling U.S. troops from Afghanistan will intensify risks in the thick of next year's fighting season, but Obama was right to factor in waning support at home for the war, outgoing Defense Secretary Robert Gates told Reuters."

Reuters: "Greece's parliament is expected to pass a second austerity bill on Thursday to enable the country to avert bankruptcy by securing a 12 billion euro ($17 billion) loan tranche from the EU and IMF. After two days of violent protests just meters (yards) from where deputies passed initial austerity legislation on Wednesday, they began debating detailed measures to implement 28 billion euros in spending cuts, tax hikes and privatizations." ...

     ... New York Times Update: "Greek lawmakers on Thursday passed legislation allowing for the rapid implementation of new austerity measures, a day after voting to sharply reduce government spending and sell off an array of national assets, staving off default on the country’s debt and easing, for the moment, a crisis among countries that use the euro."

New York Times: "Afghan officials said on Thursday that they have arrested two former executives involved in the collapse of Kabul Bank. According to Rahmatullah Nazari, the deputy attorney general, authorities arrested Sherkhan Farnood, the former chairman of Kabul Bank, and Khalilulah Frozi, its former chief executive officer, on Wednesday in connection with what he said was hundreds of millions of dollars in fraudulent loans to bank officers and insiders."

The Commentariat -- June 29

Maureen Dowd interviews New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. She covers a lot of ground: gay rights, women's right to choose and the death penalty, the Roman Catholic church, for starters. I've posted a Dowd comments page on Off Times Square, but you can write on any topic. Karen Garcia, Kate Madison & I have commented on Down's column.

Dana Milbank: "At the core of Obama’s stance [on same-sex marriage] is a logical inconsistency: He believes gay Americans should be fully equal under the law, but by opposing gay marriage he supports a system that denies same-sex couples some 1,300 federal rights and benefits that married couples receive. The civil unions Obama favors as an alternative have little meaning in federal law."

John Dean Knows How to Get Rid of Clarence Thomas: "As the associate deputy attorney general in President Richard M. Nixon’s Department of Justice, I was there when Assistant Attorney General William Rehnquist outlined how to remove a Supreme Court justice who had engaged in conduct not quite as troublesome as that of Thomas.... There is absolutely no question in my mind that Thomas lied his way onto the Supreme Court in 1991 when he denied Anita Hill’s charges that he had sexually harassed her and some of his other subordinates.... His behavior as a justice just keeps sinking lower and lower.... With the Rehnquist memo in hand, [Attorney General John] Mitchell arranged a secret meeting with then Chief Justice Earl Warren, and told Warren that if Fortas did not resign from the court the Justice Department was going to launch an investigation of Fortas’ dealing with a financier...." Mitchell also said he would go after Fortas' wife, a tax attorney. Fortas resigned. Dean ultimately says Thomas, who will fight tooth-&-nail to keep his seat, won't go. CW: But it's worth trying, IMHO. ...

... The Reid Report has links to stories about some of Clarence Thomas's ethics lapses. ...

... Dean says even if it passed, The Supremes would rule unconstitutional Chris Murphy's (D-Conn.) Supreme Court transparency bill. You can add your signature of support anyway at this Daily Kos page.

Marc Ambinder of the National Journal writes that President Obama is purposely stalling on debt ceiling talks to get a better deal. CW: I would call this a loony conspiracy theory, but Ambinder has good White House sources. And it would be nice if Obama was playing to get the best deal for the public.

"Thank you, Mr. Secretary." Jonathan Capehart of the Washington Post: Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who will retire Thursday, was instrumental in the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

McKay Coppins & David Graham in the Daily Beast: "Jon Huntsman Sr. is one of the richest men in the world. He’s also been his son’s best ally."

Most judges will tell you that sentencing is the most difficult thing we do. -- Judge Denny Chin ...

... Benjamin Weiser of the New York Times: Federal District Judge Denny Chin explains how he decided to impose a 150-year sentence on Bernie Madoff.

Harold Meyerson of the Washington Post: "The stories of the Dodgers and the [Los Angeles] Times can be read as parables of a particularly vicious form of capitalism that America has come to know too well the past few decades: a new owner takes over a venerable firm and extracts what he can for himself, decimating the company and damaging the community in the process."

Prioities USA Action, a Democrat-backed unlimited secret donor organization like Karl Rove's Crossroads GPS, answers Crossroads' ads attacking President Obama on his handling of the economy:

Michael Scherer of Time: Democratic pollster & strategist Stanley Greenberg, who has a succession of big wins under his belt, has focus-group-tested President Obama's economic message. Greenberg says the public isn't buying the President's message that he saved the economy, so Obama should change his message to one that has some credibility. What a concept! Obama strategists like David Axelrod disagree.

Right Wing World *

I'm introducing myself now to the American people so that they can know that I have a strong academic scholarly background, more important I have a real life background. -- Prof. Michele Bachmann

Michele Bachmann, rated by PolitiFact as the most untruthful presidential candidate, sticks with her story that John Quincy Adams was a Founding Father. CW: FYI, Adams was 8 years old when the Declaration of Independence was signed, he was a young teen during the American Revolution & was living in Europe, where his father John was a diplomat. He was attending Harvard, not the Constitutional Convention, in 1787. Print story here.

... AND Michael Isikoff on Bachmann Hypocrisy Watch:

     ... Print story here. Isikoff mentions in the print story (but not in the O'Donnell interview) that the Bachmanns also have received $260,000 in federal farm subsidies.

David Seifman of the New York Post: Howard Koeppel, "the gay car dealer who opened his home to Rudy Giuliani in 2001 during his humiliating divorce battle, says the former mayor offered to preside at his wedding if same-sex marriage were ever legalized -- but is now ducking his calls to make good on the offer.... Mayors of New York City retain the right to conduct weddings even after leaving office."

* Where people don't make history; they make up history, even if they're, like, scholarly.

Local News

Rachel Weiner of the Washington Post: "Wisconsin Democrats got a bit of good luck ... that increased their chances of taking over the state Senate.... On Monday, Wisconsin’s Government Accountability Board voted unanimously to keep state Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette) off the ballot in a recall election against state Sen. Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay), saying that the GOP lawmaker fell short of the 400 valid signatures required to qualify.... Now Hansen will face David VanderLeest, (R) a weaker opponent with a long court record. He’s been accused of domestic and child abuse by his ex-wife, and been taken to court for code violations in the buildings he owns." ...

... Meanwhile, in Paul Ryan's district, Sean Sullivan of the National Journal reports, "Highly touted 1st District Democratic recruit Rob Zerban said Tuesday that he will be posting 'a big number' when he reports his 2nd quarter fundraising figures to the Federal Election Commission."

St. Pete Times: Florida "Gov. Rick Scott acknowledged Tuesday what his staff had refused to disclose: He flew to Colorado over the weekend to attend a secretive policy retreat hosted by powerful conservative donors Charles and David Koch.... Also attending the retreat near Vail were Republican Govs. Rick Perry of Texas and Bob McDonnell of Virginia, and Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli." ...

... Adam Smith of the St. Pete Times: "Political robocalls are nothing new in the final weeks of a campaign season, but for the first time anyone can recall, [Florida Gov. Rick] Scott has the state GOP paying for regular recorded calls touting his day-to-day accomplishments. It's part of his continuing effort to bypass the traditional media and communicate directly with voters." ...

We are all used to getting robocalls during campaign season, but to continue to get them AFTER the election is unprecedented and extremely disturbing! … Funny how a guy that preaches limiting government intrusion in our private lives is DOING JUST THAT with this harassing robo-phone campaign. -- Republican Steve Allbitron of Palm Harbor

Margot Roosevelt of the Los Angeles Times: "An emotional battle over a traditional soup has split California's Chinese American community as environmental and animal welfare groups push the Legislature to ban the sale and possession of shark fins. The bill passed the Assembly last month, 65-8, but is running into trouble in the Senate."

News Ledes

President Obama on LGBT Pride Month:

     ... Here's the transcript.

President Obama spoke at an event observing LGBT Pride month this afternoon. New York Times: could be awkward! ...

     ... Update: "After months of saying his position on same-sex marriage is 'evolving,' President Obama on Wednesday traded that language for comments that stopped just short of endorsing the notion that gay people have the right to marry."

The President's Press Conference:

... President Obama held a press conference this morning. New York Times post-presser report: "President Obama said Wednesday that he believed Republicans would concede to tax increases as part of a deficit reduction package in time to avoid a default on the nation’s debt. 'Call me naive.... But my expectation is that leaders are going to lead.' Mr. Obama repeatedly mocked tax breaks that he said were for 'millionaires and billionaires, oil companies and corporate jet owners,' saying that voters would not look kindly on Republican lawmakers who defended them at the cost of cuts in popular programs like health care, education and food safety." ...

     ... The transcript of the President's remarks, including the Q&A, is here.

New York Times: "Less than a week after same-sex marriage was legalized in New York, the Rhode Island State Senate on Wednesday evening approved a bill allowing not marriage, but civil unions for gay couples, despite fierce opposition from gay rights advocates who called the legislation discriminatory. The bill, which already passed in the state’s House of Representatives and which the governor [Independent Lincoln Chafee] said he was likely to sign, grants gay and lesbian couples most of the rights and benefits that Rhode Island provides married couples."

WLS Chicago: now that the Blagojevich trial is over, the House Ethics Committee may begin its investigation into whether or not Rep. Jessie Jackson, Jr., offered to raise campaign funds for then-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich in exchange for Blagojevich's appointing Jackson to fill Barack Obama's Senate seat.

Politico: "A current and a retired Supreme Court justice on Wednesday declined to criticize Justice Clarence Thomas for not recusing himself from cases critics say he has a personal interest in because of his wife’s employment. Justice Stephen Breyer and Sandra Day O’Connor, who stepped down in 2006, defended the high court’s deliberate vagueness regarding ethical matters when asked about spousal conflicts of interest by an audience member during a forum at the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado."

Politico: "The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday upheld the health reform law’s requirement that nearly all Americans buy insurance, the first appeals court to rule on the constitutionality of the law. The panel of three judges — two nominated by Republican presidents — upheld the mandate 2-1, with one GOP-nominated judge ruling in favor of the mandate and the other dissenting. The ruling marks the first time a Republican-nominated judge has ruled in favor of upholding the mandate."

New York Times: "France confirmed on Wednesday that it has provided weapons to the Libyan rebels, the first instance of a NATO country providing direct military aid to the forces seeking to oust Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi."

AP: "Bank of America and its Countrywide unit will pay $8.5 billion to settle claims that the lenders sold poor-quality mortgage-backed securities that went sour when the housing market collapsed. The deal, announced Wednesday, comes after a group of 22 investors demanded that the Charlotte, N.C. bank repurchase $47 billion in mortgages that its Countrywide unit sold to them in the form of bonds." ...

     ... New York Times Update: "Bank of America announced plans on Wednesday to set aside $14 billion to pay investors who bought securities it assembled from mortgages that later soured, an agreement that the company expected would lead to a second-quarter loss of $8.6 billion to $9.1 billion."

Washington Post: "Leading congressional Democrats immediately recoiled Tuesday from a new proposal to cut $600 billion in Medicare spending over the next decade — in part by raising the eligibility age. Sens. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) unveiled the proposal as part of a bipartisan effort." CW: bipartisan, my ass. Note these two jokers are ending their illustrious Senate careers in January 2013.

Los Angeles Times: "The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved a resolution Tuesday authorizing U.S. involvement in the NATO-led mission in Libya, a small step forward in a stubborn legal stalemate between Congress and the White House over the war. If adopted by both chambers of Congress, the resolution would permit U.S. involvement for up to one year, but would restrict any expansion of the nation's role. Four Republican members of the committee joined the Democratic majority to pass the measure on a 14-5 vote."

Los Angeles Times: "The [California] Legislature passed an austerity budget Tuesday night that would cut from universities, courts and the poor, shutter 70 parks and threaten schools but would not — by officials' own admission — restore California's long-term financial health. The UC and Cal State systems would face about a 23% funding cut, among the steepest in the proposal. Cash grants for the needy would fall, a program to help thousands of teen mothers get an education would be suspended and hundreds of millions of dollars would be siphoned from mental health programs.... Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed the first one but is expected to sign the new package before a fresh budget year begins Friday."

New York Times: "Nine suicide bombers managed to elude several rings of security and reach one of the capital’s premier hotels, which was busy with guests, many of whom had come from the provinces to the city for a conference on the transition of security responsibility to Afghan control.... By Wednesday morning, the nearly six-hour attack at the hilltop Intercontinental Hotel had ended, leaving at least 21 people dead, including two police officers, nine Afghan civilians and one foreigner, a Spaniard, according to the Interior Ministry. At least five of the suicide bombers blew themselves up and three were shot dead from helicopter gunships by NATO troops."

AP: "Greek lawmakers began voting Wednesday on new austerity measures needed to secure crucial bailout funds as protesters opposed to the bill clashed with riot police outside Parliament." ...

     ... Washington Post Update: "The Greek parliament on Wednesday approved a controversial package of tax hikes and spending cuts, clearing the way for $17 billion in international emergency loans needed to stave off a possible default."

AP: "Thousands of British schools will close and travelers will face long lines at airport immigration this week when three quarters of a million workers go on strike — the first blast in what unions hope will be a summer of discontent against the cost-cutting government's austerity plans."

AP: "A federal judge on Tuesday scheduled an emergency hearing about whether prison authorities should stop forcing the Tucson shooting rampage suspect [Jared Loughner] to take anti-psychotic medication, as a new filing provided more details about his bizarre behavior behind bars."