Hillary Clinton may push back the official start of her presidential campaign, top Democrats told Politico yesterday. Clinton was initially planning to roll out her campaign in April, but since she doesn’t have any strong primary opponents yet, she may take her time. One option Clinton is considering is announcing an exploratory committee in April, timed with the start of a new fundraising quarter, and officially roll out her presidential campaign in July. “She doesn’t feel under any pressure, and they see no primary challenge on the horizon. If you have the luxury of time, you take it,” one Democrat said.
Discussion Questions:
In 2014, 125 Americans were exonerated after being convicted of crimes they did not commit, marking the most in the 25 years since the U.S. first began recording them 1989, the National Registry of Exonerations said yesterday. The number of exonerations in 2013 was 91. Samuel Gross, a professor at the University of Michigan law school who wrote the registry’s annual account, pointed to the spread of “conviction integrity units” dedicated to exonerating innocent prisoners. The U.S. now has 15 such units, with six created last year alone, but Gross added that the majority of the country still lacks a program like a conviction integrity unit. The report also highlighted that almost four in 10 of last year’s exonerated prisoners pleaded guilty to crimes they did not commit.
An outbreak of violence occurred in Ukraine yesterday, one day after rebels rejected a peace deal and announced they would launch a new offensive against the Ukrainian government. At least 29 people were killed by indiscriminate rocket fire hitting two schools, a market, homes, and shops in the Ukrainian city of Mauripol. RIA Novosti news agency reported Ukrainian rebel leader Alexander Zakharchenko had said forces launched a new attack in Mauripol. Ukraine's president called an emergency meeting in response to the attacks. "The shelling was carried out by militants. This is very clearly Russian aggression that has caused terrible losses for the residents of the eastern part of our city," said Mariupol mayor Yuriy Khotlubei. The UN estimates 5,100 people have died in clashes in eastern Ukraine since April.
On Tuesday, President Obama delivered the State of the Union before Congress.
“The shadow of crisis has passed, and the state of the union is strong,” Obama boasted in his address. He further praised the economy and job growth while calling for a greater focus on economic reform to help the middle class. “That’s what middle-class economics is—the idea that this country does best when everyone gets their fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules,” Obama said. He also called for a number of reforms for middle-class families, including paid sick leave and childcare, which he said is “not a nice-to-have; it’s a must-have.” Obama made it clear he would not bow to Republicans in Congress, saying legislation that rehashed old battles about immigration and other political clashes “will have earned my veto.”
More Americans approve of President Obama’s handling of the economy, boosting his ratings ahead of the annual State of the Union Address, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Tuesday. The poll found that 49 percent of Americans approve of the way Obama handled the economy, which is the most who have said they do since his first year in office. Meanwhile, 45 percent of Americans said they’re satisfied with the state of the U.S. economy, the highest number in the poll since January 2004, signaling a more optimistic shift that could help the Democratic Party as it prepares for the 2016 presidential election. Obama’s overall job-approval jumped to 46 percent—his highest rating since October 2013—but still nearly six in 10 respondents said the nation is headed in the wrong direction.
The North Miami Police Department came under fire in the past week after a citizen discovered that they were using mugshots of black men for target practice. Sgt. Valerie Deant--an American solider--discovered the photos when using the firing range after a police training session; one of the mugshots was her brother’s. Police Chief J. Scott Dennis said his officers used poor judgment but denied racial profiling. “There is no discipline forthcoming from the individuals who were involved with this,” he said. A police spokeswoman also added on Friday that officers use targets of all races and genders in their training sessions.
A new study revealed yesterday that state taxes favor the richest residents, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. The analysis, which looked at each state’s local tax burden, found the bottom fifth of earners pay as much as seven times as much of their income in taxes as the wealthiest residents in states such as Washington. The study finds that in 2015, the poorest fifth of Americans will pay on average 10.9 percent of their income in state and local taxes, the middle fifth will average 9.4 percent, and the top 1 percent will pay 5.4 percent. The study ranks each state by measuring how regressive (less equal) or progressive (more equal) systems are, based on income before and after taxes in each income group. “Unfair tax systems not only exacerbate widening incoming inequality in the short term, but they also will leave states struggling to raise enough revenue to meet their basic needs in the long term.”
Mitt Romney told a senior Republican he “almost certainly will” run for president and spent the weekend and Monday calling ex-aides, donors, and former foes. The Washington Post reports that Romney is intent on running to the right of Jeb Bush, on issues like immigration and taxes. On Friday, donors said that Romney told them “I want to be president” at a New York function. Since then, the former Massachusetts governor has contacted Paul Ryan (who said Monday he’s not running) and Newt Gingrich (who savaged him in the 2012 primaries), among others.
Fox CEO Rupert Murdoch voiced his opinion about the terror attacks in Paris on Friday, tweeting, “Maybe most Moslems peaceful, but until they recognize and destroy their growing jihadist cancer they must be held responsible.” He added in a separate tweet, “Big jihadist danger looming everywhere from Philippines to Africa to Europe to US. Political correctness makes for denial and hypocrisy.” Some, including Aziz Ansari, has taken offense to Murdoch's assertions.
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said early today that “several arrests” were made overnight while police were searching for two men suspected of killing 12 people in an attack on a satirical newspaper. Police are seeking suspects Said Kouachi, 34, and Cherif Kouachi, 32, in connection to the terrorist attack on the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris yesterday. Hamyd Mourad, the 18-year-old getaway driver, turned himself in late last evening. President François Hollande declared today a day of national mourning while flags across the country are expected to be flown at half mast. The government buildings will hold a “moment of reflection” at noon while a ceremony will be held in the courtyard of the National Assembly in Paris.
Jeb Bush responded to his state overturning a ban on same-sex marriage by saying that “regardless of our disagreements, we have to respect the rule of law.” The former Florida governor softened his previous hardline stance against gay marriage in a statement yesterday, not long after the first gay couples began to get married in Miami-Dade County. “I hope that we can show respect for the good people on all sides of the gay and lesbian marriage issue—including couples making lifetime commitments to each other who are seeking greater legal protections and those of us who believe marriage is a sacrament and want to safeguard religious liberty,” he said. Many in the state have been angered by the decision of some county courthouses to no longer offer weddings in order to prevent marrying gay couples.
After hundreds of police officers turned their back on New York City mayor Bill de Blasio at slain officer Rafael Ramos’s funeral last week, New York Police Commissioner Willian Bratton has asked officers to maintain a level of respect at officer Wenjian Liu’s funeral being held today. “I remind you that when you don the uniform of this department, you are bound by the tradition, honor and decency that go with it,” Bratton wrote in a memo sent to officers on Friday. Thousands are expected to attend Liu’s funeral.
HarperCollins (a publisher) is coming under fire after it was discovered that English-language atlases it sells to schools in the Middle East do not show Israel. The publishing house, one of the biggest in the world, has defended the decision, saying that including Israel would have been “unacceptable” to customers in the region and that the change reflected “local preferences.” The map shows Jordan and Syria extending all the way to the Mediterranean, but also shows the West Bank and Gaza. HarperCollins has apologized.