OBAMA IN MIDEAST NEXT WEEK ? ?Israel sees Obama visit as chance to show its best side: an estimated 500 foreign journalists are arriving to cover the U.S. president's trip,? by L.A. Times? Edmund Sanders in Jerusalem: ?When the White House tweaked the president's upcoming Holy Land itinerary to include Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, Israelis feared he wouldn't have time for a field trip to see their beloved Iron Dome missile defense system. No problem, Israeli officials decided. If Obama can't come to the Iron Dome, the Iron Dome will come to him. One of the five U.S.-funded batteries, which Israel is marketing for sale internationally, will be temporarily repositioned to the airport for a photo op with the arriving president. Obama's three-day trip to Israel and the West Bank, which begins Wednesday, offers Israelis a rare opportunity to shine before a global audience. ?
?Politicians and pundits will schmooze with some of the estimated 500 visiting foreign journalists at a government-sponsored cocktail reception, while special excursions are being offered for visitors to highlight the softer side of Israel, from wine tasting to Christian pilgrimage. The trip even has an official government logo (U.S. and Israeli flags morphed into one), a slogan (?Unbreakable Alliance?) and a new smartphone app launched by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office to track every step.? With a great AFP pic: ?Workers in the town of Kfar Saba ready U.S. and Israeli flags in preparation for President Obama's visit to Israel and the West Bank.? http://lat.ms/ZxCYPg
THE PRESIDENT?S WEEK AHEAD: ?On Saturday and Sunday, the President has no public events scheduled. ? On Tuesday, the President will welcome Prime Minister (Taoiseach) Enda Kenny of Ireland to the White House.? ? In the morning, the President will meet with the Taoiseach in the Oval Office, and subsequently he will attend the traditional St. Patrick?s Day lunch at the U.S. Capitol.? During the day, the President will also greet First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness of Northern Ireland at the White House to discuss their progress toward meeting their shared commitment to a peaceful and prosperous future for the people of Northern Ireland.? In the evening, the President and the First Lady will host a reception to celebrate their fifth St. Patrick?s Day at the White House.? During the reception, the President and Kenny will participate in the annual Shamrock ceremony started under President Truman.? Later in the evening, the President will depart for Israel.
?On Wednesday, the President will have separate meetings with President Peres and Prime Minister Netanyahu.? He will also hold a joint press conference with Prime Minister Netanyahu. On Thursday, the President will meet with President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority and will tour a youth development center with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Fayyad.? Later in the day, the President will deliver a speech to the Israeli people at the Jerusalem International Convention Center.? He will also hold a joint press conference with President Abbas. On Friday, the President will meet with King Abdullah II of Jordan and later will hold a joint press conference with King Abdullah II. On Saturday, the President will return to Washington.?
THE V.P.?S WEEK AHEAD: ?On Saturday, the Vice President will be in Wilmington, Delaware. There are no public events scheduled. On Sunday, the Vice President will depart from Washington, DC, en route Rome, Italy, to lead the U.S. Delegation to attend the Inauguration Mass celebrating the Pontificate of His Holiness Pope Francis. The Vice President will arrive at Ciampino Airport in Rome at 9:40 PM LOCAL TIME/4:40 PM ET. The arrival is open press.?
2017 WATCH ? ?Campaign for Obama library in full swing,? by AP?s Josh Lederman in D.C., with Sara Burnett in Chicago: ?In Illinois and Hawaii, the two states Obama calls home, universities and community groups are drafting plans and deploying a mix of public and private efforts to persuade Obama to choose their site for what will be a monument to his historic presidency and an instrument to continue his legacy. ? In December, top officials from the University of Chicago, where Obama once taught law, traveled to Dallas and met with archivists at The George W. Bush Presidential Library at Southern Methodist University. At the meeting was Susan Sher, first lady Michelle Obama's former chief of staff and longtime friend and now a senior adviser to the University of Chicago's president.
?Alice McLean, who heads special programs in the university [of Chicago] president's office ? met Susan Donius, the director of presidential libraries for the National Archives and Records Administration, who provided a set of architectural and design standards required for presidential libraries. ? In Honolulu, where the president was born, University of Hawaii officials have visited nearly all the 13 official presidential libraries to talk to officials involved in setting them up. An American studies professor, Robert Perkinson, is leading a statewide effort coordinated by the university, with support from Gov. Neil Abercrombie and other state and federal officials. The state Legislature has passed two resolutions urging Obama to pick Hawaii.?
KEEPING IT CLASSY: N.Y. Post cover, "KOREAN TAKEOUT: US aims anti-nuke missiles"
2016 WATCH?? "Jeb Bush CPAC Speech Says GOP Must Stop Being 'Anti Everything' Party,? by HuffPost?s Jon Ward in National Harbor, Md.: ?Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush , ? speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference annual dinner, made the heart of his speech a call to the GOP to ?learn from past mistakes. ?. All too often we?re associated with being ?anti? everything ? Way too many people believe Republicans are anti-immigrant, anti-woman, anti-science, anti-gay, anti-worker ? Many voters are simply unwilling to choose our candidates even though they share our core beliefs, because those voters feel unloved, unwanted and unwelcome ? It is not a validation of our conservative principles if we can only point to the increasingly rare individual who overcomes adversity ? Here?s reality: if you?re fortunate enough to count yourself among the privileged, much of the rest of the nation is drowning. In our country today, if you?re born poor, if your parents didn?t go to college, if you don?t know your father, if English isn?t spoken at home, then the odds are stacked against you. You are more likely to stay poor today than at any other time since World War II.?? http://huff.to/XKda6F
** A message from the Coalition for Medicare Choices: 16 days until CMS's proposed new Medicare Advantage cuts become permanent. If nothing is done, 14 million seniors in Medicare Advantage get hit with an average of $50-$90 per month in higher costs and benefit cuts next year. View the new TV ad at: www.medicarechoices.org. **
TOP TALKER -- Financial Times p. 1 (Asia and U.S. editions), ?China sees 330m abortions in 40 years of enforced controls on family size,? by Simon Rabinovitch in Beijing (online hed: ?Data reveal scale of China abortions?): ?Chinese doctors have performed more than 330m abortions since the government implemented a controversial family planning policy 40 years ago, according to official data from the health ministry. ? Since 1971, doctors have performed 336m abortions and 196m sterilisations ? The Chinese government has previously estimated that without restrictions, the country?s 1.3bn population would be 30 per cent larger. In the US, where the population is 315m or about one-quarter the size of China?s, an estimated 50m abortions have been performed since ? Roe vs Wade ? legalised abortion in 1973.?
GREAT OUT-OF-OFFICE MESSAGES -- Kerry Kennedy, president, Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights: ?I will be on a delegation to Uganda and Zimbabwe.?
BEYOND THE BELTWAY ? L.A. Times second front, ?L.A.?S RACE FOR MAYOR: EMILY adds Greuel to list: The group?s endorsement could help her expand her fundraising network,? by Maeve Reston and Seema Mehta: ?Los Angeles mayoral hopeful Wendy Greuel got a potentially powerful boost Friday by winning the endorsement of EMILY?s List, which could help her tap into a deep network of female donors across the country. Under city campaign finance rules, City Controller Greuel and her rival City Councilman Eric Garcetti were required to spend all their money from the March 5 primary before entering the runoff. They now have 10 weeks to solicit the millions of dollars they will need to finance an expensive television campaign to reach city voters. That forced them to spend much of their time in the last week dialing donors, asking for contributions that are limited to $1,300 in the runoff cycle. Garcetti headlined a fundraiser Friday at the home of film producer James Lassiter and has an event planned next week at the Los Angeles manse of billionaire Tony Pritzker.?
BIRTHDAYS: WaPo's Ellen McCarthy (hat tip: Patrick Gavin) ... ABC?s ABCs Eric Avram ? comedian-director Jerry Lewis is 87 ? game-show host Chuck Woolery is 72 ? Erik Estrada is 64 (h/ts AP)
BIG DECKARD BIRTHWEEK: Joshua Spencer Deckard was yesterday ? Hudson Walker Deckard is 1 tomorrow!
THE SHOWS, from @MattMackowiak:
--NBC?s ?Meet the Press?: Cardinal Francis George; Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-CA); Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI); roundtable with MSNBC?s Chris Matthews, former Gov. Frank Keating (R-OK), author and former Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (D-MD) and Republican strategist Ana Navarro
--ABC?s ?This Week?: Speaker Boehner; roundtable with ABC News? George Will, Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA), NPR?s Audie Cornish, ABC News political analyst Matthew Dowd and former HP CEO Carly Fiorina; foreign policy roundtable with Will, former Clinton administration Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former Bush administration National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley and former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. James Cartwright (USMC, Ret.); ?Sunday spotlight? segment with ABC News? Bob Woodruff
--CBS?s ?Face the Nation?: Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI); Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN); RNC Chairman Reince Priebus; foreign policy roundtable with Council on Foreign Relations president Richard Haass, AEI?s Danielle Pletka, The Atlantic?s David Rohde and The New York Times? David Sanger
--?Fox News Sunday?: Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL); roundtable with The Weekly Standard?s Bill Kristol, FORTUNE Magazine?s Nina Easton, former Bush White House senior adviser Karl Rove and former Howard Dean campaign manager Joe Trippi
--CNN?s ?State of the Union? (SUN 9-10am ET / 12pm ET): Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) and Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD); Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) and Rep. Tom Cotton (R-AR); roundtable on the future of the Republican Party with ACU?s Al Cardenas, Democratic strategist Kiki McLean, Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) and Johns Hopkins University?s Dr. Ben Carson
--CNN?s ?Fareed Zakaria GPS?: (SUN 10am ET / 1pm ET): Former Bush administration Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz; discussion on Afghanistan with Wolfowitz, former Pakistani Ambassador to the U.S. Hussain Haqqani and the Council on Foreign Relations? Gayle Tzemach Lemmon; discussion on North Korea with former Bush administration National Security Council Asian Affairs director and Georgetown University?s Victor Cha and former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea and Korea Society chairman emeritus Donald Gregg; Yale University?s Emma Sky
--Univision?s ?Al Punto? (SUN 10am ET): Argentinian journalist and co-author Sergio Rubin (?The Jesuit,? a biography of Pope Francis); Mexican Cardinal Juan Sandoval I?igues and American Cardinal Sean O?Malley; Jesuit priest and friend of Pope Francis, Ernesto Giobando; Vatican archives expert Roberto Antonio Ve?lsquez; Basque Country newspapers Vatican correspondent I?igo Dominguez (from the Vatican)
--C-SPAN: ?The Communicators? (SAT 6:30pm ET): Last in a series of interviews from the CES International 2013, highlighting the newest developments in TV, communications and consumer technology ? ?Newsmakers? (SUN 10am ET / 6pm ET): Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), questioned by Bloomberg News? Heidi Przybla and The Hill?s Russell Berman ? ?Q&A? (SUN 8pm ET / 11pm ET): Weekly Standard executive editor Fred Barnes
--NBC?s ?The Chris Matthews Show?: Roundtable with NBC News? Chuck Todd; NBC News? Kelly O?Donnell, TIME Magazine?s Joe Klein and BBC?s Katty Kay
--Bloomberg?s ?Political Capital? with Al Hunt (SUN 8am ET / 1pm ET): House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)
--Bloomberg?s ?Capitol Gains? (SUN 12pm ET / 5pm ET): Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI); White House Big Data Senior Steering Group?s co-chair Dr. George Strawn; segment with Bloomberg Government technology analyst Mike Nelson
--ABC7?s ?Inside Washington?: (SAT 7pm ET on NewsChannel 8 / SUN 9am ET on ABC7 WJLA): Roundtable with syndicated columnist Mark Shields, POLITICO?s Lois Romano, Evan Thomas and syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer
--PBS?s ?To the Contrary?: Re-broadcast of ?Meet the new Congresswomen? with Rep. Krysten Sinema (D-AZ), Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN), Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH), Rep. Elizabeth Etsy (D-CT), Rep. Susan Beldene (D-WA), Rep. Carol Shea Porter (D-NH) and Rep. Ann Kuster (D-NH)
--TV One?s ?Washington Watch with Roland Martin? (SUN 9am ET): The Potter?s House Worship Center?s (Dallas, TX) Bishop T.D. Jakes; AFL-CIO chief economist Williams Spriggs; The Washington Post?s Michael Fletcher; panel with former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell (R-OH), The Buten Group?s Charles Butler, The Grio?s Sophia Nelson and SiriusXM radio host Joe Madison
--SiriusXM's ?Polioptics? with Josh King (Sat., Sun.; noon and 6): Jenni LeCompte, former Assistant Treasury Secretary for Public Affairs of the U.S. Department of the Treasury (with guest exit interviewer Timothy Geithner). And chapter two of breaking down Netflix's "House of Cards" with executive producer and show runner (and former Howard Dean advance man) Beau Willimon. On SiriusXM's POTUS Ch. 124; available for download on iTunes and at http://www.polioptics.com.
** A message from the Coalition for Medicare Choices: In just 16 days, CMS's proposed new Medicare Advantage cuts become permanent. Vulnerable seniors will pay more, get less and lose choices. If the cuts become permanent, the average senior will get hit with $50-$90 a month in higher costs and benefit cuts next year. Many seniors will lose their Medicare Advantage plan altogether. According to an independent analysis, "Virtually all of the 14.1 million Medicare beneficiaries are likely to be affected by these changes, either through increased premiums, reduced benefits, or plan exits from local markets." Time is running out. Take action now to stop the proposed new Medicare Advantage cuts. View the new TV ad at: www.medicarechoices.org. **
Source: http://feeds.politico.com/click.phdo?i=38af09fd785a5f7feba0574b5eb779d6
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.