White House: ‘U.S. Support For South Korea’s Defense Is Unequivocal’
The White House declared its support for South Korea’s handling of the sinking of the South Korean warship the Cheonan. Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said in a statement: “U.S. support for South Korea’s defense is unequivocal, and the President has directed his military commanders to coordinate closely with their Republic of Korea counterparts to ensure readiness and to deter future aggression.”
Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama will receive his daily briefing at 9:30 a.m. ET. He will attend a 10:20 a.m. ET reception for the Federal Judge Association. He will meet at 11:05 a.m. ET with senior advisers. At 12 p.m. ET, he will participate in the daily briefing call with Gulf Coast governors on the BP oil spill. At 2:30 p.m. ET, he will welcome Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri to the White House. At 4 p.m. ET, he will host a reception to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. He will meet at 4:30 p.m. ET with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.
Biden’s Day Ahead
Vice President Biden will meet in the morning with senior advisers. At 12:30 p.m. ET, he will attend an event in Wilmington for John Carney, the Democratic candidate for Delaware’s open House seat. At 7 p.m. ET, he will attend a campaign event for his son, Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden.
Hillary Clinton On North Korea: ‘We Are Working Hard To Avoid An Escalation’
Speaking to reporters in Beijing, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that all of North Korea’s neighbors, including China, understand the seriousness of the situation regarding North Korea and want to contain it. “We are working hard to avoid an escalation of belligerence and provocation,” Clinton said. “This is a highly precarious situation that the North Koreans have caused in the region.”
NYT: Despite Official Moratorium, Drilling Projects Move Ahead
The New York Times reports: “In the days since President Obama announced a moratorium on permits for drilling new offshore oil wells and a halt to a controversial type of environmental waiver that was given to the Deepwater Horizon rig, at least seven new permits for various types of drilling and five environmental waivers have been granted, according to records. The records also indicate that since the April 20 explosion on the rig, federal regulators have granted at least 19 environmental waivers for gulf drilling projects and at least 17 drilling permits, most of which were for types of work like that on the Deepwater Horizon shortly before it exploded, pouring a ceaseless current of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.”
Freshman Dems Run Away From Obama
CQ reports that first-term House Democrats are not eager to have President Obama come campaign for them this fall. “I just think we don’t quite know yet where his popularity is,” said Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper (D-PA). “The best thing I can do is get out and shake hands and look people in the eye. They want to see me and they want to know what I’m doing. … I’m much less concerned about who’s going to come in and campaign for me.”
Are Dems Pulling Back On Faith Outreach?
The Washington Post reports that Democrats appear to be pulling back on their outreach to religious communities, after a somewhat successful push in the 2008 cycle. “It’s a mystery to everyone what happened to Democratic faith outreach in the last year,” said Professor Rebecca Sager of Loyola Marymount University, professor, an expert on the religious progressive movement. “There is sort of this, ‘We worked so hard and made so much progress, and 2008 seemed like this great year, and then what happened?'”
