Republicans Meeting In New Orleans
Republicans are gathering today in New Orleans for the Southern Republican Leadership Conference, an early cattle call for several potential national candidates. The biggest speaker will be Sarah Palin, along with Newt Gingrich, Bobby Jindal, Rick Perry and Haley Barbour. Not present will be Tim Pawlenty, who will address the event by video, as well as Mitt Romney, both of whom had scheduling conflicts.
Obama’s Day In Prague
President Obama arrived in Prague, Czech Republic, at 9:25 a.m. CEST (3:25 a.m. ET). He arrived at Prague Castle and was greeted by Czech President Vaclav Klaus at 9:45 a.m. CEST. He took a family photo with President Klaus and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at 9:55 a.m. CEST. He held a bilateral meeting with Medvedev at 10:05 a.m. CEST, and an expanded meeting at 10:45 a.m. CEST. He attended a New START Treaty signing ceremony with Medvedev at 11:50 a.m. CEST. He attended a ceremonial lunch with Medvedev and Klaus at 1 p.m. CEST, and deliver toast remarks. Later, at 6:30 p.m. CEST, Obama will greet central and Eastern European leaders on arrival, and he will host a dinner for the leaders at 7:15 p.m. CEST.
Biden’s Day Ahead
Vice President Biden will host a 9 a.m. ET breakfast meeting with Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis at the Naval Observatory. AT 11 a.m. ET, he will chair a regular meeting of senior officials to assess progress in Iraq. He will meet with senior advisers in the afternoon. Later, at 4:45 p.m. ET, he will host a conference call with mayors from across the country, to discuss stimulus implementation.
Bernanke: U.S. Must Face Up to Aging Populace
Speaking to the Dallas Regional Chamber Wednesday, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said that an aging American population would pose serious fiscal challenges. “The arithmetic is, unfortunately, quite clear,” said Bernanke. “To avoid large and unsustainable budget deficits, the nation will ultimately have to choose among higher taxes, modifications to entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare, less spending on everything else from education to defense, or some combination of the above. These choices are difficult, and it always seems easier to put them off — until the day they cannot be put off any more.”
Geithner Visiting China Amidst Currency Dispute
Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner is in China today, visiting the country in the midst of a dispute over the country’s currency controls. The Associated Press reports: “The decision to hold such a high-level encounter suggested Washington and Beijing are trying to narrow their differences over currency, which threaten to overshadow cooperation on the global economy, Iran’s nuclear program and other issues.”
Becerra: Latinos Have ‘Suspicion’ Of Obama Over Immigration Reform
House Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman Xavier Becerra (D-CA) said during a radio interview that Latinos view President Obama with “suspicion,” due to his failure to advance the issue of immigration reform. “There’s a lot of suspicion, a lot of doubt, a lot of concern,” said Becerra. “The president made a promise. He hasn’t fulfilled that promise. Rightfully, I think a lot of folks are questioning where the president’s priorities are.”
Internal Republican Grumbling Over Health Care Message Intensifies
The Hill reports that House conservatives are frustrated with the Republican leadership’s “repeal and replace” message on health care, arguing instead for a more forceful message of full repeal. Said Rep. Steve King (R-IA): “I talked to some of the leaders in the Tea Party groups, who ask to make sure that we define this repeal as 100 percent repeal. They are not going to have any patience with equivocation.”
