Benjy Sarlin with important new developments in the crucial talks between labor and business on immigration reform.
WaPo:
A top Dominican law enforcement official said Friday that a local lawyer has reported being paid by someone claiming to work for the conservative Web site the Daily Caller to find prostitutes who would lie and say they had sex for money with Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.).
The local lawyer told Dominican investigators that a foreign man, who identified himself as “Carlos,” had offered him $5,000 to find and pay women in the Caribbean nation willing to make the claims about Menendez, according to Jose Antonio Polanco, district attorney for the La Romana region, where the investigation is being conducted.
The Daily Caller is categorically denying the lawyer’s account, in every respect. And it should be said that the lawyer, Melanio Figueroa, is a central — and sketchy — figure in the whole case. The Daily Caller responds here. More soon.
If you tune into CSPAN-2 later today — and why wouldn’t you on a Friday evening? — you won’t be greeted by the familiar musical accompaniment to the Senate doing nothing. That’s because before the Senate passes its budget this weekend, it must first get through “votearama” — the quirk in the budget rules that essentially opens the amendment floodgates to eager lawmakers.
These amendments, like the budget itself, aren’t really binding. They’re highly politicized. And because there hasn’t been a Senate budget in a few years, there’s a huge pent up demand among members for using votearama as an opportunity to preen and take political stands.
But taken together they also paint a sort of political mosaic. Piece by piece they reveal a hierarchy of Republican and Democratic priorities and liabilities. Which is why despite its artificial nature, the process can still be educational. Read More
There’s some fascinating day two news coming out of Israel and the Obama trip this morning. A short time ago, the White House press pool released a report saying that Prime Minister Netanyahu had “apologized” to Prime Minister Erdogan over the Mavi Marmara flotilla raid back in 2010. Read More
White Supremacist eyed as suspect in assassination of Colorado prisons chief.
TPM Reader AC adds his voice to the conversation …
After many conversations about race with conservative friends (mostly finance types), I had an revelation.
Most liberals define racism as the belief that people of color are inferior morally, mentally, or physically.
Gaffes often have a deeper meaning. And we’re seeing more and more of it as the opposition to marriage equality breaks down across the country. One small revealing example from yesterday as Gov. John Kasich (R-OH), who’s always been pretty libertarian-ish and I suspect never particularly cared about gay marriage in the first place, briefly endorsed civil unions and then then had to un-endorse it hours later. Read More
Blackberry CEO says Iphone is ‘outdated’, behind the times.
Chris Christie is now saying he’s personally opposed to ‘gay conversion’ but won’t say whether he’ll sign the bill to bar parents from imposing it on minor children.