US Sen. Robert Menendez? Indicted:
A longtime friend and donor's penchant for foreign models partially brought down Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), according to an indictment returned Wednesday against the senator. Menendez was charged with 14 counts of federal corruption for allegedly leveraging his office to support Florida ophthalmologist Dr. Salomon Melgen's personal and business interests. In return, Melgen, who was also charged in the case, contributed more than $750,000 to entities supporting Menendez's 2012 re-election effort, the indictment stated.
Mike Pence? Toast:
In a hastily called news conference on Tuesday, Penceâusually keen on playing the happy warrior in publicâlooked wan and defeated, though his hair was still shaped into its perfect and immoveable silver part. At some turns, in a dulcet tone, Pence employed a humble tack, suggesting the law needed âa fixâ and admitting that his defensive performance in a Sunday appearance with George Stephanopoulos on ABCâs âThis Weekâ likely made things worse.... The optics of the momentâa governor once mentioned as a potential 2016er now trying to sort through political wreckage amid dusty tomes in the buildingâs History Reference roomâseemed to suggest one potential outcome of Penceâs rightward lurch: Were Penceâs presidential chances history now, too?
Larry Phillips? Out.
It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the people of King County and the region, representing the Fourth District on the King County Council. It has been inspiring to be consistently immersed in the decision making of our region in meeting the many challengesâand changesâof the past two decades. But now it is time to set a new course; consequently I do not intend to seek re-election this fall to the King County Council.
Hillary Clinton? Unopposed.
The draft-Warren movement isnât going away, then. But, with Clinton preparing to make her candidacy an official one, the political context in which the movement is operating is about to change. Warrenâs supporters, having failed to lure her into the fray early, will be left to press her to join the race later on, which would surely happen only if Clinton were to stumble badly. That prospect wonât please a lot of progressive activists. Warren, however, seems content with it.
Jeb Bush? Unserious.
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush is promising to chart a new course focused on addressing economic inequality, as he nears a long-expected announcement that heâs running for president in 2016. At the same time, he is bringing on more policy advisers from his familyâs administrations who supported policies that contributed to that wealth gap.