Capital Journal Daybreak: Hillary Clintons Complex Corporate Ties | White Houses Dynamic Scoring | The State …
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HILLARY CLINTONS COMPLEX CORPORATE TIES: Among recent secretaries of state, Hillary Clinton was one of the most aggressive global cheerleaders for American companies, pushing governments to sign deals and change policies to the advantage of corporate giants such as General Electric, Exxon Mobil, Microsoft and Boeing. At the same time, those companies were among the many that gave to the Clinton familys global foundation set up by her husband, former President Bill Clinton. At least 60 companies that lobbied the State Department during her tenure donated a total of more than $26 million to the Clinton Foundation, according to a Journal analysis of public and foundation disclosures.
As Mrs. Clinton prepares to embark on a race for the presidency, she has a web of connections to big corporations unique in American politicsties forged both as secretary of state and by her familys charitable interests. Those relationships are emerging as an issue for Mrs. Clintons expected presidential campaign as income disparity and other populist themes gain early attention. James V. Grimaldi and Rebecca Ballhaus report.
Plus: The Clinton Foundation said that if Hillary Clinton runs for president, it will consider whether to continue accepting contributions from foreign governments, a step that would be aimed at avoiding the appearance of conflicts of interest.
Compiled by Rebecca Ballhaus
NEIL KING JR.S EARLY HIT: WHITE HOUSE ISNT SHY ABOUT ITS OWN DYNAMIC SCORING The president delivered a lot of good newsnumber of jobs up, unemployment and deficits downin his annual (and bulky) Economic Report of the President, which he sent to Congress Thursday.The report, a tradition going back to 1947 under Harry Truman, also contained a fair dollop of wishful thinkingor what some might call the administrations own dynamic scoring.Read Neil King Jr.s full post on Washington Wire.
STORIES YOU SHOULDNT MISS THREE MONTHS LATER, STATE DEPARTMENT HASNT ROOTED OUT HACKERS: Three months after the State Department confirmed hackers breached its unclassified email system, the government still hasnt been able to evict them from the departments network. Government officials, assisted by outside contractors and the National Security Agency, have repeatedly scanned the network and taken some systems offline. But investigators see signs of the hackers on State Department computers, and each time investigators find a hacker tool and block it, the intruders tweak it slightly to attempt to sneak past defenses. It isnt clear how much data the hackers have taken. Danny Yadron reports.
OBAMA: ISLAMIC STATE DEFEAT HINGES ON STABLE SYRIA: President Obama suggested that U.S. and international efforts to degrade and ultimately destroy Islamic State may only be achieved after a political transition in Syria. Mr. Obama said the civil war in Syria gave rise to the militant group and charged President Bashar al-Assad with stoking sectarian tensions. Mr. Obama also said the lack of inclusion in Iraqs previous government helped boost Islamic State militants there. The administration, however, has already succeeded in facilitating a government transition in Iraq. Carol E. Lee, Felicia Schwartz and Byron Tau report.Plus: The U.S. estimates it will take as many as 25,000 Iraqis to dislodge up to 2,000 Islamic State fighters from Mosul The West is rebuffing Egypts proposals for military intervention in Libya Yemens political factions agreed to a new legislative setup Friday after United Nations-brokered talks.
WHITE HOUSE SEES WORKFORCE AS BEST BET TO TACKLE DEFICITS: The White House has a new tack for dealing with rising deficits: try to boost the workforce and its productivity in the hopes of muddling through the surge of retirees that will strain the social safety net for the next 20 years. Rather than seek to balance the budget and sharply reduce the debt, President Obamas economic advisers now say the focus should be to stabilize the debt through the aging of the baby boomers. That argument is aimed at blunting criticism that the White House has recoiled from the kind of unpopular entitlement curbs both parties have said will be needed to cut deficits. Nick Timiraos reports.Plus: The White Houses growth proposals at a glance The economy according to the White House, in 10 charts.
ALSO IN THE NEWS: The FDA issued a warning for a type of endoscope widely used in hospitals that has been linked to an outbreak of a drug-resistant bacterial disease and may have contributed to two deaths and the possible infection of as many as 179 others in Los Angeles A panel of nutrition experts that will issue thenext set of U.S. dietary guidelinessaid the government should consider the environment when deciding what people should eat. The focus on sustainable diets is angering the meat industry New research is adding to scrutiny of a surgical tool called the laparoscopic power morcellator that the FDA has warned against using in a vast majority of cases The crude-oil train that derailed and exploded in West Virginia was traveling well below the tracks speed limit Wal-Marts move to boost pay for its U.S. employees to at least $10 an hour by next year could signal a turning point for what have been stubbornly stagnant wages since the recession ended almost six years ago The Federal Trade Commission sued to block Sysco Corp.s planned acquisition of rival US Foods Inc. An influential Florida state senator who supports Jeb Bushs likely presidential bid is recommending a primary on March 15 President Obama returned to Chicago to try to inject some last-minute momentum into Rahm Emanuels re-election bid President Obama tapped State Department spokeswomanJennifer Psaki to head the White House communications operation The American Postal Workers Union is making a big ask as part of contract talks with the U.S. Postal Service: It wants the post office to expand customer offerings to include financial services European leaders stood by the cease-fire they brokered a week ago for Ukraine, even as the U.S. said Russian equipment and troops continued to flow into the country Meanwhile, as retreating Ukrainian troops pour into the city of Artemivsk, residents fear fighting will follow.
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Capital Journal Daybreak: Hillary Clintons Complex Corporate Ties | White Houses Dynamic Scoring | The State ...