First Read from NBC News – Wednesday, 17 July 2013

Hispanic media to GOP: “Ciudado!”… On race and the Zimmerman verdict… Good health-care news for the administration to tout as House GOP holds another vote on the law… Breaking down yesterday’s averted filibuster showdown… There Will Be Blood — in Wyoming… Poll: McDonnell bruised but not knocked down… And will the GOP push Corbett out of next year’s PA GOV race?

*** Hispanic media to GOP: “Ciudado!”: If you want to see how big of a potential problem Republicans have with Spanish-language media right now in this immigration debate, look no further than what Univision TV anchor Jorge Ramos said earlier this week. All House Republicans have to do is vote “against immigration reform or boycott the process… That’s enough to make your candidate lose the presidential election in the United States in 2016,” Ramos wrote (translated into English). Whether all Republican strategists are ready to admit it or not, this is damaging to the Republican brand, especially since the Spanish-language media so aggressively covers the immigration debate. While many conservatives have convinced themselves there’s no real political penalty in killing the Senate immigration compromise (or something similar) as far as 2014 is concerned, it could leave a long-term mark. Ramos’ warning shot is something that shouldn’t be ignored and simply seen through the prism of “biased media.”

*** Wrapping Obama’s four Spanish-language interviews: By the way, this also explains why President Obama conducted four interviews with Spanish-language TV anchors yesterday. It’s a way to engage in the immigration debate without getting aggressively involved for now. In those interviews, the president said it “does not make sense” for any final legislation to omit a path to citizenship. “For us to have two classes of people in this country, full citizens and people who are permanently resigned to a lower status, I think that’s not who we are as Americans. That’s never been our tradition.” And he also said it was his preference for Congress to pass a comprehensive bill rather than piecemeal ones. “The danger of doing it in pieces is that, a lot of groups want different things and there’s a tendency, I think, to put off the hard stuff until the end.”

*** On race and the Zimmerman verdict: Meanwhile, the issues of race and the Zimmerman verdict continued to play out yesterday. Speaking to the NAACP in Orlando, Attorney General Eric Holder brought up the controversial “Stand Your Ground” gun laws. “We must stand our ground to ensure that our laws reduce violence and take a hard look at laws that contribute to more violence than they prevent,” he said. And speaking to an African-American sorority group, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton invoked Trayvon Martin’s death, as NBC’s Kerry Sanders reported on TODAY. “No mother, no father, should ever have to fear for their child walking down a street in the United States of America,” she said. Pay attention to what Holder talked about (Stand Your Ground) and what he didn’t (the federal government bringing any charges after the Zimmerman verdict). The administration has telegraphed all week that they are unlikely to pursue federal charges without actually saying it. Also, our colleague Perry Bacon has a smart piece noting how Holder is much more willing to talk about race than Obama is. As for Clinton, if you needed another sign that she MIGHT be running for president, it was that comment last night to an African-American audience. And here’s one more angle worth mentioning: The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing on the Voting Rights Act at 1:00 pm ET.

*** Good health-care news for the administration to tout: As we’ve said before, one of the Obama administration’s challenges in the P.R. battle over the health-care law’s implementation is that stories about chaos and uncertainty almost always seem to get more attention than stories about progress and stability. But here is some very good news for the administration to tout: “Individuals buying health insurance on their own will see their premiums tumble next year in New York State as changes under the federal health care law take effect,” the New York Times says. “State insurance regulators say they have approved rates for 2014 that are at least 50 percent lower on average than those currently available in New York. Beginning in October, individuals in New York City who now pay $1,000 a month or more for coverage will be able to shop for health insurance for as little as $308 monthly. With federal subsidies, the cost will be even lower.” This follows similar news out of California and Oregon. And for now, it seems to suggest that implementation might be going better in BLUE STATES (which have set up the exchanges and have worked hard to make the reform work) versus the RED STATES. It’s something to watch… Interestingly, this news out of New York comes as House Republicans are set to vote on delaying the health-care law’s individual mandate by a year (but the legislation won’t go anywhere in the Dem-controlled Senate).

*** Let’s Make A Deal: Turning to yesterday’s news, we have three points to make about the deal Senate Democrats and Republicans struck to avert filibuster changes in the chamber. First, it was a pure-and-simple victory for Democrats and the Obama administration, which needed functioning heads for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and National Labor Relations Board. In particular, getting Richard Cordray to lead the CFPB — no longer being a recess appointee — helps locks in that agency. That’s a big deal. Second, we can’t understate the role that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) played in reaching the agreement. It’s been one of the more underreported stories of 2013, but McCain the dealmaker is back. And third, the 71-29 cloture vote on Cordray’s nomination highlighted a split between the Senate GOP’s old guard and new guard. Here were many of the Republicans who voted FOR cloture: Blunt, Chambliss, Collins, Corker, Graham, Hatch, Isakson, McCain, and Wicker. And here were many of the Republicans who voted AGAINST it: Boozman, Burr, Cruz, Fischer, Lee, Rubio, Scott, and Toomey. In fact, don’t miss Sen. Ted Cruz’s tweet about the deal: “Today, re: so-called nuclear option, Senate Republicans preserved the right to surrender in the future.”

*** There Will Be Blood: Yesterday’s news that Liz Cheney will challenge Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) in a GOP primary next year ensures one thing: The race will be the most-watched GOP primary of 2014. And it could end being a bloodbath as intra-party fights tend to be. Just check this out: “Talking to reporters in the Capitol after the video went public, Mr. Enzi said he was not notified by either Ms. Cheney or her father — whom he has known for over 30 years — about Ms. Cheney’s intentions. ‘I thought we were friends,’ he added.” What’s more, Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), who’s backing Enzi, said this, per NBC’s Frank Thorp: “When someone [Cheney] has never gotten a paycheck in Wyoming and has lived their entire adult life in Virginia, I think they should run from Virginia.” For her part, Cheney released an announcement video that was heavy attacking Obama but didn’t explicitly mention Enzi once. But she did, “I am running because I believe that it is necessary for a new generation of leaders to step up to the plate… We can no longer afford simply to go along to get along.” And that’s what this race will be about – a generational fight featuring an older “go along, get along” conservative Republican vs. a younger confrontational conservative Republican. By the way, Cheney holds two press conferences today, one in Casper at noon ET and the other in Cheyenne at 5:00 pm ET. To bottom line this race: If it’s about ideology and style, Cheney wins; if it’s about Wyoming, advantage Enzi.

*** Poll: McDonnell bruised but not knocked down: A new Quinnipiac poll shows that the scandal hitting Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) has taken a toll on him, but it hasn’t been a death blow, either. Per the poll, the embattled governor’s approval rating is at 46%, down from 50%-plus earlier this year. But the mid-40s — as the current occupant of the White House knows pretty well — isn’t necessarily fatal. What’s more, only 16% of Virginia voters believe McDonnell should resign. There’s no doubt that the Star Scientific-Jonnie Williams story is a problem for McDonnell and the GOP, but it also seems that Terry McAuliffe and the Democrats will need to spent time — and money — to connect the dots for voters.

*** Will the GOP push Corbett out of next year’s race? Finally, here’s an interesting story via National Journal: “The biggest question in Pennsylvania politics right now isn’t whether Gov. Tom Corbett will win reelection. It’s whether he’ll even get the chance. Beset by legislative failures and bleak poll numbers, the Republican looks like the country’s most vulnerable governor heading into the 2014 election. And Republicans are questioning whether they should let Corbett face a near-certain defeat when they could find a ready replacement with a much better chance of winning.”

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*** Wednesday’s “Daily Rundown” line-up:Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) on the latest developments on the filibuster, immigration, voting rights, Snowden, Liz Cheney and more… A Deep Dive with the creators of Comedy Central’s “Drunk History” Jeremy Konner and Derek Waters… Plus Jeanne Cummings of Bloomberg News, Politico’s Lois Romano and Nathan Gonzales of the Rothenberg Political Report join the Gaggle.

*** Wednesday’s “Jansing & Co.” line-up: Joy-Ann Reid/TheGrio and Matt Welch/Reason Magazine on fallout from the Zimmerman verdict including 4 jurors coming forward to distance themselves from juror who gave interview about deliberations, Rep. Luis Gutierrez/(D) Illinois on his call for Congressional hearings into the Trayvon Martin case,  Former Ambassador Nicholas Burns on confirmation hearing today for Samantha Power and whether she could have an impact on Obama administration’s human rights policies, Margie Omero and Robert Traynham on the GOP rift created by Liz Cheney’s decision to take on incumbent Republican Wyoming Senator Mike Enzi, and Catherine Rampell/The New York Times on Pres. Obama’s 10:50am event on the confirmation of Richard Cordray as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as well as Fed Chair Ben Bernanke’s appearance before Congress this morning

*** Wednesday’s “MSNBC Live with Thomas Roberts” line-up: Mara Schiavocampo fills and her guests include:  Attorney Paul Henderson, The American Prospect’s Jamelle Bouie and Shannon Watts of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America on the fallout from the George Zimmerman verdict – will Stand Your Ground laws be overturned?  Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) joins to discuss his committee’s hearing on the Voting Rights Act.  Executive Dir. Of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin Tanya Atkinson will join to talk about today’s hearing on that state’s new abortion law.  And Today’s Agenda Panel includes:  NBC Latino contributor Victoria DeFrancesco Soto, The Root’s Corey Dade and Editor of Political Wire Taegan Goddard.

*** Wednesday’s “NOW with Alex Wagner” line-up: Alex Wagner’s guests include Time’s Michael Scherer, the Washington Post’s EJ Dionne, the New York Times’ Annie Lowrey, former RNC Chair Michael Steele, and the Guardian’s Glenn Greenwald.

*** Wednesday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell interviews Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC), the New York Times’ Jonathan Martin, the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza and Jonathan Capehart, NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell and Vanessa Kerry, CEO of Seed Global Health.

“President Obama celebrates a legislative victory Wednesday,” USA Today writes. “The president makes remarks on Tuesday’s confirmation of Richard Cordray, director of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.”

USA Today: “While President Obama once called for an immigration bill by August, he is now acknowledging that nothing will happen until after summer. Obama told Telemundo’s Denver affiliate that August ‘was originally my hope and my goal,’ but too many House Republicans are balking at the comprehensive bill the Senate passed.”

Obama also said he wants a path to citizenship included: “It does not make sense to me, if we’re gonna make this once in a generation effort to finally fix the system, to leave the status of 11 million people or so unresolved, and certainly for us to have two classes of people in this country, full citizens, and people who are permanently resigned to a lower status. I think that’s not who we are as Americans. That’s never been our tradition.”

Perry Bacon: “A day after the Trayvon Martin verdict, President Obama issued a carefully-phrased, 166-word statement expressing his sadness for the Martin family and urging ‘calm reflection’ from people angered by the decision. Senior administration aides played down the idea that the nation’s first black president would use the case as a way to start some broader dialogue on race in America. The next day, one of the administration’s other key black figures emerged publicly. And just as in 2009, when he cast America as a ‘nation of cowards’ unwilling to discuss race, or last year, when he likened Republican-sponsored voter ID laws to the Jim Crow-era, he was ready to say much more on a controversial issue that touched on race than the president. Attorney General Eric Holder effectively called for the kind of racial discussion the White House didn’t embrace.”

For all the political sunny talk about recovery after Sandy by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and President Obama, read this USA Today piece on the continued post-Sandy struggles. “Nine months have passed since that evening when Bobby and Pamela Vazquez survived the harrowing experience. Nine months of trying to loosen the vise that the storm has had on every aspect of their lives — their physical, emotional and mental state, their finances and, ultimately, their future. Nine months of battling depression, uncertainty, loss and guilt. … As summer welcomes people back to the Jersey Shore, rebuilding has been slow but steady. Yet the Vazquezes, like thousands of others who lost homes, remain in limbo. The storm caused $7.8 billion in insured commercial and residential losses in New Jersey. About 82,000 homes sustained damage, according to the state’s Department of Community Affairs. Of those, 56,000 suffered major or severe damage, and of those, a little more than 40,000 were owner-occupied primary residences. The Vazquezes have been trying to rebuild their lives with no possessions, limited savings and no permanent place to live. Homeowners insurance did not cover flooding. They were paid nothing.”

(Full disclosure: The town featured is four miles from where one of your First Read authors lived.)

A National Journal poll finds 67% of people support the Keystone XL pipeline.

By the way… “An ever-expanding amount of the nation’s medical records — millions of prescriptions, medical reports and appointment reminders — are now computerized and part of an ambitious electronic medical records program, the Obama administration reports,” USA Today reports. “Since the start of a 2011 program in which the government helps finance new health records systems, doctors or their assistants have filled more than 190 million prescriptions electronically, according to data provided by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.”

The EPA will soon be the Clinton building.

“House Republicans, politically emboldened by President Barack Obama’s delay of a key requirement of his health care law, are taking another run at scrapping his signature domestic policy,” the AP writes. “The House has scheduled votes Wednesday to delay the law’s individual and employer mandates, the 38th time the GOP majority has tried to eliminate, defund or scale back the program since Republicans took control of the House in January 2011. The votes are a chance to score political points and highlight public skepticism over the law. The legislation is going nowhere in the Democratic-controlled Senate and the administration said emphatically Tuesday the president would veto the measures.”

But this New York Times story is bad timing for House Republicans: “Individuals buying health insurance on their own will see their premiums tumble next year in New York State as changes under the federal health care law take effect, state officials are to announce on Wednesday. State insurance regulators say they have approved rates for 2014 that are at least 50 percent lower on average than those currently available in New York. Beginning in October, individuals in New York City who now pay $1,000 a month or more for coverage will be able to shop for health insurance for as little as $308 monthly. With federal subsidies, the cost will be even lower.”

Roll Call: “Sen. John McCain doesn’t like being called a ‘maverick.’ The term, once the trademark modifier for the 76-year-old Republican from Arizona, has largely been collecting dust in the bin of political clichés since 2008, when McCain lost the presidential election to Barack Obama. But on Tuesday, ‘maverick’ was being tossed around again, because McCain has suddenly re-emerged as the guy Democrats can talk to, occasionally at the expense of irritating his own Republican colleagues.”

But, David Hawkings writes, “There’s a strong argument that the most important meaning of Tuesday’s pivotal roll call isn’t that the Senate has saved the Senate from itself. The filibuster showdown was averted, for now, but it hasn’t gone away. The vote was one of the most important of 2013 for a bigger reason: It finally enacts a central provision of the Dodd-Frank financial services regulatory overhaul — the one President Barack Obama signed into law three years ago this week.”

And Jill Lawrence points out: “Senate Republicans are letting President Obama fill a few important slots in his administration, but they haven’t given an inch where it really counts – on the federal judges who could define his legacy for generations.”

Per NBC’s Kasie Hunt and Kelly O’Donnell, a “key U.S. Senator tells NBC News that the United States should consider boycotting the upcoming Winter Games if Russian President Vladimir Putin grants leaker Edward Snowden asylum — even suggesting that Putin’s actions should raise the specter of the pre-World War II Berlin games hosted by Adolf Hitler’s regime.”

AP: “Democrats doggedly pursuing a far-reaching immigration bill are counting on help from Republican Rep. Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney’s running mate last year and an unlikely candidate for delivering the centerpiece of President Barack Obama’s second-term agenda.”

“It wasn’t elegant. But when senators averted a partisan explosion over filibuster rules, they proved the Senate still embraces at least a smidgen of two-party cooperation,” AP writes. “Increasingly, that distances the Senate from the House, even if the Capitol Rotunda is about all that separates them physically.”

Ed Markey (D) was sworn into the Senate. “Markey, 67, was a veteran of the House, but is now a rookie in the Senate,” the Boston Globe writes.

Hillary Clinton continues to lead in hypothetical matchups for 2016. She leads in Virginia 45-40% over Chris Christie and Rand Paul 51-37%, according to Quinnipiac. Christie beats Vice President Biden 46-38%; Biden beats Paul 47-40%.

MASSACHUSETTS: Gov. Deval Patrick (D) says he won’t run for president in 2016.

NEW YORK: Christine Quinn’s on the front page of both the New York Post and New York Daily News because it took an ambulance so long to respond to help an intern who fainted at a press conference.

PENNSYLVANIA: “The biggest question in Pennsylvania politics right now isn’t whether Gov. Tom Corbett will win re-election. It’s whether he’ll even get the chance,” National Journal writes. “Beset by legislative failures and bleak poll numbers, the Republican looks like the country’s most vulnerable governor heading into the 2014 election. And Republicans are questioning whether they should let Corbett face a near-certain defeat when they could find a ready replacement with a much better chance of winning.”

VIRGINIA: Gov. Bob McDonnell’s approval rating has taken a tumble to a new low of 46-37%, according to Quinnipiac. He also now has just a 36/33% fav/unfav.

WYOMING: “Liz Cheney announced Tuesday she will run for Sen. Mike Enzi’s seat in the 2014 congressional election, setting the stage for a primary battle between two longstanding names in Wyoming politics,” the Casper Star-Tribune writes, adding, “The decision by Cheney to run not only thrusts her family name back into the spotlight five years after her father, Dick Cheney, left office as vice president, but it will create a primary in which Wyomingites will choose between the ranking Senator from Gillette or the daughter of the native son and vice president.”

More: “Cheney was born in Wisconsin and lived near Washington, D.C. She went to college in Colorado and law school in Illinois. She spent most of her career working as a lawyer in the nation’s capital, aside from a stint in the State Department while her father was in office. In a state known to be wary of outsiders, Cheney has espoused her Wyoming roots at dinners and other speaking events across the state. At an event in May, she told a crowd of female veterans a story about how her great-grandmother walked across Wyoming in bare feet during the days of the homesteaders in 1852 and how her grandmother was the first female deputy sheriff in Natrona County.”

Jessica Taylor: “Bitter GOP Senate primaries have become almost the norm in past elections, but Liz Cheney’s challenge to Sen. Mike Enzi in next August’s GOP contest doesn’t fit recent molds.” She’s not running because of ideological purity (like Mike Lee) or because Enzi has lost touch with his home state (like Lugar was accused of.) “Instead, it’s Cheney, who just moved back to Wyoming after decades in the D.C. suburbs, who’s the most susceptible to carpetbagging charges over Enzi, 69, who still makes the cross country flight back to Wyoming most weekends.” No, “she’s touted she’d be part of a new generation of leaders, and told the Associated Press that experience wasn’t necessary an asset.”

Here’s Cheney’s video, in which she wears a denim shirt in front of a field, and she takes aim at President Obama, claiming, “He’s working to preemptively disarm America.”

NBC’s Michael O’Brien: “Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill, Enzi said that Cheney had told him that she didn’t intend to run if he decided to seek re-election.  ‘I thought we were friends,’ he said.”