The Golden Report

The Evening Report for Sunday December 04, 2011

30 DAYS UNTIL IOWA

TOP STORY: Early returns are in from the Russian parliamentary election and with 75% of the vote being reported, Vladimir Putin’s party, United Russia, has less support now than they reported in the last election in 2007. Three months from now, Putin is expected to run, and was widely expected to win, Russia’ presidential election.

From the BBC:

“Opposition parties have complained of violations of election laws.

Russia’s only independent monitoring group, Golos, says it has logged 5,300 complaints alleging violations of election laws.

The BBC’s Steve Rosenberg, in Moscow, says if confirmed, the result will be a significant embarrassment to Mr Putin, three months before he is scheduled to run again for the Russian presidency.

He says opposition parties are alleging widespread fraud, including the stuffing of ballot boxes and voters being offered money.

Mr Putin served as president from 2000 to 2008 but was prohibited by the constitution from running for a third consecutive term.”

THE BIG STORY THIS WEEK: Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner is in Europe as an important week begins to negotiate an endgame to the European debt crisis. The next summit of European leaders is scheduled for Friday.

CNBC reports:

“Expectations are rising that Friday’s summit of 27 EU leaders will yield a breakthrough. An agreement on tighter integration of the 17 countries that use the single currency — especially on budget matters — would be seen as a crucial first step. That could trigger further emergency aid from the European Central Bank, the International Monetary Fund or some combination, analysts say.

The coming days “will decide if the euro will survive or not,” Emma Marcegaglia, the head of Italy’s industrial lobby, Confindustria, said Sunday.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, European Central Bank Chief Draghi, and even U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will star in a 5-day financial drama leading up to the summit.

If the summit is a failure, Sarkozy warned last week, “the world will not wait for Europe.”

Sarkozy and Merkel meet in Paris on Monday to unveil a proposal for closer political and economic ties between eurozone countries. While the leaders differ on some of the details, their cooperation has been so tight they have come to be known by a single name — “Merkozy.”

The two agree overall on the need for tougher rules that would prevent governments from spending or borrowing too much — and on certain penalties for persistent violators.”

US PARK POLICE arrested 31 demonstrators in Washington today, the first mass arrests of the Occupy DC movement that has set up camp at McPherson Square downtown for the past two months.

This morning, protestors erected a wooden structure, some 30 feet tall, that they claimed would serve as a house to provide warmth during the coming winter. Park Police ordered the structure removed because it lacked the proper permit. Shortly after noon when the protestors did not comply with the order, police sealed off the area and proceeded to arrest protestors within and crossing a police line.

As night fell, police brought in a cherry picker, and inflated a safety net-like apparatus used to catch victims jumping from burning buildings to arrest protestors that remained on the roof of the structure. After the area was cleared, police dismantled the structure but reports indicate there are no plans to remove the larger Occupy came in DC tonight. Today marks the first time that demonstrators have clashed with the Park Police.

CAMPAIGN 2012:

Businessman HERMAN CAIN dropped out of the Republican presidential race on Saturday, citing stress to himself and his family after recent allegations of sexual harassment and a 13-year affair.

In his exit speech, Cain said that he would, in short order, offer an endorsement. Today, POLITICO’s Mike Allen leads reporting suggesting that NEWT GINGRICH is likely to receive that endorsement, which would buoy the man now seen as the principal opponent to Mitt Romney.

JAMES KOTECKI VIDEO: Cain rather curiously decided to quote from the Pokemon in his speech leaving the presidential race on Saturday. Who else might Cain have quoted?

NEW DES MOINES REGISTER POLL released Saturday night, conducted while Cain remained a candidate in the race, offers an important snapshot in to the state of the caucus at the one mark to go marker.

GINGRICH 25%
PAUL 18%
ROMNEY 16%
BACHMANN 8%
CAIN 8%
PERRY 6%
SANTORUM 6%
HUNTSMAN 2%
NOT SURE 11%

GINGRICH leads ROMNEY by 6.2% according to the latest Real Clear Politics average of all recent national polls.

NBC NEWS and MARIST have new polls out today in the early primary states. These polls were also conducted before Cain exited the race.

IOWA

GINGRICH 26%
ROMNEY 18%
PAUL 17%
CAIN 9%
PERRY 9%
BACHMANN 5%
SANTORUM 5%
HUNTSMAN 2%

NEW HAMPSHIRE

ROMNEY 39%
GINGRICH 23%
PAUL 16%
HUNTSMAN 9%
PERRY 3%
BACHMANN 3%
CAIN 2%
SANTORUM 1%

For their part, the OBAMA CAMPAIGN is continuing to focus their attention on Mitt Romney, the man who the campaign believes still will become the Republican nominee to face President Obama next year.

In Sunday morning talk shows today, two campaign surrogates- Robert Gibbs and David Axelrod- purposely didn’t take the bait from moderators to offer the same attacks against Gingrich that they continue to levy against Romney.

For a sampling, here’s Axelrod on Meet The Press this morning with David Gregory:

“This is about, this is about public character. This is about public character. And, by the way, it’s not just Democrats, but most of the Republicans who are making the same case, David. Jon Huntsman’s running ads, or his supporters are in New Hampshire on that right now.

Last night Governor Romney said that the, the EPA was the president’s tool to crush the private enterprise system. When he was governor of Massachusetts he boasted that he had the toughest rules against CO2 emissions from plants, that he had the toughest rules when it comes to climate change and greenhouse gas emissions.

And now it’s like that never happened. Now he’s, now he’s on the other side of it. THIS IS THE REASON I SUPPOSE WHY HE AND HIS AIDES ABSCONDED WITH THE HARD DRIVES FROM THEIR COMPUTERS WHEN THEY LEFT THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE BECAUSE THEY THINK THEY CAN JUST ERASE THE PAST, that what you said before doesn’t matter now. And so, yes, when it comes to his public character, he, he doesn’t have a core”

It’s a big quote that offers an important snapshot in the Obama Campaign’s strategy.

TIGER WOODS ended a two-year streak without a competitive golf match win today, placing first in the Chevron World Challenge in Thousand Oaks, California.

From ESPN:

“He swept his arm across the air, yelled through the din of the gallery and slammed his fist in a celebration that was a long time coming.

Relief? Satisfaction? Vindication?

Woods wasn’t sure, and he didn’t much care.

“It just feels awesome whatever it is,” he said.

Trailing by one shot with two holes to play, Woods came up with two clutch putts. He holed a 15-footer for birdie on the par-3 17th to pull into a tie with Johnson, then hit a 9-iron from 158 yards that landed on the ridge behind the hole and rolled down to 6 feet.”

AT THE BOX OFFICE THIS WEEKEND

1/ Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn: $16.9 million
2/ The Muppets $11.2 million
3/ Hugo $7.6 million

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL: After 3, it’s Saints 24, Lions 10, in New Orleans tonight.

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The Evening Report for Wednesday November 30, 2011

34 DAYS UNTIL IOWA

JUST IN: Virginia Attorney Governor Ken Cuccinelli will announce that he is running for governor in 2013, the Washington Post reports tonight.

Cuccinelli was elected Attorney General in 2009 and has become a hero among tea party conservatives for his positions on health care, immigration and gay rights.

Incumbent Republican Governor Bob McDonnell is not eligible to run for re-election in 2013 due to term limits. Cuccinelli is expected to face Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling in a primary.

On the Democratic side, former DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe is reportedly considering a second attempt at the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.

CAMPAIGN 2012:

NEWT GINGRICH ON FOX NEWS TONIGHT: “And it’s clear that across the country, people are saying, you know, I think we need Newt Gingrich,” he said. “Whereas I would have thought originally it was going to be Mitt and not-Mitt, I think it’s going to — it may turn out to be Newt and not-Newt.”

RON PAUL ATTACKS GINGRICH: In a new web video out today (that only has 301 views), the Ron Paul campaign attacks Gingrich for what they call “serial hypocrisy” and applies the same flip-flopping charge that is more often leveled against Mitt Romney, to Gingrich.

HERMAN CAIN ON FOX NEWS THIS AFTERNOON: “I can only conjecture that maybe I am the Democrats’ worst nightmare if I win the nomination … Maybe the Democrats want Newt Gingrich to win the nomination, so they can then go after his personal life.” Officially, Cain is still “reassessing” his candidacy.

AND THEN, Cain said this, via POLITICO, “On the many, many phone calls between him and the woman accusing him of having a 13-year affair Ginger White, Cain said: “I talked to a lot of people 61 times.”

STILL TONIGHT, Cain had more to say, in a 9pm news conference, he said he could not guarantee that more allegations could come forward.”I can’t say that someone won’t drum up another accusation. It just comes with the territory, he siad.

MITT ROMNEY UP WITH NH AD: The second ad of the campaign cycle put up by the Romney Campaign. Their first, last week, was widely criticized for a misleading quote from President Obama during the 2008 campaign. The ad is straightforward and attacks the President’s economic policy.

PRESIDENT OBAMA is in New York City tonight, attending four campaign fundraisers. Earlier today, the President was in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the birthplace of Vice President Joe Biden (who is in Baghdad today) urging Congress to extend & expand the payroll tax cut passed last year for in 2012. He is due back at The White House at 12:30am Thursday.

ON CAPITOL HILL, there is some movement on extending the payroll tax cut, with GOP leadership emerging generally in favor of doing so, resisting the opposition of some more conservative members.

In a closed-door House Republican caucus meeting today, The Hill reports that Majority Leader Eric Cantor laid down the gauntlet, saying, “taxes are a Republican issue and you aren’t a Republican if you want to raise taxes on struggling families to fund bigger government.”

THE REPUBLICAN PLAN as it is currently being floated, would freeze pay for federal workers an additional year (it has already been frozen for two years), trim the federal workforce by roughly 10% and introduce some means-testing for federal programs such as Medicare and unemployment insurance.

Ordinarily, these proposals would be dismissed out of hand by Democrats (much like their proposal, to pay for the tax extension by charging a surtax on millionaire taxes, is being by Republicans), however, the proposals in the Republican plan are taken from the bi-partisan Simpson/Bowles Committee recommendations that many Democrats see as the basis for long-term deficit reduction.

COORDINATED ACTION BY THE FED and other central banks around the world this morning was designed to increase the amount of US dollars in circulation around the world and act as a buffer to continued anxiety over the European debt crisis.

As the New York Times reports:

“The banks announced that they would reduce by roughly half the cost of an existing program under which banks in foreign countries can borrow dollars from their own central banks, which in turn get those dollars from the Fed. The banks also said that loans will be available until February 2013, extending a previous endpoint of August 2012.”

“The purpose of these actions is to ease strains in financial markets and thereby mitigate the effects of such strains on the supply of credit to households and businesses and so help foster economic activity,” the banks said in a statement. The participants in addition to the Fed were the Bank of England, the European Central Bank, the Bank of Japan, the Bank of Canada and the Swiss National Bank.”

WALL STREET reported its best day of 2011 as a result of the Fed’s announcement:

DOW up 490 to 12,045
NASDAQ up 105 to 2,620
S&P 500 up 52 to 1,247

BILLY GRAHAM was admitted to a hospital today in North Carolina, reportedly suffering from pneumonia-like symptoms. The iconic Evangelical minister is 93-years old and has been in declining health in recent years.

$9 GAS? it looks like that’s a possibility this winter in NOME, ALASKA. A historic winter storm earlier this month prevented a barge from reaching the Alaskan city best known the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, and now officials are coming up with a plan to fly small quantities of gasoline into the community of 3,500 residents, at an extraordinarily high cost.

The Associated Press reports on the predicament:

“A gallon of gas was selling for $5.98 and jet fuel $6.77 a gallon on Wednesday. The next barge delivery wouldn’t be until next June. In the meantime, flying fuel to the city could increase the cost per gallon by $3 to $4, officials said.”

“We are going to have to have fuel drivers picking up fuel 24 hours a day as flights are available to fly into Nome,” said Jason Evans, board chairman of Sitnasuak Native Corp., which provides services to the region.”

“Sitnasuak arranged in May with petroleum distributor Delta Western Inc. to have three barges deliver fuel to Nome, but only one arrived early in the summer, Evans said. That barge carried home heating fuel.”

“The storm that barreled into Alaska’s western coastline in mid-November, zeroing in on Nome, prevented the arrival of a barge carrying 1.6-million gallons of gasoline and diesel.”

FINALLY...the 2011 Rockefeller Christmas Tree is lit! This year’s tree is a 74-foot tall Norweigan Spruce from Miffinville, Pa. Over 34,00 lights- stretching some five miles- illuminate the tree.

The first Christmas Tree was placed in Rockefeller Plaza in 1931 and the first tree lighting ceremony was held in 1933. The 2011 tree will be illuminated each evening- and all day Christmas Day- until January 07, 2012.

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The Evening Report for Tuesday November 29 2011

35 DAYS UNTIL IOWA

TOP STORY: Iranian protestors today stormed the British embassy in Tehran, causing serious damage and replacing the British flag from atop the diplomatic post.

Tonight, British Prime Minister David Cameron is warning of “serious consequences” after the “outrageous and indefensible” attack. As the BBC reports:

“Mr Cameron said the failure of the Iranian government to defend British staff and property was “a disgrace”.

He said all British staff and their dependents had been accounted for and he praised Britain’s ambassador to Iran, Dominick Chilcott, for handling a “dangerous situation with calm and professionalism”.

“The Iranian government must recognise that there will be serious consequences for failing to protect our staff. We will consider what these measures should be in the coming days,” he added.

US President Barack Obama said he was “deeply disturbed” by the attack.

“That kind of behaviour is not acceptable, and I strongly urge the Iranian government to hold those who are responsible to task,” he said.

Germany, France and the EU also condemned the attack.”

But still tonight, it is not known what the consequences that Cameron talked about today will amount to beyond the continued international pressure and economic sanctions imposed on the country.

CAMPAIGN 2012

HUNTSMAN OUT OF DEBATES?- The Des Moines Register reports that former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman may fail to qualify for participating in the final two debates before the January 3rd Iowa Caucus. Huntsman has until Monday to reach 5% in a major national poll, a threshold that he has not yet reached, in order to qualify for a December 10th debate sponsored by ABC News and the Iowa Republican Party. FOX News, the sponsor of the final debate on Thursday December 15th, hasn’t yet released its qualification criteria. The Register says it is likely that only seven candidates- Bachmann, Cain, Gingrich, Perry, Romney, Santorum & Paul- will qualify.

HERMAN CAIN “REASSESSING” CANDIDACY- ABC News was first to report this afternoon that, in the wake of Monday’s revelations about Cain’s 13-year affair, the one-time GOP frontrunner is reassessing his path forward in the race, indicating it is possible Cain might drop out before voting officially begins and potentially before the final debates. Cain has spent the day holding conference calls with donors and supporters to gauge the landscape for his continued candidacy. Unlike when allegations of sexual harassment broke last month, many prominent social conservatives are not yet coming to Cain’s defense.

LOOKAHEAD: Due to ballot access laws, Cain’s name would likely remain on ballots in the early primary states in which he has already qualified, even if he exits the race, which could potentially lead to a situation where Cain earns Republican delegates at next summer’s national convention, due to the proportional manner in which the Republican Party is dividing early state delegates.

RICK PERRY HAS ANOTHER OOPS MOMENT: From the AP:

“You might say Rick Perry courted the youth, but not the whole youth, in a campaign appearance at a New Hampshire college.

Speaking at Saint Anselm on Tuesday, he appealed to students who will be at least 21 before Election Day to vote for him.

As for those younger than 21, he merely asked them to work hard on his behalf. Doesn’t he want their votes, too?

It turns out Perry didn’t know or had forgotten that the voting age in America is 18.”

Perry also forgot the date of the 2012 election- saying voting was on November 12th, not November 6th.

WATCH THE VIDEO

OBAMA FOR AMERICA has launched their first television ads, a duo airing on satellite television in select markets which is meant, campaign officials say, solely as a trial.

WATCH a 30 second ad encouraging supporters to sign up to volunteer for the campaign

WATCH “It starts with one person, making a difference”- another attempt at campaign volunteer recruitment

GALLUP has a new poll measuring “positive intensity” - essentially how enthusiastic and supportive respondents are about a particular candidate- out today. The survey finds Newt Gingrich at a high for GOP candidates this cycle, at 20, tied with what Romney was at in April. Romney, meanwhile, has fallen to his lowest intensity ranking of the cycle, at just 9%

WALL STREET: Developments in Europe continued to weigh on the markets, which finished mixed on the day

DOW up 33
NASDAQ down 12
S&P 500 up 3

AMERICAN AIRLINES FILES FOR CHAPTER 11 BANKRUPTCY PROTECTION: Statement from the airline, in part, “We took this action in order to achieve a cost and debt structure that is industry competitive and thereby assure our long-term viability and ability to continue delivering a world-class travel experience for customers. American Airlines and American Eagle are operating normal flight schedules, and our reservations, customer service, AAdvantage program, Admirals Clubs and all other operations are conducting business as usual”

HISTORY OF OTHER AIRLINES FILING FOR CHAPTER 11:

Frontier- April 10, 2008
Delta & Northwest (later acquired by Delta)- September 14, 2005
US Airways- September 12, 2004
US Airways- August 11, 2002
United- December 09, 2002
Pan Am Airways- January 08, 1991

S&P today announced it was downgrading the credit rating of major US banks, including Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo, and other institutions.

From AP:

“S&P said the changes in 37 financial companies’ ratings reflect the firm’s new criteria for banks, and they incorporate shifts in the industry and the role of governments and central banks worldwide. The agency did not release its evaluation of each company but said it plans to discuss the changes during a conference call early Wednesday.

Bank of America’s issuer credit rating was cut to “A” from “A+,” while its Countrywide Financial Corp. and Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc. units and a series of related subsidiaries were cut to “A-” from “A.”

FINALLY...just seconds into the East Coast broadcast of NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams tonight, a fire alarm sounded in the studio, interrupting the lead-in to the first report, on American Airline’s bankruptcy. Williams handled it, “like a pro,” as Mediaite said when it posted video of the interruption

THE EVENING REPORT is finally ready to begin building our subscription list, after nearly three months of trial with a select handful of recipients. As of today, we are soft-launching a subscription page at www.eveningemail.com and launching our social media platforms on Facebook and Twitter.

The Evening Report for Monday November 28, 2011

EXCLUSIVE: NEW KOTECKI VIDEO…WOMAN ALLEGES CAIN HAD AFFAIR WITH HER FOR 13 YEARS…MITT V MITT…BARNEY FRANK RETIRES…WALL STREET RISES…ANNE HATHAWAY ENGAGED

36 DAYS UNTIL IOWA

TOP STORY: New sexual allegations against Herman Cain, the one-time GOP front-runner, today. FOX 5 Atlanta reports that a woman, Ginger White, alleges that Cain had an affair with her for 13 years. In what may be a first for politics in the digital media age, Cain preempted the allegations in an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer this afternoon, denying them before they had even been made public.

CAIN, “I did not have an affair, and until I see and hear exactly what’s going to be, what accusations are going to be made, let’s move on. Here we go again. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

WHITE ON CAIN, “It was fun. It was something that took me away from my humdrum life at the time. And it was exciting.”

And then there is Herman Cain’s lawyer, Lin Wood who, through written statement, drew a distinction between an extra-material affair and Cain’s previous scandal, allegations of sexual harassment.

WOOD, “If any candidate wants to publicly discuss his private sex life, that is his or her life. But I don’t believe that there’s an obligation on the part of any political candidate to do so.”

AN EVENING REPORT EXCLUSIVE: Videoblogger JAMES KOTECKI has a new satirical video on Herman Cain’s Private Affair. You’re seeing it first here tonight.

BEFORE THE CAIN ALLEGATIONS BROKE, the top political story of the day was the Democratic National Committee releasing the sharpest political video yet this cycle, launching a new web site at www.mittvmitt.com and a 4-minute web video that is meant as an “opening trailer” into an attack on Mitt Romney’s character and flip-flop positions- on abortion, assault weapons, TARP, the auto bailout, economic stimulus, health care and immigration. A 30-second television ad tees it up:

ANALYSIS: This shows the DNC and the Obama Campaign are expecting that Romney will eventually be the Republican nominee and are starting their general election attacks against him now. They are also trying to encourage the type of Republican attacks against Romney that, so far, the field has been reluctant to engage in.

GALLUP and RASMUSSEN peg President Obama’s job approval rating at 44% in new polls released today, the same figure as his average for the last six months. Gallup has disapproval at 47%, Rasmussen at 54%.

STATEMENT OF REPRESENTATIVE BARNEY FRANK

“I will not be a candidate for reelection to the House of Representatives in 2012.”

“Our politics has evolved in a way that makes it harder to get anything done at the federal level. I believe that I have been effective as a Member of Congress working inside the process to influence public policy in the ways that I think are important. But I now believe that there is more to be done trying to change things from outside than by working within”

Due to redistricting, the lines of Frank’s district are to be re-drawn to add approximately 325,000 new constituents, a factor that he said impacted his decision. Frank is the 9th Democrat to announce his retirement from the House in 2012.

WALL STREET:

DOW up 291
NASDAQ up 86
S&P 500 up 34

BREAKING TONIGHT: Facebook plans a $10 billion IPO in 2012, the Wall Street Journal was first to report. From Reuters:

“Facebook’s Chief Financial Officer, David Ebersman, had discussed a public float with Silicon Valley bankers but founder and Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg had not decided on any terms and his plans could change, the Journal said.

The social network, which now claims more than 800 million members after seven years of explosive growth, has not selected bankers to manage what would be a very closely watched IPO. But it had drafted an internal prospectus and was ready at any moment to pull the IPO trigger, the Journal cited people familiar with the matter as saying.

A formal S-1 filing could come before the end of the year, though nothing was decided, the newspaper added.

A Facebook representative declined to comment.”

HUFFINGTON POST: Actress Anne Hathaway is engaged to marry her longtime boyfriend, Adam Shulman…The pair, who have been dating for three years, confirmed the news through her representative, Stephen Huvane. In October, it was reported that Hathaway, 29, had moved into Shulman’s apartment in Brooklyn. Hathaway previously dated Raffaello Follieri; the relationship ended after the Italian jewelry designer pled guilty to money laundering, conspiracy and wire fraud.”

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL: With 4 minutes left in the 3rd, it’s Saints 28, Giants 10.

The Evening Report for Thursday November 17

TOP STORY: Tonight, Congress has averted a potential government shutdown with the passage of a continuing appropriations bill for most of the federal government, and a spending package dubbed the “minibus” that funds five agencies for the rest of this year.

Earlier, the House voted 298-121 to approve the bill, with 101 Republicans breaking ranks with their party and voting against the bill. Tonight, the Senate voted 70-30 to send the bill to the President, with all Democrats voting in favor and most Republicans voting against.

Interestingly, with the President out of the country and the current continuing resolution lapsing at midnight, it is very likely that the bill Congress passed tonight, H.R. 2112, will be signed with an auto pen, only the second time in history when this procedure has been used (The previous time, earlier this year, occurred with the President was also out of the country and Congress passed a continuation of the USA PATRIOT Act).

The passage of tonight’s CR is a rare moment of bi-partisanship for a bitterly divided Congress, but there are no signs that the apparent goodwill will extend to the major issue Congress is considering: the Supercommittee’s deficit reduction charge.

POLITICO’s HEADLINE TONIGHT: “Supercommittee talks on brink of collapse.” From lead reporter Jake Sherman:

“Democrats appeared to be working on a new offer Thursday evening, but Republicans said they were not working on a fresh proposal. Staff level discussions were ongoing, aides said, but there was not much optimism.

With less than a week until the deadline, both parties appear ready to rally around their competing proposals — setting up a partisan showdown in the days before Thanksgiving.

Both proposals are like to fail in the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction Wednesday.”

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

All members of the Committee are scheduled to be in Washington this weekend though it is not clear if the full Committee will meet or if work will continue in smaller groups. It is also unclear at what point, if ever, Congressional leadership may be called in to break any impasse. The Committee now has less than one week, until Wednesday November 23rd, to produce its final proposal.

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL TODAY:

NEWT GINGRICH continued to face questions about his consulting contract with Freddie Mac. As Gingrich’s standing has risen in the poll numbers, so too has the media questions about his long record of public service, which conflicts with his campaign’s message of being a fresh face and not a creature of Washington.

HERMAN CAIN turned down an opportunity to meet with the editorial board of the New Hampshire Union-Leader today, an almost unheard of decision less than 60 days before the New Hampshire primary.

The paper’s endorsement is seen as one of the most coveted, and important, in the run up to the primary and Cain’s apparent dissing is not likely to go over well. Of course, Cain did not have a good experience earlier this week with the editorial board of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, when he gave a long and waffling answer on US military policy in Africa.

Cain did, however, find time to make a visit to New York City tonight to tape the Late Show with David Letterman.

As of today, Cain is also receiving Secret Service protection, the agency reported today.

As Mike Allen reports tonight:

“We are protecting Herman Cain,” Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said. He said the decision was made by Homeland Security “Secretary Napolitano, at the request of the Cain campaign and in consultation with the Congressional advisory committee.”

“The authority was given to the Service to protect Herman Cain [beginning] today,” Donovan said.

Asked about the decision to protect Cain about a year before the general election, Donovan said: “Historically, it’s not that unusual.” The Secret Service spokesman noted protection was granted to Jesse Jackson at a similar point during his two campaigns, to the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) in October 1979 and to a variety of candidates at a similar point in the 1976 cycle.

Donovan declined to say whether any threats prompted the decision to protect Cain, who at this point is the only candidate under protection other than President Barack Obama. “We don’t discuss the deliberations on which an assessment is made,” the spokesman said.”

WHITE HOUSE SHOOTING SUSPECT Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez was charged today by federal officials with attempting to assassinate the president or his staff, stemming from Friday night’s bullet exchange close to the White House that ended up reaching a glass window on the Truman Balcony. If convicted, he could face life in prison.

Meanwhile, new details are emerging about Ortega and his evidently makeshift plot, as The Washington Post reports,

“Authorities said Ortega was clad in black when he pulled his car within view of the White House on Friday night, fired shots and then sped away. The White House has not said whether the Obamas’ daughters, Sasha and Malia, were there at the time or commented on the shooting.

Ortega was questioned by police on Friday morning, before the shootings, just across the Potomac River from Washington in Arlington, Va. Police said they stopped him after a report of suspicious behavior, but let him go after photographing him because they had no reason to make an arrest.”

WALL STREET: After some traders were inconvenienced on their way into work today because of the Occupy Wall Street protests that declared today a day of mobilization, on the two month anniversary of the protests, anxiety from both Europe and Washington contributed to another down day. European stocks reported six-month lows today.

DOW down 135
NASDAQ down 52
S&P 500 down 21

SYRIA UPDATE: For a second day, Syrian Army defectors engaged in attacks on government buildings and other landmarks today, a striking demonstration of the sectarian strife now turning violent in a country that is at risk of descending into civil war.

As The New York Times reports:

“The attacks may have been more symbolic than effective, but could mark the increased ability of a growing number of defectors to publicize their exploits. Attacks on government installations — in the southern town of Dara’a and the central city of Homs, for instance — have been reported since the start of the uprising.

The attacks themselves paled before the bloodiest episodes of Syria’s last uprising in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Then, insurgents stormed the office of the Aleppo Artillery School, killing 32 cadets. It was unclear whether anyone was killed or wounded in these attacks, but the constituency of armed strikes and the bold choice of targets has heightened the profile of Syria’s armed insurgency.”

FINALLY: Demi Moore and Ashton Kucher are getting divorced.

Today, Moore told the Associated Press, “As a woman, a mother and a wife, there are certain values and vows that I hold sacred, and it is in this spirit that I have chosen to move forward with my life,” indicating that the reason for the divorce was Kucher cheating on Moore with Sara Leal in Las Vegas earlier this year.

Tonight, Kucher tweeted, “I will forever cherish the time I spent with Demi. Marriage is one of the most difficult things in the world and unfortunately sometimes they fail. Love and Light, AK.”

THE EVENING REPORT will next publish on Monday November 21 after your editor returns from a Caribbean cruise.

The Evening Report for Monday November 14, 2011

HAPPENING NOW: On NBC, the first interview with Former Penn State Assistant Football Coach Gary Sandusky- who agreed to a brief telephone interview with Bob Costas today. The full interview is airing on Rock Center with Brian Williams tonight.

From the conversation:

Sandusky: “I say that I am innocent of those charges.”

Costas: “Are you a pedophile?”

Sandusky: “No.”

Sandusky: “I could say that I have done some of those things. I have horsed around with kids I have showered after workouts. I have hugged them and I have touched their legs without intent of sexual contact.”

“I shouldn’t have showered with those kids.”

“I enjoy being around children. I enjoy their enthusiasm. I just have a good time with them”

HAPPENING NOW: On ABC, the first interview with Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly. The interview, with ABC’s Diane Sawyer, is airing on a special edition of 20/20 tonight. From the interview:

Sawyer: “How do you feel?”

Giffords: “Pretty good.”

Sawyer: “Is it painful?”

Giffords: “It’s difficult, difficult.”

The special will also contain home videos that Mark Kelly made through Gifford’s recovery which show her soon after the shooting at the hospital, and during rehabilitation and speech therapy.

TOP STORY: The Supreme Court of the United States today agreed to hear oral arguments on cases challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, President Obama’s signature domestic policy achievement.

With its decision today, the Court is setting itself up to inject its ruling, which could come in the summer of 2012, in the midst of a highly charged political season. Its decision, whether to uphold or strike down the constitutionality of the Act’s individual mandate provision will become a major decision point for voters in the final months of the election. However, there is a possibility that the Court could punt in its ruling and decline to issue a definitive yes or no to the constitutionality question.

NPR’s Nina Totenberg described the Court’s decision today in a report on the broadcast All Things Considered:

“In an apparent effort to be as comprehensive as possible, the court certified four questions for review. First, and most important: Did Congress exceed its constitutional authority in requiring virtually all Americans to have basic health care coverage?

The second: If the individual mandate is unconstitutional, does the rest of the law stand? Even the government now says there would be no way to provide the goodies everyone likes in this law without the expanded pool of people paying into the system.

The third question: Does the law impose unconstitutional conditions on the states by requiring them to pay 5 percent more into Medicaid by 2017 to cover the increased number of people under the program?

And the last question: Is it is premature to decide the first three?”

As if to underline the significance of the case, the court allocated 5 1/2 hours for oral argument, the longest argument in modern times.

Were the court to invalidate the statute in its entirety, it would roll back many of the provisions already benefiting millions of Americans.

FOR BRET- a soon-to-be lawyer…

“The length of the oral argument set by the court for the health care challenge is a recognition of the case’s importance. At 5 1/2 hours, the argument will be the longest in more than 45 years.

Time set aside for argument has changed markedly over the course of American legal history. Before 1849, there was no time limit at all, and counsel would often go on for days. In 1849, the increased caseload caused the justices to set a two-hour limit per side, which was reduced to one hour in 1925, and a half-hour per side in 1970, which is where it remains for most cases today.

But big cases, with many parties and complexities, sometimes get more time. The 1974 Nixon tapes case lasted three hours. Bush v. Gore went 90 minutes. The 1971 Pentagon Papers took two hours; the challenge to the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law in 2003 was four hours.”

DRIVING THE 2012 CAMPAIGN TONIGHT- “Rambling Cain has an ‘Oops’ Moment” by Alexander Burns in POLITICO.

Today, Herman Cain gave an editorial board interview to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, but he gave less than a clear answer on his opinion on the US military operation in Libya. From the transcript:

“OK, Libya. President Obama supported the uprising, correct? President Obama called for the removal of Qadhafi. Just want to make sure we’re talking about the same thing before I say, ‘yes I agree,’ or ‘no I didn’t agree.’ I do not agree with the way he handled it for the following reason – nope, that’s a different one. I gotta go back to, see … Got all this stuff twirling around in my head. Specifically, what are you asking me, did I agree or not disagree with Obama on?”

AND THEN [After the question- on whether Cain supported Pres. Obama’s decision to intervene in Libya-was rephrased and asked again]…

“Here’s what I would have – I would have done a better job of determining who the opposition is and I’m sure that our intelligence people have some of that information. Based upon who made up that opposition, OK, based upon who made up that opposition, might have caused me to make some different decisions about how we participated.

“Secondly, no, I did not agree with Qadhafi killing his citizens. Absolutely not. So something would have had to been – I would have supported many of the things they did in order to help stop that. It’s not a simple yes-no, because there are different pieces and I would have gone about assessing the situation differently, which might have caused us to end up in the same place. But where I think more could have been done was, what’s the nature of the opposition?”

It’s a rambling response, for sure. Watch the full video:

THE LATEST POLLS- out today-

POLITICO/Battleground States:

Cain 27%
Romney 25%
Gingrich 14%
Perry 14%
Paul 5%
Santorum 2%
Bachmann 2%

OBAMA 41%, GENERIC REPUBLICAN, 41%, Undecided 13%

CNN Poll (with difference from October):

Romney 24% (-2%)
Gingrich 22% (+14%)
Cain 14% (-11%)
Perry 12% (-1%)
Paul 8% (-1%)
Bachmann 6% (-)
Huntsman 3% (+2%)
Santorum 3% (+1%)

The big story coming out of the CNN poll is the surge in support for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who has now eclipsed Herman Cain and is statistically-tied with Mitt Romney for front-runner status.

WALL STREET

Dow down 75
Nasdaq down 22
S&P 500 down 12

DRIVING WASHINGTON TONIGHT: “Supercommittee could punt on tough calls” as Manu Raju & Jake Sherman write tonight in POLITICO

“There’s increasing talk of punting some of the toughest issues to the congressional committees charged with doing this job in the first place. That could mean giving the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance panels an order to come up with a specific amount of savings and a broad directive to rewrite the Tax Code.

This potential abdication of power from a special committee that was granted sweeping authority to tackle the staggering deficit shows just how badly gridlocked Congress remains.

To some, it sounds like the supercommittee is trying to figure out how to maximize political cover if it fails — a far cry from the mandate to achieve major deficit reductions where the rest of Congress has fallen short.

PRESIDENT OBAMA departs Hawaii in a few hours en route to Australia, where he will be on a State Visit as part of a 9-day Asian-Pacific tour

FINALLY…Brad Pitt today announced that he would be retiring from acting when he turns 50, in 3 years. In an interview with an Australian news program, Pitt hinted at what may be next:

“I am really enjoying the producing side and development of stories and putting those pieces together … getting stories to the plate that might have had a tougher time otherwise.

“You know, I don’t know that we’re finished” adopting or conceiving more tots with Angelina Jolie. “Those late nights are so fun when one of them’s up or those mornings when they get up and make pancakes or something. That’s what it’s about.”

The Evening Report for Monday October 31

Happy Halloween!

PREMIERING TONIGHT: “Rock Center” with Brian Williams- the network’s new primetime new magazine hosted by the anchor of the top-ranked evening news broadcast.

TOP STORY: It was a bad day for Herman Cain. As POLITICO first reported last night, the Republican presidential frontrunner is facing charges of sexual harassment that stem from his time as head of the National Restaurant Association. As chance would have it, Cain was in Washington today, where he was trailed by beltway political reporters. This morning, Cain spoke at the conservative American Enterprise Institute and at 12:30 he delivered a luncheon address at the National Press Club. In between, he went on FOX News for an interview and later this afternoon was interviewed by PBS’s Judy Woodruff for the Newshour tonight.

As POLITICO’s Alex Burns reports tonight, Cain’s day was filled with conflicting stories and carefully worded statements:

“Cain told the PBS “NewsHour” that he recalled a financial “agreement” with a woman who accused him of inappropriate behavior at the National Restaurant Association.

Only hours before, Cain said he was unaware of any “settlement” related to sexual harassment – a reversal he attempted to explain away through verbal hair-splitting.

“I was aware that an agreement was reached. The word ‘settlement’ versus the word ‘agreement’ you know, I’m not sure what they called it. I know that there was some sort of agreement, but because it ended up being minimal, they didn’t have to bring it to me. My general counsel and the head of human resources had the authority to resolve this thing,” Cain said.”

WHERE THIS LEAVES THE CAMPAIGN: This is the kind of story that just isn’t going to away for Cain. The media is looking into every aspect of this story..and it hardly matters that it may be 15 years old. Cain is not helping his cause by seemingly changing the story by the hour- such inconsistencies make him appear to be a candidate who is confused and on the defensive. The person who might gain the most from what is turning into the political story of the week? Mitt Romney. For every day before voting begins that the attention is on somebody other than Romney, the better for Romney’s chances- and for the air of inevitability around him.

RICK PERRY also had a bad day. This video (and other variations and spoofs) is making its way around the Internet. It shows Perry in New Hampshire delivering a speech over the weekend. He appears more animated than usual, very lively behind the podium with frequent gesticulations, almost as if he is intoxicated. It’s too early to know what this video may mean for the campaign- if anything- but it did get airtime on the evening news tonight

JUST IN- Connecticut has been declared a Federal Disaster Area, per an order signed by President Obama this evening. It makes aid available for state and local governments in response to the weekend’s unusual but devastating October snow storm. Over half of Connecticut Light and Power customers remain without electricity tonight and many jurisdictions issued emergency orders postponing Halloween festivities, including trick-or-treating, tonight. It could be a week or longer before power is restored.

GREECE’S Prime Minister, George Papandreou, announced today that his nation will hold a referendum on a bailout proposal once details are finalized with the European Union. Protests have continued in Greece since the framework for a deal was announced last week and it is unclear if a no-confidence vote like what Papandreou is proposing would pass.

WALL STREET: News from overseas was felt on Wall Street again today and markets finished near their lows for the session.

DOW down 276
NASDAQ down 53
S&P 500 down 32

PRESIDENT OBAMA underwent a physical exam today (his second since taking office) and the White House reported the President’s medical report, which found him in “excellent health” and “fit for duty”

“All clinical data indicate he will remain so for the duration of his Presidency. The president is current on all age-appropriate screening tests. He is ‘fit at fifty’ and “staying health at 50+” the report says. It also reported a “well healed lower lip laceration.” Benign skin tags were removed from the President’s neck.

THE PRESIDENT weighs 181.3 pounds.

UNESCO- the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Affairs Organization- most well-known for the UNESCO World Heritage Sites- today voted to permit the Palestinian Authority to have full membership in its body- a move that prompted the United States to announce that it would pull its funding for UNESCO, per standing US law. The United States supports UNESCO with about 22% of its budget- $80 million a year.

As the Associated Press reports:

“The prohibition on U.S. funding of U.N. agencies that recognize a Palestinian state was included in two pieces of legislation that were signed into law by President George H.W. Bush in 1990 and President Bill Clinton in 1994.

The 1990 law prohibits the appropriation of funds “for the United Nations or any specialized agency thereof which accords the Palestine Liberation Organization the same standing as a member state.”

In 1994, Congress barred funding “any affiliated organization of the United Nations which grants full membership as a state to any organization or group that does not have the internationally recognized attributes of statehood.”

AND FINALLY…Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries are divorcing, it was announced today. TMZ broke the story and obtained the official divorce documents. The couple have been married since August 20th, “in a lavish ceremony in Montecito, CA. There are reports that the wedding cost as much as $10 mil, which means $138,888 for every day until today,” TMZ reported.

The Evening Report for Sunday October 30

BREAKING- POLITICO top story ”Exclusive—Two Women Accuse Herman Cain of Inappropriate Behavior”:

“During Herman Cain’s tenure as the head of the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s, at least two female employees complained to colleagues and senior association officials about inappropriate behavior by Cain, ultimately leaving their jobs at the trade group, multiple sources confirm to POLITICO.”

“The women complained of sexually suggestive behavior by Cain that made them angry and uncomfortable, the sources said, and they signed agreements with the restaurant group that gave them financial payouts to leave the association. The agreements also included language that bars the women from talking about their departures.”

Cain was asked about the allegations after an interview on CBS’s Face The Nation this morning.

“Have you ever been accused, sir, in your life of harassment by a woman?” a POLITICO reporter asked.

“He breathed audibly, glared at the reporter and stayed silent for several seconds. After the question was repeated three times, he responded by asking the reporter, “Have you ever been accused of sexual harassment?”

INSTANT ANALYSIS: Herman Cain is currently the Republican presidential frontrunner- but is running on a makeshift campaign that has never before competed on the national stage. Watch to see how much traction this story gets, now that POLITICO has decided to run with it after 10 days of reporting. Then watch to see how the Cain campaign responds- and how fellow Republican campaigns handle the story. This could be the beginning of the end of the Cain surge- or it could just be a below-the-fold story that he is able to weather (much like the increased scrutiny of his 9-9-9 plan in October)

HAPPENING TONIGHT: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is holding a dinner at Gracie Mansion with key senators and business and labor leaders, who are brainstorming a strategy to urge the Congressional Supercommittee to “go big” and consider a “grand bargain” in its final report 24 days from tomorrow. According to a National Journal report on Friday, the dinner includes Senators Michael Bennet, Mark Warner and Bob Corker. Only 10-20 people are expected at the dinner. As the House returns this week, and the Supercommittee holds its next public hearing, attention will turn to the panel’s final weeks of negotiations.

TOPPING THE WEEKEND: Last night, the Des Monies Register released their latest 2012 caucus poll. This vaunted survey is a tradition in Iowa politics and is usually an accurate bellwether of where the race stands. Last night’s results continued a trend from other national surveys last week- showing businessman Herman Cain continuing to post impressive leads. Cain is in a statistical (the margin of error was +/- 4.9%) dead heat with Mitt Romney. That is an impressive showing for Romney, who has gone back and forth for months about how many resources to commit to Iowa. (He has made just three visits to Iowa this year). With these results, Romney has little choice but to make a showing- the poll indicates he can win. Finally, the poll shows the weakness that Rick Perry is having connecting with voters. The conventional wisdom is that Perry is challenging Romney for the nomination- but this survey is just the latest to indicate that is really not the case.

CAIN 23%
ROMNEY 22%
PAUL 12%
BACHMANN 8%
GINGRICH 7%
PERRY 7%
SANTORUM 5%
HUNTSMAN 1%

TOP TALKER TOMORROW- Washington Post- ”Hillary’s War: Clinton credited with key role in success of NATO airstrikes, Libyan rebels” it includes reporting chronicling the US decision to intervene in Libya beginning in March. A selection:

“In Washington and in Europe, the word “stalemate” began to creep into opinion columns as lawmakers, skeptical of U.S. policy in Libya, began threatening to block funds for military operations there. Meanwhile, a cash crunch also loomed for the rebels, who were unable to sell oil and were legally blocked from tapping into Gaddafi’s overseas bank accounts. By early July, they had run out of money for weapons, food and other critical supplies.”

“Clinton, ignoring the advice of the State Department’s lawyers, convinced Obama to grant full diplomatic recognition to the rebels, a move that allowed the Libyans access to billions of dollars from Gaddafi’s frozen accounts. At a meeting in Istanbul on July 15, she pressed 30 other Western and Arab governments to make the same declaration.”

WINTER STORM AFTERMATH: A rare October snowstorm brought over 2 feet of snow to some areas of Connecticut and Western Massachusetts over the weekend and caused extensive damage to the region’s power infrastructure. Connecticut Light and Power- the primary utility company in the state- reported the most number of outages at one time in the company’s history- at one point surpassing 884,000 customers.

Tonight, roughly 750,000 customers remain without power- and it could be a week before some of the hardest hit areas have power restored. This storm comes just weeks after Hurricane Irene brought damage to the same region. Both events are historic and extremely rare- a tropical system and an October heavy snow storm. Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy joined Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick in declaring a State of Emergency on Saturday and requested federal assistance.

In Coventry, Connecticut, local officials are advising residents to postpone Halloween trick-or-treating until FRIDAY due to unsafe road conditions and concern of the danger from downed trees and power lines. The Governor said today that decisions on Halloween activities will be left to municipalities on a case by case basis.

AT THE BOX OFFICE this weekend

1. Puss In Boots- $34 million
2. Paranormal Activity 3- $18.5 million
3. In Time- $12 million

THE PRESIDENT’S WEEK AHEAD:

Monday- meets with Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair
Tuesday & Wednesday- meetings at the White House
Thursday & Friday- in Cannes, France for the G-20 Summit
Friday- returns to the White House

ABOUT THE G-20: The G-20 was established in the wake of the 1997 Asian financial crisis and has held yearly meetings since its formation in 1999. This year, the Group of 20 industrialized nations will again deal with a serious financial crisis- in Europe- that threatens to outrank both the 1997 and 2008 crises. As a result of the 2008 financial crisis, full meetings with heads of states of the member nations began- and were held semi-annually for two years (2009 & 2010) and will be held annually beginning this year.

19 countries and a representative of the European Union make up the G-20. They are:

Argentina
Australia
Brazil
Canada
China
European Union
France
Germany
India
Indonesia
Italy
Japan
Mexico
Russia
Saudi Arabia
South Africa
Republic of Korea
Turkey
United Kingdom
United States of America

RECENT G-20 SUMMITS:

2010- Seoul, South Korea & Toronto, Canada
2009- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US & London, UK
2008- Washington, DC, US

THREE THINGS TO WATCH FOR IN THE WEEK AHEAD:

1/ The Cain Story. How will POLITICO’s reporting this Sunday night of sexual harassment allegations against the Republican presidential frontrunner effect the state of the race? The first indication of staying power will be if other news organizations pick up on POLITICO’s reporting where it left off. There are still more questions than there are answers as to exactly how serious these allegations are, or how credible the sources are.

2/ The Supercommittee. As the calendar turns to November, all eyes in Washington will be on the Joint Congressional Committee on Deficit Reduction- a panel of 12 members of Congress that has the potential to be one of the largest political stories of the year- or one of the biggest let-downs. Watch the Committee’s latest public hearing this week for any indication as to if they are close to consensus. Also, continue to watch for any leaks from a panel that has been remarkably tight-lipped to date.

3/ Jobs and the Economy. Friday brings the latest employment report as the Labor Department offers a snapshot of the October employment picture. That will drive the end of the week on Wall Street. In the mean time, watch to see if the markets continue their gains from this past week and month. External events- the European debt negotiations, the G-20 Summit, and the Supercommittee negotiations, will also continue to drive the markets.