Rasmussen:

Forty percent (40%) of Catholics say priests should be allowed to get married, while 39% disagree, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Twenty percent (20%) are undecided.

Among all Americans, the findings are much more lopsided. Fifty-five percent (55%) of adults say Catholic priests should be permitted to marry, and just 19% disagree. But just over a fourth of Americans (26%) are not sure.

Sixty-three percent (63%) of evangelical Christians and 54% of other Protestants believe priests should be allowed to marry, as do 58% of all others.

But then Catholics and Protestants practice their faiths in different ways.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it’s in the news, it’s in our polls.) Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter.

Sixty percent (60%) of women favor letting priests marry, compared to 50% of men.

Both men and women over the age of 40 are more supportive of priests being permitted to marry than those who are younger.

Poll:

Forty-one percent (41%) of likely U.S. voters think the United States should legalize and tax marijuana to help solve the nation’s fiscal problems.

However, nearly half (49%) oppose this idea, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

CQ Politics:

If he chooses to run, Republican Sen. Tom Coburn will cruise into next year’s re-election campaign with a high approval rating and no Democratic opponent who clearly could unseat him, according to a new poll.

Coburn, a physician and former three-term House member, has a 59 percent approval rating among Oklahoma voters, according to a survey by Public Policy Polling. And in head-to-head matchups with possible Democratic opponents Gov. Brad Henry, Rep. Dan Boren, Coburn leads Henry 52 percent to 40 percent and Boren 53 percent to 36 percent, the PPP survey said.

CQ Politics:

Republican Rep. Mary Fallin and former Rep. J.C. Watts both lead potential Democratic opponents, Lt. Gov. Jari Askins and Attorney General Drew Edmondson.

Fallin leads Askins 50 percent to 34 percent with 16 percent undecided and Edmondson by 48 percent to 38 percent with 14 percent undecided. Watts leads Askins 47 percent to 36 percent with 17 percent undecided and Edmondson by 47 percent to 39 percent with 14 percent undecided. The margin of error is 3.7 percent.

Rasmussen:

Voters continue to be big supporters of NASA and the manned space program, but they’re a little less sure about the value of the Hubble Space Telescope, the subject of a high-profile astronaut repair job completed on Tuesday.

Forty-seven percent (47%) of U.S. voters say the scientific value of the Hubble telescope has been worth the cost of building and repairing it, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

Twenty-one percent (21%) disagree and nearly one-third (32%) are not sure.

Sixty percent (60%) of men think the Hubble is worth the investment, compared to 35% of women.

Politico:

Republicans respect him as a relentless and creative attack dog. Democrats deride him as a rigid, bomb-throwing ideologue.

Either way, Georgia Rep. Tom Price has emerged as a major player in the House GOP.

“I’ve never seen a guy who could carry on so many battles at one time,” said Texas Rep. Jeb Hensarling, who preceded Price as chairman of the Republican Study Committee, a caucus of conservative House Republicans. “On our side of the aisle, people view Tom as one of the most effective advocates of the Republican message.”

Politico:

The dinner guest that night at George Will’s house in Chevy Chase was intellectually nimble, personally formidable and completely baffling, recalled columnist Charles Krauthammer - who was getting his first up-close look at President-elect Barack Obama.

“We sat around and said, ‘Does anybody really know who he is and what he wants to do, now that we’ve had this?’” Krauthammer recalled of Obama’s January sit-down with conservative columnists. “And the answer was no. We don’t know.”

“I didn’t understand what he was up to until he just unveiled it openly, boldly, unapologetically and very clearly within two weeks of his Inauguration,” Krauthammer told POLITICO in an interview in his corner office off Dupont Circle. “That’s what was so stunning.”

Chronicle of Higher Ed:

Hopeful applicants labor over every word, straining to set themselves apart through carefully crafted anecdotes that demonstrate why they merit a place at the most selective universities. At least in the case of students aspiring to a spot at the University of Cambridge, however, their time is apparently wasted.

Cambridge’s director of admissions has caused an uproar by implying that his institution does not give any weight to personal essays in applications. “With the profusion of companies and Web sites offering to help draft applicants’ personal statements for a fee, no admissions tutor believes them to be the sole work of the applicant anymore,” Geoff Parks was quoted as saying in both The Times and The Guardian. “We certainly don’t assign any marks to personal statements,” Mr. Parks added in The Times.

Chronicle of Higher Education:

Colleges often complain that they are overburdened with well-meaning but costly and duplicative federal regulations. Now they have a chance to do something about it.

The Higher Education Act that Congress reauthorized last year more than doubled colleges’ reporting requirements, but it also required a study of redundant and unnecessary regulations. The law put the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, an independent panel that advises Congress, in charge of the study.

Now the committee has created a Web site where the public can offer recommendations for streamlining federal student-aid regulations. Priority will be given to comments received before July 15.

Lynn Mitchelson, Mission Woods

It’s not quite how we would have said it, but that was the opinion Tuesday from a influential attorney in the Greater Kansas City area who, after having worked with JCCC vice-chairman Lynn Mitchelson, found Mitchelson to consider himself above error.

Today from CWA:

California Supreme Court Yields to “We the People”

Washington, D.C. - The California Supreme Court has finally yielded to the will of the majority of Californians who have voted consistently to preserve marriage for the union between one man and one woman.  The Court also held that same-sex couples who wed in the state prior to the ruling will still be considered to be married. (more…)

Today from Kobach’s campaign for Kansas Secretary of State:

Kansans for Kobach ● P.O.Box 180 ● Basehor, Kansas 66007

Contact: Ben Davis                                                                    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Phone: 316.210.2450

email: btdavis1@gmail.com

UMKC LAW PROFESSOR AND FORMER JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ATTORNEY KRIS KOBACH TO RUN FOR SECRETARY OF STATE

Kobach Vows to Put His Law Enforcement Experience, Knowledge of Election Law, and Enthusiasm to Work for Kansans (more…)

From Martinez:

(Orlando, FL) - U.S. Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) today issued a statement regarding the President’s nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to serve as Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court.

Senator Martinez said:
“During the twenty-five years I spent in Florida courts, I gained a great respect for our judicial system and the importance it plays in our society. At the apex of this system is the Supreme Court of the United States. On that court, we must have the very best. (more…)

Ensign:

Las Vegas, N.V. — Senator John Ensign, Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, released the following statement after President Obama announced that Sonia Sotomayor is his nominee to be the next Supreme Court Justice.   “The American judicial system is a towering example of freedom and liberty to the world.  Throughout the confirmation process, I will work with my colleagues and thoroughly review Judge Sotomayor’s record to make sure she has the right intellect and understands the proper role of a judge-to interpret and apply the written law, not to decide cases based on personal feelings, politics or preferences.  The confirmation process is just that -a process.  We should not prejudge this nominee, but we should be diligent as we examine the nominee’s record, background and experience.”

From Sen. Mukowski:

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today commented on President Obama’s nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court:   “I congratulate Judge Sonia Sotomayor on being nominated by the President to the United States Supreme Court. As the Senate moves forward with her nomination, I will examine and review very closely Judge Sotomayor’s qualifications and background for a court appointment. As a member of the Senate, I take my advice and consent role very seriously, and I look forward to a fair and full debate on this nomination.”

Source:

May 26th, 2009 - Washington, D.C. - Senator John Thune, Vice Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, today issued the following statement on President Obama’s announcement of his nominee to the Supreme Court:

“Now that President Obama has announced Sonia Sotomayor as his nominee for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court, I expect a thorough and fair examination of her background, judicial record, and adherence to the Constitution. It will be important to determine if Judge Sotomayor will decide cases based on her own personal feelings and political views, or the bedrock rule of law. I look forward to taking the necessary time to review her qualifications and record as a federal judge to ensure she possesses unimpeachable integrity, high intellect, and a commitment to applying the law as it is written, rather than legislating from the bench.”

RCP:

If Kim Jong Il thought detonating a nuclear weapon would get President Obama’s attention, he failed to calculate that Obama had a weapon of his own that he could fire more or less at his discretion that would obliterate coverage of the “Dear Leader” in the U.S. media.

Politico:

A federal judge has ruled that the Senate Ethics Committee can listen to a wiretapped conversation between Sen. Roland Burris and the brother of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. (more…)

Politico:

Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh blasted President Barack Obama on Tuesday for picking a “reverse racist” and “hack” in Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court.

“Here you have a racist - you might want to soften that, and you might want to say a reverse racist,” Limbaugh said of Sotomayor on his show, alluding to the New York federal appeals court judge’s past statement that a “wise Latina woman with the richness of her experience would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life.”

Source:

The details of the conversation emerged after a federal judge said Tuesday he would allow the U.S. Senate Ethics Committee to hear a federal wiretap of the former governor’s brother, Rob, having a fund-raising conversation with  Burris. Rob Blagojevich was running the campaign fund at the time.

Redstate:

Via Hot Air Headlines: “Conservatives itching for SCOTUS fight.” Remove the snide tone (which, to be fair, is much less than usual), and this Politico article pretty much sums up the GOP base’s attitude: it’s time to go waltzing Matilda.

“The other side does not agonize about whether they are going to give a Republican Supreme Court nominee a difficult time, they just do it.” - Gary Bauer, president of American Values.

Redstate:

Conservatives rejoice. Of all the picks Obama could have picked, he picked the most intellectually shallow.

Even the New Republic has been rather scathing about her. It’s like Obama decided he wanted a Souter to replace Souter.

Rasmussen:

Seventy-four percent (74%) of Americans say it is at least somewhat likely that the price of a first class postage stamp will be $1 or more within the next 10 years. Forty-six percent (46%) say it’s Very Likely. (more…)

Rasmussen:

Just 15% now say the President is Very Likely to close the prison camp during his first year in office while 6% say that is Not at All Likely to happen. Two-thirds of the nation’s voters are not so sure-35% say the President is Somewhat Likely to close the prison camp while 30% say he is Not Very Likely to do so. (more…)

Rasmussen:

Forty-nine percent (49%) of voters nationwide now disagree with President Barack Obama’s decision to close the prison camp for suspected terrorists at the Guantanamo Naval Base in Cuba. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey, conducted after the President’s speech on Guantanamo last week, shows that 38% agree with his decision.

Just 25% share the President’s view that the Guantanamo camp weakened national security. Fifty-one percent (51%) disagree with that perspective.

And, by a 57% to 28% margin, voters oppose moving any of the suspected terrorists to prisons in the United States. Republicans and voters not affiliated with either major party strongly oppose transfers to U.S. prisons. Democrats are evenly divided.

From RCP:

Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.):

“Without doubt, Judge Sotomayor’s personal life story is truly inspiring. I congratulate her on being nominated. As the U.S. Senate begins the confirmation process, I look forward to looking closer at her recent rulings and her judicial philosophy.”Of primary concern to me is whether or not Judge Sotomayor follows the proper role of judges and refrains from legislating from the bench. Some of her recent comments on this matter have given me cause for great concern. In the months ahead, it will be important for those of us in the U.S. Senate to weigh her qualifications and character as well as her ability to rule fairly without undue influence from her own personal race, gender, or political preferences.”

RCP:

While taking a quick shot at Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.), who has already indicated his approval of Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination for the Supreme Court, Pennsylvania Senate candidate Pat Toomey offered a tempered reaction to President Obama’s nominee.

“For the past twenty years, the Supreme Court confirmation process has very regrettably become a political football. Arlen Specter has played those political games more aggressively than most, arguing against Judge Bork and for Justice Thomas, depending on Specter’s calculation of his own political needs. That approach is bad for our country. Just as it was wrong for liberal Democrats to adopt a knee-jerk opposition to Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito, it would be equally wrong for Republicans to oppose Judge Sotomayor on a partisan basis. Judge Sotomayor deserves a fair hearing. If that hearing proves her to be of sound judicial temperament with the requisite knowledge of and respect for the Constitution, then she should be confirmed.”

In his statement, Toomey argues against voting on Supreme Court nominees based on ideology — as has been recent tradition. A correspondent for Polics Daily reminds us that the Senate confirmation process changed in the mid- to late-1980s — when Joe Biden took over the reins of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

CNN:

Former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee issued a statement Tuesday on Sotomayor’s nomination:

The appointment of Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court is the clearest indication yet that President Obama’s campaign promises to be a centrist and think in a bi-partisan way were mere rhetoric. Sotomayor comes from the far left and will likely leave us with something akin to the “Extreme Court” that could mark a major shift. The notion that appellate court decisions are to be interpreted by the “feelings” of the judge is a direct affront of the basic premise of our judicial system that is supposed to apply the law without personal emotion. If she is confirmed, then we need to take the blindfold off Lady Justice.

CNN:

WASHINGTON (CNN) - A Republican National Committee official tells CNN the party will strike a “fair” tone towards federal appeals judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama’s pick to fill Justice David Souter’s seat on the Supreme Court.

“The Republicans are going to strike a tone that’s fair, that allows the vetting process to happen like it should, and that’s in stark contrast to how the Democrats dealt with Judge Roberts when you look back a couple years ago,” the official said.

CNN:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement Tuesday on Sotomayor’s nomination:

“I commend President Obama’s nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Judge Sotomayor’s experiences and understanding of the law will assure a strong voice for fairness on the Supreme Court. Judge Sotomayor will preserve our civil liberties, maintain the independence of the judiciary, and protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

CNN story.

CNN:

Sen. Jeff Sessions, ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued a statement Tuesday on Sotomayor’s nomination:

“The president’s nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court today is an important step in a constitutional process that includes the advice and consent of the Senate. I congratulate Ms. Sotomayor on her nomination.”The Senate Judiciary Committee’s role is to act on behalf of the American people to carefully scrutinize Ms. Sotomayor’s qualifications, experience, and record. We will engage in a fair and thorough examination of Ms. Sotomayor’s previous judicial opinions, speeches, and academic writings to determine if she has demonstrated the characteristics that great judges share: integrity, impartiality, legal expertise, and a deep and unwavering respect for the rule of law.

“Of primary importance, we must determine if Ms. Sotomayor understands that the proper role of a judge is to act as a neutral umpire of the law, calling balls and strikes fairly without regard to one’s own personal preferences or political views.

“President Obama has stated his desire to have a full court seated at the start of its next term, a reasonable goal toward which the Judiciary Committee should responsibly and diligently move. But we must remember that a Supreme Court justice sits for a lifetime appointment, and the Senate hearing is the only opportunity for the American people to engage in the nomination process. Adequate preparation will take time. I will insist that, consistent with recent confirmation processes, every senator be accorded the opportunity to prepare, ask questions, and receive full and complete answers.

“I look forward to the coming months as we move forward with this process. As I told the president this morning, I will do all I can to ensure that Ms. Sotomayor receives a fair hearing before the Committee. I firmly believe that the American people deserve a full and thoughtful debate about the proper role of a judge in the American legal system, an issue that will be central to our review of Ms. Sotomayor’s record.”

CNN:

Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe issued the following statement Tuesday on Sotomayor’s nomination:

“Indisputably, this is an historic selection, as Sonia Sotomayor is just the third woman to be nominated to The Court and the first Hispanic American. I commend President Obama for nominating a well-qualified woman, as I urged him to do during a one-on-one meeting on a variety of issues in the Oval Office earlier this month.

“I also appreciate that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel called me personally this morning to inform me of the President’s selection. As the process moves forward, I will apply the same standards of review that I have in the past - that any Supreme Court nominee should bring a balanced approach to cases, possess a strong intellect and suitable judicial temperament, and follow a disciplined judicial methodology in reaching decisions. Justices on the High Court sit for life, so the Senate must exercise this constitutional duty thoughtfully, and give careful and thorough consideration to Judge Sotomayor, as it should to every nominee. I share the view that the proper role of the judiciary is one of interpreting the Constitution and acts of Congress, not legislating from the bench. As such, I will carefully evaluate Sonia Sotomayor’s record and temperament in making my determination.”

CNN:

Crist has not weighed in on the nomination. Rubio issued the following statement:

“I look forward to hearing more about Judge Sotomayor and her views about the proper role of the courts and judicial activism. The role the Supreme Court is to interpret the Constitution, not to make law. Given this, I am deeply concerned about Judge Sotomayor’s past comment that the courts are ‘where policy is made’ and look forward to hearing her explanation and defense of that view.

“Judge Sotomayor deserves a fair hearing and respectful treatment, but there is much in her legal background that is troubling and demands scrutiny and honest discussion. I hope that a serious examination of her record and beliefs will not be shelved or cast aside simply so Democrats can attempt to claim political credit for a ‘historic’ court nomination.”

CNN:

Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney issued a statement Tuesday on Sotomayor’s nomination:

“The nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court is troubling. Her public statements make it clear she has an expansive view of the role of the judiciary. Historically, the Court is where judges interpret the Constitution and apply the law. It should never be the place “where policy is made,” as Judge Sotomayor has said. Like any nominee, she deserves a fair and thorough hearing. What the American public deserves is a judge who will put the law above her own personal political philosophy.”

Prime Buzz:

The announcement, long expected, came on Chris Stigall’s show on KCMO this morning.

Kobach’s campaign platform already is clear. He told Stigall that voter fraud has emerged as a “very real problem” in Kansas.

Fifty years ago, black Kansans were disenfranchised because of the color of their skin, Kobach said. Today, Kansans are disenfranchised when someone casts “10 fraudulent ballots.

“I want to tackle that problem.”

KC Biz Journal:

• $4 million for the Kansas Innovation Center for advanced plant design to develop advanced technologies for gene discovery, trait validation and crop improvement. Within 10 years, the center is projected to create 36 patents, 20 commercial startups and 285 jobs.
• $4 million for the Center of Innovation for Biomaterials in Orthopaedic Research to create medical instruments, medical devices and composite implants. The center is expected to increase employment in Kansas by 2,000 during 10 years.
• $1.9 million for the development of cancer drugs, including $195,000 for Lenexa-based CyDex Pharmaceuticals Inc. to commercialize reformulated drugs that address limitations of existing therapies. A focus will be on improving a cancer drug for patients with multiple myeloma, cancer of the plasma B cells formed in the bone marrow.
• $1.2 million for bioenergy research at the University of Kansas Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis as a match to $1.2 million invested by Archer Daniels Midland Co. Research will focus on converting multiple feedstocks, including biomass, into fuels and chemicals to replace or improve on petroleum-based products. The university will provide in-kind support valued at more than $334,000.

WSJ:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is weighing whether to classify the Vietnamese pangasius as “catfish” when applying the 2008 Farm Bill, a regulatory process mandated by the law. This isn’t just semantics. Under the farm bill, catfish are subject to more stringent inspections than pangasius. Since Vietnam would not be able to implement the inspections cheaply or quickly, it would effectively amount to an import ban. Domestic U.S. producers are lobbying the Department of Agriculture for a broad definition of “catfish.”

This is protectionism at its worst. Vietnamese pangasius is a different species from the catfish raised in the Mississippi River and China. The U.S. inspection requirement ostensibly is meant to ensure the safety of fish from China. There are no serious concerns about the safety of Vietnamese fish imports.

What gives the game away is the linguistic backflip of the U.S. catfish industry, which has fretted over Vietnamese competition for years. In 2002, American catfish producers persuaded Congress to pass a law stating that the Vietnamese fish are not catfish and couldn’t be marketed as such. When calling the imports “basa,” “tra” and “swai” didn’t deter U.S. consumers from buying the product, U.S. catfishers successfully petitioned Washington to impose antidumping duties of between 36% and 64% instead.

Prime Buzz:

Sen. Sam Brownback opposed Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor when the Senate approved her elevation to the U.S. Court of Appeals in 1998.

Here’s what the Kansas Republican had to say today about her nomination to the high court:

“While I celebrate Sonia Sotomayor’s life story, I am troubled by some of her statements. Now that the president has nominated her, it’s up to the Senate.  She deserves a fair and respectful hearing.  I look forward to a thorough process and to hearing more from her.  I do have serious questions about her record and her judicial philosophy regarding how she views the role of the Court.  In my view, the role of a justice is as an umpire, not a policy maker.”

AP:

BERLIN (AP) - A German federal court on Tuesday overturned a ban on a movie inspired by the case of a confessed cannibal, ruling that the artistic freedom of the filmmakers trumped the cannibal’s personal rights.

Screenings of the movie “Rohtenburg” were banned in March 2006-just before it was due to open in German theaters-after a lower court ruled that the film infringed the personal rights of Armin Meiwes.