Since 2011

Gabe Fleisher, Editor-in-Chief

wakeuptopolitics@gmail.com ● wakeuptopolitics.com ● @WakeUp2Politics

THIS IS YOUR WAKE UP CALL

From the Editor’s Desk

Like last week, there will be no edition of Wake Up To Politics on Tuesday, May

6, for the second fun-filled week of our state’s standardized testing, MAP testing.

As you will remember, Brittany Woods Middle School has generously allowed me

to write these updates from our school library during 1st period, which will be

interrupted on MAP testing days. First period is late on the last day of MAP,

Wednesday, so look for a late edition that day (to be sent out at about 11 AM, like

last week).

Sorry about all this!

Gabe Fleisher

Editor-in-Chief

White House Watch

The President’s Schedule At 10:55 AM, President Obama will meet with

President Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti to discuss a “range of issues of

mutual interest...including security and counterterrorism, development,

trade, and energy cooperation,” according to the White House.

At 5:50 PM, the President will host a Cinco de Mayo reception in the Rose

Garden.

ICYMI: Nerd Prom In case you missed the White House Correspondents

Dinner on Saturday, I really think the way you need to spend the next 50

minutes is watching the hilarious yet occasionally bad speeches of President

Obama, comedian/actor Joel McHale, plus the introductory video with Vice

President Biden and Julia Louis-Dreyfus (aka HBO’s “Veep” Selina

Meyers).

Capitol Hill News

Senate: Status Update Today the Senate votes on confirmation of Kansas

Supreme Court Justice Nancy Moritz as U.S. Circuit Judge for the Tenth

Circuit, who was nominated for the latter post by President Obama nine

months ago.

Also today, the upper chamber will vote on former White House advance

staffer Peter Selfridge to be U.S. Chief of Protocol at the State Department,

an office that comes with the rank of Ambassador and Assistant Secretary of

State.

Chief of Protocol is a pretty important position, whose duties include

advising the President, Vice President, and Secretary of State on matters of

domestic and international diplomatic protocol. The chief is also in charge of

itineraries for foreign dignitaries visiting the U.S., organizing treaty

ceremonies, advising foreign leaders on gifts to U.S. officials, conducting

ambassador swearing-ins, state arrival ceremonies, maintaining the official

U.S. guest house for state visitors, the Blair House, and has the very

important duty of accompanying the President on all official international

travel – the person by his side on the tiring Air Force One trips.

President Obama’s first Chief of Protocol was Capricia Marshall, a longtime

member of Clintonworld in good standing. For more on Marshall’s

appointment to the post, read HRC: State Secrets and the Rebirth of Hillary

Clinton by Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes, a really good read!

Boehner Announces House Benghazi Select Committee It’s Benghazi: the

issue that won’t go away for the Obama Administration, the State

Department, the President himself, and most importantly to House

Republicans – Hillary Clinton.

Meet Trey Gowdy, the newest and about-to-be biggest player in the

never-ending Benghazi investigation.

Conservatives believe

the terrorist attacks at

the U.S. consulate in

Benghazi, Libya on

September 11, 2012

may be the issue to sink

Hillary Clinton in 2016,

and they’re not letting

anyone forget about it.

House Speaker John

Boehner announced

Friday that he planned

to call for a vote to

form a select

committee to

investigate Benghzai,

probably to be chaired

by Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC). Eight congressional committees and 11

hearings have already looked into Benghazi, with the latest news being

House Government & Oversight Committee chair Darrell Issa (R-CA)’s

subpoena for Secretary of State John Kerry to testify. It will fall to Gowdy

and his panel to probe further into the scandal, in hopes of figuring out what

happened in Washington and in Libya that night – but also to tarnish Hillary

ahead of her likely presidential campaign in two years.

Just by formation of the committee, Benghazi is kept in the news through the

midterms and to 2016 – which, depending on the scope of their

investigation, could be bad news for Democrats.

It is also not a welcome development for Darrell Issa, the top watchdog on

the issue, and any scandal facing the Obama White House, now on the

sidelines as Gowdy becomes star of the show.

Select committees are generally formed for a certain issue beyond the

jurisdiction of a standing committee, with between 10 and 20 members.

Republicans will have a big edge over Democrats in composition of the

committee, with Boehner personally picking GOP members, likely from

other committees that have already investigated Benghazi. Traditionally,

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) would also choose Democratic

members of the panel, but a spokesman for her office said Friday she had not

yet been contacted – and, in any case, she may opt not to pick any members

of the committee Democrats have derided as a partisan joke.

Election Central

Primary Season Continues in Full Force The real 2014 midterm primary

season heats up Tuesday with the first three of a slew of states set to go to

the polls in May.

Voting will be for Indiana House races; North Carolina Senate, House, and

the special election to replace now-FHFA director Mel Watt; and for House

and Governor in Ohio. These primaries will be big tests for the

establishment and tea party wings in the Republican Party, and the winners

(and margins) will be key as we inch closer to November.

Look for a FULL report of all the key races in the Wednesday results issue,

as I will not be writing tomorrow on Primary Day.

Question of the Day

Today’s Question Which child star was the first female U.S. Chief of

Protocol?

Email or tweet me with the correct answer by tomorrow!