Eric Kleefeld May 18, 2011, 9:05 AM

Kerry: Pakistan Boosting Cooperation With U.S.
AFP reports: “Pakistan, under renewed US pressure since the death of Osama bin Laden, is stepping up its efforts to battle extremists and help stabilize Afghanistan, senior US Senator John Kerry said Tuesday. ‘Some of them are important things that are very important to us strategically, but they are not appropriate to discuss publicly,’ said the Democratic lawmaker, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Kerry, newly returned from a whirlwind visit to both countries, said he had heard ‘frustration’ from top Pakistani officials about the US raid that killed the Al-Qaeda leader, but had made clear Washington expects more from its ally.”

Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama will depart form the White House at 8:30 a.m. ET, and depart from Andrews Air Force Base at 8:50 a.m. ET, arriving at 10 a.m. ET in New London, Connecticut. At 11:30 a.m. ET, he will deliver the commencement address at the United States Coast Guard Academy. He will depart from new London at 4:10 p.m. ET, arriving at 4:45 p.m. ET in Boston, Massachusetts. He will deliver remarks at a DNC event at 6:15 p.m. ET, and at another DNC event at 8:25 p.m. ET. He will depart from Boston at 9:55 p.m. ET, arriving at Andrews Air Force Base at 11:15 p.m. ET, and arriving back at the White House at 11:30 p.m. ET.

Biden’s Day Ahead
Vice President Biden will meet in the morning with senior advisers. At 5 p.m. ET, he will meet with Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) at the Naval Observatory.

Dem Plan For Millionaire Surtax Intended To Soften GOP
The Hill reports: “Senate Democrats are using their proposal to raise taxes on millionaires as a stalking-horse to force Republicans to accept other tax increases. Democratic officials privately acknowledge that raising personal income tax rates on the wealthy has little chance of passing this Congress. However, the politically popular idea is a key part of the Democrats’ strategy to attack the deficit and gain concessions from Republicans.”

Geithner Says Overhaul Of Tax Code Must Wait
Reuters reports: “A push to overhaul the U.S. corporate tax code will take a back seat to negotiations on the deficit and debt ceiling over the next two months, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Tuesday. Geithner said the Obama administration hopes to take up the issue of tax simplification before the presidential election in 2012 but he signaled the issue is on hold for now. ‘I think realistically this fiscal debate we’re having is going to dominate our preoccupation for the next couple of months,’ Geithner said in response to a question after remarks to the Harvard Club in New York.”

For States, A Glimmer Of Hope On Deficits
The New York Times reports: “From stronger-than-expected tax collections in deficit-ridden California to projected surpluses in struggling states like Michigan and Pennsylvania, a growing number of recession-weary states are finally announcing a bit of good budget news for the first time since the downturn began. But it would probably be premature to pop the Champagne, or even the prosecco — or to otherwise declare the fiscal crisis that has hammered states to be over.”

Threats To Members Hard To Calculate
Roll Call reports: “One came from a high school student who was goofing off on the school computer during civics lessons. Another from a man angry over an automated call. And another from a man who claimed he grew up with President Barack Obama in Wisconsin. Threats against Members of Congress are up again this year, surpassing the pace set during the much-hyped debate over health care, but when you get behind the numbers, experts say it’s not clear that the danger is any higher.”

Barack Obama, Joe Biden, John Kerry, John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Osama Bin Laden, Pakistan, Roundup, Taxes, Timothy Geithner