The Clinton Chronicles
By MICHAEL FALCONE ( @michaelpfalcone )
NOTABLES
- TUNE IN: Hillary Clinton will sit down with ABC's DIANE SAWYER for her first television interview in conjunction with the release of her new book, airing during a one-hour ABC News prime time special on Monday, June 9, at 9 p.m. ET. ABC's ROBIN ROBERTS will follow up with Clinton's first live interview, on Tuesday, June 10, on "Good Morning America." "Hard Choices" will be released nationwide on Tuesday, June 10.
- 'I GOT IT WRONG': In "Hard Choices," Hillary Clinton apologizes for her controversial 2002 vote to invade Iraq - admitting "I got it wrong, plain and simple," according to a copy of the book obtained by CBS News reports. According to CBS News, Clinton writes in her memoir: "I thought I had acted in good faith and made the best decision I could with the information I had. And I wasn't alone in getting it wrong," she adds, "But I still got it wrong. Plain and simple." In 2008, Clinton tried to distance herself from her vote to give President Bush the authorization to use force in Iraq, stating numerous times that she regretted her vote and would have voted differently had she known in 2002 what she knew then. President Obama ultimately won the nomination, and subsequently the presidency, largely because of that same vote.
- HILLARY'S BOOK TOUR TAKES SHAPE: After "Hard Choices" hits bookshelves nationwide next Tuesday, Hillary Clinton embarks on a month-long, cross-country book tour. Notably, however, for the potential presidential contender, there are no stops planned - yet - in Iowa, New Hampshire, or any other politically key, early-primary state. And there's at least one other big hole in her schedule: Arkansas - the state that launched Bill and Hillary Clinton's political careers, ABC's LIZ KREUTZ notes. Clinton has yet to announce any stops there, although her tour schedule continues to evolve by the day. Clinton's tour will take her to New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and many points in between. Whether Arkansans will be out of luck remains to be seen, but those aching for a Clinton sighting have a variety of other options. Clinton has scheduled 10 book tour stops across six states plus Washington, D.C., and Canada, and has plans to attend at least five other non-book-related public events. In addition to Washington, cities on the schedule include New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Philadelphia. http://abcn.ws/1tNZbGu
THIS WEEK ON 'THIS WEEK': Sunday on "This Week," see a preview of Diane Sawyer's exclusive interview with Hillary Clinton on her new book, "Hard Choices." Plus, House Intelligence Committee Chair Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., discusses the escalating controversy over the release of Bowe Bergdahl. And Seattle Mayor Ed Murray discusses his city's increase of the minimum wage to $15 an hour, Sunday on "This Week." And the powerhouse roundtable debates all the week's politics, with Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., ABC News political analyst Matthew Dowd, Fusion's "AM Tonight" host Alicia Menendez, former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Wall Street Journal editorial page editor Paul Gigot, and editor and publisher of The Nation Katrina vanden Heuvel. Be sure to use #ThisWeek when you tweet about the program. TUNE IN SUNDAY: http://abcnews.go.com/thisweek
ON THE ROAD WITH OBAMA
PRESIDENT PAYS TRIBUTE TO WWII VETS ON D-DAY ANNIVERSARY IN NORMANDY. On the 70th anniversary of D-Day, President Obama paid tribute to the World War II veterans who partook in the mission that marked a turning point in the war and defined a generation, ABC's ARLETTE SAENZ reports from France. "These men waged war so that we might know peace. They sacrificed so that we might be free. They fought in hopes of a day when we'd no longer need to fight. We are grateful to them," President Obama said to sustained applause at the Normandy American Cemetery. With World War II veterans seated behind him, the president described the tense scenes of the day when over 150,000 allied troops invaded the shores of Normandy 70 years ago. "If prayer were made of sound, the skies over England that night would have deafened the world," the president said. "Captains paced their decks. Pilots tapped their gauges. Commanders pored over maps, fully aware that for all the months of meticulous planning, everything could go wrong: the winds, the tides, the element of surprise - and above all, the audacious bet that what waited on the other side of the Channel would compel men not to shrink away, but to charge ahead." ABC's JONATHAN KARL reported for "Good Morning America" from Normandy: http://abcn.ws/1mYjMFB
ALSO ON THE AGENDA: Following the ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery, President Obama headed to a luncheon for heads of state at Chateau de Benouville, where Russian President Vladimir Putin will be in attendance. Later in the afternoon, President Obama will attend the international ceremony at Sword Beach.
14 FOR 14: THE MIDTERM MINUTE
ABC'S SHUSHANNAH WALSHE: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has raised $50 million for the Republican Governors Association since being elected as head of the RGA in November. This is "by far" the most for previous RGA chairmans in the first six months leading the group, according to an RGA official. Despite the months of Bridgegate headlines that have only now begun to fade, one thing that does not seem to be damaged is Christie's ability to raise cash. This amount shatters the RGA's previous six-month fundraising amount of $25 million. They have "nearly $70 million cash on hand…nearly double the cash on hand figure the RGA had at this point in 2010," the RGA official tells ABC News. They believe this puts them at an advantage this cycle, but they do have to defend 22 governors across the country, eight more than Democrats in November. Republicans do hold eight more governorships over Democrats. One of the most vulnerable is Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett who Christie will fundraise for today in Pittsburgh.
BUZZ
BOWE BERGDAHL HAD LEFT UNIT TWICE BEFORE, PROBE SHOWS. A 2009 preliminary investigation of Bowe Bergdahl's disappearance in Afghanistan noted he had briefly left his unit on two prior occasions before rejoining his fellow soldiers, once in the United States and a previous time in Afghanistan, according to ABC's LUIS MARTINEZ. U.S. officials also indicate that Bergdahl may have escaped from his captors more than once before being recaptured, though the U.S. has never been able to definitively confirm that the escapes took place. While training for his unit's deployment to Afghanistan, Bergdahl had briefly walked away from his unit while it was conducting training at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California, located in the Mojave Desert, according to a U.S. official briefed on the contents of that investigation said. The investigation also found that Bergdahl had wandered away from his unit while deployed to eastern Afghanistan prior to his eventual disappearance on June 30, 2009, the official said. http://abcn.ws/1rPvuta
SENATORS STRIKE BIPARTISAN AGREEMENT TO OVERHAUL VA. ABC's JAKE LEFFERMAN and JOHN PARKINSON report: Sens. Bernie Sanders and John McCain unveiled a bipartisan deal to overhaul veterans' health care and access to benefits in the wake of the recent scandal at Veterans Affairs. "We have a crisis on our hands," Sanders, an independent from Vermont who is chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, said on the Senate floor as he announced the deal. "It is imperative that we deal with that crisis." The pact aims to fix the systemic issues that have drawn headlines in recent weeks on Capitol Hill, allocating $500 million to hire new doctors and nurses. The proposal seeks to increase access to medical facilities, and addresses long wait times and medical treatment for military sexual assault victims. It also provides veterans and their families with financial assistance to pursue new education opportunities. http://abcn.ws/TjaOu8
OBAMA, PUTIN AND HOLLANDE GO SPEED DINNER DATING IN PARIS. When in Paris, sometimes one restaurant in a night is just not enough. Certainly not if you happen to run a country. French President Francois Hollande engaged in a game of speed dinner dating last night when he booked not one, but two dinners for the same evening: the first with President Obama and the second with Russian President Vladimir Putin, reports ABC's ARLETTE SAENZ. (Given the current state of world affairs, the idea of Obama and Putin's enjoying an intimate meal together was just not in the cards.) Surrounded by aides and security detail, Hollande was spotted waiting anxiously outside Le Chiberta, a Parisian restaurant that was awarded one Michelin star, until President Obama arrived around 7:15 p.m. local time. When dinner finished, Hollande rushed off to the Élysée Palace, just a mile away. He was set to dine there with Putin around 8:30 p.m. Not to be outdone by Hollande's two dinner evening, Obama made a second stop on his night out in Paris. He popped over to a restaurant a few blocks away - Restaurant Helen. http://abcn.ws/1kNPN0a
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
HOW SOME TITANS OF THE INTERNET MARKED THE SNOWDEN ANNIVERSARY. A year ago yesterday a National Security Agency contractor emerged from obscurity into the international spotlight - and controversy - with some of the largest intelligence leaks in U.S. history. Some of the Internet's most powerful firms marked the anniversary of Edward Snowden's disclosures with new initiatives of their own against the previously unknown domestic spying programs, according to ABC's MATTHEW LAROTONDA. Google and Yahoo are among the most recognizable of the 200 odd websites to rally under the banner of "Reset the Net," the brainchild of a small consumer rights and net neutrality advocacy group, Fight for the Future. A written statement reportedly from Snowden on the group's website Wednesday says, "We can begin the work of effectively shutting down the collection of our online communications, even if the US Congress fails to do the same." Reset the Net "will mark the moment when we turn political expression into practical action, and protect ourselves on a large scale," he writes. Snowden, who has leaked a steady stream of classified information in the last year through media outlets, is currently avoiding federal espionage charges on asylum in Russia. http://abcn.ws/1nmqlDG
WHO'S TWEETING?
@MrWalterShapiro: Great @maggiepolitico piece on Rahm Emanuel as Political Potemkin Village: http://politi.co/1xgBQSA Couldn't happen to a nice guy.
@ZekeJMiller: West Wing Week includes POTUS tribute to @jearnest44 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=480NUosxmIg&feature=youtu.be …
@RealClearScott: Christie's first endorsement in a contested 2014 GOP primary is of a "pro-choice Republican" in NH: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2014/06/06/christies_pick_in_nh_primary_is_pro-choice_122877.html …
@WSJPolitics: How big of an impact with the EPA rule have on your state? Check it out with this sortable chart: http://on.wsj.com/1unzCyo
@ktumulty: Great profile via @calmesnyt. Sylvia Mathews Burwell Builds Relationships From West Virginia to Washington http://nyti.ms/1ogApiR