The Note: In Texas, It's Rick Perry's Take Two
— -- By MICHAEL FALCONE
NOTABLES
--WELCOME TO RICK PERRY 2.0: Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry -- the longest-serving governor in Texas history -- is expected to make it official today: He's going to try again to capture the Republican presidential nomination, a prize that eluded him in 2012. He will do so in an airplane hangar outside Dallas, ABC's BEN GITTLESON notes. Taya Kyle, the widow of Chris Kyle, who inspired the movie "American Sniper," is expected to appear with Perry along with several other notable veterans, including Marcus Luttrell, a retired Navy SEAL whose book "Lone Survivor" was made into a feature film. The location of today's event and the prominent veterans joining him onstage are no accident: They will highlight his credentials as one of just a few 2016 presidential contenders who have served in the military. Perry flew planes while in the Air Force for five years in the 1970s. Already, nine other Republicans have formally announced presidential candidacies, and at least half a dozen more are expected to jump into the race.
--ABC's JON KARL on "Good Morning America" with his latest analysis of the state of the 2016 race. WATCH: http://abcn.ws/1Q9sior
--JEB BUSH TO ANNOUNCE PRESIDENTIAL DECISION JUNE 15: The announcement will take place at Miami Dade College -- a fitting place to tout his education record as governor, ABC's CANDACE SMITH reports. "Governor Bush is thankful for the support and encouragement he has received from so many Americans during the last several months and looks forward to announcing his decision," spokeswoman Kristy Campbell told ABC News. He is expected to formally announce his candidacy almost six months to the day since he first announced that he would "actively explore the possibility of running for the President of the United States" back in December. Bush announced his announcement with a tweet, both in English and Spanish, his second language.
--ANALYSIS -- ABC's RICK KLEIN: The debate stage would be full right now, if the window closed on announcements. Rick Perry's entry into the race on Thursday makes 10 Republican presidential candidates. Of course, that doesn't include Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, John Kasich, Chris Christie, Bobby Jindal, or Donald Trump. It's become vogue to mock Republicans for having too many candidates, and the scramble for a debate ticket will be real and fierce. But the real impact of the large field will be the unpredictable nature of the dynamics. Candidates will be squaring off against each other for slices of support, and saying things -- intentionally and not -- that will dominate discussion along the way. (Even the metric system might end up being a campaign issue.) For Republicans worried about the chaos, this remains a formidable and impressive field. And -- take heart -- one of these people will win the nomination, not 10.
--HAPPENING TODAY -- HOW HILLARY CLINTON WANTS TO CHANGE VOTING RIGHTS LAWS: Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is bringing voting rights to the forefront of her campaign today. Clinton is expected to lay out specific policy proposals to address laws that she believes suppress voting -- including calling for a nationwide minimum of 20 days of early in-person voting, according to an aide. Clinton is expected to announce her proposals to tackle "assaults to voting rights" during remarks at the Texas Southern University, a historically all-black college, in Houston, Texas, where she is receiving the Barbara Jordan Public-Private Leadership Award. ABC's LIZ KREUTZ has more. http://abcn.ws/1ALiQk6
THE BUZZ
with ABC's VERONICA STRACQUALURSI
7 WAYS LINCOLN CHAFEE WANTS TO CHANGE AMERICA (AND THE WORLD): Former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee yesterday became the fourth Democrat to officially announce his campaign for president during a speech about foreign policy at George Mason University in Virginia. From Wednesday's announcement it seems he will largely focus his campaign on global affairs and use his record on Iraq to distinguish himself from front-runner former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. But Chafee, 62, brings some big ideas into the presidential race. Some of them are nearly unheard of in mainstream politics. ABC's MARYALICE PARKS and CHRIS GOOD note some of the ways Chafee said he'd change the country as president, including that he wants the U.S. to go metric and to end capital punishment. http://abcn.ws/1KNIGY0
--IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING: WHO IS CHAFEE ANYWAY? A former blacksmith from a political family, Chafee was first elected mayor of Warwick, Rhode Island in 1992, and served until 1999 when he took over his father's seat in the U.S. Senate after his father died. He served one term in the Senate, but lost the Republican primary for the seat in 2006. http://abcn.ws/1KNIGY0
TED CRUZ APOLOGIZES FOR JOE BIDEN JOKE. Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz apologized after making a joke about Vice President Joe Biden while he is mourning his son. "Joe Biden," Cruz reportedly said to some laughter while speaking at an event in Michigan. "You know the nice thing? You don't need a punchline." The vice president's son Beau Biden died Saturday after battling brain cancer. He was 46. Cruz then took to his Facebook page and Twitter to apologize, according to ABC's ARLETTE SAENZ. "It was a mistake to use an old joke about Joe Biden during his time of grief, and I sincerely apologize," he said, according to the post. "The loss of his son is heartbreaking and tragic, and our prayers are very much with the Vice President and his family." http://abcn.ws/1SXcd3Q
MARTIN O'MALLEY HITS POPULIST THEMES. Democratic presidential candidate Martin O'Malley, the former governor of Maryland, struck a populist note yesterday in his first public appearance since officially announcing his presidential run, ABC's ALI DUKAKIS reports. Appearing before the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. for forty-five minutes of questions and answers, O'Malley said: "We need to realize that our economy is not money, our economy is people, and we need to put wage policies at the center," he said. He later added, "No state and no city is an island, we need to get our national economy functioning again by getting wages to start rising instead of declining."
--O'MALLEY ALSO OUTLINED HIS PLANS FOR IMMIGRATION OVERHAUL IF ELECTED, and tried to distinguish himself from President Obama and Hillary Clinton, who has grabbed a foothold with Hispanic voters."I intend to make a great comprehensive immigration reform a national economic priority and a national security priority, and I am going to do whatever it takes to get it done during my service in office," O'Malley said. ABC's JIM AVILA, SERENA MARSHALL and COURTNEY BARROW note that while O'Malley was governor of Maryland, he passed a state version of Deferred Action for Dreamers, as well as supporting drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants. Maryland also offered services and support for children brought across during the migrant flood last summer. http://abcn.ws/1JmpjVB
VETERAN WASHINGTON DC DEFENSE ATTORNEY STANDS IN FOR DENNIS HASTERT. Last month, criminal defense attorney Barry Wm. Levine found himself trying to win the release of a man who shot, and nearly killed, a United States President -- his client, John W. Hinckley Jr. Now, Levine could face another daunting, high-profile challenge. Levine appears on the notice of arraignment filed with the U.S. District Court as the lawyer for former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who was indicted last week on bank fraud charges related to paying someone to conceal "prior misconduct." ABC's MATTHEW MOSK reports sources knowledgeable of the case told ABC News Hastert was paying a man hundreds of thousands of dollars to hide that Hastert had engaged in sexual misconduct with him while serving as his teacher and wrestling coach decades earlier. The Hastert case is still in its earliest stages, and Levine's exact role remains unclear -- he could be lead attorney or just a stand-in who appeared on forms while Hastert retains different counsel. http://abcn.ws/1M4UdiO
CIVIL LIBERTIES A 'THORNY POLICY CHALLENGE' WHILE THWARTING US TERROR. The White House acknowledged Wednesday that tracking Americans inspired by ISIS propaganda, and thwarting potential attacks, without compromising civil liberties is "among the most difficult challenges that the president faces." The comment comes the same day the head of the FBI's counter-terrorism division told Congress "we are dark" when it comes to tracking some private communications of suspected terrorists because of advanced encryption by mobile companies, according to ABC's JORDYN PHELPS. "This is a very thorny policy challenge and maybe even among the most difficult challenges that the president faces, but it's one that he's mindful of," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told ABC's JONATHAN KARL in Wednesday's press briefing. http://abcn.ws/1SWQs4o
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
THE WHITE HOUSE GARDEN INCLUDES A VEGETABLE YOU PROBABLY NEVER HEARD OF. Ever heard of kohlrabi? If you're like us, probably not. But it's one of the many vegetables grown in the White House Kitchen Garden. First lady Michelle Obama invited local schoolchildren to the White House Wednesday to harvest the garden. But gloomy weather prompted the event to move indoors. "We're gonna cook! Cook, chop, eat, celebrate!" the first lady said to the group of children. The first lady helped children as they chopped and assembled meals made of broccoli, lettuce, snap peas and, yes, kohlrabi, which is a member of the cabbage family, ABC's ARLETTE SAENZ notes. The end result: chicken and veggie soba noodle salad with honey dressing straight from the White House bees. http://abcn.ws/1M67U14
WHO'S TWEETING?
@AdamWollner: Rick Perry hopes his military experience will help distinguish him from a crowded GOP field: http://www.nationaljournal.com/2016-elections/what-rick-perry-has-that-most-of-the-2016-gop-field-doesn-t-20150603 …
@ForecasterEnten: Can't fault Chafee for entering: he believes Clinton's support is a kilometre wide but only a centimetre deep. #cantgetenoughmetric
@Phil_Mattingly: Only half of Iowa GOP caucus-goers care if candidates attend the straw poll, via @McCormickJohn http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-06-04/only-half-of-iowa-republican-caucus-goers-care-if-2016-candidates-attend-straw-poll …
@ZekeJMiller: .@michaelscherer: Payback Is Coming to Rand Paul http://ti.me/1Qs9ZFC via @TIMEPolitics
@morningmoneyben: Just once I'd like to hear a candidate do an announcement and say: "After careful consideration I've realized I have no chance. I'm out."