The Note: What's Next For Elizabeth Warren?
— -- By MICHAEL FALCONE
NOTABLES
--WARREN RALLIES GRASSROOTS PROGRESSIVES: No, she's not running for president, but last night Sen. Elizabeth Warren joined leading progressive groups on a call rallying their members around her issues. The event allowed Warren to motivate grassroots activists after Democracy for America and MoveOn formally suspended their "Run Warren Run" campaign last week, ABC's MARYALICE PARKS notes. The overarching message from the organizations was that they would change their focus from urging Warren to run to helping her be an advocate for causes she -- and they -- care about. "I know that some of you on this call were hoping I'd be getting a new job next year," Warren said. "But I really want you to know, I love my job representing Massachusetts...and I am working my heart out." She asked those on the call to help her push their members of Congress on a few major issues including: Opposing the current fast-track trade deal, promoting debt-free college and holding Wall Street accountable.
--SPEAKING OF DEBT-FREE COLLEGE: "While not every college needs to graduate every student debt-free, every kid needs a debt-free option -- a strong public university where it's possible to get a great education without taking on loads of debt," Warren said in a speech yesterday. That speech, in addition to the call detailed above, represents a growing push from progressive organizations to bring the issue of "debt-free" college front-and-center in the 2016 campaign, ABC's MARYALICE PARKS notes. "This must be a central issue in the national debate in 2016," said Adam Green, head of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee at a press conference on the subject on Capitol Hill yesterday, which Warren attended.
--IT LOOKS LIKE HILLARY HAS HER EYE ON AFFORDABLE COLLEGE, TOO: And her campaign wants you to know it, according to ABC's LIZ KREUTZ. Politico reports today that Hillary Clinton is going to pivot to the issue of student debt not long after her campaign rally on Saturday and will unveil specific policies in a speech next month. She has already been consulting with advisers with ties to Warren to flesh out her plan -- which could (although not definitely yet) offer support for debt-free college. More from Politico: http://politi.co/1JM8GB6
THE BUZZ
with ABC's VERONICA STRACQUALURSI
PRESIDENT OBAMA SENDING 450 MORE TROOPS TO IRAQ. President Obama is sending up to 450 additional military advisers to Iraq. The announcement comes after the militant group that calls itself the Islamic State has made several battleground gains in Iraq and Syria in recent weeks. The Islamic State is also known as ISIS or ISIL. "The president authorized the deployment of up to 450 additional U.S. military personnel to train, advise, and assist Iraqi Security Forces at Taqaddum military base in eastern Anbar province," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said in a statement yesterday, ABC's LUIS MARTINEZ and JORDYN PHELPS. The White House said the president is sending the additional troops at the request of Iraq's prime minister, in addition to recommendations from the his national security team. http://abcn.ws/1HsT4CA
--WHAT THE ADDITIONAL 450 US TROOPS IN IRAQ WILL DO. The 450 additional U.S. military forces being sent to Iraq will mainly head to a new facility at an Iraqi air base in Anbar Province to support the Iraqi government's push to retake the province from ISIS. As is the case with the 3,100 U.S. troops already in Iraq, they will not be in a combat role, U.S. officials said Wednesday, according to ABC's LUIS MARTINEZ. They will primarily advise and assist Iraqi troops in their military planning and logistics. The new coalition site will be established at Taqaddum Air Base north of Ramadi, a location that will help facilitate the upcoming offensive into Ramadi and other areas of Iraq's largest province. About 50 of the personnel will serve as advisers; the remaining personnel will be for force protection and logistical support. http://abcn.ws/1F8Pyad
JOHN BOEHNER CALLS ON PRESIDENT OBAMA TO 'GET SERIOUS' ON ISIS. House Speaker John Boehner continued to hit at President Obama over the struggle against ISIS, complaining that there is no current strategy to "stop the spread of this horrible disease." While Boehner once again called on the president to withdraw his draft proposal of an Authorization for the Use of Military Force, he again declined to direct the House to present its own strategy to defeat the Islamic State. "We have one commander in chief at a time, that's the president of the United States. He has no strategy, as he admitted himself, much less an overarching strategy to take on ISIL and the other terrorist threats that we face in the Middle East," Boehner, R-Ohio, said during his news conference Wednesday morning in the Capitol, according to ABC's CARLY SILVERMAN and JOHN PARKINSON. http://abcn.ws/1JKIBCy
BILL CLINTON MIGHT STOP GIVING PAID SPEECHES IF HILLARY WINS THE WHITE HOUSE. Bill Clinton will have some tough decisions to make if Hillary Clinton wins White House, including whether to continue his lucrative paid speaking career. At the Clinton Global Initiative meeting in Denver yesterday, the former president said that he will likely stop giving paid speeches if Hillary Clinton is elected president, ABC's MATTHEW CLAIBORNE notes. "No. I don't think so," Clinton said in an interview with Bloomberg TV when asked about staying on the paid speaking circuit were his wife to win. "Because once you get to be president, then you are just making a daily story." But Clinton added that he would not stop speaking publicly altogether: "I will still give speeches on things I'm passionate about." http://abcn.ws/1KX8dLc
MICHELLE KWAN TO JOIN HILLARY CLINTON'S CAMPAIGN. Figure skating legend Michelle Kwan has a new gig: Working for Hillary Clinton. The two-time Olympic medalist will be joining Clinton's presidential campaign as a full-time paid staffer, Clinton's campaign announced on Wednesday. Kwan also tweeted the news Wednesday evening. In her new position -- which will be based out of the campaign's Brooklyn, N.Y. headquarters -- Kwan will focus on surrogate outreach ahead of Clinton's first official campaign rally this Saturday, June 13. Her focus, a campaign aide says, will be to "help reach key constituencies and discuss the issues that matter most to working families," according to ABC's LIZ KREUTZ. http://abcn.ws/1HrvUwr
GEORGIA SENATOR JOHNNY ISAKSON REVEALS BATTLE WITH PARKINSON'S AFTER 2013 DIAGNOSIS. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., announced Wednesday he is battling Parkinson's disease. "Over 1 million Americans have Parkinson's and I am one of them," Isakson, 70, said in a statement yesterday. "While I am facing this health challenge head on, I have wrestled with whether to disclose it publicly," he said. The senator and former House member representing the northern suburbs of Atlanta said he has gone through physical therapy, does exercises twice a day and takes two Parkinson's medications, ABC's ARLETTE SAENZ notes. http://abcn.ws/1MorPsb
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN RETURNS TO WHITE HOUSE FOR FIRST TIME SINCE SON'S DEATH. Vice President Joe Biden returned to the White House for the first time yesterday since the death of his son Beau two weekends ago. On his first day back to work, Biden joined the president for a private lunch at the White House and held a meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniv Yatsenyuk. Biden has spent the majority of his time in Delaware after the death of his son Beau. Thousands of condolences have poured in for the vice president and his family via the White House's virtual condolence book, ABC's JORDYN PHELPS and ARLETTE SAENZ note. http://abcn.ws/1IvJv4d
WHO'S TWEETING?
@maggieNYT: Gotta say this for Clinton team -trade bill vote is getting ugly and they've kept her/she's kept her from becoming the focus of the debate.
@jonward11: In a town of background quotes, gotta hand it to RNC cos @KMWalsh_GOP for putting name behind some tough words https://www.yahoo.com/politics/the-koch-brothers-and-the-republican-party-go-to-121193159491.html?soc_src=unv-sh&soc_trk=tw ...
@dellavolpe: Nice nugget about our @HarvardIOP poll on @CNN centered around @instagram & #Millennials. Check it out. http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/10/politics/hillary-clinton-joins-instagram/index.html ...
@brianstelter: The debate about the GOP debates continues: here are the latest developments... http://cnn.it/1B7MQ9M
@politicalwire: Ohio, New Mexico Lead as Presidential Bellwethers http://politicalwire.com/2015/06/11/ohio-new-mexico-lead-as-presidential-bellwethers/ ... via @politicalwire