Hillary finds room for race amid cash run

June 20, 2015: Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks at the U.S. Conference of Mayors 83rd Annual Meeting in San Francisco. (AP)

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Buzz Cut:
• Hillary finds room for race amid cash run
• Jeb calls out Obama on cyber security
• Jindal gang ready for launch
• Emails: Hillary wanted more intel from Sid
• Beautiful on the inside and out

HILLARY FINDS ROOM FOR RACE AMID CASH RUN
Hastening to capitalize on the turbulent winds following the Charleston shootings, Hillary Clinton holds a discussion of the massacre and race relations in Missouri today. The open to press event was added to Clinton’s fundraising tour Monday and is sandwiched  between a pair of private high-dollar Midwest donor stops and Wednesday’s star-studded concert for the Democratic frontrunner in New York.  It comes a day after President Obama, who has not lived up to expectations in improving race relations, created a stir by using a racial epithet in an interview to express his frustration on the issue. Clinton’s campaign has been pushing race to forefront since the shootings and is holding today’s discussion in a church not far from Ferguson, where racial tensions boiled over last year. By allowing press coverage Clinton is once again selectively surfacing on issues with direct appeal to her base, even as she avoids those where the direction of the political wind is less certain.

[Clinton has fundraisers in Chicago and St. Louis today before her community meeting in Florissant, Mo.]

Flag controversy fades - While Clinton and her rivals pounced following the Charleston tragedy, a Republican 2016 field that has been taking intense flack for favoring a South Carolinian solution to the Confederate flag controversy, got one. AP: “Republicans with presidential aspirations rushed Monday to embrace South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s call to remove the Confederate flag from the grounds of the state capitol, eager to move past a vexing issue that challenges the GOP’s effort to win over the diverse coalition of voters it likely needs to win back the White House.”

[How Jeb dealt with Florida’s flag flap - WSJ: “When former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush quietly took down the Confederate battle flag from the state capitol in 2001, he was called ‘spineless’ and ‘racist to Southern people,’ and was accused of ‘pandering’ to African-Americans. He was also repeatedly warned he would be defeated in the next election…As Mr. Bush did throughout his two terms, from 1999 to 2007, he personally responded to several emails he received on the issue from constituents who condemned and hailed his decision…To those who attacked him for his decision, Mr. Bush responded tersely but politely, at times with deadpan humor, emails released earlier this year show.”]

Graham opts to heal his home state - Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., released a statement shifting from an earlier ambiguous position to a clear stance. Graham said, “I hope that, by removing the flag, we can take another step towards healing and recognition – and a sign that South Carolina is moving forward”

[WashEx’s David Drucker observes it was evident the political sand trap for Republicans over South Carolina’s flag controversy was causing high anxiety in the national party. “There was Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus on Monday, standing behind Gov. Nikki Haley in Columbia as she announced that the Confederate battle flag should come down…” ]

JEB CALLS OUT OBAMA ON CYBER SECURITY
With the number of hacking victims growing, Jeb Bush writes on Medium.com that President Obama has ceded the cyber security battle to our enemies. He pens, “We have ceded the initiative to those who wish to steal, disrupt, and destroy the intellectual property, personal information, and treasure we entrust to the internet, and, in so doing, we have allowed these adversaries to threaten our citizens’ inherent right to a trusted, free and open internet.”

Rubio chimes in on China - The Hill: “[Sen. Marco Rubio] urged Obama to use [summit] talks to convey to China that ‘as additional evidence comes to light, the U.S. will consider imposing sanctions against any Chinese government agencies or commercial enterprise found to have been involved in the recent cyberattack.’ The presidential hopeful also wants the administration to ‘immediately impose financial sanctions and pursue criminal charges against individual hackers implicated in the historic breach of U.S. government networks once they are identified.’”

JINDAL GANG READY FOR LAUNCH
New Orleans Advocate: “Gov. Bobby Jindal is expected to announce this week that he’s running for president, but he already has spent the past few months quietly assembling a group of political operatives who will make up the framework for his 2016 team. Through his American Future Project organization, political action committees and presidential exploratory committee, Jindal has managed to hire key strategists and place staffers in Iowa and New Hampshire, as well as Washington, D.C.”

[Watch Fox: Chief Political Correspondent Campaign Carl Cameron is in New Orleans with a behind the scenes look as Gov. Bobby Jindal prepares to launch his 2016 campaign.]

For Walker, all is not quiet on the homefront - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “Bucking GOP Gov. Scott Walker, a majority of Assembly Republicans told the likely presidential candidate Monday that they won't let their outstate districts take the whole hit to save southeastern Wisconsin from cuts to state road funding…A letter sent to Walker on Monday underlined how the stalemate in the state budget is continuing in Walker’s absence as he travels to California for two days in support of his undeclared run for president.”

[The Daily Caller talked with Walker about everything from Harley’s to television shows to superheroes. Batman is his favorite. As Walker says, “I love Batman. As a kid I dressed up like him all the time. I suppose it was just part of all that. I liked him, because he was tough.”]

Carly’s got the tech chops - Fox News: “Whether voters will warm to a candidate who has no legislative experience and has never won an election remains to be seen, but [Carly Fiorina’s] supporters believe she can use her understanding of the tech industry to reimagine government and engage those who feel disconnected. They believe her understanding of how the tech sector affects the U.S. economy will help innovation flourish, which could be crucial for the next president of the United States.”

And her videos are going viral - Daily Caller: “Viral videos aren’t a new thing for Carly Fiorina…But in her SuperPAC’s latest effort, ‘Titles Are Not Accomplishments,’ Fiorina seems to have found a way to gain online traction – without the gimmicks. Indeed the video – which is now approaching 500,000 views (OK, so maybe technically it has to hit a million to be “viral”?) – is all about sending a very serious and specific message: Unlike Hillary Clinton, Carly Fiorina has “actually accomplished something.”

WITH YOUR SECOND CUP OF COFFEE…
One of the most beautiful genres of literature also serves a utilitarian purpose. Great novels like War and Peace, Crime and Punishment, and The Brother Karamazov not only give insight into Russian life, but also the character and spirit that drives a people to follow a leader like President Vladimir Putin. Foreign Policy magazine pulls the defining characteristics from each novel to show the collaborative picture of what makes the people of Russia who they are. In One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, for example, the protagonist is a convict in Siberia who finds numerous ways to get by with the little he has, often reveling in his own suffering. The article draws a similarity to the Russian people living under strict Western sanctions, and suggests that the Russian people enjoy the challenge of overcoming the West in the name of Mother Russia.

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POLL CHECK
Real Clear Politics Averages
Obama Job Approval: Approve – 44.4 percent//Disapprove – 50.9
Directions of Country: Right Direction – 28.2 percent//Wrong Track – 63.0 Percent

EMAILS: HILLARY WANTED MORE INTEL FROM SID
Wash Ex: “Roughly sixty new emails published by the committee Monday suggest Clinton relied heavily on what lawmakers have called ‘unvetted intelligence’ from [Sidney Blumenthal] in the months before and after the 2012 terror attack in Benghazi. Many of the emails indicate she implored Blumenthal to funnel information about Libya to her, despite her recent claims that her ‘old friend’ Blumenthal simply sent her ‘unsolicited emails.’”

Clinton cash dash - Bloomberg: “Clinton is set to attend 26 fundraisers between Monday and July 3, including 11 in New York City, according to a review of her public schedule and newly obtained invitations. Many events come with a recommended contribution of the $2,700 legal maximum for her primary campaign or require attendees to raise at least $27,000. After the quarter ends, the Clinton campaign is required to file disclosures with the Federal Elections Commission. Allies have tried to downplay expectations, stressing that because Clinton is only accepting primary cash, the total may not be as impressive as the first quarter of President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign.”

Hillary hires potential veep’s staffer - BuzzFeed: “The latest high-profile Latina hire by Clinton is Betsaida Alcantara, who is leaving the communications department at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to join the Clinton campaign as director of media planning….[HUD Secretary Julian Castro] has often been floated as a possible vice presidential nominee to join Clinton should she win the Democratic nomination…”

Sanders rolls out welcome mat for Warren supporters - The Hill: “Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Monday welcomed the support of progressives who previously tried to draft Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) into the race. ‘Elizabeth Warren is a good friend. Like millions of her supporters around the country, I have great respect and admiration for her,’ said Sanders.”

[The Sanders media farce - Fox News’ Howard Kurtz writes about the media explosion over Sanders and the hoopla is really the press grasping for a challenging Democratic primary. Read here.]

BEAUTIFUL ON THE INSIDE AND OUT
UPI: “A Lithuanian village celebrated the 645th anniversary of its founding by holding a beauty pageant for the most attractive local goats. The village of Ramygala, about 93 miles north of capital city Vilnius, held a goat beauty pageant Saturday to celebrate the animal that has graced the town’s seal…A dark-colored goat named Marce stood out from the pack of seven bleating beauties to be crowned the most glamorous goat of the bunch. ‘It wasn’t hard to prepare for the contest. The goat Marce does everything at home, you know, come and see, how she scales the barriers, walks the beam. I set her free, and tell her to dance and she dances,’ said Saverija Dobrovolskiene, Marce’s owner.

AND NOW A WORD FROM CHARLES…
“Had the flag not existed or been on the ground of the capitol this massacre would have happened in any case. But it’s the standard liberal impulse, something happened really bad. So there’s got to be a problem, there has to be a solution, we must do something, even if the something is entirely irrelevant.” – Charles Krauthammer on “Special Report with Bret Baier” Watch here.

Chris Stirewalt is digital politics editor for Fox News. Want FOX News First in your inbox every day? Sign up here.