Today's Fresh Meat

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Senate president pro tem Don Perata is ending his efforts to recall Republican state Senator Jeff Denham,reports the LA Times. Republican leaders have persuaded him his supportof the recall would hinder budget negotiations; the measure itself willstill remain on the ballot.

Barack Obama paid a visit to the House of Representativestoday, to the apparent delight of his supporters, reports the SanFrancisco Chronicle's politics blog. Speaker Nancy Pelosi hasreiterated that the race continues, but it's clear that many see Obamaas the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Obama's aides say that he will declare victory soonafter the Oregon and Kentucky contests give him a majority of pledgeddelegates on May 20, but Hillary Clinton is prepared to dispute hisclaim, reports Politico. According to Howard Wolfson, a chiefstrategist for Clinton, “We don’t accept 2,025. It is not the realnumber because that does not include Florida and Michigan. It’s a phonynumber.”