Senator Sanders

Confederate Flag Gov. Nikki Haley called on Monday for South Carolina to remove the Confederate battle flag from the Statehouse grounds. Sen. Bernie Sanders also said the flag should be removed, The Washington Post, CBS News, ABC News, The Washington Times and Seven Days reported. LINK, LINK, LINK, LINK

Trade Deal The Senate on Tuesday is set to vote on a motion to cut off debate on legislation that would grant President Obama enhanced negotiating powers to complete a major Pacific trade accord, but this time the bill lacks a provision to help workers harmed by such agreements. “The evidence is quite overwhelming that our past trade agreements have been a disaster for the American worker,” Sen. Sanders, a leading foe of the trade deal, told Politico. A Huffington Post blogger urged Sanders to filibuster. LINK, LINK 

Social Security While a new NBC/Journal poll showed deep divides between Democrats and Republicans on most issues, there was broad support for Sen. Sanders’ proposal to increase Social Security benefits and extending Social Security payroll taxes to income above the current cap of $118,500 a year, The Wall Street Journal noted. LINK

Deficit Hawk “The deficit is a significant issue but it is important to know how we got into a deficit and our national debt,” Sen. Sanders told The Washington Post in an interview posted on Tuesday. “Very often at budget hearings you will hear me say as the major deficit hawk in the committee — and I refer to myself as that because I voted against the war in Iraq, I voted against tax breaks for millionaires, I voted against the Medicare prescription drug program, I voted against the deregulation of Wall Street, which has caused so many problems. The question is how do you do deficit reduction in a way that is fair. I’m a deficit hawk when I say we have to ask the wealthiest people and the largest corporations to pay their fair share. That’s a deficit hawk,” LINK

Pope Francis “He has been downright Bernie Sanders critical of capitalism,” the Brattleboro Reformer said in an editorial on the pontiff.  LINK

World 

Greek Bailout Greece’s creditors suggested for the first time that a deal to avert the country’s bankruptcy was in sight after an 11th-hour proposal submitted by Athens on Monday made a significant concession on pension cuts, The Wall Street Journal reported. LINK

National

Support for Trade Deal Drops Voters’ support for expanding U.S. trade abroad has dropped in the last two months, as President Barack Obama has battled with Congress to pass legislation to expedite consideration of free-trade agreements, the new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll has found. Asked if free trade between the U.S. and foreign countries has helped or hurt the U.S., the poll found that  29 percent said it helped — down from 37 percent in April. Meanwhile the share who said trade has hurt the U.S. rose to 34 percent. LINK

Vermont

Attorney General Chittenden County State’s Attorney T.J. Donovan announced that he’ll seek the Democratic nomination for attorney general. It’s not yet clear, however, whether voters will see a rematch of the fierce primary battle in 2012 between Donovan and incumbent Bill Sorrell, who says he hasn’t yet decided whether he’ll seek reelection, Vermont Public Radio reported. LINK