NEWS SUMMARY

A list of people who are not experts in psychology: Doyle McManus, Michael Beschloss, Ed Gillespie, Matthew Dowd, Bill McInturff, Ken Mehlman, Bill Schneider, David Gergen, Stephen Hess, Dan Balz, Neil Newhouse, Steve McMahon, Jill Lawrence, Stan Greenberg, and the writers of The Note.

We continue to reserve judgment on how -- if at all -- the death of Ronald Reagan might impact the 2004 elections, until at least Friday's speech by President Bush.

Three great minds -- in the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and USA Today -- try to unwrap the riddle inside the mystery inside the conundrum, but, dare we say it again, no one really knows.

We have confirmed yesterday's San Francisco Chronicle report that suggested that a Reagan tribute at the GOP convention in New York is likely to be given a prominent primetime position. And what with that being closer to the election, perhaps it will have a greater impact on things in the here and now, and the future, than the uplifting events of this week.

And political reporters' inboxes have gone from being filled with vitriolic, negative, slashing attack e-mails from both sides to being littered with e-mails from both sides accusing the other side of violating the Reagan-inspired truce.

Two little flares:

A. The pro-Kerry Media Fund is going up with a new ad today questioning Vice President Cheney's ties to Halliburton. The ad talks about no bid contracts and the possibility of price gouging. The ad will air in Ohio, Missouri, Oregon, and Nevada.

B. The Bush campaign has sent around a mass e-mail from Marc Racicot commemorating President Reagan's death and trying to drive traffic to the BC04 Web site.

One act (the former) is blatantly political; one act (the latter) less so, but done by the campaign itself, rather than by a 527 group. One mentions Reagan, one doesn't.

A panel made up of Alex Castellanos, Carl Leubsdorf, Susan Page, and Joe Lockhart will be convened at noon today at the Palm in Washington to adjudge by consensus which violation is more egregious. We will report the results on Noted Now later today.

As the Reagan commemoration continues, what you shouldn't lose sight of today:

1. The semi-swirling stem cell debate.

2. USA Today's Peronet Despeignes, writing from Sheboygan, on the improving Wisconsin economy and what it means electorally.

3. The Los Angeles Times' Nick Anderson updating the latest numbers on the positive and negative ads in the presidential race, and finds (again) that Matt Dowd agrees with The Note (and not the -- other -- purveyors of CW) that the race isn't JUST about the incumbent, but also about defining John Kerry.

4. The President is on a glide path toward a United Nations deal on Iraq, which is sure going to be interesting for John Kerry to explain when he emerges from his post-Friday cocoon.

5. Which breaks back into the press/public consciousness first -- Peterson/O.J./J.Lo./etc. or violence in Iraq?

6. Pending SCOTUS decisions and surprises.

President Ronald Reagan's body lies in repose through the day at his Simi Valley library. Huge crowds have caused the viewing hours to be extended.

President Bush attends the G-8 summit on Sea Island, Ga.

Sen. John Kerry travels to Los Angeles for a screening of his daughter Alexandra's film.

The Senate will hold no votes this week -- except votes on Reagan-related resolutions. After Wednesday's session, the Senate will stand in recess until Monday, June 14.

Seven states hold primaries today: Iowa, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, North Dakota, South Carolina, and Virginia. The majors: the Democratic primary for Virginia's 8th Congressional District, and the South Carolina Republican Senate primary. Virginia polls are open from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm ET. South Carolina polls are open from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm ET.

President Reagan's political legacy:

The Washington Post's Dan Balz turns in a look at the effect of Reagan's death on the campaign: first and foremost, sidelining election activity and overshadowing most other news. Republicans hope the pause provides "a potential circuit breaker from two months of unrelenting bad news in Iraq that has driven down Bush's approval ratings" and will "remind Americans of the effect of strong, if sometimes controversial, presidential leadership built on conservative convictions." Democrats, on the other hand, see simply a pause in the campaign, and some even believe comparisons between Reagan and Bush hurt the President in the long run. LINK

USA Today's Jill Lawrence ponders how influential Reagan is on the current race: "the Reagan presidency was the model for Bush's style and focus on a few clearly stated goals. And Bush and Kerry are competing to lay claim to the resolve and approach the sunniness identified with Reagan." LINK

While the Los Angeles Times' Doyle McManus considers whether the week of memorials for Reagan will give President Bush's re-election campaign a boost. LINK

McManus Notes that "several Republican strategists said the nation's outpouring of nostalgia and respect for Reagan may have offered Bush an opportunity to improve his flagging popularity -- if he can find a way to don the mantle of his well-loved predecessor."

David Gergen points out another scenario to McManus: Bush "may emerge from a week of comparison to Reagan looking distinctly second-best."

Gergen: "'The imponderable is whether Reagan looks so large that Bush, by contrast, looks diminished,' he said. 'There was so much poetry in Reagan; it's going to be hard for this president to be seen on the same plane.'"

The Washington Post's David Ignatius looks at the pragmatism of Reagan's leadership, and writes that President Bush may be following in his footsteps. LINK

The Washington Post's E.J. Dionne writes about Reagan's political gifts, Noting that "Reagan's singular political achievement was to steal the optimism associated with Franklin D. Roosevelt from the Democratic Party. It took Bill Clinton, another political genius, to steal it back, but that came 12 years later." Reagan knew he was inheriting a political climate made by both parties, Dionne writes, and his optimism, not divisiveness, would "come as a great relief" in today's political climate. LINK

On the New York Times op-ed page, David Brooks invokes John Kerry's father to make his point about Ronald Reagan's convictions. LINK

"Reagan embraced America as a permanent revolutionary force. His critics came to fear exactly that sort of zeal. John Kerry's father, Richard, was a representative one. He wrote a book, just after the Reagan years, arguing that the Reagan brand of exceptionalism is a danger. Americans are mistaken if they think all people want to copy their institutions, he argued. Instead, the U.S. should marshal its power within a web of multilateral arrangements, or it will create all sorts of problems."

Because it's all about Iowa over at the Des Moines Register, David Yepsen adds to the week-long memorial with his version of the Reagan effect on Hawkeye State politics. LINK

Caryle Murphy and Sari Horwitz of the Washington Post detail the logistics of the ceremonies surrounding President Reagan's Washington funeral, including the 34-hour period in which the public can pay respects to the 40th president of the United States, and at least 20 foreign heads of state who will pay theirs. LINK

USA Today's Susan Page Notes the effort to put Reagan's face on the $10 bill. LINK

The Hill's Alexander Bolton reports Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), is expected to lead sponsorship in the Senate; Rep. Chris Cox (R-Calif.) in the House. The man behind the curtain, Grover Norquist -- whose many hats include president of the Ronald Reagan Legacy Project -- calls Hamilton an easy target to replace because he was never president. LINK

The House will consider a bereavement resolution commemorating Reagan today or tomorrow, and Senate is expected to do the same this week.

In this week of remembrance for Number 40, filibustering the bill is predicted unlikely. But three key questions arise: 1) Will Nancy Reagan puts the kibosh on the 10-spot like she did the Reagan dime? 2) How will a bill signed last year by President Bush barring the construction of any new memorials on the Mall impact plans for a national monument in Reagan's memory? 3) In a week of where coverage is dominated by an outpouring of fondness for Mr. Reagan, does any of this fast legislating open the door for criticism to creep in?

Roll Call reports that "Competing proposals will be offered today in the House to place Reagan's likeness on the $20 bill and the half dollar, displacing two other presidents in favor of the man widely credited with ending the Cold War" - removing former presidents Andrew Jackson and John F. Kennedy respectively. While the $20 bill proposal could happen, the likelihood that sitting senior Sen. Ted Kennedy would allow his brother's face to be replaced on the half-dollar seems slim.

The Hill's Hans Nichols Notes that in a week where the legislative process has been stalled by funeral proceedings, some Democrats who bitterly opposed Reagan's policies aren't making the mad dash to Washington. LINK

The G-8 summit:

The Stevenson/Sanger preview to the G-8 summit: LINK

"Condoleezza Rice, Mr. Bush's national security adviser, said negotiations on the Security Council resolution were 'going in a very positive direction' and could be completed during the meeting. If so, Mr. Bush would be able to claim a major diplomatic victory surrounded by world leaders, even if he has to bend to some degree to international pressure to win United Nations backing."

The Washington Post's Glenn Kessler has a must-read look at the way President Bush gets along with foreign leaders, and the unspoken principle of basing foreign policy on personal relationships. LINK

"According to one former White House official, Bush appears to have a simple test for evaluating his fellow leaders: Good people or bad people? Do they have a vision for their countries or not?"

Kessler does a gut check of the President's relationship with four key leaders -- Tony Blair, Vicente Fox, Junichiro Koizumi and Ariel Sharon -- and tries to read the tea leaves as to how this week's G-8 Summit will play out, and what will be accomplished.

Ed Chen reports democracy in the Middle East will be front and center at the host's prerogative at this year's summit. LINK

The Washington Post's Kessler and Wright report that the G-8 will approve President Bush's plan to promote democracy in the Middle East, but some believe the plan's goals have been diluted to ensure a "deliverable" from the summit. LINK

The politics of Iraq:

The Washington Post's Wright and Milbank report that the U.S. made some concessions in its U.N. resolution on Iraq to incorporate demands from France and Russia. France and Germany pushed for the Iraqi government to be able to veto participation by Iraqi troops in any offensives by U.S.-led troops, and Russia pushed for a conference to support the transition of sovereignty to the Iraqis. The resolution is now expected to win unanimous support in the Security Council today. LINK

The Washington Post's Edward Cody looks at the declaration Monday by the new Iraqi government and U.S. authorities in Iraq that "declared all militias illegal Monday and outlined a $200 million program to redirect their estimated 100,000 fighters into official security forces, retirement or civilian professions." Thus, the militia of Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr is outlawed, and Sadr and his lieutenants are forbidden to hold public office for three years, and throws a wrench into the plans of mainstream Shiite leaders who were looking to draw Sadr and his followers into the political process. Sadr's group, unsurprisingly, said the interim government did not have the authority to enforce such a ban. LINK

The Wall Street Journal's Greg Jaffe reports "U.S. commanders in Iraq are betting they can beat back the growing Iraqi insurgency with a massive hiring spree and public-works program."

Prison abuse scandal:

The Washington Post's Dana Priest and R. Jeffrey Smith follow AP's reporting yesterday, examining a Justice Department memo from August 2002, advising the White House that torture may be justified while holding al Qaeda terrorists, because the torture would be occurring to help prevent terrorist attacks in the future. The memo also said international laws against torture may not apply in the war on terror, and that a self-defense argument could help justify the torture after the fact. LINK

"Bush administration officials say flatly that, despite the discussion of legal issues in the two memos, it has abided by international conventions barring torture, and that detainees at Guantanamo and elsewhere have been treated humanely, except in the cases of abuse at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq for which seven military police soldiers have been charged."

"Still, the 2002 and 2003 memos reflect the Bush administration's desire to explore the limits on how far it could legally go in aggressively interrogating foreigners suspected of terrorism or of having information that could thwart future attacks."

The New York Times follows yesterday's Wall Street Journal story on torture, reporting, "Senior Pentagon officials on Monday sought to minimize the significance of the March memo, one of several obtained by the New York Times, as an interim legal analysis that had no effect on revised interrogation procedures that Mr. Rumsfeld approved in April 2003" for use at the prison at Guantanamo Bay. LINK

ABC News Vote 2004: Bush-Cheney re-elect:

Nick Anderson of the Los Angeles Times turns in an analysis of the Bush-Cheney '04 ads (through the prism of Reagan) Noting that the ads began by harkening back to the "Morning in America" theme of 20 years ago but soon turned into "a series of slashing attacks on his Democratic challenger." LINK

The Houston Chronicle's Cobb looks at the use of Spanish-language ads in targeting Hispanic voters in states like Florida, Arizona, New Mexico, and Arizona. LINK

AP's Ron Fournier writes that President Bush's policy on Iraq and what some describe as a failure to toe a hard line against Fidel Castro are weakening his support among Cuban-Americans in Florida, the largest growing segment of Florida's large Hispanic community. LINK

"Republicans in the House of Representatives have quietly introduced a measure to make it easier for churches to support political candidates, just days after the Bush campaign came under fire from liberal groups for inviting church members to distribute campaign information at their houses of worship," writes the New York Times' Kirkpatrick. LINK

ABC News Vote 2004: Sen. John Kerry:

Matea Gold and Geoff Boucher of the Los Angeles Times do a "how to cancel million dollar fundraisers" story. LINK

The Washington Post's Mark Leibovich ponders how well Kerry practices the "Zen and the Art of Newslessness," writing that the campaign is in a bit of a holding pattern in the "natural ebb" of the election cycle. At this point for Kerry it's more about convincing voters he has credibility than a dogfight with the President, and as Bill Carrick points out, the news cycle has overshadowed the political one, allowing both sides to take a breather and yet struggle to get a message in front of voters for more than a few hours at a time. LINK

ABC News Vote 2004: Bush v. Kerry:

A new Gallup Poll shows Sen. Kerry leading President Bush nationwide among registered voters, 49 percent to 44 percent, and 50 percent to 44 percent among likely voters. With Ralph Nader in the mix, Kerry garners 45 percent, Bush 42 percent and Nader 7 percent among registered voters. Among likelies, the numbers are 49 percent for Kerry, 43 percent for Bush, and 5 percent for Nader. LINK

The Media Fund is joining the Bush and Kerry campaigns in removing its advertising from the airwaves on Friday, reports the New York Times. LINK

The script:

"In 2000, Dick Cheney was CEO of Halliburton.

After Dick Cheney became Vice President, George Bush's administration gave Halliburton a no bid contract in Iraq worth billions of dollars at taxpayers' expense.

Now it seems Halliburton has been price gouging, and overcharged the federal government $27 million for meals they never served to our troops and $61 million for gasoline.

To find out more about what the Bush Cheney White House hasn't done for our troops, visit BushandHalliburton.com."

The Wall Street Journal's ed board Notes "Friday's May job report shows that the U.S. economy has created 947,000 new jobs in the last three months, 1.2 million since the beginning of the year. Mr. Mankiw seems to have been muzzled by the White House, so we'll say what he can't: That's a faster rate than Senator Kerry's campaign promise to create 10 million jobs in his first term."

The politics of national security:

After talking with some 9/11 Commissioners and members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, The New York Times' Jehl and Shenon report Tenet's departure from the CIA may make reforms more likely. LINK

We look forward to hearing Bob Kerrey's response to former CIA Director Gates' op-ed in today's New York Times excoriating the idea of an overhauled intelligence system with an "intelligence czar." LINK

Anthony Faiola and Bradley Graham of the Washington Post report that a third of the 37,000 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea will be withdrawn before the end of 2005 as part of a plan to keep troops more mobile for rapid deployment worldwide. LINK

The Washington Post's Sari Horwitz reports that the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is cracking down on black market tobacco, because law enforcement officials say smugglers with ties to terrorist groups are funneling money to al Qaeda and Hezbollah. LINK

The Washington Post's Justin Gillis reports that the Bush Administration is expected to order a supply of anthrax vaccine to inoculate 25 million people. The government also plans to acquire a new kind of treatment for people already infected with anthrax. Project Bioshield, requested by President Bush in 2003 to allow for the creation and stockpiling of drugs to react to biological terrorism, has yet to gain congressional approval. But Congress has approved money for biodefense projects. LINK

Stem cell politics:

Rick Weiss of the Washington Post reports that a letter to President Bush signed by 58 Senators urging loosened restrictions of stem cell research "may have special resonance during this week of remembrances for Ronald Reagan." LINK

Vicki Kemper of the Los Angeles Times looks at the reinvigorated debate about stem cell research. LINK

"Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-San Diego), who originally supported Bush's position but signed the House letter calling for an expansion of stem-cell research, said he believed the momentum shift was so clear that, if reelected, Bush might alter his policy."

Morning show wrap:

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/TheNote/Morning_Show_Wrap.html

The land of 5-plus-2-equals-7:

The Washington Post's Tom Edsall reports that Republican 527 groups have found corporations reluctant to give -- and Progress for America, "one of the key Republican groups," failed in its hope to recruit Bush fundraiser James Francis Jr. as its chairman.. LINK

Edsall compares the fundraising oomph of each side, Noting that pro-Democratic 527s have far outraised Republican groups, $106.6 million to $33.6 million, respectively.

He also sagely points out that added to the money raised by the parties and the campaigns, the GOP wins the money race, with $557.6 million to the Democrats' $393.6 million. Not that either number is a surprise to either party, or poses a threat to either side declaring themselves the "underdog" when deemed convenient.

Nader:

The plot thickens in Arizona, where Democratic leaders are calling for an investigation into a Republican consultant's involvement with the effort to put Ralph Nader on the presidential ballot. The Arizona Republic reports Dems say Nathan Sproul, who served three years as executive director of the state GOP before becoming a consultant, is funding the petition drive. Sproul dismissed the claims, "I'm not being paid by anybody to do petitions (for Nader), and I've not paid anybody to do petitions."

The Nader camp says it knows of no connection between the petition drive and Republican operatives -- and besides, it has already collected the nearly 15, 000 signatures it will need by this Wednesday!

Jon Kamman reminds us it matters. "Nader drew 3 percent of the vote both nationally and in Arizona in the 2000 race, which President Bush won despite receiving 500,000 fewer votes than Al Gore." LINK

The AP Notes after emerging from a weekend convention, Oregon's Pacific Green Party is snubbing former Green party darling Ralph Nader. The state's party endorsed veteran party activist David Cobb instead. Only one of the 19 candidates supported Nader; two supported "none of the above." A party spokeswoman says they wanted to elect candidates who would work to build the party and elect others. LINK

And, according to the AP's Timothy Finn, Pabst Blue Ribbon has "become the Ralph Nader of canned beers -- the anti-choice of young independents." LINK

The conventions:

The New York Daily News' Richard Sisk reports a "major tribute" is in the works to honor Reagan and his legacy during the GOP convention. Sisk goes on to report that Nancy Reagan's involvement may depend on President Bush revising his stem cell research policy. LINK

There could be an even larger number of picketers at the Boston FleetCenter today. The Boston Globe reports, "the Greater Boston Labor Council last night rejected a project labor agreement with organizers of the Democratic National Convention, meaning that convention construction will begin at the FleetCenter today without a no-strike guarantee from the influential consortium of local unions." This is another blow to Mayor Thomas Menino and the city's attempts to project a union-friendly image for the convention. LINK

Also Noting the latest headache for Boston officials and the DNCC, the AP writes, "On Tuesday, the Democratic National Convention Committee was to begin about $14 million worth of construction projects at the arena to accommodate thousands of convention delegates and working journalists." LINK

"But acrimonious contract negotiations between the Boston patrolmen's union and the city, coupled with the unwillingness by other unions to cross police picket lines, threaten to complicate the already daunting task."

Under the headline "Southwest Sizzle," Rick Klein of the Boston Globe profiles New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, chairman of the Democratic National Convention, a position that could make "his round face one of the most recognizable to viewers when they tune in to the Boston gala." LINK

The local performance of Cirque du Soleil in Boston will be cancelled three shows because of convention-caused street closures, according to the Boston Globe. LINK

Today's primaries:

Seven states are holding primaries today, with two races of Note. In Virginia, Rep. Jim Moran (D) faces a primary challenge from Andrew Rosenberg, a lobbyist and former staffer for Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), who has raised a sizable amount of money and caught the attention of local press (and at least some of the national press who live in Moran's Northern Virginia district) with his criticism of Moran's character stemming from allegations of anti-Semitism.

The he said/he said Democratic primary in northern Virginia gets New York Times treatment today. LINK

Turnout is expected to be low and as the Washington Post's Spencer Hsu eloquently put it on Sunday, "The campaign has unfolded as a contrast of styles and circumstances more than a clash of visions." LINK

The Virginia polls are open from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm ET and results can be seen here after the polls close: http://sbe.vipnet.org/.

The second race to watch is the Senate primary in South Carolina, where former Gov. David Beasley (R) is expected to beat a field of five other GOPers, but not enough to avoid a runoff on June 22. On Sunday, The State's Lee Bandy wrote that regardless of who finishes second in the primary, that person will have a "slight edge" in a runoff because Beasley, who lost his gubernatorial reelection bid in 1998, remains unpopular with many Republicans. LINK

State Superintendent of Education Inez Tenenbaum has a minor challenger on the Democratic side of the Senate primary, and Bandy opined on Sunday that she "will be the underdog in November, regardless of whom the Republicans pick as their candidate." Only about 13% of the Palmetto State's registered voters are expected to cast ballots in Tuesday's primary. The polls are open there from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm ET.

The Des Moines Register's Jonathan Roos offers an overview of the Iowa primaries being held today. LINK

It's Election Day in Maine today, with a number of state legislature and local school board primary fights on the ballot, along with a statewide school-funding proposition. But with no contested gubernatorial, Senate, or House races, officials are expecting very low turnout, with less than a fifth of the state's registered voters casting ballots. The reason? Gilles Auger, registrar of voters in Sanford, blames the turnout woes on children's sleep-away camps. LINK

ABC News Vote 2004: the battlegrounds:

USA Today's Peronet Despeignes focuses on the battleground state of Wisconsin, where the improving economy "has been stronger, longer and more consistent than most" of the 17 battleground states, and "for that reason, the Badger State will be a key test of Bush's campaign strategy in the months to come." LINK

The AP's Jennifer Yates examines how the "Heinz" part of Sen. Kerry's wife's name could help him win the battleground of Pennsylvania, her home state. LINK

Did we mention that Ron Fournier, our friend at the AP, writes that President Bush's policy on Iraq and what some describe as a failure to toe a hard line against Fidel Castro are weakening his support among Cuban-Americans in Florida, the largest growing segment of the state's already big Hispanic community. LINK

The Miami Herald reports that Ed Kast, "Florida's elections chief, who just last month ignited controversy by pushing for a new purge of voters identified as felons ineligible to vote, abruptly resigned from his job Monday." He is being replaced by an attorney named Dawn Roberts, who has served as general counsel for the Florida State Department. LINK

Learn from the past . . . right? Not in Ohio, say the Columbus Dispatch's Darrel Rowland and Jon Craig. Of the state's 88 counties, nearly three-quarters (with two-thirds of Ohio's voters) will still be using punch card ballots in November -- the same kind of ballots that "proved controversial during the Florida recount of 2000. The Buckeye State, widely viewed as ground zero in the presidential contest, will have one of the highest rates of punch-card voting in the nation." (Note Note for Paul Farhi, Brian Mooney et al: This includes Stark County, everyone's favorite bellwether of Ohio/bellwether of the nation. LINK and LINK)

Rowland and Craig find there are already dire predictions about what may be in store for the state: "Ohio being such a battleground, if there's any kind of problem, both parties and both candidates will jump on it with both feet," says Doug Chapin of electionline.org.

Thirty-one Ohio counties were eligible for new voting systems, but only four took the state up on its offer, after the legislature required paper records of votes. The fingers are already pointing about who is to blame.

Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell's spokesman: "We were ready to move forward with deployment (of new machines) in at least 31 counties, then the standards changed. Essentially, the law required a system that didn't exist."

State Sen. Randy Gardner: "I'm not disappointed in the counties for making that decision, but I am disappointed that counties were placed in that position. For a county to make a decision to move forward, knowing almost certainly that it would have to retrofit newly purchased machines in the future, is a tough call." LINK

GOPers from swingy West Virginia have adopted an "anti-abortion, pro-gun, pro-business, anti-taxes, anti-gambling and pro-death penalty," platform that they say will attract Democrats, according to Phil Kabler over at The Charleston Gazette. LINK

In light of the recent Supreme Court ruling, Arizona faces potential increases in pollution and border traffic now that President Bush is free to lift the moratorium on Mexican truckers. LINK

When Nevada voters step into polling booths in November, they'll find themselves looking at a very crowded ballot, with as many as 12 citizen petitions up for a vote. The Reno Gazette-Journal's Anjeanette Damon says this could set a record. LINK

Some of the initiatives are controversial. LINK

ABC New Vote 2004: the Senate:

The Miami Herald reports that Sen. George Allen's endorsement yesterday of Florida Senate candidate and former Bush cabinet secretary Mel Martinez in the close Florida state primary signals establishment support for the candidate and could give him a much-needed boost in the race. LINK

Politics:

Abby Goodnough of the New York Times brings her readers up to date on the Gore/Penelas/Deutsch/Graham dust-up in the Sunshine Sate. LINK

"Noting that Mr. Graham usually stays out of such squabbles, Susan MacManus, a political science professor at the University of South Florida, said his comments signaled the potential damage that Mr. Gore's statement could cause the Democratic Party here. The party has been criticized within and without for being disorganized in the wake of the 2000 election."

"'This is not the publicity they need at a time when the Republicans are becoming more cohesive,' Ms. MacManus said. 'Once Senator Graham steps in, you know it's serious.'"

The two Democratic U.S. Senators from Florida, Bob Graham and Bill Nelson, came to the defense of Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas -- also a candidate for Sen. Graham's seat -- who was attacked by former Vice President Al Gore, the AP reports. Sen. Nelson: "This doesn't help John Kerry in a state that is thought to be split right down the middle." LINK

After five consecutive weeks of discussion, Linda Greenhouse of the New York Times reports the Supreme Court has decided not to hear the Colorado redistricting case, handing Democrats a mile high victory. LINK

Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist and Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas wrote separate dissents, saying the court was wrong not to hear the case.

Still pending: a Supreme Court decision on Republican lawmakers' redistricting efforts in Texas. LINK

Andrew Cuomo and Rick Lazio are a political match made in heaven, reports Page Six. LINK

The Washington Post's Christopher Lee looks at one of the federal governments solutions for cutting down on the backlog of Freedom of Information Act requests: outsourcing! LINK

TODAY'S SCHEDULE (all times ET):
—6:00 am: Polls open in Virginia for state primaries
—7:00 am: Polls open in South Carolina for state primaries
—8:00 am: Iraqi Foreign Affairs Minister Hoshyar Zebari speaks to the Council on Foreign Relations, New York, N.Y.
—9:15 am: Sens. Don Nickles and George Allen, John Thune, and Rep. David Vittner speak at the Associated Builders and Contractors annual legislative conference at the Capitol Hilton, Washington, D.C.
—9:30 am: Sen. Joe Biden speaks at a Center for Global Development forum at the Capitol, Washington, D.C.
—9:45 am: The Senate convenes for morning business
—10:00 am: Attorney General John Ashcroft testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on counter-terrorism oversight at the Capitol, Washington, D.C.
—10:00 am: Federal Reserve Chairman sits for his renomination hearing before the Senate at the Capitol, Washington, D.C.
—10:00 am: The Senate Energy Committee holds a hearing on the price of gasoline at the Capitol, Washington, D.C.
—10:00 am: Reps. Zach Wamp and Chris Van Hollen participate in the Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus at the Capitol, Washington, D.C.
—10:00 am: The Senate Finance Committee holds a hearing on the "Medicare Drug Card" with Mark McClellan, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services among others, Washington, D.C.
—10:30 am: Lynne Cheney and National Endowment for the Humanities Chairman Bruce Cole unveil the new "We the People Bookshelf" children's book set at Freedom Park, Rosslyn, Va.
—10:30 am: Reps. David Dreier and Sander Levin debate differing political perspectives on the global economy at CSIS, Washington, D.C.
—11:00 am: Sen. Joe Lieberman holds a news conference to speak about airport safety at the Capitol, Washington, D.C.
—12:30 pm: The Democratic Policy Committee holds its weekly closed meeting at the Capitol, Washington, D.C.
—12:30 pm: The Republican Policy Committee holds its weekly closed meeting at the Capitol, Washington, D.C.
—12:30 pm: The House of Representatives convenes for morning business
—2:00 pm: The House considers resolutions honoring former President Ronald Regan
—2:15 pm: The Senate considers resolutions honoring former President Ronald Reagan
—4:05 pm: Sen. John Kerry arrives at the Burbank airport, Burbank, Calif.
—7:00 pm: Polls close in Virginia and South Carolina for state primaries
—7:00 pm: Atlantic senior editor Scott Stossel reads from his new book, "Sarge: The Life and Times of Sargent Shriver" at the Half King, New York, N.Y.
—7:20 pm: President and Laura Bush greet G8 leaders and their spouses upon arrival at a social dinner at the G8 summit, Sea Island, Ga. —8:00 pm: President and Laura Bush host a social dinner for the G8 Leaders and their spouses, Sea Island, Ga.
—8:00 pm: The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation presents its annual leadership Award to Sen. Olympia Snowe and the four co-chairs of the House Oceans Caucus: Reps. Tom Allen, Sam Farr Jim Greenwood and Curt Weldon at the Ronald Reagan Building, Washington, D.C.
—9:00 pm: Former President Ronald Reagan's body lies in repose at his Simi Valley library until this time