The Note: Don't Know What It Always Was With Us
— -- WASHINGTON, July 1
NEWS SUMMARY
To review before the holiday:
Resolved and agreed to by the Chattering Class (which, again, doesn't make it true):
Matt Cooper's source is (or: "sources are") now sweating the bullets that Matt used to sweat; the Boston Globe will not take anything Governor Romney does at face value ever again; Ken Mehlman got more pleasure out of reading Ted Kennedy's fundraising solicitation e-mail celebrating Howard Dean than most Democrats who read it did; a functioning ethics committee is . . . . a functioning ethics committee; it would be darned unfair of any SCOTUS justice to retire right before a three-day weekend; the first four hours after said retirement are key to determining what is expected from the President.
Unresolved as far as the public is concerned:
If they will think anew about their Iraq war feelings in the wake of the President's speech; what all these recent Supreme Court decisions mean to their lives; if they are more afraid of being bitten by a shark or kidnapped; (still) when are gas prices coming down?; why the Democratic establishment thinks they care more about PBS and NPR than health care; will Brooke Shields' New York Times op-ed rebuttal cause more strange behavior from Tom Cruise?; the new Iranian president used to be a what, now?
Pending for the Chattering Class: Will there be any SCOTUS retirements in the next 100 hours?; where will more news be committed -- at the NGA meeting in Iowa or the DLC meeting in Ohio?; CAFTA; energy reconcillation; who gets invited to Terry Holt's wedding?
In the Oval Office today, President Bush meets with Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah at 11:25 am ET. The President then heads to Walter Reed Medical Center where he will visit wounded soldiers. He spends the weekend at Camp David.
Zalmay Khalilzad, newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, speaks on the future of Iraq at a 10:00 am ET press conference.
Today, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist will take a key Republican ally to task, sort of.
In a speech on the floor of the Senate around 10:00 am ET, Frist, a heart transplant surgeon, is expected to lay part of the blame for rising health care costs on the doorstep of the pharmaceutical industry and challenge its advertising and marketing practices. He is expected to announce a GAO investigation into the FDA's drug ad review process.
The industry, led by PhRMA, its trade group, is coming up with voluntary guidelines. Frist wants them to include a restriction on "consumer drug advertising during the first two years that a new drug is on the market." If they don't, and if the GAO inquiry finds the process lacking, Frist suggests he will propose new legislation to that end.
In the speech, Frist will propose beefing up the FDA's advertising review staff, He's also expected to call for better and quicker public access to clinical data and post marketing studies
His key line: "If drug companies don't clean up their act, Congress will . . . ."
Democrats will say that if Frist was serious about lowering health care costs, he could do more than call for a government review of the problem.
The Senate Appropriations Committee holds a hearing at 9:30 am ET to discuss funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Homeland Security approps are also on the agenda. The House, having passed an emergency $1 billion for veterans care (though not as much as the White House wanted, Notes David Rogers in the Wall Street Journal), adjourned.
Antonio Villaraigosa is inaugurated as the 41st Mayor of Los Angeles at City Hall at 1:00 pm ET.
RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman, DNC Chairman Howard Dean, and former President Bill Clinton travel to Little Rock, AR today for the 76th Annual League of United Latin American Citizens National Convention. At 3:00 pm ET, Mehlman speaks on Social Security, taxes, and Republican efforts to reach out to Latinos. Dean meets with Arkansas Democratic Party Hispanic Caucus members and Hispanic candidates before addressing the convention at 3:30 pm ET. And finally, Clinton takes the stage at 8:00 pm ET to deliver the keynote address and kick off a presidential ball.
At 8:15 am ET, Gingrich fans delight when the former Speaker of the House addresses fellow Republicans at a breakfast fundraiser. After eggs and bacon, expect Gingrich to mingle with the crowd and autograph copies of his latest book, "Winning the Future: A 21st Century Contract with America".
Saturday night, catch Live 8 on the ABC television network, and on Sunday morning, George Stephanopoulos interviews Toby Keith about it.
On Sunday, Young Democrats for America begins its convention in San Francisco, CA.
As Congress takes an Independence Day recess on Monday, Sen. Rick Santorum new book, "It Takes a Family," is slated for release.
Also on Monday, the Leadership Institute holds its annual picnic at Bull Run Park.
And voting ends on Monday for the "Hottest U.S. Senator" contest. The candidates include Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, Joe Biden of Delaware, Robert Byrd of West Virginia, and Evan Bayh of Indiana. In addition, organizers of the vote explain that Barack Obama was intentionally left off the list due to his "extreme hotness." LINK
Finally: we love the smell of charcoal in the air.
So. . . fire up that barbecue, load up the Springsteen and Mellencamp in the iPod, and set the DVR for that July 4 (8:00 pm) showing of The West Wing's "Jefferson Lives" episode on Bravo (LINK). While you're doing all of that, we're going to hang our "Gone fishin'" sign in the window and take our tackle box on the road to celebrate Independence Week.
While we're gone, you can always check out The Notes you've missed in our user-friendly archives: LINK
You can also catch up on your political planning with our exclusive and comprehensive ABC News political futures calendar: LINK
We'll be back on Monday July 11, 2005 and look forward to your reading us then.
Until then, have a fantastic Fourth of July recess.
--The Note
CAFTA:
A look at the Senators thinking of running for president in 2008 shows no surprises. It will be up to those candidates seeking the nominations from outside the Senate to use CAFTA as an intra-party wedge, should they choose to do so. Otherwise, it'll have to wait until the general election.
Republican Sens. Frist, Allen, Hagel, McCain, Brownback and Santorum all voted yea.
Democratic Sens. Clinton, Biden, Bayh, Feingold, and Kerry all voted nay.
A look at some Democratic Senators up for reelection next year in Red States: Sens. Conrad and Byrd voted nay. Sens. Nelson (NE) and Nelson (FL) voted yay.
And the Republicans running in Blue States: Sens. Chafee and Santorum (as Noted above) both voted yea. (Note too the Santorum/Specter split on the issue.)
The Wall Street Journal's Greg Hitt Notes that VPOTUS did interviews in Minnesota and North Dakota.
"Administration officials said the pact is tougher than previous trade agreements in requiring countries to enforce their own laws. In a deal struck earlier this week with Senator Jeff Bingaman, Democrat of New Mexico, the administration also agreed to spend $40 million a year to help Central American countries beef up enforcement of their own laws. But even supporters of the pact acknowledged it would have a limited impact on wages and working standards," writes Edmund Andrews in the New York Times. > LINK
Bush agenda:
The Washington Post's Peter Baker takes a closer look at President Bush's pledge to send $1.7 billion in aid to Africa, including $1.2 billion to combat malaria, and the surprised approval and grudging skepticism with which aid groups and critics greeted it. Some called the dollar amount a smoke-and-mirrors numbers game, but Bono's all for it. LINK LINK LINK
E.J. Dionne argues that President Bush needs to take his case for sticking with things in Iraq to a broader audience than his base. LINK Social Security:
For Senator Chuck Grassley and his Finance Committee, the upcoming national holiday will be a time for drafting national Social Security legislation (where the term "personal accounts" will surface) -- so declares Jane Norman in the Des Moines Register. LINK
Americans United to Protect Social Security, on the prowl to bury two bills to change Social Security, has sent out letters to 80 congressional targets demanding them to take a stand against the new privatization proposal. The letters, which will be followed by increased ground activism in the form of protests, press conferences, and vigils, are part of the group's recess lobbying strategy.
Recess targets, we hear, will be Reps. Shaw, Foley, Chocola, Beauprez, Nussle, Johnson, English, Ramstad, Weller, Thomas and McCrery and Senators Grassley, Snowe, Kyl, Santorum, Thomas, Crapo and Smith.
Congress:
Mike Allen of the Washington Post examines the system of checks and balances at its most intense, evidenced by the House's 231 to 189 vote to undercut the Supreme Court's eminent domain ruling by cutting federal funds to any city or state project that used the claim to force the sale of private property to clear the way for the building of developments like hotels and malls rather than public projects. House Republicans see the vote as a way to curb the court's activism, while Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi called it akin to nullifying a Supreme Court decision. LINK LINK
The House passed a 3.1 percent pay raise for 1.8 million federal civil employees as part of its wrap-up of nearly a dozen appropriations measures a month ahead of schedule, the Washington Post's Shailagh Murray reports, detailing the spending bills that have now been put to bed. LINK
.AP reports the unanimous House vote to put $1 billion toward veterans health care yesterday. LINK
And the House wants DC residents to be able to have their guns at home without worrying about making sure they're unloaded or trigger locked, having voted 259 to 161 yesterday to repeal some of the city's gun restrictions, the Washington Post's Spencer Hsu reports. LINK
AP reports the House ethics committee standoff has ended, but there's no specific plan in place yet to begin investigtations. LINK
2008:
The AP's John McCarthy looks at John Edwards' third trip to the Buckeye State since Election Day and includes some of the former Senator's advice for the 2008 nominee. LINK
"'It looks like the people of Ohio have been taken advantage of in order to help a buddy and it's been very costly for the state,' said John Edwards," reports the Toledo Blade. LINK
"'Whoever the nominee is needs to speak with strength and conviction for their core beliefs and have a willingness to fight for them nationally,' he said. 'For my own time spent here in Ohio, I think the two most powerful issues in Ohio today are the issue of the economy and jobs and what's happening in Iraq. Virtually every family in Ohio has had a friend, a neighbor who's served in Iraq.'"
Sen. Hillary Clinton on her CAFTA vote per the New York Post: "My vote to oppose CAFTA is one taken with great difficulty." LINK
Scott Greenberger of the Boston Globe covers Gov. Mitt Romney's choice to veto budget increases for teen pregnancy prevention and gay/lesbian programs. Romney says he was trying to be fiscally conservative with the Massachusetts budget and not thinking of presidential politics. LINK
In Scot Lehigh's Boston Globe op-ed on Iraq Sen. Joe Biden says Congress needs to be more aggressive on Iraq. "We have been irresponsible, there have been virtually no oversight hearings about what is going on in Iraq." Biden believe there should be monthly hearings to update and review the progress there. LINK
Sen. Frist and Sen.Clinton have announced that Sens. Enzi, Kennedy, Grassley and Baucus have joined them in their fight for legislation to promote health care IT and quality. Earlier this month, Frist and Clinton collaborated on the Health TEQ Act, bipartisan legislation intended to combat fragmentation, waste and inefficiency in the current health care system. The two Senators claim that recent innovation in and investment in health care IT marks a promising first step toward a "seamless, efficient health care system for the 21st century."
It seems that the person who wrote this story (LINK) needs to figure out why this letter to the editor (LINK) was necessary -- because it reads like the mother of all "expansions" to us.
Iowa:
The Iowa Family Policy Center has pledged its legal resources to defend a display of the Ten Commandments hanging in the state's Capitol, should a lawsuit arise. The group's statement follows an announcement this week from the Iowa Civil Liberties Union, which said the Supreme Court's ruling on a similar display in Kentucky "makes challenges more likely." A press release from the IFPC says the group's opposition stems from its commitment "to defending our legal heritage, including the Ten Commandments."
New Hampshire:
John DiStaso of the Manchester Union Leader reports that accomplishment modesty -- rather than vanity -- may account in part for New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch's current low poll ratings, but Granite Staters do feel they are in better (economic) shape than the country as a whole. LINK
Free Matt Cooper and Judith Miller:
Carol Leonnig of the Washington Post looks at how Time maybe saved Matt Cooper from jail time by turning over his Notes despite his objections, although special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald could still try to force him to testify even with the source revealed, and how Judith Miller of the New York Times still faces jail time as early as Wednesday despite never having written a story about the Plame case. LINK LINK
ABC News' Jason Ryan reports that today, it is expected that Time Inc will turn over Cooper's Notes and relevant materials to Fitzgerald.
Currently the lawyers are figuring out how to provide him this material, either in paper or electronically. One individual involved in the case said this is mostly in the form of e-mail correspondence between Cooper and his editors.
And ABC News' Ed O'Keefe reports that Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) has introduced a resolution in support of Miller and Cooper.
The Wall Street Journal's Squeo and Fields, in a article about the life and times of Mr. Fitzgerald, quote former DOJ communications director Mark Corallo as saying that the subpoena requests for Cooper and Miller don't meet the "criteria in the Justice Department for when to seek reporters' notes (sic) and sources."
Editor/Mr. Pearlstine gets minibio treatment in the Times. LINK
"Pearlstine got it right," writes the New York Post editorial board. LINK
The Wall Street Journal's editorial board wants to free Matt ad Judy but chastizes the "liberal" editorial pages for, at first, aruging for a forceful probe to punish the leaker.
2005:
The New York Times' Jim Rutenberg and Corey Kilgannon describing the response of the mayor to the Howard Beach alleged hate crime, write that "Moving quickly in an attempt to keep the attack from becoming divisive, Mr. Bloomberg made appearances around the city - at City Hall, in Queens and in the Bronx - in hopes of showing that in contrast to a fatal attack in the same neighborhood that roiled New York in 1986, the city had learned to confront racial violence and would not tolerate it." LINK.
"'The city cannot go back to the '80s,' said Mr. Sharpton, whom the mayor contacted personally late Wednesday night to discuss the attack. 'We think that the tone set by the mayor is good.'"
"His words came as welcome relief to the mayor and his aides. Mr. Bloomberg had briefly considered canceling his trip to Los Angeles and Singapore to lobby for the city's selection as the site for the 2012 Summer Olympics, but as of last night he was planning to go. Even though the mayor at one point cut off a reporter's question he took to be about politics - saying 'I don't think this is a good day for politics' - he and his aides were painfully aware that this is an election year, and racial incidents have altered the dynamics of at least two recent mayoral contests."
More Times coverage: LINK . and LINK.
New York Daily News City Hall Bureau Chief Dave Saltonstall looks at how Virginia Fields' response to the Howard Beach incident differs from that of her Democratic rivals. LINK. "The blistering comments, coming a day after a white teenager in Howard Beach allegedly clubbed a black man while screaming racial slurs, were by far the harshest comments by any of the mayor's Democratic rivals."
"They also were viewed as a clear effort by Fields to capitalize on her race, just as she did when fellow Democrat Fernando Ferrer said the 1999 shooting of black immigrant Amadou Diallo by white cops was not a crime. . ."
". . .Meanwhile, Fields' fellow Democrats mostly steered clear of any direct swipes at Bloomberg, suggesting that the mayor's quick response had already weakened the attack's potency as a campaign issue."
The numbers of homeless people and welfare recipients in New York City are on the decline, reports the New York Post's David Seifman. LINK
From Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire: "Bush remains relatively popualr in Virginia, where Republican Kilgore holds a single digit lead over Democratic Lt. Gov. Kaine. Republican strategist Chris LaCivita says public gloom over Iraq and Washington gridlock 'could potentially depress turnout' but adds Virginia Democrats appear more dispirited thus far."
Politics:
Once again, we'll let Jonathan Tasini dissect the Change To Win coalition's convention amendment proposals: LINK
The New York Times' Jim Dao takes stock of the GOP's African American candidate recruitments. LINK
The Washington Post's Paul Farhi looks at the controversy surrounding the study for Corporation for Public Broadcasting chairman Kenneth Tomlinson that monitored programs on public television and radio for "liberal" content. LINK
Matea Gold and Cynthia Cho of the Los Angeles Times have more details about the study and about Fred Mann, the consultant who conducted it. LINK
The Washington Post's Bob Thompson previews Bob Woodward's new book about Mark Felt, Noting that in his 1976 grand jury testimony, Felt nearly gave himself away as Woodward's secret source. And now we can all stage our own fake "follow the money" garage photos at 1401 Wilson Blvd., in Rosslyn. LINK LINK
Annie Gowen takes a first stab at it, and gives a heads-up about the Woodward-Brokaw garage walk-through set to air next week. LINK
The Washington Post's Rich Leiby uses tomorrow's Live 8 extravaganzas to examine celebrity involvement in politics, and how and whether it sticks. LINK
The Cincinnati Enquirer's Jon Craig writes, "Gov. Bob Taft vetoed a ban on stem cell research Thursday, defying Republicans in the legislature and outraging social conservatives." LINK
The Palm Beach Post reports the recent Florida Democratic Party audit ". . .found that Maddox, one of three Democratic candidates, had no direct knowledge of the flawed finances. . ." LINK
The Schwarzenegger Era:
"California entered the new fiscal year without a state budget for the fifth time in a row after lawmakers deadlocked Thursday over a tiny fraction of spending in a plan likely to exceed $115 billion next year," writes the Associated Press' Tom Chorneau. LINK
Comings and goings and weddings:
Grassroots Solutions announced two new additions to its Washington offices yesterday: AFL-CIO Deputy Political Director David Boundy and JoDee Winterhof, former political director of America Coming Together. The dynamic duo will assist the consulting firm in working with nonprofits, labor unions, and campaigns to organize grassroots efforts.
From the DNC's Josh Earnest: "Laura Gross announced to our staff today that she's accepted an offer to join the team at Blue State Digital. Laura's departure is not unexpected as her commitment to the DNC was just long enough to get Gov. Dean's new team up to speed here. Needless to say, we're sorry to see her go, but as you may know, Gov. Dean has had a long relationship with Blue State Digitial. So, Laura won't be headed far away."
Congratulations to Terry Holt and Cook Houser. As they say in the Holt family: mazel tov! LINK
Fun:
In today's New York Times, Brooke Shields responds to Tom Cruise's tirade on phsychiatric drugs and Shields's own use of them for postpartum depression. LINK
"If any good can come of Mr. Cruise's ridiculous rant, let's hope that it gives much-needed attention to a serious disease. Perhaps now is the time to call on doctors, particularly obstetricians and pediatricians, to screen for postpartum depression. After all, during the first three months after childbirth, you see a pediatrician at least three times. While pediatricians are trained to take care of children, it would make sense for them to talk with new mothers, ask questions and inform them of the symptoms and treatment should they show signs of postpartum depression."