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Obama Privately Calls Kanye West A Jackass; ABC Apologizes For Publishing It
During an interview with CNBC, President Obama called Kanye West a “jackass” for his behavior at the MTV Video Music Awards — which ABC News then published on Twitter, even though that was intended to have been an off-the-record comment. ABC has now apologized: “This was done before our editorial process had been completed. That was wrong. We apologize to the White House and CNBC and are taking steps to ensure that it will not happen again.”

Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama will depart form the White House at 9 a.m. ET, arriving at 10:15 a.m. ET at Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Ohio. At 10:40 a.m. ET, he will host a roundtable discussion with workers at the Lordstown Complex General Motors Plant in Warren, Ohio, and he will deliver remarks on the economy at 11:10 a.m. ET. He will depart from Warren at 11:50 a.m. ET, arriving at 12:20 p.m. ET in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He will speak at 1:40 p.m. ET at the AFL-CIO Convention, then leave at 2:45 p.m. ET for Philadelphia. At 4:10 p.m. ET, he will speak at a fundraiser for Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA), and also at another Specter fundraiser at 6 p.m. ET. He will depart form Philadelphia International Airpot at 6:55 p.m. ET, arriving back at the White House at 7:55 p.m. ET.

Biden Visiting Baghdad For Third Time This Year
Vice President Biden has arrived in Baghdad — his third visit to Iraq this year — to meet with Iraqi leaders and urge political reconciliation, and also to meet with American troops. He will also meet with members of the United Nations mission in the country.

House Set To Vote For Disapproval Of Joe Wilson
House Democrats are set to move a resolution of disapproval against Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), for his “You lie!” outburst during President Obama’s speech to Congress last week. House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) has already announced that he opposes the motion, and Wilson has refused to make an apology to House for the breach of decorum, saying that his apology to the White House was sufficient.

Senate Cuts Off Money For ACORN
The Senate has voted 83-7 to bar ACORN from receiving funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, in the wake of ACORN workers having been caught on tape giving advice to conservative activists disguised as pimps and prostitutes. “This is a strong message by the Senate, and I hope this vote, which rises above partisanship to do what is right, becomes the rule rather than the exception,” said Sen. Mike Johanns (R-NE), the main sponsor of the amendment. “I will continue to work to see that Americans’ tax dollars will not go to support fraudulent organizations or activities.”

GOP Watching VA-GOV Race, As Preview For 2010 In Key House Seats
Roll Call reports that Republicans are looking to this year’s Virginia gubernatorial race as something of a test run for 2010, in their efforts to take on Democratic Congressmen Rick Boucher and Tom Perriello. “If we get … to the Bush 2000 number in those regions then we will have ‘bounced back’ in our base areas,” said an unnamed House GOP strategist. “That’s the first step toward getting healthy.”

Senate Renames Caucus Room For Kennedy Brothers
The Senate has renamed the Caucus Room in the Russell Senate Office Building — which hosted such historic events as the Teapot Dome and McCarthy hearings — the Kennedy Caucus Room. Sens. Chris Dodd (D-CT) and John Kerry (D-MA) had proposed renaming the room in honor of Ted Kennedy, but the new designation is instead in honor of all three Kennedy brothers who served in the Senate.

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