Report: Military Tribunals To Return, With More Detainee Rights
The Obama Administration will reportedly announce a restart of some military tribunals at Guantanamo Bay, under revamped conditions with new legal protections for terror suspects. Detainees will have greater leeway to choose their own attorneys, evidence obtained through torture will be banned, and hearsay evidence will be restricted.
Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama will welcome the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team to the White House at 12:20 p.m. ET, at the South Portico. At 1:05 p.m. ET, he will meet with Sec. of State Hillary Clinton in the Oval Office.
Biden’s Day Ahead
Vice President Biden is in Los Angeles today, promoting the Recovery Act. At 2 p.m. ET, he will tour the Esperanza Community Housing Corporation in South Central Los Angeles, accompanied by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Rep. Xavier Becerra and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Deputy Secretary Ron Simms. At 2:30 p.m. ET, he will discuss how the stimulus program is supporting programs to eliminate lead-based paints from low-income homes. In the evening, he will return to Wilmington, Delaware.
House Passes $96.7 Billion In War Funding
The House of Representatives voted last night by a 368-60 margin for the Obama Administration’s requested $96.7 billion in war funding for Afghanistan and Iraq. There were 51 Democrats who voted against it, exemplified by this quote from Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA): “As the mission has grown bigger, the policy has grown even more vague.”
Axelrod: “We’re Better Than” Rove Comparisons
In an interview on National Public Radio, White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod dismissed any comparisons between himself and Karl Rove’s role in the Bush Administration. “I always reject that,” said Axelrod. “I would like to think we’re better than that.”
Corporate World Worried By Obama’s Barbed Words
The Associated Press reports that businesses are worried by President Obama’s rhetoric, such as his criticism of the credit card industry or Chrysler bondholders. “It is traditional class-warfare rhetoric,” said Jade West, a lobbyist for the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors. “It’s a little bit frightening.”
Torsella Drops Out In Pennsylvania Senate Race
Joe Torsella, the former head of the National Constitution Center who had been running for the Democratic nomination for Senate from Pennsylvania, has now dropped out in the wake of Sen. Arlen Specter’s switch to the Dems:
The big question now is whether Rep. Joe Sestak will mount a Democratic primary challenge to Specter, or if Specter will instead have an essentially clear field.
