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DNC Chief Stops in Florida to Revive Ailing Harris Campaign
DNC chairman Howard Dean gave a fiery speech in Florida yesterday, with at least one zinger aimed at Rep. Katherine Harris that’s sure to rile up her weary supporters in the GOP base. “This is not Russia and she is not Stalin,” Dean told a crowd of Democratic supporters Wednesday, comparing “Pink Sugar” herself to the infamous autocratic Soviet leader who was responsible for the deaths of millions.

That line gave the Harris campaign what’s sure to have been a refreshing change of pace — a chance to comment on how crazy someone else is. “The people of Florida know that Congresswoman Harris will stand for what is right and not respond in kind to such scurrilous attacks,” Jennifer Marks told reporters, responding to Dean’s scurrilous attack.

Congress Adds Funds for Fleeing Americans
“Congress voted Wednesday to spend up to $6 million to ensure that the 8,000 to 15,000 Americans fleeing Lebanon have transportation, medical care and lodging.” (AP)

GOP Argue to Take DeLay off Nov. Ballot
“Allowing another Republican candidate to replace former Rep. Tom DeLay on the ballot would promote the interests of voters by giving them a choice, GOP attorneys argued Wednesday in a filing to a federal appeals court.” (AP)

Proposal Calls for Tribunal-Style Trials
“Some Bush administration officials have drafted a proposal that would authorize the prosecution of detainees in the terrorism fight in trials modeled closely after the military commissions recently declared illegal by the Supreme Court, including provisions that allow the use of hearsay evidence and the exclusion of some defendants from their own trials, government officials said yesterday.” (WaPo, NYT)

Administration Wants Surveillance Changes
“As debate continues over the legality of President Bush’s domestic spying program, the administration pressed Congress Wednesday to ease decades-old surveillance restrictions to catch up to the technology of the Internet age.” (AP, WaPo)

Intelligence Chiefs Urge Easing of Spy Rules
“Three administration officials, including CIA Director Michael Hayden, appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee to press lawmakers to ease warrant requirements for the surveillance of al Qaeda suspects.” (Reuters)

Six Senators to Negroponte: Produce a National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq Now
“Last Friday, I reported that no National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) has been produced on Iraq for nearly two years—despite the fact that that situation in the country has dramatically worsened in that time. I was told that John Negroponte, the administration’s Director of National Intelligence, has been blocking a new NIE for fear that an honest assessment would be overwhelmingly negative and potentially embarrassing to the Bush Administration. Today, six Democratic senators—Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, along with Senators Edward Kennedy, Joseph Biden, John D. Rockefeller, Carl Levin, and Jack Reed—wrote to Negroponte to ask that a new NIE be produced, saying it is “essential that we have an updated assessment from the intelligence community on critical political, economic and security trends.”” (Harper’s)

House GOP Leaders Don’t Need House, Senate To Fix Earmarks
“House GOP leaders pledged Wednesday to impose their own new rules on money earmarked for special projects if the House and Senate cannot come to terms on stalled lobbying and ethics legislation.The leadership statement said the House would move immediately to implement earmark reform “independent of the ongoing lobbying and ethics reform discussions” after Labor Day, when Congress returns from its August recess. “The American people want meaningful change in the way in which Congress spends their money,” said the statement from Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier, R-Calif.” (AP, The Hill)

Specter Fights Against Signing Statements
“Judiciary Committee Chairman [Arlen] Specter’s [R-PA] bill would empower Congress bring to federal court lawsuits to test the constitutionality of Bush’s signing statements, which the president has appended to several bills he has signed. In the statements, Bush has reserved the right not to enforce certain provisions of laws if he believes they impinge on his authority or interpretation of the Constitution. Under the Constitution, Congress passes bills and the president may either sign or veto them, and give lawmakers an opportunity to override any veto.” (Reuters)

In Texas, GOPers Say They’ll Vote for DeLay — Even If He Doesn’t Want to Serve

“State Rep. Charlie Howard (R). . . said the Texas Democratic Party’s lawsuit to block the replacement process has backfired, overriding any disillusionment Republican voters feel concerning DeLay. It now has reached the point, he said, where Republicans will vote for DeLay if he remains on the ballot — even though some might not have, had he not resigned and abandoned his re-election bid. ‘I think he really doesn’t have a desire to serve,’ Howard said.” (Roll Call)

Two Held in Boulis Murder Seek Bail
“After five days of courtroom proceedings — stretching over six months — attorneys representing two men charged in the murder of gambling ship mogul Konstantinos ”Gus” Boulis concluded arguments to let them out of jail. . . . [James] Fiorillo, 28, and Anthony ”Big Tony” Moscatiello, 67, have been in jail since their arrest in September.” Adam Kidan, who purchased a casino company from Boulis together with Jack Abramoff, has said the triggerman died three years ago. (Miami Herald)

DHS Blows Billions on Bad Contracts
The Homeland Security Department has signed $34 billion worth of contracts that have been found to be wasteful or mismanaged, according to a new study. (Washington Post)

FBI Welcomes Latest Addition, A WMD Branch
“The FBI has hired Vahid Majidi, a chemist from the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, to run the new weapons of mass destruction directorate, Mueller said at a briefing for reporters at FBI headquarters. “I think it is fair to say that anyone who is concerned about the safety of this country and the future, their concern is weapons of mass destruction and particularly weapons of mass destruction in the hands of terrorists,” Mueller said.” (AP)

New Legislation Responds to Ports Uproar
“Legislation passed Wednesday would make it easier for Congress to watch over the federal panel criticized for deciding that a Dubai-owned company could manage some U.S. ports.” (AP)

House Panel Tries to Limit Tribal Gambling
“Indian tribes would be blocked from building Las Vegas-style casinos off their reservations under legislation approved by a House committee Wednesday.” (AP)

Navy Computers with Personal Data Stolen
“Two laptop computers with personal information on about 31,000 Navy recruiters and their prospective recruits were stolen from Navy offices in New Jersey in June and July, the Navy disclosed on Wednesday.” (AP)

McCaskill Hit with GOP Ethics Complaint
“The Missouri Republican State Committee filed a complaint with the Senate Ethics Committee yesterday against Democratic Senate candidate Claire McCaskill, Missouri’s state auditor, accusing her of breaking personal-finance disclosure laws.” (The Hill)

Investigation Cites Indian Trust Officials
“Officials in the federal agency that oversees American Indian trust assets had an improper social relationship with an accounting firm and pressured subordinates to give the firm preferential treatment, a government investigation found.” (AP)

Chamber of Commerce Launches Ad Campaign
“Anticipating a fight over votes from seniors, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is launching a $10 million television and radio ad campaign thanking mostly Republican lawmakers who backed the Medicare prescription drug program.” (AP, Roll Call [sub. req.])

CREW Files IRS Complaint against Anti-Choice, Abstinence-Only Orgs
“The complaint alleges that the organizations violated federal law by failing to report their lobbying activities. Federal tax law limits a public charity’s lobbying activity such that “no substantial part” of its activities may be for attempting, to influence legislation.” (CREW)


Government Slower under Open Records Law

“Federal agencies are taking longer to answer requests for records but provide fully responsive documents nearly nine out of 10 times, a congressional study says.” (AP)

Don’t Make Internet Gambling Illegal, Regulate It
“There is…a path between libertarianism and prohibition [with regards to gambling]—the mildly paternalistic approach that nearly all Western countries now take toward cigarettes. This model says that gambling shouldn’t be prohibited, but that it must be regulated—both to protect gamblers from themselves and to protect nongamblers from the externalities of gambling.” (Slate)

Abramoff Associate Gets Labor Donation
The nation’s largest textiles union donated $5,000 to Congressman Richard Pombo, R-Tracy, during a primary campaign that saw Pombo attacked for blocking legislation that some lawmakers said would end textile-worker sweatshop conditions in the Northern Marianas Islands.” (Tracy Press)

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