CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Bush will hold a news conference this morning at 10:45 a.m. ET, the White House has announced.

CNN's Shawna Shepherd reports the president plans a 10 minute opening statement that will touch on SCHIP, FISA, the budget, No Child Left Behind, trade, housing, the Mukasey nomination, and Armenia and Turkey.

Clinton was endorsed by Rep. John Lewis Friday.

(CNN) – Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton drew a direct connection to her husband’s time in the White House in a television interview broadcast Sunday, saying, “I want African-Americans to feel that, when I’m president, it’s another Clinton presidency.”

Her comments came in a taped interview with TV One’s “One on One” program.

The show was broadcast over a weekend in which Clinton won two potentially major endorsements in the battle for the southern African-American vote. Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia, chose to officially back her instead of Sen. Barack Obama on Friday, and she was endorsed by the Alabama Democratic Conference on Saturday

Congressman Lewis was one of the most prominent leaders of the civil rights movement starting in the 1960s.

During the interview, Clinton said that the African-American vote “is pivotal because of numbers and because of value. I personally feel African-Americans have to be much more involved, and I think it is great that we have a campaign this year with me running [and] with Barack running…. [H]opefully we'll get even more African-Americans to register to vote, to show up to vote, and [to] take part in the debate.”

The Democratic frontrunner went on to say, “I want African Americans to feel that, when I’m president, it’s another Clinton presidency. [W]e’re going to be doing everything we can to get this country to be on the side of…people who are working hard and struggling so that they can have a better chance.”

Author Toni Morrison once famously referred to Bill Clinton as America’s “first black president.”

– CNN Political Desk Managing Editor Steve Brusk

Rep. William Jefferson of Louisiana

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Congressman William Jefferson, D-Louisiana, appeared in a federal courtroom in Alexandria, Va. late Friday to watch federal prosecutors and his defense lawyers tangle over legal motions leading up to his scheduled bribery racketeering and money laundering trial.

Jefferson, who was indicted for allegedly taking bribes relating to business dealings in Africa, sat silently beside his lawyers as they tried to get some of the 16 counts against him thrown out.

"There can be no bribery if he was not engaged in official acts," argued his lawyer Amy Berman Jackson.

"The conduct may be reprehensible, it may be distasteful, it may violate House rules, but it does not violate a statute," Jackson argued. She said Congressmen use their influence to assist constituents all the time.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Lytle argued accepting things of value in exchange for using their influence is what the bribery laws are all about.

U.S. District Court Judge T.S. Ellis seemed unpersuaded by the defense arguments, but issued no rulings Thursday.

Ellis prompted chuckles throughout the courtroom when he gently admonished attorneys for both sides for referring to the $90,000 discovered in a freezer in an FBI raid on Jefferson's home as "cold, hard cash".

"We don't need to refer to cold and hard cash, the judge said.

Ellis said he would schedule additional pre-trial motions, but did not do so Friday.

As a smiling relaxed Congressman Jefferson left the courthouse he declined to speak to reporters or to indicate whether he intended to attend further such pre-trial sessions.

Jefferson's trial is scheduled to being on January 16 of next year.

– CNN Justice Producer Terry Frieden

Sen. Harry Reid predicted Hispanics will back Democrats in 2008.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – The Hispanic vote is key to winning Nevada in 2008, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told reporters Thursday in a conference call. And the Nevada Democrat predicted that this important voting bloc will back his party’s presidential nominee next year.

Reid claimed the Democratic Party’s outreach efforts to the Hispanic community, as well as the Republican Party’s stand on immigration reform will drive Hispanic voters away from the GOP.

Read the rest of this entry »

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (CNN) – Peering eyes and smiling faces greeted
Governor Bill Richardson on his campaign stop at a second grade classroom at
Smyth Road School.

Education led the Governor’s agenda: reading stories, speaking Spanish and
promoting arts in the schools. In between he answered a question from one
student on why he wanted to be President.

“I believe I can bring this country together, a country that is very divided
today over the war, over the lack of health care and over the immigration
debate. I believe I have the experience and the love for this country and
the ability to govern.”

His plan for healthcare may have got lost in translation, but when the New
Mexico Governor stated he would get rid of junk food in schools. A
monumental groan swept over the room. One eight year old saying, “I don’t
like that.”

Although the Governor’s classroom audience was below the legal voting age,
he found a way to ask for their support.

“You got to tell your mom and dad. More so than your friends,” he said
playfully.

–CNN New Hampshire Producer Sareena Dalla

Click below to see the top political stories making news across the country, compiled by CNN's Lindsey Pope.

Read the rest of this entry »

Rob Reiner has a new directing project.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Hollywood mogul Rob Reiner is taking his directing skills from the lot to the campaign trail.

After announcing his support for Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York, Reiner took another step to help her presidential bid by producing a movie for her campaign’s web site. The video, which was released on Tuesday, shows the legendary actor and director coaching Clinton volunteers on how to be more persuasive on the trail.

"No, no, you're not going to convince anyone with that," Reiner said to a female supporter making campaign calls. After grabbing the phone and lecturing her, she improved her performance and was able to get her message out.

Reiner announced in late September that he would officially back Sen. Clinton's presidential bid.

Reiner, the director of numerous box office hits, including "When Harry Met Sally," has been one of Hollywood's most politically active figures. He backed Howard Dean's 2004 presidential bid, but threw his star power behind Sen. John Kerry after he won the Democratic nomination.

Legendary director Steven Spielberg has also announced his support for Clinton.

– CNN Associate Producer Lauren Kornreich

Making News Today…

Clinton’s riding a high

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Last week, it was a major fundraising win, and now it’s strong showings in two new polls. Sen. Hillary Clinton is riding a political high less than three months before the Iowa caucuses.

The New York Democrat reported raising $27 million in what is historically a slow fundraising period, and all but $5 million of it can be spent in her quest for the Democratic presidential nomination. On Sunday, a new Des Moines Register Poll showed that she is leading her Democratic opponents in this crucial early voting state. And a just released Associated Press national poll shows that Clinton leads her closest rival, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, by 21 points.

Clinton hits the road Monday for her “Middle Class Express” tour across Iowa, and this week, the bus won’t be fueled just by diesel.

– CNN Political Editor Mark Preston

***

Obama: GOP doesn’t own faith and values

GREENVILLE, South Carolina (CNN) – After speaking to an evangelical church on Sunday in this traditionally conservative South Carolina city, Sen. Barack Obama said that Republicans no longer have a firm grip on religion in political discourse.

“I think it’s important particularly for those of us in the Democratic Party to not cede values and faith to any one party,” Obama told reporters outside the Redemption World Outreach Center where he attended services.

“I think that what you're seeing is a breaking down of the sharp divisions that existed maybe during the nineties, when at least in politics the perception was that the Democrats were fearful of talking about faith, and on the other hand you had the Republicans who had a particular brand of faith that often times seemed intolerant or pushed people away,” he said. http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/10/07/obama-gop-doesnt-own-faith-and-values/

– CNN South Carolina Producer Peter Hamby

***

Craig’s a Hall of Famer

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Embattled Sen. Larry Craig is under pressure to resign his seat, but back home in Idaho he is about to be honored for his “exemplary political service to the State of Idaho and the Country.”

Craig will be inducted into the Idaho Hall of Fame along with 11 other prominent Gem Staters on Saturday at a ceremony in Boise. http://www.ritzfamilypublishing.com/id_hall/Inductees.htm

His GOP colleagues had hoped Craig would have packed his bags by now after it was revealed he was arrested in June for allegedly propositioning a plainclothes police officer for sex in a men's room at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Despite pleading guilty to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge, Craig has maintained his innocence and sought last week to have his plea withdrawn. The Motion was denied.

Craig is studying his “additional legal options” and remains in the Senate much to the frustration of many of his fellow Republicans.

“It's embarrassing for the Senate,” said Sen. John Ensign of Nevada, who leads the GOP’s Senate campaign committee. “It's embarrassing for our party.”

– CNN Political Editor Mark Preston

===========================================================
Political Hot Topics
(Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country)

Compiled by Lindsey Pope
CNN Washington Bureau

FRED TAKES THE STAGE IN NEW DEBATE: In an unusual political season that seems to offer up a presidential debate every week or so, the Republican debate tomorrow is expected to offer something new: Fred D. Thompson. New York Times: He Can Act, but Can He Debate?

THE SECRET TO OBAMA'S MILLIONS: On a frigid day in early January, Barack Obama rode the three blocks from the Capitol to a nondescript, four-story, white-brick building where he had rented a Spartan office suite. Obama pulled out a folding chair and sat down with Julianna Smoot, the veteran Democratic fundraiser he had hired to raise the millions of dollars he would need for a presidential bid. Washington Post: The $75 Million Woman

CLINTON CAMPAIGN BRINGS ON CONTROVERSIAL ADVISER: Sandy Berger, who stole highly classified terrorism documents from the National Archives, destroyed them and lied to investigators, is now an adviser to presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton. DC Examiner: He's Back: Sandy Berger Now Advising Hillary Clinton

CLINTON'S POPULARITY ON THE RISE: Carol Levesque, a retired New Hampshire social worker, used to think Hillary Rodham Clinton was not cut out for the White House. Now, Levesque is an avid fan. LA Times: How Clinton Has Built Her Lead

CLINTON: " I’M GRATIFIED THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE REALLY COMING AROUND TO SUPPORT ME AFTER THEY REALLY GET TO SEE ME AS WHO I AM.”: Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said Sunday that Iowans who view her integrity and morality as weaker than some of her fellow candidates’ may be basing their opinions on false impressions. Des Moines Register: Clinton: Weaknesses in Poll Aren't Who She Is

CLINTON LOSES COOL WITH IOWA VOTER: Surging in a new poll, Hillary Rodham Clinton urged small-town Iowa voters not to prejudge her based on what others say – then demonstrated her sharper side by eviscerating a tough questioner in a testy exchange. NY Post: It Girl to Snit Girl

EDWARDS QUESTIONS CLINTON'S STANCE ON IRAQ: Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards tried Sunday to draw clearer distinctions between himself and U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York, including raising questions about her commitment to ending the war in Iraq. Quad City Times: Edwards Doubts Clinton's Passion to End War

EDWARDS RAMPS UP CLINTON BASHING: John Edwards has been taking rhetorical shots at Senator Clinton almost from the start of the presidential campaign, but three months before the first votes are cast, he is not quite ready to answer the chief question surrounding her candidacy: Can she win? NY Sun: Edwards Pulls Verbal Punches Against Rival Clinton

EDWARDS AND OBAMA LOG MORE MILES IN IOWA THAN CLINTON: At least for now, Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York leads her challengers in most of the closely watched measures of the Democratic presidential primary race: national polls, recent fundraising and media coverage. Chicago Tribune: In Iowa, No Stop Too Small

OBAMA FLATLINES IN IOWA: Today's Iowa Poll of likely caucusgoers will have them smiling in the camps of Hillary Clinton, Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson and Mike Huckabee. Des Moines Register: Yepsen: Campaigns Must Move to Derail Front-Runners

IRAQ, HOT TOPIC AT MUSCATINE STOP: More than 125 people — and two presidential candidates — showed up Sunday at Muscatine’s Strawberry Farms Bed and Breakfast to hear what political front-runners and their peers had to say about the state of the country and its future. Quad City Times: Muscatine gathering provides platform for presidential candidates

THOMPSON MAY PROPOSE LOWERING CORPORATE TAXES: Fred Thompson entered the presidential race hoping to be the candidate of choice for conservatives. But he has stumbled in early attempts to woo social conservatives, partly because he doesn't support a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Wall Street Journal: Thompson Turns to Taxes

"HE TOLD ME HE WANTED TO BECOME THE FIRST ITALIAN-CATHOLIC PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES": The year was 1963 and Rudy Giuliani was a lowly summer assistant at a Freeport, L.I., savings bank. Once the whistle blew, girlfriend Kathy Livermore recalled how they'd steal away to Giuliani's parents' home and he'd practice his real calling from behind a heavy wooden desk – making political speeches. NY Daily News: Giuliani Candidacy Sparks Pride Among Italian-Americans

OBAMA CALLS ON POLLUTERS TO PAY FOR EMISSIONS: Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama today plans to propose spending $150 billion over 10 years on new clean-energy programs, including proposals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to develop new energy sources, according to senior campaign advisors. LA Times: In Obama Proposal, Polluters Must Pay

"CALIFORNIA DRAFT GORE": State movements to draft Al Gore for a presidential bid are strengthening, with his fans from Iowa to California pledging not to give up and saying they are undeterred by the former vice president's insistence that he won't run. Washington Post: True Believers Refuse to Give Up on Gore

“A PREREQUISITE FOR WINNING THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE AND AL GORE HAS MADE A DIFFERENCE”: THE environmental campaigner Al Gore is being tipped as a favourite to win the Nobel peace prize in Oslo this Friday in a controversial move that could place saving the planet above saving people from war and conflict. The Times of London: Gore Tipped to Win Nobel

THE PARTY LINE OF "FLIP FLOP": Democratic voters generally place their distaste with the Iraq war close to the top of their priority lists. Democratic presidential front-runner Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) helped authorize that war back in 2002, so how is it that she has come to lead the senator from Illinois… Washington Post: The Inconsistent Waffle Factor

"CAUCUS! THE MUSICAL!": Inside a brightly lighted downtown theater, a group of actors gathered around a piano, their songbooks open and voices ready, waiting for their cue… Such is the nature of artistic direction at the first rehearsal of "Caucus! The Musical," an anthem to Iowa's role in the frenzied race for the White House. LA Times: Iowa's Political Song and Dance

97-YEAR-OLD GRANNY'S SENATE RUN HITS THE BIG SCREEN: At 89, Doris Haddock walked 3,200 miles across the country to draw attention to campaign finance reform. At 94, she waged a quixotic campaign for U.S. Senate against a powerful incumbent. And at 97, she will see those feats projected on-screen in a documentary. AP via New Hampshire Union-Leader: "Run Granny Run" Chronicles Granny D's '04 Senate Run

"THE LINCOLN BRIGADE": They called themselves "The Lincoln Brigade." Even as Democrats feared having to spend as much as $40 million for a bruising, bloody fight expected to drag on for months, this makeshift group of California Democratic operatives needed just weeks to pummel a Republican-funded push for a ballot measure that [would have changed the way electoral ballots are counted]. San Francisco Chronicle: State Dem Group Played Hardball to Kill GOP Election System Plan

GHOSTS OF THE PAST CARRY ADVICE FOR GOP: Barry Goldwater still has fans out there. "Let's grow up, conservatives. If we want to take this party back — and I think we can — let's get to work," the Arizona senator told the 1960 Republican convention… Washington Times: Goldwater's 1960 Advice Resonates for 2008 GOP

SENATOR WEBB'S NATIONAL SUCCESS DOESN'T RESONATE WITH LOCAL VOTERS: From the moment Jim Webb arrived on Capitol Hill 10 months ago, the Marine-turned-senator was more rock star than freshman lawmaker. Chicago Tribune's The Swamp: Virginia's Junior Senator Earns a National Name

WAXMAN WEIGHS OVERSIGHT TO LEGISLATION: Erik Prince, the former Navy commando who runs Blackwater USA… found himself in a packed congressional hearing room, raising his right hand as shutters clicked and television cameras rolled. More than anyone else, one man made it happen: Democrat Henry Waxman of Los Angeles. USA Today: Waxman Sinks Teeth into Watchdog Role

DEMOCRATS REACHING OUT TO REPUBLICANS TO OVERIDE SCHIP VETO: Representative John R. Kuhl Jr. of New York received just his second telephone call ever from his state’s Democratic governor, Eliot Spitzer, last week and was not surprised at the topic: children’s health insurance. New York Times: Democrats See Wedge Issue in Health Bill

PELOSI: "I PRAY FOR PRESIDENT BUSH ALL THE TIME, AND I PRAY ESPECIALLY HARD THAT HE WOULD SIGN THE CHILDREN'S HEALTH BILL BECAUSE IT'S SO IMPORTANT FOR AMERICA'S CHILDREN": House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Sunday that she prays for President Bush to change his policies “all the time,” and has specifically prayed for him to sign legislation boosting heath insurance coverage for children. Politico: Pelosi Prays for Bush to Change Policies ===============================================================
On the Political Radar:

Compiled by Lauren Kornreich
CNN Washington Bureau

* Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York, kicks off her "Middle Class Express" bus tour through Iowa with a speech on economic prosperity at City Hall in Cedar Rapids. After that, she rallies local activists with "Organizing for Change" events in Marshalltown, Boone and Ames.

* Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, talks about his energy policy at the Portsmouth Public Library in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

* Former Sen. John Edwards, D-North Carolina, heads to Iowa for a town hall meeting at the Prairie Trails Museum in Corydon. Later, he holds more town hall meetings at Central Decatur High School in Leon and Ramsey Farm in Mount Ayr.

* Sen. Joe Biden also travels to Iowa with campaign stops in Monticello, Vinton, Marengo and Tipton. Later, he attends a house party with Speaker Pro Tem Polly Bukta in Clinton.

* The Senate Radio-Television Correspondents' Gallery Daybook

* The House Radio-Television Correspondents' Gallery Daybook

Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colorado, held a press conference on the steps of the Iowa State Capitol Friday.

DES MOINES, Iowa (CNN) – Republican presidential candidate Tom Tancredo said Friday that if he were an Iowa resident, he'd sign a petition calling for the impeachment of Polk County District Judge Robert Hanson.

Hanson overturned Iowa's state ban on same-sex marriages in August. Hanson has since issued a stay on his ruling.

At a press conference on the steps of the Iowa State Capitol, Tancredo, a Republican congressman from Colorado, denounced Hanson, calling him an "activist judge."

"I believe Judge Hanson is flat wrong to say the state of Iowa, through its legislature, has no legitimate interest in the regulation of the institution of marriage," Tancredo said. "You might as well say the state has no legitimate interest in regulating the validity of commercial contracts or prohibiting prostitution or public execution."

"If a community cannot limit marriage to a man and a woman, how can it stop two men and a woman or three women and two men from declaring a communal marriage?" Tancredo continued. "If a child is just as well off with two mommies instead of a mother and a father, why is it not even better off with four momies or three daddies?"

He said the solution to the problem of activist judges in regard to this issue is a federal ban on gay marriage.

"If the Constitution needs to be changed, and in this case it apparently may need to be as a result of the actions taken by this judge, then there's a way to do it: it's an amendment process, and that's what I propose."

-CNN Iowa Producer Chris Welch

Related: Watch video from CNN Des Moines affiliate KCCI

Making News Today…

Craig says he's staying in Senate after judge upholds guilty plea

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Idaho Sen. Larry Craig said Thursday he will remain in the Senate and study "additional legal options" after a judge refused to throw out his August guilty plea stemming from a sex sting in a Minneapolis airport restroom.

Craig's lawyer, Billy Martin, said the three-term Republican has not yet decided whether to appeal Thursday's ruling by Hennepin County District Judge Charles Porter. And in a statement from his office, Craig said he was "extremely disappointed" in the decision.

"I am innocent of the charges against me. I continue to work with my legal team to explore my additional legal options," he said.

Under heavy pressure from Republican colleagues, he announced he would resign at the end of September. But he postponed that move while seeking to have his guilty plea withdrawn, and said his experience in recent weeks has shown he can remain effective as a senator.

***

A big New Hampshire fish about to be caught

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (CNN) — Kathy Sullivan is a big fish who swims in a small but very important pond, and she is ready to be landed.

The former head of the New Hampshire Democratic Party is a “prize political catch” well known for her grassroots approach to campaigning and willingness to get her hands dirty. Up until now, no presidential candidate has been able to win her backing. That is about to change.

Sullivan told me she is getting ready to get back in the game and is committed to helping her candidate win the Democratic presidential nomination.

“I am thinking, because we are getting into October, the election is three months away,” she said last week during a meeting at her law office. “So, if I want to have any fun in terms of getting involved in the campaign, I better hurry up.”

The timeframe? “Probably the next couple of weeks,” she said.   Full Story

***

An “Old Bull” announces retirement

(CNN) - Surrounded by cheering family members, staff and supporters, Republican Sen. Pete Domenici of New Mexico announced Thursday that he won't seek re-election next year because he suffers from a progressive, incurable brain condition that might prevent him from completing another six-year term.

"I had to consider whether I could, in good conscience, run for re-election and serve you as well as you deserve," said Domenici, 75, who made the announcement in the gym of an Albuquerque grammar school he attended as a boy. "I concluded it would be wrong to ask New Mexicans to support me if I could not pledge that I could ably serve another full term."

Domenici, first elected to the Senate in 1972 and re-elected five times, said he has been suffering for the last two years from frontotemporal lobar degeneration, or FTLD, a deterioration of brain tissue that can lead to personality changes, difficulty with speech and dementia.

While the condition has had "very little impact" on him, Domenici said a check-up in September showed a "slight" progression of the condition. He said the "erratic, unpredictable" nature of the illness prompted his decision to retire.

However, the senator said he is still well enough to do his job and has "no doubts" he can finish out the rest of his current term, which ends in January 2009.

***

Richardson has no interest in Senate seat

WASHINGTON (CNN) – New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has no interest in seeking the seat of retiring Republican Sen. Pete Domenici, a senior political adviser to the governor tells CNN.

“Gov. Richardson is running for the White House unequivocally, and we are going to be the Democratic nominee,” the adviser said.   Full Story

– CNN Political Editor Mark Preston

***

GOP candidates fight pork

WASHINGTON (CNN) - As frustration grows over what is perceived as a bloated federal budget, many of the Republican White House hopefuls attend a conference Friday to discuss how they would curb spending if elected president.

The Americans for Prosperity Foundation is holding a two-day "Defending the American Dream Summit," which will focus primarily on trying to prevent lawmakers from adding personal items to bills such as the now infamous “bridge to nowhere” in Alaska. The group said it expects 1,000 people from across the country to come to the nation's capital to try to end this practice.

Today, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback, and Texas Rep. Ron Paul, plan to address the conference. Arizona Sen. John McCain spoke to the group last night.

– CNN Associate Producer Lauren Kornreich

===========================================================
Political Hot Topics
(Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country)

Compiled by Lindsey Pope
CNN Washington Bureau

IOWA AND NEW HAMPSHIRE DELEGATES AGAINST PRIMARY LEGISLATION: Members of the Iowa and New Hampshire congressional delegations sent a letter Thursday to House leaders saying that Congress would be "overstepping its boundaries" if legislation establishing a presidential primary system were approved. USA Today: Iowa, NH Oppose Primary Legislation

MAGAZINE CHALLENGEDS IOWA CAUSUS STANDING: An article in the new issue of "The American Prospect" magazine says Iowa doesn't deserve its prominent role in nominating presidential candidates. WCF Courier: Caucus Digest: Iowa Doesn't Deserve Caucus Role, Media Critic Says

REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES FOR THE WHITE HOUSE IN STEP WITH BUSH OVER SCHIP VETO: The four leading Republican presidential candidates have aligned themselves with President Bush’s veto on Wednesday of an expanded health insurance program for children, once again testing the political risk of appearing in lock step with a president who has low approval ratings and some critics of the veto within their party. New York Times: G.O.P. Contenders Endorse Health Insurance Veto

REID TO BUSH: “WE’RE NOT GOING TO COMPROMISE": Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) closed the door to negotiations with President Bush on a vetoed children’s health bill Thursday, saying Congress already has given as much ground as it can. Roll Call: Reid: No More Negotiations on SCHIP

RUDY UNPLUGGED: So what should a mayor do? Just let constituents call his weekly radio program on WABC — the one called “Live From City Hall ... With Rudy Giuliani” — and whine and complain and get in his face without answering back? New York Times: Giuliani Pulled No Punches on the Radio

UP COMING VOTERS QUIZ RUDY: High school senior Kamal Mahmood and his classmates got a real-life government class Thursday from Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani at a town hall meeting. Quad City Times: Giuliani Holds Town Hall, Fundraiser in Illinois

CHRISTIAN RIGHT ONLY OUT TO HURT GOP IF RUDY GETS NOMINATION: Religious conservative leaders say they don't expect to win if they carry through with preparations to run their own presidential candidate next year. Washington Times: Religious Right Aims to "Hurt" GOP 

ROMNEY REACHES OUT TO EVANGELICALS: Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney has stepped up his efforts to woo evangelicals in response to the threat by some Christian conservative leaders to back a third-party candidate. Boston Globe: Romney Increases Overtures to Disenchanted Evangelicals

GIULIANI 9/11 RESPONSE IN THE CROSSHAIRS OF NEW CLINTON AD: As new polls put Rudy Giuliani and Hillary Clinton on a White House collision course, the former First Lady yesterday unveiled an ad that forecasts future attacks on the ex-mayor's handling of 9/11. NY daily News: Hillary Ad Hints at Rudy's 9/11 Weak Spot

VOTERS GET EMOTIONAL WITH RUDY: Boosted by his handling of 9/11, Rudy Giuliani enjoys the most "emotional" support on the presidential campaign trail, according to an unusual new study released yesterday. NY Post: Rudy Stirs Up Most Passion Among Voters

THE '08 GOD-O-METER: Wondering how often the presidential candidates invoke faith issues on the stump? Now, you can consult an online "God-o-meter" that measures and rates candidates based on their use of religion on the campaign trail. Des Moines Register: Iowa Ear: God-o-Meter Ranks Candidates on Faith

"WITHOUT HIS PERSONAL FUNDS, HE WOULD BE BROKE TODAY": Presidential contender Mitt Romney has retained his fundraising edge over his Republican rivals, despite a slightly larger haul by Rudy Giuliani in the past three months, figures released Thursday show. USA Today: Romney's Cash Lead Fueled by Own Fortune

THOMPSON SKIRTS HOT BUTTON ISSUES: He won't talk about religion. He only goes to church when he's visiting his mom. He lobbied for an abortion-rights group. On the campaign trail, he shrugs off questions about conservative hot-button topics like the death penalty and Terri Schiavo. The Tennessean: Conservatives Gamble, Take Fred Thompson

OBAMA: NO SURPRISES FOR SOLDIERS: American soldiers should not encounter unexpected war extensions, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama told a crowd of about 450 people here today. Des Moines Register: Obama: Give Troops Respect, Not Surprises 

OBAMA TO OPEN UP HIS WALLET IN IOWA: Barack Obama's hopes for the Democratic nomination hinge on getting hundreds of thousands of new voters fired up enough to actually turn out – and on spending a good chunk of his $80 million. AP via NY Post: Obama Hope to Surprise Clinton in Iowa

DEAN DONORS FAVOR OBAMA: Donors who made Howard Dean the Democratic presidential front-runner ahead of the 2004 Iowa caucuses have flocked to Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), helping him raise more money than any other White House candidate this year, according to a review of fundraising records. The Hill: Deaniacs Open Their Wallets for '08 Hopefuls

HILLARY LEADING LADY FOR HOLLYWOOD ENDORSEMENTS: IF there's such a thing as the Hollywood Presidential Primary, then Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is the clear favorite in the back-lot polls. LA Times: Cause Celebre: Hollywood Shifts Toward Clinton

HILLARY NOT ONLY THE TARGET OF '08 RIVALS, BUT ALSO THE MEDIA: Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has been criticized this past week for her evasiveness, dodginess, weasel words and shady connections — not only by her conservative critics but by liberal columnists and reporters. Washington Times: Liberals Slam Hillary Over Dodge Tactics

HILLARY'S $5,000 BOND QUESTIONED BY GIULIANI: Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani assailed Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton on Thursday for considering a plan that would give a $5,000 bond to the nation's newborns and suggested it could exacerbate immigration problems. Chicago Tribune: Giuliani, Clinton Trade Barbs

BILL TO RESTORE AMERICAN REPUTATION IF HILLARY ELECTED: If Hillary Clinton wins the US presidency, Bill Clinton will be given the job of repairing America's damaged international reputation, the former president tells the Guardian in an interview today. The Guardian: Bill Clinton: Hillary Wants Me to Restore Image of US
 
CLINTON SAYS HER GOP SUPPORT IS ON THE RISE: The New York senator said at a campaign stop at a Chicago steakhouse that she thinks her GOP support is growing around the country. AP via Quad City Times: Clinton Visits Illinois During Campaign Stop

IN INTERVIEW ELIZABETH EDWARDS QUESTIONS LIMBAUGH'S MILITARY SERVICE EXEMPTION: An Air America producer just sent over some transcript from an interview… conducted with Elizabeth Edwards, in which she questioned Rush Limbaugh's Vietnam exemption. Politico: Elizabeth Questions Limbaugh's Draft Deferment

LITTLE KNOWN GOP CANDIDATE IN COURT FOR DISORDERLY CONDUCT: Republican presidential candidate Robert Haines was more than two hours late yesterday for his arraignment in Manchester District Court on a disorderly conduct charge. New Hampshire Union-Leader: Candidates Arraignment Becomes Campaign Stop

REP WILSON EYES DOMENICI SEAT: Rep. Heather Wilson (R) will run for the New Mexico Senate seat that opened up Thursday when Sen. Pete Domenici (R) declared that he will not seek reelection in 2008, according to a source familiar with Wilson’s decision. The Hill: Wilson to Seek Senate Seat

“I FIND IT UNFATHOMABLE THAT THE COMMITTEE TASKED WITH OVERSIGHT OF THE C.I.A.’S DETENTION AND INTERROGATION PROGRAM WOULD BE PROVIDED MORE INFORMATION BY THE NEW YORK TIMES THAN BY THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE”: The disclosure of secret Justice Department legal opinions on interrogation on Thursday set off a bitter round of debate over the treatment of terrorism suspects in American custody and whether Congress has been adequately informed of legal policies. New York Times: Debate Erupts on Techniques Used by C.I.A.

CLINTON MAKES PLEDGE TO LIBERAL GROUP AGAINST TORTURE: As senior Democrats vowed Thursday to obtain secret legal opinions that the Justice Department allegedly issued to sidestep limits on harsh interrogations, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) became the last Democratic candidate to endorse a liberal group’s pledge against torture. The Hill: Clinton Last Dem to Back Torture Pledge

CRAIG VOWS TO STAY, BUT MEETS CHALLENGE FROM ENSIGN: National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Ensign (Nev.) on Thursday called for Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) to honor his original resignation speech and his personal commitment to Republicans that he would resign if the judge did not vitiate his guilty plea. Roll Call: Ensign Calls on Craig to Resign

VIRGINIA DEMOCRATS HEATED ABOUT BUSH SCHIP VETO: Looking for ammo for legislative elections, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and state Democrats are ganging up on President Bush for vetoing a health-care bill for children. Richmond Times-Dispatch: Democrats Knock Bush Veto

A NEW CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION?: Not content with calling for a new constitutional convention to update our 220-year-old charter, Virginia professor Larry Sabato is holding a convention of his own this month. DC Examiner's Yeas and Nays: Alito, Dole, Ferraro to Help Rewrite Constitution ===============================================================
On the Political Radar:

Compiled by Lauren Kornreich
CNN Washington Bureau

* Republican presidential candidates Rudy Giuliani of New York, Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, Fred Thompson of Tennessee, Sam Brownback of Kansas, Ron Paul of Texas and Mitt Romney of Massachusetts address the Americans for Prosperity Foundation's "Defending the American Dream Summit" where they'll talk about fiscal restraint and limiting pork barrel spending in Washington, D.C.

* Former Sen. John Edwards, D-North Carolina, campaigns in Iowa with town hall meetings in Cresco, Waukon and Elkader. In the evening, he attends a fundraiser at Upper Iowa University in Fayette.

* Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, continues to campaign around Iowa with meet and greets in New Hampton and Charles City. The Democratic presidential hopeful holds a town hall meeting in Mason City.

* Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona raises money and talks to the media in his home state.

* New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson heads south to Atlanta, Georgia to meet with the Southern Congressional Black Caucus and the Georgia chapters of Mi Familia. After that, he meets with local residents at the Varsity and delivers a speech at the Georgia Association of Democratic County Chairs Reception.

* Sen. Joe Biden, D-Delaware, attends a breakfast in Fort Madison, Iowa and drinks coffee at Cups 'n Cakes in Keosauqua. Later, he holds a town hall meeting with Henry County Democrats at Iowa Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant.

* Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colorado, holds a press conference in Des Moines to call for the removal of Judge Hanson, who tried to overturn Iowa's state ban on gay marriage.

* The Senate Radio-Television Correspondents' Gallery Daybook

The House Radio-Television Correspondents' Gallery Daybook

McCain said he is the only candidate fit to lead during a war.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, called the Democratic presidential candidates' plans to withdraw troops from Iraq "very dangerous thinking" and said Thursday he would send more soldiers into the war-torn country.

"Democratic candidates for president will argue for the course of cutting our losses and withdrawing from the threat in the vain hope it will not follow us here," McCain said in a speech to the Hudson Institute in New York City. "I cannot join them in such wishful and very dangerous thinking. Peace at any price is an illusion, and its costs are always more tragic than the sacrifices victory requires."

McCain said he is the only candidate fit to lead during a war, since he has actual battle experience. He slammed his Republican rivals and said that "tough talk or managerial successes in the private sector aren't adequate" to make tough decisions in wartime.

The GOP hopeful said he would increase the level of Army and Marine troops in Iraq and Afghanistan from 750,000 to 900,000, which he said would cost billions of dollars annually. He said he would also create agencies to deal with public diplomacy to improve America's image in the world.

McCain also criticized Columbia University for allowing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak on campus while banning ROTC, a college-based army training program.

"I fear for our future when terrorist leaders are welcome at our most prestigious centers of learning, universities conceived to strengthen and nurture the ideals of Western liberal political thought, and young men and women who volunteered to risk their lives to defend those ideals are not," McCain said.

– CNN Associate Producer Lauren Kornreich

WASHINGTON (CNN) – New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said if elected president he would decline the position of Honorary Chairman of the Boy Scouts of America because of that organization’s policy barring participation by openly gay males, he said at a Democratic presidential debate Wednesday night.

When asked if he would accept the position, Richardson said, “No, I wouldn’t, because I think as president I would commit myself, number one, that I will be a leader that prevents discrimination on the basis of race, gender and sexual orientation.”

Last month, Richardson angered gay rights supporters by saying at a presidential forum that he believed being gay was a "choice," but he later clarified that he misspoke.

Listen to the latest Race to '08 podcast.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - How will endorsements shape the 2008 presidential race? CNN's Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley and CNN's Dick Uliano discuss who has lined up behind Senators Clinton and Obama, in the latest Race to '08 podcast.

Giuliani, above, and Romney had some harsh words for the Iranian president Monday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said Monday he finds it "disturbing" Columbia University invited Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak before its student body. (Related: Iranian president speaks)

"He’s denied the Holocaust. He’s threatened the future survival of Israel,” Giuliani said in an interview with Maine television station WMTW. "I believe he’s even threatened at various times American interests, and he keeps threatening to develop nuclear capacity."

"So this is not even a close question. Literally thousands and thousands and thousands of people would want to have the right to go to Columbia and speak," Giuliani added. "So a choice had to be made, which seemed to me the choice would be made not to bring ... the leader of one of the governments that’s one of the biggest supporters of terrorism in the world. [I]t’s very, very disturbing and I think that’s why you see such an outcry against it."

Meanwhile, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, one of Giuliani's chief rivals for the GOP nomination, is out with a new radio ad Monday that calls on the United Nations Secretary-General to revoke his decision to allow the Iranian leader to speak before the body later this week.

"We should be tightening our sanctions against Iran, not welcoming him to the world stage, and I've called on the Secretary-General of the United Nations to withdraw that invitation," Romney says in the ad set to run in Iowa and South Carolina today and Florida later in the week. "What we should be doing is indicting Ahmadinejad under the Genocide Convention."

– CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney

Watch Obama discuss the Iranian president's visit Monday.

NEW YORK (CNN) - Sen. Barack Obama stood his ground Monday on his controversial remarks earlier this year that he would meet with Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

"We should never negotiate out of fear but we should never fear to negotiate," Obama said, quoting John F. Kennedy.

"Meeting with somebody is not tantamount to agreeing with them," he later added when taking questions from reporters after announcing an endorsement by the New York City Correctional Officers Benevolent Association in Manhattan.

Obama's toughest Democratic primary competition in the race for the White House, Sen. Hillary Clinton, criticized Obama earlier this year for saying he would meet with Ahmadinejad during a debate, called his comments irresponsible and attacked the Illinois senator for being inexperienced.

Obama also said he would not have invited Ahmadinejad to speak as Columbia University has done.

Ahmadinejad, who is in New York City to visit the United Nations, was invited to speak Monday afternoon at the university.

But Obama said U.S. schools have the freedom to make such decisions.

The NYC-COBA, the largest municipal prison union in the United States, represents 9,000 correction workers in the city.

– CNN's Katy Byron

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The Service Employees International Union — one of the largest and most influential labor organizations allied with the Democratic party — will be supporting Hillary Clinton, John Edwards or Barack Obama, the group announced Wednesday.

The SEIU executive board plans to meet with strategists from the Clinton, Edwards and Obama campaigns on Monday in Chicago. SEIU President Andy Stern said the union is satisfied with all of their health care reform plans, and is now in the process of deciding who is most capable of winning next November.

"We think these three candidates demonstrated they clearly stand on the [right side of the] issues that are important to us," Stern said. "And now [we] want to dig down on who is in the best position to win."

An SEIU spokeswoman said the union has not decided when it will make its final decision. The union has about 1.9 million members nationwide.

The SEIU endorsed current DNC Chairman Howard Dean's presidential bid in 2003.

– CNN Associate Producer Lauren Kornreich

Kerry said he could have "handled the situation without interruption."

WASHINGTON (CNN) - After a student was Tasered by police for trying to ask Sen. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, questions about the 2004 election, the former Democratic presidential nominee said he had "never had a dialogue end this way" and apologized for the incident Tuesday.

A video widely dispersed on the Internet showed University of Florida student Andrew Meyer, 21, dragged away by police officers after he asked Kerry a series of questions about impeaching President Bush and the 2004 election. Kerry had agreed to answer his questions.

"I believe I could have handled the situation without interruption, but again I do not know what warnings or other exchanges transpired between the young man and the police prior to his barging to the front of the line and their intervention," Kerry said in a statement.

"I was not aware that a taser was used until after I left the building," Kerry added. "I hope that neither the student nor any of the police were injured. I regret enormously that a good healthy discussion was interrupted."

Meyer was released from jail Tuesday.

–CNN Associate Producer Lauren Kornreich

Gen. David Petraeus.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York, praised Gen. David Petraeus Tuesday, as she continues to face heat from several of her Republican White House rivals for not directly repudiating a MoveOn.org ad that questioned the top U.S. commander in Iraq’s honesty.

"I have said publicly on numerous occasions, including at the last hearing, how much I respect Gen. Petraeus and his service to our country," Clinton told CNN's John Roberts on “American Morning.”

"I speak for myself,” said the New York Democrat when asked if she thought the ad, which ran in The New York Times last week, was out of line. “I am a very strong admirer of Gen. Petraeus and his record of service for our country and the dedication that he has brought to a very difficult job that many of us think does not have a military solution,"

Last week, GOP White House hopefuls: former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, and Arizona Sen. John McCain all condemned Clinton for not directly distancing herself from the ad.

– CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney

Compiled by Lauren Kornreich, Lindsey Pope and Mark Preston
CNN Washington Bureau

Making News Today…

* The day after unveiling her strategy to provide universal health care, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York, appears on CNN’s “American Morning” to promote the plan and tonight hosts a Web cast to discuss it further.

Clinton's proposal calls for mandatory coverage for all Americans, but allows people who are satisfied with their current coverage to keep it. The New York Democrat said she would stress cutting waste, improving quality and broadening access while promising to "do no harm to the parts of the system that are working."
Full story

* Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, delivers a major speech about his plan to provide tax relief for the middle-class and promises to simplify the tax code to eventually reduce taxes for working Americans. The speech takes place mid-morning at the Embassy Row Hilton in Washington, D.C.

On Monday, Obama provided a glimpse of the tone of today’s speech. "For far too long, our tax code has been so riddled with special-interest loopholes and giveaways that it's shifted the tax burden to small businesses and middle-class Americans," Obama said. "At a time when most Americans are facing stagnant wages and rising costs, that's not fair and it doesn't benefit our economy."

He added, "My plan will give a break to middle-class Americans, seniors, and the homeowners who are feeling today's anxiety and uncertainty, because I believe that we all have a stake in restoring their confidence and investing in their prosperity.”

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Political Hot Topics
(Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country)

AG CONFIRMATION IN EXCHANGE FOR DOCUMENTS: Two Senate Democrats warned Monday that the Judiciary Committee would delay confirmation of President Bush’s choice for attorney general unless the White House turned over documents that the panel was seeking for several investigations. New York Times: Democrats Use Confirmation to Press Bush

BUSH TO CHALLENGE CONGRESS ON NEW SPENDING: The White House in recent days told nearly a dozen Cabinet secretaries to send letters to Capitol Hill rejecting Democrats' proposed new funds for their agencies, escalating a confrontation between lawmakers and President Bush over domestic spending priorities. Washington Post: Bush Enlists Cabinet Officials in Fight Against Spending

DEMS STALLING ON OCT DEADLINE FOR IRAQ SPENDING BILL: Democrats are not expected to take up President Bush's war spending request until November, giving them time to calculate their next move and see if Republican support for his policies deteriorates.
AP via USA Today: Dems Expect to Delay Debate on Iraq Spending Unitl November

GEN. PACE: “ONE OF THE MISTAKES I MADE IN MY ASSUMPTIONS GOING IN WAS THAT THE IRAQI PEOPLE AND THE IRAQI ARMY WOULD WELCOME LIBERATION": The number of top generals willing to admit mistakes in planning for post-Saddam Hussein Iraq is increasing. DC Examiner: More Generals Confess to Mistakes 

AUTHORITY TO BAN BLACKWATER IN QUESTION: Blackwater USA, an American contractor that provides security to some of the top American officials in Iraq, has been banned from working in the country by the Iraqi government after a shooting that left eight Iraqis dead and involved an American diplomatic convoy. New York Times: U.S. Contractor Banned by Iraq Over Shootings

MURTHA: “AS SOON AS THE PRIMARIES ARE OVER, YOU’LL SEE REPUBLICANS START JUMPING SHIP”: Republicans will start abandoning President Bush’s Iraq policies early next year, once the GOP has settled on its presidential contender, House Appropriations Defense subcommittee Chairman John Murtha (D-Pa.) said Monday. The Hill: Murtha: GOPers to Abandon Bush on Iraq After Primaries

"HALL OF SHAME INDUCTIONS" HANDED OUT ON CAPITOL HILL: After Saturday's raucous antiwar rally near the U.S. Capitol led to the arrests of 192 demonstrators, police at the Rayburn House Office Building yesterday braced for a confrontation with protesters who showed up to deliver written rebukes to members of Congress who support President Bush's Iraq policy. Washington Post: In Hill Offices, Protest Takes a Subtler Form

MORE LAWMAKERS TAKE ON "FOOD STAMP CHALLENGE": Congressional ethics reforms has everyone on watch — cocktail wieners on a toothpick, OK; pasta with a fork, bad. But this week, three more Members of Congress will be partaking in the Food Stamp Challenge and abstaining from pilfering Congressional receptions for free food. Roll Call Heard on the Hill: Food Frenzy

MORAN SAYS JEWISH LOBBY IS PUSHING FOR IRAQ WAR: A recent book, "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy," claims the pro-Israel lobby played a strong role promoting the war in Iraq. So contentious do some find the claim that Barack Obama's campaign pulled an Internet ad when it wound up on the book's page at Amazon.com. Now U.S. Rep James P. Moran, D-VA, has come under fire for saying much the same thing. Richmond Times-Dispatch: Moran Now Blames Only Some Jews

"WE'RE TRYING TO KEEP PEOPLE WHO THE LAW SAYS CAN'T BUY A GUN FROM BUYING ONE,": Gov. Martin O'Malley's administration has quietly issued a new gun purchase regulation that requires prospective buyers to sign a waiver releasing their mental health records to the Maryland State Police. Washington Post: MD Mental Records to Be Checked In Gun Buys

CASINOS HIT THE JACKPOT IN MASS: Governor Deval Patrick, ending months of private study and public speculation, invited the casino industry to come to Massachusetts yesterday in a watershed proposal that he said will create 20,000 jobs and generate $2 billion in economic activity from three resort-style casinos in various regions of the state. Boston Globe: Patrick Invites Casinos to Come to Mass

BOXER GOES HOLLYWOOD: Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., took a guest turn on Sunday night’s episode of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Larry David’s often lewd, always discomfiting comedy series on HBO. DC Examiner's Yeas and Nays: Boxer Curbs Her Enthusiam 

LIBERAL GROUP GIVES A HELPING HAND TO CRAIG: Conservative Sen. Larry Craig got support from an unexpected source on Monday. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a brief in court saying the lawmaker's bathroom bust was likely unconstitutional. CNN.com: Sen Craig Gets Support From ACLU

CROWDS FLOCKING TO CRAIG BATHROOM: "Where's the bathroom?" That's the question camera-toting tourists in Minneapolis are asking as they visit the men's room where U.S. Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, was arrested in a sex-solicitation sting. USA Today: Sen Craig's Airport Stall Now a Tourist Stop 

GOP SENDING SUBLIMINAL MESSAGES?: Are members of Congress trying to tell us something with the “hold” music they use before conference calls with reporters? You be the judge. Last Wednesday, as callers waited for a conference call to begin from Iraq with Republican Reps. John Boehner, Peter Hoekstra and Peter King, they heard “Nobody Does It Better” by Carly Simon. DC Examiner's Yeas and nays: On Hold, On Message?

VEGAS VACATION ON HSU'S TAB: Members of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign staff got a nice payoff last year for their work to get her re-elected – a trip to Las Vegas funded by her fugitive former fund-raiser. New York Post: Hill Bill Footed by Hsu

OBAMA EYEING NEW TACTIC TO RAISE FUNDS IN IOWA: The campaign for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is using the Iowa caucuses in a new fundraising pitch, as the Sept. 30 deadline for the third quarter rapidly approaches. Chicago Tribune's The Swamp: Obama Campaign: 12 Bucks Buys 10 Lawn Signs

POLLSTERS SAY '08 RACE FLUID IN MD: Maryland voters strongly favor the nationwide presidential frontrunners, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, but about a third of likely primary voters of both parties remain undecided, according to a recent statewide phone survey. Baltimore Sun: Clinton, Guiliani Top MD Poll

KERRY EVENT GETS OUT OF HAND: A University of Florida student was tasered and arrested Monday when he attempted to speak at a forum with U.S. Sen. John Kerry during a question and answer session, university officials said. USA Today: Student Arrested, Tasered at Kerry Event

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On the Political Radar:

* Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, announces his plan to provide tax relief for the middle class in Washington, D.C. Later in the afternoon, the Democratic presidential candidate holds a "Countdown to Change" fundraiser.

* New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson addresses the Laborers' International Union of North America conference this morning in Chicago.

* Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney holds an online "Ask Mitt Anything" town hall meeting at Thrasher-Horne Conference Center in Orange Park, Florida.

* The day after unveiling her universal health care plan, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York, talks about it on CNN's “American Morning” and later in a Web cast on her campaign's web site.

* Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson meets with Florida Gov. Charlie Crist in Tallahassee.

* Former President Bill Clinton headlines a Hollywood fundraiser at the home of talent agency executive David O'Connor and his movie producer wife, Lona Williams, in Brentwood, California.

* The Senate Radio-Television Correspondents' Gallery Daybook

* The House Radio-Television Correspondents' Gallery Daybook

Michael Mukasey presided over high-profile trials on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Bush will announce Monday morning that he has chosen a former federal judge, Michael Mukasey, as attorney general, according to a senior administration official.

If confirmed by the Senate, Mukasey will replace Alberto Gonzales.

"Judge Mukasey has a wealth of legal and judicial experience and has a superb reputation for his fairness, intellect and dedication to public service," the senior administration official said.

Full story