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The Morning Grind / Political Hot Topics |
Kerry offers states college aid
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 VIDEO |
 CNN's Kelly Wallace on John Kerry and the VP buzz.
 President Bush hails the handover of power in Iraq.
CNN's Barbara Starr on a Defense Department recall of reservists to active duty.
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RELATED |
• Kerry pitches education plan
• Schwarzenegger ups salaries
• In DC, hang up to drive
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Check out the links below to hot political stories around the country this morning.
AID PLAN: Presidential candidate John Kerry said yesterday that he would give $10 billion to states for higher education if they capped soaring college tuition increases, a proposal that would provide at least $150 million for the University of Massachusetts and other public campuses and give the federal government a role in setting student tuition for the first time.
The Boston Globe: Kerry offers college aid plan
MINORITIES IN COLLEGE: John Kerry pledged Tuesday to increase the number of minorities and women who graduate from college, particularly in math and science, outlining a plan that would give $10 billion to states that keep their college tuition's down. Starting his campaign day with a speech to a predominantly black audience - part of a recent effort by the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee to rally party loyalists - Kerry bemoaned rising tuition costs and what he termed a drop in America's technological leadership.
The Los Angeles Times: Kerry pledges to help minorities finish college
SCRUTINY URGED: Election officials need to have voting machines analyzed, provide more thorough training for election workers and carefully monitor the process to ensure the security of votes in the November election, a report released yesterday recommended. The report's focus is on Direct Recording Election (DRE) machines, computerized voting devices that have replaced punch cards and lever machines in 675 counties nationwide.
The Washington Times: Voting machine scrutiny urged
HEINZ WEALTH: Teresa Heinz Kerry, who inherited a vast family fortune and heads a billion-dollar foundation, said yesterday she would give up the money to have her first husband back. Heinz Kerry, a philanthropist now married to Senator John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate, said she wants people to judge her by her life's work and not the size of her bank account. She and Kerry married in 1995.
The Associated Press: Heinz Kerry says she became wealthy on 'a very sad day'
MIDEAST FREEDOM: President Bush on Tuesday delivered a wide-ranging speech extolling what he described as a rise of freedom in the Middle East and the Muslim world; asserting that the return of sovereignty in Iraq is a clear defeat for terrorists; and lauding Turkey as a model of democracy.
Bush: Iraqi sovereignty defeat for resistance
DECISION TIME: Sometime in the next month, John Kerry will face a tough financial question: How and when should he pay back the $6.4-million bank loan he funneled into his campaign late last year, when he was struggling for cash? Under the new campaign finance law, Kerry can draw on campaign funds to repay the loan, which was secured by a house he owns in Boston with his wealthy wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry. But Kerry is limited to using money the campaign raises before he is nominated at the four-day Democratic National Convention, which begins on July 26 in Boston.
The Los Angeles Times: There's no easy way for Kerry to repay campaign bank loan
CONVENTION FEARS: Municipal labor disputes hardly ever have national repercussions, but the contract dispute involving this city's main police union is different, because it has begun to bedevil the Democratic Party and could hurt John Kerry's hopes of achieving party unity in the presidential campaign. For many Democrats, the contract dispute is raising fears that the police union will picket during the Democratic convention to be held here next month and that thousands of delegates will have to choose between honoring the union's picket line or attending the convention. Those fears grew on Monday when Boston police officers picketed a meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors, and Mr. Kerry, the expected Democratic presidential nominee, decided to honor the picket line, angering some mayors who had crossed the picket line and were eager to hear him speak.
The New York Times: Democrats fear Boston police union may picket during party convention
MESSY DECISION: To detractors and even some supporters, John Kerry's decision this week to cancel his speech to the US Conference of Mayors because of a picket line was typical of how he makes many judgments: protracted, messy, and guided by self-interest. The other Massachusetts senator, Edward M. Kennedy, bailed out of the conference late last week, citing a scheduling conflict. Kerry, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, let his decision drag through the weekend, even as Mayor Thomas M. Menino grew angrier about a potential cancellation.
The Boston Globe: Candidate's decisions reflect a focus on long-term payoff
NADER CHARGES: A watchdog group said Tuesday it would file a federal complaint accusing two conservative organizations of illegally helping Ralph Nader's presidential campaign, possibly with support from President Bush's reelection campaign. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington planned to file its complaint today with the Federal Election Commission. The group said the Oregon Family Council and Citizens for a Sound Economy violated election laws last week by telephoning people and urging them to help Nader get on Oregon's ballot in November.
The Associated Press: Nader got GOP help, group charges
CAUTIOUS ARNOLD: He came to office as the antidote to former Gov. Gray Davis. But Arnold Schwarzenegger is making many of the traditional Capitol compromises, saddling the state with future budget shortfalls, appeasing special interests and inviting comparisons with the man he ousted. Nearing completion of his first state budget, Schwarzenegger is settling into a pattern. He plunges into issues one at a time. After defining the terms of victory, he stages lavish events celebrating another promise kept or deal struck. But in case after case, analysts see opportunities lost to political caution.
The Los Angeles Times: Gov. goes along to get along
KEEPING IT REAL: Al Sharpton, who failed in his last bid for a new job -- president of the United States -- now has a job on a reality TV show that guides people on career makeovers. Spike TV, the Viacom cable channel that targets a young male audience, said Sharpton will host "I Hate My Job," premiering in the fall. The eight male contestants in the show will quit their jobs and work with two "life counselors," Sharpton and California psychologist Stephanie Raye, who will give them advice and weekly assignments. A panel will decide which contestants will continue each week.
The Associated Press: Sharpton revs up a reality TV show
BREAK TIME: Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry is taking a two-day break from campaigning and will spend the time at his wife's country estate preparing for his party's national convention next month. Just four weeks remain before the July 26-29 convention in Boston, during which Kerry is expected to accept the Democratic nomination for president, and his choice for a running mate is much anticipated.
The Associated Press: Kerry takes break as convention nears
Compiled by Heather Riley
