Crisis in the Middle East

Maura Harty, assistant secretary of Consular Affairs, said in an interview on CNN's American Morning that the U.S. is taking steps to help U.S. citizens leave Lebanon and noted that the U.S. Navy and commercial ships were heading to the region. So far, a few Americans have left the country with U.S. assistance, but Harty urged Americans in Lebanon not to gather outside the U.S. embassy in Beirut for their own safety. Instead, she instructed Americans to e-mail the State Department or call the embassy directly to tell U.S. officials of their location. The latest State Department bulletin, as of 10:10 a.m. ET.

Frustration by world leaders at the situation was apparent when a live microphone caught President Bush using an expletive in discussing it with British Prime Minister Tony Blair at the G8 Summit. Bush was speaking specifically about trying to get U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to do more to end the conflict.

"See the irony is what they need to do is get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this s--- and it's over," Bush is overheard saying to Blair.

Earlier in the day, Blair and Annan called for the deployment of an international force in southern Lebanon, in order to end the spiraling conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

Tune into CNN throughout the day for the latest in this story.

Stem Cells: Setting up a presidential veto

The Senate is expected to approve a measure this week that would allow federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, setting up what is likely to be President Bush's first veto. The House has already passed legislation lifting the funding restriction that was put in place by Bush five years ago.

The President opposes federal funding for this research, because he says it is akin to destroying life. Still, a majority of House members and senators support it, although it is not known if there are enough votes to override a Bush veto. Sen. Trent Lott (R-Mississippi), a social conservative, told Wolf Blitzer on CNN's Late Edition that he would support the bill, but predicted there were enough votes in the House to sustain Bush's veto.

"But there is a real (feeling) that there's a need to do something here," Lott said on Sunday. "I believe something could be worked out. Something could have already been worked out. Now, I think the Congress has to go ahead and act, and then we'll take it from there."

And Lott said he isn't worried about potential backlash from the social conservatives, who are angry at him for voting in favor of the measure.

"Look ... you have to do the right thing as best you can see it," he said. "And if you do, I think people will understand. Some will disagree with the vote. To me, it's quite simple, where you have an opportunity here to make use of these stem cells that would be destroyed, to see if you can use it to help save life. To me, that is the pro-life position."

The stem cell debate has become an issue in the Missouri Senate race where Sen. Jim Talent (R) has come out against an upcoming ballot initiative that supports the procedure. His Democratic challenger, Claire McCaskill, criticized Bush in the Democratic Party's weekly radio address on Saturday for issuing the veto threat.

The Senate begins debate at 12:30 p.m. ET on three separate stem cell measures:H.R. 810; S.2754; and S.3504.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tennessee) is hoping to wrap up debate by the close of business Tuesday and the House GOP leadership has indicated they are prepared to hold a vote to override or more likely sustain Bush's veto this week.

The House will also take up two measures this week that Republicans hope will help energize the party's base. The House is expected to vote on a constitutional amendment that would ban same sex marriages as well as an amendment to protect the Pledge of Allegiance.

Bayh's 'middle class' '08 strategy

Sounding more and more like a presidential candidate, Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Indiana) will criticize his fellow Democrats today for losing touch with middle class Americans, in back-to-back speeches to be delivered in Washington and Iowa. The Indiana Democrat will also warn his party that failure to reconnect with middle class voters will result in huge electoral problems in November and beyond.

"We may consider ourselves the party of the middle class, but too many middle class Americans no longer consider us their party," Bayh will say, according to excerpts of his remarks made available by his office. "They have left the Democratic Party in droves -- costing us the last two presidential elections and the last six Congressional elections, and if we don't learn some lessons, we'll lose in 2006 and 2008 as well. We must not let that happen, because the middle class is more than a source of votes for my party, it is a fundamental part of who we are as Democrats and Americans."

"So I offer this advice to my fellow Democrats: without an agenda that speaks directly to the Middle Class and all who aspire to it, we are no longer the Party of Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy, and Clinton. And we will not be a majority party," he will say.

Bayh will also address the 2008 question, saying he hasn't "made a final decision" on running for president.

"But if I do run, creating opportunity for middle class Americans will be a centerpiece of my campaign," Bayh will say. "It's a message I will take across America on behalf of other candidates this fall."

Frist's legacy

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tennessee) is learning that it is nearly impossible to run the Senate at the same time exploring a White House bid. Every decision, utterance and move is scrutinized by Democrats as well as his potential GOP rivals for the Republican presidential nomination. To say Frist has had some major stumbles in the past two years would be an understatement. But one thing Frist is intent on doing is not going out a loser. When he retires at the end of the year, the Tennessee Republican wants to make sure he hands a majority over to his successor, a source close to Frist tells the Grind. (At this point it looks like Senate Majority Whip Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) will be that person).

In the short term, holding onto the majority could perhaps give Frist's presidential campaign a much needed jolt as he heads out the door. In the long term, maintaining the majority ensures he would not go down in history as having squandered a five seat advantage.

"The most important thing is that he is majority leader and he wants to turn over a majority," the source close to Frist said.

Last week, Frist sent out an e-mail to his political supporters urging them to support three GOP senate candidates: state Sen. Tom Kean (N.J.), Rep. Mark Kennedy (Minnesota), and business executive Mike McGavick (Washington). Frist also criticized Democrats for abandoning the principles of Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy with ideas being promoted by Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean and Sen. John Kerry (D-Massachusetts).

"The truth is that an extreme liberalism has seized the Democratic Party," Frist wrote. "Given such extremism from my colleagues across the aisle, how can we move America forward?"

Helping these candidates in their races this year has the dual benefit of possible reciprocation should Frist take the plunge and decide to seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2008.

DAYAHEAD/Events making news today

POLITICAL HOT TOPICS

Compiled by CNN's Stephen Bach

"THEY NEED "TO GET SYRIA TO GET HEZBOLLAH TO STOP DOING THIS S---": A candid, lunch-table conversation between President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair in Russia today, peppered with an expletive from Bush, was captured on tape [in St. Petersburg]. Blair also offered a candid assessment of his own limitations. Bush, unaware that his remarks were being recorded through an open microphone at lunch in Russian President Vladimir Putin's palace, candidly voiced frustration about the conflict in the Middle East. He has blamed the militant arm of Hezbollah, a group backed by Iran and Syria, for the violence. "See, the irony is that what they need to do is to get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this s---, and it's over," Bush told Blair during their discussion. Chicago Tribune's "Swamp": Frank talk: Bush and Blair

10 MORE YEARS IN IRAQ? U.S. war commanders think some level of American forces will be needed in Iraq until 2016 and those forces will receive continued support from the vast majority of Iraqis. At the tactical level, the U.S. is getting better at detecting deadly improvised explosive devices (IEDs), especially using unmanned spy planes. But the enemy is growing more sophisticated. A raid on an IED factory earlier this year netted two bomb-makers who hold master's degrees in chemistry and physics -- from U.S. colleges. These were among the points made by Iraq war commanders at a closed-door conference last spring at Fort Carson, Colo., home to the 7th Infantry Division. Maj. Gen. Robert W. Mixon Jr., the division's commander, invited scores of retired generals and admirals in the Fort Carson area to hear the commanders and give them feedback. Washington Times: Military leaders foresee Iraq exit in 2016

DEMOCRACY ALLIANCE GIVES MILLIONS FROM SECRET DONORS: An alliance of nearly a hundred of the nation's wealthiest donors is roiling Democratic political circles, directing more than $50 million in the past nine months to liberal think tanks and advocacy groups in what organizers say is the first installment of a long-term campaign to compete more aggressively against conservatives. A year after its founding, Democracy Alliance has followed up on its pledge to become a major power in the liberal movement. It has lavished millions on groups that have been willing to submit to its extensive screening process and its demands for secrecy... The alliance has required organizations that receive its endorsement to sign agreements shielding the identity of donors. Public interest groups said the alliance represents a large source of undisclosed and unaccountable political influence. Washington Post: A New Alliance Of Democrats Spreads Funding

"NO PROGRESS" ANNOUNCED, BUT ETHICS PANEL KEEPS "PLENTY BUSY": It has been nearly two months since the House ethics panel began probes into the conduct of several lawmakers, but no progress has been announced. The surfacing of a bevy of other scandals may not seem to have the attention of the secretive oversight committee, but its work is quietly humming along this summer. Members of the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct are following recent news reports suggesting misconduct by House members from both parties and are working either in tandem with or parallel to Justice Department investigations. Panel members are "plenty busy," said one source close to the committee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Washington Times: House ethics panel keeping 'busy' with scandals

DEM PUSH FOR HIGHER WAGE "LOOKS AS IF IT COULD BEAR FRUIT": House Democrats' election-year persistence in trying to force a vote on raising the federal minimum wage for the first time in almost a decade looks as if it could bear fruit. The Democrats have seized on the issue, which polls show is overwhelmingly popular with voters, as a building block in their effort to retake both houses of Congress in November. Their effort in Washington is moving forward as organizers in several states push ballot initiatives for the fall election to adopt or increase state minimum wages, measures that the Democrats hope could boost turnout of voters likely to lean their way... Republican leaders in both houses of Congress oppose an increase, saying that mandating a higher minimum wage would hurt low-wage workers by destroying their jobs. They also say the Democrats are engaged in a cynical election-year ploy. San Francisco Chronicle: Democrats hope minimum wage push pays off

CONGRESS TO HOLD STEM CELL DEBATE; BUSH VOWS TO VETO: Congress embarks this week on the weightiest of debates on morality and the march of science, deciding whether to use public money for embryonic stem cell research and, in turn, setting up President Bush's first veto. Neither the House nor Senate has demonstrated enough support for the bill to override a veto, though the House probably will try, just to give Bush a definitive victory in the showdown. Supporters of the research hold out faint hope that Bush, presented with new data and pressured by election-year politics, might reverse course and sign the bill. "This would be his first veto in six years, on something that the vast majority of the public supports," said Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. "What would come down on him would be all the scientists, all the Nobel laureates and everyone else who supports it." AP via Yahoo! News: Congress faces debate on stem cell bill

WILL BUSH SPEAK TO NAACP? These days, civil rights leaders are struggling to be heard. NAACP chairman Julian Bond has been trying, to no avail, to get the attention of one leader in particular: President Bush. Bond opened the NAACP's annual convention Sunday by criticizing the war in Iraq and pushing for voting protections, but he also had a message for Bush. "This year the convention has come to the president and we hope and pray he is coming to us," Bond said at the Washington Convention Center, about a mile from the White House. Bond has invited Bush to six conventions. Bush has avoided the gatherings since taking office in 2001, making him the first sitting president in decades not to have spoken to the group. His schedule for Wednesday lists an event with the notation "TBA," or to be announced. AP via Yahoo! News: NAACP invites Bush to annual conference

PELOSI WON'T PAY TRIBUTE TO DeLAY, CUNNINGHAM: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is refusing to take part in an event Wednesday night that will include a tribute to former Reps. Tom DeLay (R-Texas) and Duke Cunningham (R-Calif.), saying the two men "have dishonored the House" and "are unfit to be honored for their service." But former Rep. Ronald Sarasin (R-Conn.), president of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society, which is holding Wednesday's tribute, said that DeLay would remain among the list of those whose names are publicly read out during the event. Sarasin said he was willing to skip any mention of Cunningham, who is now serving time in prison for crimes committed in a wide-ranging bribery scandal. But Sarasin said he would not do the same for DeLay. Roll Call: Pelosi Blasts Citations of DeLay, Cunningham

FEW PAYING ATTENTION TO PRIMARIES: Halfway through this year's primary season, voters are showing little interest in picking candidates for the Nov. 7 elections that will determine control of Congress and elect more than one-third of the nation's governors. Twenty-five states held primaries through June 27. Sixteen of the 22 states that have certified figures or provided estimates to USA TODAY recorded voter turnout lower than 2002, the last national election that wasn't in a presidential year. Some experts worry that a voter boycott of primaries could result in politics being dominated by single-issue special-interest groups. "The higher the turnout, the more representative an election is," says Rhodes Cook, publisher of a non-partisan political newsletter. "The lower the turnout, the more the election is likely to reflect a wing of a party or an ideology." Turnout hasn't cracked 40% in any state.USA Today: Growing number of voters ignore primary elections

REED SLAMMED FOR JACK CONNECTIONS IN FINAL LEG OF GA LT GOV PRIMARY: With the primary race for lieutenant governor down to its final 72 hours, Republican candidates Ralph Reed and Casey Cagle went after each other in their final televised debate. As in previous debates, both struck heavy blows. Time and again, Cagle referred to Reed's association with Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who has pleaded guilty to corruption. Reed replied in kind, questioning Cagle's stance on private property rights and controls on immigration. Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Cagle, Reed trade blows in final TV slugfest

LIEBERMAN REACHES OUT TO BLACK BASE: Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman came to Beulah Heights Church Sunday to reconnect with an old friend, Bishop Theodore L. Brooks, and an old constituency, African American voters. Lieberman, an observant Jew who marched for civil rights in Mississippi in 1963, spoke easily from the pulpit about faith, scripture and common cause with people of color. "We have to have a partnership, the government and places of faith. America is a faith-based institution, isn't it?" Lieberman said. As he spoke, congregants repeatedly murmured, "Amen!" Hartford Courant: Back To His Voter Base

BIG DIG "CRISIS" SHIFTS TONE OF MA GOV RACE: This was not how Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey was intending to spend her summer. After four years as a loyal second in command, she was hoping to step out of the governor's shadow as the Republican gubernatorial nominee, while he explored a presidential run. But in the past week, when she has appeared in public, she has mostly been standing behind the man who is in charge: Governor Mitt Romney. Healey said she has been working on the Big Dig crisis... [Tufts PoliSci professor Jeffrey] Berry said that Thomas F. Reilly, a Democrat, might find himself in the most enviable position, at least in the short term. As attorney general, his job is to find out who, if anyone, can be held responsible for the falling tiles. Boston Globe: Big Dig crisis tests candidates

AR'S WIN ROCKEFELLER DIES: Lt. Gov. Win Rockefeller, an unassuming billionaire who inherited his father's philanthropic spirit and hoped to follow him to the governor's office, died after unsuccessful treatments for a blood disorder. He was 57. Rockefeller abandoned his gubernatorial campaign after being diagnosed last July with an unclassified myeloproliferative disorder that can lead to leukemia. Two bone-marrow transplants failed to cure it. "Win could have lived anywhere and done anything, but he chose to give himself to the state both as a public servant and as a philanthropist," said state Senate President Jim Argue, a Democrat. AP via Yahoo! News: Arkansas Lt. Gov. Win Rockefeller dies

TED'S TUBES HIT THE TIMES: The word is spreading: The Internet is not a big truck. It's "a series of tubes." Two weeks ago Senator Ted Stevens, a Republican from Alaska, shared this information at a Senate committee hearing to explain why he voted against an amendment aimed at ensuring that traffic on the Internet be delivered equally, an idea known as "net neutrality." And while it is true that the Internet is not a big truck, the senator might feel as if he has been run over by one. His comments have been posted on blogs, lampooned on "The Daily Show" and have spawned musical spinoffs, including a folk version and a techno song with the senator's analogies mixed in. New York Times: Senator's Slip of the Tongue Keeps on Truckin' Over the Web

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