NOVAK NAMES ROVE, CIA'S HARLOW AS SOURCES IN COLUMN: "Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has informed my attorneys that, after 2-1/2 years, his investigation of the CIA leak case concerning matters directly relating to me has been concluded. That frees me to reveal my role in the federal inquiry that, at the request of Fitzgerald, I have kept secret. I have cooperated in the investigation while trying to protect journalistic privileges under the First Amendment and shield sources who have not revealed themselves. I have been subpoenaed by and testified to a federal grand jury. Published reports that I took the Fifth Amendment, made a plea bargain with the prosecutors or was a prosecutorial target were all untrue."
Chicago Sun-Times: Novak: My role in Plame leak probe ADMIN WILL ADHERE TO GENEVA CONVENTIONS: The Bush administration has agreed to apply the Geneva Conventions to all terrorism suspects in U.S. custody, bowing to the Supreme Court's recent rejection of policies that have imprisoned hundreds for years without trials. The Pentagon announced yesterday that it has called on military officials to adhere to the conventions in dealing with al-Qaeda detainees. The administration also has decided that even prisoners held by the CIA in secret prisons abroad must be treated in accordance with international standards, an interpretation that would prohibit prisoners from being subjected to harsh treatment in interrogations, several U.S. officials said.
Washington Post: U.S. Shifts Policy on Geneva Conventions BUSH TAKES "VICTORY LAP" IN ANNOUNCING NEW DEFICIT NUMBER: This year's federal deficit is now projected to be $296 billion, President Bush announced yesterday, $127 billion less than predicted just six months ago and leaving the administration a year ahead of its pledge to cut the deficit in half by 2009. "This economy's growing, federal taxes are rising, and we're cutting the federal deficit faster than we expected," Mr. Bush said, turning the administration's annual midsession budget review report to Congress into a victory lap for his tax-cutting policies during his first term. But Mr. Bush said tackling the deficit in the long run will require action on Social Security, and he challenged Congress to stop posturing on the issue and instead to have a "sense of obligation" to fix it.
Washington Times: '06 projected federal deficit falls to $296 billion PUTIN CALLS CHENEY'S CRITICISM "AN UNSUCCESSFUL HUNTING SHOT": President Vladimir Putin lashed out at Vice President Dick Cheney ahead of this weekend's G-8 summit, calling his recent criticisms of Russia "an unsuccessful hunting shot," according to a television interview being broadcast Wednesday. The remark, from an interview with NBC, referred to the shotgun blast by Cheney on a hunting trip that accidentally wounded a companion. Cheney, in a May speech in the ex-Soviet republic of Lithuania, accused Russia of cracking down on religious and political rights and of using its energy reserves as "tools of intimidation or blackmail."
AP via Yahoo! News: Putin rips Cheney's verbal 'hunting shot' "WHAT ELSE IS IT THAT WE DON'T KNOW?" The Republican chairwoman of a House subcommittee said Tuesday that the Bush administration had failed to inform Congress adequately that it was sifting through a vast international banking network in an effort to track terrorists' finances. The lawmaker, Representative Sue Kelly of New York, chairwoman of the House Financial Services subcommittee on oversight, was joined by members of both parties in accusing the administration of being too secretive and unaccountable to Congress about the program. Its existence was disclosed last month by The New York Times and other newspapers. "Many people in Congress who should have been briefed by the administration were not," Ms. Kelly said. "What else is it that we don't know?"
New York Times: Republicans Criticize Lack of Briefings on Bank Data WILL THE "DO-NOTHING" LABEL HURT GOP IN THE MID-TERMS? Republicans head into the final stretch of what Democrats are calling a "do-nothing Congress" that has achieved none of the key items of President George W. Bush's agenda. Just a year and a half after Republicans increased their majorities in the 2004 elections, Bush's Social Security overhaul plan has been shelved, his vow to restructure the tax code postponed indefinitely and his calls for reshaping medical malpractice long-forgotten. The administration's current major initiative, an overhaul of the nation's immigration laws, is hanging by a thread on Capitol Hill. Republicans may pay a price for their inaction in this November's election, said David Mayhew, a congressional scholar at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. "If they get into September and they still have not done anything on immigration, then they are heavily subject to the charge that they can't tie their shoes," he said.
Bloomberg: 'Do-Nothing' Label May Haunt Republicans in Congressional Races HOUSE APPROVES "CRACKDOWN" ON ONLINE GAMBLING: With bipartisan support and the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal haunting Republican efforts to pass antigambling legislation, the House approved a crackdown on Internet wagering that would ban not only sports bets but also online poker and other games that have become increasingly popular. Voting 317 to 93, the House approved a bill that would make it illegal for financial institutions or intermediaries to process payments to offshore casinos through bettors' electronic funds, checks, debits and other e-wallet transactions. In addition, the bill updates the Wire Act of 1961, which forbade the transmission of betting over telephone lines, to specifically outlaw online gambling through any communication network.
New York Times: House Backs Crackdown on Gambling on Internet PELOSI WILL TAKE ATTENDANCE: With attendance typically struggling to crack the 50-Member mark, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) is cracking the whip, demanding that her fellow Democrats attend three "crucial" Caucus meetings between now and the August recess - an order supplemented by a fellow leader's hint that failure to cooperate could be detrimental to Members' futures. In a "Dear Colleague" letter sent early Tuesday afternoon, Pelosi told Members that attendance will be taken at the weekly hour-long sessions this morning and each of the next two Wednesdays, with Democrats using the sessions to discuss their "New Direction" agenda. "These crucial meetings will begin at 9:00 a.m. and end promptly at 10:00 a.m.," Pelosi wrote. "The meetings are mandatory and I have asked [Caucus Chairman James Clyburn (S.C.)] to take attendance."
Roll Call: Pelosi Planning to Take Names INDIANA HAS THE MOST TERRORIST TARGETS: It reads like a tally of terrorist targets that a child might have written: Old MacDonald's Petting Zoo, the Amish Country Popcorn factory, the Mule Day Parade, the Sweetwater Flea Market and an unspecified "Beach at End of a Street." But the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security, in a report released Tuesday, found that the list was not child's play: all these "unusual or out-of-place" sites "whose criticality is not readily apparent" are inexplicably included in the federal antiterrorism database. The National Asset Database, as it is known, is so flawed, the inspector general found, that as of January, Indiana, with 8,591 potential terrorist targets, had 50 percent more listed sites than New York (5,687) and more than twice as many as California (3,212), ranking the state the most target-rich place in the nation.
New York Times: U.S. Terror Targets: Petting Zoo and Flea Market? ROVE CHEERED, JEERED AT LA RAZA: White House political strategist Karl Rove touted "shared values" of faith and family and reiterated President Bush's support of broad immigration reform in a Los Angeles address Tuesday to one of the nation's largest Latino civil rights organizations. In a lunchtime talk at the National Council of La Raza's annual conference, the Republican advisor outlined Bush's plan for stronger border security, workplace enforcement, a guest worker program and earned legalization for undocumented immigrants. "He understands immigration is a positive force in this country... vital to keep this country going," Rove said, prompting applause from the crowd of a few thousand. But he drew scattered boos when he highlighted Bush's recent approval of $1.9 billion in funding for more border security, including deployment of National Guard troops, and was disrupted twice by hecklers who unfurled antiwar and anti-Bush banners.
Los Angeles Times: Rove Tells of 'Shared Values' With Latinos LOCKHART, DOWD, McKINNON TO LAUNCH WEBSITE: A bipartisan group of prominent political strategists on Tuesday announced an Internet information venture designed to interact with America's opinion leaders and serve as an antidote to the right-left clash that typifies political discourse on the Web. The site, called Hotsoup.com, will debut in October and will be edited by Ron Fournier, former chief political writer for The Associated Press. Hotsoup is the brainchild of some of the best-known practitioners of partisan politics in Washington, including Matthew Dowd, chief strategist for the Bush-Cheney campaign in 2004, and Joe Lockhart, former White House press secretary under President Clinton and a senior adviser to Democratic Sen. John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign.
AP via Yahoo! News: Political strategists to launch Web site ARMY SEVERS CONTRACT WITH HALLIBURTON: The Army is discontinuing a controversial multibillion-dollar deal with oil services giant Halliburton Co. to provide logistical support to U.S. troops worldwide, a decision that could cut deeply into the firm's dominance of government contracting in Iraq. The choice comes after several years of attacks from critics who saw the contract as a symbol of politically connected corporations profiteering on the war. Under the deal, Halliburton had exclusive rights to provide the military with a wide range of work that included keeping soldiers around the world fed, sheltered and in communication with friends and family back home. Government audits turned up more than $1 billion in questionable costs. Whistle-blowers told how the company charged $45 per case of soda, double-billed on meals and allowed troops to bathe in contaminated water.
Washington Post: Army to End Expansive, Exclusive Halliburton Deal MARK WARNER LOOKING GENEROUS: Former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner (D) has ramped up his fundraising for congressional Democratic incumbents and challengers, signaling a national organizing strategy to position the centrist Southerner for a White House bid in 2008... Since Warner began raising money after the 2005 November election, Forward Together has raked in $8.2 million and contributed $860,500 to 108 candidates and political committees. He has hired several top Democratic political consultants, including longtime Democratic operative Monica Dixon, pollster Peter Hart and New Democrat political guru and speechwriter Kenneth Baer.
The Hill: Eyeing '08, Warner woos his party with $860,500 REED'S CAMPAIGN PLAGUED BY ABRAMOFF CONNECTIONS: Former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed, whose campaign for Georgia lieutenant governor has been clouded by questions over his ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, is promoting himself as the candidate with "stronger values." His opponent, state Sen. Casey Cagle, has responded by calling Reed's campaign ads the "height of hypocrisy" and questioning publicly whether Reed could be charged with wrongdoing during the run-up to the November general election. Reed seemed unstoppable last year when he first announced his intention to run for the seat. In his first campaign for elected office, he broke early fundraising records and scared other would-be Republican contenders out of running in the July 18 primary. Cagle, though, has gained momentum and name recognition since concerns over Reed's ties with Abramoff have grabbed headlines across the state.
AP via Yahoo! News: Questions hover over Reed campaign in Ga. ROMNEY CALLS FOR OUSTER OF TURNPIKE CHAIRMAN: With a Big Dig flaw now responsible for a death, state officials rushed yesterday to contain an unprecedented crisis of public confidence in the project, launching a sprawling criminal investigation and moving to oust the Turnpike Authority chairman. As fear and outrage mounted, Governor Mitt Romney said he does not believe anyone can feel safe driving through the tunnels. ``People should not have to drive through the turnpike tunnels with their fingers crossed," Romney said.
Boston Globe: Mass. crisis of confidence SENATOR STEVENS REMIXED (mp3): It was hard enough getting used to Cher going techno. But Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska)? An unauthorized DJ remix of a rant on net neutrality that Stevens delivered at a recent hearing made a huge splash on the Internet on Tuesday. "Ted's Techno Tubes," created by an independent Web logger at www.boldheaded.com, might scare you at first. The remix features audio clips from Stevens' rather bizarre and disjointed speech at a June 28 hearing in the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, when he called the Internet "a series of tubes" and said, "It's not a big truck." Those words are now on a masterful remix, along with other things he actually said at the hearing, including this rambling gem: "Just the other day, an Internet was sent by my staff at 10 o'clock in the morning on Friday and I got it yesterday. Why?" You hear the pulsating techno beat, then Stevens' distinguishable voice shouting "tubes!" over and over.
Roll Call: Techno Ted
