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We talked to Chris this morning and he's still resting comfortably at home and is expected back by Monday...He's well aware of your concern and is very appreciative of your well wishes....I don't want to bug him too much...Too many calls at home when you are recovering from illness can be irritating (trust me I've been there)...We expect him to return with great fanfare on Monday to an all star lineup of guests... By the way, if like our "Real Deal" segment you gotta see what our techie types do with it online http://ChrisMatthews.MSNBC.com In fact, If you're a Hardball junkie like me, I'd bookmark the page and check it often... On to tonight's show...We're going to do the kidnapping story Bo Dietl and Clint Van Zandt...A man kidnapped two teenage girls at gunpoint early Thursday from a lovers' lane in a remote area, authorities said. Tamera Brooks, 16, and Jaqueline Marris, 17, were sitting in separate cars with male friends when the gunman approached them shortly after 1 a.m., authorities said. http://www.msnbc.com/news/788577.asp In the B block we'll go more in depth into that bombing yesterday at the Hebrew University...Were Americans deliberately targeted? We'll talk to Alon Pinkas and a congressman who represents some of the victims.. In the debate block, we'll do Saudi Arabia: Friend or Foe? Rep. Eliot Engel and James Zogby will get into it... Thursday is a Howard day so he'll be here to discuss Bush & Cheney's Cayman Island business stuff when they were CEO's and maybe some other things too...Plus, we're looking at an F block Buzz with Katrina and a conservative tba...I haven't figured out the topics yet but it will be fun as usual...How about Terry hammering Donna last night on the Gore stuff? That's my kinda TV... You won't believe the latest in the Traficant saga either! We'll do that in the "Real Deal" segment along with some other cool stuff...I've got a lot of tasy morsels in the Briefing today so be sure and read all the way 'til the end... Dominic Bellone wrote, compiled and edited this bad boy in Washington, DC...If you still haven't complained to me about not getting America's NewsChannel and you're furious with your local cable provider, hit "reply" and fire away...Cheers! or send a message to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Congratulations to our NBC colleague David Gregory: We're pleased to report that Gregory's wife, Beth Wilkinson, delivered a 6-pound, 12-ounce boy Tuesday evening. The 6-foot-5 inch Gregory's first child is named Maxwell, and yesterday White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer dubbed him "Mini-Stretch." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28188-2002Jul31.html For my people in Tennessee, here's a backgrounder on today's primary: Strong early voting, lively contests indicate high interest in primary (Nashville Tennessean) http://tennessean.com/elections/2002/archives/02/08/20608857.shtml?Element_ID=20608857 Archerd: Democrats seeking Hollywood money http://webcenter.newssearch.netscape.com/aolns_display.adp?key=200207312300000226369_aolns.src A bomb detonated by a cell phone that blew apart a Jerusalem university cafeteria claimed victims from around the world, five of them American citizens, in what a violent Islamic group called revenge for an Israeli attack. (Jerusalem Post) http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/A/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1027506413849 5 Americans among 7 killed in Israel blast...An explosion rocked a crowded cafeteria at Hebrew University in Jerusalem at lunchtime Wednesday, killing seven people, including five Americans, and wounding more than 80 others. http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_infobeat.asp?/news/677951.asp Thousands of demonstrators marched in Gaza, in a display of celebration over the suicide attack at the Hebrew University earlier Wednesday, which claimed the lives of seven and wounded thirty-nine, Itim news agency reported. (Jerusalem Post) http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/A/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1027506413198 President Bush mourned the deaths of five Americans in a Jerusalem bombing as he met Thursday with King Abdullah of Jordan on how to move the Mideast peace process forward. "I am just as angry as Israel is. I am furious," he said. (AP) http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=540&ncid=703&e=3&u=/ap/20020801/ap_on_re_mi_ea/us_mideast_42 Experts see growing threat from Iraq...A panel of Iraq experts told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Wednesday that Saddam Hussein will have nuclear weapons by 2005, if he does not already possess them. http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_infobeat.asp?/news/786933.asp U.S. will have to go it alone against Iraq...The drumbeat is growing louder in the United States for a war against Iraq, but it hasn't drowned out the grumbling of allies around the world, including the king of Jordan who meets Thursday with President Bush. http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_infobeat.asp?/news/788031.asp Much of the senior uniformed military, with the notable exception of some top Air Force and Marine generals, opposes going to war anytime soon, a stance that is provoking frustration among civilian officials in the Pentagon and in the White House. (The Washington Post) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28740-2002Jul31.html Republicans will tie ANWR to Iraq...Top Republican lawmakers this month will wage a last-ditch effort to link opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil exploration to the increasing threat of war with Iraq. (The Washington Times) http://washingtontimes.com/business/20020801-74743997.htm This week's gathering of the Democratic Leadership Council exposed divisions in a party that is still searching for an agenda with legs and whose leaders cannot agree on several core issues like taxes and trade. (The Washington Times) http://washingtontimes.com/national/20020801-27566234.htm Bush Faces Questions on Offshore Affiliates (The Washington Post) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28291-2002Jul31.html?referer=email "I think we ought to look at people who are trying to avoid U.S. taxes as a problem," the president said. "I think American companies ought to pay taxes and be good citizens." (AP) http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=512&ncid=703&e=1&u=/ap/20020801/ap_on_go_co/tax_havens_21 N.J. Voters Unfazed by Torricelli's Troubles...In State Used to Scandal, Ethics Rebuke's Main Effect May Be Nastier Senate Race (The Washington Post) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28811-2002Jul31.html?referer=email Ethics Won't Release Files...The Senate Ethics Committee is declining to release any files or transcripts from its investigation of Sen. Robert Torricelli (D-N.J.) beyond the three-page letter that "severely admonished" the Senator for a nearly five-year relationship with imprisoned businessman David Chang. (Roll Call) http://www.rollcall.com/pages/news/00/2002/08/news0801a.html Release: Latest Statewide Survey Confirms Tight Senate Race...More Bad News For Torch: Majority of Poll Respondents Say Torricelli "Not Being Completely Honest" http://www.politicsnj.com/nationalresearch080102.htm Torricelli challenger describes senator as unfit for re-election...The Republican challenger in New Jersey's Senate race said yesterday that Democratic Sen. Robert G. Torricelli is "unfit for office." (The Washington Times) http://washingtontimes.com/national/20020801-946793.htm The U.S. Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into the accounting practices of AOL Time Warner Inc., focusing on the business deals of its Dulles-based online division, officials familiar with the matter said. (The Washington Post) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28756-2002Jul31.html Two former top executives of bankrupt telecommunications firm WorldCom Inc. were arrested and charged with securities fraud on Thursday for their role in the $3.85 billion accounting scandal that has rocked confidence in corporate America. (Reuters) http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=businessnews&StoryID=1281962 A man who allegedly sold fake IDs to two of the Sept. 11 hijackers apparently fled the country for Egypt just before authorities came to arrest him in a raid on his home and businesses Wednesday, investigators said. (Chicago Sun Times) http://www.suntimes.com/output/terror/cst-nws-terr01.html Deer disease feared in human deaths...Wisconsin looking for wildlife link in deaths of 3 outdoorsmen (AP) http://www.msnbc.com/news/788180.asp U.N. report: No evidence backs claim of large massacre in Jenin (USA Today) http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20020801/4324875s.htm Rudy Giuliani dropped by the White House yesterday for a "social" chat with President Bush and a speech to administration staffers - but said he's not seeking a job, such as homeland-security chief. (NY Post) http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/53857.htm Bush won't be all play and no work White House: Time in Texas is not all vacation...A USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll taken last weekend found that most Americans have no problem with the length of Bush's break. (USA Today) http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20020801/4324699s.htm The Minnesota Family Council considers it providence. Gov. Jesse Ventura's office says it was a mistake. Whatever the case, Minnesota's staunchly secular governor has proclaimed Oct. 13-19 Christian Heritage Week. (AP) http://www.startribune.com/stories/1384/3132463.html Rush & Molloy: After Charlie Rangel grumbled publicly last week that Sen. Hillary should follow her colleague Chuck Schumer's lead and endorse Carl McCall for governor, the former President let Rangel know he was not all that pleased with his comments. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/gossip/story/7482p-6948c.html Fun Traficant stuff: Ex-congressman had to remove toupee when booked into jail (Beacon News) http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/news/state/3778270.htm The battle between radio operators Spanish Broadcasting System and Clear Channel Communications is getting downright ugly. (NY Post) http://www.nypost.com/business/53827.htm Opinion/Editorial The Bergen Record: Torricelli should step down http://www.bergen.com/page.php?level_3_id=35&page=4482965 The Washington Times: Torricelli, Daschle and Senate ethics...The Senate Ethics Committee's ruling constitutes a scathing rebuke of New Jersey Sen. Robert Torricelli's misconduct, in particular his receipt of cash and gifts from David Chang, a campaign supporter and onetime friend of the senator. http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/20020801-364420.htm The Washington Post: Mr. O'Neill's Gaffes http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29057-2002Jul31.html Must Read Berger: Building Blocks To Iraq http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29051-2002Jul31.html A snitch in time...The government's proposed TIPS program, which asked everyday workers to report suspicious activity, was a good idea that was poorly presented, writes Dahlia Lithwick in Slate. http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_infobeat.asp?/news/788116.asp Coulter: Working for the Poor from Malibu to East Hampton with Citizen Gore http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/coulter1.asp Novak: O'Neill's hands-off approach is troubling http://www.suntimes.com/output/novak/cst-edt-novak01.html Ridge: Department of Hollow Security? Congress must give new department managerial flex http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/20020801-79203560.htm Fund's Diary: Red Scare...Will Germany's communists make a comeback? http://www.opinionjournal.com/diary/?id=110002067 Medved: Why should members of the entertainment elite feel embarrassed by marriage and motherhood? Why would a popular TV show insist on glamorizing a dysfunctional lifestyle considerably less wholesome than the more conventional arrangements its sexy stars have chosen for themselves in real life? http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20020801/4324684s.htm Chicago Sun Times: This shouldn't be happening in U.S. http://www.suntimes.com/output/commentary/cst-edt-edits01.html Mallard Fillmore http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/mallard.asp Doonesbury http://www.ucomics.com/doonesbury/ ========================================= This email is never sent unsolicited. You have received The Hardball Briefing Newsletter because you subscribed to it or, someone forwarded it to you. 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