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The Hardball Briefing On MSNBC
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We're going hard with the big story today: Abdullah's visit to Texas to meet with top
administration officials...You may think, "What's the big deal about Abdullah down on
the ranch with Dubya??" A lot...Remember the old lines at the gas pump in the '70's?
The Saudis may be threatening a return to those days by using the "oil weapon" if we
don't "moderate" U.S. support for Israel...Read up on the lead NYT and MS pieces...
"Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia is expected to tell President Bush in stark
terms at their meeting on Thursday that the strategic relationship between their two
countries will be threatened if Mr. Bush does not moderate his support for Israel's
military policies, a person familiar with the Saudi's thinking said today."
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=68&ncid=68&e=1&u=/nyt/20020425/ts_nyt/saudi_to_warn_bush_of_rupture_over_israel_policy
�It's shaping up to be a �high-noon� meeting � an OK Corral,� said Youssef Ibrahim, a
senior fellow and Middle East expert at the Council on Foreign Relations. �I think the
expectations on both sides will be totally contradictory.�
http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_infobeat.asp?/news/743431.asp
"Vice President Dick Cheney and other top administration officials met Wednesday in
Houston with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Abdullah amid growing tensions between the
U.S. and the oil-rich kingdom over American support for Israel." (Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/front/1382374
Bill Kristol: "This meeting with Abdullah could be quite important, as a signal that
we're either back on track or stuck in the mud" (AP)
We're do A & B on this one with a cast of all stars...Look for Raghida, Clovis, Ned
Walker, Hume, those types...Margaret and Gergen will do the buzz...
In the D block we'll do Fareed's piece on Powell..."Colin Powell�s Humiliation...Bush
should clearly support his secretary of State�otherwise he should get a new one"
http://www.msnbc.com/news/741620.asp
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak: "The barbaric attacks on the Palestinian people
represent a violation of all laws and customs," Mubarak said. He called the assaults,
particularly that against the Jenin refugee camp, 'state terrorism' by the government
of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon." (The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44720-2002Apr24.html
"Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Wednesday that he would consider letting Yasir
Arafat slip out of the Israeli siege in Ramallah and move to the Gaza Strip." (New
York Times)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=68&ncid=68&e=2&u=/nyt/20020425/ts_nyt/sharon_suggests_arafat_could_go_to_the_gaza_strip
This Briefing was compiled and edited by Dominic Bellone in Washington, DC...Dig the
Chris news..."'The Chris Matthews Show,' the upcoming syndicated news weekly from NBC
Enterprises, has been cleared for a fall launch in 70% of the country, including nine
of the top 10 markets." (The Hollywood Reporter)
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hollywoodreporter/television/brief_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1474052
Fun Clinton news...
Michael Jackson and Tony Bennett headlined a concert at the Apollo Theater to raise
money for the Democratic Party's nationwide campaign to encourage more people to
vote." (AP)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020425/ap_to_po/people_clinton_voter_drive_1&printer=1
"One vote makes a difference. We'll never forget Florida. After so many people died
for the right to vote, we're not going to let Republicans take that away," McAuliffe
told the crowd after Jackson sang. (The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44802-2002Apr25.html
"Former President Bill Clinton praised Secretary of State Colin Powell's recent trip
to the Middle East on Wednesday, saying it showed a "positive American commitment to
fairness to both sides." (Reuters)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020425/pl_nm/mideast_clinton_dc_1
The Prez and the Rev
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/020425/161/1ga6m.html
WashPost: U.S. fights al-Qaida in Pakistan...Covert U.S. military units have been
conducting reconnaissance operations in Pakistan in recent weeks and participated in
attacks on suspected al-Qaida hide-outs there, according to U.S. military officials.
http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_infobeat.asp?/news/743200.asp
"Officially, President Bush and Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah are meeting to advance the
Mideast peace process. But a growing number of conflicts, and Bush's strong support
for Israel, threaten to overshadow the talks at the president's ranch" (AP)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&ncid=716&e=1&u=/ap/20020425/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_saudi_arabia_19
Makeshift court convicts Palestinians...A makeshift court inside Yasser Arafat's
compound has convicted four Palestinians in last year's killing of Israeli Tourism
Minister Rehavam Zeevi, a senior aide to the Palestinian leader said Thursday.
http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_infobeat.asp?/news/677951.asp
"Bush, Daschle Duel on the Prairie...President Bush and Senate Majority Leader Thomas
A. Daschle traveled to South Dakota to smile and obliquely squabble Wednesday. At
issue: suspected slights and petty protocol violations - but most of all, politics and
the battle for the Senate." (The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44342-2002Apr24.html
"This is really a large crowd," he told the approximately 7,000 people who packed the
Sioux Falls Arena. "This says a lot about the vitality, our message and the strength
of our candidate for the U.S. Senate." (Argus Leader)
http://www.argusleader.com/president/Thursdayfeature.shtml
"At the other standoff in the West Bank, nine Palestinian youths emerged from the
Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, along with two monks carrying two bodies �
fulfilling a deal struck the day before between negotiators." (AP)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&ncid=716&e=2&u=/ap/20020425/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians_3567
"Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will depart on Thursday on a trip to Afghanistan
and other Central Asia states to meet U.S. troops and discuss the war on terror with
regional leaders, the Pentagon said on Wednesday." (Reuters)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020424/pl_nm/afghan_rumsfeld_dc_7
"U.S. Told of More Possible Attacks...A captive al Qaeda lieutenant, who has already
warned of plans to attack banks in the Northeast and assemble radiation bombs, has
also told U.S. interrogators that supermarkets and shopping malls are possible targets
for terrorist assaults, officials said Wednesday." (The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42804-2002Apr24.html?referer=email
"Despite their fall from power, a half-dozen key Taliban leaders remain a threat to
American interests in Afghanistan and elsewhere and are high on the United States'
target list." (AP)
http://nandotimes.com/special_reports/terrorism/story/379037p-3029830c.html
"President Backs House Bid to Split INS...White House Shift on Legislation Surprises
Agency Officials, Others" (The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43209-2002Apr24.html
"Democrats' slogan draws GOP's yowls...Capitol Hill Democrats announced their latest
signature message yesterday, 'Securing America's Future for all our Families.'" (The
Washington Times) http://www.washtimes.com/national/20020425-473860.htm
"A House committee has voted to renew a sexual abstinence program after turning back a
Democratic attempt to let states decide whether to include discussion of birth control
methods." (AP)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=536&ncid=703&e=1&u=/ap/20020425/ap_on_go_co/sexual_abstinence_10
"They can't get away with George doing a photo op [clearing brush]," Redford told us
at Tuesday's celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Sundance Film Festival. "It's
a little late for that...You have to be worried when you consider what's behind
[Bush's] policies, because it serves such a narrow interest," (Rush and Molloy)
http://www.nydailynews.com/today/News_and_Views/Daily_Dish/a-148790.asp
"Trial Lawyers Fuel Edwards' Efforts...Seeking to raise the millions of dollars needed
to run a credible presidential bid, Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) has relied almost
entirely on his trial lawyer friends to underwrite his ambitions." (Roll Call)
http://www.rollcall.com/pages/news/00/2002/04/news0425c.html
"U.S. to go on air in Arabic...Arab-language news and policy radio programs are slated
to debut in the Middle East on May 1." (The Washington Times)
http://washingtontimes.com/national/20020425-69263382.htm
"Food for Thought. Ever wonder what Democratic Senators such as Edward Kennedy (Mass.)
eat when they go behind closed doors for their hush-hush policy luncheon in S-211 of
the Capitol every Thursday afternoon?" (Heard on the Hill)
http://www.rollcall.com/pages/columns/hoh/
"Power Biographer...Robert A. Caro, biographer of Johnson and chronicler of his power,
is publishing "Master of the Senate," the third volume in his Johnson project, "The
Years of Lyndon Johnson."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44736-2002Apr24.html?referer=email
Opinion/Editorial
In Jenin's ruins, a search for truth...Blocked from witnessing a key battle in the
Palestinian camp of Jenin, journalists now face the difficult task of uncovering what
really happened. MSNBC Ombudsman Dan Fisher looks at what's at stake.
http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_infobeat.asp?/news/743098.asp
Will: Bush hasn't left the right
http://www.suntimes.com/output/will/cst-edt-geo25.html
Novak: War on Iraq won't be 'cakewalk'
http://www.suntimes.com/output/novak/cst-edt-novak25.html
Levey: "Scene & Heard...Porn in the USA: The legacy of Linda Lovelace."
http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/clevey/?id=105001972
Rabinowitz: "The Prosecutors...A little sunshine on Janet Reno's pre-Clinton legacy."
http://www.opinionjournal.com/medialog/?id=105001974
Doonesbury http://www.ucomics.com/doonesbury/viewdb.cfm?uc_full_date=20020425
Mallard Fillmore http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/mallard.asp
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