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The Hardball Briefing On MSNBC
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**6:30-8 pm et**
Chris Matthews anchors war coverage tonight on MSNBC from 6:30 to 8 pm eastern...3:30
pm out West...I started to type out headlines here for you but there's way too many
and if I start it'll be hard to stop...Right now we're seeing a lot of flashes in the
Baghdad sky...Reuters is reporting explosions at a Presidential complex in the central
part of town...Also, a new Saddam tape has emerged...
Other stories catching our interest today...On a sad note: The first American reporter
killed in Iraq was announced today: Michael Kelly, editor-at-large for The Atlantic
Monthly and a weekly columnist for The Washington Post...Mike was embedded with the
3rd Infantry Division of the US Army...His work was a "must read" every Wednesday in
the Post and his columns frequently appeared in this space...He filed his final piece
two days ago...We'll discuss his life and legacy with Howard Fineman, a friend of
his..
The Washington Post has an amazing story of the Iraqi man who helped save Pfc. Jessica
Lynch's life...Preston Mendenhall's (MSNBC.com) scoop about the deadly toxins ricin
and botulinum found at a laboratory in a remote mountain region of northern Iraq...The
Arab world's press angle on the war with Raghida...Howard Fineman on the battle inside
the administration shaping up over who's going to administer post-war Iraq...The Kerry
"regime change" speech has created a stir inside the beltway which we'll tackle as
well...
You'll notice I'm putting more wires than usual...That's because they constantly
update as opposed to the static stories published this morning which are already out
of date...
I'd like to draw your attention to another 8-10 pm et show tomorrow (Saturday) night
you'll want to tune in...Chris will anchor MSNBC's coverage...Best, Dominic
http://iraq.msnbc.com
Iraq snapshot courtesy of Reuters:
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=focusIraqNews&storyID=2510778
TV appearances suggest Saddam survived attack...Man resembling Iraqi leader gives
speech, tours Baghdad (MSNBC) http://msnbc.com/news/895475.asp?0cv=CA01
The US Central Command dismissed televised scenes of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein
being cheered in the streets of Baghdad as "a pretty bad performance" that would have
no impact on the US campaign. (AFP)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20030404/pl_afp/iraq_war_us_saddam&cid=1521&ncid=1478
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A sr intelligence official says that the Saddam Hussein "walkabout" looks like Saddam
and it looks fairly current.
they have no way to prove it at this time. but they now think this shows he survived
the attack on his bunker and is still in charge in baghdad.
asked if this is an attempt to rally the people of baghdad because of the u.s.
advance, official pointed out that while iraq is putting out tv feed on satellite,
unless iraqis have a dishi (illegal) and a power generator, they are not seeing this
domestically.
Ari Fleischer..asked about Saddam's broadcast SPEECH earlier today (not the
walkabout)..said the speech tape does not givei us a "firm conclusion one way or
another."
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A sad note here folks...Atlantic Monthly Editor Killed in Iraq...Michael Kelly Was a
Columnist for The Washington Post (Kurtz)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27396-2003Apr4.html
Kelly just filed two days ago...His most recent columns
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/opinion/columns/kellymichael/index.html
Amazing story: Iraqi man risked all for U.S. POW...32-year-old lawyer helped free Pfc.
Lynch (The Washington Post) http://msnbc.com/news/895233.asp?0cv=CB10
Mendenhall Scoop: Positive test for terror toxins in Iraq...MSNBC.com finds signs of
ricin, botulinum at Islamic militants' camp http://msnbc.com/news/895185.asp?0sl=-22
3 soldiers killed at checkpoint in Iraq...Centcom says apparent suicide blast also
killed 2 in car (MSNBC) http://msnbc.com/news/893527.asp?0dm=N13PN
President Bush will meet British Prime Minister Tony Blair next Tuesday in Northern
Ireland to discuss the Iraq war and reviving the Middle East peace process, the White
House said on Friday (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=2510688
World Opinion Roundup...War Gains Deepen Divisions Among Allies (The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27083-2003Apr4.html
"Push it up...Push it Up...Ooh, Ooh, video -- Rapping Marine
http://www.msnbc.com/news/895501.asp
Howard's latest: Postwar Battle Already Looming on Control of Iraq At issue: How much
of a role U.S. will play vs. the U.N.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/894405.asp?0cv=KB10
DAVID SHUSTER, DAVID BLOOM & ROB MORRISON VOTED "SCUD STUDS"
In a recent contest, "National Journal's" Last Call daily publication asked its
readers to vote on which network correspondent should have the title of "Scud Stud."
The top vote-getters were: ABC's Richard Engel (11%); CNN's Bill Hemmer (11%); NBC's
David Shuster (11%); NBC's David Bloom (9%); and NBC's Rob Morrison (9%).
U.S. Takes Battle to Baghdad Airport...Apparent Suicide Attack in Western Iraq Kills
Three Soldiers, Two Civilians (The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26513-2003Apr4.html
Thousands of Iraqis fled Baghdad on Friday as U.S. forces seized the international
airport on the city's western edge and armored convoys pressed in from the south.
Marines claimed the surrender of 2,500 troops of the now-shredded Republican Guard.
(AP)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=540&e=1&u=/ap/20030404/ap_on_re_mi_ea/war_rdp
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, breaking his habit of avoiding the public gaze, was
shown on Iraqi television Friday being mobbed by cheering Iraqis in a bombed area of
the capital threatened by U.S. troops. (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=PIK1KX2XPVM30CRBAEOCFFA?type=topNews&storyID=2510969
U.S. armored units backed by warplanes seized control of Baghdad's airport Friday,
while 2,500 Republican Guard soldiers south of the capital surrendered to Marines,
American officials said. (AP)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030404/ap_on_re_mi_ea/war_rdp_764
War Support Solid, Optimism Grows...A growing majority of Americans now believe the
war in Iraq is going well for U.S. and British forces, as recent gains on the
battlefield have eased public concerns that the war will be long and costly, while
President Bush's popularity continues to rise. (The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26523-2003Apr4.html
U.S. armored units backed by warplanes seized control of Baghdad's airport Friday,
while 2,500 Republican Guard soldiers south of the capital surrendered to Marines,
American officials said. (AP)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030404/ap_on_re_mi_ea/war_rdp_764
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has proposed to President Bush that an interim
Iraqi authority composed of exile leaders be quickly installed in the southern part of
the country now largely under U.S. control. (The Washington Post)
http://msnbc.com/news/895372.asp?0cv=CB10
Filkins from the Front: Iraqi civilians streamed out of Baghdad and its surrounding
cities today, as American marines approaching the capital from the southeast pressed
ahead to farmlands just beyond the city's edge.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/04/international/worldspecial/04MARI.html
U.S. forces have thus far been unable to fully shut down the Iraq government's ability
to broadcast a television signal, a top U.S. general said Friday. (AP)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=540&ncid=703&e=5&u=/ap/20030404/ap_on_re_mi_ea/war_us_military
Bush Meets Resistance on Mideast Plan...Key Hill Allies Call for Greater Commitment to
Israel's Concerns About Road Map (The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24354-2003Apr3.html
Republicans jumped on Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) yesterday in the wake of reports
that the Democratic presidential candidate had told a New Hampshire audience that "we
need a regime change in the United States." (The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23490-2003Apr3.html?referrer=email
House Struggles to Find Its Place...With a powerful administration flexing its muscle,
and a narrowly divided Senate determining the fate of most high-profile bills, House
members struggle to stand out in Washington's political landscape. (The Washington
Post) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24067-2003Apr3.html?referrer=email
Syrian-U.S. Ties Strained By Iraq War (The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24075-2003Apr3.html?referrer=email
The religious overtones in President Bush's speeches increasingly grate on many ears
in Europe, where leaders invoking God in times of war are widely suspect of misusing
faith for political purposes. (Reuters)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=615&e=19&u=/nm/20030404/pl_nm/iraq_bush_europe_dc_2
Opinion/Editorial
Manchester Union Leader: Is Kerry kidding? Or is his campaign really this lost?
http://www.theunionleader.com/articles_show.html?article=19768
Doonesbury http://www.ucomics.com/doonesbury/
Mallard Fimmore http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/mallard.asp
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