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The Hardball Briefing On MSNBC
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Hardball airs tonight on MSNBC at 7p, 11p & 4a ET & 4p, 8p & 1a PT Find MSNBC on your
TV http://www.msnbc.com/CableOperator.asp MSNBC also is on your XM satellite radio on
channel 130
Another one of those "break out the popcorn and TV tray" nights custom made for
MSNBC's Hardball...Chris is fired up of course and will be doing hits on the network
all day slicin' and dicin' the selection of Edwards as Kerry's running mate...Plus,
we've got a special 9-10 pm ET special on Edwards...
At 7 pm ET we'll talk to Andrea Mitchell who was actually first to break the news at 7
am ET on Today (Edwards didn't get the official call until 7:30)...She'll lead the
show with Howard, who is in Pittsburgh where Kerry held a huge rally to make the
announcement...Gore's former campaign manager, Democratic Diva & the author of her new
autobiography "Cooking with Grease", Donna Brazile will join Chris as will RNC
chairman Ed Gillespie...
Later at 9 pm ET, Chris anchors an hour long special on Edwards and what he brings to
the ticket...We're still putting out our booking calls for that show but you can
expect it to be truly "must see" TV...We'll definitely have folks from both campaigns
throwing out the early spin...
All of this is subject to change of course at a moment's notice as news breaks and we
change up the show in order to bring you the best possible lineup...
A few things to note at this hour
-Republicans are spinning Edwards as Kerry's "second choice." McCain being the first
-BC04 has released an ad featuring McCain endorsing Bush...The title? "First Choice"
-The DNC and its allies are sending out press e-mails highlighting past divisions
between McCain & Bush
-The RNC has released an extensive opposition research file on Edwards at
kerrypicksedwards.com
-Kerry & Edwards are not expected to appear in public today
-We do expect a new Kerry/Edwards ad to be released some time today
-Cheney called Edwards this morning to congratulate him and to tell him he looks
forward to a spirited debate
-Today is President Bush's 58th birthday
And this exclusive from David Shuster you won't find anywhere else..
"For the Shuster family, July 4 was celebrated in true Indiana style with all of the
trappings one might associate with a political "red state." The family's political
leanings shall remain undisclosed... but voters of all stripes would have appreciated
our unique and entertaining fireworks display. My cousin and I rigged various
fireworks to a couple of remote controlled boats... put the boats on the pond... and
recreated, for our family's amusement, the battle of midway. Definitely don't try
this in states with tight liability laws. My uncontrollable boat fired awfully close
to the perplexed captain (me.) Then, the ship caught fire and sank to the bottom.
My cousin's boat survived and became the launching pad for remaining bottle rockets,
fountains, and other assorted devices. Those things that shoot the parachute soldiers
were very cool... it was almost as if we were witnessing a "water rescue mission."
Ah... Indiana in July... nothing beats it.
Today, I'm putting away the pyromaniacal tendencies and going back to political
reporting. Tonight, team Shuster is kicking off the 7pm show with a closer look at
John Edwards. We will run the money sound byte from Kerry... then show a few clips of
Edwards... including a recent diatribe over Abu Graib. Also, the decision to pick
Edwards was apparently made so last minute that some kerry staffers thought the
selection was going to be Florida Senator Bob Graham. The campaign even had
Kerry/Graham signs at the rally... we've got the video... and a separate pkg for the
9pm special on the strengths and weaknesses of each ticket."
More headlines below...Pls stay with MSNBC all night as we cover this developing
story...
Dominic Bellone wrote, compiled and edited The Briefing from Washington, DC
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry selected former rival John Edwards to be
his running mate, calling him a man "who has shown guts and determination and
political skills in his own race for the presidency of the United States." (AP)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5365307/
Kerry e-mail to supporters on Edwards...VP pick 'understands and defends the values of
America' http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5376845
Kerry informed his staff of his choice Monday at about 10:30 p.m. (The Washington
Post) http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A30354-2004Jul6?language=printer
Edwards on the issues: (The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30640-2004Jul6.html
Edwards gives ticket Southern ID...The only Democrats to win the presidency in the
past 40 years have been Southerners. If John Kerry wins on Nov. 2, he'll break that
streak, but with a boost from a son of Dixie, his newly-chosen running mate, North
Carolina Sen. John Edwards.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5086822/
RNC Release: Who is John Edwards?: A Disingenuous, Unaccomplished Liberal And Friend
To Personal Injury Trial Lawyers http://www.gop.com/RNCResearch/Read.aspx?id=4345
John Edwards is a multimillionaire trial lawyer and a freshman U.S. senator from North
Carolina who was considered a rising political star as soon as he arrived in
Washington five years ago. (AP) http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040706/D83LAI1O0.html
John Edwards is a multimillionaire former trial lawyer with wide-ranging investments
in mutual funds, stocks of major American corporations, and bonds of North Carolina
educational and governmental organizations, according to the North Carolina senator's
financial disclosure statement. (AP)
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040706/D83LB9300.html
President Bush's re-election campaign will launch a television ad featuring former
Republican rival John McCain and titled "First Choice," an effort to paint Democrat
John Kerry's running mate as his second choice. (AP)
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040706/D83LACUO1.html
N.Y. Post jumps the gun on Kerry V.P. choice...Tuesday's front page reports that
Gephardt got the nod http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5377014/
3 U.S. Marines killed in Iraq...Three U.S. Marines assigned to the 1st Marine
Expeditionary Force were killed while on duty in Western Iraq, the military said in a
statement Tuesday. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5322157/
Family: Marine has been freed...The family of a Lebanese-born U.S. Marine held hostage
in Iraq said it was confident Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun had been freed and was well,
though relatives have not heard directly from him, his brother said Tuesday.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5310187/
Blair says Iraqi WMD may never be found...But British leader insists Saddam posed
threat to world (AP) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5376978/
Security intensifies for political conventions...Events in N.Y., Boston seen as terror
targets (The Washington Post) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5372901/
Exercising a new passion, President Bush spent the day before his 58th birthday riding
his mountain bike on the grounds of a Secret Service training facility near
Washington. (AP) http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040705/D83KP5H83.html
Supporters of traditional marriage in Michigan yesterday turned in some 475,000
signatures - far more than the 317,000 needed - to put a state constitutional
amendment before the voters in November. (The Washington Times)
http://washingtontimes.com/national/20040706-124307-5308r.htm
Opinion/Editorial
Schlafly: To celebrate independence, we must have sovereignty
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/phyllisschlafly/ps20040705.shtml
Pat: Let Europe Fend for Itself: http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=39276
Doonesbury http://www.ucomics.com/doonesbury/
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