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The Hardball Briefing On MSNBC
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The Department of Justice announced today it will open a criminal investigation
to determine who leaked classified information on the NSA domestic spying
program to the New York Times. White House Press Secretary Trent Duffy told
reporters at a gaggle this afternoon "the Justice Dept took this action on its
own which is the way it should be." Could this new development turn into a
political victory for President Bush, who said revealing this program was a
"shameful act" during wartime? Read the latest on the investigation
announcement here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10651154/
Tonight, we'll convene the Hardball War Council to take a year-end look at
America at War. Norah O'Donnell, MSNBC Chief Washington Correspondent filling
in for Chris Matthews, will be joined by NBC Military Analysts General Barry
McCaffrey, General Wayne Downing, and Lt. Colonel Rick Francona (a former NSA
staffer), who will look at progress made and lessons learned in Iraq and
Afghanistan this year, as well as military and intelligence ramifications of
the NSA spying story.
We'll get White House reaction on the DOJ investigation from NBC's Kelly
O'Donnell standing post in Crawford. For political fallout, Norah will turn to
Charlie Cook of National Journal and Cook Political Report, and Jim Warren,
Deputy Managing Editor of the Chicago Tribune. Will reporters face jail time
as they did with the CIA leak investigation? Charlie and Jim will have
predictions on that and as well as their picks for people to watch in 2006.
We'll recap the big issues of 2005 as well - Katrina, Iraq, and the CIA leak
investigation.
And to close out Hardball for the year, we'll end our program with an update
from presidential historian Douglas Brinkley on the scene in New Orleans.
Norah will get Doug's take on how Katrina affected everyone in the United
States, including the President of the United States, and how history books
will remember this year, 2005.
Stories You May Have Missed:
- State Department updates travel warning for Iraq today
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_921.html
- 16 Year-old returns to Florida from Iraq
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/12/30/D8EQNBD86.html
- 84 GIMO detainees on hunger strike
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10650841/from/RS.1/
- NBC Counterterrorism Analyst Roger Cressey blogs about the NSA story on
Hardblogger
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5445086/
- Governor Trump?
http://www.nydailynews.com/front/v-pfriendly/story/378806p-321733c.html
This is your last briefing of 2005. Happy New Year from Hardball!
Colleen King compiled the Hardball briefing in Washington, D.C.
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