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The Hardball Briefing On MSNBC
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Washington politicians are keeping their distance, redistributing money, and
checking their old day-planners to make sure they can either explain or deny
interaction with one man: Jack Abramoff. Tune in to Hardball tonight for the
latest in the fallout from the Abramoff scandal. Veteran attorney Bob Bennett,
who was once counsel to the Senate Ethics Committee, and MSNBC's Joe
Scarborough will be here to talk about the legal and political ramifications of
Abramoff's deal with the feds.
Plus, Roger Simon, newly named chief political correspondent for Bloomberg News
(yeah Roger!), and MSNBC's Chief Washington Correspondent Norah O'Donnell will
be here to talk about the political war over who exactly has taken money
directly from Abramoff.
By the way, don't miss your chance to read Hardblogger All-Star Craig
Crawford's thoughts on the Abramoff fallout:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10284912/#060104a. And Howard Fineman, Newsweek's
chief political correspondent and MSNBC analyst, pegs the winners and losers of
it all here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10708359/.
Turning to another polarizing issue, Chris will talk with Secretary of Homeland
Security Michael Chertoff about the border. The secretary is on a tour of the
Mexican border in southern California. Read more about his immigration message
today in the San Diego Union-Tribune:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/terror/20060105-1244-bn05chertoff.html.
And for an inside take on the National Security Agency's secret spying program,
Kris Kobach, who worked at the Justice Department under former Attorney General
John Ashcroft, will be here to talk about the legal argument over the
president's authorization of that surveillance.
Here are some things you might not have read yet today:
--MSNBC reports on the 130 Iraqis and seven U.S. soldiers killed today in
bombings http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10703607/
--Newsweek ponders what the loss of Sharon could mean
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10723656/site/newsweek/
--AP recaps today's White House foreign policy alumni association meeting
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10723052/
--NBC's First Read http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3626796/
--Doonesbury http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/dailydose/index.html
Brooke Brower compiled the "Hardball Briefing" in Washington, D.C.
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