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The Hardball Briefing On MSNBC
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Is the international community on its way to another breaking point? Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice said today she is "gravely concerned" about Iran's
nuclear research activity. In conjunction with European allies, Rice called on
the United Nations Security Council to seriously look into the matter. Here's
the AP's report on the rising tension: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10803220/.
On Hardball tonight, Chris will have the latest on this from NBC News' Chief
Washington Correspondent Andrea Mitchell. Chris will also talk with Michael
Rubin, a former Defense Department official under President Bush and author of
"Eternal Iran." David Kay, former U.N. weapons inspector, will also join Chris
to discuss what is developing.
Also tonight, Chris will talk with Russ Tice, a former employee of the National
Security Agency who was a source for news reports about the agency's secret
domestic surveillance operations. Hardball's David Shuster will also have the
latest on the political fight over that NSA activity, including a report by the
nonpartisan Congressional Research Service that said the administration's case
"does not seem to be well-grounded."
And in case you missed it, the New York Times' David Sanger reports today on
the president's shift to welcoming congressional hearings on the NSA program:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/12/politics/12bush.html.
Meanwhile, Act Four of the Alito hearings hit the stage today with the judge
wrapping up his testimony and the parade of witnesses for or against him
starting up. Here's NBC's report on Alito's final day of answering/listening:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10818490/.
By the way, Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) said this morning on NBC's Today (as he did
on Tuesday's Hardball) that the hearings might not be worth the time:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10818490/.
For more on the legal questions coming out of the Alito interrogation, Chris
will be joined by former Attorney General Edwin Meese. Chris will also ask the
former top cop about the various other legal questions festering like the NSA
spying story, the CIA leak probe, and the congressional corruption probe in the
fallout of the Abramoff downfall.
Rep. Harold Ford, Jr. (D-TN) will be here tonight to talk about his recent trip
Afghanistan and Iraq. He'll tell Chris what he saw and heard and we'll hear his
reaction to the president's comments Wednesday about the effects of war
criticism on U.S. troops. Here's more on what the president said:
http://today.reuters.com/news/NewsArticle.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyID=2006-01-11T204608Z_01_DIT174746_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAQ-BUSH.xml.
Plus, MSNBC's Tucker Carlson, host of The Situation, will be here to discuss
the Abramoff/DeLay fallout, the Alito hearings, and the high drama unfolding on
Capitol Hill as the days tick down to the president's State of the Union, the
House GOP's leadership election, and the ramp-up for the 2006 midterm
elections. Check out the AP's afternoon report on the Blunt v. Boehner battle:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10821914/.
Here are some things you might not have read yet today:
--AP updates on the president's visit today to the Gulf Coast
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10816346/
--Hardblogger All-Star Pat Buchanan thinks Alito is the victor
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10284912/#060112a
--MSNBC has a fact file on the players in the Abramoff probe
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10562787/
--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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