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The Hardball Briefing On MSNBC
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Calls grow louder today to slow down, hold up, or outright scrap a proposed
deal supported by the Bush Administration that would hand over control of six
American shipping ports to a company controlled by the government of the United
Arab Emirates. Responding to the protests of senators, governors, and mayors,
President Bush told reporters late today aboard Air Force One that the deal
should go forward and that he would veto any bill to block it. Here's the
latest from the Associated Press: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11474440/.
Tonight, on a Hardball special report at 5:30 p.m. Eastern, Chris will discuss
the security questions at hand with Tom Ridge, the former homeland security
secretary and Pennsylvania governor. Philadelphia is one of the six cities in
the proposed acquisition, along with New Orleans, Miami, Baltimore, Newark, and
New York.
Plus, Hardball's David Shuster will deconstruct how this deal came about and
what else the Bush Administration is saying in the face of so much scrutiny.
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) will join Chris
live from the ports of Newark and Miami, respectively, to discuss their
security concerns, as will Mayor Martin O'Malley from Baltimore.
Then, at 7 p.m. Eastern, Chris will be back with a full hour of Hardball to
break down this fierce debate even more. Chris will talk more with Menedez,
Ros-Lehtinen, O'Malley, and Ridge about what this deal could mean for the
security of America's ports. He will also talk with Lori Van Aucken, widow of a
9/11 victim, about what kind of terrorism fears this situation evokes.
Miami Police Chief John Timoney will join Chris to talk about how major ports
impact the security needs and practices of their host cities. Philadelphia
radio talk host Michael Smerconish and New York Daily News reporter Michael
McAuliff will be here to talk about the local politics playing out in these
cities over this issue of control.
By the way, you should read MSNBC.com's Tom Curry's analysis of how the
Democrats are handling this debate: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11475548/.
Also tonight, Chris will talk with economist Bruce Bartlett, author of
"Imposter: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan
Legacy." Bartlett, a veteran of the Reagan and elder Bush Administrations, says
that a tax increase is inevitable because of the president's policies. Check
out a write up of his book in today's New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/21/books/review/21kaku.html.
Here are some things you might not have read yet today:
--AP alerts on the SCOTUS plan to consider late-term abortions
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11475776/
--Newsweek's Jonathan Alter opines on Cheney's governmental philosophy
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11434566/site/newsweek/
--Hardblogger (!) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5445086/
--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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