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LOUISVILLE /JEFFERSON COUNTY

DEMOCRATIC PARTY NEWSLETTER

Week of April 22, 2007

The link to this electronic newsletter is being e-mailed to 4,000+

Jefferson County Democrats 

We hope you will forward the link to your own e-mail list.

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CLICK HERE FOR CURRENT LIST OF EVENTS

Updated on a regular basis

The Louisville/Jefferson County Democratic Executive Committee meets the 4th Wednesday of every month at 5:00 pm at 901 Barret Avenue .

 

Notice to our Readers &  2007 Primary Election Candidates:

This newsletter will carry in this space any Democratic candidates' notice of events or communications (250 words or less) to our readers that the candidate provides to the editor at rcrider@louisvilledem.com

 

Democratic candidates who want pictures of their fund raisers, activities, events, etc to be posted on this website, e-mail them to rcrider@louisvilledem.com. 

 

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HELP WANTED!!

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Yarmuth Raises More than $300,000 for Re-Election in 1st Quarter

Today, Congressman John Yarmuth (KY-3) reported a total of more than $300,000 raised in the first quarter of 2007 (January 1- March 31) for his 2008 re-election campaign. The total well exceeds the $200,000 goal set by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for freshman members.

"I am pleased by this outpouring of support so early on," Congressman Yarmuth said.  "This is a terrific head start for a competitive, aggressive campaign next year."

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What's up with that?

Of the past legislators who on Tuesday endorsed Anne Northup for governor, two are defeated former opponents of Gov. Ernie Fletcher (Steve Nunn and Bob Heleringer), one is Jeff Hoover's mother (Mae Hoover), one resigned from office and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges in a bidding scandal (Clyde Middleton) and one was convicted in the BOPTROT scandal and prosecuted by then U.S. Atty. Steve Pence (Art Schmidt).  What were they thinking?  KyPolitics.org 

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Take Action to Stop Drug CEOs from Profiteering off Medicare Prescription Plan 

Michael Buckley, communications director for the Alliance for Retired Americans, the AFL-CIO organization for union retirees, sends us this action alert for a bill now in the Senate that would enable Medicare to negotiate prescription drug costs.

Where does your prescription drug money go? 

According to the AFL-CIO Executive PayWatch, a lot of it is going straight to the CEOs’ wallets. 

The head of Wyeth took home $32.8 million in 2006. A few others: Abbott Laboratories, $26.9 million; Pfizer Inc., $19.4 million; and Baxter, $13.5 million. Says Alliance for Retired Americans President George J. Kourpias:

Is it any wonder why Americans pay the highest drug prices in the world? These CEOs ought to be ashamed of themselves for profiting so handsomely off seniors who need their prescription drugs.

These companies are flush with cash from President George W. Bush’s 2003 prescription drug law, which, according to The New York Times:

is proving to be a financial windfall larger than even the most optimistic Wall Street analysts had predicted.

But wait. There is more.

Pharmaceutical lobbyists are spending millions to block a bill (S. 3) before the U.S. Senate this week. And they even have their friends in the White House promising to veto the bill.

Why? 

Because it would repeal corporations’ sweetheart deal, one that prohibits Medicare from negotiating bulk discounts from drug manufacturers. Every consumer understands you pay less when you buy in bulk. 

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Big Pharma Wins in Senate. Consumers Lose. by Mike Hall

Republican Senate leaders Thursday blocked a bill that would have allowed Medicare to negotiate with the drug giants for lower prices. In doing so, they came down on the side of big pharmaceutical companies that make billions in profits on which America’s seniors rely—and against consumers who depend upon the Medicare program for affordable medication.

The 55-42 vote fell five votes short of the 60 needed to shut off Senate floor debate and move the bill to a vote on passage. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) voted to end debate, but switched his vote to maintain the right to bring the bill up again.

Calling the policy to bar Medicare from negotiating drug prices “nonsensical,” AFL-CIO President John Sweeney says:

We are extremely disappointed that a minority of senators has blocked legislation that could have allowed Medicare to negotiate for lower drug prices to achieve substantial savings for seniors and for the working families whose taxes support this vital program. Instead, Big Pharma won the day.

Senate Republicans had the strong backing of President Bush, who said if the drug negotiation bill got to his desk, he would veto it.

In January, the Democratic-controlled House passed a bill to require Medicare to negotiate for lower prices for prescription drugs purchased by seniors under the Medicare Part D program. The bill was among many working family measures the House passed in its first 100 days in office this year.

The pharmaceutical industry has joined the Bush White House in vigorously opposing lower Medicare prices through negotiations. After the House passed the bill, drug companies launched a massive lobbying and PR campaign aimed at the Senate. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on TV spots and newspaper ads to foment against the bill, and its lobbyists swarmed the Capitol as the Senate vote neared. Consumer groups, senior activists and others say the buying power of Medicare would lower prices. They point to the Department of Veterans Affairs and state Medicaid programs that use their buying power to negotiate more affordable drugs than those available to many Medicare beneficiaries. Says Sweeney:

The savings could be used to improve the prescription drug benefit and strengthen Medicare’s fiscal health, while lowering costs and helping to keep more from falling into the benefit’s donut hole.

It’s clear that this is another example of how health care hustlers like Big Pharma are gaming the legislative system and blocking meaningful reform of our broken health care system.

Yesterday, as the Senate was preparing to vote on the bill, Edward Coyle, executive director of the Alliance for Retired Americans, said:

This is the moment of truth for senators and for President Bush: Do they stand with retirees struggling to afford their drugs, or do they stand with the big drug companies who want to keep fleecing American seniors?

Now we know where they stand.

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McConnell, GOP is High on Drug Company Campaign Cash – Shuts Down Debate on Bill to Lower Drug Costs for Seniors

Obstructionism at its Worst: Mitch McConnell, George Bush, the GOP and the Stench of Campaign Cash from Big Drug Companies

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans, high on drug company campaign cash, today shut down a pending debate on legislation which would lower prescription drug process for seniors by allowing Medicare to negotiate with the pharmaceutical industry for lower prices – just as Medicaid and the Veteran’s Administration are allowed to do. President Bush and Congressional Republicans, at the behest of the nation’s drug lobby, prohibited the federal government from negotiating for lower drug prices when the Part D drug plan passed in 2003 – putting company profits ahead of seniors and taxpayers. In addition to the war in Iraq, it was the type of official corruption which resulted in the drug company drafted Part D prescription drug plan which cost the Republicans their majority in Congress in 2006. However, so reliant is the GOP on campaign cash from the drug lobby that they continue to genuflect for drug company executives despite polls which show that 80-90 percent of Americans favor legislation to allow Medicare to negotiate lower prices for seniors and the disabled as part of Part D and despite majority support in the Senate for such legislation.

“Republicans are high on drug company campaign cash,” said Brad Woodhouse, President of Americans United for Change. “Americans should be outraged that President Bush, Mitch McConnell and the Senate Republicans are so dependent on dug company campaign cash that they shut down a public debate on legislation to allow the federal government to negotiate for lower prices prescription drugs for our nation’s seniors,” said Brad Woodhouse, President of Americans United for Change. “Of course, this is the same GOP which came up with the costly, confusing and corrupt Part D prescription drug plan in the first place – a plan designed by and for the drug companies that put drug companies first and seniors dead last.

“Mitch McConnell lead this filibuster because Republicans and their benefactors in the drug industry are horrified at the prospect of their greed and their contempt for seniors being exposed on the floor of the Senate for all of America to see. If there was ever a case where Mitch McConnell deserved the moniker ‘Obstructionist-in-Chief’ this is it. However this fight is not over – seniors and the disabled deserve better and everyone in America knows it. As President Bush’s and Republican political prospects continue to decline and as they continue to dig a deeper and deeper hole for themselves with seniors, the pressure to fix Part D will continue to mount. It is only a matter of time.”   See Ditch Mitch Website

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  Nothing this week

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DAILY GRILL       

"The day you set timelines and deadlines, you undo the ability to reconcile, you empower our enemy and give them a road map to defeat us."  -- Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), 4/15/07, on why setting a timeline is not an effective way to pressure the Iraqi government

VERSUS

"[Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)] said that he and Mr. Graham had warned Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki that the patience of the American public was running out. ... 'We’re telling you, there’s been votes in both houses of Congress which portend, unless the American people see measurable success, that we’re going to be out of here,' Mr. McCain said, recalling the message he had delivered to the Iraqi leader."  -- New York Times, 4/15/07, on how Graham and McCain used the prospect of a timeline to pressure the Iraqi government

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"I was not involved in seeing any memos, was not involved in any discussions about what was going on."
-- Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, 3/13/07, on his role in the prosecutor purge

VERSUS

"[A] recently released e-mail from [Kyle] Sampson, dated June 1, 2006, indicated that Gonzales was actively involved in discussions about [former U.S. attorney Carol] Lam and had decided to fire her if she did not improve."  -- ABC News, 4/16/07

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"Students who took part in sexual abstinence programs were just as likely to have sex as those who did not, according to a study ordered by Congress."  -- AP, 4/14/07

VERSUS

"[O]ne logical conclusion is that to achieve the greatest effectiveness, programs must be intensive and long-term, so that the knowledge, attitudes, and skills needed to reject sex before marriage are constantly reinforced."  -- Family Research Council, 4/16/07, on "one logical conclusion" from the abstinence study

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"Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., submitted the names of two candidates to replace Heffelfinger. His staff said Paulose was not one of them."  -- Minneapolis Star-Tribune, 4/14/07, on Coleman's denial that he ever nominated Rachel Paulose to succeed Thomas Heffelfinger as U.S. attorney in Minnesota

VERSUS

"Paulose, who Coleman recommended for the post earlier this year, will succeed Thomas Heffelfinger, who resigned from the position in February."  -- Press release from Coleman's office, 12/9/06 

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Quotes of the Day  

"It became mainstream, it became sexy, attractive. And this is exactly what has to happen with the environmental movement. Like bodybuilders, the environmentalists were thought of as kind of weird fanatics also. You know the kind of serious tree huggers. Environmentalists were no fun. They were like prohibitionists at the fraternity party." --California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
 

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INTERESTING         

What's the Wal-Mart Tax?

On April 17, 2007, Tax Day, people all across America will wake up, head down to their local post office, and do what all honest citizens do - pay their taxes.

Sadly, most Americans may not know this, but they will also be paying another tax - the Wal-Mart Tax.

What's the Wal-Mart Tax?

The Wal-Mart Tax is the fact that everyday, because Wal-Mart fails to provide affordable health care, Wal-Mart workers and their families are forced onto taxpayer-funded public health care assistance. Nationally, Wal-Mart's health care crisis and irresponsibility costs taxpayers over $2.5 billion a year.

In addition, Wal-Mart has exploited a bunch of corporate state tax loopholes by setting up fake “shell” companies and pretending they don't own stores that they really do. Wal-Mart's tax scam has helped Wal-Mart avoid $3.39 billion in state taxes between 1999 and 2005.

The Wal-Mart Tax hurts Americans, is wrong, and must stop.

So, on Tax Day, join WakeUpWalMart.com supporters who will be passing out “Stop the Wal-Mart Tax” flyers at post offices all across America.

Please download the “Stop the Wal-Mart Tax” flyer and make copies to hand out to taxpayers.

http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/feature/taxday/

All across America we will be holding Tax Day actions (or tax day protests, if you will) at local post offices on Tuesday, April 17 with one goal - Stop the Wal-Mart Tax!

The truth is, if we are going to “Stop the Wal-Mart Tax” we need you to join with WakeUpWalMart.com supporters and hand this flyer out to as many taxpayers as you can.

The real cost to American taxpayers of the Wal-Mart Tax are huge. For example, if Wal-Mart paid the taxes it owed in 2005 we could have provided 318,440 uninsured children with health care coverage, added 9,499 additional police officers to patrol our streets and keep our communities safe, or build new classrooms for 21,963 elementary school students.

When big profitable companies like Wal-Mart don't pay their taxes, we all lose.

So please come out and join us, because together we can stop the Wal-Mart tax and change Wal-Mart and America for the better.

Together, we can make Wal-Mart pay its fair share for health care and we can stop the Wal-Mart Tax once and for all.  

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Toyota: Another Circuit City? by James Parks 

Toyota’s commercials tout how many jobs the company has created in the United States and how many factories it plans to build. Workers at one of its first plants in this country say Toyota is making big profits but fails at health and safety and relies heavily on low-paid temporary workers.

And in a move barely better than that of Circuit City, where management recently fired 3,400 employees because it wanted to hire workers to do the same jobs at lower wages, Toyota may be developing a plan to reduce workers’ wages and benefits just because it doesn’t want to pay them what they currently earn.

The workers, who appeared at a March 31 town hall forum in Lexington, Ky., just a few miles from Toyota’s plant in Georgetown, Ky., demanded that the Japanese-based company respect its workers and the community that made the plant successful.

The workers say the giant automaker has received $371 million in state and local government tax subsidies since 1986. In return, Toyota had promised to locate manufacturing jobs in Kentucky that paid decent wages.

Instead, workers say the company, which is nonunion, is firing employees who are injured at work. In addition, full-time workers are being replaced with temporary workers who are paid half what regular team members earn and have little or no health insurance, workers say.

At the town hall meeting, Tim Unger, an 18-year veteran Toyota worker, said he’s noticed that some long-time workers have “disappeared” from the plant after they were hurt on the job—victims of Toyota’s quest for improved efficiency. Says Unger:

Shoulders would wear out, wrists would require surgery and back and hands started to fail. It seemed as if the good people who contributed to the success of Toyota were being used up and disposed of like garbage.

Also, at the town hall forum, other workers such as Noel Christian Riddell, a 10-year veteran skilled-trades worker, said the company seems to be relying more and more on low-wage temporary workers and ignoring experienced workers:

We executed model-change activities faster than any other manufacturer. I truly felt my contributions played a role in the company’s success. But something happened. After only a few years, training ceased. Suddenly, I had no sick days. My raises became smaller. My benefits were cut. My group’s manpower was slashed. And the number of temporary employees steadily grew.

UAW Vice President Terry Thurman, who attended the meeting, said the union is committed to providing “all the assistance we can” to Toyota workers.

This is all about Toyota workers—their concerns, their interests and their hopes for the future. They are hard-working autoworkers, and they’ve helped make this company a tremendous success. They deserve respect and dignity on the job.

Local community and religious groups are joining with Jobs with Justice and the UAW to establish a Workers’ Rights Board in Kentucky, which will hear personal stories of Toyota workers and recommend appropriate remedies when necessary, Thurman said.

Last month, UAW President Ron Gettelfinger and Thurman said in an online chat there has been “increased activity” and more interest by Georgetown Toyota employees to join the UAW after recent media leaks about workers pay there. The leaked documents indicate Toyota is considering cutting some wages to lower overall expenses.

Cornelia James, an 18-year Georgetown employee, says the documents show it’s time for a big change at the plant. “It’s time for Toyota to sign a contract with us like everyone else they do business with,” she said.

Cylister Williams, a retired UAW member who works with Kentucky Jobs with Justice, told the crowd that it’s not enough that the workers at the Georgetown plant have jobs.

They don’t have justice. We’re going to get justice at Toyota. 

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Recent Senate Votes 

 

Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007 - Vote Passed (63-34, 3 Not Voting)

The Senate voted to reverse President Bush's 2001 decision prohibiting government funds from being spent to create new lines of embryonic stem cells.

Sen. Mitch McConnell voted NO

Sen. Jim Bunning voted NO

 

 

HOPE Act - Vote Passed (70-28, 2 Not Voting)

The Senate passed this bill that would increase funding for adult stem cell research.

Sen. Mitch McConnell voted YES

Sen. Jim Bunning voted YES

 

Recent House Votes 

 None Reported

 

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HUMOR    

"The Bush administration extended the tours of Army troops in Iraq by three months, increasing their stay to a total of 15 months. Troops responded to the news, saying, 'I'm gay.'" --Amy Poehler

"During appearances in Denver, John Kerry re-opened the door to running for president in 2008. You know, somebody should really lock that door." --Jay Leno

"The White House said today that they have lost the e-mails requested by congressional investigators -- e-mails that may have dealt with the firing of those eight federal prosecutors. They lost them. Today the administration assured Americans that they are not corrupt, just incompetent." --Jay Leno

"Mitt Romney is running for president. ... He was talking to the press a couple of weeks ago, and he said he likes to hunt. Turns out he's only been hunting twice in his life. ... His aides are panicked. They're saying, 'For God's sake, will you go hunting and shoot somebody in the face?'" --David Letterman

"Things aren't looking good for Republicans. John McCain's campaign is in free fall. Mitt Romney got caught making up those stupid hunting stories. Rudy Giuliani's been married three times. In fact, the Republican candidates are doing so badly, Democrats are gonna have to work extra hard to screw up this next election" --Jay Leno

"John Kerry has said he has not ruled out running for president again. Oh, the voters have ruled it out. ... First, Kerry said he wouldn't run. Now he said he might change his mind. It's nice to know he's consistent on changing his mind." --Jay Leno

"According to the Boston Globe, presidential candidate John Edwards got two $400 haircuts at a Beverly Hills Salon ... and a $225 facial at a place called the Pink Sapphire. The Pink Sapphire? Doesn't that sound like something that shows up on your credit card statement, and you quickly have to explain to the wife?" --Jay Leno

"In a recent interview, Hillary Clinton said she doesn't lie awake at night worrying about attacks from her political opponents. But she does lie awake at night wondering where the hell her husband is" --Conan O'Brien

"As far as anyone can remember, no New Jersey governor has ever been in a car crash ... although former Governor McGreevey was frequently rear-ended." --Bill Maher

"Republican candidate Mitt Romney says that Hillary Clinton is wrong when she says it takes a village to raise a child. But when Hillary's book came out, Romney said Hillary was right and it does take a village to raise a child. For a lifelong hunter, this guy sure shoots himself in the foot a lot." --Jay Leno

"Because of the storms back East, over 250,000 people still without power. In fact, it was so bad in Washington, D.C., Attorney General Alberto Gonzales had to resort to destroying e-mails by hand." --Jay Leno

"President Bush picked [Iraq war architect Paul] Wolfowitz to head the World Bank in 2005. His mission? Use its mighty financial resources to raise the living standards of people around the world. His first beneficiary? Well, his girlfriend. Last week it was disclosed that Wolfowitz had used his influence to get a promotion and a raise for his long-time paramour, World Bank employee Shaha Ali Riza -- considered to be a foremost expert on the Middle East. Which means, you know what they say, opposites attract." --Jon Stewart

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ETHICS -- E-MAILS AND INTERVIEWS REVEAL GONZALES' ACTIVE ROLE IN U.S. ATTORNEY FIRINGS: "New details emerging from Justice Department interviews and e-mails suggest that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and perhaps President Bush were more active than they've acknowledged in the firings last year of eight U.S. attorneys," McClatchy reports. On Sunday, D. Kyle Sampson, Gonzales's former chief of staff, told congressional investigators that "Gonzales took part in discussions last fall about David C. Iglesias, who was removed as the United States attorney in New Mexico, as well as in a June 2006 meeting that addressed concerns about Carol C. Lam, the United States attorney ousted from her job in San Diego." Sampson's revelations contradict Gonzales's previous claim in a March 26 interview with NBC News that he "had not been involved, was not involved in the deliberations over whether or not United States attorneys should resign." Private testimony by Associate Attorney General William W. Mercer confirmed with "greater certainty" that Gonzales was at the June 2006 meeting about Carol Lam. E-mails recently discovered by ABC News also indicate that Gonzales participated in the decision-making process for the firing of Lam. In an e-mail dated June 1, 2006, Sampson wrote, "'AG [Attorney General] has given additional thought to the San Diego situation and now believes that we should adopt a plan' that would lead to her removal if she 'balks' at immigration reform." In his testimony on Sunday, Sampson also revealed that "Gonzales remembered talking to Bush last October about concerns with then-U.S. Attorney David Iglesias of New Mexico." Gonzales has maintained that he does not recall the conversation with Bush. The details about the Bush-Gonzales conversation coincide with the revelation that Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) had personally appealed to Gonzales for Iglesias to be fired and that he had personally spoken to Bush soon after Gonzales said he "would fire Iglesias only on orders from the President." Gonzales will have to answer for these contradictions in his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has been postponed to Thursday, in the wake of the tragedy at Virginia Tech. 

ETHICS -- FBI RAIDS ABRAMOFF-LINKED CONGRESSMAN'S HOME: FBI agents searched the home of Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA) yesterday, who is "under scrutiny over his ties to convicted GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff." Doolittle's ties to the disgraced lobbyist are quite extensive, as he "received $64,500 from Abramoff, his partners, and clients between 2001 and 2004. Abramoff let Doolittle hold fundraisers in his sky box for free, and paid to send Doolittle's top aide to Puerto Rico. He hired Doolittle's then-chief of staff, Kevin Ring, who in turn helped hire Doolittle's wife. Julie Doolittle, who owned a consulting firm, was brought on by Abramoff and his firm, Greenberg Traurig, to do fundraising for Abramoff's charity." Despite these other clear connections, Dolittle maintains that Abramoff's ties to Doolittle's wife's business are the only reason for the FBI's raid. "My wife has been cooperating with the FBI and the Justice Department for almost three years and that cooperation is going to continue in the future. I support my wife 100 percent and fully expect that the truth will prevail," he said in a statement yesterday. As Roll Call notes, Doolittle is seemingly quite embarrassed about the allegations, as he has not "made any attempt to personally inform House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) of the event. Doolittle has been on the Hill all week and voted on the floor Wednesday."

ADMINISTRATION -- POLITICIZATION CONTINUES IN NON-POLITICAL RANKS OF DOJ: A "Group of Concerned Justice Department Employees" have sent an anonymous letter to both the House and Senate Judiciary Committees revealing that "the non-political ranks of Justice employees...are consistently and methodically being eroded by partisan politics." As Politico explained, "Under normal circumstances, the various divisions at Justice review applications from potential hires, set interviews and send the list to the Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management, which gives the green light to proceed." The letter detailed, however, that the recruitment office is "no longer the final step...because the list had to go higher" -- to the Office of the Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty. The letter continues that "when the list of potential interviewees was returned, it had been cut dramatically...many sections were left with fewer potential interviews than vacant slots to fill." In a Dec. 5, 2006, meeting scheduled in response to the complaints, McNulty's chief of staff was "offensive to the point of [being] insulting" and claimed that his "screening panel" had struck people from the list because of "grades, spelling errors on applications, and inappropriate information about them on the Internet." Justice Department staff, however, found that among those individuals rejected by McNulty's office, "one common denominator appeared repeatedly" -- they had "interned for a Hill Democrat, clerked for a Democratic judge, worked for a 'liberal' cause, or otherwise appeared to have 'liberal' leanings." The letter concluded that "while the current political appointees repeatedly remind everyone that the U.S. Attorneys 'serve at the pleasure of the President,' the Department's career attorneys serve the people of the United States" and urged Congress to "include this politicizing of the career ranks in your questioning of Attorney Gonzales and his staff." The Justice Department has refused to comment on the letter. 

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NEED COMPUTER ASSISTANCE?? 

Democrat Activist Mike Bailey is now providing “Professional Computer Support.”  He can be contacted at 502-558-4026, or mikebailey2000@usa.net. 

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Think Fast     

78: Percentage of Americans who believe undocumented immigrants now in the United States should be given a chance at citizenship, according to a USA Today/Gallup poll, showing "the American public appears to have reached a consensus on the question."

Senate conservatives "blocked legislation yesterday that would have allowed the federal government to negotiate Medicare drug prices." Eighty-five percent of Americans support such negotiations.

"For six years, the Bush administration, aided by Justice Department political appointees, has pursued an aggressive legal effort to restrict voter turnout in key battleground states in ways that favor Republican political candidates. ... On virtually every significant decision affecting election balloting since 2001, the division's Voting Rights Section has come down on the side of Republicans."

"Congressional Democratic leaders are moving to make their proposed timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq 'advisory' as they seek to reconcile two versions of war spending legislation into a single bill that they plan to pass next week, according to several House members." 

Terrorism strikes the poor in Iraq: "While Baghdad remains in shock over the massive bombings that targeted...the poorer areas of the city, and caused hundreds of casualties in crowded marketplaces and neighborhoods, Iraqi politicians who inhabit the safe, guarded quarters of the capital are busy in their attempts to fortify their positions in the political system."

A senator has placed an "anonymous hold" on "legislation moving through the Senate that would require lawmakers' campaign finance reports to be electronically filed, meaning quickly made public."

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee today in a "make-or-break appearance" about the Bush administration's prosecutor purge. Four legal experts, including ousted U.S. attorney David Iglesias, pose questions they would ask Gonzales.

A CNN poll finds that most Americans (72%) say they are closely following the ongoing dispute over timetables for Iraq withdrawal. "Six in ten think that they would wind up siding with the Democrats in this dispute; 37% say they are more likely to take the President's side."

The New York Times writes that the selection of comedian Rich Little as headliner for the White House Correspondents Association dinner this weekend is seen as "a symbol in the liberal blogosphere for what its members consider the proclivity of Washington reporters to give Mr. Bush and his administration a pass."

"The World Bank's board of directors is scheduled to convene tomorrow and may try to figure out what to do about calls that the bank's president, Paul Wolfowitz, resign because he gave a big raise and promotion to his girlfriend, Shaha Riza."

Gov. Tim Kaine (D-VA) will name an independent panel to conduct "a very thorough after-action review" of the events surrounding Monday's mass shooting at Virginia Tech. "The idea is to do this after any significant incident," Kaine said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon. 

The House yesterday passed the Taxpayer Protection Act, to protect taxpayers against "identity theft, deceptive Web sites and loan sharks." It also makes it "easier for taxpayers to retrieve property lost as a result of a wrongful Internal Revenue Service levy and directs the IRS to notify lower-income people that they qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit."

Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq has requested changes that would break down that firewall between the military's public affairs office and "Pentagon efforts that use deception, propaganda and other methods to influence foreign populations."

"Under criticism for poor treatment of injured soldiers, the Pentagon announced new measures Tuesday to provide more health screenings, improve its record-keeping system and simplify an unwieldy disability claims system."

Gun control advocates said the Virginia Tech shootings "pointed to the need for tougher laws, while supporters of gun rights generally kept their heads down." The Brady Campaign said the incident underscored "how easy it is for an individual to get powerful weapons in our country." The NRA deplored the tragedy but declined to comment "until all the facts are known." The White House said, "The president believes that there is a right for people to bear arms, but that all laws must be followed."

$2.3 billion: The amount in state taxes that Wal-Mart, now the largest company in the world, appears to have skipped out on using corporate tax shelters.

"The tax burden in the U.S. is shifting away from the rich, to the point where in a few years it could change from being progressive to effectively flat, a new study shows."

"Over the past six months, American troops have died in Iraq at the highest rate since the war began. ... From October 2006 through last month, 532 American soldiers were killed, the most during any six-month period of the war. April, with 58 service members killed through Monday, is on pace to be one of the deadliest months of the conflict for American forces." 

While Paul Wolfowitz was serving as Deputy Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon directed a military contractor to hire his World Bank girlfriend Shaha Ali Riza to spend a month in 2003 studying issues related to setting up a new government in Iraq. Former Undersecretary of Defense Dough Feith "said he had no recollection of any request by his office to have Ms. Riza hired."

"President Bush has reneged on his promises to Katrina's victims," the New York Times editorial page writes. "Over a year and a half later, there are 64,000 people still sleeping in trailers in Louisiana and far too many communities without schools, hospitals and other basics. These are unacceptable failures."

The arctic north is experiencing some of the worst impacts of global warming. "Inuit hunters are falling through thinning ice and dying. Dolphins are being spotted for the first time. There's not enough snow to build igloos for shelter during hunts."

"The national average price for gasoline in the U.S. rose for the 11th straight week, according to a government report released Monday."

"Middle-class Americans, listen up: the I.R.S. is much more likely to audit you this year. Those caught cheating can expect to pay about $4,100 more on average in income taxes. ... Audits of these middle-class taxpayers rose to nearly 436,000 last year, up from about 147,000 returns in 2000."

"Americans by a narrow margin agree that Don Imus should have lost his nationally-syndicated radio show last week, but while whites are evenly divided on the issue a sizeable majority of African Americans support the firing, according to a poll released today."

"Six years after declaring the U.S. killing of Korean War refugees at No Gun Ri was 'not deliberate,' the Army has acknowledged it found but did not divulge that a high-level document said the U.S. military had a policy of shooting approaching civilians in South Korea."

"A defiant Paul D. Wolfowitz said Sunday that he would not resign as president of the World Bank in the face of controversy over his role in securing a State Department job and large raise for his girlfriend, a former communications official at the bank."

67: Percentage of Americans, "including a narrow majority of Republicans," who "see political motivations behind last year's firings of eight chief federal prosecutors." Americans also believe Attorney General Alberto Gonzales should resign by a margin of 45 percent to 39 percent.

"Rudy Giuliani will speak tomorrow at the university founded by televangelist Pat Robertson, a major appearance for the former mayor before a conservative crowd." 

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