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The Morning Grind / Political Hot Topics |
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Stay with CNN for ongoing reports on reaction to President Bush's news conference -- and for updates on the testimony scheduled by the 9/11 commission for Wednesday's sessions in Washington, featuring CIA Director George Tenet and FBI Director Robert Mueller.
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| PLANNED 9/11 TESTIMONY | 
Today:
Louis Freeh, 9:30 a.m. ET
Janet Reno, 11 a.m. ET
Thomas Pickard, J. Cofer Black, 2 p.m. ET
John Ashcroft, 3:30 p.m. ET
Wednesday, April 14:
George Tenet, 9:30 a.m. ET
Robert Mueller, 2:30 p.m. ET
Watch CNN-USA for live coverage of these testimony sessions and ongoing analysis and updates on their impact.
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 VIDEO |
 CNN's David Ensor on this week's 9/11 commission testimony.
 PLAY VIDEO
 CNN's Bill Schneider names the 911 panel vs. Bush his Play of the Week.
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 CNN's Suzanne Malveaux on the White House memo.
PLAY VIDEO
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RELATED |
 CNN/Money: Kerry cites 'misery index'
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Check out the links below to hot political stories around the country this morning.
PRIME-TIME PRESSER: President Bush's decision to face the press after a week in which he has largely kept out of view while vacationing in Texas is a sign of what some Republicans described as an increasingly jittery White House. Officials say they are concerned that events beyond their control, from the battlefields of Iraq to a hearing room in Washington, threaten a carefully planned re-election campaign.The New York Times: Bush news conference set amid campaign concerns
BACK TO SCHOOL: John Kerry began a weeklong college campus tour at the University of New Hampshire Monday, calling for a rebirth of the youthful idealism spurred on by the last Massachusetts Democrat who occupied the White House.The Nashua Telegraph: Kerry starts weeklong college tour at UNH
U TOUR: New Hampshire was the first stop on Kerry's college "Change begins with U" tour. The event was one part campaign rally and one part concert, as Kerry aimed at catching the attention of younger voters. The New Hampshire: Guster reigns; Kerry kicks off college campaign
NO MORE FLIP FLOPS: At the Kerry rally, student Lindsay Straw, 22, leader of a campus Republican group at UNH, said she couldn't get in, even though she had a ticket. Straw was among a half-dozen protesters who set up before Kerry's appearance in a designated demonstration area a few hundred yards from Whittemore Arena. Two of the protesters with Straw were dressed as giant flip-flops as a dig at what they called Kerry's ambiguity on issues.The Manchester Union Leader: While many students skipped rally, one says she was barred
VIVA BUSH: The tug-of-war for the critical Hispanic vote in the presidential election intensified Monday with Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who is bilingual, launching his brother's national outreach effort -- after an introduction by his Mexican-born wife, Columba. The Miami Herald: GOP courts Hispanic voters
CONVENTION COSTS: Thousands of Boston commuters delayed by subway and road closings for the Democratic National Convention will cost area businesses $23.8 million in lost productivity and push the economic impact of the event into the red, according to a new study by a local think tank. The convention was hailed by Mayor Thomas Menino's office as a boon to Boston, reaping millions of dollars in economic gains. But the Beacon Hill Institute determined that transportation and other costs will outweigh the benefits of 35,000 convention delegates and visitors who will converge on Boston's hotels, restaurants, and attractions.The Boston Globe: Convention seen yielding a net loss
GUN OWNERS' DISILLUSIONMENT: Some gun owners have grown so disenchanted with President Bush that they may cast a protest vote for a third-party candidate, stay away from the polls, or even back Kerry. Surprisingly, the issues that have most alienated many gun groups from the Bush administration have little to do with firearms, but rather with the Patriot Act and other homeland security measures instituted after September 11. Opposition to such laws has aligned gun-rights activists with unlikely partners, such as liberal Democrats and the ACLU.The Los Angeles Times: Gun groups may not be Bush campaign weapon
CASH AND KERRY: Massachusetts Democrats will smash local political fund-raising records today with a $4 million event for their home state presidential candidate. Democrats, who were once nervous about their original goal of $1.5 million, say they have been caught off guard by a surge of donations in the last week. The expected crowd, once set at 1,000, will reach almost 3,000.The Boston Globe: Record $4m expected for Kerry
TERESA'S PLANS: Teresa Heinz Kerry said Monday she would continue philanthropy work and avoid a policy-making role in the White House if her husband were elected president. Heinz Kerry, head of the $1.2 billion Heinz Foundation endowment, said she prefers advocating for education, health, the environment and urban redevelopment through philanthropic projects.The Dallas Morning News: First lady Kerry would continue philanthropy
STEALING THE SHOW: As Bill Clinton seeks to finish his memoirs, leading Democrats are voicing concern that the book could overshadow Kerry's presidential campaign, diverting attention to Clinton's outsize legacy of scandal and achievement.The New York Times: Timing of Clinton memoir is everything, for Kerry
SHIFTING ALLIANCES: Colorado Gov. Bill Owens made it official Monday: He withdrew his support from former Congressman Bob Schaffer and shifted his endorsement to brewing magnate Peter Coors in the state's GOP Senate primary. The Rocky Mountain News: Governor endorses Peter Coors
BRINGING IN THE BIG GUNS: Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist will come to South Dakota in May to raise funds for fellow Republican John Thune's campaign against Sen. Tom Daschle and Tim Giago, the independent candidate, in the November 2 election. The Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Majority leader to campaign for Thune
