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The Morning Grind / Political Hot Topics |
Remembering Reagan, counting Florida felons and Clinton's new book
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|  VIDEO |
 Photographer Peter Souza recorded the Reagans in the White House.
 CNN's Joe Johns on funeral security measures.
 CNN's Chris Lawrence on crowds filing past the casket.
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Check out the links below to hot political stories around the country this morning.
REAGAN AND THE CAMPAIGN: After three days of suspended political activity, the Bush campaign began openly incorporating Ronald Reagan's death into its reelection message yesterday, revamping its Web site to give Reagan a dominant role and distributing official campaign letters that invoke the former president. The Boston Globe: Campaigns seize on Reagan's legacy
PARTY DIVIDE: In California to attend his elder daughter's graduation today from film school, Kerry diverted from Los Angeles to this northwestern suburb immediately upon landing to make his 20-minute appearance at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Entering the lobby, Kerry paused in silent reflection at the foot of the mahogany casket and bit his lip before making the sign of the cross and then stepping away. The Boston Globe: Reagan bridged party divide, Democrats say
CASH AND KERRY: On a day when he paid his respects to former President Reagan, Sen. John F. Kerry dipped his feet back into political waters, saying Tuesday he was not going to alter his critique of the Bush administration's economic policies despite recent job growth. The Los Angeles Times: Kerry firm in economic stance
REMEMBERING REAGAN: There are few Republicans alive today who do not identify in some way with the 40th president of the United States, so significant was his influence on his party. But for political figures including Chris Cox, the connections are vivid and personal. They and others like them are the Reagan generation of American politics, conservatives who came of age politically under Reagan and were inspired by his example to enter politics, public service or elective office. The Washington Post: For many in GOP, connections to Reagan are vivid, personal
TORTURE MEMOS: Democratic senators say Justice Department memos contending that a wartime president is not bound by anti-torture principles could have laid the legal groundwork for the prisoner abuses that took place in Iraq and elsewhere. The Associated Press: Democrats rap officials on abuse memos
BLUE DOG DEMOCRAT?: Zell Miller broke with his fellow Democrats from the start of the Bush administration, delivering key votes to install John Ashcroft as attorney general and cosponsoring the president's first tax cut. He has written a thin, angry book, "A National Party No More," that depicts the Democratic Party as a mushy-headed, liberal-kowtowing parody of its old self. He has enthusiastically endorsed Bush's reelection, and taken to appearances like one earlier last month, before Georgia Republicans, where he savaged Kerry as a man "so out of touch with the average American it would be comical if it were not so dangerous." The Los Angeles Times: The Democrat Republicans love to love
BANG FOR THE BOOK: The marketing masterminds at Alfred A. Knopf are doing everything in their power to orchestrate the publication of "My Life," by Bill Clinton. It's a big-time book by a big-time public figure. And the publishing firm, a division of Random House, wants to get maximum bada-bang for its book. The Washington Post: Clinton publisher's campaign strategy
CONVENTION PROTEST: With six weeks to go before the Democratic National Convention starts in Boston, the city on Tuesday entered a new phase of convention-related disruption as picketing union members forced a delay in the start of renovations on the convention site and the transit authority said it would begin randomly inspecting passengers' bags on subway and commuter trains. Hundreds of union members showed up at the FleetCenter, the convention site, to join with the city's largest police union, which was picketing to protest a negotiating impasse with the city that has left police officers without a contract for two years. The New York Times: Turbulence shakes Boston as the Democratic convention nears
FELONS AND FLORIDA: Identifying legal voters as felons and purging them from the rolls was one of Florida's biggest stumbles in the 2000 election. Now, some county elections supervisors worry that a new list of 48,000 possible felons might also be flawed and that a new state law makes it too easy to disqualify legal voters. The New York Times: In Florida, wrestling again over felons and voting
SOUTH CAROLINA SENATE RACE: Former South Carolina Gov. David Beasley and Rep. Jim DeMint advanced to a runoff yesterday in the Republican primary for the Senate seat left open by the retirement of Democratic Sen. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings. The Associated Press: Runoff set in South Carolina
V.P. TEA LEAVES: Aides to presidential candidate John Kerry have asked for hundreds of newspaper columns written by Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, one of the Democrats whose backgrounds are being checked as Kerry ponders a running mate. The Associated Press: Kerry seeks columns from Iowa governor
Compiled by Heather Riley
