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The Morning Grind / Political Hot Topics |
Voting, veepstakes and two very generous addresses
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 VIDEO |
 CNN's Suzanne Malveaux on Bush's denial of torture tactics
 CNN's Jonathan Freed on allegations about Senate candidate Jack Ryan.
 CNN's J.J. Ramberg on the Clinton book.
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Check out the links below to hot political stories around the country this morning.
SENATE UPROAR: Under fresh attack by Republicans to resign his Senate seat after missing months of votes, John Kerry returned to the Senate chambers yesterday to be in position to vote on a bill providing improved health care for veterans -- a move that triggered a partisan battle among his colleagues. The Boston Globe: Rare Kerry appearance causes uproar in Senate
KERRY OUTMANEUVERED: Sen. John F. Kerry made a rare appearance on the Senate floor Tuesday in support of a veterans' health measure that was ultimately delayed by the Republican leadership, a move that underscored the tricky balancing act facing the Democratic presidential nominee as he juggles two jobs.The Los Angeles Times: Kerry outmaneuvered in a rare attempt to vote
TORTURE DENIED: The Bush administration laid out its legal reasoning for denying terror war suspects the protections of international humanitarian law but immediately repudiated a key memo arguing that torture might be justified in the fight against al Qaeda. The Associated Press: Justice Dept. repudiates memo on torture
TWO USEFUL ADDRESSES: The office building at 865 South Figueroa in downtown Los Angeles is a fairly typical high-rise, but inside the plain reddish-brown tower is the headquarters of an investment management firm that handles roughly $90 billion in assets. By contrast, the San Remo, at 146 Central Park West in New York, is a dazzling two-tower building with captivating views of the park that has been home -- or at least one home -- to people like Steve Martin, Steven Spielberg, Demi Moore and Steve Jobs. These two disparate buildings across the country from each other may not seem to have much in common. But more donations to President Bush and Senator John Kerry and their parties, respectively, have come from the two buildings than from any others in the United States through April. The New York Times: A politician looking for funds? Here are two useful addresses
V.P. TEA LEAVES: Sen. John Kerry held a brief, secretive meeting with potential running mate John Edwards on Tuesday, a spur-of-the-moment session in the Capitol that capped an unusual day of hurry-up-and-wait in the heavily scripted life of the Democratic presidential candidate. The Associated Press: Kerry has secretive meeting with Edwards
KERRY'S SHORT LIST: Virginia Gov. Mark Warner may not be on John Kerry's short list, but he still has something to offer the Democratic presidential ticket: lessons for raising taxes in a Republican Legislature. The Democratic governor slashed spending, forged a bipartisan pro-business coalition and exploited a nationwide GOP rift over taxes. The Associated Press: Virginia governor not on Kerry's short list
REPLACING KERRY: The Massachusetts state Senate is expected to consider a bill today that would leave the state without one of its two U.S. senators for at least four months next year while politicians prepare for a special election to replace John F. Kerry if he wins the presidency.The Boston Globe: Bill aims to deny appointee Kerry post
HOT WATER: Republicans suffered a significant setback in their bid to hold on to the open Senate seat in Illinois as GOP nominee Jack Ryan yesterday tried to fight off calls to quit the race after allegations by his ex-wife that he had pressured her to perform sexually in front of other people. The Washington Post: GOP nominee fights calls to exit contest
NO QUITTER: Ralph Nader had a testy meeting Tuesday with black members of Congress and rejected their request that he quit the presidential race. At the same time, Arizona Democrats prepared to challenge Nader's qualifications to appear on that state's ballot as an independent candidate. The developments reflect Democrats' increasing frustration with Nader and his potential to woo liberal votes away from John Kerry.The Associated Press: Nader again refuses Dems' request he quit
SNIPPETS OF PRAISE: While Sen. John F. Kerry hopes to get a boost from supportive talk by Bill Clinton during his book tour, the Democratic presidential candidate is mentioned mostly in passing in the former president's memoir, "My Life." But there is one "pull quote," to use a publishing term, that has Clinton paying Kerry some high compliments. The Boston Globe: Clinton offers snippets of praise for Kerry
GLASS HALF FULL?: Sen. John Kerry is sounding optimistic since Republicans have taken to calling his presidential campaign a "tour of pessimism" and his "days of malaise tour." In stump speeches, the Massachusetts Democrat began telling people, "I'm running on optimism," or "I'm the optimistic candidate." The Washington Times: Kerry adopts positive tone
SWOONING OVER MOON: More than a dozen lawmakers attended a congressional reception this year honoring the Rev. Sun Myung Moon in which Moon declared himself the Messiah and said his teachings have helped Hitler and Stalin be "reborn as new persons." Details of the ceremony -- first reported by Salon.com writer John Gorenfeld -- have prompted several lawmakers to say they were misled or duped by organizers. Their complaints prompted a Moon-affiliated Web site to remove a video of the "Crown of Peace" ceremony two days ago, but other Web sites have preserved details and photos. The Washington Post: The Rev. Moon honored at Hill reception
Compiled by Heather Riley
