Top Items:
Anne E. Kornblut / New York Times:
G.O.P. Lobbyist to Plead Guilty in Deal With Prosecutors — WASHINGTON, Jan. 3 - Jack Abramoff will plead guilty to three felony counts in Washington on Wednesday as part of a settlement with federal prosecutors, ending an intense, months-long negotiation over whether the Republican lobbyist …
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Michael Hedges / Houston Chronicle:
Abramoff plea bargain announcement expected — Deal may give prosecutors a view into possible favors — WASHINGTON - A plea agreement between prominent lobbyist Jack Abramoff and federal prosecutors is expected this week, bringing a wide-ranging corruption probe to the doors of Congress …
Discussion:
TalkLeft, Sirotablog, Hotline On Call, Fired Up! America, Taegan Goddard's … and Donklephant
ReddHedd / firedoglake:
Abramoff Plea Deal Reached — The NYTimes is reporting on the details of the Abramoff plea deal. According to Anne Kornblut, Abramoff will plead guilty to three counts in the DC phase of the investigation — public corruption, fraud, and tax evasion — resulting in a maximum exposure of about 10 years in federal prison.
Bloomberg:
Abramoff May Plead Guilty This Week, Snaring Lawmakers in Probe — Jan. 3 (Bloomberg) — Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who is under criminal investigation, may agree this week to cooperate with federal officials in a move that former prosecutors say would put U.S. lawmakers in legal jeopardy.
Washington Post:
Abramoff Expected to Plead Guilty to 3 Felony Charges — Former high-powered lobbyist Jack Abramoff is expected to plead guilty today to three felony charges in a Washington courtroom, a Justice Department spokesman said. — The plea deal opens the prospect that Abramoff could provide testimony …
Discussion:
ScrappleFace
Susan Milligan / Boston Globe:Dozens send back lobbyist's donations
Discussion:
Inside Larry's Head
Peter Lattman / Law Blog:
Article III Groupie Expected to Become Wonkette — Here's the latest buzz: Queen of the blogosphere Ana Marie Cox is said to be handing over the reins at her spicy political blog Wonkette. David Lat, the federal prosecutor who revealed himself to the New Yorker magazine in November …
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Janet Maslin / New York Times:
A Blogger Creates a Blogger for a Trip Back to 2004 — A love affair runs through Ana Marie Cox's "Dog Days," and it ends with a moment of high drama. Figuratively speaking, the book's heroine, Melanie Thornton, might as well be throwing her beloved off a high cliff into stormy seas.
Paul E. Schroeder / Washington Post:
A Life, Wasted — Let's Stop This War Before More Heroes Are Killed — Early on Aug. 3, 2005, we heard that 14 Marines had been killed in Haditha, Iraq. Our son, Lance Cpl. Edward "Augie" Schroeder II, was stationed there. At 10:45 a.m. two Marines showed up at our door.
Reuters:
US Rep. Murtha says he wouldn't join military now — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Rep. John Murtha, a key Democratic voice who favors pulling U.S. troops from Iraq, said in remarks airing on Monday that he would not join the U.S. military today. — A decorated Vietnam combat veteran who retired …
Discussion:
Macsmind, A Blog For All, Donklephant, QandO, BlondeSense, Gateway Pundit, Blogs for Bush and ScrappleFace
E. J. Dionne Jr / Washington Post:
For Bush, a Test in the Midterms — Elections at midterm can be low-interest affairs or immensely important. This fall's congressional elections will be a big show with large consequences, because 2006 is looking a lot like the political years 1958, 1966 and 1978, all of which heralded major political transformations.
Eric Lipton / New York Times:
New Rules Set for Giving Out Antiterror Aid — Facing cuts in antiterrorism financing, the Department of Homeland Security plans to announce today that it will evaluate new requests for money from an $800 million aid program for cities based less on politics and more on assessments …
Griff Witte / Washington Post:
U.S. Cedes Duties in Rebuilding Afghanistan — KABUL, Afghanistan — Four years into a mammoth reconstruction effort here that has been largely led, funded and secured by Americans, the United States is showing a growing willingness to cede those jobs to others.
Richard A. Oppel Jr / New York Times:
Sunni Group Near Deal With Kurds on Iraqi Government — BAGHDAD, Iraq, Jan. 2 - The largest Sunni Arab political group in Iraq unexpectedly moved toward agreement with Kurdish leaders Monday on a broad framework for a coalition government. The group, the Iraqi Consensus Front …
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Captain's Quarters
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Sinan Salaheddin / Associated Press:Iraq's main Sunni Arabs group agrees on outlines of coalition government
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PoliPundit.com
Jennifer C. Yates / Associated Press:
Mining Exec 'Discouraged' by Air Quality — Rescuers trying to reach 13 trapped miners punched a hole into the mine early Tuesday, but a company executive said he was "very discouraged" by air quality tests. — Carbon monoxide levels measured 1,300 parts per million …
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James Dao / New York Times:Rescuers Continue Search for 13 Workers Trapped in Mine
Discussion:
ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES
Michael J. Totten / Opinion Journal:
Lebanon the Model — Iraq isn't the Arab world's first democracy. — BEIRUT, Lebanon—Of all the rationales for demolishing Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq, the most compelling was the Middle East's desperate need for at least one free Arab democracy to act as a model and an inspiration …
Houston Chronicle:
A TWIST IN THE RACE TO GOVERN TEXAS — At last minute, GOP's Strayhorn declares she'll take on Perry as an independent — AUSTIN - Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn, in either a bold stroke or a huge long shot, stepped away from the Republican primary Monday to challenge Gov. Rick Perry as an independent candidate.
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R.G. Ratcliffe / Houston Chronicle:Strayhorn enters governor's race as independent
Discussion:
Chris Bell for Texas Governor, rawstory.com, Off the Kuff, TPRS, PoliBlog, Associated Press, Donklephant, IntoxiNation-News … and PinkDome
Charles Hurt / Washington Times:
Democrats to hit White House, Republicans on privacy issues — Democrats on Capitol Hill are drafting a strategy to attack the Bush administration and Republicans as having little regard for the privacy of Americans. — "We will initiate at the beginning of this year one of the most serious debates …
