Top Items:
Josh Marshall / TPM Muckraker:
McClellan Bobs and Weaves, But Certainly Doesn't Leak — This morning's White House gaggle, started at 10 AM ... QUESTION: Did the President authorize the leak of intelligence information? — Scott McClellan: Terry, there is an ongoing legal proceeding, and our policy has been that we're …
Discussion:
The Washington Monthly, The Left Coaster, Democrats.com, Andrew Sullivan, Wonkette and Suburban Guerrilla
RELATED ITEMS:
Michael A. Fletcher / Washington Post:
Experts: Tactic Would Be Legal but Unusual — Legal experts say that President Bush had the unquestionable authority to approve the disclosure of secret CIA information to reporters, but they add that the leak was highly unusual and amounted to using sensitive intelligence data for political gain.
New York Post:
DUBYA CAN'T LEAK — IT'S amazing how the common topics and subjects of discussion three years ago should vanish so quickly from memory. — Yesterday, breathless news reports suggested that President Bush had directed the "leak" of classified information in July 2003.
Discussion:
Donklephant, Austin Bay Blog, Sister Toldjah, Carol Platt Liebau, Gateway Pundit and USS Neverdock
Michael A. Fletcher / Washington Post:
Testimony Adds New Element to Probe of CIA Leak — The allegation that President Bush authorized the dissemination of secret intelligence as part of an effort to buttress his case for war with Iraq introduces a new dimension to the long-running CIA leak investigation, while posing troubling …
Tom Maguire / JustOneMinute:
Hopelessly Compromised (II) — The NY Times editors tackle the latest Fitzgerald filings, and are more disingenuous than their reporters. … Emphasis added throughout. Regarding the "unmasking of... a covert C.I.A. agent", it is clear that Ms. Plame's status was classified …
Discussion:
Gay Patriot, The Anchoress, Instapundit.com, Dr. Sanity, Cold Fury, The Left Coaster and Booman Tribune
New York Times:
Cheney's Aide Says President Approved Leak — WASHINGTON, April 6 — Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff testified that he was authorized by President Bush, through Mr. Cheney, in July 2003 to disclose key parts of what until then was a classified prewar intelligence estimate on Iraq, according to a new court filing.
CNN:
More than 70 killed in Baghdad mosque attack — Shrine has ties to Shiite political party; imam is in parliament — BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — Three suicide bombers on Friday struck a Baghdad mosque affiliated with a major Shiite political party, killing at least 74 people, according to the Iraqi Health Ministry.
RELATED ITEMS:
New York Times:
Immigration Deal Falls Short in Senate — WASHINGTON, April 7 — A carefully constructed compromise on immigration reform apparently fell apart in the Senate today after Democrats fended off conservative Republican efforts to amend the agreement and an effort to cut off debate failed by a lopsided vote.
RELATED ITEMS:
Suzanne Gamboa / Associated Press:
Senate Shelves Immigration Bill — The Senate sidetracked sweeping immigration legislation Friday, leaving in doubt prospects for passing a bill offering the hope of citizenship to millions of men, women and children living in the United States illegally. — A carefully crafted compromise …
Jeannine Aversa / Associated Press:
Employers Boost March Payrolls by 211,000 — Employers, in a springtime hiring burst, boosted payrolls by a sizable 211,000 in March and pushed the nation's unemployment rate down to 4.7 percent. — The latest snapshot, released by the Labor Department on Friday, suggested …
RELATED ITEMS:
Jeannine Aversa / Associated Press:
Consumer Confidence in Economy Improves
Consumer Confidence in Economy Improves
Discussion:
A Chequer-Board of Nights …
William Sherman / NY Daily News:
The billionaire, the Post and the $220G shakedown — Page Six writer wanted $$$ to stop inaccurate coverage — A New York Post Page Six staffer solicited $220,000 from a high-profile billionaire in return for a year's "protection" against inaccurate and unflattering items about him in the gossip page, the Daily News has learned.
Kris W. Kobach / New York Post:
HIDDEN BOMBS — HOW do you slip legislative poison past a U.S. senator? Bury it on page 302 of a bill. — The Senate's Democratic and Republican leaders yesterday announced a compromise on an immigration bill - with some details still to be worked out.
Con Coughlin / Telegraph:
Iran has missiles to carry nuclear warheads — Iran has successfully developed ballistic missiles with the capability to carry nuclear warheads. — Detailed analysis of recent test firings of the Shahab-3 ballistic missile by military experts has concluded that Iran has been able to modify …
Eric Lichtblau / New York Times:
Gonzales Suggests Legal Basis for Domestic Eavesdropping — WASHINGTON, April 6 — Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales suggested on Thursday for the first time that the president might have the legal authority to order wiretapping without a warrant on communications between Americans that occur exclusively within the United States.
Amy Sullivan / Washington Monthly:
Not as Lame as You Think — Democrats learn the art of opposition. — The first week of March should have been a bright spot for Democrats in an otherwise bleak five years. With the president's approval numbers reaching Nixon-esque lows, and Democrats outpolling Republicans by 15 points …