memeorandum: After Announcing Retirement, Rep. Weller Aide Pushes Political Reporter Down Stairs (Nicole Belle/Crooks and Liars)

Spitzer Grants Illegal Immigrants Easier Access to Driver's Licenses — New York State, home to more than 500,000 illegal immigrants, will issue driver's licenses without regard to immigration status under a policy change announced yesterday by Gov. Eliot Spitzer.

Discussion: TalkLeft

WWW.NY.GOV:

DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES CHANGES LICENSE POLICY TO INCLUDE MORE NEW YORKERS AND IMPLEMENTS NEW REGIME OF ANTI-FRAUD MEASURES TO STRENGTHEN THE SECURITY OF THE SYSTEM — Improves Safety of New York Streets, Lowers Auto Insurance Rates and Brings more New Yorkers into the System

Discussion: CWA-NJ Conservatives …, Inside Long Island Politics and ImmigrationProf Blog

Andrew Kirtzman / WCBS-TV:

N.Y. Drops Citizenship Proof For Driver's Licenses — Move Should Cut Down Unlicensed Illegal Immigrants — Featured Slideshows: — Reporting — (CBS) NEW YORK They were celebrating outside the governor's office Friday as Eliot Spitzer handed a landmark victory to a half-million illegal immigrants.

Discussion: Macsmind, The Oxford Medievalist and The American Pundit

Ellen Nakashima / Washington Post:

Collecting of Details on Travelers Documented — U.S. Effort More Extensive Than Previously Known — The U.S. government is collecting electronic records on the travel habits of millions of Americans who fly, drive or take cruises abroad, retaining data on the persons with whom they travel …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Norwegianity, Prairie Weather, The Raw Story and skippy the bush kangaroo

Kenneth P. Vogel / The Politico:

Romney silent on Blackwater shooting — Mitt Romney has remained mum on the alleged killing of 11 Iraqis by a company where one of his top advisers serves as vice chairman, even as the case has led to an uproar in Baghdad and Washington. Barack Obama, John McCain and other politicians …

Discussion: The Washington Note

Matthew Lee / Associated Press:

Feds target Blackwater in weapons probe — WASHINGTON - Federal prosecutors are investigating whether employees of the private security firm Blackwater USA illegally smuggled into Iraq weapons that may have been sold on the black market and ended up in the hands of a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, officials said Friday.

Discussion: DownWithTyranny!, Majikthise, CANNONFIRE, CTron, Brilliant at Breakfast, Captain's Quarters and CNN

Andrew E. Kramer / New York Times:
Blackwater Resumes Guarding U.S. Envoys in Iraq

Discussion: BAGnewsNotes

The Politico:

Protecting kids at the expense of politics — The current debate in the Congress over reauthorizing the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) will play an important role in shaping the future of health care in America. — Fundamental questions over which direction our country takes …

Discussion: The Swamp

Christopher Lee / Washington Post:
Senate and House Reach Accord on Health Insurance for Children

Discussion: TIME: Swampland and Connecting.the.Dots

New York Times:

Israeli Raid on Syria Fuels Debate on Weapons — American concerns about ties between Syria and North Korea have long focused on a partnership involving missiles and missile technology. Even many hawks within the Bush administration have expressed doubts that the Syrians have the money …

Discussion: The Newshoggers and TIME: Swampland

Associated Press:

SoCal investors sue Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu — SANTA ANA, Calif.—A Laguna Beach investment firm filed a lawsuit against Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu on Friday, claiming he defrauded investors out of at least $23 million and required them to donate to Democratic candidates.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters

The Atlantic Online:

Giuliani Claims An Evolution On Gun Rights — Glossing over the less appealing line items on his gun control resume, ex-NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani presented himself as sympathetic to the aims of the National Rifle Association and pledged, as president, to protect gun rights.

Discussion: MSNBC, Don Surber, Stop The ACLU and Vox Popoli

The Washington Post / The Trail:
For Mrs. Giuliani, the NRA Can Wait

Discussion: Dick Polman's American Debate, Washington Wire and Betsy's Page

Jonathan Schwarz / A Tiny Revolution:

Threatening Lieberman-Kyl Amendment On Iran — Amazingly, no one anywhere in the US media seems to have noticed that yesterday Jon Kyl (Arizona) and Joe Lieberman filed an extremely threatening amendment on Iran to the FY 2008 Defense Authorization bill. I guess all their time was taken …

Discussion: Democrats.com, National Review Online and The Newshoggers

Simon Caldwell / Daily Mail:

Pope in 'freedom' blast at Islam — The Pope has again risked provoking the wrath of the Islamic world, by criticising its treatment of Christians. — Benedict XVI attacked Muslim nations where Christians are either persecuted or given the status of second-class citizens under the Shariah Islamic law.

Discussion: Atlas Shrugs

CBC News:

U.S., France agree on new sanctions against Iran: Rice — U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner spoke Friday of a common front against Iran's nuclear program that included support for new sanctions against Tehran.

Discussion: The Van Der Galiën Gazette, Don Surber and Wizbang

Robin Finn / New York Times:

Finding Her Passion on Capitol Hill — LAURIE RUBINER strides into an empty conference room at Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's Midtown headquarters clutching a teensy silver Blackberry and a cellphone — obligatory equipment, she says with a minor grimace, explaining that she is a closet technophobe.

Discussion: The Huffington Post

Sarah Kershaw / New York Times:

U.S. Rule Limits Emergency Care for Immigrants — The federal government has told New York State health officials that chemotherapy, which had been covered for illegal immigrants under a government-financed program for emergency medical care, does not qualify for coverage.

Discussion: Concurring Opinions and TalkLeft

Nicole Belle / Crooks and Liars:

After Announcing Retirement, Rep. Weller Aide Pushes Political Reporter Down Stairs — What a horrible, terrible, very bad, no good day Rep. Jerry Weller (R-IL) is having. Facing questions about ethics over some Nicaraguan investments, Weller announced this morning the old stand by of wanting …

Discussion: Reason Magazine

WBBM-TV:
CBS 2 Reporter Files Complaint After Scuffle

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and TPM Election Central