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TOP STORIES
ProgressNow in the news
The
Bill Richardson Watch
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/59697.html
Richardson wins the
Final Four race on the Internet, taking down Al Gore, Hillary Clinton and
Barack Obama in the online "Presidential March Madness"
voter game. The contest had heavy participation from Colorado and Ohio. Richardson beat Obama by almost 20% in the last round in the contest, sponsored by
Colorado-based ProgressNowAction.
RELATED: Richardson Ranks 4th Seed (4/3)
http://www.abqjournal.com/news/state/551759nm04-03-07.htm
Iran
Releases 15 Captive Britons
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040400334.html
An hour into a news
conference marked by his trademark tirades against the West, Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivered a stunner Wednesday: Iran would release 15
British marines and sailors it had captured in the Persian Gulf and held for
almost two weeks. Early Thursday, the former captives departed Tehran, bringing to a peaceful end what had been a tense international standoff. Calling
the release an Easter gift to the British people, Ahmadinejad said the captives
would go free immediately after his afternoon news conference. The 15 Britons,
wearing civilian clothes and looking ebullient, later appeared with him outside
his presidential palace, one of them expressing gratitude to him for his
"forgiveness." At about 8.30 a.m. local time Thursday, the entire
group flew out of Tehran on board a regularly scheduled British Airways flight
to London, the Associated Press reported.
RELATED: Iran frees sailors as a 'gift' to Britain
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0704050032apr05,1,2445471.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed
RELATED: Captives
Freed by Iran Arrive in Britain
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/05/world/middleeast/05cnd-iran.html?ref=world
RELATED: U.S. Lets Red
Cross See Seized Iranians
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040402613.html
Pelosi
Meets Syrian President Despite Objections From Bush
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401351.html
Before her meeting,
President Bush criticized the visit, saying that sending delegations to Syria "doesn't work." "It's simply been counterproductive," he said at
a news conference Tuesday. Vice President Cheney echoed that sentiment
Wednesday, telling an ABC News radio interviewer that Assad has "been
isolated and cut off because of his bad behavior. And the unfortunate thing
about the speaker's visit is it sort of breaks down that barrier. It means
without him having done any of those things he should do in order to be
acceptable . . . he gets a visit from a high-ranking American anyway. In other
words, his bad behavior is being rewarded, in a sense." Pelosi's trip was
the latest in a series of visits by U.S. lawmakers to Syria following the release in December of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group report, which recommended
diplomatic engagement with Iran and Syria. There also has been renewed European
attention to Syria, including a visit in March by Javier Solana, the European
Union's foreign policy chief. The Bush administration itself joined a
conference on Iraq in February with Syrian and Iranian diplomats.
RELATED: Speaker's Role In Foreign Policy Is a Recent, and Sensitive, Issue
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040402752.html
RELATED: Pelosi makes
a wave in Syria
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-pelosi5apr05,1,3903818.story?coll=la-headlines-world
RELATED: Pelosi’s
Delegation Presses Syrian Leader on Militants
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/05/world/middleeast/05pelosi.html?ref=washington
Bush
Tells Troops Pullout Would Be Accepting Defeat
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040402445.html
President Bush brought
his confrontation with Congress over funding of the war in Iraq to the huge
armed forces training facility here in the Mojave Desert on Wednesday, telling
troops that to withdraw before "the job is done" would be tantamount
to accepting defeat. Bush, trying to ratchet up pressure on House and Senate
Democrats, shared lunch with troops before telling them that congressional
efforts to force a withdrawal would undercut the already difficult war effort.
Speaking in subdued tones, Bush repeated his warning that Iraq will descend deeper into chaos if Democrats succeed in setting a deadline for U.S. forces to withdraw from Iraq. Meanwhile, he said, "the clock is ticking for our
military" as long as his war funding bill is delayed in the increasingly
rancorous debate over a withdrawal deadline.
RELATED: Bush takes the fight to Democrats on Iraq war
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-bushwar5apr05,0,2054768.story?coll=la-home-headlines
Waxman
Seeks RNC E-Mail on Use of Federal Resources
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040402404.html
House Oversight and
Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) told the
Republican National Committee yesterday to turn over copies of any electronic
messages from White House officials that relate to the use of federal resources
or agencies for partisan Republican purposes. Waxman's broadly worded request
came a week after he asked the RNC and the Bush-Cheney '04 campaign to retain
copies of e-mails being sent by White House officials via Republican Party
e-mail accounts, a practice that surfaced in the course of the Democrats' probe
into the administration's decision to fire eight U.S. attorneys.
Today’s complete national news
Colorado
Budget
rolls after road bump
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5597038
Democratic Gov. Bill
Ritter on Wednesday torpedoed a legislative effort to swipe more than $40
million in potential road funding for building maintenance and construction
projects. The effort was the highest-stake change proposed in a $17.8 billion
state spending plan that House members approved on a 63-2 vote after more than
five hours of debate. The budget, which is Senate Bill 239, faces another House
vote today and then heads back to the Senate. A conference committee -
comprising the lawmakers who wrote the budget - is then expected to review the
amended budget. Rep. Rob Witwer, R-Jefferson County, said the governor's office
threatened to veto a budget amendment shifting money into building construction
projects, so Witwer and his fellow sponsor, Rep. Jim Riesberg, D-Greeley,
dropped it.
RELATED: Threatened veto ends roads vs. buildings debate
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1175784066/11
RELATED: Colleges lose
to highways in budget debate
http://www.durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_path=/news/07/news070405_4.htm
Plan
boosts veterans homes
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5595804
Amid questions about
patient neglect and crumbling buildings at Colorado veterans homes, the state
House on Wednesday debated proposals to allocate more money for the facilities.
"As a nurse and a legislator, I'm appalled at the condition of the
facilities housing our own veterans," said Rep. Sara Gagliardi, D-Arvada.
"We're going to make sure that those who serve our country will get the quality
care they need and deserve." Lawmakers said they were shocked to learn of
the problems at state-run veterans nursing homes. A patient fell and died at
one facility and 42 residents developed bedsores at another, according to
reports reviewed by The Associated Press that were filed with the federal
Department of Veterans Affairs. U.S. Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson
said his department would work with the state to bring the homes up to
standard. Nicholson was in Colorado on Wednesday to discuss plans for a new
federal veterans hospital.
RELATED: Veterans homes get boost
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/government/article/0,2777,DRMN_23906_5465674,00.html
RELATED: Patient care
at state veterans homes defended
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1175784066/18
Fitz-Gerald
expects oil overhaul
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/apr/05/fitz-gerald-expects-oil-overhaul/
Lawmakers who are
looking at revamping the way the state regulates the booming oil and gas
business are listening to the industry's concerns, but that won't stop the
proposal from moving ahead, Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald said Wednesday.
Industry representatives want some clarification about what the changes will
mean for them, she said. "It's energy independence, we do it at home. But
we have to do it right," said Fitz-Gerald. The measure (House Bill 1341)
would increase the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission to nine members
from seven by adding the directors of the Natural Resources and Public Health
departments. It would also decrease the number of members who must have
backgrounds in the industry to three, from five. Two members would have to come
from the Western Slope.
RELATED: Legislators seek compromise on rules for drilling industry
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/04/05/4_5_3a_COGCC.html
RELATED: Senate says
reform of gas ‘is not stopping’
http://www.durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_path=/news/07/news070405_7.htm
Blogger
says no conspiracy was aimed at Rep. Merrifield
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5595802
The right-leaning
blogger who uncovered Democratic Rep. Michael Merrifield's e-mail damning
charter school supporters says his connection to a website for Senate
Republicans is minimal. Brad Jones, a 23-year-old political consultant, helped
get ColoradoSenateNews.com online and was the site's registrant - until this
week. His name was removed after the left-leaning ColoradoConfidential .org
questioned Jones' ties to the Senate minority's communications office. Senate
Minority Leader Andy McElhany, R-Colorado Springs, said there is no connection
between Senate Republicans and the open-records request Jones filed to get
Merrifield's e-mail. "Nobody in this office knew anything about it until
after it happened," he said. But, McElhany added, it wouldn't matter if
they did.
RELATED: Dems ask if state resources used to expose 'place in hell' e-mail
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/government/article/0,2777,DRMN_23906_5465360,00.html
RELATED: Face The
Coordination
http://coloradoconfidential.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1758
Today’s complete Colorado news
Today’s complete daily news: http://media.progressnowaction.org/digest/040507.htm
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