Brave New Films and other activists will deliver a petition today with 43,000 signatures demanding that “Lieberman Must Go.” The petition, which asks that Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) be stripped of his committee chairmanship, will be delivered to the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee at 11 a.m.
Tomorrow, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) plans to introduce a single article of impeachment against President Bush “for taking our nation and our troops to war based on lies.” Last month, Kucinich presented 35 impeachment articles against Bush, which have been sent to the Judiciary Committee.
A federal judge overseeing Guantánamo Bay lawsuits ordered the Justice Department to ensure that detainees have their day in court. “The time has come to move these forward,” Judge Thomas F. Hogan said yesterday during the first hearing over whether the detainees are being held lawfully.
Iranian state-run media reported today that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard had “test-fired nine missiles, including one which Tehran claims has the range to reach Israel.” The test comes one day after Iran threatened to strike Tel Aviv and American interests if attacked by Israel or the U.S.
On the trail today: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) holds campaign events in South Park, PA and Portsmouth, Ohio. Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) will be in Washington, DC as the Senate votes on FISA reform, and then, he will head to New York for some fundraisers.
Steve Schmidt, aide to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), defended his lobbying firm’s hiring of Tim Griffin, a former prosecutor involved in the U.S. attorney scandal. The U.S. attorney scandal was “mostly a combination of nonsense and politics and provides us no concern at all,” he said. Griffin was “a great addition to the firm,” he added.
A new report by Inspectors General from the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs finds that many veterans “disabled in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan pay more for health care than other retirees.” They suggest “waiving for life the Medicare Part B premiums for service members who have been medically retired and are unlikely to get another job.”
Faced with mounting pressure from voters to respond to record gasoline prices, Sens. Harry Reid (D-NV) and Richard Durbin (D-IL) “opened the door to a compromise with Republicans that would open more land on and offshore to oil and gas exploration and production.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) also “called on the Bush administration to draw down ‘a small portion’ of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
The Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the most revered Shi’ite leader in Iraq, has “rejected any security agreement with US, stressing such deal will affect the country’s sovereignty.” Iraqi National Security Adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie said his government was “impatiently waiting” for the complete withdrawal of U.S. troops.
And finally: Yesterday, two-time defending NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson spoke at the National Press Club. The event became “politically dicey” when the moderator asked him whether there is “anything inappropriate about a sport based on fuel consumption.” Johnson initially punted the question saying he wasn’t “fit to comment,” but then admitted that they should look at “alternative fuel sources.” Johnson also said he drives at hybrid, “even though it may sound crazy coming from a race car driver.”
What did we miss? Let us know in the comments section.