March 29, 2007

Earlybird Roundup

Iraq. President Bush and congressional Democrats clashed yesterday about who's to blame if the Iraq spending bill doesn't go through, USA Today reports. Bush again vowed to veto any legislation with a timetable, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., countered that in crafting the bill, the Democratic leadership has "done what we believe the American people wanted us to do." Meanwhile, AP reports that Ryan Crocker was sworn in yesterday as the new ambassador to Iraq, and the Los Angeles Times reports that the army is scrambling to stop a violent streak in Tel Afar.

U.S. Attorneys Scandal. Washington waits with bated breath to hear from Kyle Sampson, the former aide to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales who will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee today. CongressDailyAM reports on Sampson's prepared remarks.

Iran-U.K. Standoff. "Iran may delay the release of the female British sailor if Britain takes the issue to the U.N. Security Council or freezes relations, the country's top negotiator Ali Larijani said Thursday," AP reports. Faye Turney was taken hostage along with 14 other British sailors and marines last week.

Middle East. At the opening of an Arab League meeting in Riyadh, "King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia told Arab leaders on Wednesday that the American occupation of Iraq was illegal and warned that unless Arab governments settled their differences, foreign powers like the United States would continue to dictate the region's politics," the New York Times reports.

Immigration. "The number of naturalized citizens in the United States grew to nearly 13 million between 1995 and 2005... according to a study released yesterday by the Pew Hispanic Center," the Washington Post reports. "More than half of the nation's legal immigrants are now naturalized citizens, 'the highest level in a quarter century,'" the report states.

Posted at 9:30 AM
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