Morning folks…..
Suzanne Malveaux had the FIRST prime time sit down with Michelle Obamaon our show last night…She said that her husband’s move to distance himself from his controversial former minister has been “painful,” but that she’s pleased with the way he’s handled the situation. BUT it may be a little too late…The Democratic presidential race is tightening nationally, according to a new CNN average of several recent polls. Obama’s lead is now down to 1 point over Clinton nationwide, 45 percent to 44 percent, in CNN’s “poll of polls.” That margin is down 3 points from another CNN poll of polls conducted two days ago. In that analysis, Obama led Clinton 47 percent to 43 percent. AND a NEW NY TIMES/CBS News poll shows that Senator Barack Obama’s aura of inevitability in the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination has diminished after his loss in the Pennsylvania primary and amid the furor over his former pastor…. Fifty-one percent of Democratic primary voters say they expect Mr. Obamato win their party’s nomination, down from 69 percent a month ago….The results in INDIANA and North Carolina are even MORE important NOW…all eyes will be on Tuesday’s primary…
AND even though the WASHINGTON TIMES writes about “the softer side of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton” –Gone is the tough and all-business presidential candidate who regularly blared at rival Sen. Barack Obama, who lately is instead battling self-inflicted wounds. In her place is what most people who know her well say was there all along — a warm and engaging woman willing to laugh at herself. AP is reporting that a leader of the Democratic Party under Bill Clinton has switched his allegiance to Barack Obama and is encouraging fellow Democrats to “heal the rift in our party” and unite behind the Illinois senator. Joe Andrew, who was Democratic National Committee chairman from 1999-2001, planned a news conference Thursday in his hometown of Indianapolis to urge other Hoosiers to support Obama in Tuesday’s primary,
For AC360 tonight…Candy Crowley will be in Indiana covering Obama, Suzanne Malveaux covers Hillary Clinton, and Gary Tuchman has spent the last two days on the campaign trail with Bill Clinton…It is interesting how his role has changed… AND ultimately this will all come down to SUPER DELEGATES…so Tom Foreman will tells us that while Hillary had a commanding lead when this game started…there has been a massive switch-over…but all eyes are on the “undecided” ones…
TODAY is also the 5th anniversary of “Mission Accomplished.” AND according to AP..the White House said Wednesday that President Bush has paid a price for the “Mission Accomplished” banner that was flown in triumph five years ago but later became a symbol of U.S. misjudgments and mistakes in the long and costly war in Iraq. Reuters reporting that an explosion near a U.S. patrol in Baghdad killed nine Iraqis and wounded 23 on Thursday, Iraqi police said.April was also the deadliest month for U.S. troops in Iraq since September, with 49 reported killed. Soo we might check in with our reporters in Baghdad….
Finally — it is IMMIGRATION DAY… there are various marches and rallies planned around the country (in LA, DC, NY, San Diego, SF, San Jose, Chicago). Randi Kaye looks at a complete immigration policy reversal in Arizona…a state that once had the TOUGHEST immigration legislation in the country.. NOW that the jobless rate is creeping higher, it has dawned on lawmakers that an enforcement-only strategy may inflict a lethal blow to state employers in agriculture, hospitality, construction and other industries, all of which have depended on a steady supply of low-skilled immigrant workers. So guess what! Legislators are now looking to reverse the law since it’s killing businesses in the state. Oops! In other words, having done its utmost to have undocumented Hispanics fired and driven from the state, Arizona has now decided it badly needs low-skilled labor after all.
AND the Joe John’s Keeping them Honest story about the multi-million dollar earmark for a road in Florida requested by the Congressman from Alaska WILL, I repeat WILL, get on the show tonight….sorry but sometimes news over takes us…
Enjoy the day…
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