GENERAL NEWS:                                                                            Friday, April 25, 2003

… Pace at Drake Relays in Des Moines picks up today with full schedule of track and field events. But before main events begin – native Iowan (Panora) Kip Janvrin is already being recognized for winning his 14th Drake Relays decathlete championship. The 37-year-old Janvrin – an Olympian and decathlon record holder – wins his ninth Drake title in a row. He has now won a world record 35 decathlons – dating back to the 1980s.

… Overnight: Morning newscasts say Iowa Senate approved $128 million in budget cuts early this morning. Legislation would have major impact by cutting funds to IA cities. Iowa House passed property tax reform measure. 

… Among the offerings in this morning’s update: New Hampshire editorial calls Gephardt health plan a “gamble” and “lunge to the left”…IA first-year GOP Congressman King under attack – but holding firm – in WorldCom contribution controversy… Poll numbers released yesterday revealed: GWB gets more support than Hillary in her adopted state – New York…Dean, returning to IA today, called Gephardt health plan a “pie-in-the-sky” concept – while Drudge exposes comments Dean made on CNN about Iraq situation…Graham surprises staff – and probably Iowans – by moving up first IA visit by two weeks…Vilsack tells legislators that nobody goes home until legislative priorities are passed…NYC columnist questions whether any wannabes have “nerve” to “go after Sharpton,” handicaps Dem field…Poll shows that GWB still leads against generic Dem candidate – 49% to 36%…Report: IA candidates spent $43 million last year…Main talk show topic yesterday – Iowa’s growing meth problem…Harkin, in wrapping up Cuba visit, says it would be mistake to isolate Cuba – and calls on Castro to release “prisoners of conscience”…Sioux City blood bank takes precautions against SARS contamination. All of these items below and more.

… Overnight: Top sentence on Drudge Report this morning – “Tony Blair took repeated secret advice from Bill Clinton during build-up to the war … DEVELOPING …” Guardian newspaper reports from England that Blair got advice from Clinton “on how to unlock the diplomatic impasse between Europe and the US in the build-up to the war on Iraq, the Guardian can reveal.”

… State Health Dept. reported yesterday there are no SARS cases in Iowa. The department investigated a possible case in eastern IA, but determined illness not related to SARS.

CANDIDATES & CAUCUSES: 

… A New Hampshire view of Gephardt’s health care proposal, headline from yesterday’s The Union Leader editorial: “Gephardt’s gamble: Will his lunge to the left pay off?” Excerpts: “Among the nine candidates running for the Democratic nomination for the Presidency, Dick Gephardt of Missouri can be counted as a moderate. At least he could until yesterday. That’s when he unveiled a proposal designed to siphon liberal support from the two leading candidates, John Kerry and Howard Dean…The plan is “the centerpiece” of his campaign, Gephardt said. If so, he needs to check his staff for leaks, because parts of the plan sound a lot like ideas Joe Lieberman and Howard Dean are pushing…Since he was not a consistent dove regarding the use of American military force, will advocacy of tax hikes to fund socialized health insurance be enough to placate his party’s left wing, which already seems smitten with Howard Dean and his universal health care message? It’s a big gamble. We are eager to see how the dice tumble.”

… Hillary would lose to GWB in NY. Headline from Quinnipiac University poll released yesterday – “Bush Edges Clinton, Tops All Comers in New York, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; But Most Voters Say She Should Stay In the Senate” Poll results show Hillary has a 52-36 approval rating in NY state – but GWB would beat Hillary in her adopted state 47-44 if election held now. (Iowa Pres Watch Note: Those are just the NY numbers—where Hillary was elected to the Senate in 2000. Does anyone even want to guess what the outcome of a Bush-Hillary matchup in Wyoming, Alabama or Texas might look like in 2004? Smart money says, however, she’s still 2004 v.p. contender and/or the Dems’ designated Bush critic.)

… But even better news – since there are no indications Hillary will join the Wannabe Nine anytime soon Quinnipiac survey showed that in New York state GWB would beat Lieberman (50-38), Kerry (50-38) and Gephardt (49-38). (Iowa Pres Watch Note: Suggested strategy for Bush in New York: Take the NY electoral votes – and move on, not to mention most New Yorkers are still trying to figure out who Kucinich is or whether to go with “favorite son” Sharpton?) 

… New York Post’s Deborah Orin – under the headline, “Wary Dem Candidates Skirt Around Shocker Sharpton” – “Now that the Iraq war is over, Democratic 2004 presidential wannabes are scrambling for a way to stand out from the pack as their first debate looms – and one big question is whether anyone will have the nerve to go after Al Sharpton. ‘It’s certainly a way to stand out and the political elites are clearly hoping someone will, but don’t bet on it – most of the campaigns just joke around with him,’ said a senior strategist for one of the nine Dem-2004 campaigns…Right now, Sen. John Kerry (Mass.) is still the sort-of front-runner, despite stumbles from trying to have it both ways on Iraq. The others in the top tier are Rep. Dick Gephardt (Mo.), surprisingly slow-starting Sen. Joe Lieberman (Conn.), moneybags Sen. John Edwards (N. C.) and anti-war ex-Vermont Gov. Howard Dean. Sharpton is nowhere in the polls but he and Dean are still the crowd-pleasers with their headline-making hot rhetoric and anti-Bush flourishes…Of course, New Yorkers know to never, ever underestimate Sharpton’s skill at inserting himself into the headlines. If one goes after him, don’t put it past Sharpton to challenge the others on whether they agree he’s qualified to be president. It would be an interesting test to see if, say, John Kerry could come up with an answer that wouldn’t come back to haunt him.” 

… Dean -- scheduled back in eastern Iowa today – reaction to Gephardt’s health care proposal: “What we don’t need is another pie-in-the-sky radical revamping of our health care system that has no chance of ever being passed.” Dean begins a three-day IA visit along Mississippi River. Main event: Clinton County Dem fundraiser in Clinton tonight.

… From Thomas Beaumont on DesMoinesRegister.com this morning – headline, “Graham schedule shift surprises staff” Beaumont reports that Graham “made a quick change to his schedule that will have him visiting Iowa two weeks earlier than first planned. But whether it signals the Democratic presidential hopeful from Florida is going to campaign hard in Iowa or that he’s symbolically squeezing in a trip to the leadoff caucus state remains to be seen.” Graham to visit IA next Monday – not 5/9 as earlier announced. 

… And more Dean – The Drudge Report yesterday – citing a CNN interview with Wolf Blitzer – offered up another Dean quote: “Asked if the Iraqi people are better off now than they were under Saddam, Dean said, ‘We don’t know that yet. We don’t know that yet, Wolf. We still have a country whose city is mostly without electricity. We have tumultuous occasions in the south where there is no clear governance. We have a whole city without clear governance.” 

… Sharpton due back in state on 5/5 – scheduled to address Iowa State Association of Letter Carriers conference in DSM.

… The Raleigh News-Observer reported yesterday that former GA Guv Roy Barnes has endorsed Edwards for Dem presidential nomination. Report by John Wagner said: “Barnes, as a Southern governor, had been touted as a potential 2004 presidential candidate himself until his re-election defeat last November.” Edwards spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri said “having the endorsements of respected Southern Democratic leaders like Governor Barnes is going to be enormously important to the campaign’s ability to succeed in Southern states.” 

… The New Hampshire media – unlike IA colleagues – covers candidate news from other states. A headline from yesterday’s The Union Leader that Iowans are unlikely to see, despite the fact it’s based on an AP report: “S. C. has Jewish roots who may not favor Lieberman.” The AP report by Bruce Smith from Charleston, SC focuses on the impact of South Carolina’s Jewish population on Lieberman’s presidential prospects. Report says SC Jewish population estimated at 11,500 – compared with Iowa’s 6,100 and New Hampshire’s 10,000. Smith notes that the last time SC had a presidential primary – in 1992 – about 114,000 voters went to the polls – “That means Jewish voters could have an effect on Feb. 3, especially with nine candidates fighting for the Democratic nomination.” 

IOWA POLITICS: 

… Under the headline – “King holds firm with MCI campaign contribution” – the Sioux City Journal reported yesterday that IA GOP Rep. King is “holding firm in the face of increasing pressure, electing not to return a $2,500 campaign donation that critics say is tainted. WorldCom, now renamed MCI, is in the midst of bankruptcy due to reported widespread accounting fraud. Republican King, who represents Iowa’s 5th District, got the $2,500 donation from the WorldCom political action committee in October after touring the Sergeant Bluff WorldCom/MCI telemarketing site. That donation has earned the ire of the woman heading the ex-WorldCom Employee Assistance Fund and the Gray Panthers, a group of political activists who took out a full-page ad in the Sioux City Journal Wednesday…Of the approximately 40 legislators who returned the WorldCom money, King said, ‘It is astonishing to me that so many congressmen would write a check back to WorldCom due to the intimidation. I have never been bullied by anyone in the legislative arena. I am not about to start now.’”

… Harkin-Boswell Cuba Watch continues – Harkin checks in: WHO Radio (Des Moines) reported yesterday that Harkin was in midst of Cuba visit and said the way to deal with the Castro regime is to not isolate Cuba – “not disengage.” He told WHO the current situation makes it more difficult to proceed with trade agreements, but “we shouldn’t just walk away.” The Dem Sen indicated he has visited with the families of jailed dissidents, adding that it may be proper for the U. S. to review Cuban policies and “chart a new course” of action. Reuters coverage of Harkin visit said he “traveled to Cuba to promote sales of Iowa farm products, but ended his visit on Thursday calling on President Fidel Castro to release jailed dissidents.” At a news conference, Harkin said, “The Cuban government should grant the appeals of all 75 prisoners of conscience and release them forthwith.” Meanwhile, BBC News reported that a “United States-based group that campaigned for an end to the American embargo against Cuba has disbanded in protest at recent executions and jailings on the communist-run island. The entire board of directors from the Cuban Policy Foundation said they were appalled at Cuba’s ‘sudden, wholesale repression of human rights.’” Still no indication about whether Boswell will revise his mid-May plans to visit Cuba.

… Political watchdog group reports more than $43 million spent in last year’s Iowa campaigns. KCCI-TV (Des Moines) says a nonpartisan Money and Politics study indicated that 331 candidates – ranging from state legislature to the U. S. Senate – raised almost $46 million. Most expensive campaign: Governor’s race, including three-way GOP primary, topped $13 million.  

… Nebraska Politics: Omaha World-Herald online this morning reports Liz Karnes – wife of former GOP U. S. Sen. David Karnes – has died after decade-long battle with cancer. W-H coverage said, “At one point, the lifelong Republican was considered a rising political star.” She was 53; services at 2 p.m. Monday in Omaha. 

MORNING SUMMARY:    

 … Morning headlines:

Top front-page headline, Des Moines Register: “Bush hints Iraqi arms may not be found…President suggests they were destroyed”

Quad-City Times main online headline: “N. Korea: We have no nukes”

National headline from Daily Iowan (University of Iowa): “14-year-old shoots school principal, self” 

Main online national headline, Sioux City Journal: “Tariq Aziz captured, U. S. says; he was public face of Iraqi government”

Omaha World-Herald, national online headline: “U. S. holds former Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz”

Chicago Tribune top headlines: “U. S. Forces in Iraq Capture Tariq Aziz” & “Rumsfeld Against Cleric-Run Gov’t in Iraq”  

… A 51-year-old man from Merseyside, England, has been charged with third-degree sexual assault and harboring a runaway in Fort Madison after he allegedly traveled overseas to have sex with a 14-year-old girl he met over the Internet. Police arrested Barry Beadle after they were called to investigate a dispute over Beadle’s hotel bill – and were told a young girl had been staying with him. The description of the girl matched that of a 14-year-old who had been missing since Monday. Authorities, after interviewing both Beadle and the girl, said they met on the Internet about three months ago. 

… Sioux City Journal reports the Siouxland Community Blood Bank is “taking steps to keep the blood supply safe from the SARS respiratory virus.” Blood bank officials say anyone who is at risk of a lung infection will be barred from donating blood. Potential donor travel history also will be reviewed, possibly excluding those who have traveled to SARS infection areas or had contact with a person who has recently visited Asia. 

WAR & TERRORISM: 

… With North Korean claims that it has nuclear weapons – and may soon test them – VOANews (Voice of America) reported that Secretary of State Powell said the Beijing talks were over, but “the international community is united in insisting on a de-nuclearized Korean peninsula and that the United States and its allies will not respond to threats.” At the State Department, VOA’s David Gollust noted that although the three-way talks have ended Powell said U. S. and Chinese officials might have a follow-up meeting. From Beijing, VOA’s Jim Randle reported that China said the three-way talks were “beneficial.” He added, “But commentary on Pyongyang’s state media blames Washington for pushing tensions on the Korean Peninsula to the brink of war. North Korea is demanding a guarantee that the United States will not attack, even though Washington has said again and again it has no intention of attacking the North.” The U. S., Randle reported, wants “a verifiable and irreversible end to North Korea’s programs to build nuclear weapons.”  

… VOANews also reported “NATO member Poland has signed a military agreement with Russia, just days after it reached what is believed to be Eastern Europe’s largest defense deal with the United States. Poland’s moves are part of a complex balancing act being performed by several Central and Eastern European countries. Russia and Poland have confirmed they signed a military agreement designed to launch a new relationship more than a decade after the collapse of the Soviet Union.” Last week, Warsaw agreed to buy 48 F-16 fighter planes for $3.5 billion – the biggest defense contract ever signed by a former Soviet satellite state. The American-made jets will replace Poland’s aging Soviet-made MiG fighters.

FEDERAL ISSUES:  

  … CNN political analyst Bill Schneider says new poll findings reveal “the economy [issue] is not paying off for Democrats nearly as well as the national security [issue] pays off for President Bush.” Citing latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll, Schneider noted that GWB support among “national security voters” is solid. The poll also shows that Bush would beat the infamous generic Dem presidential candidate by a 49-36 if election were held now. It’s not all good news for Team Bush, however, since the numbers show more believe tax cut is “bad idea” (47%) while 42% believe the cuts are a “good idea.” 

IOWA ISSUES: 

… Vilsack – facing possible legislative rebellion and threats by some GOP leaders that lawmakers will wrap up budget and go home – met with leaders yesterday to address differences over major legislative initiatives. Vilsack: “No one is leaving this building until the job’s done – and done right.” Front-page headline from this morning’s Des Moines Register: “Vilsack fights to keep Iowa Values Fund alive…Republicans say changes to taxes and business regulations are bigger priorities.”

… Topic of the morning yesterday on Mickelson radio talk show (WHO, Des Moines/WMT, Cedar Rapids): Iowa’s escalating meth problem. Guest – IA activist Jonathan Narcisse – and callers warn of a “meth cartel” developing in the state and meth use – which has been prevalent in rural areas over recent years – spreading into more populated communities. Narcisse says a major problem with combating meth is that “it’s an affordable addiction” – ingredients are easily accessible and it’s a low-cost drug, meaning that family and friends don’t spot the drain on a meth user’s finances. Narcisse: “We have been invaded.” 

… Vilsack yesterday signed legislation lowing the state’s drunk driving standard from 0.10 to 0.08.

OPINIONS:  

… This morning’s Des Moines Register editorials: State issues – “Capitol crunch…If lawmakers nullify air rules, they’ll look like lackeys for polluters…Whoa. Tax reform is too important to be done in a last-minute frenzy.”  

… Usual citizen commentary from the Sioux City Journal: “The city has learned it could lose $1.5 million in state funding. Why blame the governor? The city leaders will be in Washington, D. C. soon, so let’s get serious and insist that the feds give the states the money they promised them.” – Max Spain, Sioux City

IOWA SPORTS:  

… World of Outlaws drivers scheduled to compete tonight and tomorrow night on the legendary Knoxville Raceway track. Coming into the weekend, two-time Knoxville Nationals winner Danny Lasoski holds a 48-point advantage over 12-time Nationals champion – and legend – Steve Kinser in World of Outlaw standings.  

… Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Antonio Alfonseca is expected to appear on the mound at Sec Taylor Stadium in DSM tonight – and into next week. Alfonseca, who has been on disabled list since 3/21, is on a rehabilitation assignment with the Iowa Cubs – probably making three or four mound appearances over next few days and rejoining the Big Cubs late next week. 

IOWA WEATHER: 

DSM 5 a.m. 50 overcast. High today 65, cloudy. Low tonight 42, partly cloudy. High Saturday 68, partly sunny. Temperatures range from 35 in Mason City to 50 in Red Oak, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Muscatine. WHO-TV’s Ed Wilson reports: “A dry end to the Drake Relays…there will be more rain coming in next week… the best chance by Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. The weekend will be warmer…and a few shots at thunderstorms will be back by Sunday evening.”  

IOWAISMS: 

… The Sioux City Journal reports – under headline, “Model T rolls into Buena Vista County Historical Museum” – that in recognition of the 100^th anniversary of introduction of the Model T Ford a new exhibit will be featured at the Storm Lake museum. The yearlong display will feature a 1911 Model T touring car from the collection of John Dvergsten of Storm Lake. The annual meeting of the Buena Vista County Historical Society will be held next Sunday. 

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