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Lott Will Drive the Hand That Feeds Him
Tweet Share on Facebook February 27, 2007 CommentWe'll close out the day with this item from U.S. News' Marianne Lavelle:
Mississippi Republican Senator Trent Lott said this morning he's looking forward to driving a Toyota Highlander SUV. He was just one of a slew of politicians on hand in Tupelo to cheer the automaker's announcement that it will build a $1.3 billion assembly plant in northeast Mississippi.
Lott chuckled at speculation in recent days over the "best kept secret in the country," that Mississippi would win out for the highly sought project over Tennessee and Arkansas. Production is to begin in 2010, with employment of 2,000 expected, and a goal of producing 150,000 of the popular sport utility crossover vehicle each year.
It will be Toyota's eighth manufacturing facility in the United States, and underscores the Japanese automaker's swift growth in contrast to its faltering U.S. rivals in the industry. Lott's fellow Mississippi Senator, Republican Thad Cochran was also on hand, as was Gov. Haley Barbour.
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GOP Insiders Say 2008 Nomination Is Up For Grabs
Tweet Share on Facebook February 27, 2007 CommentU.S. News White House Correspondent Kenneth T. Walsh gives us this item on what senior GOP insiders think of the field of 2008 presidential hopefuls:
Republican insiders are updating their assessment of the strengths and weakness of their presidential front runners. Their verdict: No one has a lock on the nomination and the campaign could last well into next year.
"Rudy Giuliani has had a really good couple of weeks," says a senior GOP strategist with close ties to the White House. The former New York mayor is proving himself a charismatic campaigner, very smart, and fully aware that he needs to address the concerns of conservatives that he is too liberal on social issues such as abortion, gay rights, and gun control. His answer: He would appoint conservative judges to the bench, including the Supreme Court, and won't let his liberal views interfere with that overriding objective.
This is proving to be an effective message to conservative activists, the insiders say, but these activists need further reassurance that Giuliani isn't too liberal.
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Why You Shouldn't Worry About the Stock Market--Yet
Tweet Share on Facebook February 27, 2007 CommentIn the past three hours the Dow Jones has dipped another several hundred points to a drop of more than 400 points today. But Paul J. Lim, the chief financial correspondent for U.S. News, weighs in to say that it isn't time to panic just yet.
"No doubt, today's market sell-off is jarring to investors, especially since market volatility has been rather mild in recent years," Lim writes on USNews.com. "But to a certain extent, this type of sell-off is welcome news on Wall Street. Bull market rallies are usually peppered with minor sell-offs and corrections that give investors time to rest and reenter the market at attractive prices."
The question, Lim says, is whether the market is dropping too rapidly. "Is this a tiny tremor that alleviates market pressure, or could this be the start of the big one? Right now, many believe it's still just a tremor. Of course, all eyes will be on the stock market over the next few days."
Read to Lim's analysis for a full report Lim with details about the three events that contributed to today's dip.
Etc.: Is the Emerging Markets Craze Over? on USNews.com -
Daily Doc: Did These Stone Boxes Contain Jesus' Remains?
Tweet Share on Facebook February 27, 2007 CommentAs we mentioned earlier, a forthcoming documentary called "The Lost Tomb of Jesus" is raising a lot of eyebrows. In this video, you can see the producer, James Cameron (director of "Titanic, among other movies) present the two stones boxes that, evidence suggests, may have contained the remains of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, another Biblical figure.
Critics have been quick to chime in. The existence of Jesus' physical remains would challenge a literal interpretation of the Bible, which states that he rose from the dead and ascended to heaven. Others scholars support a more spiritual interpretation of the resurrection.
In the Bible, Mary Magdalene, who Jesus rid of evil spirits, is present at the crucifixion and witnessed his ascension. She is often associated with a prostitute who anointed Jesus' feet.
Etc.: New: A Revision to the Story of Jesus? on USNews.comEtc.: A bold new take on the historical Jesus, on USNews.com
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Afternoon Buzz: More Iranian Weapons Found in Iraq
Tweet Share on Facebook February 27, 2007 Comment (1)Here are the hot stories making headlines this afternoon around the Web:
- Video: U.S. military forces in Iraq have discovered a factory for making roadside bombs from Iranian-made materials. The cache also contained mortars and rockets.
- A car bomb exploded this afternoon in Ramadi, 70 miles west of Baghdad, killing at least 18 boys playing soccer in a park nearby.
- The Dow Jones industrial average dropped more than 200 points today after the Chinese market plunged 9 percent.
- A forthcoming study has found that today's college students are more self-centered than the previous generation. The researchers relied on 14 years of data from a test called the Narcissistic Personality Inventory.
- A grand jury in Leflore County, Miss., has decided not to issue an indictment for 72-year-old Carolyn Bryant in the reopened case of the death of Emmett Till, the black 14-year-old killed by two white men in 1955. Roy Bryant, her former husband, admitted to murdering Till after being acquitted by an all-white jury. Some witness accounts suggested Carolyn Bryant was present when Till was abducted.
Etc.: Emmett Till: In pursuit of justice, on USNews.com -
Have Questions About the Jesus Tomb?
Tweet Share on Facebook February 27, 2007 CommentA new Discovery Channel documentary on a tomb in Jerusalem that may have once housed the body of Jesus has already caused a lot of stir well before its air date this Sunday. The Jerusalem Post has details here.
Have a question about the long quest for information about the historical Jesus? Correspondent Jay Tolson, who wrote on the subject last April, is standing by to take your questions (click "Ask a question" below or email us at newsblog@usnews.com).
We'll have video for you as well this afternoon for the daily doc.
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On the Trail Today
Tweet Share on Facebook February 27, 2007 CommentHere's a rundown of where some of the presidential candidates are taking to the stump today.
The Democrats
- Sen. Joe Biden makes four stops in New Hampshire, holding two Town Hall meetings on Iraq (at Darmouth College and New England College) and speaking at a few community events.
- John Edwards is in New York City for a discussion on urban poverty at the Community Service Society of New York
The Republicans- Rep. Duncan Hunter speaks to the Iowa Christian Alliance in Waukee, Iowa.
- Sen. Sam Brownback is in New Jersey for a fundraiser for Rep. Scott Garrett (R-N.J.) and speaks to the Tuesday Group, a meeting of conservative activists and elected officials.
Note: We tend not to include D.C. events in this space unless they are major campaign rallies, since candidates -- particularly those who work here -- are constantly attending dinners and wooing policymakers.
Have you attended a campaign rally for a 2008 presidential candidate recently? Send us your review at newsblog@usnews.com and maybe we'll share it here.
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Poll: In 2008, Age More Important Than Race, Gender
Tweet Share on Facebook February 27, 2007 CommentA Washington Post-ABC News poll out this morning found that candidates over the age of 72 -- like, say, Sen. John McCain, who will turn 72 about a month before Election Day -- face a much larger handicap than those who are female or black. Candidates who are Mormon -- in other words, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney -- face the second highest hurdle.
The poll asked about six major factors that have come up as stumbling blocks for major presidential candidates:
Percentage less likely to vote for a candidates who is... 
Age (McCain), Mormonism (Romney), two divorces (Rudy Giuliani), being a smoker (Barack Obama), gender (Hillary Clinton), and race (also Obama). Gender and race were the two characteristics least likely to have a negative impact on the candidate's chances, according to the poll. Age was the most likely to be a factor.
The poll was conducted February 22-25, and surveyed 1,082 adults. The margin of error is 3 percentage points. The trend document with all questions and answers is available here.
Etc.: A list of presidential candidate websites, on USNews.com -
Today on the Political Bulletin
Tweet Share on Facebook February 27, 2007 CommentNew from the U.S. News Political Bulletin:
- The war in Iraq continues to confound policymakers in the Democratic Party, who are trying to forge a course that will unite a fractured caucus while appealing to the party's base of anti-war activists.
- At a meeting of the National Governors Association yesterday with President Bush in Washington, the state leaders urged Bush to provide more funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program.
- Five western states will cut emissions of greenhouse gases--Arizona, California, Oregon, New Mexico and Washington.
These stories and much more at the Bulletin.
Etc.: Bedard: Senate GOP Expands 'Slow Bleed' Theme, on USNews.com -
Morning Buzz: Feb. 27, 2007
Tweet Share on Facebook February 27, 2007 CommentHere are the main items making the rounds this morning:
- Vice President Dick Cheney on an unannounced visit to Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan today when a suicide bomber attacked the outer of three checkpoints leading to the military installation, the AP reports. Cheney was unharmed by the blast, which occurred at a checkpoint well outside the base. The Taliban claimed responsibility and said the attack, which killed at least 14 people, was intended for Cheney.
- U.S. and Iraqi troops stormed six homes in the Sadr City area of Baghdad, the base of Shiite militants in the Iraqi capital, arresting at least 16 people. This is the first major U.S. military operation in the area.
- Two former Sudanese officials have been named in the International Criminal Court's nearly two-year investigation into crimes against humanity in the Darfur region of the country.
- An ABC News/Washington Post poll found that 53 percent of Americans now support a deadline for withdrawal from Iraq, the first time that figure has topped 50 percent.
Coming up: Another poll finds a declining influence of race and gender in presidential preferences. Plus: An expanding PR campaign by Senate Republicans and which candidates are hitting the campaign trail today. Stay tuned.