McCain Talks, We listen.

PLUS: Why is al-Sadr the new humanitarian hero in Iraq?..Rumsfeld writes a book that we’ll probably buy the Cliffs Notes for...If you live in San Diego, you’ve probably got allergies...Mark Foley: back and more embarrassing than ever...Cindy McCain’s the new James Frey...and finally, Neil Diamond’s singing, and may or may not be breathing. Today is April 17th, and this is Mic Check. We’ve got our eye on you.

Celebration Excuse

A massacre shellshocks the nation, a dangerously stinky explosion gives it to Texas City, and welcome to LSD land, man. It’s April 16 and here’s why Mic Check’s keeping its fingers crossed today.

1926

Pass around the biscuits and tea. First Book-Of-The-Month Club selection is distributed and Mic Check can’t wait to discuss the symbolism of it all.

1943

Dr. Albert Hoffman “accidentally” discovers the hallucinogenic effects of LSD and experiences “an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscopic play of colors” i.e. a good trip.

1947

Everybody panic: a fertilizer explosion on board a freighter in port causes the city of Texas City to catch fire, killing almost 600.

1963

Stop traffic in the streets if you’re down with civil disobedience. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is tired of the “wait” meaning “never” and writes the Letter from Birmingham Jail.

2007

A moment of silence for the fallen: the Virginia Tech Massacre, the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history, takes place.

Breathe on some candles

1922: Author who gave us “Lucky Jim” and then turned right, Kingsley Amis

1965: Fat suit pro and actor Martin Lawrence

1971: Tejano singer Selena, who learned too late to not mix fans and business

Daybook

Stumpin’

Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton duke it out in an ABC News debate in the City of Brotherly Love.

Congress

Senate

In session.

9:45 a.m.

Labor, HHS, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee: Hearing on the Education Department and teacher quality programs. On tap: Education Secretary Margaret Spellings

10:00 a.m.

Senate Judiciary Committee: Hearing on “National Security Letters: The Need for Greater Accountability and Oversight.”

Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee: Hearing on restoring mortgage market liquidity to U.S. credit markets.

2:30 p.m.

Personnel Subcommittee: Hearing on military beneficiary organizations regarding the quality of life of Active, Reserve, and retired military personnel and their family members.

House

In session.

10:00 a.m.

Housing and Community Opportunity Subcommittee: Hearing on H.R.5679, the “Foreclosure Prevention and Sound Mortgage Servicing Act of 2008.”

11:00 a.m.

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee: Hearing on “Healthcare Associated Infections: A Preventable Epidemic.”

2:00 p.m.

Air and Land Forces Subcommittee and Readiness Subcommittee: Joint hearing on ground force readiness shortfalls and the implications for national security. Watch for: Michele Flournoy, president of the Center for a New American Security; Lawrence Korb, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress

TV

Tivo…

The View: Kelsey Grammer

Regis & Kelly: Kristen Bell, Heidi Montag

Ellen: Suzanne Somers, Ben McKenzie, Abbey Curran

Martha: Florist Michael George

Oprah: When Your Life Doesn’t Fit with Maria Shriver

Stay up for…

Letterman: Uma Thurman, Graham Rahal, the Gossip

Leno: Charles Barkley, the Young@Heart Chorus

Ferguson: Jackie Chan, Cobie Smulders, Bell X1

Conan: Dane Cook, Emily Mortimer, Slash (R 11/1/07)

Stewart: TBA

Colbert: Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders, Gov. Ed Rendell

Kimmel: Minnie Driver, Milo Ventimiglia, Danity Kane

 

Eavesdrop

STEAL THIS AUDIO

The Story Behind Bush’s Wiretapping Program

Who: Eric Lichtblau, Reporter, New York Times and author of Bush’s Law: The Remaking of American Justice; Jeffery Rosen, Professor, George Washington University Law School, and Legal Affairs Editor, The New Republic
What: An in-depth discussion about the story behind the breaking of the warrantless wiretapping story that alerted the nation about the Administration’s domestic spying program.
Why You Should Care: Get creeped out: someone might be watching you as you read this. After 9/11 as part of the “War on Terror”, Bush went all Big Brother on us and secretly authorized the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on Americans without warrants. Thanks to Eric Lichtblau, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his careful reporting, The New York Times broke the story in late 2005 – after the Administration tried to seek a court-injunction à la Pentagon Papers style. In Bush’s Law: The Remaking of American Justice, Lichtblau chronicles the human costs behind the Administration’s excesses and its efforts to keep the story on the DL. Buy it here. [AMAZON][CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS]

The Audio

  • Eric Lichtblau explains why the media was afraid to hurt the cause of the “War on Terror”.
    Please log in to download this clip.
  • The Administration’s arguments to not run the story don’t sit well with Eric Lichtblau.
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  • Jeffery Rosen talks about how trust between the media and the White House has been completely destroyed.
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  • Eric Lichtblau thinks people just want a little more check and balance.
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Popularity Contest

You spent all day yesterday in a tax-filing frenzy and didn’t have a spare second to catch up on the news? We’ve got your back, baby – here’s a list of the hottest stories from the top news sites. Don’t thank us, just buy us a drink with that rebate check of yours.

ABC: Achoo! The Worst Cities for Spring Allergy Sufferers

CBS: Marilyn Monroe Sex Film Is “Graphic”

NBC: U.S. seeing worst food inflation in 17 years

FOX: Television Star Exits Scientology

CNN: Herschel Walker reveals many sides of himself

NYT: Retailing Chains Caught in a Wave of Bankruptcies

WP: Candidate on a High Horse

USAT: Experts: Expect big Calif. quake by 2037

LAT: Southern California home prices take another hit

REUT: As other staples soar, potatoes break new ground

BBC: Forecast for big sea level rise

Masthead

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Mic Check is produced every weekday by Christy Harvey, Sara Langhinrichs and Nicole Murphy, and is a project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund. Read more about Mic Check.

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