------------------------------------------------------ The Hardball Briefing On MSNBC ------------------------------------------------------
First up - filling the seat. Even though President Obama hasn't named a replacement for retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter, Republicans are gearing up for a fight, capitalizing on the President's claim that he's looking for "empathy" in his nominee. We'll talk to two members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) about what kind of Justice the President is looking for and what they think his criteria should be. For more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0509/22058.html And a new group of Republicans, calling themselves the National Council for a New America, launched a listening tour this weekend in an effort to revive and possibly redefine their party. Will it work? We'll ask former spokesman for Mitt Romney, Kevin Madden, and former Rep. Susan Molinari (R-NY) what they think. For more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0509/22020.html Next up - during an appearance on "Meet the Press" this weekend, newly Democratic Sen. Arlen Specter (New D-PA) insisted, "I did not say I would be a 'loyal Democrat;" but two separate reporters are sticking by their claims that he did. So, could all of this potentially backfire on Sen. Specter in a 2010 primary? And if so, how much could it cost him if he winds up going head-to-head with former Pennsylvania Governor and possible Republican candidate, Tom Ridge (R-PA)? We'll ask radio talk show hosts Michael Smerconish and E. Steven Collins to give us their takes. For more: http://www.politico.com/blogs/scorecard/0509/Ridge_considering_campaign_against_Specter.html Then we'll talk to the Washington Post's Eugene Robinson and the Politico's Roger Simon about former Presidential hopeful John Edwards and the investigation into whether he used campaign as hush money for his former mistress. For more: http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/thegaggle/archive/2009/05/04/the-feds-look-into-john-edwards-campaign-cash.aspx And tonight, we'll pay tribute to former Republican congressman, Jack Kemp, whose visions for his party is surely be missed, perhaps now more than ever. ========================================= This e-mail is never sent unsolicited. You have received this The Hardball Briefing Newsletter newsletter because you subscribed to it or, someone forwarded it to you. To remove yourself from the list (or to add yourself to the list if this message was forwarded to you) simply go to http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25810860, select unsubscribe, enter the email address receiving this message, and click the Go button. Microsoft Corporation - One Microsoft Way - Redmond, WA 98052 MSN PRIVACY STATEMENT http://privacy.msn.com <http://privacy.msn.com/>