Headlines (Scroll down for complete stories):
1. La Raza Wants Healthcare for Illegal Aliens
2. Santorum: Obama's Czars on the 'Liberal Fringe'
3. Governor Races Will Impact Obama Agenda
4. Laura Bush: I Admire Hillary
5. McCain Comments on Sarah Palin's Memoir
6. Rush Limbaugh Bidding for St. Louis Rams
7. Tape Shows Rupert Murdoch's Father Predicted Media's Future
8. We Heard: Tom DeLay, David Letterman, Mary Cheney
1. La Raza Wants Healthcare for Illegal Aliens
The president of the National Council of La Raza, America's largest Hispanic advocacy organization, said healthcare reform should include "everyone" — including illegal aliens.
Speaking at a press conference in support of President Barack Obama's efforts to overhaul the healthcare system, La Raza President Janet Murguia said:
"From our perspective there's a strong case to be made in this country for us to reform healthcare," and "it ought to include everyone.
"We know that politically it's very difficult right now to take on the issue of undocumenteds [but] there's no reason why we shouldn't be trying to cover as many people as possible, certainly when it comes to undocumented children. Our goal should be to have healthcare for everyone."
Murguia told CNSNews: "In terms of fairness and cost efficiencies, I think it's in the interest of healthcare reform to have access to as many people as possible."
Language inserted in the healthcare reform legislation would make federal health insurance subsidies available only to U.S. citizens and legal residents. But the House and Senate bills do not contain a clear provision for verifying citizenship status.
Rep. Michael Honda, a California Democrat, said undocumented aliens, "if they can afford it, should be able to buy their own private plans. It keeps them out of the emergency room."
Rep. Honda and other Democrats who support his position say that the illegals should be able to buy insurance "even if it comes through a government-established exchange," the Washington Times reported.
But Rep. Steve King, an Iowa Republican, declared: "If anyone can, with a straight face, advocate that we should provide health insurance for people who broke into our country, broke our laws and for the most part are criminals, I don't know where they ever would draw the line."
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2. Santorum: Obama's Czars on the 'Liberal Fringe'
Former Sen. Rick Santorum said President Barack Obama's appointments of so-called czars from the "liberal fringe" demonstrate who Obama "really is."
The Pennsylvania Republican spoke at a gathering sponsored by the American Future Fund at the University of Dubuque in Iowa. During a Q & A session, he was asked about the czars — special advisors or envoys who have relatively few restrictions on their authority or salary, most of whom do not have to win confirmation in the Senate as Cabinet secretaries do.
"We're going to have a fight about that," Santorum said.
"It's something members of Congress are starting to pay attention to. If you want to understand who Barack Obama really is, look at who he appoints as czars. That's who this man is.
"These are the people who are completely unaccountable, who can articulate his vision of government. Look at who these people are. I know a couple of them who are reasonably decent people. Reasonably. I don't want to overstate the case here.
"But there are some pretty fringe actors out there. And if a Republican would put a fringe conservative in positions like that, where Obama has put fringe liberals, I can't even imagine the hell that would be being paid right now by that president.
"Bottom line: This is the most liberal president we've ever had in the office."
Among the several dozen czars appointed by Obama are John Holdren, the White House "science czar," who has espoused controversial theories on climate change and overpopulation; Cass Sunstein, "regulatory czar," who has sought to ban hunting; and Mark Lloyd, "diversity czar," who has sought to stymie conservative voices in the media by strictly regulating the public airwaves.
Another appointee, "green jobs czar" Van Jones, resigned after a spate of inflammatory remarks.
House Minority Leader John Boehner recently told Newsmax that Obama is "circumventing the Constitution" by appointing czars who are not subject to Senate confirmation or scrutiny.
He also said: "To have this many people at the White House who have really more control than the Cabinet secretaries, I think is a subversion of the Constitution."
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3. Governor Races Will Impact Obama Agenda
Washington insiders are keeping a close watch on the two gubernatorial races that will be decided in November — because they could determine President Barack Obama's ability to enact his legislative agenda.
And the Republican candidate is leading in both races.
The insiders believe that if voters elect Republican governors in New Jersey and Virginia, Democrats in Congress will think twice about supporting Obama's agenda.
In New Jersey, Republican challenger Chris Christie holds a 7-point lead over incumbent Democrat Jon Corzine, 48 percent to 41 percent, according to a Rasmussen Reports poll in late September. Independent candidate Chris Daggett received 6 percent. A more recent poll by Fairleigh Dickinson University showed Corzine and Christie virtually deadlocked.
In Virginia, Republican Robert McDonnell holds a narrow 2-point lead over Democrat Creigh Deeds, another Rasmussen survey revealed. The incumbent, Democrat Tim Kaine, is barred by law from running for a consecutive term.
The race is "being seen by both sides as a referendum on President Obama," Stephen Farnsworth, a professor of political communication at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., told USA Today.
Obama won both Virginia and New Jersey handily in 2008. But Sen. Jim Webb, a Virginia Democrat, said the Obama administration "mishandled" healthcare legislation and that is affecting the gubernatorial campaign.
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4. Laura Bush: I Admire Hillary
Former first lady Laura Bush says she had "a lot of admiration" for her predecessor in the White House, Hillary Clinton, as she watched her long campaign for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.
Speaking at a gathering sponsored by More Magazine on Monday, Laura said: "Our campaigns are so long and so brutal that the people who finally win are almost self-selected because they have emotional and physical stamina to run for office.
"As I watched Hillary Clinton during her run, I had and have a lot of admiration for her. It's tough every day. It's not just physical or emotional, but just the chance of saying one thing that gets blown up by the media."
Laura credits Hillary and Bill Clinton for setting a rule for press coverage of children living in the White House, Fox News reported.
"Because Bill and Hillary had asked the press to let Chelsea have a normal life, we had a precedent for [her daughters] Barbara and Jenna," she said.
"The press gave them some room to grow and make mistakes, which every college student does."
Laura also said she is relishing her freedom now that she has departed Washington and settled with George W. in Dallas.
"My husband is retired, my children are grown and out of the house. I still have my 90-year-old mother who I see all the time and I'm sort of free as a bird!"
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5. McCain Comments on Sarah Palin's Memoir
Sen. John McCain said he is "looking forward" to reading Sarah Palin's upcoming memoir "Going Rogue: An American Life" — with some misgivings.
The "Rogue" in the book's title is a label placed on Palin by an angry McCain staffer when she was Republican presidential candidate McCain's running mate last year, and so "the memoir promises to have some pointed insights into her failed vice-presidential bid," mediabistro.com reported.
McCain was asked about Palin's book at the recent Washington Ideas Festival. Michael Calderone of Politico reported his diplomatic quotes:
"The part I'm looking forward to most is the part where it energized our campaign, and her selection put us ahead in the polls...The part I'm looking forward to the least is some of the disagreements that took place within the campaign."
McCain also said he expects Palin to play a "significant role" in the GOP and is "proud of her."
Palin's book is due out on Nov. 17.
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6. Rush Limbaugh Bidding for St. Louis Rams
Top-rated radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh has confirmed that he is part of a group seeking to buy the St. Louis Rams football team.
Limbaugh, a Missouri native, has teamed up with Dave Checketts, owner of the St. Louis Blues hockey team, to submit a bid for the Rams.
In a statement to KMOX radio in St. Louis, Rush said: "Dave and I are part of a bid to buy the Rams, and we are continuing the process. But I can say no more because of a confidentiality clause in our agreement with Goldman Sachs. We cannot and will not talk about our partners. But if we prevail we will be the operators of the team."
Goldman Sachs is the middle man between the owners and potential buyers.
The Rams have not been put up for sale, but the owners have said they are open to receiving bids.
"Ownership has said all along it would go through this process and evaluate its options," Kevin Demoff, the Rams' executive vice president of football operations, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
"They are under no pressure to sell the team."
Limbaugh served briefly as a football commentator for ESPN in 2003, and said in July: "It's a dream to own part or all of a National Football League team."
Forbes magazine recently valued the Rams franchise at more than $900 million, but it's believed the Rams' sale might fetch $800 million or less given the state of the economy.
In recent years the Rams have been in the bottom third of NFL franchises in terms of revenue.
Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, a Missouri Republican, had some fun with the announcement that Rush was bidding for the team.
"One has to wonder whether a Limbaugh-led team would be too conservative in its play-calling, and less likely to run left," he said in remarks reported by The Hill newspaper.
"I'm sure, however, that the team's pass 'rush' would improve."
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7. Tape Shows Rupert Murdoch's Father Predicted Media's Future
The only known recording of Sir Keith Murdoch, media mogul Rupert Murdoch's father, has been discovered — and it shows he had a remarkable insight into the future of media.
The elder Murdoch spoke on Jan. 4, 1937, at the launch of radio station 3LK in Australia, and he had "a prescient comment that echoes how the Internet today is breaking down the barriers between traditional TV and newspapers," The Australian newspaper reported.
Murdoch, creator of Australia's first national media empire, said: "This evening marks an important development in our company's work — the Melbourne Herald was one of the first newspapers in the world to develop the theory that newspaper work and broadcasting could be joined to the advantage of all concerned."
The recording had been tucked away by Australia's National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) for decades until it was recently reviewed and found to contain Murdoch's speech.
NFSA spokesman Simon Drake said that while he has no way of confirming with absolute certainty that this is the only extant recording of Sir Keith, the NFSA holds no other recording by him.
"It is therefore of considerable historic significant," he added, "particularly as he makes reference to the merging of his publishing and broadcasting interests."
The launch of 3LK, along with Murdoch's earlier purchase of station 3DB, marked the first time an Australian newspaper group entered the radio industry, and it was followed by moves into television.
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8. We Heard . . .
THAT former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay is not ready to concede that Barack Obama is a "natural-born citizen" of the U.S.
During a DeLay interview with Newsweek blogger Ramin Setoodeh, the blogger observed: "You got into some trouble for saying on TV that you weren't sure President Obama was born in the United States."
DeLay responded: "What I said was, to answer a question from Chris Matthews, I said: 'Why wouldn't the president of the United States show the American people his birth certificate?'
"You have to show a birth certificate to play Little League baseball. It's a question that should be answered. It's in the Constitution that you have to be a natural-born citizen of the United States to be president."
Setoodeh asked: "Do you think he isn't a citizen?"
DeLay: "I have no idea."
THAT David Letterman's on-air confession of sexual transgressions led to a robust boost in his show's ratings.
On Thursday, Oct. 1, Letterman told viewers he had been the victim of a blackmail threat that led him to reveal he had sex with staff members.
After a rerun on Friday, Letterman returned to the air on Monday to apologize to his wife and staff members, and "Late Show with David Letterman" drew 5.7 million viewers, according to the Hollywood Reporter. That's a 19 percent increase over his average nightly audience.
THAT former Vice President Dick Cheney's openly lesbian daughter Mary is expecting her second child, according to trueslant.com.
Mary Cheney and her same-sex partner Heather Poe had their first child, son Samuel David Cheney, two years ago.
Cheney has worked at Navigators Global, a bi-partisan communications firm, but recently announced that she would be leaving the company for maternity leave and to begin a new consulting firm with her sister, Liz.
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