Wonkette

• Supreme Court, by 6 to 3 vote, rules against the administration and John Ashcroft to allow Oregon to practice physician-assisted suicide. [WP, NYT, NYT, W$J, USAT, WT]
• “High-level intelligence assessment” from early 2002 downplayed the likelihood of Niger providing uranium to Iraq. Admin official: “The president has said the intelligence was wrong, and we have reorganized our intelligence agencies so we can do better in the future.” [NYT]
• Jack Abramoff had a “few staff-level” White House meetings; officials are not releasing specifics. [USAT]
• Republicans outline their proposals to limit lobbying; some plans contain plenty of loopholes. Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.): “It is like asking John Gotti to do what he can to clean up organized crime.” [WP, WP, NYT, NYT, W$J, USAT, WT]
• Kidnappers of American journalist in Iraq issue ultimatum: release all female prisoners in Iraq or she will be killed. [WP]
• Senators ready their inquiries of NSA eavesdropping; determining its legality will “prove tricky.” [W$J]

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• “Virtually all” of the National Security Agency’s tips to the F.B.I. in the aftermath of 9/11 “led to dead ends or innocent Americans.” Former prosecutor: “The information was so thin, and the connections were so remote, that they never led to anything.” [NYT]
• Speaker Dennis Hastert is only now publicly addressing the recent scandals; he may be the next target of criticism and scrutiny. [WP]
• Senate Judiciary Committee postpones vote on Samuel Alito until next Tuesday. [WP, WT]
• New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin: “Surely God is mad at America. He sent us hurricane after hurricane after hurricane, and it’s destroyed and put stress on this country. . . Surely he doesn’t approve of us being in Iraq under false pretenses. But surely he is upset at black America also. We’re not taking care of ourselves.” [WP]
• Al Gore attacks Bush for “breaking the law repeatedly and insistently.” [WP, WT, USAT]
• American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Constitutional Rights plan suits over NSA eavesdropping. [NYT]
• Rep. Bob Ney is gaining recognition from the midst of the Jack Abramoff scandal. [NYT]
• Bush honors Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, asks Americans to “remember the remaining work.” [NYT, WT]
• Laura Bush defends Republican from corruption label, says some lobbying can be important. [WT]
• Sandra Day O’Connor’s unique voice and technique of questioning will be lost in the new court. [USAT]

• Rove and Bartlett devised plan to shift blame to Louisiana and to ignore Democrats’ attacks; many Bush advisors spent weekend at Nicole Devenish’s wedding in Greece. Chertoff’s talking point: “We will have time to go back and do an after-action report, but the time right now is to look at what the enormous tasks ahead are.” [NYT]
• Officials point fingers over failures in Gulf Coast. Nagin: “We’re still fighting over authority.” Hillary calls for independent commission to analyze response. [NYT, WT]
• “Besieged White House” forced to balance problems on the Gulf Coast, complexity of Supreme Court drama, and ongoing challenges in Iraq. [WP, WT]
• High death toll anticipated. Michael Leavitt: “I think it’s evident it’s in the thousands.” Chertoff: “We need to prepare the country for what’s coming.” [WP, NYT, LAT]

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CNN just sent out the full transcript of the New Orleans Mayor’s emotional and (understandably) expletive-laden interview on local radio yesterday: “excuse my French everybody in America, but I am pissed.”

It’s after the jump.

RELATED: Ray Nagin for President, Anderson Cooper for Secretary of Take No Shit [Wonkette]

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CNN is reporting that Bush will meet with Mayor Nagin today. If he could bring some troops and money with him that would be nice.

Anderson Cooper shows what happens when take away a man’s Kiehl’s for a week: He skin gets dry but the scales fall from his eyes.

KING: Anderson Cooper in Biloxi, Mississippi and you were an angry man today, Anderson at what? MORE »