Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof

Representative Giffords to Receive Cranial Implant Today - months after being shot in the head, Gabrielle Giffords will receive a plastic implant to replace s portion of her skull which was removed to deal with the resulting swelling on the brain. Giffords watched her astronaut husband Mark Kelly blast off in the shuttle Endeavor on Monday. The Arizona Republic has more here.

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No Front-Runner for Republican Presidential Wannabes - the latest Gallup poll reflects what most already know - the republicans have a weak field vying for their nomination for president. Mitt Romney leads with 20%, followed by Sarah Palin - 18%, and Newt Gingrich - 11%. none of the others reached double digits in support. Gallup.com has more here.

Minnesota Representative Michele Bachmann (R), a tea party favorite, is now saying she is moving up her announcement from June. More here.

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels may be the savior for the GOP - Politico.com has more here.

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Senate Republicans Block Bill To Repeal Oil Subsidies - the bill was not able to overcome a Republican filibuster by a vote of 52-48, with 60 needed to have the vote come to the floor for a full vote. The bill would have ended the billions in tax subsidies oil companies currently receive. TPM.com has more here.

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Tom Coburn Pulls Out of "Gang of 6" - so much for this bipartisan effort to reach agreement on deficit reduction and the debt ceiling. The Oklahoma Republican Senator stopped meeting with the group after disagreement of cuts to Medicare. RollCall.com has more here.

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Maryland County Executive Pleads Guilty to Taking Bribes - Jack Johnson (D), in a plea deal with prosecutors, agreed to plead guilty of accepting more than $400,000. Sentencing will come at a later date. The Washington Post has more here.

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Maryland Governor O'Malley to Sign Incinerator Bill - Martin O'Malley (D) angered environmentalists when he issued a statement yesterday saying he will sign a bill passed by the Maryland General Assembly providing financial incentives to waste-to-energy facilities which produce energy by burning trash. The Baltimore Sun has more here.

This bill signing also gives an added boost for supporters of a waste-to-energy facility scheduled to be built in Frederick County, Maryland, after a long protracted battle from environmentalists.

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Eyes On Obama Middle East Speech Tomorrow - what does President Obama say as the Arab uprising takes place and with the Israeli/Palestinian peace talks in limbo. A major issue in the Palestinian/Israel peace talks is the borders of a two state solution with Palestine asking for recognition from the UN of the pre-1967 six day war, borders. The NY Times has a good read here.

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