Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof

Irene Sets Aim on New York City - now downgraded to a tropical storm, the path of the storm continues to head up the east coast. Eight inches of rain fell on the Washington D.C. area with one million without power in D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Transportation has also been seriously affected with 9000 flights canceled by airlines. Reuters.com has an update here.

Even Starbucks ordered their stores closed in New York or opened late in many areas. Fortunately, for me, the Starbucks located on 7th Street in the City of Frederick, Maryland was open.

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Will FEMA Be Funded By Congress? - will be the next fiscal debate on capitol hill. It is anticipated funds will run out prior to the end of the federal fiscal year on September 30. This would make it necessary for Congress to pass an emergency appropriations bill. TheHill.com has more here.

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Gaddafi Wants To Talk With Rebels - as his days of rule over Libya are now effectively over. The request came from a spokesperson of the Gaddafi government and was refused by the rebels. Sirte, the home town of Gaddafi, remains the last stronghold and the rebels are advancing toward the city. You can read an update here.

Meanwhile, the Transitional National Council, now recognized by 57 nations as the legitimate government of Libya, is releasing the names of the representatives on the council. The NY Times has more here.

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No. 2 Al-Qaeda Killed in Pakistan - in a U.S. Drone missile strike. Atiyah Abd al-Rahman was killed in Waziristan, an area within Pakistan which has been known to harbor Al-Qaeda. The Washington Post has more here.

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Cheney Memoirs Reviewed By Politico.com - the book written by former vice President Dick Cheney will be available at book stores on Tuesday, but Politico.com has already read a copy and pulled out some of the more interesting revelations. You can read here.

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