Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof 

Spitzer to Run for New York City Comptroller - Eliot Spitzer, who resigned as governor of New York five years ago amid a prostitution scandal, is re-entering political life, with a run for the citywide office of comptroller and a wager that voters are ready to look past his previous misconduct.

In a telephone interview on Sunday night, Mr. Spitzer, 54, sounding restless after an unwelcome hiatus from government, said he had re-envisioned the often-overlooked office and yearned to resurrect the kind of aggressive role he played as New York State’s attorney general. He said that after consulting with his family and taking the temperature of the city’s electorate, he believed New Yorkers would be open to his candidacy. “I’m hopeful there will be forgiveness, I am asking for it,” he said.  The NY Times has more here.

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Privavcy Group Asks Supreme Court to Halt NSA Surveillance - A privacy rights group will file an emergency petition with the Supreme Court on Monday to halt the National Security Agency's sweeping collection of millions of telephone records.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center — a Washington- based nonprofit founded in 1994 that seeks to shed light on civil liberties and First Amendment issues — said it is taking it case directly to the Supreme Court due to the "exceptional circumstances" of the issue and because it could not challenge the program with the secret court that approved the surveillance.  TPM.com has more here.

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Violence Continues in Egypt, at least 42 Dead - At least 42 people were killed on Monday when Islamist demonstrators enraged by the military overthrow of Egypt's elected President Mohamed Mursi said the army opened fire during morning prayers at the Cairo barracks where he is being held.

But the military said "a terrorist group" tried to storm the Republican Guard compound and one army officer had been killed and 40 wounded. Soldiers returned fire when they were attacked by armed assailants, a military source said.

The emergency services said more than 320 were wounded in a sharp escalation of Egypt's political crisis, and Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood urged people to rise up against the army, which they accuse of a military coup to remove the elected leader.  Reuters.com has more here.

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Teresa Heinz Kerry in Critical Condition - Teresa Heinz Kerry, the wife of secretary of State John Kerry, is at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she is receiving medical care for an undisclosed condition.

“The family is grateful for the outpouring of support it has received and aware of the interest in her condition, but they ask for privacy at this time,” said Glen Johnson, a spokesman for Kerry, according to reports.

Heinz Kerry and John Kerry were at their residence on Hurlburt Avenue in Nantucket on Sunday, when she suffered a medical episode. An ambulance rushed her to Nantucket Cottage Hospital at 3:30 p.m., where she was admitted in critical, but stable, condition.  TheHill.com has more here.

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