Is Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., Ready to Run?

And now the most compelling two minutes in television, the latest from the political grapevine:

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Newsworthy News Conference?
Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., has scheduled a news conference at his old high school in Stamford, Conn., to announce his presidential plans. Leading state democrats who had breakfast with him yesterday told the New Haven Register that Lieberman had told them he definitely is running.

No Hard Feelings
It was reported yesterday that Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., warmly greeted Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., but refused to shake hands with Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., the man who took Lott's place as Senate majority leader. The snub was said to have occurred on the Senate floor, but Senate TV tape of yesterday's floor proceedings does not show any snub and spokesmen for both men deny it ever happened, and Frist says he spoke to Lott yesterday seeking his advice. CNN is reporting the incident, but its reporter was apparently the only person who claims to have seen it happen.

Restitution for Referee's Blunder
A New Jersey state legislator says the NFL should pay his state restitution for that bad call the New York Giants got at the end of Sunday's narrow loss to the San Francisco 49'ers. The league has said that pass interference should have been called against San Francisco on the game's final play, which would have given the Giants a second chance to kick a field goal to win the game. Democratic State Assemblyman Anthony Impreveduto said, "New Jersey taxpayers may have been cheated of tax revenue the state would have earned from players' income and other Giants-related enterprises had the team advanced in the playoffs."

Funding Terrorism?
The news has been slow to penetrate the U.S. media but Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, whose dislike of the United States is well known, now stands accused by a former aide of funneling nearly a million dollars to Al Qaeda in the weeks after the 9/11 atrocities. The accusation was made by Venezuelan Air Force Maj. Juan Diaz Castillo, who is in this country seeking political asylum. He told a weekend news conference in Miami that he was chosen to deliver the money because he was at the time an aide and friend of Chavez. When his effort fell through, he says a million dollars was then funneled into Afghanistan through the Venezuelan Ambassador to India, with $900,000 of the money going to Al Qaeda.