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Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is one of the rising stars in the Democratic party. He’s the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles in recent history and he also serves as a co-chairman to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
He discusses the state of the Clinton campaign after her losses in Wisconsin and Hawaii. He also discussed the dilemma that immigration reform poses to politicians across the country.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa informed a national television audience this week that he intended to seek a second term in the city’s top post while giving some of his most personal remarks to date about the political fallout from his extramarital affair.

But Villaraigosa, who informally has discussed his reelection intentions off and on for a couple of months, did not say directly whether he would run for governor in 2010, one year after the mayoral election.

In a wide-ranging interview with public television’s Charlie Rose on Wednesday — stemming from his support for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton — the mayor was asked about his gubernatorial ambitions.

Rose quoted an unnamed supporter of Villaraigosa who said the mayor “is thinking more about being governor than he is about being mayor.”

Of course, Mayor Villar will have to win re-election against Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky before entertaining any thought of running for Governor in 2010.

Flap’s bet is that the Mayor will have a difficult time in elective politics anytime soon.

Telemundo Channel 52 Poitical Reporter Mirthala Salinas announces “on air” her boyfriend, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s separation from his wife.

Previous:

Antonio Villaraigosa Watch: Affair with Mirthala Salinas Is OVER

Antonio Villaraigosa Watch: Mirthala Salinas Resigns from Telemundo

Antonio Villaraigosa Watch: Mirthala Salinas Transferred to Riverside

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Watch: Ana Garcia Spurned Reporter?

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Watch: Lower Public Profile for Mayor?Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Watch: Lower Public Profile for Mayor?

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Watch: Has Mirthala Salinas Moved into Getty House?

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Watch: Shoe Shopping with Mirthala

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Watch: Water Conservation – Setting an Example

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Watch: Telemundo Suspends Mirthala Salinas

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Watch: The Source

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Watch: Still Waiting for Telemundo

The Miguel Contreras Learning Complex Pool Flap

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Watch: Pay to Play at LAUSD

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Watch: Villaraigosa Tries Again to Shift Focus

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Watch: NBC Telemundo Expected to Announce Results This Week

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Watch: Corina Villaraigosa Speaks About Commitment

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Watch: Telemundo Ethics Probe of Mirthala Salinas Completed

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Watch: Mayor Heckled at Transportation Meeting

Graphic Courtesy of ERS News

Ayatollah Mohammad Emami-Kashani is pictured at Tehran University. The top Iranian cleric has told the UN Security Council to stay out of the crisis over Tehran’s contested nuclear drive, ahead of a key report by the UN atomic watchdog.

The long awaited IAEA report on Iran nuclear program has just been released and it details Iran’s continuing uranium enrichment and development of centrifuges.

Flap will update as more details are available.

Update:

Iran more open on atom work, bomb fears remain: IAEA

Iran has shown new openness about nuclear advances earlier off-limits to U.N. monitors but not enough to prove the program is not geared to making bombs, the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Friday.

While an IAEA report painted a more positive picture of Iranian cooperation than before, it also confirmed Iran was testing technology that could give it the means to enrich uranium much faster — in further defiance of demands to halt all sensitive nuclear activity or be hit with wider U.N. sanctions.

The IAEA findings, which also said Iran had failed to clear up all outstanding questions by an agreed February deadline, may be branded negative on balance by big powers and spur the U.N. Security Council to adopt more sanctions as early as next week.

So, in other words, Iran has NOT been forthcoming and has not cleared up any ambiguity whether they are developing a nuclear weapon. Look for an American and EU call for more UN sanctions which WILL be either watered down or blocked outright by Russia and China.

Key graph:

• “The (weaponization) studies is a matter of serious concern and critical to an assessment of a possible military dimension to Iran’s nuclear program,” said the confidential report, obtained by Reuters.

  “The agency will not be in a position to make progress towards providing credible assurances about the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran before reaching some clarity on the nature of the alleged (weaponization) studies, and without implementation of the Additional Protocol (wide-ranging, snap inspections).”

  Without that, it said, there could be “no confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of the program.”

If Iran has clean hands they would immediately open up their nuclear program to inspections.

But, Iran won’t.
Previous:

Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Pursuing a Secret Nuclear Program

Iran Nuclear Watch: Cancerous Israel to Vanish Soon

Iran Nuclear Watch: U.S. Intel – Iran Directly Engaged in Manufacture of a Nuclear Weapon

Iran Nuclear Watch: Uranium Gas Goes Into Iran’s Centrifuges

Iran Nuclear Watch: Israel – Iran Moving Forward with Nuclear Weapons

The Iran Nuclear Files

Day By Day by Chris Muir

Michelle Obama is defining husband Barack’s message because he has none – just words and rhetoric.

Hillary has waited too long to attack Obama for being the EMPTY SUIT that he is. Instead of sending her hubby Bill out to racially attack Obama in South Carolina she should have been pounding Obama on issues since day one. Talk about a mismanaged campaign.

Flap is actually looking forward to the contrasts between Obama and McCain. The GOP may have an easier time than anyone thinks.

• Missile Defense Watch: US Shoots Down Failed Spy Satellite
• Tale’s tall on innuendo, short on proof
  Why it is the New York Times……
  (tags: 2008 McCain)
• McCain camp vows to ‘go to war’ with NYT – Jonathan Martin and Michael Calderone – Politico.com
  (tags: 2008 McCain politics President)
• For McCain, Self-Confidence on Ethics Poses Its Own Risk – New York Times
  The story that started today’s political buzz.
  (tags: Election McCain politics nytimes 2008)
• Huckabee’s wife takes a breather at a Vegas fight, rests at Hooters
  Please….Mrs. Huckabee could not get a better room?
  (tags: 2008 Huckabee)
• Calories Expended
  (tags: health fitness calories weight calculator Calorie diet)
• The Long Run-Up
  The New York Times has some explaining to do…..
  (tags: 2008 McCain media)
• McCain’s Ties to Lobbyist Worried Aides – washingtonpost.com
  John Weaver seems to be the leaker here…..
  (tags: 2008 McCain)
• Washington Wire – WSJ.com : Rudy’s Economic Stimulus
  (tags: 2008 RudyGiuliani)
• Romney spent $42.3m of own money – The Boston Globe
  Wow! $42 mil on a failed candidacy…..
  (tags: MittRomney 2008)
• Right rallies to McCain – Jonathan Martin’s Blog – Politico.com
  (tags: 2008 McCain)
• Change to Win federation endorses Obama – Yahoo! News
  Another big union endorses Obama. Will it make a difference to knock out Hillary?
  (tags: 2008 Barack_Obama)
• Todd: Can Barack Obama be stopped? – Decision ’08- msnbc.com
  (tags: 2008 democrats Obama politics)
• Pentagon Is Confident Missile Hit Satellite Tank – New York Times
  (tags: Missle_Defense)