What Caught My Eye Today

Philanthropy - A Japanese real estate mogul is handing over eight of his multimillion-dollar homes to low-income Native Hawaiian families. he plans to open eight of his 22 Kahala homes to needy Hawaiian families. They will be able to stay in the homes for up to 10 years, he said. Giving away mansions shows more dedication to helping Hawaii's homeless than just handing out wads of cash, he said. Asked whether he was concerned about losing money on the effort, he laughed and said: "This is pocket money for me." Cockiness not withstanding, this was an incredible generous gesture. Well done, sir.

2008 Presidential Race - Democrat John Edwards said Thursday that his presidential campaign "goes on strongly" in the face of a repeat cancer diagnosis for his wife, Elizabeth, a somber development that thrust his White House bid into uncharted territory. The couple revealed that Elizabeth Edwards' breast cancer had spread to her bone during a news conference designed to reassure the public about the prognosis for her health and his candidacy. Before you skeptics get started on the 'sympathy vote' or 'how could he possibly run for office when his wife is dying' kick, let's give the guy some space and a little time to see if he can pull this off. He's so far behind Clinton and Obama in the polls right now, it likely won't matter anyway.

Iraq - A rocket exploded 50 yards from the U.N. secretary-general during a news conference Thursday in Baghdad's Green Zone, causing him to cringe and duck just minutes after Iraq's prime minister said the visit showed the city was "on the road to stability." Ban's unannounced stop in the Iraqi capital was the first visit by a U.N. secretary-general since Kofi Annan, his predecessor, came to Baghdad in November 2005. The U.N. Security Council issued a statement strongly condemning the rocket firing as an "abhorrent terrorist attack." I'm glad no one got hurt, but you have to appreciate the irony in the timing of the attack. As for the U.N. Security Council's statement, I have just one question...what do they consider all of the other attacks that have claimed thousands of lives?

Congress - The U.S. House of Representatives began debate on legislation to bring all American combat troops out of Iraq by September 1, 2008. The measure cleared a procedural hurdle, and a close vote on passage is expected on Friday. "The one (bill) they are considering has zero chance of being enacted into law. It's bad legislation, the president's going to veto it and Congress will sustain that veto," White House spokesman Tony Snow said. House Democratic leaders kept scrambling to nail down the 218 votes they need to pass the bill. Gee whiz, Congress and the White House seem to be on opposite sides of the fence on this one. What a shock.

And that's not the only one...

Justice Department - A second U.S. congressional panel authorized subpoenas of White House aides on Thursday, with Democrats pushing to expand a high-stakes probe into the firing of federal prosecutors. The Senate Judiciary Committee, on a voice vote, cleared the way for subpoenas of Karl Rove, President Bush's chief political strategist, and others if they refuse to voluntarily provide sworn testimony to Congress. Bush has vowed to oppose any attempt to compel aides to testify under oath in probes into whether last year's dismissal of eight of the nation's 93 U.S. attorneys was politically motivated. The president this week offered to have his aides meet with lawmakers under conditions that Democrats and even some of Bush's fellow Republicans have called unacceptable. And just think, the 2008 presidential campaign is just around the corner. The hits just keep on coming.

American Idol - After Tuesday's performance of The Kinks' "You Really Got Me," Sanjaya Malakar was popular enough to not be one of the two finalists this week with the lowest amount of votes. Stephanie Edwards, a Beyoncé sound-alike with a much better voice than Malakar, was sent home. On Tuesday night's show, a 13-year-old audience member named Ashley Ferl was moved to tears by Malakar's performance — in a good way (I'm guessing she was the only one). On the other end of the spectrum, A young woman known simply as "J" has gone on a hunger strike which she vows to keep up until Malakar is either "voted off, producers rescind his spot in the Top 12, or he graciously steps down from his position." She's set up a web page where she has been blogging her daily progress – four days and counting – and has invited others to join her in her cause. I'm telling you, these American Idol producers are geniuses. How do they continue to dream up this crap that seems to captivate the American public?