■ Bill Simon gets ready to announce gubernatorial candidacy in California, with internal polls showing him behind Gov. Gray Davis (D.) by only 5 points …. Steve Forbes considers challenging Sen. Robert Torricelli (D., N.J.) next year. . . . Florida secretary of state Katherine Harris rules out running for Congress in 2002, but not 2004. • • • Federal grand jury indicts Rep. James Traficant (D., Ohio) for bribery, racketeering, tax evasion, and obstruction of justice…. Former Christian Coalition executive director Ralph Reed wins election as Georgia GOP chairman. . . . Latest round of partyswitching rumors prompts Sen. Zell Miller (D., Ga.) to issue press release saying he has no plans to join GOP “at this time.”
■ In “interview” with children, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D., N.Y.) jokes about “all the inside information that really matters,” such as “where to get a good haircut, how to find some time to yourself, so that you’re just not constantly running from one place to the next.” When asked what she likes best about Bush, she flusters: “I don’t know him that well.” . . . Karin Stanford, mother of Jesse Jackson’s out-of-wedlock child, files lawsuit against Jackson over support payments and visitation…. Former D.C. official Walter Fauntroy and Reagan veteran Michael Horowitz arrested for protesting Sudanese atrocities. Kenneth Starr agrees to defend the liberal, Johnnie Cochran the conservative. . . . National Capital Planning Commission votes to reopen debate about design and location of World War II memorial, currently slated for construction on national Mall.
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