A daily dose of online news from beyond the Beltway.

With the Democratic National Convention coming to town in a few months, the Los Angeles Police Department says it will take no chances in light of recent protests in Seattle and Washington, D.C. Officers from several LAPD divisions were dispatched to the nation's capital this weekend to observe D.C. police tactics and strategies in handling IMF/World Bank protesters. "We will absolutely be prepared for anything that may occur," the Los Angeles police commander said.

"I am not leaving the Republican Party. The Republican Party is my home." Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), after a Monday meeting with Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura in which Ventura urged the former presidential candidate to restart his campaign as an independent. (Star Tribune, April 18)

• L.A. Police Watch and Learn at Protests
(Los Angeles Daily News, April 18)

Ventura Veto Leaves GOP Wary
Minnesota's House speaker said Monday that House Republicans have lost their trust in Gov. Jesse Ventura (I) and might ask the governor to commit future agreements to writing. The conflict stems from an abortion bill Ventura vetoed Friday even though his staff helped GOP leaders craft it.
• Republican Distrust of Ventura Runs High in Wake of Veto
(Star Tribune, Minneapolis, Minn., April 18)
• Ventura Vetoes Abortion Bill
(St. Paul Pioneer Press, April 15)

With legislative support already waning for his proposed constitutional amendment to abolish one of Minnesota's two lawmaking bodies, Ventura may have dealt a final blow to his hopes for a unicameral legislature with his abortion bill veto.
• Unicameral Issue Looks Dead for the Session
(St. Paul Pioneer Press, April 18)

Mass. Gun Dealers to Fight State Restrictions
A coalition of Massachusetts gun dealers plans to announce Tuesday a lawsuit aimed at blocking the strict state regulations recently implemented by Attorney General Tom Reilly. A spokesman for Reilly dismissed the action, saying the state's highest court had already ruled in favor of the restrictions.
• Dealers to Take Shot at Gun Regs
(Boston Herald, April 18)

N.M. Governor's Drug Debate Enters Budget Fight
New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson (R) used the line-item veto last week to strike a provision from the state's new budget that would have banned state money from being used to "promote the legalization or decriminalization of controlled substances." Johnson said lawmakers were trying to stifle his campaign to legalize certain drugs.
• Johnson Cuts Drug 'Censorship'
(Albuquerque Journal, April 13)

West Virginia Democrat on Campaign Spending Spree
In West Virginia's 2nd Congressional District race, Jim Humphreys is heavily outspending his rivals for the Democratic nomination. The lawyer and former state senator has already spent $2 million of his own money, making this race one of the costliest House primary campaigns in the country.
• Humphreys Loans Race 2nd Million
(Charleston Daily Mail, April 18)
• Profile: W. Va. 2nd Congressional District