Daily Briefing: 'A Stick in McCain's Eye'
•Pentagon commits $300m to "psychological warfare operation" that "includes plans for placing pro-American messages in foreign media outlets without disclosing the U.S. government as the source"; bumper stickers and t-shirts are also being considered. [ USAT , USAT ]
•Army approves new, classified rules for interrogation. Official: "This is a stick inMcCain's eye. It goes right up to the edge. He's not going to be comfortable with this." [ NYT ]
•Pentagon is reportedly monitoring the activities of "peaceful anti-war and counter-military recruitment groups." [ NBC , Reuters ]
•Administration is debating the need for new nuclear warheads; "the U.S. could someday spend billions of dollars replacing much of the current arsenal." [ WSJ ]
•Democrats press for subpoenas of White House officials regarding government response to Katrina. [ WP ]
•Texas prosecutors are investigating possible ties between Rep.Tom DeLayand lobbyistBrent Wilkes, who was linked to former Rep.Randy Cunningham. [ NYT ]
•House nears passage of tough border security bill. [ NYT ]
•U.S. Chamber of Commerce splits with Republican leadership over immigration bill. [ WP ]
•Sen.Byron Dorgan(D-N.D.), vice chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee, will return $67,000 in donations from tribes: "Even though those contributions were legal and fully reported as required by law, I will not knowingly keep even one dollar in contributions if there is even a remote possibility that they could have been the result of any actionMr. Abramoffmight have taken." [ WP , NYT , WT ]
•Pentagon upgrades nation-building missions to the same status as combat operations. [ WT ]
•Sen.Fristsignals that Congress will not take on the "so-called patch for the alternative minimum tax" this year. [ NYT ]
• Bushsays registering for the new Medicare drug plan is a "daunting task" but "a good deal for our seniors." [ USAT ]
• Samuel Alitoconfirmation hearings "will pit [Sen.Arlen Specter's] deeply held political beliefs against his personal ties to the judge and his loyalty to the Republican Party." [ USAT ]
•Conservative Christians remain "on the sidelines while liberal Christians protest domestic spending cuts." [ WP ]
•Environmental groups announce opposition toSamuel Alito. [ WSJ ]