Daily Briefing: Heating Up
•Success of President's Dinner fundraiser seen as an indicator ofBush's influential role in '06 campaigns;Bushsays Democrats "stand for nothing but obstruction." [ WP , NYT , LAT , WT ]
• Fristwants to bring vote onBoltonthis week.Durbinresponds: "Instead of calling the vote,Senator Fristought to call the White House." [ NYT , WP , WT ]
•Administration "increasing doubts" North Korea is serious about setting aside its nuclear weapons program;Lugar, Bidencriticize administration's policy on North Korea as ineffective. [ NYT , NYT ]
•Administration is rethinking future of Gitmo, despite public comments of support. [ LAT ]
• Stevens (R-Alaska)found to have reaped $822,000 from shady real estate deal with special interest developer. [ LAT ]
•Conservative Christians reach out to other groups, including ACLU and CBC, in bid to widen agenda. [ USAT ]
•Exxon hires former White House official who reworked environmental reports. [ NYT , WSJ ]
• Bushenjoys meeting dissidents.Gerson: "He likes to talk to people who have experienced these things firsthand, but there clearly is a signal here and a symbol that human rights is central to our approach, that there is a kind of moral concern." [ WP ]
•Emissions issue likely to stall energy bill. [ NYT ]
•Senators from both sides defend their outsourcing of travel expenses to private groups. [ WP ]
• Clintonsreport having over $10m in assets and over $3m in income, minus royalties from "My Life." [ NYT ]
• Edwardsis back in Iowa with "undiminished ambition"; his central issue is poverty. [ WP ]
• Al Frankenhasn't decided to enter Minnesota's Senate race. [ NYT ]