• $286b transportation bill, which funds a record 6,371 pet projects, marks a "significant shift from Bush's once-uncompromising stand on earmarks." [WP, NYT, USAT]

• NARAL's anti-Roberts advertisement sparks backlash; Annenberg study concludes "the ad is false" and "uses the classic tactic of guilt by association." [NYT]

• 9/11 Commission was notified of military intelligence about the hijackers; Weldon says the panel's "refusal to investigate. . . is evocative of the worst tendencies in the federal government that the commission worked to expose." [NYT]

•Roberts advised O'Connor to be evasive at her confirmation hearings, suggesting he will duck questions about his opinions on specific cases. [WP]

•Specter supports administration's position on Roberts' memos. [NYT, WSJ]

• Protesters set to join Sheehan; Rice, Rumself plan to visit ranch today. [USAT]

•Roberts was critical of "new right" movement in the 1980s. [WT]

• Still unclear: who sent Joe Wilson packing to Niger? [WP]

• States are standing up for their Air National Guard bases. [NYT]

•Pirro officially launches campaign in New York senate race: "I'm Republican red on fiscal policy with conservative beliefs on making tax cuts permanent, but I've got broad blue stripes on social issues that don't change based on the office I run for." [WP, NYT]

•Pirro must increase name recognition. [NYT]

• Republicans are more likely to go for professional degrees, argues White House deputy director of public liaison. [WP]

• Several Republican governors are attempting to loosen organized labor's grip on public employees. [WSJ]