• Washington Whispers: Laura Bush had coconut cake with green icing and pink flowers for her 59th birthday. . . John McCain recently met with Jerry Falwell. . . Madeleine Albright used her pins and brooches to make diplomatic signals. . . CIA budget said to be $44b. . . Deepak Chopra will speak to Pentagon employees about managing stress. . . [USN&WR]

• Page Six: Howell Raines suspected as the inspiration for raunchy sex novel. [NYP]

• Liz Smith: Will viewers overdose on Anderson Cooper like they did with "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" [NYP]