Daily Briefing: 'A Big Hole'

* House approves campaign finance legislation along party lines; new rules will primarily benefit Republicans. [ WP ]

* Rep.Tom DeLay's departure "has emboldened centrists and conservatives to push their divergent views more assertively." [ NYT ]

* Many Republicans facing reelection "are feeling voter wrath" over Iraq; voters are increasingly critical of pro-war stances. [ WP ]

* Senate Republicans near agreement on immigration but "showdown" will come this morning; legislation "would allow undocumented workers a path to lawful employment and citizenship if they could prove [that] they have been in the country for five years." [ WP , NYT , USAT , WT ]

*Bushtries to shift attention to domestic issues; visits Connecticut to talk healthcare. [ WP , NYT ]

* Majority of federal budget --military and entitlement programs-- cannot be reduced by lawmakers. [ NYT ]

* Conservatives see the fall ofDeLayas "a setback and a warning for their movement" -- "a big hole in their forces in Congress." [ NYT ]

*Condoleezza Riceurges lawmakers to approve nuclear arrangement with India. [ NYT ]

* Scientists say the administration is stifling the facts on global warming. [ WP ]

* Homeland Security official accused of sexual misconduct is suspended from work and held without bail. [ USAT ]