Daily Briefing: No Changes at the Top
•Congressional Republicans stand in way ofBush's big plans;Grahamsays malpractice bill is "one of the worst."Pence: "This White House will have a more difficult time convincing conservative members to vote for more government." [ WP , USAT , USAT , USAT ]
• Lugar, Hagel, Warnervoice support ofRumsfeld.Levin: "If I thought a change at the top of the Pentagon would change the policy of this administration, I'd be all for it." [ NYT , WT ]
• Card: "Many of the questions that have been raised in the media were well understood by the White House when they consideredBernie Kerik." [ USAT ]
•White House reduces job projections for 2005 by 1.5m and lowers six-year forecast. [ WSJ ]
•Malpractice likely to be first campaign issue to hit Senate.Frist: "I am convinced that over this Congress, we will have a meaningful federal solution." [ NYT ]
• McCain's recent feistiness renews suspicion of presidential ambitions; PAC to be reestablished. [ WP ]
• Bushmakes appointments who embody American dream because he identifies with them, it is anti-establishment, and illustrates core values of ownership, opportunity, and individualism. [ NYT ]
• Carddefends FDA: "I've got great confidence in the FDA." [ WP , USAT ]
•Administration to crack down on Medicaid spending; accountability on states aimed to cut waste. [ NYT ]
•New Medicare drug benefits will cost $6-8t over 75 years. [ WSJ ]
• Kristoldenies White House encouraged him to disRumsfeld. [ WP ]
• Beinartblames "party's liberal base": the challenge "is to transform the party at its grass roots so that a different kind of presidential candidate can emerge." [ WT ]
•Anti-porn activists disappointed byAshcroft.Ashcroft: "Most Americans do not want their homes besieged by an avalanche of obscenity and they support overwhelmingly vigorous enforcement of federal laws against Internet obscenity." [ WT ]
•Congress to regulate Fannie and Freddie Mae. [ WP , WP ]
•Administration torn over keeping chairman of SEC. Scholar: "The White House cannot be happy with what's going on there." [ WSJ ]