Daily Briefing: Wi-Fi for Helen Thomas
•White House briefing room may get extreme makeover, including Wi-Fi and microphones for questioners; temporary accommodations would be in Eisenhower Executive Office Building.Ed Chen: "We all know how grubby that room is and how it could use renovation and updates to it with all the modern needs we have." [ WP ]
• Bushbuoyant, elated.McKinnon: "He's as calm and relaxed and confident and happy as I've ever seen him." [ NYT ]
• McConnellsays Republicans have enough votes to block filibusters. [ USAT ]
• Rovedrives promotion of president's policies, starting with "sophisticated campaign" about Social Security proposal. Lobbyist: "All roads lead toKarl." [ NYT ]
• Bushesmake Easter visit to Fort Hood, to skip South Lawn egg roll: "We prayed for peace, we prayed for our soldiers and their families." [ WP ]
•Even pro-military lawmakers balk at $145b price tag of army's high-tech overhaul.Rumsfeld: "Abraham Lincolnonce compared reorganizing the Union Army during the Civil War to bailing out the Potomac River with a teaspoon. I hope and trust that what we are proposing to accomplish will not be that difficult." [ NYT ]
•Presidential commission's report on intelligence gathering said to be "very detailed, very blunt" with criticism. [ LAT ]
•Supreme Court hears death penalty case involvingPresident Bushversus Texas. Professor: "The justices presumably took the case to clarify basic questions about the interface between international, federal and state law." [ WP ]
•Report says organization of counterterrorism efforts is dangerously confusing. [ WP ]
•Lawmakers consider next steps in broader battle over life-or-death medical decisions; "Culture of life" andSchiavocase divide GOP, Dems. [ NYT , LAT ]
• DeLay, staunch supporter ofSchiavo, took father off of life support in '88. [ NYT ]
•Medicare premiums expected to rise at least 12%. [ WSJ ]
•Bipartisan coalition of former national-security officials call for reduced dependency on oil. [ WSJ ]