* Administration requests $72.4b for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan plus $19.8b for the Gulf Coast. [NYT, W$J, WT]
* Senate, under pressure from the administration, will not investigate NSA eavesdropping; House inquiry moves forward. [WP, NYT, LAT]
* Bush has no problem with handling of Cheney‘s hunting accident: “This is a man who likes the outdoors, and he likes to hunt. . . I’m satisfied with the explanation he gave.” [NYT, USAT]
* Texas police close their investigation of hunting accident without making criminal charges. [WP]
* Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) denies wrongdoing in new lobbying scandal but asks for ethics investigation. [WP, NYT, USAT]
* Is Cheney more of a liability for Republicans than an asset? [W$J]
* Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) wants to toughen rules on leaking. [WP]
* Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) is leading the effort to protect whistle-blowers: “It’s absolutely essential that we have a system that allows people to speak out about abuses, especially in the national security realm.” [NYT]
* Democrats want to remove Gonzales from Justice Department investigation of lobbying. [WT]
* House Republicans block effort by Rep. Nancy Pelosi to start ethics investigation of budget bill. [NYT]
* Filibuster of Patriot Act ends. [WT]
* Rumsfeld responds to Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.): “The idea that you should paint a picture and hang crepe over it, that everything’s horrible in Iraq, is not true.” [WT]
* Since 1990, Democrats have received $53m from lobbyists while Republicans have collected $48m. [WT]
* Immigration issue could undermine Republican popularity in Florida. [WP]
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