* Cheney urged to address the hunting accident “as early as today.” [WP]
* Scott McClellan did not disclose hunter’s heart attack to reporters during White House press briefing; hunter’s death could spark a grand jury investigation, possibly with criminal charges. [WP, NYT, NYT, W$J, USAT]
* Reporters cornered McClellan at the briefing. David Gregory: “Don’t tell us that you’re giving us complete answers when you’re not actually answering the questions.” David Sanger: “This is our briefing; we get to ask the questions.” [WP]
* Tension between the White House and Cheney’s staff is “palpable”; Cheney “plays by rules of his own making.” [NYT, USAT]
* White House successfully suppressing House investigation of NSA eavesdropping. [WP]
* Jack Abramoff’s “reputation for close relationships with the White House and congressional officials enabled him to charge stratospheric fees from his lobbying clients”; lobbyist’s successful work for Malaysia “suggests closer ties than previously acknowledged between the disgraced lobbyist and the highest levels of the Bush White House.” [LAT]
* Sen. Reid (D-Nev.) wrote at least four letters on behalf of tribes that Abramoff represented; staffers were in frequent contact about legislation. [LAT]

MORE »

* Senior Democrats complain they have failed to seize momentum ahead of November elections. Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.): “We seem to be losing our voice when it comes to the basic things people worry about.” Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.): “I think we have been very good at saying no, but not good enough at saying yes.” [NYT]
* Bush’s tribute of Coretta Scott King “marks the latest step in the administration’s effort to repair its frayed relations with many black civil rights and political leaders”; televised service used as a platform to criticize administration’s policies. [WP, NYT, LAT]
* Lawmakers and legal experts question why the administration doesn’t eavesdrop domestically. [WP]
* Rep. Heather Wilson (R-N.M.), chairwoman of the House Intelligence Subcommittee on Technical and Tactical Intelligence, calls for Congressional inquiry of domestic eavesdropping. [NYT]
* Most of Bush’s State of the Union and budget proposals have been rejected in the past by the Senate. [WP]
* Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) is renting an apartment from a lobbyist; conflicts of interests seen. [WP]
* Jack Abramoff scandal is unrelenting for the White House. [W$J]
* Jockeying for 2008 is well under way. Chuck Todd: “Presidential money is almost like the housing bubble. It’s growing at such an astronomical rate, you think it can’t get any bigger.” [USAT, USAT]

MORE »