Wonkette

• Jack Abramoff pleads guilty as part of plea deal; inquiry reaches 60 lawmakers. Justice Department official: “The corruption scheme with Mr. Abramoff is very extensive. We’re going to follow this wherever it goes.” [WP, NYT, LAT, WSJ, USAT, WT]
• Secret eavesdropping by the NSA occurred before White House approval; data was shared with the FBI. [NYT, WP]
• Republican lawmakers seek cover from Abramoff scandal; officials are “waiting for the other shoe to drop.” [WP, NYT, WP, USAT]
• Republican strategy of “turning the K Street lobbying corridor into a cog of the GOP political machine” backfires. [LAT]
• Abramoff secretly collected over $20m; he has agreed to return $25m. [NYT, LAT]

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The Washington Post reports that since winning his second term President Bush has tried raising his profile across the pond, and woo the U.S.’s many detractors in Europe into a somewhat more cordial posture toward American foreign policy. But the presidential charm offensive has left its targets strangely unmoved: MORE »