• Congress is expected to vote next week on the renewal of the Patriot Act; Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) threatens to use the filibuster. [WP, NYT, USAT, WT]
• House votes mostly along party lines to pass more tax cuts. [WP, NYT, LAT]
• Administration linked Iraq and al Qaeda with information received from prisoner who “fabricated [the tie] to escape harsh treatment”; Democrats seek access to White House documents about prewar intelligence. [NYT, NYT]
• Time reporter Viveca Novak meets with Patrick Fitzgerald regarding her conversations with Karl Rove. [NYT]
• Second business partner of Jack Abramoff is near a plea agreement with prosecutors. [WP]
• American and Saudi officials wrote about Osama bin Laden’s interest in using civilian aircraft back in 1998. [NYT]

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• In 1985, Alito “wrote that ‘the Constitution does not protect a right to an abortion,’ declared his firm opposition to certain affirmative action programs, and strongly endorsed a government role in ‘protecting traditional values.’” [WP, NYT, LAT, WT, USAT]
• Graham (R-S.C.) and Levin (D-Mich.) achieve passable compromise on treatment of detainees; McCain’s amendment will likely be included. [WP]
• Frist (R-Tenn.) and Warner (R-VA) want increased accountability of the administration’s Iraq policy; proposal calls for quarterly updates. [NYT, WT]
• GAO finds political manipulation of the FDA’s decision on the morning-after pill. [WP, NYT, LAT, WT]
• Bush continually shadowed by questions about pre-war intelligence. [NYT]
• Approval of Bush slips to 37% in USAT/Gallup poll, a new low; Republicans losing faith in the president. [USAT]
• Rice delays departure from Israel, citing “progress” in talks between Israel and Palestine. [WP]
• Bush heads to Asia seeking to influence the region and escape domestic woes; says Democrats are “playing politics” by criticizing the war. [WP, LAT]

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• Approval of Bush slips to 37%, a new low in WSJ/NBC polling; 79% believe the leak investigation is “a serious matter” and a majority say Bush “deliberately misled people” to war. [WSJ]
• House Republicans scrap ANWR drilling to ensure passage of budget. Schumer: “If you are a moderate Republican, you are starting to say, ‘I am not going to follow George Bush over the cliff.’” [WP, NYT]
• Republicans fear implications of Tuesday’s elections; Democrats have their own lessons to learn. Pollster: “The waning of enthusiasm for Bush and his presidency is national.” [LAT, WP, WT]
• Senators press top oil executives about their profits; “if the hearing had an air of the theater, the public resentment articulated by the senators was real.” Milbank: “[I]nstead of calling oil executives on the carpet yesterday, senators gave them the red-carpet treatment.” [WP, NYT, WSJ, USAT, WT]
• Bush splits with Republicans over ban of abusive treatment of detainees. [USAT]
• Judith Miller leaves The New York Times. [WP, WP, NYT]
• Chalabi denies misleading the U.S. and offers to testify before Congress. [USAT, WP]
• Senate Judiciary Committee considers televising Supreme Court proceedings. [LAT]

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• Supreme Court agrees to hear case regarding the legality of military tribunals; Roberts is recusing himself. [WP, NYT, NYT, USAT, WSJ]
• Bush: “We’ll aggressively pursue [potential terrorists], but we’ll do so under the law. . . We do not torture.” [WP, USAT]
• Democrats want to question administration policy-makers and speechwriters for inquiry of pre-war intelligence; subpoenas may be issued. [WP]
• Republican budget cuts unlikely to pass without restructuring. Rep. Ray LaHood (R-Ill.): “They are a long way away from getting the votes. Medicaid, Medicare, food stamps, whatever — for every person, there’s an issue.” [WP]
• Bush “put his credibility on the line” with last-minute campaigning for Jerry Kilgore, making the outcome of the Virginia gubernatorial race “a referendum on his troubled presidency.” [WP, NYT, WT, USAT]
• Troop-rotation plan could lead to a drawdown of U.S. troops in Iraq in 2006. [WSJ]

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