Press Briefing by Dana Perino  —  White House Conference Center Briefing Room  —  MS. PERINO: Good afternoon.  I have a readout for you this afternoon of the President's meeting with the Big 3 automakers.  They had a very good meeting.  It was scheduled to go just 30 minutes; it almost went to 45 minutes.

Tests Show Snow's Cancer Has Returned  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - Presidential spokesman Tony Snow's surgery to remove a small growth showed that his cancer has returned, the White House said Tuesday.  —  Snow, 51, had his colon removed in 2005 and underwent six months of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with colon cancer.

Republicans to Rely on President Bush's Veto to Block Troop Withdrawal Plan  —  As the Senate opened debate Monday on a $122 billion Iraq spending bill, Republicans vowed not to allow Congress to impose a withdrawal date for American troops, but said they would rely on President Bush's veto pen rather …

US captures car-bombing ring in Iraq  —  The US military has captured the leaders of a car-bombing ring blamed for killing hundreds of Iraqis.  —  The news came as the departing US ambassador said Americans are in ongoing talks with insurgent representatives to try to persuade them to turn against al-Qaeda.

McCain-Feingold: Five Years of Failure  —  Five years ago today, President Bush signed into law the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002.  Today, American politics is so clean you could eat off it — except for the mud-slinging, back-scratching, favor-trading, influence-peddling, bald-faced lying, indictments, and convictions.

Mideast Leaders Agree to Meet Biweekly  —  After three days of shuttle diplomacy between Israeli and Arab cities and a late night of haggling, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said today that she had persuaded Israeli and Palestinian leaders to hold talks twice a month.

Webb Aide Tried To Take Gun Into Senate Building, Capitol Police Say  —  A top aide to Sen. James Webb was charged yesterday with trying to carry a loaded pistol and extra ammunition into a Senate office building, U.S. Capitol Police said.  —  The staffer, Phillip Thompson …

Democrat Proposes Making Withdrawal Date Secret  —  Only Congress, White House and Iraqi Government Would Know Plan  —  In one of the more unusual proposals to emerge in the Senate debate on Iraq withdrawal, Sen. Mark Pryor wants to keep any plans for bringing troops home a secret.

Tehran's Hostages  —  Iran's act of war against our British allies.  —  Advocates of engagement with Tehran often claim that the Islamic Republic long ago shed its revolutionary pretensions in favor of becoming a "status quo" power.  They might want to share that soothing wisdom with the families …

Drudge and The Politico — poisonously joined at the hip  —  The new online political magazine, The Politico, is a pernicious new presence in our media landscape.  As I noted the other day, it really is nothing more than the Drudge Report dressed up with the trappings of mainstream media credibility.

Obama's Back Story  —  While I was whiling away my youth as an insurance investigator — yes, yes, Cohen of Claims — I met the lovely Penny, a wise and beautiful woman who utterly changed my life.  She invited me to her family's summer place at the beach.  The old house had a screened-in porch …

Poll backs subpoenas of Bush aides  —  WASHINGTON — Americans overwhelmingly support a congressional investigation into White House involvement in the firing of eight U.S. attorneys, and they say President Bush and his aides should answer questions about it without invoking executive privilege.

Exclusive: Report Charges Broad White House Efforts to Stifle Climate Research  —  Justin Rood Reports:  —  Bush administration officials throughout the government have engaged in White House-directed efforts to stifle, delay or dampen the release of climate change research that casts …