Lady Bird Johnson dies at 94  —  AUSTIN, Texas - Lady Bird Johnson, the former first lady who championed conservation and worked tenaciously for the political career of her husband, Lyndon B. Johnson, died Wednesday, a family spokeswoman said.  She was 94.  —  Johnson, who suffered a stroke …

Bush to Declare Progress in Iraq on Some Benchmarks  —  The Bush administration will assert in the next few days that progress in carrying out the new American strategy in Iraq has been satisfactory on nearly half of the 18 benchmarks set by Congress, according to several administration officials.

State House Rep. Arrested  —  Titusville police say they have arrested Florida State Rep. Robert "Bob" Allen, of Merrit Island, on second degree misdemeanor charges for soliciation for prostiution.  —  Allen, 48, was arrested Wednesday afternoon at Veteran's Memorial Park on East Broad St. in Titusville.

Flynt is tracking 20 congressional sex scandal leads  —  Larry Flynt, the porn-industry magnate who first linked Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) to the escort service of the "D.C. Madam," said Wednesday that his investigators are tracking more than 20 leads on alleged congressional sex scandals.

MCCAIN UNRAVELED BY 'GAY SWEATERS'?  —  SWEAT THE TECHNIQUE McCain (Photos: Getty Images)  —  In the final days of his imploding candidacy, John McCain has taken a page out of Richard Nixon's play book, finding increasingly bizarre explanations for his political failures.

Miers' Attorney Says She Will Not Attend Hearing  —  Today, attorney George T. Manning, representing former White House Counsel Harriet Miers, rescinded his prior confirmation that Ms. Miers would attend the House Judiciary Committee's hearing on Thursday in response to a subpoena …

FRED THOMPSON: "A LAWYER WHO IS A PROSPECTIVE CANDIDATE"  —  Fred Thompson has sent us the following column on the subject of his career in the practice of law.  We are delighted to bring it to our readers: … Supplementing Senator Thompson's historical observations …

Hmmm.  A very...  FELONY  —  Hmmm.  A very knowledgeable emailer says it's a felony ...  I can't vouch for the legal interpretation.  But it seems like decent prima facie case and the emailer knows his stuff.

Levin-Lieberman Love Fest - One Step Closer to War on Iran  —  Right after Sen. Lieberman voted against U.S. troops on the Webb amendment, he launched his new Iran Amendment - cosponsored by pals Kyl, Graham, Collins and Sessions with strong support by McCain - and Senator Levin could not fall …

Boehner calls anti-surge GOP senators 'wimps'  —  Rep. Heather Wilson (R-N.M.) called for comity Wednesday during a meeting of the Republican Conference after House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) referred to Senate colleagues who have begun to favor a change in course in Iraq as "wimps."

Thompson eyes August kick-off  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson is now likely to announce his presidential campaign in August, not mid-July as previously envisioned and will skip the Republican straw poll in Ames, Iowa, people familiar with Thompson's thinking tell CNN.

Moving Forward in Iraq  —  The "surge" is working.  Will Washington allow the current progress to continue?  —  In Washington perception is often mistaken for reality.  And as Congress prepares for a fresh debate on Iraq, the perception many members have is that the new strategy has already failed.

House Passes the College Cost Reduction Act  —  The House has passed the College Cost Reduction Act of 2007, H.R. 2669, by a vote of 273-149.  The bill will provide the single largest increase in college aid since the GI bill in 1944.  The legislation invests about $18 billion dollars …