Dodd And Feingold Will Filibuster Telecom Immunity  —  Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Russ Feingold (D-WI) released the following statement today in response to the announcement that the Senate this week will consider the compromise legislation that would reform the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA):

Obama holds 12-point lead over McCain, poll finds  —  A Times/Bloomberg Poll says that in a two-man contest, 49% of respondents favor Barack Obama, while 37% support John McCain.  With Ralph Nader and Bob Barr added to the mix, Obama holds 15-point edge.  —  » Discuss Article WASHINGTON …

Color Oregon blue?  —  A fairly stunning new ad from Oregon's Republican senator Gordon Smith leaves little doubt as to which way the wind is blowing there.  —  In the ad, Smith, running hard away from Bush, associates himself at length and explicitly with Obama.

Dobson accuses Obama of ‘distorting’ Bible  —  (CNN) — One of the country's leading evangelical leaders is accusing Sen. Barack Obama of deliberately distorting the Bible and taking a “fruitcake interpretation” of the U.S. Constitution.  —  In comments to be aired on his radio show Tuesday …

Obama To Hammer McCain On Offshore Drilling “Gimmick”  —  From CBS News' Maria Gavrilovic:  —  (LAS VEGAS) Offshore drilling continues to be a major sticking point between Barack Obama and John McCain, and the two candidates are still jabbing at each other's position for the second week.

Report Sees Illegal Hiring Practices at Justice Dept.  —  WASHINGTON — Justice Department officials over the last six years illegally used “political or ideological” factors to hire new lawyers into an elite recruitment program, tapping law school graduates with conservative credentials …

Seizing Laptops and Cameras Without Cause  —  A controversial customs practice creates a legal backlash  —  Returning from a brief vacation to Germany in February, Bill Hogan was selected for additional screening by customs officials at Dulles International Airport outside Washington …

Dying Is Hard.  Comedy Is Harder.  —  THE honest truth is, for a comedian, even death is just a premise to make jokes about.  I know this because I was on the phone with George Carlin nine days ago and we were making some death jokes.  We were talking about Tim Russert and Bo Diddley and George said: “I feel safe for a while.

Obama Asks Donors to Raise Money For Clinton  —  Barack Obama asked his finance committee this afternoon to help Senator Hillary Clinton retire her debt.  On a conference call that lasted about 45 minutes Obama made a personal plea to his top donors, telling them he considered it a personal imperative …

GOP going for green  —  Senate Republicans aim to undercut Democrats' claim to be the environmentally conscious party by combining their own conservation message with a longstanding push for more oil drilling.  —  The shift, to call for increased energy production and less oil use …