Senate Democrats today ripped into a plan offered this morning by the Bush administration to overhaul the nation's financial regulatory system.

Democrats condemned the proposal, detailed by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, which would be the most expansive overhaul since since the stock market crash of 1929.

"I would call this the wild pitch. It's not even in the strike zone," said Sen. Chris Dodd, Connecticut Democrat and chairman of the Senate banking committee. "To talk about overhauling the financial regulatory system is a wonderful idea, but frankly it doesn't relate with the issues that we're grappling with."

Dodd's comments came during a press call with reporters to discuss a pending housing foreclosure bill. Dodd said the Paulson plan is "completely off the mark" and constitutes a "failure to utilize the regulatory tools" such as the Home Owners Protection Act 1994 that could have prevented the current housing crisis. Dodd said the Bush administration did not call him for input on the plan, saying "I've been around here long enough that I didn't get my ego offended."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, said the plan failed to address the current situation in a timely way.

"We feel that the White House should direct their attention to what needs to be done now, not what needs to be done in the future," said Reid, who also said he was willing to work with the administration to pass some form of legislation overhauling financial rules, though he added that he's "worked with the White House for more than seven years now. We can't have this as it's been in the past, 'Either my way, or no way.' "

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the plan "a step in the right direction," but said it needed to go further to provide immediate relief for families.

"Congressional Democrats support [House Financial Services Committee] Chairman Barney Frank's proposed reforms to help millions of Americans avoid foreclosure, and restore stability to our financial markets," Pelosi said. "We look forward to working with the administration as we move forward."

— Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times

A group of environmental activists has enlisted Google to help flood the congressional switchboard with one million phone calls on Earth Day urging lawmakers to enact eco-friendly measures.

"We're really excited about this because Congress keeps saying they don't hear from the American public on climate change," said Kathleen Rogers, president of Earth Day Network, which bills itself as an eco-activism group connecting some 17,000 organizations in 174 countries. "The [presidential] candidates are not being asked about climate change. Climate change is the biggest threat to humanity that we've ever faced."

Rogers said her group is finalizing talks with Internet giant Google to coordinate online advertisements and other publicity measures in support of the calls. Details of the arrangement are still being worked out and are scheduled to be released on April 14.

Google has consistently shown support for environmental causes, most recently on Saturday night when its homepage went dark in support of Earth Hour, an hour when cities around the globe went dark to draw attention to the issue of climate change. On Earth Day in the past, Google has decorated its homepage to highlight the event as well. Google did not respond to requests for comment.

Rogers said she wasn't worried about the switchboard being overwhelmed by the calls. She said she was assured by the office handling congressional calls that staff could handle 1.3 million calls during a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. period.

"They're very, very competent, and they're ready. We're gong to help them as much as we can in advance," Rogers said. "Our intention is really, really not to shut them down. If things went nuts, which we don't expect them to, their operators are dreamboats. They consider their jobs part of the democratic process. If there'd be any problems, it'd be with the phone lines, not with the switchboard."

Rogers said the group is arming supporters with voluntary talking points, including a call for a moratorium on new coal-burning plants and support for carbon-neutral buildings and protections to ensure the poor and middle classes don't bear the brunt of rising energy costs.

Climate change skeptic Chris Horner said Google has used its homepage "for politically correct posturing" while failing to step in on issues such as human rights in China.

"They're increasingly known as injecting left-wing activism in their business model," said Horner, author of "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming and Environmentalism." "At some point, yes, you can collapse in your own ideology, but at this point it's just more annoying than professionally distracting."

Rogers said Earth Day Network is planning events in eight cities and has recruited 1,000 student volunteers on 1,000 college campuses across the country to celebrate Earth Day, which it calls "the largest secular civic event in the world."

— Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times

Former Vice President Al Gore is starting a three-year $300 million publicity campaign to increase public awareness of climate change through ads in outlets like Men's Health, Real Simple, Ebony, Scientific American, Wired, "American Idol" and "The Daily Show."

The campaign is spearheaded by Gore's group, the Alliance for Climate Protection, which is forming partnerships with groups like the Girls Scouts, the United Steelworkers union and the Audubon Society, hoping to mobilize some 10 million activists over the next three years.

For help with this massive ad campaign, Gore's group has enlisted the Martin Agency, which has created ad packages for clients like GEICO and UPS and crafted the "Virginia is for Lovers" theme.

"The We campaign is not about supporting a particular bill or resolution," Gore's group says in a release. "It is about stimulating a cultural shift around this issue. Unfortunately, our leaders won't take the bold steps necessary until the American people demand real change."

This video below from the campaign is narrated by actor William H. Macy and compares the need for action on climate change to U.S. forces storming the beaches of Normandy and activists calling for civil rights during the 1960s.

— Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times

The campaign of GOP presidential candidate Sen. John McCain today released a new television ad touting his family's military history and singing praises of the nuclear family.

Citing his grandfather's service as an aviator and his father's time as a submariner, the ad links their service to McCain's ability to withstand the years he spent as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War.

"The family he was born into, and the family he is blessed with now, made John McCain the man he is," the ad intones, "and instilled in him a deep and abiding respect for the social institution that wields the greatest influence in the formation of our individual character and the character of our society."

— Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times

As members of Congress return to Capitol Hill today, President Bush this morning took the occasion to urge them to approve everything from reforms of federal housing loans to a Colombia free trade agreement and overhaul of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

"I ask members of both parties to get these pieces of legislation to my desk as soon as possible," Bush said just before boarding Air Force One for a visit to Eastern Europe in a trip that includes a NATO summit.

— Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times

Our most popular piece is looking at Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama debating their electoral map strategy. It was picked up by CNN's political ticker.

Matt Drudge over the weekend linked to Sterling Meyers' article describing the cherry blossoms in full bloom in Washington, D.C. This morning he's linked to our piece on Sen. John McCain's outreach to conservative bloggers.

The popular social networking Web site Digg has made popular Jennifer Harper's piece on a new birth control pill for men.

Citations of our stories on U.S. passports abounds. The series showing creation of U.S. passports is outsourced has prompted two separate congressional investigations, both which credited The Washington Times. Among the media outlets to cover the story were Fox News, the Drudge Report, CBS Radio, the Huffington Post, Lou Dobbs, WTOP, National Review, National Public Radio and CNN.

NBC Nightly News led its Friday program with our audio from our interview with Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice on everything from race relations to the Olympics. Reuters wrote an 800-word story on the Rice interview, crediting The Washington Times throughout. Both the Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune also wrote about the interview and credited The Times.

Meet the Press on Sunday cited our interview with CIA Director Michael Hayden.

— The Washington Times editors

House Minority Leader John Boehner, Ohio Republican, traveled to Libya and met yesterday with Col. Muammar Qadhafi, leader of a nation that the United States renewed its diplomatic relations with just under two years ago.

"[S]ince then, the Libyan government has taken key steps toward reintegrating as a partner in the world community and in the war on terror," Boehner said in a statement. "Col. Qadhafi and I also discussed how vital it is for his government to continue taking these steps, including settling claims to fully accept responsibility for past actions and offenses, in order for this progress to continue."

Libya has made strides in fighting terrorism and strengthening its Western ties after accepting responsibility for the downing of Pan AM Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1992.

Boehner led a delegation of five Republican House members to Libya as part of a trip to build ties with Israel, Tunisia and Morocco as well. The delegation included Reps. John Carter of Texas, Pete Hoekstra of Michigan, Jeff Miller of Florida and Peter Roskam of Illinois.

— Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, said boycotting the Olympics "would unfairly harm our athletes."

Some leaders have called for a boycott of the Olympics in August to pressure China on issues like the crisis in Darfur and the persecution of Tibetans.

Pelosi's comments come on the heels of similar sentiments expressed by Secretary of State Condolezza Rice.

"I believe the International Olympic Committee made a mistake in awarding the 2008 summer games to China, and I sponsored a Congressional resolution expressing that view at the time," Pelosi said in a statement. "However, I believe a boycott of the Beijing Olympics would unfairly harm our athletes who have worked so hard to prepare for the competition.

"As I said in India last week where I met with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, if freedom-loving people throughout the world do not speak out against China's oppression in Tibet, we have lost our moral authority to speak out on behalf of human rights anywhere in the world."

— Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is meeting with President Bush at the White House this morning, where he'll tell Mr. Bush face to face that Australia will withdraw their 550 troops from Iraq later this year.

The two leaders, after their first meeting as heads of state, will do a press conference at 11:30, where they are expected to reaffirm that, hey, everything is still cool between the U.S. and Australia.

"The challenge for the future is how do we partner with American and our other friends and allies in providing other forms of assistance to the government of Iraq," Mr. Rudd told reporters last night after arriving in the District, according to news reports.

Mr. Rudd, who last November ousted a strong U.S. ally in previous prime minister John Howard, also broke with the Bush administration on climate change when he ratified the Kyoto Treaty, which imposes mandatory emissions caps.

Nonetheless, National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley insisted two days ago that the bilateral relationship is still strong.

Mr. Bush has gone out of his way to show Mr. Rudd a warm welcome, inviting the prime minister and his wife to stay for not one, but two nights at Blair House, the traditional guest residence for heads of state, which is across the street from the White House.

Mr. Rudd, for his part, is pitching his 17-day trip to five countries as a mission to promote Australia's economy in the midst of a global downturn.

"A primary reason for this visit is to communicate to the economic and business leadership of the U.S., the U.K. and China the continuing fundamental strength of the Australian economy in the face of international turbulence," Mr. Rudd said, according to the Herald Sun, one of Australia's largest daily newspapers.

— Jon Ward, White House correspondent, The Washington Times

A pilots' association says clumsy and dangerous handgun rules designed by federal officials are to blame for an accidental discharge last weekend during landing preparations at the Charlotte/Douglas (N.C.) International Airport.

David Mackett, president of the Airline Pilots Security Alliance, says "the pilot has to take his gun off and lock it up before he leaves the cockpit, so he was trying to secure the gun in preparation for landing, while he was trying to fly the airplane, too."

"In the process of doing that, the padlock that is required to be inserted into the holster pulled the trigger and caused the gun to discharge," Mr. Mackett said.

Pilots directed me to this blog run by private investigator Paul Huebl, who gives a video demonstration of how pilots are required to handle the gun.

— Audrey Hudson, national reporter, The Washington Times

Northern New York's NewzJunky.com (Update: and now Matt Drudge, too) has picked up our exclusive interview with Condolezza Rice in which she describes a national "birth defect" that denied black Americans opportunities given to whites at the country's founding.

One of our top stories this hour is Jon Ward's account of President Bush praising Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for taking on militia fighters in the southern part of Iraq.

Blogger Joel Rosenberg took notice of our piece showing Sen. John McCain's struggle to maintain the Christian vote.

We want your input as we analyze our collection of comics. We'd like to know which ones our readers like best.

Last, but not least, check out national political reporter Christina Bellantoni dishing on MSNBC about infighting within the Democratic Party.

— The Washington Times editors

Gov. Anibal S. Acevedo Vila, Puerto Rico Democrat, has been indicted on 19 criminal counts involving three of his political campaigns from 1999 to 2004, the Department of Justice said today.

The charges include conspiracy to violate federal campaign laws, wire fraud and illegal use of campaign funds. According to the indictment, Mr. Acevedo and 12 associates conspired to defraud the United States and violate the Federal Election Campaign Act through illegal and unreported contributions to pay off large and unreported debts stemming from Mr. Acevedo's 1999-2000 and 2001-2002 campaigns for Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico.

"This indictment demonstrates the commitment of the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Puerto Rico to ensure the integrity of the electoral process," U.S. Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Velez said in a statement. "Candidates for office and elected officials will be held accountable for corrupting the electoral process by disregarding campaign financing laws."

Mr. Acevedo is a superdelegate and a pledged supporter of presidential candidate Barack Obama. According to press reports. Mr. Acevedo said he would turn himself in to authorities tomorrow morning.

— Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will visit President Bush in May, possibly on May 1, the White House said today.

Just after Mr. Abbas' visit to the White House, Mr. Bush will travel to Israel in mid-May to celebrate the Jewish state's 60th anniversary and to push peace talks forward between Israel and the Palestinians.

Mr. Bush and Mr. Abbas last met in January, during the president's trip to the Middle East. Mr. Bush traveled into the West Bank to visit the Muqtada in Ramallah, where the Palestinian Authority has their compound.

The White House declined to say today whether Mr. Bush will again meet with the Palestinians in the West Bank during his trip in May.

— Jon Ward, White House correspondent, The Washington Times

Rep. Albert Wynn, Maryland Democrat, said today he is leaving office in June to join a D.C. law firm, allowing rival Donna Edwards, who handily defeated the eight-term incumbent during last month's Democratic primary, to compete in a special election prior to November's general vote.

Mr. Wynn will become a partner at Dickstein Shapiro LLP this summer, leaving a district that handed him victory over his Republican opponent in 2006 by a margin of 81 percent to 19 percent.

Onlookers say the seat will remain safely in Democratic hands; Ms. Edwards has raised nearly $800,000 and does not face serious Republican opposition.

"It has been a great honor to serve as a member of Congress representing the wonderful people of the 4th District. However, it is time to move into another phase of my life and I am very excited to be joining such an outstanding firm," Mr. Wynn said in a statement. "My leaving early will also allow our Democratic nominee Donna Edwards the opportunity to successfully navigate a special election and be sworn in this summer.

This will not only give her seniority in the incoming Congressional class of '09, but more importantly, will allow her to get off to a fast start in serving the citizens of our community. I offer her my best wishes and stand ready to assist in any way possible."

Update: A spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee weighed in with his thoughts: "Congressman Al Wynn has been a valuable member of Congress and a leader for the people of Maryland," said spokesman Doug Thornell. "We wish him and his family well in their future endeavors. This is a solidly Democratic district and will remain that way."

— Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times

Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, California Democrat, said today he plans to hold a hearing into $300 million in federal contracts with a Florida firm that reportedly supplied faulty and old arms to Afghanistan's army and police forces.

A release from Mr. Waxman's office cited a story from today's New York Times claiming the company, AEY Inc., provided 40-year-old ammunition in decomposing packaging collected from stockpiles in the former Communist bloc.

According to The New York Times:

Since 2006, when the insurgency in Afghanistan sharply intensified, the Afghan government has been dependent on American logistics and military support in the war against Al Qaeda and the Taliban.

But to arm the Afghan forces that it hopes will lead this fight, the American military has relied since early last year on a fledgling company led by a 22-year-old man whose vice president was a licensed masseur.

With the award last January of a federal contract worth as much as nearly $300 million, the company, AEY Inc., which operates out of an unmarked office in Miami Beach, became the main supplier of munitions to Afghanistan's army and police forces.

Mr. Waxman said he plans to bring in senior AEY executives and senior officials from the Defense Department and the State Department for the hearing on April 17.

— Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Maryland Democrat, condemned President Bush's speech on progress in Iraq, saying it failed to accurately portray the scope of the problems in the troubled region.

While admitting that the troop "surge" has helped bring stability to the region, Mr. Hoyer called Mr. Bush's speech a "vain effort" to "divert attention from the repeated, egregious misjudgments made by his administration."

"The reality is, rockets continue to rain down on the fortified 'Green Zone,' which houses the U.S. Embassy and Iraqi government offices in Baghdad; Iraq's second largest city, Basra, has fallen into chaos, violence and bloodshed; and car and suicide bombs continue to kill scores of innocent Iraqis almost daily," Mr. Hoyer said in a statement. "More than 4,000 American troops have been killed and 30,000 have been injured, and the costs to the American taxpayer for this war — now in its sixth year — will be well over $1 trillion. Meanwhile, the president counsels the American people to be 'patient,' even as the Iraqis fail to take the steps necessary to achieve political reconciliation.

Mr. Hoyer called for a "diplomatic surge in Iraq" and increased help from the international community.

— Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times

Hottest thing on the site today, thanks to Drudge: John McCaslin's Inside the Beltway, looking at whether Sen. Hillary Clinton's concert with Elton John is kosher with federal election law.

Also check out Bill Gertz's second in a three-part series exposing the profit-hungry folks at the Government Printing Office.

Next is our piece examining the divide between the Democratic Party over the presidential nomination.

RealClearMarkets linked to commentary from Richard Rahn titled "Tax tyrannies."

Finally, another piece worth highlighting is our look at how the Senate Finance Committee plans to probe the Fed's bailout in the mortgage crisis.

— The Washington Times editors

Detractors of Democratic Senate candidate Ronnie Musgrove are pointing to press reports linking him to businessmen who were indicted yesterday for their reported connections to a botched beef-processing plant funded by the state of Mississippi.

Mr. Musgrove was not charged or implicated in the indictment handed down yesterday in the U.S. Northern District of Mississippi against three businessmen affiliated with the plant. The men are charged with mail fraud and conspiracy to corruptly influence a public official, who has been identified in a publicly-released polygraph transcript as Mr. Musgrove.

The project, which was approved while Mr. Musgrove was governor, opened in August 2004 but was shuttered three months later at a cost of $55 million to taxpayers, according to the Jackson Clarion-Ledger.

"It appears Ronnie Musgrove is being outed for tip-toeing around Mississippi taxpayers for political gain," said Rebecca Fisher, a spokeswoman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the body supporting Mr. Musgrove's opponent, GOP Sen. Roger Wicker. "After leaving taxpayers to foot the bill for this fiasco, Musgrove now has the audacity to ask for their vote."

When contacted by The Washington Times, the Musgrove campaign maintained that Mr. Musgrove was not influenced by the businessmen, two of whom contributed to the then-governor's 2003 failed re-election bid.

"Ronnie Musgrove had nothing to do with the awarding of any of the contracts related to the beef processing plant and at no time did anyone try to influence him regarding the awarding of such contracts," said Musgrove campaign manager Amanda Crumley. "If anyone defrauded the taxpayers of the state of Mississippi, they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

— Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times

President Bush has accepted an invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet in the Russian resort city of Sochi, at the end of Mr. Bush's trip to eastern Europe next week.

Mr. Bush, according to the Associated Press, will meet with Mr. Putin on Sunday, April 6, in what will most likely be the last meeting between the two men as they both finish their times in office.

Mr. Putin, of course, is expected to continue wielding enormous influence over Russian affairs as prime minister.

— Jon Ward, White House correspondent, The Washington Times

They aren't in office yet, but a group of 25 (and growing) Democratic House and Senate candidates are promoting their detailed plan for withdrawing from Iraq, hoping the effort will attract enough voters frustrated with a conflict now entering its sixth year.

The 36-page plan calls for removing military forces from Iraq and focusing on diplomatic and humanitarian concerns.

Six of the challengers, including Darcy Burner, who is hoping to unseat Rep. Dave Reichert, Washington Republican, and Tom Perriello, who hopes to topple Rep. Virgil Goode, Virginia Republican, are hosting a press conference tomorrow to promote their plan.

— Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times

President Bush visited a printing plant today in Sterling, Va., about 25 to 30 minutes west of the District, to tout the economic stimulus plan. But one of the employees he met with said he wasn't going to spend the rebate check he'll be getting in May, which is the point of the rebate checks. The Bush administration is hoping that many people will spend the money and inject liquidity into the economy.

I was part of the pool — the small group of reporters that travels with the president — and filed this report to the White House press corps.

-----

Trip of the President to Sterling

Some news, mostly color. POTUS again said the economy is in a "rough patch" but said he is "confident that in the long term we'll come out stronger than ever before."

After leaving the meeting at the Pentagon, which was no news, motorcade made the 30-second drive to helos at 11:40. POTUS waited in Marine One as your pool walked to our Marine chopper, and it was wheels up for Sterling.

We flew over endless subdivisions and landed on Sterling Middle School’s athletic field around 11:55 am. A group of about 50 cheering onlookers stood nearby. And if only driving through the DC suburbs was always this easy — we arrived at Color Craft of Virginia Inc. at 12;05

ColorCraft was set back in a business and industrial park — it was POTUS arrives at "The Office" sort of.

We walked in to see four men in blue work shirts and pants (first name on patch) standing near a group of about five magazine binding machines: Jeff Blake, the bindry foreman, Rick Poling, Dave Arehart, and Francisco Perez.

(Rick Poling, Dave Arehart, Francisco Perez and Jeff Blake. Photo by Jon Ward, The Washington Times)

Mr. Blake told your pooler that he was not going to spend his stimulus package rebate.

"I think I'm going to save mine and see what the economy does," he said.

Mr. Blake also said that he lives 50 miles away, as do his three co-workers, and that this week they had begun a three-day work week to save money "because gas prices are so high."

POTUS came in moments later, accompanied by owner Jim Mayes, and talked with Mr. Blake and the three other workers. POTUS looked at a few magazines and printed materials ("Amber Waves" and "Grace Covenant Church") and said he was there to talk about the rebate checks, and Blake told him he had received his letter from the IRS in the mail.

"I'm looking forward to it," Mr. Blake said. POTUS did not ask about his plans to spend or save the money as far as I could tell.

POTUS then posed for a photo and made a comment: "We've got some fine people here," and he pointed at a radio pooler.

At 12:15 he left to see the rest of the plant, and came back at 12:25 to make his statement. He talked about Jim intending to use the business tax credit for equipment and software, but none had yet been bought. You'll have the transcript shortly if not already.

Pool was ushered out at 12:30, motorcade rolled at 12:42, and Marine One was wheels up at 12:48 en route to the White House while we choppered back to the Pentagon.

— Jon Ward, White House correspondent, The Washington Times

The House Republicans' campaign arm is going after vulnerable Democrats for refusing to support an immigration bill that would mandate stricter enforcement measures.

Yesterday the National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee sent out a blast e-mail to 21 districts in Democratic hands condemning their occupants for failing to support a bill introduced by Rep. Heath Shuler, North Carolina Democrat, Secure America with Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act.

The bill has attracted strong Republican support, as well as the backing of some Democrats who have signed a discharge petition in hopes of bringing it directly to the House floor. The bill calls for the recruiting of 8,000 new border patrol agents and 1,200 new Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and equipping them with more sophisticated technology. It would also call for 13 more federal judges overseeing border arrests and bolster funding for the E-Verify computer system for confirming citizenship status.

"[Insert Congressperson's name here] has alienated herself from a rapidly growing bipartisan effort to bring about an immigration enforcement bill that she claims to represent," NRCC spokesman Ken Spain said in the e-mail blast. "The only thing [Rep. Insert name] is accomplishing in Congress is proving that she favors obstructionist tactics over real solutions for major problems facing America."

— Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times

Our most popular piece today is Bill Gertz's follow up on the passport-breach scandal. It's been linked on National Review's Corner blog.

Stephen Dinan's account of John McCain's economic speech is also a favorite.

RealClearPolitics picked up Tony Blankley's commentary on Europe and Islam.

Christian Business Daily took notice of our copy on calls by the king of Saudi Arabia for an interfaith dialogue.

Another interesting piece on our homepage describes at-home paternity testing kits that are now available for general use.

— The Washington Times editors

A new government report showing the unsustainable trajectory of Medicare and Social Security has drawn mixed reaction from Capitol Hill, with Democrats calling for a roll back of tax breaks for the wealthy and Republicans calling for new technologies to solve impending shortfalls in these programs.

Medicare's status is even more dire than Social Security's, largely because of the Part D prescription drug benefit, according to the report released today by trustees of the Social Security and Medicare trust funds. The board of trustees includes Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt and Labor Secretary Elaine Chao.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, called the Bush administration's record on entitlement programs a "squandered opportunity"

"The Bush Administration decided to place tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans ahead of putting Social Security and Medicare on more solid footing," Mrs. Pelosi said in a statement. "When he inherited a projected $5.6 trillion surplus upon entering office, President Bush could have used some of this surplus to strengthen Social Security and Medicare for the baby boomers and future generations."

House Minority Leader John Boehner, Ohio Republican, said America faces a "demographic tsunami" as baby boomers approach retirement.

"Earlier this year, I introduced a bill that would begin to reform the Medicare program by using new technologies, cracking down on frivolous lawsuits and focusing on helping the neediest seniors," Mr. Boehner said in a statement. "Last year, the House Democratic Leadership backed legislation that would have taken a meat cleaver to the most successful and innovative part of the Medicare program, and cut important Medicare services for low-income seniors, as part of a scheme to lure upper-middle class families into government-run healthcare. That is the wrong approach."

— Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times

News that Dr. Jack Kevorkian, a convicted felon who last year completed prison time for assisting in suicides, is running for Congress has been dismissed by onlookers and his would-be opponents, who say he won't likely affect the outcome of the race.

Dr. Kevorkian announced yesterday that he will undertake an independent bid in the ninth district of Michigan, hoping to unseat Republican Rep. Joe Knollenberg, an eight-term incumbent.

It is unclear whether Dr. Kevorkian could serve as a spoiler in the race by attracting enough voters to throw the race to either Mr. Knollenberg or his likely Democratic opponent, Gary Peters, though both campaigns told The Washington Times that voters are more concerned about the economy and jobs than euthanasia, which will likely be the physician's central campaign issue.

"I don't think there's a clamoring for his candidacy," said David A. Dulio, a political science professor at Oakland University in Michigan's ninth district. "My students got a kick out of it. That's basically the sentiment. It's a chuckle. I don't think anybody's going to take it seriously. I think that the two major party candidates are going to be ready and prepared for this really competitive fight for this seat."

Mr. Dulio pointed out that Mr. Knollenberg defeated his Democratic opponent in 2006 by just under 15,000 votes.

"I don't think there's any way Jack Kevorkian can get 15,000 votes in the district," said Mr. Dulio, who was skeptical that the would-be candidate, who has not officially filed for the race, can get the 3,000 signatures needed to appear on the ballot in November.

Mr. Dulio also pointed out that just over 6,000 voters opted for the Green and Libertarian candidates in the district's 2006 bid, well below the figure needed to throw the race.

— Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times

The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said he would be paying close attention to the results of a Pentagon investigation into how the Air Force mistakenly shipped intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) parts to Taiwan in 2006.

"This is serious business," said Chairman Ike Skelton, Missouri Democrat. "I look forward to seeing the results of a thorough investigation."

Details of the botched deal were revealed today, as military officials admitted that Taiwan had requested helicopter batteries but received four triggers for ICBMs instead. U.S. government officials notified the Chinese government of the flawed shipment and hopes the incident won't further strain an already delicate relationship on the issue of Taiwan.

— Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times

A substance that appears to be cyanide claimed the life of a man in the District, and police are investigating the source of the deadly powder.

Local news stations first reported the incident last night after police were called at 4:40 p.m. to a house in the 4300 block of 36th Street NW where they found a dead male inside.

After realizing there was a toxic substance in the house, emergency responders called in the HAZMAT unit.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police Department would not confirm the substance is cyanide, saying it is still under investigation, though he would say the substance had been contained at the scene.

"Until I have a lab to review it and tell me what the substance is, I'm not going to to identify it," said spokesman Junis Fletcher.

Police have not ruled out foul play, though Mr. Fletcher said the incident is being treated as a death investigation.

— Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times

Our most popular piece is Inside Politics, which features a look at Barack Obama's campaign aide Gordon Fischer.

Matt Drudge has picked up Christina Bellantoni's breaking news that Mr. Obama is planning a six-day bus tour through Pennsylvania in hopes of catching up in that state with rival Hillary Clinton.

CNN Headline News talkshow host Glenn Beck linked to Ralph Hallow's interview with former candidate Mike Huckabee's musings on his support among evangelicals.

Also popular is Wes Pruden's commentary on reports that some countries may boycott this summer's Olympics in Beijing.

Readers are also clicking on our piece detailing in the indictment of Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his former chief of staff.

— The Washington Times editors

Leaders of the Democrats' Senate campaign arm took a swipe at Andrew Unanue, a challenger seeking to topple Sen. Frank Lautenberg, New Jersey Democrat, saying the candidate has a questionable professional history and current job.

Mr. Unanue is a former executive of Goya Foods but was reportedly removed from his position during a family squabble. He now manages a New York nightclub and a financial consulting firm, according to press reports.

Mr. Unanue, 40, declared his candidacy last night, and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) was quick to respond today.

"Running a nightclub in New York would seem like an odd qualification for a U.S. Senate candidate from New Jersey, but we know Republicans are desperate," said Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the DSCC said in a statement. "Andy Unanue is going to have to bring more than a checkbook and a history of failed business ventures to this race if he wants to convince New Jerseyans that he has any business serving as a United States senator."

Mr. Unanue faces an uphill battle to unseat Mr. Lautenberg, who has amassed a substantial war chest and won by a 54 to 44 percent vote against a Republican challenger who outspent him by more than three-to-one in 2002.

— Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times

Amber Lee Ettinger, aka "Obama Girl," has some new rivals on her hands, and they're swooning for Republican John McCain.

Three ladies (including one who has an odd, translucent flicker quality) have posted a music video called "Raining McCain," sung to the tune of The Weather Girls' "It's Raining Men."

They're slightly tone deaf and they have curves of a different sort, yet the McCain Girls are earnest, we'll give 'em that. And they've already gotten more than 200,000 views on YouTube. We're just not sure if it hurts or helps.

— Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times

Would you feel (a little) less guilty noshing on that New York Super Fudge Chunk if you knew your indulgence might help in Darfur?

Ben Cohen, co-founder, Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, is appearing in a Save Darfur torch relay starting in Vermont (home of the frozen stuff) on Wednesday and ending in San Francisco April 9 in hopes of pressuring China -- Sudan's largest trading partner -- to use their leverage with Khartoum to allow a U.N. peacekeeping force into the troubled Darfur region.

An estimated 200,000 Darfuris have been killed in the conflict, and 2.5 million more have been displaced since 2003.

— Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times

Idaho Republicans say they want to move beyond trappings of the sex scandal involving Sen. Larry Craig, Idaho Republican, as they gear up to battle for the disgraced senator's open seat.

Mr. Craig did not file for re-election before his state's deadline on Friday, ensuring that his seat would be up for grabs in November. So far the race has drawn eight GOP candidates, two Democrats, two independent candidates and a Libertarian, according to the Idaho Secretary of State.

"We have a big race, well divided," said Sid Smith, a spokesman for the Idaho Republican Party. "It's not unusual, I guess, when you have an open seat that a lot of folks are going to come out and give it a shot."

Mr. Smith downplayed any effect the embarrassing episode involving Mr. Craig's guilty plea to a charge stemming from a men's room sex sting. Several days after his plea was revealed in the press, Mr. Craig vowed to resign only to renege on that plan days later.

"We're not really worried about it, to be honest," Mr. Smith said. "These candidates can all stand on their own merits and they're their own individual and they plan to talk about what they want to do and what they've done in their professional and political careers. I don't see it playing a big role."

Mr. Smith said he hopes candidates of all stripes will avoid touching on the scandal.

"I'm hopeful that the candidates on both sides will be sticking to the issues that are relevant to the race and the issues that Idahoans want," said Mr. Smith, who worked as a spokesman for Mr. Craig until last month.

Democrat Larry LoRocco is winning the money race thus far, though he faces an uphill battle against Republican Lt. Gov. James Risch in a state that voted for President Bush over John Kerry in 2004 by a margin of 68 to 30 percent.

State and national Democrats did not return requests for comment.

— Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times

Presidential candidate John McCain praised peaceful elections held in Taiwan over the weekend that handed victory to nationalist Ma Ying-jeou.

Mr. Ma ousted the current ruling party, running on a platform of forging closer economic ties with China.

"Once again we are witnessing the peaceful transfer of political power from one government to another based on ballots in an election that was free and fair," Mr. McCain said in a statement. "The vigorous campaigning of Ma Ying-jeou of the KMT and the DPP's Frank Hsieh are testimony to the press freedoms, democratic process and the rule of law the Taiwanese people have worked so hard to build. Taiwan's election is a fine example for the region."

— Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times

We just had to point out this spot that won best political video during Friday's YouTube Awards.

The video was created by Avaaz.org, a global progressive activist group that's now focusing on the repression of Tibetians in China. This video, which was uploaded last March, calls for Western and Arab nations to set aside sterotypes and call for peace.

The video, seen below, beat out the infamous "1984" spoof knocking Sen. Hillary Clinton and the viral video of the scantily-clad Obama Girl. You can check out all of the 12 politics nominees here.

— Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times

Our story on how outside groups are favoring Barack Obama is one of the top stories at this hour, and has been picked up by CNN's Political Ticker blog.

CNN also picked up our article describing how Philadelphia's Democratic leaders plan to press the presidential candidates on the issue of gun control.

Another top story is Jerry Seper's excellent review of Hillary Clinton's recently-released calendars showing her ties to an Indonesian businessman seeking to repeal an embargo with Vietnam.

We also have an interesting piece about a Harvard study showing that negative reports from the U.S. media is linked to increased insurgent attacks in Iraq.

Also, check out Jen Haberkorn's write up of how Wal-Mart affected two West Virginia towns.

— The Washington Times editors

A "large and persistent gap" between the amount of money the government plans to collect and what it plans to spend will widen even further unless policymakers act to stem this trend, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.

The gap will widen as some 80 million baby boomers become eligible for Social Security at a rate of more than 10,000 per day. The first baby boomer became eligible for Social Security benefits last month and will be eligible to claim Medicare benefits in less than three years, according to GAO.

"The question is how and when the nation's current imprudent and unsustainable path will end," the report states. "The longer action to deal with the nation's long-term fiscal outlook is delayed, the greater the risk that the eventual changes will be disruptive and destabilizing. Acting sooner rather than later will provide more time to phase in these gradual changes, while also providing more time for those likely to be most affected to make compensatory changes."

You can read the entire report here: Download file.

— Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times

Liberals are taking advantage of John McCain's visit with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris today as an opportunity to decry the candidate's efforts to stymie aerospace giant Boeing from receiving contracts with the Department of Defense.

"I saved the taxpayers $6 billion in a bogus tanker deal," Mr. McCain said during a recent presidential debate, referring to his efforts to scuttle a contract with Boeing in 2004 over concerns that the firm sought to hire an Air Force official who was handling Boeing bids.

The Department of Defense last month awarded a $40 billion contract for fuel tankers to the French company Airbus over American bidder Boeing. This angered liberals, who blame Mr. McCain for handicapping the Chicago-based company, rendering it unable to compete with the European firm.

The progressive activist group Campaign for America's Future created a satirical video titled "Merci McCain," which has been circulated on YouTube and appears below:

The Baltimore Sun notes that the union representing Boeing's 25,000 employees also used the visit as a time to highlight their dissatisfaction.

Mr. McCain's campaign did not return request