by Christi Parsons

Former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards will endorse Barack Obama tonight at a campaign event in Grand Rapids.

The endorsement comes more than three months after Edwards dropped out of the race for the Democratic nomination, asking the two remaining candidates to make poverty a central issue of the general election.

As the race between Obama and rival Hillary Clinton has dragged on, Edwards in recent days had said publicly that he wasn't sure if he'd endorse or that it would matter if he did.

But last week, David Bonior, Edwards' campaign manager, came out in support of Obama.

And now, as Obama prepares to court voters in Michigan, a source familiar with the decision says Edwards will join him to announce his endorsement.

Before he dropped out of the race, Edwards won 18 pledged delegates. He has the power to release his delegates and encourage them to vote for Obama, which could widen the Illinois senator's lead by a sizable chunk.

by Christi Parsons

HIllary Clinton doesn't intend to be "pushed out," she tells Brian Williams in an interview airing tonight on NBC Nightly News.

That's because "until it's over, it's not over," she tells FOX News Channel's Major Garrett.

It's a media-blitz day for Clinton, who is telling just about every new show that will listen that she is in this thing until the last primary voter has voted.

"(F)or me, it's a privilege and a joy to travel around our country to make my case to people from one coast to the other and to continue to, you know, work as hard as I can to win this nomination," Clinton tells Williams, according to a rush transcript of the interview. "And that's what I intend to do. And, you know, we'll get to June the 4th after the last votes are cast on June the 3rd. And I think we'll have a better idea about where we stand."

Barack Obama thinks he has a pretty good idea where things stand, but Clinton challenges the notion in both interviews, according to advance highlights:

by Frank James

Why did Sen. Barack Obama refer to a reporter during a Michigan campaign stop as "sweetie?"

Was it an attempt by the Democratic presidential candidate to show his affinity for blue-collar folks by attempting to sound like a waitress at a diner?

In the same vein, was he trying for a little machismo in front of the male workers at a Sterling, Michigan auto manufacturing plant he visited today?

Needless to say, a lot of women and even some men aren't going to like it. Some will interpret it as Obama being dismissive to the point of being somewhat sexist.

I'm not saying that's the correct interpretation, just that that's what some people will read into his term of endearment.

I expect an e-mail from the Clinton campaign in 10,9,8,7,6...

by Christi Parsons

Earlier today, the pro-choice group NARAL endorsed Barack Obama for president, a surprising development given that longtime abortion-rights advocate HIllary Clinton is still in the race.

Now fires back Ellen R. Malcom, president of EMILY's List, which tries to elect pro-choice Democratic women to office.

"I think it is tremendously disrespectful to Sen. Clinton . . . to not give her the courtesy to finish the final three weeks of the primary process," Malcom says. "It certainly must be disconcerting for elected leaders who stand up for reproductive rights and expect the choice community will stand with them."

Clinton, she writes, "held up the nomination of a FDA commissioner in order to force approval of Plan B," and also "spoke so eloquently during the Supreme Court nomination about the importance of protecting Roe vs. Wade."

NARAL president Nancy Keenan said earlier today that her group is going with the candidate they think "will secure the Democratic nomination and advance to the general election."

"That candidate is Sen. Obama," she said.

By Rick Pearson

LOUISVILLE--Touting a victory that "exceeded even our own expectations," Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign is contending their big win in West Virginia last night has put them ahead of Sen. Barack Obama in the popular vote in their efforts to portray her as the most electable candidate in the fall.

But the Clinton campaign's total includes those famously disputed states--Michigan and Florida--which had their nominating convention delegations nullified for moving their primaries ahead of Feb. 5. Clinton maintains she won the two states even though she was the only major candidate on the ballot in Michigan.

Polar bear mother and her two cubs in Wapusk National Park on Hudson Bay near Churchill, Manitoba, Nov. 6, 2007. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Jonathan Hayward)

by Frank James

It's official. Polar bears are a federally designated endangered species.

Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne made the announcement this very hour that the Bush Administration is declaring the bears endangered because the melting Arctic ice pack, courtesy of global warming, threatens their habitat.

The administration was racing the clock to beat a federal court order which directed the Interior Department to decide by Thursday, as in tomorrow.

There are about 20,000 polar bears roaming the Arctic, living off seals and anything else they can hunt down.

The Bush Administration last year had tried declare the fairly awesome creature merely "threatened" which wouldn't have required any more action on its part. That caused an environmental group to sue, leading to today's decision.

Environmentalists that the decision will force the federal government to be more aggressive in reducing greenhouse-gas emissions since the Endangered Species Act requires affirmative steps to change the conditions that place a species on the list.

But while conceding that the bears are endangered, Kempthorne was clear the administration didn't want environmentalist to try and use the new designation to force the government's hand on greenhouse emissions.

by Mark Silva

JERUSALEM -- President Bush, featured at a gala evening of music, dance and speechmaking in celebration of the 60th anniversary of Israel tonight, addressed both the fellow world leaders in the hall and "ex-leaders.''

"Save a seat in the ex-leaders' club,'' Bush said with a smile.

The president also had some advice for fellow Americans in the hall: "My fellow Americans, spend freely and behave yourselves.''

And Bush, celebrating the long friendship of the United States -- the first to recognize Israel's independence -- pronounced himself "thrilled to be here with one of America's closest friends....Happy birthday.''

"You are an unusual person,'' Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told the visiting president tonight, hailing him as an unusual friend of Israel.

Bush will address the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, tomorrow.

"I hear it's a place of sharp elbows,'' Bush said to laughter in the front row from Olmert and President Shimon Peres. "I'm not going to be throwing any elbows.''

by Christi Parsons

Gov. Ed Rendell, who describes himself as the "last of the Mohicans" sticking by Hillary Clinton to the bitter end of the Democratic primary, today endorsed the idea of a ticket that combines her with rival Barack Obama.

Pundits have speculated in recent days that a high-profile Clinton supporter would make a good running mate for Obama, considered by many to be the likely nominee, because it would be a nod to the many people who voted for the former first lady.

But Rendell says Obama shouldn't settle for a Clinton supporter.

"If Sen. Obama becomes our nominee and he wants . . . someone to carry the Clinton banner," Rendell tells CNN, "there's no question in my mind they should ask Hillary Clinton to be that candidate."

Would she accept? The Pennsylvania governor, one of the Clinton family's closest advisers, says he's not sure.

"I don't know whether she would accept," Rendell said. "I don't know whether he would do it. But don't settle for . . . a Clinton supporter. You've got the real thing, someone who has energized voters."

by Jim Tankersley

The nation's foremost abortion-rights advocacy group has all-but declared Barack Obama the winner of the Democratic presidential primaries.

NARAL Pro-Choice America's political action committee endorsed the Illinois senator today with a press release that praises both him and rival Hillary Clinton, but says the group is going with Obama because it believes he will be the Democratic nominee.

"Pro-choice Americans have been fortunate to have two strong pro-choice candidates in Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton, both of whom have inspired millions of new voters to participate in this historic presidential race," NARAL president Nancy Keenan said in the release, which was circulated by Obama's campaign. "Today, we are proud to put our organization's grassroots and political support behind the pro-choice candidate whom we believe will secure the Democratic nomination and advance to the general election. That candidate is Sen. Obama."

The release also says Obama's contrast with Republican presumptive nominee John McCain, an abortion opponent, will unify abortion-rights supporters around Obama in the fall.

Ironically enough, the endorsement comes a day after a Democrat who opposes abortion won a special House race in Mississippi.

Read on for the full press release.

by Frank James

Thanks to Stephen Colbert, many of us who didn't know about the popular old "Bill O'Reilley Inside Edition tantrum video" drawing attention on YouTube now know about it.

Maybe O'Reilly should seek pointers from Sen. John McCain, a recent guest on the O'Reilly Factor TV show, on how to mellow out.

by Frank James

The big sigh of relief that could be heard emanating from the far end of Constitution Ave. nearest the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. was the sound of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke exhaling.

That's because today's consumer price index report for April showed that so-called core inflation, that is, subtracting food and energy costs from the mox, was just .1 percent, which was half the rate of March.

Coming after a series of rate cuts by the central bank meant to revive the flagging economy, the April CPI seemed to be telling Bernanke and the rest of us that those rate decreases haven't begun to fan the fires of inflation, at least not yet.

Of course, in the real world of actual consumers, food and energy costs can't just be ignored. Inflation, including those important consumables, was up .2 percent for April if you count the rising costs of those two categories.

by Jim Tankersley

The Republican Party keeps losing House special elections because Americans have lost confidence in it, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee told reporters in a conference call today.

He also said the country still favors Republican ideals and issue positions, because the Democrats who won those seats mimicked many of them.

"What we've got right now is a deficiency in our message and a loss of confidence by the American people that we will do what we say we are going to do," Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), the NRCC chairman, said.

Later, he added that voters have "not rejected Republican ideals" and that Democratic candidates in the two most recent special elections - in Republican-leaning districts in Louisiana and Mississippi - "ran by being like us, frankly, being Republicans in all-but title."

Cole said, essentially, that voters shouldn't be punishing the GOP for the condition of the country. He said Republican policies led to low unemployment, an important war in Iraq and safety from further terrorist attacks after Sept. 11, 2001. "When you govern for as long as we've governed ... you make tough decisions," he said. "In the course of that, it's always easy to second-guess."

by Don Frederick

From the no-question-gets-unasked department:

While he was blowing off West Virginia (and paying the price for that on Tuesday), Barack Obama spent several recent days campaigning in Oregon (where the May 20 primary now looms as his latest must-win). As part of his foray into the state, he made time for a brief chat with Portland's alternative newspaper, the Willamette Week.

The session wrapped up with this query:

Question: "If you had a tattoo, what would it be and where would you put it?"

Obama: "Uh, I cannot imagine any circumstances in which I would get a tattoo."

The candidate then allowed that if placed under gunpoint, "then I suppose I'd have to have [my wife] Michelle's name tattooed somewhere very discreet."

The rest of the interview, which covered more conventional ground, can be read here.

(This was originally posted on the LA Times's "Top of the Ticket" blog.)

by Frank James

Thomas Jefferson famously warned an earlier generation of Americans against "entangling (foreign) alliances." Now Sen. John McCain may be seeing the wisdom of that as applied to his own campaign aides.

The Wall Street Journal reports today that the lobbying firm co-owned by Rick Davis, McCain's campaign manager, consulted with a Ukrainian political party supported by the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. It just so happens that McCain supports a different political party.

This latest lobbyist eruption comes shortly after two other McCain aides, also lobbyists, departed his campaign after it became public knowledge that they had lobbied on behalf of Myanmar's military government. That government was radioactive even before its inhumane response to the humanitarian needs of its population following Cyclone Nargis drew world outrage.

McCain campaign spokesman Brian Rogers said Mr. Davis receives no income from Davis Manafort, although he still owns a share of the firm. "He earns no money from their activities while he is on leave," Mr. Rogers said.

Working for foreign interests is legal, but it can be politically hazardous for lobbyists and the politicians they advise. The issue is becoming harder for politicians to avoid because globalization has made such work lucrative, drawing some of Washington's best political talent.

by Mark Silva

JERUSALEM -- Even as President Bush meets with Israeli leaders in Jerusalem, pressing for progress in peace talks with the Palestinians, Israeli TV is consumed with images of the newest rocket attack from the Gaza Strip.

This rocket landed at a shopping center in Ashkelon, about 10 kilometers from the Hamas-controlled Gaza, injuring several people. Bush has insisted that the U.S. will not negotiate with Hamas, which seized control of Gaza after winning power in the Palestiniani parliament and which refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist. And today, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was signaling that Israel will crack down harder on Gaza.

"We hope that we will not have to act against Hamas with the military power that Israel has in its pocket to use in a serious manner in order to stop it.,'' Olmert said.

Yet there is a persistent beauty about this city, far from the scene of a rocket attack that is trumping the news -- or lack of news, really -- in the talks among President Bush, Israeli Prime Minister Olmert and Israeli President Shimon Peres. The sun was setting as we walked down the street and out to a park with a view of the old walled city.

The tranquility of the city gardens here, juxtaposed with the transmitted images of violence and people fleeing a rocket-stricken shopping center, lends a certain sadness to the 60th anniversary celebrations that have drawn leaders together this week.

News of this attack had arrived as Olmert, with Bush at his side, had asserted that Israel has grown weary of these Palestinian rocket attacks -- raising the question of just how soon, and how hard, Israel will respond to the latest assault.

(Jerusalem photos by Mark Silva)

Sen. Hillary Clinton in Charleston, West Virginia, May 13, 2008. (Photo: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

by Frank James

The Hill newspaper draws back the curtain on something a lot of people, including me, didn't know. Sen. Hillary Clinton was the motive force behind the Senate Democrats's war room to combat their Republican colleagues and which has contributed to the poisonous partisan politics in that chamber.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) was the original impetus behind the Senate Democratic "war room," a legacy the candidate does not mention on the campaign trail but one that has significantly changed the upper chamber.

Daschle did not respond to several requests for comment.

by Frank James

Sen. John McCain has his work cut out for him if the latest national poll from Quinnipiac University's Polling Institute accurately captures the voters' mood.

According to the poll, McCain runs behind both Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in a general-election matchup:

Either one of the two Democratic contenders, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama or New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, leads the likely Republican presidential nominee, Arizona Sen. John McCain, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released today. Sen. Obama leads Sen. McCain 47 - 40 percent while Sen. Clinton is up 46 - 41 percent.

In an Obama-McCain matchup, independent voters back the Democrat 48 - 37 percent, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds. Men split with 45 percent for McCain and 44 percent for Obama, while women back Obama 49 - 36 percent. McCain leads 47 - 40 percent among white voters, while blacks back Obama 87 - 4 percent.

President Bush waves with Israeli President Shimon Peres as he arrives at the President's Residence in Jerusalem on May 14, 2008. (Photo: JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)

by Mark Silva

TEL AVIV -- Framing the issues of security that Israelis and Palestinians face as part of a broader Middle East struggle between freedom and democracy on one side and terrorism and tyranny on the other, President Bush's national security adviser said en route here: "It's a big deal."

Bush arrived this morning in the glare of a hot and hazy sun for talks with Israeli leaders, addresses to the Israeli people and parliament and a celebration of the embattled nation's 60th anniversary.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and other leaders greeted Bush at Ben Gurion Airport with words about the close bond between the United States and Israel before Bush boarded Marine One for a helicopter ride to Jerusalem for three days of events.

This is just the second time during his presidency that Bush has come to what he today called "The Holy Land" - he had traveled first in January. There will be no West Bank stop this time; he plans to meet with Palestinian leaders and others on the weekend in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt.

En route, the president's national security adviser addressed the question that some have: Where has Bush been all these years?

The president, wearing a dark blue suit and light blue tie, and the first lady, wearing a black pantsuit, had boarded Air Force One for a 10 hour 15 minute flight from Maryland. They were accompanied by Secretary of State Condi Rice, National Security Adviser Steve Hadley and other advisers.

En route, Hadley and diplomat Elliot Abrams came back to speak with reporters.

Abrams, a veteran of diplomacy in the region, joked that his own comments would be brief when press secretary Dana Perino said they would all be on the record.