From this morning's Earlybird:

• "With deep pockets and an influential network of political allies, Big Tobacco for the past decade has been able to fend off most unwelcome actions in Washington," Politico reports. "But the week before Congress left town for spring break sent an unmistakable message: Those days are over. In that week, the federal excise tax on a pack of cigarettes jumped 62 cents, and the House voted overwhelmingly to authorize the Food and Drug Administration to regulate the tobacco industry."

• "In America, there are always people to sue or contracts to negotiate, right? Apparently there aren't enough," AP reports. "The recession is taking a steep toll on the legal profession, an industry long seen as immune from the ups and downs of the economy. Trying to weather the financial crisis, the nation's largest law firms are laying off attorneys and delaying the hiring of others."

• "An unusual pairing of environmentalists and union members launched two multimillion-dollar ad campaigns this week aimed at tying climate legislation to economic recovery and building support for a carbon cap," Roll Call (subscription) reports. "The first campaign, a $3 million-plus effort funded by the Environmental Defense Action Fund, the United Steelworkers and the Blue Green Alliance, began running in eight states and the District of Columbia on Sunday, featuring unemployed steelworkers and the tagline: 'I can sum up a carbon cap in one four-letter word: jobs.'"

• "Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean (D), who used healthcare reform as a signature issue during his 2004 presidential campaign, is using a call for universal coverage to raise his profile once again," The Hill reports. "Dean left his position as chairman of the Democratic National Committee in January after four years at the helm. Now, Dean is using Democracy For America -- the organizing group that grew out of Dean's presidential campaign -- to build a 50-state strategy advocating for public healthcare."