From this morning's Earlybird:

• "A former government official facing corruption charges for accepting improper gifts from Jack Abramoff is taking an unusually aggressive approach in fighting the Justice Department's case," The Hill reports. "Horace Cooper, a legal commentator and conservative writer who was a senior aide in then-Rep. Dick Armey's (R-Texas) office, is accusing prosecutors of dozens of mistakes and has invoked the prosecutorial abuse investigation that overturned the conviction of former Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) in an attempt to undermine the government's case."

• "The cost of preparing, filing and arguing the complaint the United Steelworkers union filed against China is relatively inexpensive, according to experts in the field," The Hill also reports. "Legal fees for most cases will run well under $1 million, according to a K Street source with experience on the filings. The safeguard case could cost as little as $750,000."