From this morning's Earlybird:

• "Washington lobbyists and lawyers helped launder millions of dollars for allegedly corrupt African politicians and their relatives, according to a two-year-long investigation by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations," The Hill reports.

• "A group of prominent Republicans is forming an organization to develop and market conservative ideas, copying a successful Democratic model and hoping to capitalize on the fund-raising and electioneering possibilities opened up by a recent Supreme Court ruling," the New York Times reports.

• "Some lobbyists are spending less time stalking members of Congress and more time reaching out to government bureaucrats as federal agencies regain some lost authority over spending," The Hill reports.

• "Consumers for Competitive Choice, a self-described grass-roots nonprofit representing mostly small-business owners, is storming Capitol Hill today in a push to lower the fees that credit card companies charge merchants," Roll Call (subscription) reports.