From this morning's Earlybird:

• "As Senate Banking Chairman Christopher Dodd," D-Conn., "and ranking member Richard Shelby," R-Ala., "attempt to close a deal to revamp the nation's financial regulatory system, lobbying groups are facing the likelihood that they will have to make their case through amendments on the Senate floor," CongressDailyAM (subscription) reports.

• "Despite passage of sweeping health-care legislation and an epic fight over Wall Street regulation, lobbying expenditures dropped for many major firms and trade organizations during the first quarter of 2009, according to disclosure forms filed in Congress this week," the Washington Post reports.

• "Anti-abortion groups are poised to launch a multimillion-dollar offensive against a collection of former allies -- House Democrats who also oppose abortion -- in an effort to discredit their credibility with anti-abortion voters and oust them from office," Politico reports.

• "Environmentalists are using the 40th annual Earth Day today to step up the pressure for sweeping climate change legislation, but industry stakeholders representing coal, gas and Big Oil plan to be largely silent," Roll Call (subscription) reports.