From this morning's Earlybird:

• "A congressional ethics office asked the Justice Department on Thursday to review documents that it said suggested companies are providing campaign cash to lawmakers for no-bid contracts, and to consider a criminal probe of the matter," the Washington Post reports. "The Office of Congressional Ethics' investigation focused on companies that were clients of the once-powerful lobby firm PMA Group and sought earmarked contracts from lawmakers who sat on the House Appropriations Committee."

• "The U.S. Chamber of Commerce will grade lawmakers' votes on a campaign finance bill that may reach the House floor before Members depart for the Memorial Day recess," Roll Call (subscription) reports.

From this morning's Earlybird:

• "With House Republicans poised to make major gains in November and Minority Leader John Boehner working to become the next Speaker, lobbyists are not-so-quietly cozying up to the Ohio Republican," Roll Call reports.

• "Now that Congress is moving to consider an economic package with those tax extenders, many business groups, including the technology council, aren't rejoicing," Roll Call reports. "The reason is that the Democratic leadership, under pressure to offset costs, has tacked on revenue-raising tax changes that business leaders complain could cut their bottom lines."

• Google "is building an unconventional presence in Washington, with connections to think tanks, education sessions on high-tech issues for legislative staff members and charitable efforts on behalf of high-profile causes," the Washington Post reports.

• "Boeing is painting its rival, EADS North America, as a potential security threat in the competition to win a $35 billion Air Force tanker aircraft," The Hill reports.

• "Comcast Corp. has been snapping up ex-government officials to help win approval of its proposed takeover of NBC Universal Inc., including former congressmen and congressional staff members, ex-government antitrust lawyers and former aides to the Federal Communications Commission's most impassioned critics of media mergers," Politico reports.

From this morning's Earlybird:

• "The U.S. Chamber of Commerce joined a federal lawsuit Monday against a new union-organizing rule," The Hill reports. At issue is a rule under which "workers who don't vote in a union election are not counted as votes either for or against forming a union. Such non-votes previously were counted as votes against forming a union, and labor organizers needed to win a majority of a company's employees' votes to form a union."

Tamera Stanton Luzzatto, the longtime chief of staff to Hillary Rodham Clinton when Clinton served in the U.S. Senate, is joining the Pew Charitable Trusts as managing director of government relations.

In her new role, Luzzatto will manage Pew's relationships with the U.S. and international governments on public policy work related to environmental conservation, state and local issues, health and consumer product safety and the economy.

Luzzatto was chief of staff to Clinton from 2001 to 2009. Clinton left the Senate to become Secretary of State in 2009. Before Clinton, Luzzatto was chief of staff to Sen. John "Jay" Rockefeller, D-W.Va. for almost 15 years. She began as a legislative assistant to Rockefeller in 1985 and rose to legislative director and then chief of staff. On the Hill, she was a leader of the Senate Bipartisan Chiefs Of Staff.

From this morning's Earlybird:

• In Florida, the AFL-CIO "gave Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Kendrick Meek its full endorsement," the Palm Beach Post reports.

Former U.S. Sen. Bob Kerrey, D-Neb. has been tapped to be the next chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America, TheWrap reported.

Kerrey, who was a moderate when he was in the Senate, is a Vietnam hero, was a governor, and ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1992. Currently, he is president of the New School in New York City.

Kerrey would replace former Rep. Dan Glickman, D-Kan. in the $1.3 million a year job, who left earlier this year.

Blue Engine Message & Media has just snagged Laura Burton Capps to work as part of its strategic communications and issue advocacy team.

Capps was a speechwriter in the Clinton White House, and she also worked as communications director for the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. During her time with Kennedy, she dealt with press issues involving two Supreme Court nominations, stem cells, and Iraqi refugee matters. Most recently, Capps was senior vice president for government affairs and communications at the Ocean Conservancy. She has also been communications director for the Al Gore-chaired Alliance for Climate Protection. Capps is married to White House Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton, and she is the daughter of Rep. Lois Capps, D-Calif.

Blue Engine Message & Media includes Erik Smith, a former senior communications adviser to House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt, D-Mo.

This week's advocacy and lobbying stories in National Journal: (subscription)

"Animal Rights On The Move:" How animal rightists are bringing new meaning to the pledge "with liberty and justice for all." Washington, watch out.

"Who You Calling Astroturf?" The group Free Press wants a robust media with federal support and minimal restrictions from Internet access providers.

"Closing The Lobby To Lawmakers:" A bill to block lawmakers from jumping to lucrative K Street careers is one of several aimed at curbing special interests.

"On The Move:" Chris Hankin is the new senior director of environment and sustainability at the Information Technology Industry Council.

"Inside Washington:" More than 3,000 protesters, organized by National People's Action and the Service Employees International Union, descended on K Street on May 17 to rail against lobbyists for financial services companies. "Lobbyists should be ashamed about lobbying on bills that don't protect Americans," said Trenda Kennedy, who came from Illinois for the protest. One lobbyist who was philosophical about being targeted was Tony Podesta, founder of the Podesta Group. He wasn't at his office during the demonstration, but he says that people "have the right to protest." He waxed poetic in an e-mail: "Then they invaded Tosca. I say, let them eat focaccia!"

From this morning's Earlybird:

• "At least two influential unions will spend close to $100 million on the 2010 election, with most of those funds going to protect incumbents," The Hill reports.

• "According to an analysis by the Center for Public Integrity, 850 businesses, trade groups and other corporate interests have hired more than 3,000 lobbyists to shape" the regulatory reform bill -- "roughly five lobbyists for each member of Congress," Politico reports.

BP has hired Jamie Gorelick, a former Deputy Attorney General in the Justice Department during the Clinton administration, and several other attorneys who work with her at the firm WilmerHale. The embattled oil behemoth is expanding its team of high-powered legal beagles as it faces increased heat on Capitol Hill and several federal inquiries over its catastrophic spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Gorelick and her team have been closeted in meetings this week --many at the offices of BP--advising company executives about federal and congressional inquiries, including reportedly an initial Justice Department probe. The president of BP America, Lamar McKay, testified at a Monday panel held by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

From this morning's Earlybird:

• "Major transportation industry groups have 'grave concerns' about a draft Senate climate and energy plan because it imposes new fees on the industry and diverts too much of that revenue elsewhere," CongressDailyAM (subscription) reports.

• "Although 'K Street' is virtually synonymous with the lobbying profession, most of Washington's major firms are not on K Street anymore," the Washington Post reports.

From this morning's Earlybird:

• "The American Medical Association is opposing the Medicare 'doc fix' included in the tax extenders bill House Democrats are preparing," The Hill reports. "AMA argues the proposed fix to the Medicare payment system for physicians doesn't address the program's solvency issues and only pushes the problem five years down the road."

• "Unions are claiming credit for Sen. Blanche Lincoln's (D-Ark.) tough derivatives bill, saying their support for her primary challenger pushed her to the left," The Hill also reports.

• "Backed by Beltway-area Members, labor unions representing federal employees are pressing for temporary health insurance coverage for college-age students who will otherwise be thrown off their parents' health insurance plans when they turn 22 years old," Roll Call (subscription) reports.

The education sector welcomed a new player last week with the official launch of Bellwether Education Partners, a nonprofit committed to boosting the achievement of low-income students. The new consulting firm brings together the diverse talents of five education veterans: Andrew Rotherham, Kim Smith, Mary Wells, Monisha Lozier and Sara Mead. With their collective experience, the Bellwether staff brings business, policy, management and consulting expertise to their new venture. National Journal recently spoke with founding partner Mary Wells about the new initiative and her role in it. Edited excerpts follow.

NJ: What will Bellwether be doing that distinguishes itself from other education groups with similar goals?

Wells: For our consulting services, I think what distinguishes us is that we are trying to serve projects of strategic importance.... We are meeting a need that's very real. In a field where the organizations are quite small, many don't have the need or budget to engage with a large firm and do a big-scale project.

Continue reading New Group Targets Low-Income Education

Dutko Worldwide announced former Democratic Senate policy advisor Greg Mastel is joining the lobbying firm as managing director.

For the past three years, Mastel worked at law and lobbying firm Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer, and Feld. Prior to that, he spent many years on Capitol Hill, working on international trade, taxation, and climate change issues. He served as Chief of Staff to Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont. and was chief economist on the Senate Finance Committee from 2000 to 2003. During his Senate tenure, Mastel was chief architect of a number of pieces of legislation, including the Trade Act of 2002. He also worked on the implementation of legislation for several Free Trade Agreements.

Mastel received his M.B.A. from the Edinburgh Business School in 1995.

From this morning's Earlybird.

• "The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is putting the petroleum industry and its top lobbyist, Jack Gerard, on the defensive after months in which the industry appeared to have the political wind at its back," the Wall Street Journal reports.

• "An offshore drilling company tied to the massive Gulf oil spill," Transocean Ltd., "is boosting its lobbying and public-relations team as the number of congressional inquiries expands," The Hill reports.

• "Lobbyists who pursue congressional earmarks are planning a public-relations campaign to defend the practice, as voters signal they no longer want lawmakers to direct millions of federal dollars to pet projects back home," The Hill also reports.

The White House posted the personal financial records of President Obama and Vice President Biden.

Click for the blog post and their records.

Among the interesting items: Obama received several million dollars from book royalties last year, and the gift value of Bo, the Obama family dog, was $1,600. Bo was a gift from the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass.

Adam Ukman has joined ASGK Public Strategies, as a principal. Ukman most recently coordinated advance logistics and events for the White House and the Presidential Inaugural Committee.

Ukman's background in field and grassroots advocacy started with the Obama for America Presidential campaign. From March 2007 to November 2008, Ukman implemented a field strategy as an organizer during the Iowa caucus before moving on to five other primary states. During the general election, he worked as a deputy field director in Colorado.

Prior to his work with the campaign, Ukman spent a year at a DC-based public strategies firm where he helped build coalitions and create earned media opportunities, focused on federal telecommunications issues.

Ukman earned a degree in political science and creative writing from Emory University.

John "Jay" Darden, a high-ranking Justice Department fraud prosecutor, is joining Patton Boggs as a partner, bolstering the firm's healthcare abuse and white-collar crime practices, including Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) investigations.

Previously, Darden was the Assistant Chief of the Fraud Section of the Criminal Division at the Justice Department. In that role, he supervised the investigation and prosecution of health care fraud and anti-kickback violations in multiple districts across the country, coordinating the Fraud Section's work with U.S. Attorney's Offices; the FBI; the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General; and state Medicaid Fraud Control Units.

Darden also investigated and prosecuted violations of the FCPA during his time at the Fraud Section. He was the lead prosecutor in one of the largest FCPA dispositions in the history of the statute.

From this morning's Earlybird:

• "As the U.S. Senate prepares to vote as early as this week on legislation rewriting the rules for Wall Street, the financial industry is holding fundraisers for lawmakers at a rate of almost one every business day this month," Bloomberg News reports.

• "Thousands of protesters are expected to march on K Street" today "in support of financial regulatory reform legislation," The Hill reports. "About 2,000 people from 20 states are expected to hold a series of demonstrations against lobbying firms in area of Washington where lobbyists have their offices, according to a release by several labor unions."

• "With health reform in the books, some of the most powerful industry groups that battled against each other during the epic debate have now teamed up and raised $450,000 to explore the idea of creating a national nonprofit that would help implement key parts of the law," Politico reports.

• "The National Beer Wholesalers Association has mounted a full-court lobbying offensive to find co-sponsors for legislation that supports state-based alcohol regulation and makes it much tougher to file legal challenges to states' distribution laws," Roll Call (subscription) reports.

Terry O'Sullivan, president of the Laborers' International Union of North America, which has some half a million construction trade members, has announced a new public campaign, Build America 2010, to "move votes in the United States Senate to increase investment in infrastructure." O'Sullivan said LIUNA is already committed to spend about $2 million on the effort that will kick off on Tuesday in Denver, where the union is mobilizing its members and allies in the progressive community to build public support for more infrastructure spending.

The campaign, which is going to last at least through the summer and is expected to move into other states -- potentially including Kentucky, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Missouri, Ohio and Virginia -- will feature billboard, radio, and Internet advertisements, along with other outreach efforts to raise public awareness of the issue. O'Sullivan said the campaign would engage eight to 10 senators but stressed that the LIUNA effort was not "targeting" any specific members.

The image below is an example of a "high impact" billboard that will be put in Colorado.

In another creative step, LIUNA will use online search ads in connection with Google Maps so motorists can learn if their planned routes include deficient bridges.

Bevin Albertani, LIUNA's political and legislative director, said the campaign is being kicked off in Denver because the union's local members are enthusiastic about participating. O'Sullivan noted that the more than 100 LIUNA members there have signed on for additional organizer training as a result, and he expected the union would be able to add 3,000 new members to its 20,000-activist base as a byproduct of the Build America 2010 drive.

Continue reading LIUNA Launches Infrastructure Push

Top advocacy and lobbying stories in this week's National Journal: (subscription)

"Anti-Terror Efforts Put The NRA Under The Gun:" Should suspects on the terrorist watch list be able to easily purchase a handgun?

"Brawl Over Alcohol Regulations:" Wine and beer producers are squaring off against wholesalers in a fight that could impact future market share.

"Inside Washington:" Republican strategist Charlie Black has long argued that his party needs to stop immigrant-bashing and court Latinos to win elections; now he's literally practicing what he preaches: Black and his lobbying firm, Prime Policy Group, have signed on to lobby for the National Immigration Forum Action Fund, a nonprofit coalition supporting comprehensive immigration reform ...

"On The Move:" The Homeownership Preservation Foundation, which provides phone counseling on foreclosures, has opened a Washington office. Serving as vice president for communications and external relations is Diane Helyne Zyats, who arrives from the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association, where she was vice president for communications and branding.

From this morning's Earlybird:

• "Businesses far from Wall Street have intensified their efforts to kill a largely overshadowed provision of the Senate's financial regulation bill giving shareholders more ammunition to shake up corporate boards," the Washington Post reports.

• "The highly contentious lobbying battle between merchants and banks over Sen. Dick Durbin's (D-Ill.) amendment on 'interchange fees' is reaching new heights, as several trade groups are planning to declare the measure a 'key vote' for their membership," Roll Call (subscription) reports.

• "The nation's most influential small business lobby is joining a court challenge to President Obama's health care overhaul, arguing that Americans cannot be required under the Constitution to obtain insurance coverage," AP reports.

Offshore drilling company bigwigs who testified at a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing this week and deftly maneuvered around tough queries about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill had lots of K Street counsel. Among the law firms retained to help fend off lawmakers' queries were Patton Boggs for Halliburton, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom for Transocean, and Williams & Connolly for Cameron, say Hill sources. The biggest name in the room, BP, seems to have relied heavily on its own attorneys.

Ben Klein, who was most recently legislative director to Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., has joined lobbying firm Heather Podesta + Partners.

During his tenure for Dorgan, Klein worked on numerous issues including health care reform and energy policy. Klein previously served as Dorgan's legislative adviser on health care and education policy issues.

Prior to his work for Dorgan, Klein was a senior lobbyist with the American Cancer Society. He managed a coalition of more than 45 organizations that successfully lobbied for increased funding for cancer research and programs. Klein also served as a lobbyist for the American Heart Association.

Klein has a Master's in Public Health and earned a bachelor's degree in economics from the George Washington University.

From this morning's Earlybird:

• "Taking part in an annual budget tradition, health advocacy organizations moved through the House Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee room Wednesday, pleading for increased funding for programs under the panel's jurisdiction," CongressDailyAM (subscription) reports.

• "Defense hawks, defense industry lobbyists and veterans groups are predictably mobilizing against a shift in how the Pentagon spends its billions," Politico reports.

Transocean, the offshore deep water drilling company, has hired a team from the lobbying firm Capitol Hill Consulting Group. The move comes just in time for the first of several congressional grillings on the Big Spill.

The team is led by former Rep. Bill Brewster, D-Okla., who served three terms in Congress ending in 1997, where he was founding chairman of the Congressional Oil and Gas Forum. Covering the firm's right flank is Jack Victory, a one time energy adviser to then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas.

Tim Farnsworth has been brought on board at K Street Research to serve as director of research and communications. In addition to research, he's expected to manage KSR's Internet presence. Farnsworth previously worked as a research manager for KSCW Inc., a government relations firm. Farnsworth graduated from State University of New York at Oswego in 2009. K Street Research bills itself as a "non-lobbying entity" that provides government and political research, as well as administrative services, to clients.

From this morning's Earlybird:

• "In an interview Tuesday, new SEIU President Mary Kay Henry said she is conducting a monthlong review of her top deputies, including Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger, Henry's main opposition in the union's recent election to replace longtime head Andy Stern," Roll Call (subscription) reports.

• "Wall Street banks and allied interest groups have spent $600 million and hired 243 political insiders to represent their interests before Congress and U.S. policymakers since early 2008, a study said on Tuesday," Reuters reports.

Updated 5/12/10

Two public interest groups have filed a complaint against the American Beverage Institute, saying the group violated New York state law by failing to register to lobby. Rick Berman is executive director of ABI.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving and The Humane Society filed the complaint Tuesday with the New York State Commission on Public Integrity. At issue are advertisements ABI ran in the New York Times and The New York Post in May 2008 against auto ignition interlock devices for people convicted of drunk driving. The state legislature was considering a measure on the devices at the time.

"ABI does not disclose or identify itself as the purchaser of the advertisement," the groups write in the complaint, estimating the ads cost at least $70,000. "ABI has never registered its lobbying activity nor reported its lobbying expenditures related to these advertisements or its subsequent lobbying efforts."

Berman and Company spokesperson Sarah Longwell called the ethics complaint "laughable." She contends the ads were placed in newspapers nationally and not targeted to New York state nor focused on interlock systems for drunk drivers. "They're going to be embarrassed because there's nothing here."

Click here to read the complaint.

From this morning's Earlybird:

• "The nation's six largest banks and their trade associations have hired more than 240 former government officials-turned-lobbyists to represent them in the fight over Wall Street reform, according to a new report by several progressive groups," Politico reports.

• "A proposed amendment to the Senate's Wall Street reform legislation has prompted a lobbying fight that will test the oil industry's political clout following the Gulf of Mexico spill," The Hill reports.

• "Hundreds of veterans" today "will urge lawmakers this year to repeal the ban on openly gay personnel serving in the military," The Hill reports. "The approximately 350 veterans from 44 states will lobby lawmakers as the House and Senate Armed Services committees prepare to write the 2011 national defense authorization bill."

Casino Jack and the United States of Money, a documentary film about the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, was released in theaters this weekend, four years after the notorious Washington wheeler and dealer was convicted of fraud, corrupting public officials, and tax evasion.

National Journal reporter Peter Stone served as a consultant on the film, and he offers his thoughts on the scandal and its aftermath, as well as his insights into who Abramoff is as a person. Stone's 2006 book Heist documented the details of the scandal, and an expanded version with a new epilogue came out this month in paperback under the title Casino Jack and the United States of Money.

Click here to read. (cross post from The Atlantic)

From this morning's Earlybird:

• "With millions of dollars invested in campaign donations and an all-star lobbying team, BP executives could give an advanced class in how to build influence in Washington. But with millions of gallons of leaking oil bearing down Gulf Coast beaches and bayous, they could also teach how to lose it," AP reports.

• The New York Times reports on how banks are lobbying against the derivatives trading ban.

• "Mary Kay Henry, the new president of Service Employees International Union, said on Saturday that she will continue outgoing SEIU head Andrew Stern's close relationship with the White House between now and the next presidential election," Roll Call (subscription) reports.

• "The newly elected head of the powerful Service Employees International Union pledged to focus more on private-sector organizing, including workers in banking and biotechnology, as well as on gubernatorial elections and mending ties with other unions," the Wall Street Journal (subscription) reports.

It's been almost two decades now since Erik Prince, the owner of Xe Services -- formerly known as Blackwater which Prince founded -- was an intern in the offices of Rep. Dana Rohrabacher R-Calif., but the two men have long shared ideological and political passions. That helps explain why this Sunday, the private security contractor is hosting a $1,000-a-person fundraiser for the Californian.

The late-afternoon soiree at Prince's Middleburg, Va., residence is also supposed to draw a special guest from Hollywood--actor Robert Duvall--and lobbyist Paul Behrends, a former aide to Rohrabacher, who has represented Prince for several years, according to sources familiar with the planning.

The bash comes just weeks after five former top Blackwater officials--including ex-President Gary Jackson-- were charged with violating federal firearms laws as part of a scheme to give the contractor an inside edge in winning security and training contracts. According to the April federal indictment, the former officials falsified federal papers to hide firearms that they gave to Jordan's King Abdullah II, who the company was wooing as a client.

A spokesman for Xe declined to comment on the charges, but said that the company, which changed its name in 2009, was cooperating with federal prosecutors.

Advocacy and lobbying stories in this week's National Journal: (subscription)

"Facebook's DC Profile": The networking site's Washington lobbyist stays busy as Congress worries about privacy.

"GOP Rainmaker Rides High": Ed Gillespie is everywhere these days, raising money for Republican candidates. (Click this post to get open access to story)

"Inside Washington": Psst! There's a new media charm offensive at the AFL-CIO. Most labor leaders aren't known for schmoozing the media, but AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka has invited reporters to join him and his senior staffers for cocktails and off-the-record musings on May 14 on the HQ rooftop, which has a breathtaking view of the White House across Lafayette Park.

From this morning's Earlybird:

• "Citing research showing that fatal motorcycle accidents could be reduced by more than a third, an insurance industry group has asked for a federal mandate to require anti-lock brakes on all new motorcycles," the Washington Post reports.

My colleague Peter Stone takes a closer look at GOP fundraiser and operative Ed Gillespie in this week's National Journal magazine. Gillespie has been on a money-harvesting tear to help Republican candidates win in this fall's mid-term elections.

Click below to read the whole story.

From this morning's Earlybird:

• "The devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has energized environmental groups that believe they may finally gain some traction on Capitol Hill after a frustrating stretch in which their major issues have languished in the 'drill, baby, drill' era," Roll Call (subscription) reports.

• The oil spill "is causing a rift among once-friendly downtown trade associations that are now at odds over whose members caused the disaster," Roll Call (subscription) also reports.

Aleix Jarvis of Fierce, Isakowitz & Blalock has been promoted to partner.

Jarvis joined Fierce, Isakowitz & Blalock, a self-described Republican lobbying and consulting firm, in 2005. He had previously been legislative director to Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. and also spent time as an aide to Rep. Charles Taylor, R-N.C. Jarvis hails from Lewisville, N.C. and earned his bachelor's degree from University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill). Jarvis also worked on the 2004 Bush re-election campaign, the 2008 McCain presidential bid, and served as director of operations for the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn.

The U.S. government is currently missing 21 percent of its inspectors general and auditors at agencies across Washington, according to an investigation by the Center for Public Integrity.

The group says 15 of the 73 inspectors general, chief auditors, or whistleblower protection jobs across government currently are vacant or are being covered by acting officials. They include posts at the State Department, Central Intelligence Agency, Environmental Protection Agency, Labor Department, and the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

Appointments at the EPA, the Corporation for National and Community Service and the Federal Housing Finance Agency are being held up in the Senate confirmation process.

"Many of the watchdog job vacancies have languished for a year or more, despite calls by President Barack Obama and other politicians for more accountability in government," said the group in a statement. "The Senate's legislation to overhaul financial regulation would convert five independently hired inspector generals at financial oversight agencies to political appointees, requiring them to be confirmed by a Senate that has been slow to act on countless nominations."

Lipsen has served as the executive vice president for public affairs at AAJ since 1993. Before that, she directed the advocacy shop at the Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports. In that post, she focused on antitrust, insurance reform and health care.

Lipsen has a bachelor's degree University of Wisconsin and a law degree from Antioch University.

She replaces Jon Haber, who left last year.

From this morning's Earlybird:

• "Environmental groups want language encouraging offshore drilling removed from climate legislation in light of the giant oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that poses a potentially historic hazard to fragile coastal ecosystems," The Hill reports.

• "BP and its allies are drawing on their considerable resources and deep lobbying teams in Washington as they seek to mitigate the fallout -- including Congressional grillings and possible legislative action -- from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico," Roll Call (subscription) reports.

• "Ahead of the expected release today of a House bill on data privacy, a group of public interest and privacy-rights groups wrote House members Monday calling on them to support the inclusion of principles aimed at giving consumers more control over their personal information," CongressDailyAM (subscription) reports.

From this morning's Earlybird:

• "Television station owners are mobilizing against a new Democratic campaign finance bill that would force them to slash prices for many political advertisements," Roll Call (subscription) reports.

• "Wall Street has taken its lumps in Washington recently and Goldman Sachs has become everyone's whipping boy, but hedge funds and private equity firms have escaped relatively unscathed," Politico reports.

• "When President Obama declared in his first address to Congress that health care reform 'must not wait,' he sparked a lobbying spree that kept medical stakeholders hustling while fattening the bottom lines of K Street firms," Roll Call (subscription) reports. "Medical interests alone shelled out more than $876 million in lobbying expenses during the 15 months beginning in January 2009 and ending in March, when Congress passed the sweeping overhaul."