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Holder Headed To Gulf Coast
The Washington Post reports that the Obama administration is sending Attorney General Eric Holder to the Gulf Coast: “The Holder trip could signal that the environmental calamity might become the subject of a criminal investigation. Holder has said Justice Department lawyers are examining whether there was any ‘malfeasance’ related to the leaking oil well, and investigators, who have already been on the coast for a month, have sent letters to BP instructing the company to preserve internal records related to the spill. But federal officials indicated that Holder’s trip, which will include a news conference in New Orleans on Tuesday afternoon, will focus on enforcement of environmental laws and holding BP accountable.”

Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama will receive the presidential daily briefing at 9:30 a.m. ET, and the economic daily briefing at 10 a.m. ET. He will meet at 11:15 a.m. ET with the co-chairs of the BP Oil Spill Commission, and he will deliver a statement to the press at 12:15 p.m. ET. He will meet at 2:30 p.m. ET with senior advisers. He will meet at 6 p.m. ET with Peruvian President Alan García.

Biden’s Day Ahead
Vice President Biden will travel to New York in the morning. At 12:30 p.m. ET, he will attend an event for Rep. John Hall (D-NY) in Bedford, New York. He will meet in the afternoon with senior advisers. At 6:30 p.m. ET, he will attend a fundraising event in New York City for his son, Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden.

Dems See ‘Unsympathetic Target’ In Big Oil For Energy Debates
The Hill reports that senior Democratic aides are planning to use the BP oil spill as an issue in the upcoming energy debates, in a similar way to how Republican were tied to Wall Street during the debate on financial reform. “You’ve got a very unsympathetic target in big oil. Big oil earns billions in profits and it doesn’t invest in the safety mechanism necessary to keep millions of gallons from spreading along the Gulf Coast,” said a senior aide, who also added: “And you’re going to see a Republican Party side with big oil.”

GOP Sees Way to Revive Health Care Debate In Berwick Nomination
Politico reports that Republicans are gearing up to oppose President Obama’s nominee to run Medicare and Medicaid, Donald Berwick, who has praised the British National Health Service, as a way of continuing the argument against Obama’s new health care law. “He is, as far as I am concerned, bad news,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. “If he wants to turn America into the National Health Service in England — he thinks that is the model — he is going to find a lot of pushback.”

Boehner: GOP Needs To Sell Idea Of Majority ‘Without Appearing Cocky’
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) told Roll Call that the 2010 election will be 80 to 90 percent about the policies that Democrats are pursuing. “I’m trying to maximize that 10 or 20 percent that is about us,” said Boehner. He also added: “It is possible for us to win back the majority. You’ve got to walk a fine line. You’ve got to be able to go out there and sell the fact that it’s possible without thinking it’s in the bag, without appearing cocky.”

Casey: U.S. Withdrawal From Iraq On Track
Gen. George Casey told CNN that the withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from Iraq is on track: “[I]t’s something we’ve been working on with the leadership in Iraq for more than 18 months. We have been gradually moving the extra equipment and things out. There’s a great plan in place and we’re executing that plan right now.”

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