Politico - Barack Obama’s move to merge key elements of the Democratic National Committee into his own campaign’s Chicago headquarters appears aimed at the goal of a centralized and united Democratic Party.

AP - Obama would apply Social Security payroll tax on incomes above $250,000 ... McCain, Obama camps fail to agree on joint town hall sessions ... Caroline Kennedy, used to exercising discretion in the spotlight, aiding Obama veep search ... Huckabee to join Fox News Channel as contributor on 2008 presidential election coverage

AP - Democrat Barack Obama said Friday he would apply the Social Security payroll tax to annual incomes above $250,000, which would affect the wealthiest 3 percent of Americans.

AP - Caroline Kennedy lives a very private life with a very public profile. It's the perfect skill set for her newest assignment.

AP - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Friday rejected Republican rival John McCain's proposal for 10 joint town-hall appearances, offering instead to have just one on the July 4 holiday.

AFP - US President George W. Bush praised Italy Thursday for moving to take a broader security role in Afghanistan and said he was open to a wider diplomatic role for Rome in the Iran nuclear standoff.

The Christian Science Monitor - Imprisoned terror suspects at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, won a major legal victory on Thursday when the US Supreme Court ruled that they have the right to petition US courts challenging the legality of their open-ended detention.

AP - The toll from salmonella-tainted tomatoes jumped to 228 illnesses Thursday as the government learned of five dozen previously unknown cases and said it is possible the food poisoning contributed to a cancer patient's death.

AP - John McCain is bullish on free trade. The country isn't. Yet McCain doesn't miss many opportunities to reproach Democratic presidential rival Barack Obama's emerging opposition to international trade deals.

AP - For all the older supporters of Hillary Rodham Clinton who may have been depressed, deflated, wistful or angry about her exit from the presidential race, there's an upbeat 17-year-old who doesn't feel the dream of a woman in the Oval Office has slipped away.