AP - If veteran Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd's trademark jaunty smile seems a bit forced these days, it's no surprise.

AP - Sen. Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat, accused Republicans of putting seniors and military families at risk by siding with President Bush against a measure to prevent Medicare cuts.

AP - Democrats bent on showing they can govern and Republicans anxious about a sour re-election climate are pushing a pared-down summer agenda in Congress. Lawmakers want to try to save homeowners from foreclosure, avert Medicare cuts and give the government power to spy on suspected terrorists.

AFP - Jesse Helms, an iconic US conservative lawmaker known for hardline stances on foreign policy and civil liberties, died Friday at the age of 86, a spokesman said.

AP - "Compromise, hell!" Jesse Helms screamed in a 1959 editorial that captured what would become the legacy of his Senate career and his place in the conservative movement.

AFP - Jesse Helms, an iconic US conservative lawmaker known for hardline stands against Cuba and for UN reform, died Friday at the age of 86, a spokesman said.

AP - Barack Obama's presidential campaign distanced itself Thursday from a mailer by Georgia Democratic Senate hopeful Vernon Jones that shows them together under Obama's signature slogan: "Yes we can."

AP - With an election-year corruption investigation looming, Rep. Don Young has tapped his campaign war chest to pay not only his own million-dollar legal tab but also to hire lawyers for his campaign manager, who is also under FBI scrutiny.