The Earlybird: Today's headlines

China's warning, the Bushes' reading event, fetus' rights, Kerrey's history, Navy's bombing, Greenspan's talk, McVeigh's letter, Franks' gov campaign, Allbaugh's flood visit, Fleischer's stalker:

• Responding to President Bush's comments this week that "the U.S. military would defend Taiwan if China attacked," China on Thursday warned "the United States not to further damage relations at a sensitive time," the Baltimore Sun reports.
• The Boston Globe reports that China's response was "surprisingly measured."
• "Taiwan said Friday it was in talks with the United States on President Chen Shui-bian's expected stopovers there next month, but declined to comment on reports that he may meet American congressmen while in transit," Reuters reports.
• Next week Bush will give "a major speech... in which he will announce plans for a missile defense system but try to reassure allies by tying the shield's deployment to reductions in the U.S. nuclear arsenal," the Washington Post reports.

• President Bush, first lady Laura Bush, former President George H.W. Bush and former first lady Barbara Bush attended the "Celebration of Reading" in Houston yesterday, the Houston Chronicle reports. "The event marked the father-and-son presidents' first public appearance together since the inauguration in January."
• During the event, both George Bushes "poked fun at themselves and at their shared tendency to mangle words," Reuters reports.
• Today Bush will dedicate the Bob Bullock Texas History Museum in Austin, Texas, AP reports. Bullock was a Democrat who "served 40 years in various public offices, including lieutenant governor," and was a mentor to Bush.

• On Thursday the House approved the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, which would make "criminals who harm pregnant women liable for two separate violent offenses," the Houston Chronicle reports. "Opponents charged that the bill creates a bridge long sought by abortion foes that would eventually criminalize abortion and create laws that view women as mere vessels for the unborn."
• The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday approved a broadband Internet services deregulation bill that "would allow the remaining Baby Bells and other local phone companies to offer wider access to DSL service, without having to follow current regulations on opening their networks to competitors," UPI reports.
• Rep. Constance A. Morella, R-Md., on Thursday introduced a resolution "urging the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) to recommend to President Bush that Pennsylvania Avenue be reopened in front of the White House," the Washington Times reports.
• The Senate will vote Tuesday on a motion to start debate on Bush's education bill, "despite objections from some Democrats who said more time was needed to settle disputes over school funding and other issues," Reuters reports.
• Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., said Thursday that "tax cuts may fall more than $200 billion below President Bush's $1.6 trillion target, but he said Bush would have lost far more if he had started negotiating earlier with Congress," Reuters reports.

• During a press conference on Thursday, former Sen. Bob Kerrey, D-Neb., said "that his superior officers knew that he and his men had killed women and children in a Vietnam firefight 32 years ago," the Omaha World-Herald reports.
• Kerrey said he does not plan to "return the Bronze Star he was awarded after the incident," the Houston Chronicle reports. The Lincoln Journal Star reports Kerrey said "he is prepared to accept an official Pentagon inquiry if it comes."
• Editors at Newsweek decided two years ago not to print the story about Kerrey and Vietnam that the New York Times Magazine is publishing this week "because Kerrey had decided not to run for president," the Washington Post reports.

• "A Pentagon investigation of a U.S. bombing accident that killed six people in Kuwait last month found that it had been preceded by similar, though nonfatal, training blunders at the same bombing range," AP reports.
• The Pentagon said Thursday that U.S. "secrets were lost when a Navy surveillance plane made an emergency landing in China," AP reports.
• "The Navy was set to begin bombing exercises today on the island of Vieques after a federal judge rejected an emergency request from the Puerto Rican government to prevent the training maneuvers involving thousands of military personnel," the Washington Post reports.
• Capt. Scott Waddle, the former commander of the USS Greeneville, said during an interview Thursday that "he would travel to Japan in late May to meet with the families of the nine people killed when the Navy sub he commanded hit a Japanese fishing trawler," CNN.com reports.
• Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld "is expected to seek a large boost in defense spending -- $200 billion - $300 billion over the next six years," USA Today reports.
• On Thursday Secretary of State Colin Powell said during a House appropriations subcommittee hearing that Cuban leader Fidel Castro "has done some good things for the Cuban people but is 'trapped in a time warp' and the Bush administration will continue to shun him politically and diplomatically," AP reports.

• In the Philippines, "about 50,000 supporters of ousted leader Joseph Estrada rallied into the night yesterday to demand he be freed from jail and restored to the presidency," AP reports.
• On Thursday Makiko Tanaka was named "as the first woman to serve as Japan's foreign minister," AP reports.

• Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan will speak today to the Bond Market Association, the Wall Street Journal's "Washington Wire" reports. Greenspan "hasn't spoken publicly on the economy for two months."
• Today the "Commerce Department is expected to report that GDP, the broadest measure of the nation's economy, grew at an annual rate of 0.9 percent, down from 1 percent growth in the fourth quarter," CNNfn.com reports. The report is "likely to have a big effect on whether the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates again."
• "Nasdaq Stock Market officials say their long-anticipated IPO could take place as early as next year," the Wall Street Journal reports.

• In a letter to a Fox News reporter, Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh said he "considered assassinating former Attorney General Janet Reno, a federal judge and an FBI agent before deciding instead to bomb the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City," FoxNews.com reports.
• On Thursday "federal prison officials laid out the ground rules" for media coverage of McVeigh's May 16 execution, the Houston Chronicle reports. "In addition to government witnesses and any others McVeigh may designate, there will be 10 media witnesses and 10 witnesses who were victimized by the bombing."
• Amnesty International said Thursday that Oklahoma "has led the country so far this year in its per-capita execution rate," the Tulsa World reports. Ten people have been executed in Oklahoma since January.

• Former Rep. Bob Franks, R-N.J., entered the New Jersey gubernatorial yesterday after acting Gov. Donald DiFrancesco (R) dropped out the day before. Franks kicked off a "campaign for term limits, initiative and referendum, and an independent, elected state auditor general," the New York Times reports.
• Meanwhile, Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler (R) "filed a lawsuit to prevent Franks from inheriting DiFrancesco's spot on the primary ballot," the Newark Star-Ledger reports.
• The Virginia GOP "opened its statewide nominating contest to other potential candidates yesterday," which "could pave the way for Lt. Gov. John H. Hager to abandon his quest for the gubernatorial nomination and to run again for lieutenant governor," the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.
• The Albany Times Union reports that former Housing Secretary Andrew Cuomo (D) and Comptroller Carl McCall (D) are busy campaigning for New York governor this week. "McCall is on a five-day swing through upstate New York while... Cuomo is hobnobbing in Hollywood."
• Minnesota Auditor Judi Dutcher (DFL), who switched from the GOP last year, "launched an exploratory campaign for her new party's nomination for governor in 2002" yesterday, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
• Tomah, Wis., Mayor Allen 'Ed' Thompson (I), brother of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, "has turned to Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura [I] for advice" on whether he should launch a gubernatorial bid in 2002, AP reports.
• House Minority Whip David Bonior, D-Mich., "said Thursday he is undaunted by the early lead in the polls enjoyed by two other likely contenders for the 2002 Michigan Democratic gubernatorial nomination" -- former Gov. Jim Blanchard and state Attorney General Jennifer Granholm, CongressDailyAM reports.
• Chicago lawyer Marty Castro (D) "is launching a campaign to" challenge Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., who has held the 4th District seat since 1992, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

• Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Joe Allbaugh traveled to Davenport, Iowa, Thursday to inspect flood damage, where he "refused to back down from comments made Monday that there are limits to what American taxpayers can be expected to do to bail out communities that do not build permanent levees and dikes for flood protection," the Quad-City Times reports.
• The California Assembly approved a bill yesterday "that would create a new state power authority that could finance, buy, operate and build electricity generating plants," AP reports.

• Mei Ling Lin, a Massachusetts woman, was "arrested this week on charges of stalking White House press secretary Ari Fleischer," Reuters reports.
• In an interview for the ABC News program "20/20," Denise Rich showed no remorse for the scandal involving former President Clinton's pardon of her ex-husband, Marc Rich. D. Rich said she "would do it again," AP reports.