Compiled by Jonathan Helman and Mary Grace Lucas, CNN Washington Bureau

USA Today: In Final Contests, It's All About Momentum
If leading pledged delegate counts and the seating of Michigan and Florida delegates are the determining events for the nomination, what are the last few contests for? Bragging rights, momentum and symbolism.

Politico: Six ways the GOP can save itself
Things are so ugly for the members of the GOP right now, it’s worth pondering their political mortality: Put bluntly, can this party be saved?

Politico: McCain adviser ousted in conflict uproar
John McCain's campaign asked a prominent Republican consultant, Craig Shirley, to leave his official campaign role Thursday after a Politico inquiry about Shirley's dual role consulting for the campaign and for an independent "527″ group opposing the Democratic presidential candidates. The campaign also released a new conflict of interest policy barring such arrangements.

Washington Post: Bush May Have Lost Wealth During Presidency
President Bush's financial fortunes appear to have declined over the past seven years, with his family assets dropping as low as $6.5 million, according to disclosure forms released yesterday. Bush and his wife, Laura, were worth at least $9 million and as much as $24 million at the start of his term. The Bushes could still be worth as much as $20 million now, according to the financial documents filed with the Office of Government Ethics, which requires assets to be reported only within broad ranges.

NY Daily News: John Edwards Too Late For VP Spot, But Could Land In Barack Obama's Cabinet
John Edwards' eleventh-hour endorsement of Barack Obama was a hit with the front-runner's fans, but it is unlikely to shoot Edwards to the top of the vice presidential list, political experts said Wednesday.

NY Times: In South, Black Turnout May Challenge the G.O.P.
The sharp surge in black turnout that Senator Barack Obama has helped to generate in recent primaries and Congressional races could signal a threat this fall to the longtime Republican dominance of the South, according to politicians and voting experts.

Washington Post: Belittled Woman
At some point along the way, Hillary Clinton became "poor Hillary" and it stuck. She went up against a charmer who once made an audience cheer just by blowing his nose (poor Hillary), and she lost states and delegates and she bet on a filly that died (poor Hillary), and nobody cares that she won West Virginia because it's over, except she can't see it because she's . . .

USA Today: McCain action helped Arizona land developer
WASHINGTON — Sen. John McCain secured millions in federal funds for a land acquisition program that provided a windfall for an Arizona developer whose executives were major campaign donors, public records show.

WSJ: Obama Courts Christian Voters in Kentucky
CHICAGO — Sen. Barack Obama plans to roll out a new nationwide faith effort to make it clear to voters that the presidential candidate is a Christian who reflects the values of the electorate.

NY times: Ruling Returns Gay Marriage to Stage in Presidential Bids
WASHINGTON — Gay marriage is an issue on which the three major presidential candidates — John McCain, Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton — are pretty much in agreement. All oppose it, while saying at the same time that same-sex couples should generally be entitled to the legal protections afforded married couples. All think the decision should be left to the states.

AP: GOP Abandons Bush on Food, Energy Issues
WASHINGTON — President Bush's calls for fiscal responsibility received scant notice this week on Capitol Hill. Fellow Republicans had something bigger on their minds — high prices for groceries and gasoline in an election year that is looking increasingly bleak for their party.

AP: Senate Votes to Nullify Media Ownership Rule
WASHINGTON — The Senate Thursday night voted to nullify a Federal Communications Commission rule that allows media companies to own a newspaper and a television station in the same market. The unusual "resolution of disapproval," sponsored by Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and 26 other senators, was approved by a voice vote. The measures sponsors include both Democratic candidates for president, Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois.