Free Republic

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel is an admirer of U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama -- even though she has not yet met him in person. Asked at a news conference on Wednesday what she thought of Obama, Merkel responded: "I would say that he is well-equipped -- physically, mentally and politically." Obama is due to meet with Merkel for about an hour on Thursday morning and will later give a speech on transatlantic relations at the "Victory Column" in Berlin's Tiergarten park. Merkel objected to initial plans by the Obama campaign to hold the speech at the Brandenburg...

BBC NEWS ARTICLE STATES: "Kenya unveils coalition cabinet Mr Kibaki called for politics to be set aside Kenya's president has announced a new power-sharing cabinet following a deal with the opposition to end the long-running political crisis. President Mwai Kibaki named opposition leader Raila Odinga AS PRIME MINISTER."

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has dropped her demand that Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., resign from the powerful House Way & Means Committee - in exchange for a promise from the Congressional Black Caucus that they won't campaign against her in advance of this fall's critical mid-term elections. According to a Roll Call report this week, Pelosi struck a deal with the Black Caucus in a closed door meeting last Friday to "hold off taking any pre-indictment action against Jefferson" as long as the group refrains from attacking her.