**President Obama
*Obama is doing a battery of interviews before he heads overseas. He told NPR that he will continue to push for a Palestinian state and for a freeze on Israeli settlements in the West Bank. And he signaled he's going to be tougher on Israel. "Part of being a good friend is being honest," Obama said. "And I think there have been times where we are not as honest as we should be about the fact that the current direction, the current trajectory, in the region is profoundly negative, not only for Israeli interests but also U.S. interests."

Obama was also asked about Dick Cheney, who has been "forceful, unapologetic and doesn't seem willing to scale back his rhetoric." "He also happens to be wrong, right?" Obama replied. "Last time, immediately after his last speech, I think there was a fact check on his speech that didn't get a very good grade." He did not say whether he's spoken to him.

*As he heads to Saudi Arabia and Cairo, he tells the BBC that there are "obviously" human rights issues to discuss with Mideast nations, "he job of the US was not to lecture but to encourage what he said were 'universal principles' that those countries could 'embrace and affirm as part of their national identity'." Obama: "The danger, I think, is when the United States, or any country, thinks that we can simply impose these values on another country with a different history and a different culture."

*Reporters heading to Saudi Arabia got conflicting information about protocol while they're in Riyadh, Time's Scherer notes. The State Department sent a warning that "journalists are expressly prohibited from leaving the hotel or engaging in any journalistic activities outside of coverage of the POTUS visit." But a PR firm representing Saudi Arabia later said that was "not at all accurate. Journalists coming to Saudi are encouraged to go wherever and cover whatever they wish."

*AP reports on a new White House report that claims health care reform is an essential part of fixing the economy. "The report by the White House Council of Economic Advisers says that health care costs -- now about 18 percent of the gross domestic product -- will rise to 34 percent in 30 years if left unchecked, wreaking havoc on the federal deficit, businesses and working Americans." It comes as the White House is "urgently seeking to build momentum for health care legislation."

*A day after GM filed for bankruptcy, Rahm Emanuel tells the New York Times that Obama knows "that taking over companies like this is a big deal, and that no president has ever faced anything like this before."

*With the president set to be out of the country all week, members of Cabinet are hitting the road, specifically to Midwestern states being impacted by the downturn in the auto industry.

*Gallup: In May, 71% of workers in the service industry approved of how Obama handled his job -- the highest among any occupational category. Lowest was farming/fishing/forestry, of whom 52% approved.

**Imminent Elections
*NJ Gov:: A Fairleigh Dickinson poll released yesterday found Christie (54%) leading Lonegan (30%) in the GOP primary.

Lonegan called the poll showing Christie ahead by 24 points "retarded," PolitickerNJ reports.

*Philly Inquirer: "In last-minute attacks, Lonegan seized on reports that Christie fund-raiser John Inglesino was eligible for a state pension because he had a part-time job for a Republican state senator. Lonegan called it 'a disgrace' that Christie would campaign on cutting pensions for part-time political appointees and have a living example of the practice in his circle." Inglesino later quit his part-time gig to give up the pension.

*As he voted this morning, Christie said: "Steve Lonegan has been a very formidable opponent and he's spent a lot of money. This is no walk over for anybody. This has been a tough campaign."

*NPR's Ken Rudin offers his take on the primary: "A low turnout is thought to help Lonegan, who has a committed base of support. However, polls show Christie with a sizable lead. My guess is that it's going to be closer than most people think."

*A smart GOP source who's worked on campaigns in the state notes that both Republicans were unfamiliar to sizable chunks of the primary electorate, but that Christie should have enough resources to pull out a decent win.

*VA Gov: Interesting new poll of just Northern Virginia (4 counties: Arlington, Fairfax, Loudon, Prince William), where many of the state's Dem primary voters reside -- Moran 43%, McAuliffe 27%, Deeds 20%. Moran has represented NoVa since the mid-90s.

Also, candidates filed campaign finance reports last night for April 1-May 27: McAuliffe raised $1.8M ($3.05M CoH), Moran $844k ($707k), Deeds $678k ($522k).

**Republicans
*"Mitt Romney is running for president of the United States, again. ... To put it bluntly, Mitt Romney does not want to follow in the footsteps of his father, George Romney, another governor-turned-unsuccessful presidential candidate. He wants to be the incarnation of Ronald Reagan," Politics Daily's Cannon writes.

*Dick Cheney on gay marriage, during an appearance at the National Press Club: "I think freedom means freedom for everyone. ... I think people ought to be free to enter into any kind of union they wish, any kind of arrangement they wish."

*"Conservatives are demanding that Senate Republicans take a harder line on Sonia Sotomayor, with new signs of tension between the Hill GOP and elements of the Republican base over the direction the opposition should move in the Supreme Court fight," Politico reports.

*South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford "lost a pivotal decision in federal court" over his fight to reject stimulus funds; he now said he now expects to be ordered to request the money, Wall Street Journal reports.

**Democrats
*Roll Call reports that "the unlikely bond between the polished San Francisco liberal and the gruff, conservative retired Marine has proved among the most critical to Pelosi's ascent to Speaker. Now, as Pelosi pivots from the CIA interrogations flap to face the potentially more vexing problem of how to contain the controversy surrounding Murtha and his earmarking empire..."

*Health Care: "Democrats and the Obama administration are shoving aside issues that divide their party to clear the deck for healthcare reform, which is likely to dominate the rest of the legislative year. In doing so, the administration appears to be learning from the experiences of the Clinton administration, which engaged in divisive intra-party battles over trade and gays in the military as it fought unsuccessfully for healthcare reform. It also reflects a pivot from earlier this year, when the White House brushed off concerns that its agenda was too ambitious," The Hill reports.

*Politico's Kraushaar reports that "at a time that was supposed to be a golden era of Democratic fundraising, with a popular president in charge and Congress firmly ensconced in Democratic hands, the early fundraising hauls have been, well, downright ordinary."

*The Hill profiles freshman Rep. Frank Kratovil (D-Md.).

*PA Sen: At RCP Blog, we have results of a poll showing that most Pennsylvania Democrats want to see a primary.

--Kyle Trygstad and Mike Memoli