Democratic rivals agree to raise money together for November election

WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton can agree on one thing: They want their party to have more money, no matter who is the nominee.

The Democratic National Committee announced yesterday that it had signed agreements with both campaigns to begin raising money together. As part of the agreement, donors can contribute up to $33,100 to the newly created Democratic White House Victory Fund. Most of the money will benefit whichever candidate becomes the nominee.

Officials at the DNC said chairman Howard Dean has been working with both campaigns on the idea since February. At the end of March the DNC had $5.3 million in the bank, and the Republican National Committee had $31 million.

John McCain already has a similar account set up with the Republican National Committee.

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MARIETTA, Ga. - The publisher of the popular children's book series "Curious George" is considering legal action against a Georgia bar owner for selling T-shirts that show the inquisitive monkey peeling a banana with "Obama in '08" printed beneath the image.

"Houghton Mifflin Harcourt did not nor would we ever authorize or approve this use of the Curious George character, which we find offensive and utterly out of keeping with the values Curious George represents," said Richard Blake, the company's spokesman.

Bar owner Mike Norman, who began selling the shirts in late April, has said they are not meant to be racist. He said he thinks the Illinois senator and the character "look so much alike."

Bill Nigut, southeast regional director for the Anti-Defamation League, said Norman is being disingenuous.

"He can pretend he doesn't understand what the message of that T-shirt is, but he knows full well that's an offensive and demeaning stereotype used to insult African-Americans," Nigut said.

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WASHINGTON - Cindy McCain, whose husband has been a critic of the violence in Sudan, is selling off more than $2 million in mutual funds whose holdings include companies that do business in the African nation.

The sale came after the Associated Press questioned the investments in light of calls by John McCain for international financial sanctions against the Sudanese leadership.

According to McCain's personal financial disclosure, Cindy McCain's investments include two mutual funds that are listed by the Sudan Divestment Task Force as targets for divestment.

"Those have been sold as of today," McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said.

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SAN JUAN - The US Navy has denied Chelsea Clinton permission to campaign for her mother on a former bombing range on a small Puerto Rican island.

Hillary Clinton's campaign wanted to use the land yesterday as a setting to discuss the candidate's cleanup plan for the region and call to give some areas to local residents. The Navy closed the range in Vieques in April 2003 following years of protests over two errant bombs that killed a security guard.

But Navy spokeswoman Lieutenant Lara Bollinger said no one is allowed to campaign on federal property.

Chelsea Clinton is making her second campaign visit to Puerto Rico in the last three weeks. Michelle Obama, wife of Democratic front-runner Barack Obama, also campaigned on the island yesterday. The US territory has 55 delegates at stake in its June 1 Democratic primary.

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John McCain has finally broken the 80 percent benchmark in a primary.

In a two-man race Tuesday with Ron Paul in Nebraska, McCain won 87 percent of the vote to 13 percent for Paul.

In a bigger field of candidates in West Virginia, however, McCain reached 76 percent. Mike Huckabee won 10 percent, Paul got 5 percent, Mitt Romney won 4 percent, and Rudy Giuliani grabbed 2 percent.

McCain is still trying to unite Republicans behind him - a process made more difficult by Paul's strong showings at state conventions around the country and the continuing anti-McCain vote in primaries.

FOON RHEE

DENVER - Democrats have chosen 55 bloggers who will be granted access to the national convention in Denver this summer.

The "State Blogger Corps" includes one blogger from each state plus the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands, and one blogger representing Democrats abroad.

Party officials say the list includes some full-time professional bloggers and some part-timers and volunteers. They were chosen from among more than 400 applicants.

Officials said that bloggers will get credentials as part of a general pool.

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