Citizens United/Fair Elections Karl Rove, Republican Party secretly plot vast network to reclaim power, by Mike Allen and Ken Vogel Politico lays out the big new network of Republican independent groups planning to spend lots of money to reclaim power. Another reason Citizens United was a big deal. “It sent out a message to donors that it’s OK to engage again,” Comparing the House and Senate versions of DISCLOSE The Sunlight Foundation has a comparison of the differences between the two bills. Third-party election spending surges, by Alex Isenstadt “Third-party groups and special interests are pouring tens of millions of dollars into House and Senate races this year — four times what was spent during a similar period in the 2006 midterm elections.” You don’t need to win primaries for them to work, by Ezra Klein Ezra pushes back on Ruth Marcus’ claim from yesterday.

• And here’s our take: http://www.publicampaign.org/blog/2010/05/05/its-not-a-problem-with-clean-elections

Congress 2 votes break logjam on financial overhaul bill It looks like the Senate may get down to business today. Sources: Energy bill next week, by Jeanne Cummings After Lindsay Graham’s pullback, it looks like a climate change bill may be introduced next week with or without him.