From NBC's Ken Strickland
Senate Democrats will meet behind closed doors at about 1:00 pm ET today, to discuss energy/climate-change legislation. Because there is no clear path forward for passage of a bill, the session will be a chance for members to get details of various proposals that have been offered, aides said.

Sens. John Kerry (D-MA), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) are expected to present their bills to their colleagues. Yesterday, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) described the meeting as a way "to get the members focused on the details."

The meeting will also give Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) a chance to take the temperature of his caucus. There appears to be no unified position among Senate Democrats beyond holding BP responsible for covering the cost of the spill.

Reid and others are expected to hold a news conference after their meeting, probably at about 2:00 pm ET.

Today's meeting was scheduled before the administration announced it had invited a bipartisan group of senators to the White House to discuss energy/climate legislation next week. That White House meeting is set for Wednesday.

From NBC's Mark Murray
By and large, BP's agreement to set up a $20 billion escrow account for Gulf Coast recovery has been well received.

But not among a few conservative House Republicans. For example, Georgia Rep. Tom Price (R) -- chair of the Republican Study Committee -- issued a statement yesterday complaining that the fund was a White House "shakedown." *** CORRECTION *** We originally (and mistakenly) referred to Rep. Price as Dave Price, not Tom Price. We corrected the item and regret the error.

“We all agree that BP should be held fully responsible for its complicity in the oil tragedy in the Gulf,” Price said. "However, in an administration that appears not to respect fundamental American principles, it is important to note that there is no legal authority for the president to compel a private company to set up or contribute to an escrow account."

Price added, “BP’s reported willingness to go along with the White House’s new fund suggests that the Obama Administration is hard at work exerting its brand of Chicago-style shakedown politics. These actions are emblematic of a politicization of our economy that has been borne out of this Administration’s drive for greater power and control."

And today, Texas Rep. Joe Barton (R) echoed Price's critique at before BP CEO Tony Hayward's testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, where Barton is ranking member.

Per NBC's Kelly O'Donnell, Barton called the $20 billion escrow a "shakedown". "I'm ashamed of what happened in the White House yesterday," he said. "I think it's a tragedy of the first proportion." Barton added that if he, as a member of Congress, told a private company to put up money like that, "I'd go to jail and should go to jail."

Barton then said he apologized to BP. "I don't want to live a country where ... legitimate wrongdoing [is] subjected to political pressure."

In a sign of how politically problematic these comments could be for Republicans, House Minority Leader John Boehner's office tells First Read that Boehner disagrees with Barton's remarks. "Since Day One, Boehner has said that BP is entirely responsible for the cost of the disaster in the Gulf," Boehner spokesman Michael Steel says.

From NBC's Pete Williams
In its first case on whether employees have any right of privacy in the text messages they send on company devices, the Supreme Court unanimously found that even if there is one, employers can read the contents when they have a reasonable need to do so.

"Cell phone and text message communications are so pervasive that some persons may consider them to be essential means or necessary instruments for self-expression, even self-identification," wrote Justice Anthony Kennedy for the court.

"On the other hand, the ubiquity of those devices has made them generally affordable, so one could counter that employees who need cell phones for similar devices for personal matters can purchase and pay for their own," he said.

The case came from Ontario, Calif., where a member of the SWAT team used a city-provided texting pager for both business and personal reasons. To see whether the excess charges his texting was producing were based on personal or business reasons, the police department audited his texting and found he was sending sexually explicit messages to a mistress. He sued, claiming the audit violated his privacy. But today's ruling unanimously said the city had a reasonable purpose for checking into why his texting was going over the normal limit, incurring additional fees.

From NBC's Andrea Mitchell
After a five-inning rally in the top of the seventh inning that invoked the “mercy” rule -- forcing the side to retire with only one out -- the Washington D.C. women’s press corps softball team defeated the Congressional women's squad 13-7.

They let the members play the bottom of the seventh (of a seven-inning game) even though technically they couldn’t have tied the game without also invoking the mercy rule they use, which says a team can't score more than five runs in an inning.

Star players on the losing congressional team in the second annual congressional women's softball game were pitcher Kirsten Gillibrand, slugger Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, Jean Schmidt, and Linda Sanchez. The congressional women are 0-for-2 in two years. Last year, they lost 14-8 to a staffers of the national committees.

The victorious scribes were led by MVP Trisha Turner of Fox and Dana Bash of CNN. Spouse John King was seen on the field in anchorman suit and tie trying to argue with the umpire about the mercy rule.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Yankee fan justice Sonia Sotomayor, Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), and other fans were in the stands.

(This reporter was an announcer for the game.)

What a difference a day makes for the White House, as it has its best day on the spill since it became a dominating story… In fact, even James Carville is now praising the White House… But BP CEO Tony Hayward likely will have an ugly day today when he testifies on Capitol Hill beginning at 10:00 am ET… The perception problem of members of Congress holding key energy stocks… Where have all the local political reporters gone?... And more exaggerations for Mark Kirk and Dick Blumenthal?

From NBC's Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro
*** What a difference a day makes: As we wrote yesterday, the Obama White House won’t have a “good day” regarding the Gulf spill until it finally stops. But yesterday wasn't bad. Consider: BP agreed to a $20 billion escrow account that Ken Feinberg will manage; at the White House's urging, BP is suspending its dividends for the rest of the year; BP is voluntarily setting up a $100 million fund to help oil workers impacted by the offshore moratorium; and BP is setting up a $500 million fund to monitor the health of Gulf Coast residents for the next decade. The White House got everything it was hoping for from BP, and it's easily the best day the White House has had on the spill since it became the dominating story that it is. The Oval Office speech wasn’t a home run, but the speech combined with yesterday’s developments might have represented an “inflection point” in the perception about how the White House is handling this crisis.

*** Carville’s praise: Want an example of how the perception about the White House has changed? Look no further than at James Carville, who has been a loud critic of the administration’s handling of the crisis. Here is what he wrote yesterday: “Obviously, I was not in the meeting that President Obama had with the BP officials. I suspect I'm even less welcome at the White House these days than Tony Hayward, given my heartfelt and vocal criticism of how Obama was handling the Gulf crisis. But it looks as if President Obama applied a little old-school Chicago persuasion to the oil executives… Look, we have a long way to go before this Cajun stops ragin'. But just as I hammered the White House when I thought they were too lackadaisical, honesty compels me to praise the president for his concrete, significant -- and eloquent -- action today.”

*** Hayward’s likely ugly day: While the White House may have had its best day yet on the spill, chances are that the same won’t be true for BP CEO Tony Hayward, who testifies before the House Energy and Commerce Committee beginning at 10:00 am ET. In fact, it probably will be a very ugly day for Hayward, despite BP’s apology and concessions yesterday. Per his prepared remarks, Hayward will say he is "personally devastated" over the loss of life and adds: “My sadness has only grown as the disaster continues… I know that this incident has profoundly impacted lives and caused turmoil, and I deeply regret that.” Hayward is also going to be the punching bag for the odd, lost in translation "small people" comments by BP Chairman Svanberg. By the way, for those wondering why Hayward hasn't been fired, consider that the board might have decided it's better for him to take the public beating for the company and when that's over and the Capitol Hill grinder is complete for BP and the hole is plugged, then they can make him the scapegoat.

*** A perception problem on Capitol Hill? Speaking of BP, the AP got its hand on congressional disclosure forms, and it reports that John Boehner in Dec. '09 purchased dozens of blue-chip stocks, including in oil companies like BP, ConocoPhilips, Exxon, and Occidental. The forms also showed that John Kerry owned stock in BP, although his office said that the senator has no control over inherited holdings in family trusts. When you combine this news with the recent Washington Post report that Dem. Rep. Jim Moran -- who sits on the House Appropriations Committee -- often daily traded stocks, it does appear to create a perception problem. After all, with Congress engaged in energy reform, why are key members of Congress holding money in energy firms? In fact, why are members of Congress who clearly have a HUGE say in how Wall Street, the oil industry, health care industry, etc. not restricted or watched more closely when it comes to their stock trades? Isn't this why "blind trusts" were created?

*** Where have all the local political reporters gone? The Atlantic’s Josh Green and Politics Daily’s Walter Shapiro have noted the disappearance of the local political press corps -- and how that contributed to the lack of vetting that Rand Paul in Kentucky and Alvin Greene in South Carolina received. But where that disappearance is making a significant impact is in the statewide races a rung or two below the marquee ones. For instance, The State in South Carolina has been all over the state’s GOP gubernatorial primary, but it allowed someone like Greene -- running for the right to compete in an uphill challenge against Sen. Jim DeMint (R) -- to fall through the cracks. Also falling through the cracks was Scott Lee Cohen, who won the Democratic gubernatorial nomination for Illinois lieutenant governor, despite allegations that he abused his ex-wife, used steroids, failed to pay child support, and held a knife to his then-girlfriend's throat (who happened to be a prostitute). This is part of the unintended consequence of media consolidation and the lack of financial viability of local media. Local newsrooms don't have the capacity to cover the small stories; they can still cover a big story (be it a governor changing parties or a crazy four-way high-profile party). But they don't have the resources anymore to do the little stuff. This could lead to some, um, fascinating accidental members of Congress come November.

*** More exaggerations? The New York Times uncovers what appears to be more exaggerations by both GOP Illinois Senate nominee Mark Kirk (R) and Democratic Connecticut Senate nominee Dick Blumenthal. On Kirk: “Representative Mark S. Kirk of Illinois, a Republican candidate for the United States Senate, has often reminisced about his time as a teacher… A review of public comments that Mr. Kirk has made over the last decade shows that while he may refer to himself as a former teacher, he does not talk about the brevity of his experience: a year in London at a private school and part-time in a nursery school as part of a work-study program while he was a student at Cornell University.” On Blumenthal, the Times notes a recent interview he gave, in which the Democrat said he joined the Marine Corps Reserves in 1970 knowing that he might be called up to duty. “But military experts said there was no expectation that reserve units would be activated at the time Mr. Blumenthal enlisted, particularly given how drastically public opinion had turned against the war.”

*** Quick takeaways: For Kirk, this would not have been a big deal in a vacuum, but piled on top of the other exaggerations, it now has the appearance of a pattern. As for Blumenthal: one question for any members of the Vietnam generation, how many of you have forgotten your draft lottery number?

Countdown to UT primary and NC and SC run-offs: 5 days
Countdown to AL run-off: 26 days
Countdown to GA primary: 33 days
Countdown to OK primary: 40 days
Countdown to KS and MO primaries: 47 days
Countdown to CO and CT primaries: 54 days
Countdown to Election Day 2010: 138 days

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In the latest AP-GFK poll, Democrats lead 46%-39% in the generic ballot. Despite the economy, they also lead Republicans 47%-42% on who Americans trust more to guide the economy.

CALIFORNIA: "Meg Whitman held an easy $20 million fund raiser for her GOP campaign for California governor," CQ Politics writes. "She wrote her campaign another check, bringing her self-contribution tally to $91 million."

NEVADA: Roll Call: "[S]ince [Sharron] Angle’s victory, the newly minted GOP nominee continues to be dogged by news reports about controversial positions she has expressed. She has said that she might favor privatizing the Veterans Affairs Department and that she supports implementing private investment accounts as a part of Social Security. That might explain why Angle refused to answer several questions fielded by a chasing Capitol Hill press corps Tuesday following the lunch and why -- accompanied by NRSC Executive Director Rob Jesmer -- she used a private stairway reserved for Senators and approved staff to make her way from the second floor of the Capitol to the first-floor exit and her waiting car. The only question Angle answered was when she was asked if she was happy with how she was received by GOP Senators during the lunch. She responded to that query with one word: 'Yes.'"

SOUTH CAROLINA: Nikki Haley's religion is starting to become an issue now.

Alvin and the Chipmunks… “It’s unusual, especially in an election year, to hear Republicans coming to the defense of a Democrat who is aiming to take out one of their colleagues. But that’s what happened on Tuesday when several South Carolina Republicans came to the aid of embattled 32-year-old Democratic Senate candidate Alvin Greene.”

From NBC's Ken Strickland
Republican Sen. Scott Brown will get his wish this summer to play hoops with the president.

"He actually said we can play basketball," Brown said, referring to one of the takeaways from his meeting at the White House today with President Obama.

There, however, was some substance out of the meeting.

Brown said his meeting with the president covered a host of issues, but the oil spill and energy/climate legislation seemed to dominate. The Massachusetts senator said he made it clear that he would not support legislation offered by Democrats that caps emmissions.

"I told him I'm not in favor nor could I support a national energy tax or a 'cap and trade' proposal," he told reporters outside the Senate chamber. "But I'm very excited about working with him in a bipartisan manner to come up with a comprehensive energy plan."

Brown suggested new legislation address wind, solar, hydro, nuclear, geo-thermal, and grants/loans for businesses.

"I told him take the best from each bill [that's been offered by Senators]: from Lugar, from Murkowski, from Kerry," Brown said, "and pull together a bill that everyone can support."

From NBC's Pete Williams
According to BP, the $20 billion account for paying Gulf claims will be fully funded by the end of 2013.

The company will put in $5 billion by the end of this year -- an initial payment of $3 billion by the end of September and another $2 billion by the end of the year. For the next three years, it will pay in $5 billion a year, in quarterly amounts of $1.25 billion.

And here's an interesting point: BP says the fund will be used to pay claims submitted directly as well as damages awarded by courts as the result of lawsuits against BP.

"The fund will be available to satisfy legitimate claims, including natural resource damages and state and local response costs," the company says in a release. A White House statement says, "The facility is designed for claims of individuals and businesses who have been harmed by the oil spill."

The White House also says anyone who files a claim and is not satisfied with the response can still sue BP in court.

From NBC's Kelly O'Donnell
The South Carolina Democratic Party announced its executive committee will hold a public hearing tomorrow afternoon on the Senate primary that propelled political unknown Alvin Greene into the national spotlight.

The losing primary candidate, Vic Rawl, a former judge and Charleston County council member, filed a protest. The committee can call for a taxpayer-funded do-over primary, overturn the result if there is sufficient evidence of error, or simply declare Greene the legitimate winner. Rawl and Greene are given the opportunity to present their case to the party.

The New York Times with this breaking news:

The White House and top executives of the energy giant BP have tentatively agreed that the oil company will pay about $20 billion over several years into an independently controlled fund to pay compensation to people and businesses harmed by the immense oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The fund would be overseen by Kenneth Feinberg, the prominent lawyer who ran the compensation fund for victims of the Sept. 11 terror attacks and is the government's special master for executive pay under the TARP program. President Obama demanded the creation of such a fund in his national address about the oil spill Tuesday evening, and met with company execcutives at the White House on Wednesday.

*** UPDATE *** NBC's Chuck Todd adds: Administration officials confirm that reports about BP putting $20 billion in escrow are true, and that Ken Feinberg, who ran the 9/11 victims' fund, will be the third party overseeing the distribution of these funds.

However, administration officials caution that the rules governing how the government goes back to BP for more money -- if needed -- are what's being negotiated now.

Fighting “powerlessness” and why Obama won’t have a good day on the spill until it’s stopped… How last night’s speech might have played better in the Gulf than it did in D.C. or New York… Did Obama meet the expectations that we (and others) laid out for him?... The president sits down with BP executives at 10:15 am, and they’re still negotiating on the size and scope of the escrow account… Last night’s speech suggests that Obama won’t go for the whole energy/climate change enchilada (which isn’t surprising given the Senate math)… Republicans might have a big problem in Florida, and Angle, Paul, and Kirk haven’t given them good news, either. And Dems have their own issues with Sestak in Pennsylvania and Fisher in Ohio.

From NBC's Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro
*** Fighting 'powerlessness': Here's what may now be an undisputed fact: President Obama isn't going to be perceived as having a "good day" handling this oil spill until the oil stops spewing out of the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. As for the pundit hand-wringing over last night’s speech, the New York Times’ Peter Baker probably put it best: Obama has been “fighting his own powerlessness." Everyone is frustrated, everyone is upset. And right now everyone in the Conventional Wisdom world/chattering class, etc. is taking it out on this president, good speech or not. What’s particularly telling is that the pundit class pretty much demanded that the president give last night’s speech (the White House caved to that pressure, perhaps before they had something more to announce), and some of them immediately criticized it. Talk about a no-win situation.

*** Did it play better in the Gulf than it did in D.C.? While the speech might not have played well in D.C. or in New York, we have a feeling that it fared better in Gulf Coast states. Why? You could tell that the president has spent a lot of the time in the Gulf these past few weeks, and that he’s chatted with numerous Gulf residents. In fact, he seemed to channel them in the conclusion of his speech. “This nation has known hard times before and we will surely know them again,” he said. “What sees us through -- what has always seen us through -- is our strength, our resilience, and our unyielding faith that something better awaits us if we summon the courage to reach for it. Tonight, we pray for that courage. We pray for the people of the Gulf. And we pray that a hand may guide us through the storm towards a brighter day.”

*** Just a little patience: Some folks in the 46 states not touched by this spill may have been wondering, "Huh, why doesn't he have a better plan for plugging the hole." But the people in the four states directly affected by the spill right now, while frustrated, have continually shown more patience for the president on this issue than the rest of the country. You can't find a lot of folks down there who want to beat up the president; they are anxious and frustrated but not angry at HIM. Of course, that could always change if they ever perceive he didn't do something he could have done. By the way, the speech was so Gulf-centric, we have to ask, would the speech have been received better had he given it while in the region. Even if it was contemplated, we're sure it was quickly rejected because of the way Bush's Jackson Square speech was panned, but there's a difference between a bad idea and a good idea with bad execution.

*** Meeting expectations? Also, if Obama’s objectives were to demonstrate to the public that his administration is doing everything possible to mitigate the spill’s impact, to reimburse Gulf residents, and to hold BP’s feet to the fire -- as we said they were in yesterday’s First Read -- it’s hard to say that Obama didn’t meet expectations. "We will fight this spill with everything we’ve got for as long it takes," he said last night. "Tomorrow,” he added, “I will meet with the chairman of BP and inform him that he is to set aside whatever resources are required to compensate the workers and business owners who have been harmed as a result of his company’s recklessness." And he even drew on the JFK man-to-the-moon rhetoric some were hoping for. "Now is the moment for this generation to embark on a national mission to unleash American innovation and seize control of our own destiny."

*** Still negotiating with BP: Of course, some were wondering why he didn’t give more details. And one area where Obama received particular criticism was not being specific enough about the BP escrow account to reimburse Gulf residents and pay for Gulf reconstruction. What we can report is that had the administration and BP come to an agreement on the specifics, they would have been announced last night. This is still being negotiated, and those negotiations will continue when Obama meets at the White House with BP executives at 10:15 am ET. Once the specifics are agreed to, the White House will announce how the fund will work, as well as the initial sum of money that BP is footing. An expected 12:15 pm Rose Garden statement by the president will be the announcement of the structure of this fund. But don't be surprised if things slip because unlike most White House meetings, there is actual suspense as to what BP and the White House can agree on.

*** Scaling back on energy: The other criticism that Obama has received, especially from the left, is that he didn’t make a bigger political pitch for cap-and-trade. The thinking is that he scaled back what he wants. “So I am happy to look at other ideas and approaches from either party -- as long they seriously tackle our addiction to fossil fuels,” he said. Realistically, however, the votes aren’t there in the Senate to pass a full cap-and-trade bill (and they probably weren’t there a year ago, either). Remember when some of Obama’s advisers like Rahm wanted Obama to push for a scaled-back health bill? Well, he didn’t agree with that. But what seems likely on energy, though, is that energy/climate change will be the thing that gets scaled back. Scott Brown’s election didn’t kill health-care reform. But what it did do -- by extending the health debate for another two months, with members having to take more tough votes -- was kill a big comprehensive energy/climate change bill. For those familiar with how this speech was put together, it's clear the political folks got a hold of this energy language, as one enviro activist who is close to the White House put it.

*** What is going on in Florida? All of a sudden, Florida is beginning to turn into a problem for Republicans. In the GOP gubernatorial primary, establishment favorite Bill McCollum is in trouble against wealthy Rick Scott, creating a path to victory for Democrat Alex Sink, despite the fact that her own campaign hasn’t caught fire. And now wealthy Jeff Greene giving Kendrick Meek a run in the Democratic Senate primary, which could benefit Charlie Crist in the state’s three-way Senate contest. Why? Here’s the answer from Politico’s Martin: “The emergence of a politically unknown billionaire self-funder in the Florida Senate race is prompting top Democrats in the state to say publicly what some have been whispering for weeks: If Jeff Greene, who got rich betting on the collapse of the housing market, becomes their nominee, many in the party will have the cover they need to get behind Republican-turned-independent Gov. Charlie Crist.” Talk about everything breaking Crist’s way (outside of the Jim Greer news). Meek had a real opportunity here, but so far hasn’t seized it. And Marco Rubio’s campaign -- which worked to push Crist out of the GOP race -- doesn’t appear to have anticipated the possibility that Crist might end up as the de facto Dem nominee. Indeed, Rubio's campaign has been pretty flat-footed since the Crist party switch. As one GOP operative put it to us: Rubio’s the dog that caught the car; he now doesn't know what to do next.

*** And what’s going on in Nevada, Kentucky, and Illinois? These haven’t been the best couple of weeks for GOP Senate candidates in high-profile races outside of Florida. In Nevada, as Politico’s Ben Smith has pointed out, Sharron Angle’s national rollout is looking somewhat similar to Sarah Palin’s in the fall of 2008 (it turns out she was once a member of the American Independent Party, she once suggested armed insurrection against the government, and she’s only doing interviews with conservative outlets). In Kentucky, Rand Paul has had to deal with another media hit (the fact that he isn’t certified by the eye-doctor profession’s leading group). And in Illinois, Mark Kirk has seen his military service -- which should be a positive -- become a negative (the Pentagon said it cautioned Kirk about mixing politics with his military service). If Republicans have a HUGE night in November but fail to come close in picking up the Senate, this paragraph should be clipped-and-saved and reviewed as the reason.

*** Dem concerns in Pennsylvania and Ohio: As the Obama administration knows well, there are always ups and downs in politics. And, for Senate Republicans, these are still heady days, especially considering the NRSC’s map in June ’09 vs. June ’10. But make no mistake: The GOP’s ability or inability to win these three contests -- or also the ones in CO, MO, OH, or PA -- will be the difference between a good Election Night and an OK one. Yet Republicans aren’t the only ones who are struggling with outsider candidates right now. In Pennsylvania, there is concern about Joe Sestak’s campaign structure. And in Ohio, Dems are worried about Lee Fisher’s poor fundraising numbers. As we wrote a few weeks ago, the outsiders -- Angle, Paul, Sestak -- have their pluses and minuses. It's amazing how many poorly run campaigns there are in major races that both parties are having to deal with.

Countdown to UT primary and NC and SC run-offs: 6 days
Countdown to AL run-off: 27 days
Countdown to GA primary: 34 days
Countdown to OK primary: 41 days
Countdown to KS and MO primaries: 48 days
Countdown to CO and CT primaries: 55 days
Countdown to Election Day 2010: 139 days

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From NBC's Athena Jones
PENSACOLA, FL -- President Obama wrapped up a two-day, three state tour of the Gulf Coast with a speech at the Naval Air Station here, promising that his administration would do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to help the region recover.

He drew applause from the crowd of service members with a pledge to make sure that BP pays the costs of clean up and for the economic effects of the oil that has been pouring into the Gulf of Mexico for more than a month, closing down fisheries, fouling beaches, killing wildlife, hurting tourism, and leading the government to declare a six-month moratorium on exploratory drilling in deep water.

This swing marks the president's fourth trip to the Gulf since the worst environmental disaster in the nation's history began in late April. He visited Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, meeting with state and local officials and business owners, visiting staging facilities for responders, and getting frequent updates on clean up and containment efforts from Adm. Thad Allen, the national incident commander and a constant travel companion on this trip.

"Let me say to the people of Pensacola and the Gulf Coast: I am with you, my administration is with you for the long haul to make sure BP pays for the damage that it has done and to make sure that you are getting the help you need to protect this beautiful coast and to rehabilitate the damaged areas, to revitalized this region and to make sure that nothing like this ever happens again," Obama said. "That is a commitment I am making to the people of Florida and people all across this Gulf."

Sensitive to criticism that the president was slow to respond to this disaster, the White House has been eager to show the American public that Obama is engaged and that the administration is in control.

Adm. Allen announced today the establishment of three deputy incident commanders to lead oil impact mitigation and clean-up efforts in Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida -- a move meant to help improve coordination between local governments and provide aid to the affected communities.

After the speech, the president was headed back to Washington, where he is set to deliver his first address to the nation from the Oval Office. In his remarks, according to a White House official, Obama will talk about clean-up efforts and what will be necessary to restore the Gulf; declare his help to protect those who have been hurt economically; outline the changes he believes are necessary to prevent a repeat of such a disaster; and discuss steps to reduce the country's dependence on oil and fossil fuels.

Administration officials have stressed the need for a prompt and timely process for handling claims against BP. They want the company to set up an escrow account -- administered by a third party -- to deal with damage claims, a topic Obama will address when he meets with BP officials at the White House on Wednesday.

From NBC's Marcie Rickun and Stephen Chang
Here's a look back at some noteworthy speeches presidents have made from the Oval Office:

John F. Kennedy
10/22/1962 – Radio and Television Report to the American People on the Soviet Arms Buildup in Cuba
6/11/1963 - Report to the American People on Civil Rights

Lyndon B. Johnson
3. 3/31/1968 – Speech Declining to Seek Reelection
4. 7/27/1967 – The President’s Address to the Nation on Civil Disorders (Riots)

Richard Nixon
5. 8/8/1974 – Address to the Nation Announcing Decision to Resign the Presidency (37th Speech from the Oval Office)

Gerald Ford
6. 9/8/1974 – Pardon of Richard Nixon

Jimmy Carter
7. 4/18/1977 – Energy Problems
8. 7/15/1979 – “Malaise” Speech

Ronald Reagan
9. 1/28/1986 – Speech on the Challenger Disaster
10. 3/4/1987 - Speech on Iran Arms and Contra Aid Controversy
11. 1/11/1989 – Farewell Speech (34th Speech in oval office)

George H.W. Bush
12. 1/16/1991 – Address to the Nation Announcing Military Action in the Persian Gulf

Bill Clinton
13. 8/3/1993 – Economic Progress and Budget Deficit
14. 10/7/1993 – Address to the Nation on Somalia
15. 9/15/1994 – Address to the Nation on Haiti
16. 8/20/1998 – On Bombing of Sudan and Afghanistan

George W. Bush
17. 9/11/2001 – Address to the Nation on September 11th, 2001
18. 3/19/2003 – Address to the Nation on the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom
19. 9/13/2007 - Address to the Nation on the War on Terror in Iraq

Previewing Obama’s 8:00 pm ET Oval Office address on the Gulf spill… The president yesterday called the spill “an ongoing assault”… The battleground state of Virginia is on pace to run a budget surplus… But is Afghanistan the next big Washington crisis?... Another poll points to GOP gains this November… Mrs. Angle goes to Washington… Rand Paul and Meg Whitman deal with dirty laundry… Two lessons from Bob Etheridge’s shoving video… And Mitt Romney stumps for Bill McCollum down in Florida.

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg
*** Back in primetime: Another back-against-the-wall moment for Barack Obama, another big speech. How many times have we seen him faced with a crisis of some sort -- Jeremiah Wright, health care’s prospects after those summer town halls, and now the BP spill in the Gulf -- and deliver an anticipated speech in response, usually meeting or exceeding expectations? At 8:00 pm ET, Obama gives his first address from the Oval Office after spending his morning in the Gulf (this time Pensacola, FL). In his speech tonight, the president will outline the government's response to the spill, trying to put the best face on what's been the worst environmental disaster in the nation's history. He’ll also try to show he's holding BP accountable, not just for the cleanup but for financial damages. In addition, he’ll discuss the ongoing strategies for containing the leak, decreasing America’s dependence on fossil fuels, and beginning the process of restoring the Gulf’s ecosystem.

*** Confronting an “ongoing assault”: Yet unlike the Wright and health-care situations, the Gulf spill has no end in sight. You could quiet (for a while) Jeremiah Wright, and you could have the congressional math on your side (as was the case in health care). But no one quite knows how to stop the spill. Obama acknowledged this fact yesterday. "It's not just simply one catastrophic event; it’s an ongoing assault.” So his task tonight is a bit different: demonstrate to the public that his administration is doing everything possible to mitigate the spill’s impact, to reimburse Gulf residents, and to hold BP’s feet to the fire.

*** How many times have we said that Obama’s giving a make-or-break speech? But like the past crises Obama has faced, many will cast tonight’s address in make-or-break terms. In fact, here’s how we previewed Obama’s address to Congress in Sept. 2009: “This week is as much a presidential leadership/character test, as it is a debate about health care. How the president takes control of this town this week -- not just health care -- is going to be a tone-setter potentially for how the president runs this town for the rest of his term.” It's just another big moment for a president who has faced plenty of big moments already in his first year and a half on the job.

*** A big economic-political green shoot? Lost in all the focus on the BP spill, as well as last month’s disappointing jobs report, is this pretty important news from the battleground state of Virginia: It’s on pace to post a budget surplus with increased tax revenues. Gov. Bob McDonnell’s (R) office yesterday emailed this yesterday: “With the new numbers in, and on the heels of the first back to back months of increases in general fund revenue collections since March-April 2008, the Commonwealth is now on pace to post a revenue surplus at the conclusion of the fiscal year on June 30.” It’s a reminder that it’s possible in this 24-7 media environment to fixate so much on the trees that you lose sight of the forest.

*** The next big Washington crisis? But here’s a forest story that could be another problem for the Obama administration, especially among anti-war Democrats. Per the Washington Post’s front page, “A series of political and military setbacks in Afghanistan has fed anxiety over the war effort in the past few weeks, shaking supporters of President Obama's counterinsurgency strategy and confirming the pessimism of those who had doubts about it from the start. The concerns, fed largely by unease over military operations in southern Afghanistan that are progressing slower than anticipated, spurred lawmakers to schedule last-minute hearings this week to assess progress on the battlefield and within the Afghan government.” General David Petraeus and Defense Undersecretary Michele Flournoy today testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee, and they will testify on the House side tomorrow.

*** Another positive poll for the GOP: Turning to the midterms, a new NPR poll of 1,200 likely voters in 70 battleground congressional districts -- conducted by Glen Bolger (R) and Stan Greenberg (D) -- shows Republicans with an eight-point generic-ballot edge, 49%-41%. This underscores what we’ve all known: The Democrats are going to lose seats. The question is how many -- 20 or 25 (near the historical average in a president’s first midterm election) or 39 or more (which would make John Boehner the next House speaker)?

*** When the outsiders come inside: Today, Sharron Angle -- Harry Reid’s opponent in November -- comes to Washington for a two-day visit to meet with GOP and conservative leaders. Per the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Nevada Sen. John Ensign will introduce her at the Senate GOP’s weekly luncheon, and then she will meet with National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair John Cornyn. But Politico writes that the meetings are more than meet-and-greets. "Angle is coming to Washington for two days of meetings designed to reassure worried Republican leaders that she will not let Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid define her as an eccentric right-wing extremist before her campaign against Reid even gets off the ground." Meanwhile, another prominent GOP outsider candidate -- Rand Paul -- will be coming to D.C. on June 24 for a fundraiser hosted by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

*** Doctor, doctor -- give me the news…: Speaking of Paul, the Kentucky GOP Senate nominee has stayed out of the news -- until yesterday. The AP says Paul, “who touts his career as a Kentucky eye doctor as part of his outsider credentials in his campaign for U.S. Senate, isn’t certified by his profession’s leading group. He tried Monday to bat away questions about it by calling it an attack on his livelihood, saying the scrutiny stems from his challenge of a powerful medical group over a certification policy he thought was unfair. The libertarian-leaning Republican helped create a rival certification group more than a decade ago. He said the group has since recertified several hundred ophthalmologists, despite not being recognized the American Board of Medical Specialties — the governing group for two dozen medical specialty boards.”

*** Dirty laundry day: Rand Paul isn’t the only one dealing with a tough story. In California’s gubernatorial race, the New York Times reports that Meg Whitman (R) once shoved an eBay employee, who was later awarded about $200,000. That eBay employee, though, still works for the firm. The story doesn’t look like a continued problem for the Whitman campaign, but it does highlight that her tenure at eBay is going to receive plenty of additional scrutiny. And speaking of shoving, the Bob Etheridge (D) video drives home these two points: 1) Andrew Breitbart and his protégés learned the biggest lesson from the “Macaca” incident, and 2) politicians have to be prepared that they’ll be ambushed on the right or the left, and must behave better than Etheridge did.

*** More midterm news: In Florida, Mitt Romney will appear at a press availability with Bill McCollum… And in South Carolina, Henry McMaster will endorse Nikki Haley at a news conference at 10:00 am ET in Columbia.

Countdown to UT primary and NC and SC run-offs: 7 days
Countdown to AL run-off: 28 days
Countdown to GA primary: 35 days
Countdown to OK primary: 42 days
Countdown to KS and MO primaries: 49 days
Countdown to CO and CT primaries: 56 days
Countdown to Election Day 2010: 140 days

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