Hello and welcome to The Daily Read, our recommended reading for Thursday. See something we missed? Post your suggestions in the comments below.

The Big Bailout » Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke urges Congress to approve plan in midst of "grave threat" ... lawmakers look to presidential candidates for an indication of who might inherit Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson's role managing the bailout ... meanwhile, crisis turns into a Capitol Hill camp-out for lobbyists ... and it looks like the FBI has been investigating AIG since March. — The Washington Post

The Campaign Trail » Annual filings show that John McCain's campaign manager, Rick Davis, has remained the treasurer and a corporate director of a lobbying firm that has consulted for mortgage giant Freddie Mac since 2006, despite campaign claims that Davis had severed ties with the firm ... meanwhile, an Alaska state representative is calling for an inquiry into potential witness tampering in the ongoing "troopergate" investigation of Gov. Sarah Palin ... Christian ministers across the country are planning to use their pulpits Sunday to endorse presidential candidates in defiance of a federal ban on campaigning by nonprofit groups ... and Florida Republican Rep. Tom Feeney has an unusual reelection ad out this week, apologizing for a 2003 trip funded by disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. — Newsweek, CNN, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal

Rangel Watch » The House ethics committee is launching a formal investigation to determine whether Rep. Charles Rangel, chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, had broken House rules with several reported lapses in his personal finances and fundraising. — Associated Press

New Medtronic Allegations » A former Medtronic Inc. lawyer is accusing the big medical-device maker of enticing surgeons to use its products with regular entertainment at a Memphis strip club, trips to Alaska and patent royalties on inventions they played no part in. — Wall Street Journal

Air Force Sanctions » At least six Air Force generals, ranking from one to three stars, have had disciplinary actions taken against them for their role in the mistaken shipment of fuses for nuclear warheads to Taiwan, defense officials said yesterday. — Washington Post

The Iraq War » The Iraqi Red Crescent humanitarian group has been crippled by allegations of embezzlement and mismanagement, including what Iraqi officials call the inappropriate expenditure of more than $1 million on Washington lobbying firms in an unsuccessful effort to win U.S. funding ... meanwhile, Western lawyers raise new concerns about the handling of Saddam Hussein's trial and death sentence. — Washington Post, New York Times