PRESS DIGEST - Washington Post - June 26

Washington June 26 (Reuters) - The Washington Post included the following items on its front page on June 26. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

---

The Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional to execute someone who rapes a child, issuing a broad decision that reserves the death penalty for murderers and those who commit crimes against the state.

---

Nearly two decades of legal battles over the Exxon Valdez oil spill came to an end when the Supreme Court slashed the punitive damages imposed against Exxon Mobil from $2.5 billion to $500 million. ---

As Sen. John McCain's top presidential campaign adviser, Richard Davis has worked for almost a year without compensation. He also took a protracted leave from his Washington lobbying firm to distance himself from ethical questions.

---

Just a month ago, Republican strategists were trying to closely link Democratic House candidates to Sen. Barack Obama, convinced that in certain parts of the country Obama would drag candidates from his own party down to defeat. This week, a Republican senator, Gordon Smith of Oregon, included words of praise from Obama as part of an ad promoting his own reelection.

---