Congressman: Murtha's intestine damaged in surgery (AP)
AP - A Pennsylvania congressman and longtime friend of the late Rep. John Murtha says the congressman's large intestine was damaged during gallbladder surgery and the complications led him to be hospitalized.

U.S. and EU fear fresh government crackdown in Iran (Reuters)

Reuters - The United States and the European Union said on Monday they feared the Iranian government may crack down on opponents during this week's anniversary of Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution.

Pa. Special Election Likely in May (CQPolitics.com)
CQPolitics.com - State election officials are looking at holding a special election to fill the vacancy created by the death of Democratic Rep. John P. Murtha on May 18, the previously scheduled statewide primary date.

Neb. Democrat joins GOP to oppose labor nominee (AP)
AP - Nebraska's Democratic senator says he will join Republicans in opposing a union lawyer's nomination to serve on the National Labor Relations Board.

Souter to speak at Harvard's commencement (AP)
AP - Harvard University says retired Supreme Court Justice David Souter will be the principal speaker at its spring commencement ceremony.

Obama's health summit faces long odds against success (McClatchy Newspapers)
McClatchy Newspapers - WASHINGTON — Don't count on President Barack Obama's upcoming health care summit to thaw the bitter political climate that's stalled legislation for months, analysts said Monday, not least because Republicans remain wary of the plan.

Obama Asks Republicans to Health-Care Overhaul Talks (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg - Feb. 8 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama is pushing lawmakers to restart a stalled overhaul of the U.S. health-care system by inviting Republican and Democratic lawmakers from the House and Senate to a half-day meeting on Feb. 25.

Shelby lifts hold on nominees (Politico)
Politico - Alabama Republican had placed procedural roadblock on more than 70 executive nominees.

Rep. John Murtha, voice for veterans, dies at 77 (AP)

AP - Rep. John Murtha, the tall, gruff-mannered former Marine who became the de facto voice of veterans on Capitol Hill and later an outspoken and influential critic of the Iraq War, died Monday following complications from gallbladder surgery. He was 77.

Obama's healthcare summit sets stage for end-game (Reuters)

Reuters - President Barack Obama's call for a healthcare summit including both his fellow Democrats and Republicans sets the stage for a final push to get stalled legislation through Congress, but skeptical Republicans said on Monday the only solution is to start over.

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Paterson, Dems discuss his future
There is buzz that a blockbuster, Spitzer-level story is about to break about the embattled governor.

Coats hires Cheney spokesman
Former Republican Sen. Dan Coats has hired a high-profile spokesman -- Kevin Kellems, the former communications director for Vice-President Dick Cheney -- as he looks to challenge Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh.

NRCC expands Young Guns program
On Monday the National Republican Congressional Committee announced a new round of candidates had been added to its “Young Guns” recruitment program for meeting fundraising and campaign organization benchmarks to receive additional support from the party.

Lansing mayor joins Mich. gov. race
Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero announced his candidacy Monday for the Democratic nomination in the Michigan governor's race. 

Scott turns eyes to Congress
South Carolina state Rep. Tim Scott announced Monday he's abandoning his campaign for lieutenant governor to run for Congress, raising the prospect that he could become the first African-American Republican in the House since 2003.

Snyder and Hutchison's Super Bowl ads
Two Republican candidates lagging in governor primary contests--Kay Bailey Hutchison in Texas and Rick Snyder in Michigan--shelled out to advertise during the Super Bowl Sunday night, in the hope of getting their messages out to an unusually large television audience.

Pence endorses Rubio
Pence joins other conservative leaders in breaking with the NRSC to back Rubio over Crist.

Herenton: 'We just want one'
Former Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton launched his primary challenge to Rep. Steve Cohen over the weekend with a racially infused rallying cry – "We just want one!" – spotlighting the absence of African-Americans in Tennessee's House delegation.

Gillibrand to hit Ford over bonus
Days after New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo filed suit against Bank of America for alleged fraud in its merger with Merrill Lynch, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand plans to hone in on would-be primary challenger Harold Ford Jr.’s association with the two banks.

S.C. GOP unites with tea party
State Republican Party says it will share resources and coordinate messaging with tea party groups.

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Congressional Letter Questions Obama's Commitment to Bipartisanship

The letter is penned by House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA).  

Administration Proposes New Agency to Study Climate Change

A new Climate Service agency will operate with NOAA's National Weather Service and National Ocean Service, the Commerce Department announced Monday.

Republicans Come to Health Care Table Willing to Negotiate

Republicans say they have no idea yet who will be invited to join President Obama later this month to discuss health care reform but they have plenty of ideas if Obama is sincere about wanting to work together. 

Administration, GOP Start Listing Demands Ahead of Health Care Talks

The Obama administration argued premiums Monday while House Republicans argued process as both sides girded for what looks like three weeks of posturing before televised bipartisan health care talks commence Feb. 25.

Feds Commit $78.5 Million to Fight Asian Carp in Midwest Waterways

Obama administration launches plan to limit Chicago-area locks and gates from opening to prevent the giant carp from dominating the Great Lakes.

New York Gov. Paterson Meets With Lawmakers Over Future

A Democrat close to the situation says the meetings included discussions about whether he would resign or announce he will not run.

Geithner Claims Mortgage Modifications a Success Despite House Probe

Millions more Americans are facing financial security as a result of stabilizing home prices, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said Sunday, even though only about 66,000 people have benefited from permanent mortgage loan modifications aimed to prevent foreclosure, a figure that has resulted in a House panel investigation.

Bloomberg Questions Fed's Bill-Paying Sincerity for 9/11 Trials

New York Mayor Bloomberg raises doubts about federal government's readiness to pay for a trial of Sept. 11 suspects in Manhattan.

Feds Admit They Wrongly Tracked Wisconsin Abortion Groups

The department said in a memo that it destroyed or deleted all of the copies of the assessment after an internal review found it violated intelligence gathering guidelines about "protest groups which posed no threat to homeland security."

First Lady to Launch Anti-Childhood Obesity Campaign

The first lady wants to change the way millions of Americans eat, exercise, look and feel.

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Boozman relying on conservative values
Rep. John Boozman, Arkansas Republican, said Monday he will highlight his conservative values and experience as a small-business owner in his bid this year to win the state's U.S. Senate seat. "I'm the conservative voice [voters] want in Washington," Mr. Boozman said on The Washington Times' "America's Morning News" radio show. Mr. Boozman, 59, announced his run Saturday and already leads incumbent Sen. Blanche Lincoln, a Democrat, by 23 points, according to Public Policy Polling. A Rasmussen Reports poll last week had him leading Mrs. Lincoln by 19 points. Mr. Boozman, an optometrist, said starting an eye clinic with his ...

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Ads for census cost $2.5 million
Faced with record levels of red ink into the foreseeable future, Washington spent $2.5 million to create buzz for the census - by advertising during the Super Bowl. The Census Bureau is hoping to exploit the strong ratings from this annual attraction, aiming to get more participation from people who now seem disinclined to mail back a government questionnaire or even answer the door. Census officials call it a good investment, saying the front-end costs of purchasing the ads can be recouped quickly if they succeed in encouraging people to mail back their census forms. Not everyone is happy with ...

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Obama to host televised, bipartisan meeting on health care
In an effort to put Republicans on the spot on health care, President Obama said he will invite them to the White House for a televised meeting later this month to try reignite the push for a bill. Republicans said they will meet but said the only way to get the negotiations going is if the president promises to start over. Mr. Obama, in an interview with CBS that aired just before the Super Bowl on Sunday, welcomed their ideas and said he wants to comb through the best proposals. "I want to ask them to put their ideas on ...

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Aide: Stop criticizing anti-terror effort
UPDATED: An exasperated Obama administration newly committed to preaching partisan peace slammed Republicans for playing politics on national security and making ignorant allegations about the investigation into the Christmas airliner plot. Deputy national security adviser John Brennan complained Sunday that politicians, many of them Republicans, were unfairly criticizing the administration for partisan purposes and second-guessing the case with a "500-mile screwdriver" that reaches from Washington to the scene of the abortive attack in Detroit. "Quite frankly, I'm tiring of politicians using national security issues such as terrorism as a political football," Mr. Brennan said. "They are going out there, they're ...

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Rep. John Murtha of Pa., 77, dies
UPDATED: HARRISBURG, Pa. — Rep. John Murtha, a retired Marine Corps officer who became the first Vietnam War combat veteran elected to Congress and later an outspoken and influential critic of the Iraq War, died Monday. He was 77. The Pennsylvania Democrat had been suffering complications from gallbladder surgery. He died at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Va., spokesman Matthew Mazonkey said. Murtha was an officer in the Marine Reserves when he was elected in 1974. Ethical questions often shadowed his congressional service, but he was best known for being among Congress' most hawkish Democrats. He wielded considerable clout for ...

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Nev. governor plans emergency address on budget
CARSON CITY, Nev. | Nevada's budget is so far out of balance that by one account the state could lay off every worker paid from the general fund and still be $300 million in the red. The economic downturn has hit so hard that prisons may be closed, entire colleges shuttered and thousands left without jobs. Against the backdrop of an imploding economy and an $881 million shortage, Gov. Jim Gibbons will try in an emergency "State of the State" address Monday to explain the depth of the state's financial crisis and how he is fixing the gaping hole in ...

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Palin to tea party: It's revolution time
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Sarah Palin declared "America is ready for another revolution" and repeatedly assailed President Barack Obama on Saturday before adoring "tea party" activists, a seemingly natural constituency should she run for president. "This movement is about the people," the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee said as the crowd roared. "Government is supposed to be working for the people." Noting Democrats' recent electoral losses just a year after Obama was elected on promises of hope and change, she asked: "How's that hope-y, change-y stuff workin' out for you?" Her audience waved flags and erupted in cheers during multiple ...

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Nominee for Illinois lt. governor bows out
CHICAGO — The Democratic nominee for Illinois' lieutenant governor dropped out of the race Sunday night, less than a week after winning the nomination, amid a political uproar about his past. Announcing his decision at a Chicago bar packed with patrons watching the Super Bowl, a tearful Scott Lee Cohen said the Democrats were not certain they could win with him on the ticket. He said he was stepping down because he did not want to jeopardize the Democratic Party ticket. "This is the hardest thing that I ever had to do in my life," he said before choking up ...

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Palin: President run may be 'right thing'
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said Sunday that President Obama will not be re-elected unless he radically alters his policies, and she declared that she might — just might — consider running for his job in 2012. Fresh off a fiery speech at the first national "tea party" convention, the 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate said Mr. Obama has been tone-deaf to the economic angst of the American people and their national security concerns but has time to burnish his credentials by playing "the war card." "Say he played, and I got this from [Pat] Buchanan, reading one of his columns ...

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Landrieu elected New Orleans mayor
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Mitch Landrieu was elected mayor of New Orleans on Saturday, replacing term-limited Ray Nagin and becoming the majority-black city's first white mayor since 1979 -- the year his father, Moon Landrieu, left the office. Landrieu, a 49-year-old moderate Democrat and Louisiana's lieutenant governor, won handily over a field of 10 opponents in a campaign that focused on the city's slow recovery from Hurricane Katrina, violent crime and slumping city finances. Voting came amid Carnival celebrations and preparations for Sunday's New Orleans Saints appearance in Super Bowl XLIV. Flanked by family members including his father and his ...

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