Lawmakers spend 1K/month on taxpayer-funded cars (Politico)
Politico - They blame fuel-efficiency mandates and short-term leases for high costs.

Obama, Medvedev encouraged on arms talks accord (AP)

AP - President Barack Obama on Saturday had what the White House described as an "encouraging" phone conversation with Russian President Dmitrty Medvedev as the two countries sought to work out the remaining issues on a treaty to significantly reduce nuclear arsenals.

US census forms arrive in the mail: What to expect (AP)

AP - Let the count begin.

Common problems when filling out US census forms (AP)
AP - Some common problems when filling out U.S. census forms, which arrive by mail beginning Monday:

U.N. Iran sanctions may take until June: Kouchner (Reuters)

Reuters - A U.N. resolution on new sanctions against Iran may not be ready until June and if a vote on it fails, European states could take unilateral measures instead, French and Finnish ministers said on Sunday.

A Specter-Toomey Money Split on K Street (CQPolitics.com)
CQPolitics.com - The reverberations on K Street are still being felt nearly a year after Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) switched political parties, with Specter loyalists maintaining their support while some big business interests and longtime Republican donors are distancing themselves.

Toyota Criticism Mounts on Eve of Recall Hearings (Bloomberg)

Bloomberg - Feb. 23 (Bloomberg) -- Toyota Motor Corp.’s handling of recalls came under mounting criticism on the eve of the automaker’s U.S. congressional testimony, including charges that the company misled the public on the adequacy of its recalls.

Obama heads to Ohio looking for health care votes (AP)

AP - Still seeking votes for his proposed health care overhaul, President Barack Obama appears ready to reverse his position and allow unpopular deal-sweetening measures in the hopes of finding Democratic support for legislation whose future will be decided in coming days.

Gov't says it cannot explain runaway Toyota (AP)

AP - The federal government said Monday it cannot explain a reported incident of sudden, high-speed acceleration in a Toyota Prius on a San Diego, Calif., freeway last week.

Obama's health care legacy hangs on power of Clyburn's persuasion (McClatchy Newspapers)

McClatchy Newspapers - WASHINGTON — The looming vote for final passage of the historic health-care bill is the stiffest challenge House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn has faced in his three-plus years as the lawmaker responsible for counting heads and ensuring passage of major legislation.

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Barrett taps House account for defense
Rep. Gresham Barrett is using some of his federal campaign money on ads to defend his record against attacks from the group Americans for Job Security. The Virginia-based group's ads had criticized Barrett over his vote for the Troubled Asset Relief Program. Though Barrett is running for governor, the use of federal funds to buy response ads is apparently permissible because he's defending his voting record rather than advertising his new campaign.

Taylor won't challenge Gillibrand
Michael Bloomberg's girlfriend's name is added to the long list of non-Gillibrand challengers.

Cantor, Senor for Altschuler
House GOP Whip Eric Cantor and potential Senate candidate Dan Senor are appearing at a Manhattan fundraiser for congressional candidate Randy Altschuler, who's running against Democratic Rep. Tim Bishop, the New York Daily News reports

Baird endorses Heck as successor
Retiring Democrat Brian Baird endorsed businessman and former state Rep. Denny Heck to succeed him in Congress.

Martinez romps N.M. straw poll
Dona Ana County Attorney Susana Martinez won an impressive 47 percent of the delegate vote for governor at Saturday's state GOP convention. Former state Republican Party Chair Allen Weh came in second, with 26 percent of the vote, while Pete Domenici Jr. lagged badly in the mid-single digits.

Third a charm for Oxendine?
GOP Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine has appointed his third campaign manager in less than a year, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Rubio's spending under scrutiny
Former GOP state House speaker may have used political contributions on questionable items.

No free lunches for Walker campaign
The Associated Press scrutinized Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker's campaign spending and found some expenditures on food and fundraising events don't quite line up with the Republican's billing as a tight-fisted fiscal conservative.

Palin's dad backs Tarkanian
He says: "You supported my daughter Sarah Palin, now please join me in supporting another strong conservative."

Shopping for a Matheson challenger
Though former state Rep. Morgan Philpot is already in the race, some Republicans are still shopping around for another challenger to Democratic Rep. Jim Matheson.

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Social Security to Start Cashing Uncle Sam's IOUs

This year, for the first time since the 1980s, when Congress last overhauled Social Security, the retirement program is projected to pay out more in benefits than it collects in taxes ? nearly $29 billion more.

Promises, Promises: Health Care Bill is Biggest 'Faith-Based' Vote Ever in House

The White House and Democratic leaders, who express certainty that the House will approve a Senate-passed health care bill, insist the widely-reviled bill won't become law even though President Obama must sign it into law before changes demanded by House lawmakers can be made.

White House Challenges Republicans to Use Health Care for 2010 Election

Expressing an increasing confidence that a massive health care overhaul will pass Congress -- despite dire warnings from Republicans about its impact on Democrats in November -- White House officials on Sunday dared the GOP to bring it on during this fall's 2010 midterm election.

ACORN Branches Rebrand After Video Scandal

The letters A, C, O, R and N are coming off office doors from New York to California. Business cards are being reprinted. New signs with new names are popping up in front of offices.

Pentagon Shooter's Guns Were Once Tennessee Police Evidence

Guns that were previously used in prosecutions by police were traded to licensed gun dealers but somehow ended up in the hands of individuals not legally permitted to carry one.

Democrats Dump Student Aid Overhaul Into Health Care Bill

If a yearlong struggle to pass sweeping health care reform that will affect every American wasn't enough for Democrats, they have now decided to add a sweeping overhaul of student aid to the bill.

Israeli Envoy: U.S. Ties in 'Crisis of Historic Proportions'

Israeli media carried Ambassador Michael Oren's remarks as officials said the Obama administration is pressuring the Jewish nation to scrap the east Jerusalem building project that has ignited turmoil.

Gibbs: Momentum is Growing to Pass Health Care This Week

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs expressed confidence Sunday that the House will pass a Senate version of health insurance reform that is tied up by lawmakers doubtful that the Senate bill can be fixed after it's signed into law.

Reid's Wife Released From Hospital After Traffic Accident

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's wife has been released from a Virginia hospital, where she was taken after being seriously injured in a traffic accident. 

Rielle Hunter Reveals Details of First Tryst With Edwards in Tell-All Interview

John Edwards' mistress has revealed for the first time how the illicit lovers fell in lust and slept together the night they met -- and claims the presidential candidate predicted the wild romp would cause his premature ejection from politics. 

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Pelosi confident House will pass health care
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Saturday she's confident the House will pass health care legislation and dismissed Republican criticism that she did not have enough votes for the measure. "We're very excited about where we are and will not be deterred by estimates that have no basis in fact," she said during a dedication of the renamed Lim P. Lee Post Office in San Francisco. The post office was renamed after the nation's first Chinese-American postmaster. Pelosi declined to say when House members would vote on a health care bill, or how many votes that she ...

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Sen. Brown bashes 'bitter' health push
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Newly arrived Republican Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts accused President Barack Obama and Democrats on Saturday of a "bitter, destructive and endless" drive to pass health overhaul legislation that Brown warned would be disastrous. "An entire year has gone to waste," Brown said in the weekly GOP radio and Internet address. "Millions of Americans have lost their jobs, and many more jobs are in danger. Even now, the president still hasn't gotten the message. "Somehow, the greater the public opposition to the health care bill, the more determined they seem to force it on us anyway." Brown ...

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Senate, Obama spar over health plan's pet projects
UPDATED: WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama says he wants projects helping specific states yanked from the health care bill Congress is writing. Democratic senators, being senators, beg to differ. The Senate-approved health measure lawmakers hope to send to Obama soon would steer $600 million over the next decade to Vermont in added federal payments for Medicaid and nearly as much to Massachusetts. Connecticut would get $100 million to build a hospital. About 800,000 Florida seniors could keep certain Medicare benefits. Asbestos-disease victims in tiny Libby, Mont., and some coal miners with black lung disease or their widows would get ...

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Dems: 'Won't be long' for health care
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Under White House pressure to act swiftly, House and Senate Democratic leaders reached for agreement Friday on President Barack Obama's health care bill, sweetened suddenly by fresh billions for student aid and a sense that breakthroughs are at hand. "It won't be long," before lawmakers vote, predicted Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She said neither liberals' disappointment over the lack of a government health care option nor a traditional mistrust of the Senate would prevent passage in the House. At the White House, officials worked to maximize Obama's influence over lawmakers who control the fate of legislation that has ...

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Obama picks liberal for appeals court
Thirteen months into his presidency, Barack Obama finally gave liberal supporters the kind of judicial nominee they had sought and conservatives feared. Goodwin Liu, 39, is an unabashed liberal legal scholar who, if confirmed, could become a force on the federal appeals court for decades. There's talk that in time, the Rhodes Scholar, former high court clerk and current assistant dean and law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, could be the first person of Asian descent chosen for the Supreme Court. "I can easily imagine him" as a high court nominee, said Erwin Chemerinsky, a Liu supporter and ...

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Clyburn: Not enough votes yet to pass health care bill
UPDATED: The House's chief Democratic head-counter said Sunday he hadn't rounded up enough votes to pass President Obama's health care overhaul as negotiations head into a make-or-break week, even as the White House's top political adviser said he was "absolutely confident" in its prospects. The administration gave signs of retreating on demands that senators jettison special home-state deals sought by individual lawmakers that have angered the public. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs predicted House passage this week, before Mr. Obama travels to Asia, a trip he postponed to push for the bill. "This is the week where we will have ...

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White House stands ground against Supreme Court
The White House isn't backing down from its criticism of the U.S. Supreme Court over a campaign finance ruling. White House officials said Sunday that President Obama still believes the court made a poor ruling when it allowed corporations and unions to spend money freely on ads for or against specific candidates. Obama adviser David Axelrod said the decision is a threat to democracy. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said interests groups will increase their influence because of the ruling. Last week, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said he was troubled by Mr. Obama's criticism during the State ...

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Inside the Beltway
MISS ME YET? "Public cynicism that the federal government operates in an atmosphere of secrecy is as strong as ever, despite President Obama's promises to make government information more easily available to the public," says research from the American Society of News Editors, Scripps Howard News Service and Ohio University released Monday. Certain realities of the world persist, apparently: The new survey of 1,001 adults found that 70 percent believe that the federal government is either "very secretive" or "somewhat secretive." The largest portion of respondents, 44 percent, said it is "very secretive." That finding "matches the worst rating the ...

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Political Scene
FED Official: Obama wants Yellen as vice chief President Obama wants to nominate Janet Yellen, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, to take over as vice chairman of the Federal Reserve, an administration official said Friday. Mrs. Yellen, who was a top economic adviser to President Clinton, is considered a dove on monetary policy, meaning she is more worried about high unemployment than rising inflation. She would become the second highest ranking Fed official. Mr. Obama is also considering filling two other vacancies on the Federal Reserve board with Sarah Raskin, the Maryland commissioner of financial ...

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GOP to use amendments as tactic
Capitol Hill Republicans are crafting hundreds of amendments in hopes of tripping up the health care overhaul if Democrats scrape up the votes needed to resuscitate the long-stalled measure by week's end. Even though Democratic leaders on Sunday conceded they didn't yet have the votes to pass President Obama's overhaul out of the House, Senate Republicans are threatening to put up hundreds of amendments — one of the few weapons in their limited arsenal — to force Democrats to take difficult votes on politically sensitive subjects. Amendments don't have to be relevant to the subject matter under the controversial tactic ...

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