Democrats Set Sights on Republican Senators Who Oppose Stimulus Plan  —  WASHINGTON — Senator Judd Gregg awoke to the bad news on Thursday morning that a coalition of Democratic groups had planned to run television advertisements in his state to pressure him to support President Obama's economic recovery plan.

U.S. Eyes Two-Part Bailout for Banks  —  The nation's top economic officials are discussing a new way to stabilize the financial system by buying a portion of banks' bad assets and offering guarantees against future losses on some of the remainder, in an effort to help banks while trying to mitigate the cost to taxpayers.

On His Way Out, Blagojevich Makes a Day of It  —  CHICAGO — As the nine-seat airplane raced through the skies on Thursday somewhere between Springfield and here, an onboard telephone began to ring.  —  Rod R. Blagojevich, the soon-to-be ex-governor of Illinois, instructed his aides not to answer.

Professor who slammed Clinton will be Obama aide  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Samantha Power, the Harvard University professor who earned notoriety for calling Hillary Rodham Clinton a “monster” while working to elect Barack Obama president, will take a senior foreign policy job at the White House, The Associated Press has learned.

What a 1988 college thesis by the former vice president's daughter tells us about the Bush presidency.  —  When I worked at the library at Colorado College, I quickly discovered the job had few perks.  The free book loans on demand were little better than subprime mortgages when you realized anyone could get them.

Army suicides at record high, passing civilians  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  WASHINGTON - Stressed by war and long overseas tours, U.S. soldiers killed themselves last year at the highest rate on record, the toll rising for a fourth straight year …

For GOP, a Case of Misshapen Identity  —  Who am I?  Why am I?  Where am I going?  —  So very, very much for the Republican to ponder in this Winter of the Democrats' Contentment.  So many questions.  Even the reliable color scheme has gone blurry.  Isn't that big-shot GOP strategist …

Former President George W. Bush, wife attend Baylor women's basketball game  —  ccarlton@dallasnews.com  —  A big women's basketball game between No. 2 Oklahoma and No. 4 Baylor just gained added prestige.  —  Former President George W. Bush and wife Laura attended Wednesday's game.

Sticking It to Rahm  —  We Hate Rahm: Inside the GOP's Obama Revolt by John Batchelor  —  Blogs and Stories  —  Emanuel, working with his old boss and ally, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, made it easy for the Republicans to resist.  Every penny in the more than 600-page bill came …

Senate passes bill to expand child health coverage  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  WASHINGTON - The Democratic-controlled Congress moved a step closer to handing President Barack Obama an early health care victory Thursday as the Senate passed …

Bush lawyer directs Rove not to talk to Congress—once again  —  Just four days before he left office, President Bush instructed former White House aide Karl Rove to refuse to cooperate with future congressional inquiries into alleged misconduct during his administration.

U.S. Says Jailed C.I.A. Mole Kept Spying for Russia  —  WASHINGTON — Since 1997, Harold Nicholson has been locked in a federal prison in Oregon, the highest-ranking officer of the Central Intelligence Agency ever convicted of espionage.  —  But even as federal inmate No. 49535-083 …

Health Care Now  —  The whole world is in recession.  But the United States is the only wealthy country in which the economic catastrophe will also be a health care catastrophe — in which millions of people will lose their health insurance along with their jobs, and therefore lose access to essential care.

After Jabs at Cheney, Biden Pursues an Activist Role  —  Vice President Follows Initial Gaffes by Diving Into Wide Range of Issues; Drawing Contrasts With Predecessor  —  WASHINGTON — Vice President Joe Biden, in a bid to become an influential second-in-command, is striving to carve out meaty roles for himself quickly.

Obama Distorts America's Stance on Muslims  —  Every new president flatters himself that he, kinder and gentler, is beginning the world anew.  Yet, when Barack Obama in his inaugural address reached out to Muslims by saying “to the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward …

Leaders of Turkey and Israel Clash at Davos Panel  —  DAVOS, Switzerland — Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey walked off the stage after an angry exchange with the Israeli president, Shimon Peres, during a panel discussion on Gaza at the World Economic Forum on Thursday, vowing never to return to the annual gathering.

North Korea tears up agreements  —  Communist North Korea has said it is scrapping all military and political agreements signed with the South, accusing Seoul of hostile intent.  —  South Korea's government had pushed relations “to the brink of a war”, the North's cross-border relations body said on state media.

Who's Undercutting Obama?  —  For the moment, at least, it's his press office  —  It's 3 p.m. and the phone in the White House press secretary's office is ringing.  It rings and rings and rings.  Eventually, a recorded voice asks callers to leave a message—followed by a second voice saying the voicemail box is full.

For first time, U.S. professors call for academic and cultural boycott of Israel  —  In the wake of Operation Cast Lead, a group of American university professors has for the first time launched a national campaign calling for an academic and cultural boycott of Israel.