Full text of Obama's speech to Congress and the nation  —  Here is the text of President Obama's first address to a joint session of Congress, as released by the White House moments ago:  —  Madame Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, and the First Lady of the United States:

Obama Claim: Done More in 30 Days Than Other Presidents  —  Economy Will Dominate Obama Speech Tonight  —  The Obama administration is going into tonight's pivotal speech to Congress with the belief that President Obama has accomplished more in the first 30 days in office than any modern president.

OBAMA'S HEALTH CARE PLAN EXPECTS AN INDIVIDUAL MANDATE.  —  I've now been able to confirm with multiple senior administration sources that the health care proposal in Obama's budget will have a mandate.  Sort of.  —  Here's how it will work, according to the officials I've spoken to.

Soldier doubts eligibility, defies president's orders  —  ‘As an officer, my sworn oath to support and defend our Constitution requires this’  —  A U.S. soldier on active duty in Iraq has called President Obama an “impostor” in a statement in which he affirmed plans to join as plaintiff …

Officials: Most troops out of Iraq in 18 months  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama plans to remove all U.S. combat troops from Iraq by August 2010, administration officials said Tuesday, ending the war three months later …

Hearst seeks changes at Chronicle  —  (02-24) 14:30 PST NEW YORK — The Hearst Corp. today announced an effort to reverse the deepening operating losses of its San Francisco Chronicle by seeking near-term cost savings that would include “significant” cuts to both union and non-union staff.

Scandal-plagued Republican says Burris should resign  —  Louisiana Sen. David Vitter (R), who survived a 2007 sex scandal, called on Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) to resign Tuesday for his ethical shortcomings.  —  Vitter was connected with a prostitution ring two years ago and dismissed …

Killing (or Maiming) a Sacred Cow: Home Mortgage Deductions  —  Edward L. Glaeser is an economics professor at Harvard.  —  The Great Depression provided an opportunity to rethink old policies in a major way.  In the current morass, everything should, once again, be open for debate.

Join Us Tuesday Night for O-BINGO!  —  On Tuesday at 9:00 PM Eastern, President Obama will address a joint session of Congress.  To help get you through the 50-minute speech, use our handy Bingo card to check off terms and phrases likely to be used.  As a bonus, print out the different versions …

Jindal accuses Obama of pessimism  —  The early excerpts of Bobby Jindal's response to Obama's State of the Union are largely standard fare, but the conclusion strikes an interesting note — one hinted at recently by Bill Clinton — accusing the president, basically, of pessimism.

Full text of Gov. Bobby Jindal's Republican response  —  Here is the full text of Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's Republican response to President Obama's address to Congress tonight:  —  Americans Can Do Anything  —  “Good evening.  I'm Bobby Jindal, Governor of Louisiana.

WBAL-TV fires reporter over prank  —  John Sanders inserted a graphic phrase in a faked video that ended up on YouTube  —  WBAL-TV has fired a reporter who inserted a graphic phrase in a video for a prank — only to have the doctored version surface on Web sites nationwide.

Tennessee's Democratic Governor Weighs Rejecting Stimulus Funds  —  Brad Haynes reports on politics.  —  Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen says he's still among the top candidates for a post in the Obama cabinet, but that hasn't discouraged him from possibly rejecting some of the stimulus money …

The Region: America, look behind you!  Turn around!  Turn around!  —  America: A freight train is heading your way and you're standing right on the tracks, looking in the wrong direction.  —  Or perhaps it is like a horror film in which the killer sneaks up behind the hapless victim while the movie audience yells: “Turn around!

Live Blogging Obama's Speech  —  Click below for live commentary on Obama's address to Congress, beginning Tuesday at 9:00 PM EST.  —  Obama's Address to Congress

Northern Trust defends spending on PGA event, parties  —  Rep. Barney Frank said he's going to ask for the money back.  —  Phil Mickelson of USA plays his approach shot on the 10th hole during the final round of the Northern Trust Open at the Riviera Country Club February 22, 2009 in Pacific Palisades, California.

Obama Assures Nation: ‘We Will Rebuild’  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama urged the nation on Tuesday to see the economic crisis as reason to raise its ambitions, calling for expensive new efforts to address energy, health care and education programs even as he warned that more money might be needed to bail out banks.

Likely Obama Appointee Had Ties to Bin Laden Family  —  Blogs and Stories  —  Charles Freeman, Obama's reported pick for chairman of the National Intelligence Council, talked business with the Bin Laden family even after September 11.  —  Amid the criticism that has already emerged …

JINDAL BLOGGING  —  “Pre-existing condition”?  Is it just me or is this absolutely cringeworthy?  I mean, I really don't like Jindal.  But this is awful.  —  10:26 PM ... Is he going to talk about his work as an exorcist?  —  10:28 PM ... Katrina as metaphor for opposing the Stimulus Bill.

Why Obama's Deficit-Spending Plan Will (Probably) Work  —  Will the Obama deficit-spending plan work?  Will throwing $800 billion—$500 billion in extra government spending, and $300 billion in tax cuts—at the economy produce a world in which production and employment are higher …

Politics in the Guise of Pure Science  —  Why, since President Obama promised to “restore science to its rightful place” in Washington, do some things feel not quite right?  —  First there was Steven Chu, the physicist and new energy secretary, warning The Los Angeles Times that climate change …

Armed guards pulled from Cicero polls  —  Cook County Sheriff's police ordered armed security personnel hired by Cicero President Larry Dominick to leave polling places during today's primary election, according to the Cook County Clerk David Orr.  —  Cicero President Larry Dominick inside his election headquarters today.

Newsom sneaking around and sipping out of a bottle?  —  Is the Green Mayor holding out on us?  —  This week, the City Insider spotted an almost empty case of bottled water in the back of Mayor Gavin Newsom's hybrid sport utility vehicle as it was parked in front of City Hall.

Obama Job Approval Dips Below 60% for First Time  —  Fifty-nine percent now approve as more express no opinion on his performance  — USA - Government - Government and Politics - Leadership - The Presidency - Americas - Northern America  —  PRINCETON, NJ — For the first time since …

Spain makes Guantanamo offer  —  Spain's foreign minister has said his country is prepared “in principle” to take in some inmates released from the Guantanamo Bay US military camp.  —  Miguel Angel Moratinos was speaking after a meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington.

Bunning: ‘I would have a suit’ if Republicans recruit an opponent  —  Sen. Jim Bunning is vowing to fight back as his feud with Republican leadership over his 2010 re-election bid spills into the national political scene.  —  If Republican campaign organizations tried to recruit another candidate …

GOP governor: Congressional leadership ‘inconsequential’  —  S.A. Miller and Stephen Dinan, THE WASHINGTON TIMES  —  NEWSMAKER INTERVIEW:  —  The Republican governor of Utah on Monday said his party is blighted by leaders in Congress whose lack of new ideas renders them so “inconsequential” …

Nine Cascades In Vacuum  —  Nine Cascades In Vacuum  —  I wanted to talk about Joby Warrick's story, Iran Easing Aspects Of Nuclear Program, Report Cites Lag at Centrifuge Facility.  A senior UN official told journalists that Iran has slowed installation of a second module of 3,000 centrifuges: