OBAMA AL-ARABIYA INTERVIEW: FULL TEXT  —  Here is the full text of President Obama's interview with Al-Arabiya Arab TV Network:  —  INTERVIEW OF THE PRESIDENT BY HISHAM MELHEM, AL ARABIYA  —  Map Room  —  Q Mr. President, thank you for this opportunity, we really appreciate it.

Boehner to GOP: Vote against stimulus  —  President Barack Obama is coming to the Capitol later today in a bid to curry favor with congressional Republicans.  But it appears GOP leaders have already made up their minds to oppose his $825 billion stimulus plan.

Kristol Severs Ties With the N.Y. Times  —  Bill Kristol and the New York Times parted company yesterday, one year after he began writing a weekly opinion column that became a high-profile target for his detractors on the left.  —  But the conservative commentator, who edits the Weekly Standard …

PATERSON LYIN' KING OF STATE  —  KNOWS KENNEDY LEAKER  —  ALBANY - Gov. Paterson yesterday insisted he had no idea who did the slime job on Caroline Kennedy - although the source of the information is about as close to him during the day as his wife is at night.  —  He's a liar.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009  —  CBO has released a cost estimate for H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which was introduced today in the House of Representatives.  A link to the full cost estimate can be found here.

Governor on tour as trial starts  —  Blagojevich's words warrant conviction, state senators told  —  SPRINGFIELD — The lead prosecutor in Illinois' historic impeachment trial urged the state Senate on Monday to remove Gov. Rod Blagojevich from office for crimes against the public …

Power, politics, gossip on daily call  —  The conversations don't begin with hello.  They don't end with goodbye.  Most often they pick up with a low, drawling voice uttering something between a sentence and a grunt.  —  “Wahzgoanawn?”  —  For those not accustomed to hearing James Carville …

The Same Old Song  —  What's up with the Republicans?  Have they no sense that their policies have sent the country hurtling down the road to ruin?  Are they so divorced from reality that in their delusionary state they honestly believe we need more of their tax cuts for the rich …

“VERY DIFFICULT”  —  Some train wrecks are just impossible to watch and impossible not to watch.  Here's ex-Merrill CEO John Thain explaining the whole $1.2 million office renovation story in an interview with CNBC's Maria Bartiromo this afternoon.  The first question is just about the office renovation …

Animal Spirits Depend on Trust  —  The proposed stimulus isn't big enough to restore confidence.  —  President Obama is urging Congress to pass an $825 billion stimulus package as soon as possible.  But even that may not be enough to stabilize the economy, since it fails to take into account …

Geoff Meade, defence correspondent  —  Iran will have enough enriched uranium to make a single nuclear weapon later this year, the prestigious International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) predicts.  —  The think tank's Mark Fitzpatrick made the announcement at today's launch of its annual global review of military powers.

Geography Is Dividing Democrats Over Energy  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama is moving quickly to act on the environmental promises that were a centerpiece of his campaign.  But tackling global warming will be far more difficult — and more costly — than the new emissions standards …

Ten Things You Can Do To Save The Planet  —  A Go-Green Guide for the Hollywood Community  —  More than ten years after the Kyoto accords, our planet continues to careen helplessly toward certain environmental destruction.  The skies are choked with pollutants.  Adorable helpless polar bears plunge through thinning ice caps.