House Passes $819 Billion Economic Stimulus  —  Republicans Wary of Package's Price Tag, Spending Priorities  —  With no Republican support, the House approved an $819 billion stimulus plan that will serve as the cornerstone of President Obama's efforts to resuscitate the economy …

Revealed: the letter Barack Obama's team hope will heal Iran rift  —  Officials of Barack Obama's administration have drafted a letter to Iran from the president aimed at unfreezing US-Iranian relations and opening the way for face-to-face talks, the Guardian has learned.

WHAT A GUY  —  Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-TX) revealed more of himself than anyone cared to see, at the expense of Salon's Joan Walsh, this evening on “Hardball.”  In a debate with Walsh over tax policy, Armey let loose with this chauvinistic gem: “I am so damn glad …

Geithner Says Plan for Banks Is in the Works  —  WASHINGTON — As lawmakers pressed the Obama administration for details of how it would assist financial firms that have been rapidly deteriorating, Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner said Wednesday the administration is working on a comprehensive plan to …

REPORT: GOP Lawmakers Outnumber Democratic Lawmakers 2 To 1 In Stimulus Debate On Cable News  —  As Media Matters has documented, during the Bush administration, the media consistently allowed conservatives to dominate their shows, booking them as guests far more often than progressives.

GOP Congressman Intros ‘Rangel Rule,’ Eliminating IRS Late Fees  —  The Texas Republican introduced a bill Wednesday to eliminate all IRS penalties and interest for paying taxes past due.  —  FOXNews.com  —  Americans may be able to rest a little easier this April if Congressman John Carter, R-Tex. gets his way.

Alba schools Fox's O'Reilly in WW II history  —  Plus: Simpson won't spin weight loss; Anderson finds trailer-park love  —  Jessica Alba is setting the record straight: Sweden was neutral during World War II.  —  Alba and Fox TV show host Bill O'Reilly traded punches last week after the presidential inauguration.

The defense doesn't rest  —  Blagojevich pulls surprise, will go today to deliver closing argument at trial  —  SPRINGFIELD — His career tattered but his dramatic flair intact, Gov. Rod Blagojevich reversed course Wednesday and accepted the Illinois Senate's challenge to explain in person …

White House Unbuttons Formal Dress Code  —  WASHINGTON — The capital flew into a bit of a tizzy when, on his first full day in the White House, President Obama was photographed in the Oval Office without his suit jacket.  There was, however, a logical explanation: Mr. Obama, who hates the cold, had cranked up the thermostat.

Mike Pence's Ode to Rush Limbaugh  —  Here's some video of Mike Pence being an idiot and talking about the joys of Rush Limbaugh:  —  The most egregious thing here, and I guess this will be the new conservative approach, is that in response to a substantive criticism of Rush, Pence turns around and denies that Rush is a racist.

Bush holdovers populate Defense  —  Robert Gates, the first defense secretary asked to stay on by a newly elected president, is keeping about 150 political appointees — at least temporarily, according to a list of names making the rounds in defense circles.

Obama lawyers set to defend Yoo  —  In Democratic legal circles, no attorney has been more pilloried than former Bush Justice Department official John Yoo, chief author of the so-called torture memos that Barack Obama last week sought to nullify.  —  But now President Obama's incoming crew …

THE GOP'S FORGOTTEN MODERATE HISTORY  —  In one of his last interviews as president, George W. Bush called for a “compassionate” Republican Party and warned that the GOP must not become too ideologically inflexible: “It's very important for our party not to narrow its focus …

In China, a Grass-Roots Rebellion  —  Rights Manifesto Slowly Gains Ground Despite Government Efforts to Quash It  —  SHANGHAI — When Tang Xiaozhao first saw a copy of the pro-democracy petition in her e-mail inbox, she silently acknowledged she agreed with everything in it but didn't want to get involved.