CHANGE FOR THE WORSE  —  WASHINGTON - Buried deep inside the massive spending orgy that Democrats jammed through the House this week lie five words that could drastically undo two decades of welfare reforms.  —  The very heart of the widely applauded Welfare Reform Act of 1996 is a cap …

Cuomo Said to Eye Return of $4 Billion in Early Merrill Bonuses  —  Jan. 29 (Bloomberg) — New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo may demand the return of $4 billion in bonuses paid by Merrill Lynch & Co. just before it was acquired by Bank of America Corp., a person familiar with the matter said.

Obama vs Limbaugh: ‘Adult beverages’  —  President Barack Obama should think twice before making too much of the criticism of radio's Rush Limbaugh, Republican Sen. John McCain suggests.  —  While Limbaugh slams the Obama administration for the “pork” of the president's economic stimulus plan …

Nelson ‘Undecided’ On Recovery Plan: 'I Don't Even Know How Many Democrats Will Vote For It As It Stands'  —  On Wednesday, when the House voted 244 - 188 to approve the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, 11 Democrats joined with the entire Republican caucus in voting against the bill.

Time to put middle class front and center  —  For years, we had a White House that failed to put the middle class front and center in its economic policies.  —  President Obama has made it clear that is going to change.  And it's why he has asked me to lead a task force on the middle class.

GOP fights to keep Gregg in the Senate  —  Republicans in Washington and New Hampshire are mounting a full-court press to keep Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) in the Senate and out of the Obama administration, aides and senators said Friday.  —  But if he does take the commerce secretary job …

Cleaner and Faster  —  Throughout 2008, Larry Summers, the Harvard economist, built the case for a big but surgical stimulus package.  Summers warned that a “poorly provided fiscal stimulus can have worse side effects than the disease that is to be cured.”  So his proposal had three clear guidelines.

U.S. Removes Kashmir From Envoy's Mandate; India Exults  —  Inside a chandeliered ballroom Thursday, Indian diplomats and business leaders and American officials held forth about a new “Cooperation Triangle” for the United States, China and India.  But little mention was made at the Asia …

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 …

CLARITY  —  So we've just had a third vote in the RNC chairmanship race.  It's still pretty scattered.  But Michael Steele has moved into a clearer lead.  But there's also been movement in the direction of South Carolina party chair Katon Dawson.  In other words, we might be moving …

Monument to Bush shoe-throwing shines at Iraqi orphanage  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — For the war-beaten orphans of the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit, this big old shoe fits.  —  A huge sculpture of the footwear hurled at President Bush in December during a trip to Iraq has been unveiled in a ceremony at the Tikrit Orphanage complex.

Former USS Cole commander slams Obama on Guantanamo  —  The former commander of the USS Cole, the American war ship that was struck by a suicide boat in Yemeni waters more than eight years ago, on Thursday slammed President Barack Obama's orders to close the Guantanamo detention center and reassess the prisoners being held there.

New Jungles Prompt a Debate on Rain Forests  —  CHILIBRE, Panama — The land where Marta Ortega de Wing raised hundreds of pigs until 10 years ago is being overtaken by galloping jungle — palms, lizards and ants.  —  Instead of farming, she now shops at the supermarket and her grown children …

IL-Sen: The GOP's best lag behind  —  Research 2000 for Daily Kos. 1/26-28.  Likely voters.  MoE 4%, 5% for primary samples (No trendlines) … What can you say?  It's early and people aren't ready to make any calls.  Given that Rep. Jan Schakowsky and State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias …

Sticking It to Rahm  —  We Hate Rahm: Inside the GOP's Obama Revolt by John Batchelor  —  Blogs and Stories  —  From their shared loathing of Rahm Emanuel to the insurgency led by the minority leader ("he took us by the throat"), the inside story of why not a single House Republican supported the president's stimulus package.

Official: Blackwater's Iraq deal not to be renewed  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  WASHINGTON - The State Department will not renew Blackwater Worldwide's contract to protect American diplomats in Iraq when it expires in May, a senior U.S. official said Friday.

Duncan drops out  —  Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan ended his bid for re-election after fading in two rounds of voting.  —  “Obviously the winds of change are blowing at the RNC,” Duncan said, adding that he trusts the “vision” of his fellow members.  “I understand what's going on.”