Why Markets Dissed the Geithner Plan  —  Here's how he should handle the banks.  —  One of the cool things about being Treasury Secretary is that you get your signature on dollar bills, giving them authority, defending their honor.  Timothy Geithner's plan to save the struggling banking system probably does …

Lobbyist Inquiry Appears to Be Widening  —  WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors are looking into the possibility that a prominent lobbyist may have funneled bogus campaign contributions to his mentor, Representative John P. Murtha, as well as other lawmakers, two people familiar with the investigator's questions said Tuesday.

Group pledges to fight GOP senators who support stimulus  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — An influential conservative political action committee is pledging to support primary challenges to any Republican senator who backs the economic stimulus package — the latest public show of dissatisfaction …

House and Senate close in on compromise  —  From CNN's Brianna Keilar, CNN's Dana Bash, CNN's Deirdre Walsh, CNN's Ted Barrett  —  WASHINGTON (CNN)- Top lawmakers and White House officials ended more than nine hours of closed-door negotiations on the economic stimulus bill shortly …

Obama on Sweden  —  In response to a very good question for ABC News' Terry Moran, President Barack Obama specifically addressed why he's rejected a “Swedish” approach to the financial crisis: … Obama makes two arguments here, one about scale and one about national tradition.

Analysis: Election arithmetic puts Netanyahu in the driving seat  —  For all the confusion prompted by the near parity of Kadima and the Likud in Tuesday's election, and even before final adjustments necessitated by Thursday's release of soldiers' votes and the complex surplus-vote distribution …

CONGRESS $HOPPING CARTS  —  WASHINGTON - “Fore!”  —  The federal government is preparing to spend millions to purchase a fleet of small electric vehicles that critics compare to golf carts.  —  The $838 billion economic stimulus bill that passed the Senate yesterday contains $300 million …

A rocky first few weeks  —  Obama sputters out of the gate — but don't fear yet.  Plus: Buxom foodies, frocks for the ages, and the eternal appeal of Mary McCarthy and Justin Timberlake.  —  Money by the barrelful, by the truckload.  Mountains of money, heaped like gassy pyramids in the national dump.

Hillary's incredible, shrinking role  —  Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is finding that her job description is dissolving under her feet, leaving her with only a vestige of the power she must have thought she acquired when she signed on to be President Obama's chief Cabinet officer.

As Mainstream Exits D.C., Niche Media Tide Rises  —  The growing exodus of mainstream reporters from the nation's capital has ceded much of the turf to a new, more specialized kind of journalism.  —  Just as newspaper, magazine and television bureaus here are shrinking or shutting …

How to Save the Suburbs: Solutions from the Man Who Saw the Whole Thing Coming  —  For a half century, it's been easy to mock suburbia for being too comfortable, white-bread and conformist.  That's all changed in the last 18 months as many suburbs have abruptly taken on a sense of tragedy …

The president ran his prime-time press conference like a grad-school class.  —  The East Room of the White House has to be the fanciest room in which Professor Obama has ever held class.  But for an hour Monday night, he didn't seem to notice as he held a graduate seminar on the first 20 days …

For senators, tax questions are taxing  —  When Timothy Geithner appeared before the Senate Finance Committee last month, Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) accused the soon-to-be treasury secretary of “dancing around” questions about his taxes.  —  When news broke that Tom Daschle had failed …

On War Criminals' Trail, NBC News Stirs Criticism  —  NBC News, which teamed up with local police officers to trap sex offenders for its successful but scandalous “To Catch a Predator” series, is now using similar tactics to hunt bigger game: war criminals.  —  But one of the first efforts …

Strickland opposes Senate bailout bill  —  Proposal would hurt states, he says  —  WASHINGTON — Gov. Ted Strickland says the $827 billion stimulus package the Senate is expected to approve today would be “hugely harmful” to Ohio.  —  Because the revamped measure reduces money for states …

European bank bailout could push EU into crisis  —  A bail-out of the toxic assets held by European banks' could plunge the European Union into crisis, according to a confidential Brussels document.  —  “Estimates of total expected asset write-downs suggest that the budgetary costs …

Agent Claims Evidence on Stevens Was Concealed  —  WASHINGTON — An F.B.I. agent who worked on the investigation of Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, who was convicted on ethics charges, has said in a stunning formal complaint that a fellow agent and prosecutors contrived to improperly conceal evidence from the court and the defense.

10-Year-Old Spaniel Completes Comeback  —  At 10 years old, Stump the Sussex spaniel should be well into his dotage.  Instead, the dog who technically retired four years ago took home Best in Show on Tuesday at the 133rd Annual Westminster Kennel Club show at Madison Square Garden, becoming the oldest to win the award.

FIRST THOUGHTS: NEGOTIATING TIME  —  From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro  —  *** Negotiating time: This is Susan Collins', Olympia Snowe's, and Arlen Specter's world, and we're all just lucky to live in it, right?  With House and Senate negotiators working with the White House …

Where does the conservative movement go from here?  —  ANALYSIS/OPINION:  —  The conservative movement has a simple and almost certainly successful future if it does three things:  —  1. Advocate first principles with courage, clarity, persistence and cheerfulness.

Obama Paints America's Choice as His Plan or Nothing  —  President Obama likes to portray the battle over the economic stimulus package that passed the Senate on Tuesday as a stark choice between his approach and that of those who would “do nothing.”  —  “Nothing is not an option.

Best President?  Lincoln on Par With Reagan, Kennedy  —  However, Lincoln has unique bipartisan appeal  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Less than a month into Barack Obama's presidency, Obama's desire to emulate Abraham Lincoln can be found in his speeches, his bipartisan gestures, and his “team of rivals” approach to picking a cabinet.

EXCLUSIVE: Gear for Iraq may extend U.S. stay  —  Signals ties for long term  —  As President Obama weighs options for withdrawing U.S. combat troops from Iraq, the country's military is purchasing American helicopters, cargo planes and tanks equipment that typically requires a prolonged U.S. presence for maintenance and training.