Firm with Murtha Ties Got Earmarks From Nearly One-Fourth of House  —  More than 100 House members secured earmarks in a major spending bill for clients of a single lobbying firm — The PMA Group — known for its close ties to John P. Murtha , the congressman in charge of Pentagon appropriations.

Steele: GOP needs ‘hip-hop’ makeover  —  NEWSMAKER INTERVIEW:  —  Newly elected Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele plans an “off the hook” public relations offensive to attract younger voters, especially blacks and Hispanics, by applying the party's principles to “urban-suburban hip-hop settings.”

Valenti's Sexuality Was Topic For FBI  —  Under Pressure, LBJ Let Hoover's Agents Investigate Top Aide  —  When Beltway insider Jack Valenti died two years ago at age 85, he was playing the role of intermediary between Washington and Hollywood as the theatrical, snowy-haired president of the Motion Picture Association of America.

The RAT hiding deep inside the stimulus bill  —  The far-reaching — and potentially dangerous — provision that no one knows about.  —  You've heard a lot about the astonishing spending in the $787 billion economic stimulus bill, signed into law this week by President Barack Obama.

Budget plan goes to Schwarzenegger after Legislature's OK  —  The deal is done.  —  The California Legislature voted early today to approve a massive budget package of tax increases, spending cuts and borrowing to close a $40 billion deficit after granting major concessions to one holdout Republican senator.

U.S. Sen. Roland Burris is on thin ice with Illinois colleague Sen. Dick Durbin  —  Burris has been stung by his acknowledgment of trying to raise funds for Blagojevich  —  U.S. Sen. Roland Burris' failure to fully disclose his ties to former Gov. Rod Blagojevich has put his future in the Senate …

The Face of Shrillness  —  (updated below - Update II - Update III)  —  This Fox News interview with Virg Bernero — the Mayor of highly unionized Lansing, Michigan and himself the son of a retired GM worker — is, for several reasons, really worth watching (h/t Brainwrap).

FIRST THOUGHTS: NOWHERE TO GO BUT UP  —  From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro  —  *** Nowhere to go but up: One thing was absolutely clear about the home-foreclosure plan President Obama unveiled yesterday: It was received MUCH better than Geithner's rollout of Phase II of the bank rescue plan.

Budget to kick off health care rewrite  —  At the end of the day last Wednesday, Obama aides and a handful of Senators hashed out the details of a $787 billion spending package in Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's office.  —  Larry Summers, the architect of the plan, was no longer in the room …

What Happened With Hitchens  —  Lefty blogs have the details of this wrong.  —  I wasn't there.  I was there, however, for the immediate after-action report, and have heard it told ten times by now, including most of it from Hitchens.  Although I didn't really bother asking much, as I'd already heard it.

President Obama's Top Republican Ally  —  SACRAMENTO-While tensions are rising between President Obama and Congressional Republicans, California's Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says he is eager for more opportunities to partner with Obama on big issues like health care and energy.

TOP 10 REASONS PRESIDENT BARACK H. OBAMA IS NOTHING LIKE TRAVIS THE CHIMP  —  10. Travis understood TurboTax  —  9. Obama somewhat less likely to attack Biden  —  8. Travis never lied  —  7. Obama's smile not quite as genuine  —  6. Travis could get through entire day without teleprompter

WHO IS THE COWARD?  —  Attorney General Holder has called America “a nation of cowards” when it comes to “things racial.”  According to Holder, “average Americans” are afraid to “talk enough with each other about race.”  —  By using the word “cowards,” Holder has gotten himself some attention, at least for today.

E.P.A. Expected to Regulate Carbon Dioxide  —  WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to act for the first time to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that scientists blame for the warming of the planet, according to top Obama administration officials.

Is the Administration Winging It?  —  Obama's reputation for competence is at risk.  —  Team Obama demonstrated remarkable discipline during the presidential campaign.  From raising an unprecedented amount of money to milking every advantage from the Internet to grabbing lots of delegates …

Age of Deflation?  —  Stocks slid within striking distance of the November bear-market low on Tuesday, as grim manufacturing data signaled the recession is worsening and warnings on risks facing European banks underscored the continuing toll of the financial crisis:

Egyptian Political Dissident, Imprisoned for Years, Is Suddenly Released  —  CAIRO — Egypt's most prominent political dissident and a one-time presidential candidate, Ayman Nour, was unexpectedly released from prison on Wednesday after the United States and European governments had pressed for years to have him set free.

Clinton Tells of Why She Took the Job  —  JAKARTA, Indonesia — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton visited a development program in a working-class neighborhood here and spoke about her decision to work for the man who defeated her for the presidential nomination, on her second day in Indonesia before flying to Seoul.

Netanyahu, put your money where your mouth is  —  Why isn't Benjamin Netanyahu setting up a right-wing government?  Why isn't he carrying out the voters' will to position the right wing in power?  Why isn't he taking the opportunity that fell into his hands to form a government in tune with his doctrine?

Drowning by Fire Hose  —  “Suppose my neighbor's home catches fire, and I have a length of garden hose. . . . I don't say to him . . . ‘Neighbor, my garden hose cost me $15 . . .’ ”  —  “When the town is burning, you don't check party labels.  Everybody needs to grab a hose.”

Going to war with the Yanks  —  Like most of the media-saturated world, I sat captivated in front of my television on Jan. 20 listening to President Barack Obama's inaugural speech, thinking of the new era being ushered in.  —  Being military, I have often had the occasion to work closely …

Modifying Mortgages Can Be Tricky  —  MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — When her brother could no longer help support her, Luzetta Reeves asked her small mortgage company to cut her monthly payments.  It did — by 11 percent — making it possible for her to afford her house here on her modest fixed income.

Washington Post runs George Will's newest column without issuing a correction for his last one.»  —  On Sunday, the Washington Post printed a climate change denial column by George Will that contained several demonstrable falsehoods.  Despite the loud chorus of critics pointing …

How Low Will Newspapers' Ad Revenues Go?  —  When Arthur Sulzberger Jr. refused to talk to his own reporter about the financial condition of the New York Times Co., it was the latest sign of an industry in deep trouble.  —  After all, the Times is not only the nation's top-selling metropolitan daily …

“Humane Alternatives”  —  Reading the pseudo-world-weary way in which some on the right in America still defend the use of torture, however euphemistically rephrased, always takes me back to Orwell.  Some want to define “actual” torture in ways that mean that freezing someone to near-death …

Carrion appointed, and another lobbying exception?  —  Only somewhat belatedly, Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion formally got the job as White House Director of Urban Affairs this morning.  —  The White House also announced that Derek Douglas, a former Center for American Progress official …