How the Fed Failed to Tell Obama About The Bonuses  —  Federal Reserve officials knew for months about bonuses at American International Group but failed to tell the Obama administration, according to government and company officials, exposing problems in a relationship that is vital to addressing the financial crisis.

13 firms receiving federal bailout owe back taxes  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  WASHINGTON - At least 13 firms receiving billions of dollars in bailout money owe a total of more than $220 million in unpaid federal taxes, a key lawmaker said Thursday.

Duke Coach to Obama: Worry About the Economy, Not NCAA Picks  —  Reacting to news Obama picked North Carolina to win the NCAA Championship, Mike Krzyzewski says, “the economy is something that [the president] should focus on, probably more than the brackets.”

Inside AIG-FP, Feeling the Public's Wrath  —  A solitary flat-screen television hangs on the back wall of the trading floor inside the headquarters of AIG Financial Products here.  Wednesday afternoon, the most-talked-about employees in America huddled around it to find out just how despised they have become.

IDF in Gaza: Killing civilians, vandalism, and lax rules of engagement  —  During Operation Cast Lead, Israeli forces killed Palestinian civilians under permissive rules of engagement and intentionally destroyed their property, say soldiers who fought in the offensive.

Audio comedy gold: Bozo the Vice President is looking out for you  —  The gaffetastic gift that keeps on giving.  —  In trying times, we can always count on Bozo the Vice President to provide some welcome comic relief.  Joe Biden was The Newshour on PBS last night in full swagger …

Citigroup Said to Commit $10 Million for New Executive Suite  —  Citigroup Inc. plans to spend about $10 million on new offices for Chief Executive Officer Vikram Pandit and his lieutenants, after the U.S. government injected $45 billion of cash into the bank.

Julia Alasheyeva, Moscow  —  A picture has emerged apparently showing Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in his former days as a KGB officer.  —  The 20-year old photo depicts two world leaders - US President Ronald Reagan and the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev - in Moscow.

Top brass disturbed by GOP stalling of Iraq ambassador  —  There's one as yet unremarked constituency increasingly disturbed by some Republican senators' efforts to block the confirmation of former North Korea envoy Christopher Hill to be the next U.S. ambassador to Iraq: the U.S. military.

EXCLUSIVE: Obama's $500,000 book bonanza  —  Deal reached 5 days before he took office  —  As he empathized with recession-weary Americans, President Obama arranged in the days just before he took office to secure a $500,000 advance for a children's book project, a disclosure report shows.

No Return to Normal  —  Why the economic crisis, and its solution,  —  are bigger than you think.  —  B arack Obama's presidency began in hope and goodwill, but its test will be its success or failure on the economics.  Did the president and his team correctly diagnose the problem?

Networks reluctantly shuffle for Obama speech  —  Networks are pulling their shows over to the side of the road to make room for the lights and sirens of president Barack Obama's latest primetime address.  —  Obama will take to the air next Tuesday evening on four broadcast networks and bump …

The 100 People Who Are Changing America  —  It would be a luxury if the function of the list we present here were simply to shake ourselves out of complacency.  But, unfortunately, we are far beyond that.  With the election of Barack Obama and the deep hole that his predecessor left …

California Congressman Calls Maryland Home to Gain Tax Credit  —  A senior member of the U.S. House's tax-writing Ways and Means Committee from California has been taking advantage of a tax break for a home in Maryland that he claims as his principal residence.

Pelosi: House Dems blameless in AIG scandal  —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) kicked blame for the insertion of a provision allowing for AIG bonuses to go forward to the White House and the Senate on Thursday morning, saying House Democrats bore no responsibility for the bonus language at the center of the AIG storm.

Leading climate scientist: 'democratic process isn't working'  —  Protest and direct action could be the only way to tackle soaring carbon emissions, a leading climate scientist has said.  —  James Hansen, a climate modeller with Nasa, told the Guardian today that corporate lobbying …

EPA reports uptick in some toxic chemicals in 2007  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  WASHINGTON - The government is reporting that toxic chemical pollution from the nation's industrial plants and factories declined by 5 percent in 2007.

US to attend Afghan meeting in Russia  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  WASHINGTON - The Obama administration has accepted an invitation to attend a Russian-hosted conference on Afghanistan next week at which Iran is also expected to participate.

Obama: It's like AIG has a bomb strapped to them  — E-mail a friend - Print this - Letter to the Editor - Republish - - Get e-mail alerts - RSS  —  Maybe Iowa Senator Charles Grassley and President Obama have more in common than they think.  —  At least there are similarities when they discuss AIG.

AG's Marijuana Policy Slammed by GOP Senator  —  ABC News' Teddy Davis and Brian Hartman report:  —  Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley (R) ripped into Attorney General Holder on Thursday for announcing on Wednesday that the Obama administration will ease enforcement of federal marijuana laws in states …