White House Advisers Defend Obama Criticism Of Supreme Court
President Obama was correct on both policy and decorum when he stated his views on a controversial Supreme Court ruling during his State of the Union speech attended by six Supreme Court justices, senior White House officials said Sunday. Appearing on different Sunday television programs, Obama's senior advisor David Axelrod and press secretary Robert Gibbs defended the president's decision to express his pointed criticism of the campaign finance decision during the joint session of Congress in January. Fox News
VOA VIEW: The White House defends all its foolish comments and lies.

Boehner: Moving Gitmo Prisoners To U.S. 'Makes No Sense'
The top Republican in the House and a senior White House adviser on Sunday debated a plan for closing the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay and moving some of the terrorism suspects held there onto American soil. "They want $500 million from this Congress to rehabilitate this prison in northwest Illinois," John Boehner, R-Ohio, said on CNN's "State of the Union." "I want to see who the members are who are going to vote for this. I wouldn't vote for this if you put a gun to my head." CNN

ACORN Branches Rename, Rebrand After Video Scandal
Affiliates of the once mighty liberal activist group ACORN are remaking themselves in a desperate bid to ditch the tarnished name of their parent organization and restore federal grants and other revenue streams that ran dry in the wake of a video scandal. The letters A, C, O, R and N are coming off office doors from New York to California. Business cards are being reprinted. New signs with new names are popping up in front of offices. Detroit News
VOA VIEW: A skunk is a skunk, even if called by a different name.

Lockerbie Killer Lives
The Lockerbie bomber -- who was released from a Scottish prison last year because cancer had supposedly left him at death's door -- could be kept alive for up to five more years. Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi was said to have just months to live when Scottish authorities made the controversial decision to free him and allow him to return to Libya. But the terrorist, given a life sentence for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, which killed 270 people, has since been taking the chemotherapy drug Taxotere, the British paper The Sun reports today. NY Post

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U.S. Regains Huge Weapons Cache Lost By Afghans
U.S. forces have recovered a huge cache of weapons that was given to Afghan security forces but wound up in the hands of the Taliban, a U.S. military review has found. The Afghan army and national police have lost 13,000 weapons, 200,000 rounds of ammunition, 80 vehicles and one pair of night vision goggles, members of a U.S. task force told USA TODAY. All the gear was bought for the Afghans by Americans, part of $330 million in weapons purchases. USA Today

Dodd Set To Air Financial Reforms
The senator trying to rewrite the nation's financial-industry rules is dropping plans to create a stand-alone consumer financial protection agency and give a single regulator the power to oversee all banks, according to people familiar with the evolving proposal. Backing away from the proposal he offered four months ago, the chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee is now incorporating Republican ideas, and yet not one Republican senator is coming along so far. Washington Times

Fed Gets New Oversight Powers Under Dodd Bll
The Federal Reserve would win sweeping new powers over nonbank financial firms and keep much of its authority over banks, under revised legislation to be unveiled today by the chief architect of financial reform in the Senate. In a remarkable recovery by the U.S. central bank after a steep drop in its political popularity, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd was poised to release a bill that leans heavily on the Fed, sources said on Sunday. Reuters
VOA VIEW: A major mistake.

Intense Treatment Hopes For Diabetics Dashed
Key results from a landmark federal study are in, and the results are disappointing for diabetics: Adding drugs to drive blood pressure and blood-fats lower than current targets did not prevent heart problems, and in some cases caused harmful side effects. A decade ago, the federal government launched the three-part study to see whether intensely lowering blood sugar, blood pressure, or fats in the blood would reduce heart attacks and strokes in diabetics. The first piece of the study — about blood sugar — was stopped two years ago, when researchers saw more instead of less risk with that approach. Now, the other two parts of the study are in. MSNBC

GOP To Use Amendments As Tactic
Capitol Hill Republicans are crafting hundreds of amendments in hopes of tripping up the health care overhaul if Democrats scrape up the votes needed to resuscitate the long-stalled measure by week's end. Even though Democratic leaders on Sunday conceded they didn't yet have the votes to pass President Obama's overhaul out of the House, Senate Republicans are threatening to put up hundreds of amendments — one of the few weapons in their limited arsenal — to force Democrats to take difficult votes on politically sensitive subjects. Washington Times

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Soggy, Windblown Northeast Still In Dark
Utility crews pushed through fallen trees and windblown debris to reach downed power lines Sunday, working to restore electricity to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses as strong winds and heavy rain that wreaked havoc in parts of the Northeast pushed on into New England. CBS

Massa Mess: Washington Is 'Terminally Weird'
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, was accused this week by former Congressman and tickle party aficionado Eric Massa of a naked shower confrontation. The White House denies such a meeting ever took place, but on the “This Week” roundtable, we unearthed a fully clothed  clip from the 2006 documentary “Taking the Hill” in which then-Congressman Emanuel visited then-congressional candidate Ed Massa to give him some campaign advice.  His words of wisdom?  Don’t be angry, smile and try to be likeable. ABC

US Cautious On Removing Nuclear Arms From Europe
The U.S. is taking a go-slow approach on one of the touchiest and least discussed national security issues: whether to remove the last remaining Cold War-era U.S. nuclear weapons in Europe. Some officials in Germany and other U.S. allies in Europe are advocating a withdrawal, citing President Barack Obama's call last year for a nuclear-free world. But the U.S. is putting off an early decision, preferring to consult within NATO, starting at a meeting of foreign ministers in April that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton plans to attend, according to several Obama administration officials. Las Vegas Sun
VOA VIEW: A nuclear-free world is a naive idea.

US Agencies Are Still Slow To Open Files
President Obama is having difficulty getting all federal agencies to follow his order to deliver “a new era of open government,’’ according to a study of how they administer the Freedom of Information Act. The National Security Archive, a private group that publishes declassified government information and uses the act and lawsuits to pry out official records, found a decidedly mixed record in an audit of how 90 agencies responded to Obama directives to open more records, and the guidelines and training sessions that followed from the Justice Department. Boston Globe

US Census Forms Arrive In The Mail
Let the count begin. More than 120 million U.S. census forms begin arriving Monday in mailboxes around the country, in the government's once-a-decade population count that will be used to divvy up congressional seats and more than $400 billion in federal aid. Fast-growing states in the South and the West could stand to lose the most because of lower-than-average mail participation rates in 2000 and higher shares of Hispanics and young adults, who are among the least likely to mail in their forms. Houston Chronicle

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Alexander: Dems Are On "Kamikaze Mission"
Calling the Democrats "tone-deaf" in hearing what Americans want in health care reform, Republican Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee charged that the president and Congressional Democrats were guilty of the most brazen act of political arrogance since Watergate. Alexander also disputed remarks by White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs that Republicans were acting simply to block or stall action in Congress for their own political benefit. CBS

Obama's Focus On Financial Rules, Supreme Court Opinion Could Aid Democrats
Despite holding high-profile meetings last week on energy and immigration reform, President Obama will focus the next few months on two issues that could help his party in November: stronger financial regulations and ways to mitigate a Supreme Court ruling that allows direct corporate spending on behalf of candidates. Those priorities, although still difficult to achieve in a partisan Congress, are highly popular with the Democratic base and could force Republicans to choose between supporting the president or defending Wall Street when much of the country blames big business for the economic decline. Washington Post

White House: Israel Construction Plan An `Insult’
The White House isn't relenting in its strong criticism of Israel for plans to build 1,600 new apartments for Jews in east Jerusalem, which Palestinians are seeking as their future capital. Israel announced the construction plans this past week just as Vice President Joe Biden was visiting the region. President Barack Obama's chief political adviser says the Israelis' action was both an "affront" and an "insult." David Axelrod tells NBC's "Meet the Press" that the move undermines the fragile effort to bring peace to the troubled region. He says the timing of the announcement was "very destructive." Las Vegas Sun
VOA VIEW: The White House position is making matters worse - Israel will never accept or allow Jerusalem to be the Palestinian future capital.

Wen Rebuffing Yuan Calls Risks Retaliation From U.S. Congress
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao rebuffed calls for the yuan to appreciate, risking a further downturn in relations with the U.S. where lawmakers and economists say his stance is hampering a global recovery. “I don’t think the renminbi is undervalued,” Wen said yesterday at a press conference in Beijing marking the end of China’s annual parliamentary meetings, using another term for the yuan. Bloomberg

Stock Futures Point To Lower Open
Investors are entering the new trading week tentatively as the Federal Reserve meets to discuss interest-rate policy. Stock futures fell Monday. Overseas markets mostly fell. The Federal Reserve is scheduled to meet Tuesday. While it is unlikely to raise a key interest rate from historic lows, traders will be looking for clues in the Fed's statement as to when it might make a move. Charlotte Observer

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Health Care Bill Is Biggest 'Faith-Based' Vote Ever In House
The health care overhaul facing the House this week is being called the biggest faith-based vote ever considered by Congress. That's because the White House and Democratic leaders, who express certainty that the House will approve a Senate-passed health care bill, insist the widely-reviled bill won't become law even though President Obama must sign it into law before changes demanded by House lawmakers can be made. Fox News

3 People Associated With U.S. Consulate Killed In Mexico
Three people connected to the U.S. consulate in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, were killed in two drive-by shootings, a senior White House official told CNN Sunday. Two of the victims were an American employee at the consulate and her U.S. citizen husband. The husband of a Mexican employee of the consulate was also killed. The shootings happened Saturday afternoon, the official said. CNN

Project To Get Transplant Organs From ER Patients Raises Ethics Questions
In the hope of expanding a controversial form of organ donation into emergency rooms around the United States, a federally funded project has begun trying to obtain kidneys, livers and possibly other body parts from car-accident victims, heart-attack fatalities and other urgent-care patients. Using a $321,000 grant from the Department of Health and Human Services, the emergency departments at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center-Presbyterian Hospital and Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh have started rapidly identifying donors among patients whom doctors are unable to save and taking steps to preserve their organs so a transplant team can rush to try to retrieve them. Washington Post

Obama Travels To Ohio To Rally Health Plan Support
President Barack Obama flies to Ohio as he tries to drum up more support for his health insurance overhaul. He'll speak Monday at a recreation and senior center in Strongsville, outside Cleveland. Strongsville is the home of cancer patient Natoma Canfield, who wrote the president she gave up her health insurance after it rose to $8,500 a year. Canfield's sister, Connie Anderson, is scheduled to introduce the president at the event. After the event, Obama returns home to Washington for afternoon meetings in the Oval Office with senior advisers. Atlanta Journal
VOA VIEW: Every Obama political trip cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Jobs And Health Care Dominate Debate
With the House headed toward a crucial health care vote, the Senate this week will try to finally send its scaled-backed job creation measure to President Obama’s desk. Senate Democrats have set a procedural vote for today to cut off debate on the $15 billion-plus assortment of tax breaks meant to spur hiring, with the centerpiece being a payroll tax exemption for employers who hire those who have been out of work 60 days. NY Times

Beckham Begins Journey To Finland For Surgery
David Beckham left his hotel on crutches and headed to the airport Monday morning to catch a plane to Finland for surgery on his torn left Achilles' tendon. The former England captain was injured in the closing minutes of AC Milan's 1-0 win over Chievo Verona on Sunday. With his hopes of becoming the first English player to appear in four World Cups shattered and his future in international soccer in doubt, Beckham was slated for surgery either later Monday or Tuesday morning with specialist surgeon Dr. Sakari Orava. San Diego Union

House Democrat Says Still Short On Health Votes
White House officials on Sunday confidently predicted quick final passage of healthcare reform but a top Democratic vote-counter said the party still needs to line up more support in the House of Representatives. With President Barack Obama's sweeping healthcare overhaul headed for a final House vote this week, House Democratic Whip James Clyburn said Democrats were short for now of the 216 votes needed but he was confident they could find them. Reuters

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Commercial Mortgage Debt Rallies As TALF Ending
Commercial mortgage-backed bond returns are accelerating as the Federal Reserve ends support for the $700 billion market, showing growing confidence that loan defaults won’t derail the economic recovery. The securities, derived from debt on skyscrapers, shopping malls and hotels, returned 7.41 percent through March 12, compared with 2.55 percent in the fourth quarter, according to a Barclays Capital index. Top-rated securities are yielding about 3.03 percentage points more than Treasuries, the lowest spread since August 2008, according to Morgan Stanley data. Bloomberg

U.S. Corruption Taints Iraq Reconstruction
U.S. officials looking at Iraq reconstruction say they have opened more than 50 new cases by tracking large cash transactions made by Americans from Iraq. The allegedly corrupt transactions involve banks, loan payments, even payments to casinos, all linked to the $150 billion reconstruction program, The New York Times reported. The Times said some of the transactions involved people suspected of mailing tens of thousands of dollars from Iraq to themselves, or just having stuffed the money into luggage when leaving the country. Others involved millions in wire transfers, with suspects allegedly using the money to buy cars, jewelry or pay off massive casino debts.  UPI

US Wants Israel To Cancel Building Plan
Israeli officials said today that the U.S. is pressing Israel to scrap a contentious east Jerusalem building project whose approval has touched off the most serious diplomatic feud with Washington in years. Tensions in the city at the center of the spat were high, with police out in large numbers in Jerusalem's volatile Old City in expectation of renewed clashes. Top U.S. officials have lined up in recent days to condemn the Israeli plan to build 1,600 apartments in east Jerusalem, the sector of the city that the Palestinians claim for their future capital. Seattle Times
VOA VIEW: Obama should stay out of Israel's affairs.

NATO Says 1 Killed In Early-Morning Attack On Bagram Air Field
An early morning rocket attack on the largest U.S. military hub in Afghanistan killed one person Monday, NATO said. In the east, meanwhile, Afghan authorities thwarted three would-be suicide bombers from attacking a security post. NATO confirmed that the sprawling Bagram Air Field, north of the Afghan capital of Kabul, came under attack on Monday, but a spokesman disclosed no details other than the death. Sun Sentinel

Oil Falls Below $81 Amid Weak US Crude Demand
Oil prices fell below $81 a barrel Monday in Asia amid investor concerns flagging U.S. crude demand doesn't justify the recent rally. Benchmark crude for April delivery was down 35 cents to $80.90 a barrel at late afternoon Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 60 cents to settle at $82.09 on Friday. Kansas City Star

Indonesia Urges US To Reconsider Ban On Training
Indonesia urged the U.S. on Monday to consider lifting a ban on working with a commando unit accused of human rights abuses a decade ago, saying the country's military has undergone significant reform. Indonesia's special forces have concentrated on counterinsurgency issues in recent years, but were accused of major abuses in the former Indonesian province of East Timor in the late 1990s. East Timor has since become independent. Several countries, including the U.S. and Australia, suspended joint military training in the wake of the allegations, though Australia resumed training in 2005. SF Gate

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Abbas: Iran Hampering Unity Talks
PA leader says Iran is impeding efforts to reach a deal between Fatah and Hamas.   Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has blamed Iran for impeding reconciliation between his Fatah faction and its archrival Hamas. “Iran doesn't want Hamas to sign the Cairo reconciliation document,” Abbas said during a visit to Tunisia on Friday. Abbas said Hamas objected to signing an Egyptian-brokered deal with Fatah because of opposition from Teheran, and argued that the Palestinians should be “free from Iranian tutelage.” Jerusalem Post

Abbas: Iran Hampering Unity Talks
PA leader says Iran is impeding efforts to reach a deal between Fatah and Hamas.   Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has blamed Iran for impeding reconciliation between his Fatah faction and its archrival Hamas. “Iran doesn't want Hamas to sign the Cairo reconciliation document,” Abbas said during a visit to Tunisia on Friday. Abbas said Hamas objected to signing an Egyptian-brokered deal with Fatah because of opposition from Teheran, and argued that the Palestinians should be “free from Iranian tutelage.” Jerusalem Post

Senior Hamas Leader Seized In West Bank - Israeli Army
A leading member of the Palestinian militant group Hamas has been arrested in the West Bank, Israel's army says. It says Mahar Uda, 47, was seized overnight in the Ramallah region. He is said to be one of the founders of Hamas' armed wing in the West Bank. Hamas said Palestinian security forces helped Israel arrest Mr Uda. Israeli forces have been hunting for him for more than 10 years in connection with a series of deadly attacks in Israel. BBC

BNP Fights Extremism Strategy
British National Party leaders were under fire yesterday after it emerged that they were plotting to "derail" a government programme aimed at quashing violent extremism throughout the UK. A leaked email to BNP councillors revealed that the party is running a secret campaign to destabilise the Prevent strategy, set up three years ago to tackle "the specific problem of a small minority of young Muslims being attracted to violent groups". Independent

Chinese PM Rebuts Criticism Over Copenhagen Role
The Chinese prime minister, Wen Jiabao, today launched a robust defence of his country's place on the world stage, including a sharp rebuttal of what he called "baffling" criticism of his country's role at the Copenhagen summit. Acknowledging "serious disruption" in ties with the US and rising criticism of Chinese assertiveness on the climate, currency, trade and other issues, the premier said he wanted to set the record straight. Guardian

Taliban: Kandahar Bombings A ‘Warning’
Deadly bomb attacks in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar were a warning to NATO's top general that the Taliban are ready for a coming offensive in their heartland, the insurgents said Sunday. Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi said the bombings show the insurgents are still able to operate despite the buildup of Afghan and international troops in the south in preparation for a push into Kandahar province. MSNBC

Thai Protesters Threaten To March On Key Bangkok Sites
Tens of thousands of red-shirted protesters rallied in Bangkok to press for the Thai government dissolve parliament or face further demonstrations at key sites in the city. The protesters, many from the impoverished north and north-east, want the prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, to call new elections, which they believe will allow their political allies to regain power. The crowd was estimated by police at more than 100,000. The demonstrations have been building for two days as caravans of protesters poured into the city. The demonstrators stressed they would use only peaceful means. Guardian

Kim Jong-Il Keeps $4M 'Emergency Fund' In European Banks
South Korean intelligence officials told The Daily Telegraph that much of the money was held in Swiss banks until authorities there began to tighten regulations on money laundering. Mr Kim’s operatives then withdrew the money - in cash, in order not to leave a paper trail - and transferred it to banks in Luxembourg. The money is the profits from impoverished North Korea selling its nuclear and missile technology, dealing in narcotics, insurance fraud, the use of forced labour in its vast gulag system, and the counterfeiting of foreign currency. Telegraph

Parents Delaying Retirement To Pay For Adult Children
Research undertaken by The Children's Mutual found more than half (57%) of parents with 18- to 30-year-olds quizzed said they had ''no choice'' but to retire later. Four in 10 (43%) expected to work up to five years longer than desired due to the financial burden of their 'adult' children. Nearly one in 10 (9.3%) of the 1,484 parents questioned in January believed they would now be forced to work more than a decade longer, with some abandoning the dream of retiring altogether. Telegraph

Explosions Heard During Amnesty Talks
Twin explosions rocked a government building in Nigeria's restive and oil-rich Niger Delta region Monday, only minutes after a militant group promised to attack amnesty talks being held there, a government spokesman said. Delta state spokesman Linus Chima told The Associated Press that two people were injured in the bombing, which occurred at a government building in Warri. Chima said it initially appeared that the two bombs were placed inside cars near where a Nigerian newspaper, Vanguard, was helping hold a discussion with government officials about an amnesty deal offered to militants in the region. Tampa Tribune

Visiting Haiti, Ban Pledges That World Will Remain At Its Side
Shelter remains the biggest and most urgent priority in Haiti, two months after it was struck by a catastrophic earthquake, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today as he visited the country for the second time since the disaster and stressed that the world has not forgotten its people's plight. Mr. Ban met with President René Préval and Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive and toured a camp that is home to tens of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) on a one-day visit to the Caribbean country ahead of the international donors' conference for Haiti that will be held at United Nations Headquarters in New York on 31 March. UN News

Senior Hamas Leader Seized In West Bank
A leading member of the Palestinian militant group Hamas has been arrested in the West Bank, Israel's army says. It says Mahar Uda, 47, was seized overnight in the Ramallah region. He is said to be one of the founders of Hamas' armed wing in the West Bank. Hamas said Palestinian security forces helped Israel arrest Mr Uda. Israeli forces have been hunting for him for more than 10 years in connection with a series of deadly attacks in Israel. BBC

BNP Fights Extremism Strategy
British National Party leaders were under fire yesterday after it emerged that they were plotting to "derail" a government programme aimed at quashing violent extremism throughout the UK. A leaked email to BNP councillors revealed that the party is running a secret campaign to destabilise the Prevent strategy, set up three years ago to tackle "the specific problem of a small minority of young Muslims being attracted to violent groups". Independent

Chinese PM Rebuts Criticism Over Copenhagen Role
The Chinese prime minister, Wen Jiabao, today launched a robust defence of his country's place on the world stage, including a sharp rebuttal of what he called "baffling" criticism of his country's role at the Copenhagen summit. Acknowledging "serious disruption" in ties with the US and rising criticism of Chinese assertiveness on the climate, currency, trade and other issues, the premier said he wanted to set the record straight. Guardian

Taliban: Kandahar Bombings A ‘Warning’
Deadly bomb attacks in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar were a warning to NATO's top general that the Taliban are ready for a coming offensive in their heartland, the insurgents said Sunday. Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi said the bombings show the insurgents are still able to operate despite the buildup of Afghan and international troops in the south in preparation for a push into Kandahar province. MSNBC

Thai Protesters Threaten To March On Key Bangkok Sites
Tens of thousands of red-shirted protesters rallied in Bangkok to press for the Thai government dissolve parliament or face further demonstrations at key sites in the city. The protesters, many from the impoverished north and north-east, want the prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, to call new elections, which they believe will allow their political allies to regain power. The crowd was estimated by police at more than 100,000. The demonstrations have been building for two days as caravans of protesters poured into the city. The demonstrators stressed they would use only peaceful means. Guardian

Kim Jong-Il Keeps $4M 'Emergency Fund' In European Banks
South Korean intelligence officials told The Daily Telegraph that much of the money was held in Swiss banks until authorities there began to tighten regulations on money laundering. Mr Kim’s operatives then withdrew the money - in cash, in order not to leave a paper trail - and transferred it to banks in Luxembourg. The money is the profits from impoverished North Korea selling its nuclear and missile technology, dealing in narcotics, insurance fraud, the use of forced labour in its vast gulag system, and the counterfeiting of foreign currency. Telegraph

Parents Delaying Retirement To Pay For Adult Children
Research undertaken by The Children's Mutual found more than half (57%) of parents with 18- to 30-year-olds quizzed said they had ''no choice'' but to retire later. Four in 10 (43%) expected to work up to five years longer than desired due to the financial burden of their 'adult' children. Nearly one in 10 (9.3%) of the 1,484 parents questioned in January believed they would now be forced to work more than a decade longer, with some abandoning the dream of retiring altogether. Telegraph

Visiting Haiti, Ban Pledges That World Will Remain At Its Side
Shelter remains the biggest and most urgent priority in Haiti, two months after it was struck by a catastrophic earthquake, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today as he visited the country for the second time since the disaster and stressed that the world has not forgotten its people's plight. Mr. Ban met with President René Préval and Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive and toured a camp that is home to tens of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) on a one-day visit to the Caribbean country ahead of the international donors' conference for Haiti that will be held at United Nations Headquarters in New York on 31 March. UN News

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