Politico - Blog: Kennedy's spokesman, Stefan Friedman, emails out a statement: I informed Governor Paterson today that for personal reasons I am withd

Politico - Caroline Kennedy abruptly ended her bid to replace Hillary Clinton in the Senate early Thursday morning amid increased friction with Gov. David Paterson’s office and after an evening of confusion among her aides and supporters.

AFP - Caroline Kennedy has withdrawn from consideration to occupy the US Senate seat vacated by newly sworn-in Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, US media reported Thursday.

AP - A woman discovered living in an umbrella-and-tarpaulin shelter in Switzerland was picked up by her sister Wednesday and driven back to her native Germany, 12 years after her disappearance.

AP - Hillary Rodham Clinton is taking control of the State Department with a mandate from President Barack Obama to step up diplomatic efforts and restore the nation's tattered image abroad.

Politico - House Republicans Granted Sit-Down 

AP - A House Republican leader says the GOP is seeking a meeting with President Barack Obama to discuss concerns the minority party in Congress has with parts of $825 billion economic recovery program.

Politico - As the campaign for Republican National Committee chair enters its final stretch, the contest is pivoting on a potentially explosive issue: race.

AP - The Air Force colonel who flew President George W. Bush's plane calls the assignment 'a tremendous responsibility' and an 'amazing experience.'

AP - The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday called for the temporary cease-fire in Gaza to be turned into a durable truce with guarantees to prevent arms smuggling and to ensure that all border crossings are permanently reopened.

Politico - Blog: After a round of the usual Hillaryland intrigue over who would get the coveted 'podium job' -- the high-profile spokesman's role -- at the

Politico - More than $100,000 in souvenirs meant for sale at the new Capitol Visitor Center are languishing in storage because Rep. Robert A. Brady (D-Pa.) doesn’t want “Made in China” products sold there.

AP - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has kicked off her new position as chief diplomat by introducing herself to State Department diplomats and employees.

AFP - In a highly unusual move, President Barack Obama retook the oath of office Wednesday after Chief Justice John Roberts led him into a stumble when he originally swore-in to become the 44th US president.

AP - A court official says the trial of a man who allegedly held his daughter captive for 24 years and fathered her seven children will begin March 16.

AP - President Barack Obama put his stamp on U.S. national security and foreign policy on Thursday, moving quickly to repudiate programs of his predecessor. The man he tapped to oversee the intelligence community promised Congress he would not allow torture or wiretapping without a warrant.

Politico - Blog: Caroline Kennedy's withdrawal statement cited 'personal reasons,' and there are two fairly implausible ones in circulation.

Politico - Last session's senior senator from Minnesota Norm Coleman, still battling Al Franken to be seated in the Senate, has taken a paid job as a consultant to the Republican Jewish Coalition, which harshly attacked Obama last fall, its executive director, Matt Brooks, said.

AP - Israel indicated Thursday that it wants to swap Palestinians held in Israeli jails for an Israeli soldier captured in 2006 as part of a longer-term truce after three weeks of fighting in Gaza.

AP - President Barack Obama put his own clear stamp on U.S. national security policy on Thursday, ordering Guantanamo prison camp closed within a year, naming new envoys to the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan and welcoming Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to help forge new global strategies.

Politico - Blog: This, from the executive order on interrogation, is pretty stark: The Order also prohibits reliance on any Department of Justice or o

Politico - President Barack Obama's planned appointment of former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell as Mideast envoy today resolves the outstanding question about American foreign policy: Who will be in charge? 

AP - The House has cast a largely symbolic vote to reject President Barack Obama's request for the unspent $350 billion in a bailout fund for the financial sector.

AP - A federal judge wants Russia to preserve sacred religious documents that members of a Hasidic Jewish movement fear could be headed to the black market.

AFP - US President Barack Obama on Thursday signed an executive order asking the Supreme Court to delay a review of the case of Qatari national Ali al-Marri, the only 'enemy combatant' detained on US soil.

AP - Estonia says it will end its nearly six-year military mission in Iraq after it failed to agree with the Iraqi government on terms for its troop deployment.

AP - President Barack Obama is calling on Israel and Hamas to take steps aimed at ensuring that the cease-fire that's in place in Gaza will endure.

AP - President Barack Obama will get a daily economic briefing, similar to the national security briefing he receives every morning.

Politico - Blog: At some point, this will get old, but I'm still finding myself surprised by stuff like this: Statement of President Obama on the 36th

AP - An Army investigation called the electrocution death of a U.S. soldier in Iraq a 'negligent homicide' caused by military contractor KBR Inc. and two of its supervisors, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press.

AP - Senate action on President Barack Obama's pick to become the No. 2 official at the Pentagon slowed on Thursday after lawmakers realized he might require an exemption from the administration's own lobbying rules.

AP - The United Nations says the global financial crisis may have a silver lining: prompting more governments to boost their spending on environment-friendly initiatives such as renewable energy and energy efficiency.

AP - Amid grim new evidence of economic weakness, legislation at the heart of President Barack Obama's recovery plan advanced in Congress Thursday over the persistent opposition of Republicans seeking deeper tax cuts.

Politico - Blog: One oddity of today's State Department news: It contradicts previous reports on Dennis Ross's role in the administration, as as a kind of 'supe

AP - The U.S. regulatory structure policing the financial sector is outdated, federal oversight of medical products is inadequate and the government's tracking system for toxic chemicals is in danger of becoming obsolete, the investigative arm of Congress said Thursday.

Reuters - A U.S. House of Representatives panel on Thursday approved a $304 billion package of business and individual tax breaks and aid to the unemployed that is to be part of the huge $825 billion economic stimulus sought by President Barack Obama.

AFP - US President Barack Obama on Thursday said he backed a woman's 'right to choose' on the 36th anniversary of a landmark Supreme Court decision that women have a constitutional right to abortion.

Politico - A growing media frustration with Barack Obama’s team spilled into the open at Thursday’s briefing, with reporters accusing the White House of stifling access to his oath re-do and giving Obama’s first interview as president to a multi-million dollar inauguration sponsor.

AP - A temporary stumbling block disappeared Thursday to quick Senate confirmation of President Barack Obama's nominee to head the Environmental Protection Agency.

AP - The Senate has unanimously confirmed two more members of President Barack Obama's Cabinet.

AP - Federal health officials say the salmonella recall now involves about 31 million pounds of peanut butter and peanut paste.

AP - Authorities say more than a thousand tons of timber knocked off the deck of a Russian cargo ship are washing up on the English coast.

AP - The Senate confirmed a cluster of President Barack Obama's nominees to government posts on Thursday, including his secretaries of housing and transportation and members of his economic and environmental teams. But his picks for attorney general and deputy defense secretary remained mired by questions over interrogation methods and ethics.

Politico - Blog: Thrush and I cover the New York Senate latest: Caroline Kennedy’s withdrawal from New York’s Senate scrum has devolved in

Politico - Caroline Kennedy’s withdrawal from New York’s Senate scrum has devolved into a nasty he-said, she-said, with people close to Gov. David Paterson blasting the 51-year-old political novice as unpolished and “not ready for prime time,” and Kennedy loyalists slamming her detractors for “mudslinging.”

AP - Raul Castro says Barack Obama seems like a good guy, and his brother Fidel says no one can doubt his sincerity. The new U.S. president wants to sit down and negotiate, and is in a better position to do so than any other since Eisenhower.

AP - The 61-36 roll call by which the Senate passed a wage discrimination bill.

AP - Russian and Cuban officials met Thursday in Moscow ahead of Cuban President Raul Castro's visit later this month — part of the Kremlin's efforts to project global power and renew Cold War alliances.

Politico - Caroline Kennedy’s withdrawal from New York’s Senate scrum has devolved into a nasty he-said, she-said, with people close to Gov. David Paterson blasting the 51-year-old political novice as unpolished and “not ready for prime time,” and Kennedy loyalists slamming her detractors for “mudslinging.”

AP - Democratic Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand emerged as a leading contender Thursday night as New York Gov. David Paterson closed in on a decision to fill the state's vacant Senate seat, according to party officials monitoring events in the wake of Caroline Kennedy's abrupt withdrawal from consideration.