AFP - The choice of former US senator George Mitchell as special envoy to the Middle East shows that President Barack Obama is serious about changing the direction of US policy in the Middle East, experts say.

AP - Veteran women's wear designer Antonio Marras made his menswear debut at Kenzo on Saturday with a solid collection that gave feminine elements like flowers and embroidery a masculine twist.

AFP - Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan called on the European Union Saturday to remove political barriers and accelerate the process in his country's bid to join the bloc.

AP - Sen. John McCain says it will take some big changes before he would vote for the Obama administration's stimulus package.

AP - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is defending the Democratic plan to revive the economy and says Republican proposals will be judged by how well they create jobs.

AP - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she is open to additional government rescue money for banks and financial institutions. But she is demanding that taxpayers get an ownership stake in return.

Politico - In a party still smarting from defeat at the hands of the highest-tech presidential campaign in history, candidates for Republican National Committee chair are carrying a common message to party members: it doesn’t have to be this way.

AP - Democrats want to use the big spending package designed to jump-start the staggering economy to send billions to long-term programs to help poor and disabled school children.

AP - President Barack Obama's ban on earmarks in the $825 billion economic stimulus bill doesn't mean interest groups, lobbyists and lawmakers won't be able to funnel money to pet projects.

AP - One of President Barack Obama's top economic advisers says the nation can afford to spend hundreds of billions of dollars in an attempt to jump-start a weak economy. But Larry Summers warns that fiscal discipline will be necessary once the economy recovers.

AP - Of course it hurts to lose.

AP - A top economic adviser to President Barack Obama says the president is pushing for a balanced approach to reviving the economy — using both new spending and tax cuts.

Politico - Blog: ads  

Politico - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday on ABC's 'This Week' that she doesn't have a negative relationship with Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) who's been chosen to replace former Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.)

AP - The ailing economy probably will worsen before it improves, despite major government intervention to spur a recovery and save financial institutions, White House officials and Democratic leaders said Sunday.

AP - Sen. John McCain said Sunday the confirmation of President Barack Obama's choice for deputy defense secretary should move forward despite concerns about the nominee's role as a former defense lobbyist.

Politico - In his first interview since becoming vice president, Joe Biden did not rule out the Obama administration asking for additional bailout money for financial institutions beyond the $700 billion already committed.

AP - Joe Biden took the train back and forth each day between Delaware and Washington during his decades in the Senate. So where did the famous Amtrak commuter spend his first weekend as vice president of the United States?

AP - The president's confidant — not the deputy president. That's how Joe Biden sees his role as vice president to Barack Obama.

AP - Hermes' menswear collection of superbly constructed suits and leather coats was solid but broke little new ground Saturday for the venerable French label.

AFP - The US government may need to stump up more funds to bail out the stricken banking industry beyond the 700 billion dollars now in the works, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.

AFP - EU foreign ministers were on Sunday to meet with their counterparts from the Palestinian territories, Egypt, Jordan and Turkey to study ways to get Arab nations behind new Middle East peace moves.

AP - A model of refined simplicity on the outside, the iron lady that symbolizes Paris is a complicated piece of work inside her elegant A-line figure.

Politico - Blog: Rove's prediction

Politico - Speaking to students at Miami University, Karl Rove—who has thought a bit about the politics of national security —predicts:

AP - President Barack Obama is poised to let California and other states set their own auto emission standards in their drive to slash greenhouse gases, an official familiar with the decision said Sunday.