Time.com - The Obama Administration had high hopes for wiping the slate clean with Russia and starting anew. But Washington still has a ways to go to gain Moscow's trust

CQPolitics.com - On this St. Patrick's Day, members of Congress who care about Ireland have a lot to celebrate.

AP - Ireland's Prime Minister Brian Cowen is looking to boost his flagging political fortunes in a St. Patrick's Day meeting with President Barack Obama.

AFP - A bid to ban catches of bluefin tuna in two major fisheries ran into problems on Tuesday as European Union (EU) countries squabbled over the proposal while China was reported to be opposed to it.

AP - A major reorganization of allied forces in Afghanistan will centralize both American and other foreign troops under the direct command of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the senior U.S. and NATO commander in the theater.

AP - Companies that hire unemployed workers get a temporary payroll tax holiday under a bill headed for likely Senate passage Wednesday.

Politico - Some members are getting calls from Obama – for others the pressure tactics are less friendly.

Politico - Republican House hopefuls say Pelosi is the driving force behind health care.

Politico - In an Ideas piece, Melber says Obama never actually lost his core supporters, just their energy.

Politico - When Tea Party protesters storm the Hill, they are greeted with cordial lawmakers.

AP - A 2-year-old lion, emaciated and barely breathing, is found in a tiny cage off a Beirut highway. Monkeys are hauled through the dark tunnels of Gaza, bound for private zoos. Rare prize falcons are kept in desert encampments by wealthy Arab sheiks.

AFP - The Labour government on Tuesday came under fire from opposition Conservatives as a leaked European Commission report suggested that its huge public deficit needs cutting faster than anticipated.

AP - Catholic nuns are urging Congress to pass President Barack Obama's health care plan, in an unusual public break with bishops who say it would subsidize abortion.

AP - A new poll finds former eBay chief executive Meg Whitman, a billionaire Republican, is now in a dead heat with presumed Democratic nominee Jerry Brown in the race for California governor.

Politico - Cheney's Keep America Safe says Eric Holder “appears as if he doesn’t know we’re at war.”

Politico - Republican Iowa state Rep. Rod Roberts is vacating his House seat to focus on his long-shot campaign for the GOP nomination for governor. 'I'm all in,' Roberts said, while acknowledging his underdog status: 'There are just too many interesting dynamics among the electorate to rule out a surprise candidate doing well.'

AP - Liberal Rep. Dennis Kucinich says he will support President Barack Obama's health care overhaul bill when the House considers it.

AP - An expert witness in the trial of John Demjanjuk says former Soviet POWs used by the Nazis as death camp guards were not told what they were agreeing to do when they signed up.

Reuters - Democratic Representative Dennis Kucinich, who opposed an earlier healthcare bill, said on Wednesday he will back the Senate-passed version that President Barack Obama hopes to sign into law.

AP - President Barack Obama is thanking lawmakers — and Republicans especially — for their help sending him a jobs bill.

Politico - Democratic congressional candidate Dan Seals, running in a suburban Chicago district with a significant Jewish population, chided the Obama administration for its freshly critical stance toward Israel Tuesday.

Politico - It marks the first major economic policy victory of 2010 for the Obama administration.

AFP - Amid deep election-year worries about high unemployment, the US Senate voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to send President Barack Obama a 17.6-billion-dollar package aimed at creating jobs.

AP - A grenade-shaped cigarette lighter in a boy's checked luggage has forced the evacuation of some 1,000 people from an airport in Poland and delayed four international flights.

AFP - A fierce Democratic foe of the White House's historic health care overhaul said Wednesday he would vote for the bill, citing a fear that defeating the measure would destroy Barack Obama's presidency.

AP - The Environmental Protection Agency is trying to improve the safety of flea and tick treatments after seeing a significant increase in pets harmed by the products.

AP - The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said Wednesday that it remains the goal of U.S. troops to capture Osama bin Laden alive and 'bring him to justice.'

AP - Former President Jimmy Carter and former Senate Minority Leader Howard Baker are lamenting the partisan politics in Washington and say Democrat and Republican leaders should work together because voters are getting frustrated.

AP - President Barack Obama is taking his health care pitch directly to Fox News viewers.

AP - Britain's government can't completely rule out that its allies torture detainees while seeking to tackle the threat from terrorism, according to an official report released Wednesday.

AP - The African Union imposed sanctions Wednesday on Madagascar after the former disc jockey who seized power on the Indian Ocean island failed to implement a power-sharing deal prompted by last year's coup.

AP - Arabs across the Middle East are unconvinced the United States will stand up to Israel despite Washington's rare public outrage over plans to build new Jewish homes in a traditionally Arab part of Jerusalem.

CQPolitics.com - Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich of Ohio, a liberal Democratic holdout against his party's efforts to pass a health care overhaul, said Wednesday he will vote for the final legislation despite his disappointment with some provisions.

AP - Buyers, beware: President Barack Obama says his health care overhaul will lower premiums by double digits, but check the fine print.

Politico - Obama uses St. Paddy's day cheer to make case for bipartisanship.

Politico - The National Organization for Women is backing Bart Stupak's Democratic opponent, citing the congressman's opposition to health care reform legislation.

AP - The Vienna Boys' Choir said Wednesday it has heard from eight possible abuse victims following an initial report of allegations last week.

AP - The leader of Ireland's Roman Catholics said Wednesday that he is ashamed of his part in dealing with a child sex abuse scandal 35 years ago, and said he is uncertain what the future holds for him.

AP - Products intended to treat cats and dogs for fleas and ticks kill hundreds of pets each year and injure tens of thousands, the Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday as it outlined plans to make the products safer.

Politico - There's growing concern among Republicans about Rand Paul's growing strength.

AP - The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said Wednesday that it remains the goal of U.S. troops to capture Osama bin Laden alive and 'bring him to justice.'

AFP - President Barack Obama warned wavering lawmakers Wednesday of a political price to pay for opposing his historic health care bill ahead of what was likely to be a razor's edge weekend vote.

Politico - Republican lawyers say they’re conducting research and drafting arguments for lawsuits.

AP - President Barack Obama on Wednesday took to the Fox News Channel, derided by his White House as a wing of the Republican Party, to sell his embattled health care overhaul in an interview punctuated with interruptions from the host and chiding from the guest.

AP - Legislation approved by the Senate Wednesday would significantly reduce the disparity in sentences handed out to those convicted of crack and powder cocaine.

AP - The Idaho Supreme Court has denied requests from six death row inmates who said they were entitled to new trials because a U.S. Supreme Court ruling made after their convictions called on juries, not judges, to impose the death penalty.

AP - Americans who have been charged or suspected of terror-related activities over the past year include:

AP - The Basque separatist group ETA was blamed Wednesday for the shooting death of a French policeman outside Paris, as authorities interrogated one suspect and hunted for at least five other assailants who fled the scene.

AFP - President Barack Obama on Wednesday denied a crisis was rocking US-Israeli relations, as one of the worst rows in years between the allies rumbled on over new homes for Jewish settlers.

McClatchy Newspapers - WASHINGTON — The Maryland men's basketball team isn't getting much love in the nation's capital these days.

Politico - Every tough vote has its arithmetic, and health reform is no different.

Politico - With health care in the balance, Baier repeatedly interrupts Obama, who asks not to be cut off.

AP - A Pennsylvania lawmaker whose parents recently died of cancer is among the targets of an ad campaign by a conservative group that questions congressional Democrats' interest in preventing the disease.

AP - FBI Director Robert Mueller on Wednesday defended his bureau's handling of the Christmas airline bombing attempt, insisting agents in Detroit moved quickly to protect lives. The suspect, he added, has been cooperating after his arrest.

AFP - US President Barack Obama praised two key political figures in North Ireland for 'charting a historic path' towards peace following an agreement on a landmark power transfer deal.

AP - A retired Catholic bishop is announcing his support for President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, despite the church's official opposition.

Politico - A federal grand jury issues document subpoenas to at least a half-dozen Nevada companies.

Politico - Oversight agency isn't getting the cooperation it wants in investigation of $5.5M budget error.

Reuters - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Wednesday he was sure Tiger Woods will still be a 'terrific golfer' when he returns to competition, while one of the PGA Tour's most senior players urged America to forgive the scandal-hit golfer.