• Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) calls in at 6:30am Pacific to talk about jobs, the economy, and health care reform.

• Karl Frisch, Senior Fellow at Media Matters for America, calls in at 7:05am Pacific to co-host Right Wing World.

• David Plouffe, former campaign manager for President Obama, calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about his new book, “The Audacity To Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama’s Historic Victory.”

• Hal Sparks joins us in studio at 8:05am Pacific for another edition of “Humpdays With Hal.”

• President Obama huddled with Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao this morning, the final day of his visit to China. The White House praised the meetings as strengthening possibilities for future cooperation. President Obama then toured the Great Wall of China before flying to South Korea.

• Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) declined yesterday to say when he would introduce a hotly anticipated health care reform bill. He said he was waiting for a cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office, and that estimate won’t be completed until at least this afternoon.

• Somali pirates attacked the Maersk Alabama yesterday for the second time but guards on board repelled the takeover attempt.

• Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) calls in at 6:30am Pacific to talk about Veterans’ Day, health care reform, the economy, and his run for Senate.

• Karl Frisch, Senior Fellow at Media Matters for America, calls in at 7:05am Pacific to co-host Right Wing World.

• Hal Sparks joins us in studio at 8:05am Pacific for another edition of “Humpdays With Hal.”

• Former President Bill Clinton told anxious Senate Dems yesterday to pass a health care bill soon because the U.S. economy can’t resist the toxic combination of exorbitant medical costs and nearly 50 million uninsured for much longer.

• Caution returned to the stock market yesterday as investors decided to slow an advance that has lifted the Dow Jones industrial average 475 points in five days. Stocks fell in light trading, though the Dow tacked on 20 points to close at a new high for the year.

• A senior government official tells ABC News that investigators have found that alleged Ft. Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Hasan had “more unexplained connections to people being tracked by the FBI” than just radical cleric Anwar al Awlaki. Names and countries of origin are likely to emerge soon, according to officials.

• Eric Boehlert, Senior Fellow at Media Matters for America, calls in at 7:05am Pacific to co-host Right Wing World.

• Mary Bonauto, Civil Rights Project Director at Gay & Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD), calls in at 7:30am Pacific to discuss the repeal of gay marriage in Maine.

• Hal Sparks joins us in studio at 8:05am Pacific for a special Monday edition of “Humpdays with Hal.”

• President Obama yesterday praised the “historic” House vote to pass a bill overhauling the nation’s ailing health care system, and said it is now time for the Senate to “take the baton” and complete its work. The House passed its health care bill late Saturday night by a 220-215 vote, with 39 Dems opposing and 1 GOPer supporting.

• The alleged Ft. Hood shooter apparently attended the same Virginia mosque as two 9/11 hijackers in 2001, at a time when a radical imam preached there. The FBI is looking into any possible associations.

• Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA) has declared a state of emergency in Louisiana as Hurricane Ida heads toward the Gulf Coast. It’s the first hurricane to target the U.S. this season.

• Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) calls in at 7:33am Pacific to talk about health care reform, the economy, and yesterday’s elections.

• Hal Sparks joins us in studio at 8:05am Pacific for another edition of “Humpdays with Hal.”

• Republicans won gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey yesterday, two states that had backed President Obama last year. Dem Bill Owens beat Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman in upstate New York. Opponents of gay marriage claimed a victory in Maine, but voters approved an “everything but marriage” law in Washington State that greatly expands the rights of gay couples.

• In a blow to the White House, Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) signaled yesterday that Congress may fail to meet a year-end deadline for passing health care legislation, leaving the measure’s fate to the uncertainties of the 2010 election season.

• Republicans boycotted the start of committee debate yesterday on a bill to curb greenhouse gases, protesting that the bill’s costs have not been fully examined. The action put a spotlight on the difficulties Dem leaders face in moving climate legislation this year.

• Karl Frisch, Senior Fellow at Media Matters for America, calls in at 7:05am Pacific to co-host Right Wing World.

• Comedian Hal Sparks joins us in studio at 8:05am Pacific for another edition of “Humpdays with Hal.”

• Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) said yesterday that while he’s “strongly inclined” to vote to move Sen. Harry Reid’s (D-NV) health care plan with an opt-out public option to the Senate floor for debate, he would ultimately oppose the measure and join a GOP filibuster because it includes that option.

• The White House said yesterday that President Obama has nearly finished gathering information and advice on how to proceed in Afghanistan. Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters that a planned meeting on Friday with the Joint Chiefs of Staff will be among the last events in the decision-making process.

• The FAA has revoked the licenses of the two Northwest Airlines pilots who flew a passenger jet past their Minneapolis destination by 150 miles last week. They had violated numerous regulations, including failing to comply with air traffic control instructions and clearances and operating carelessly and recklessly.

• Karl Frisch, Senior Fellow at Media Matters for America, calls in at 7:05am Pacific to co-host Right Wing World.

• Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-PA) calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about health care reform.

• Hal Sparks joins us in studio at 8:05am Pacific for another edition of “Humpdays With Hal.”

• Comedian Margaret Cho calls in at 8:30am Pacific to talk about her upcoming shows and the release of her new concert DVD, “Beautiful.”

• President Obama has sought to spend no more than $900 billion over a 10-year period on health care reform. Yesterday, however, House Dem leaders received a new cost estimate of $871 billion from congressional budget umpires who measured a bill with a a robust public option.

• President Obama spoke with Afghan President Hamid Karzai yesterday and congratulated him for accepting the report of the UN-backed Election Complaint Commission which ruled that he garnered under 50% of the vote in the August election after vote fraud had been factored in, mandating a recount.

• Oprah Winfrey announced yesterday that Sarah Palin will appear on her show on Monday, November 16th.

• Karl Frisch, Senior Fellow at Media Matters for America, calls in at 7:05am Pacific to co-host “Right Wing World.”

• Hal Sparks joins the Mooks in studio in L.A. at 8am Pacific for “Humpdays with Hal.”

• Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD) calls in at 8:30am Pacific to tell us what’s next in the health care reform process.

• Historic legislation to expand U.S. health care and control costs won its first GOP supporter yesterday and cleared a key Senate hurdle. “When history calls, history calls,” said Maine GOP-er Olympia Snowe, whose declaration of support ended weeks of suspense and provided the only drama of a 14-9 vote in the Senate Finance Committee.

• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said yesterday she expects that the House will vote on a health care bill by Thanksgiving and that the House version will have a public plan option.

• Rampant government corruption might derail the fight against the Taliban and Al Qaida in Afghanistan, even if as many as 80,000 additional U.S. troops are sent to the war, Gen. Stanley McChrystal has concluded.

• Delegate Donna Christensen (D-Virgin Islands) calls in at 6:33am Pacific to talk about health care reform, its progress, and reconciliation of the bills.

• Karl Frisch, Senior Fellow at Media Matters for America, calls in at 7:05am Pacific to co-host Right Wing World.

• Rep. Bruce Braley (D-IA) calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about health care reform.

• Hal Sparks joins us in studio at 8:05am Pacific for another edition of “Humpdays with Hal.”

• A new Associated Press poll says 56% of those surveyed in the past week approve of President Obama’s job performance, up from 50% in September. It’s the first time since he took office in January that his ratings have gone up.

• President Obama yesterday ruled out shrinking the Afghanistan war to a counterterrorism campaign. Yet he did not signal whether he is prepared to send any more troops to the war zone – either the 40,000 his top commander wants or a smaller buildup.

• The Obama administration is considering a series of measures to help the unemployed. Those ideas include extending unemployment and health benefits and offering states temporary “loan packages.”

• House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) calls in at 6:35am Pacific to talk about health care reform.

• Karl Frisch, Senior Fellow at Media Matters for America, calls in at 7:05am Pacific to help us with Right Wing World.

• Comedian Hal Sparks joins us in studio at 8:05am Pacific for another edition of “Humpdays with Hal.”

• The Senate Finance Committee yesterday rejected two amendments to include a government-run public health insurance option in the only compromise health care bill so far. The amendments were opposed by all 10 GOP-ers on the committee and a few Dems, including committee chairman Sen. Max Baucus of Montana.

• A powerful earthquake in the South Pacific hurled a massive tsunami at the shores of Samoa and American Samoa, flattening villages and sweeping cars and people out to sea, leaving at least 99 dead and dozens missing.

• The U.S. is speeding up its military withdrawal from Iraq, sending 4,000 more troops home next month. The reduced number of troops in Iraq marks the latest U.S. step in winding down the six-year war.

• Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-PA) calls in at 6:30am Pacific to talk about health care reform.

• Karl Frisch, Senior Fellow at Media Matters for America, calls in at 7:05am Pacific for a live edition of Right Wing World.

• Comedian Hal Sparks joins us in studio at 8:05am Pacific for another edition of “Humpdays with Hal.”

• Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus yesterday unveiled changes to his compromise health care proposal intended to alleviate the concerns of fellow Dems as the panel began debating more than 560 proposed amendments to the measure. Sens. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Charles Schumer (D-NY) both introduced amendments to include a public option in the Baucus plan.

• World leaders, including President Obama, converged yesterday in New York to focus on climate change, with the clock ticking down toward a summit this year in Denmark, where a global climate change pact is to be signed. Negotiations for the global pact have stalled and yesterday’s gathering was aimed at jump-starting those talks.

• Prodding Israel and the Palestinian Authority to restart talks aimed at a permanent resolution of their conflict, President Obama dropped a demand for an Israeli settlement freeze.

• Christian Weller, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, calls in at 7:05am Pacific to talk about the economy and housing crisis.

• Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY) calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about the health care crisis and the rebuke of Rep. Joe Wilson.

• Comedian Hal Sparks joins us in studio at 8:05am Pacific to talk about all things politics and pop culture.

• Former President Jimmy Carter said yesterday that Rep. Joe Wilson’s outburst to President Obama during a speech to Congress last week was an act “based on racism” and rooted in fears of a black president.

• The House formally rebuked Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) yesterday for shouting “You lie!” at President Obama during last week’s nationally televised speech. Lawmakers thought Wilson had violated basic rules of decorum and civility in his outburst.

• ABC News says it was wrong for its employees to Tweet that President Obama had called Kanye West a “jackass” for the rapper’s treatment of country singer Taylor Swift. ABC said some of its employees overheard a conversation between the president and CNBC and didn’t realize the conversation was off the record.

• Sen. Roland Burris (D-IL) calls in at 6:30am Pacific to talk about health care reform.

• Jennifer Palmieri, Senior Vice President of Communications for the Center for American Progress, calls in at 7:05am Pacific to talk about health care reform and Obama’s speech to kids yesterday.

• Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) calls in at 8:05am Pacific to talk about health care reform.

• Comedian Hal Sparks joins us in studio at 8:05am Pacific for another edition of “Humpdays with Hal.”

• Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) calls in at 8:30am Pacific to talk about health care reform and Obama’s speech to school kids yesterday.

• House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) said yesterday he could vote for a health care bill that lacks a public option. However, his statement differed from the insistence later yesterday by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that a public option was essential to passing a bill in the chamber.

• President Obama steered clear of politics yesterday in a pep talk to students that sparked controversy among high-strung conservatives, who accused him of trying to indoctrinate America’s children.

• Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy, the patriarch of the first family of Democratic politics, died late last night at his home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, after a lengthy battle with brain cancer. He was 77. “We’ve lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism, and perseverance will live in our hearts forever,” a family statement said.

• Former Vice President Dick Cheney is again taking aim at President Obama, issuing a statement yesterday suggesting the administration’s decision to name a prosecutor to investigate CIA interrogations under President Bush fuels “doubts about this administration’s ability to be responsible for our nation’s security.”

• The White House now expects the 10-year budget deficit to reach $9.05 trillion, roughly $2 trillion more than it estimated earlier in the year. Budget office director Peter Orszag pointed to a number of measures put in place to stem the pain of the economic downturn.

• President Obama announced yesterday he wants to keep Ben Bernanke on as Fed chairman, saying he shepherded American through the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

• Rev. Jim Wallis, founder of Sojourners, calls in at 7:05am Pacific to talk about health care reform, and the national call-in with President Obama today.

• Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY) calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about health care reform.

• Comedian Hal Sparks joins us in studio at 8:05am Pacific to talk about all things politics and pop culture.

• Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the lead GOP senator in bipartisan health care negotiations, said yesterday that he urged President Obama this month to make clear he would accept a bill without a government-funded public insurance option. A White House spokesman yesterday expressed doubt that Grassley’s plea to Obama had any impact on weekend comments by Kathleen Sebelius that a public option is “not an essential element” of health care reform.

• Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said yesterday that information her husband brought back from North Korea has been “extremely helpful” by providing a window into what’s happening in the reclusive country.

• Hurricane Bill, the first hurricane of the 2009 Atlantic season, strengthened into a Category 3 storm yesterday with top winds near 125mph. It looks likely to miss the U.S. East Coast.

• Comedian John Fugelsang joins us from our New York studio for all of Hour 3 today to talk about all things politics and pop culture.

• Vanquished House Speaker Newt Gingrich said yesterday that President Obama should “calm down and slow down” with his push to pass health care legislation. He also said that legislators’ canceling of town hall meetings because of death threats is “exactly wrong.”

• President Obama’s push to revamp health care got a boost yesterday as a new coalition of drug makers, unions, hospitals, and other launched a $12 million pro-overhaul ad campaign. Meanwhile, the administration sought to regain control of the health care debate by asking supporters to forward a chain email to counter criticism that’s circulating on the internet.

• Olympic gold medal swimming champion Michael Phelps was involved in a traffic accident in Baltimore last night, but was uninjured, police said. Officers say that alcohol was not believed to be a significant factor in the Phelps crash.

• Guitar wizard Les Paul, whose innovations with the electric guitar and studio technology made him one of the most important figures in recorded music, has died. He was 94.

• Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) calls in at 6:30am Pacific to talk about health care reform.

• The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) President Gerald McEntee calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about their grassroots effort to get health care reform passed.

• Comedian Hal Sparks joins us in studio at 8:05am Pacific to talk about all things politics and pop culture.

• The White House shot down concerns yesterday that middle-class families may face a tax increase in order to combat rising deficits and a struggling economy. The concern came after the Obama administration’s two top money men floated the idea that tax increases to fund the nation’s economic recovery could extend into the middle class.

• Frustrated with the pace of bipartisan talks, Dem leaders yesterday promised to push a sweeping health care bill through the Senate whether they get GOP support or not.

• Former President Bill Clinton made an unannounced visit to North Korea this morning on a trip seen as a mission to win the release of two jailed American reporters and to ease tensions over Pyongyang’s recent nuclear defiance.

• Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about health care reform.

• Comedian Hal Sparks joins us in studio at 8:05am Pacific to talk about all things politics and pop culture, and to give Steph some backrubs.

• House Dems put their divisions on display over the details and timing of health care legislation yesterday despite fresh attempts by President Obama to hasten a compromise on the issue that looms increasingly as a major test of his clout. President Obama will hold a news conference on the issue tonight at 8pm Eastern.

• An Associated Press poll shows that a majority of Americans are back to thinking that the country is headed in the wrong direction. While President Obama still has a solid 55% approval rating, 54% think the country is going in the wrong direction, up from 46% in June.

• The Senate Judiciary Committee put off its vote yesterday on Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor for one week amid objections from the panel’s conservative GOP-ers, even as Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) became the latest GOP-er to publicly commit to voting for Sotomayor.

• Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV), the longest serving senator in history, returned to the chamber yesterday after being absent for more than two months due to illness.

John Fugelsang

Of course, the big topic of the morning will be Michael Jackson’s death, but we will also touch on Farrah Fawcett’s death, and weave a little Iran and Mark Sanford in there.  Enjoy!

Click Here To Find Your Congresspeople!

Capitol Switchboard: (202)224-3121

• Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about health care reform.

• Comedian Hal Sparks joins us in studio at 8:05am Pacific to hang out and talk about the news of the day.

• President Obama sharpened his language on Iran yesterday, saying at a news conference, “The United States and the international community have been appalled and outraged by the threats, beatings, and imprisonments of the last few days,” adding that he strongly condemns “these unjust actions.”

• President Obama yesterday squared off with the insurance lobby over industry charges that a government health plan he back would dismantle the employer coverage Americans have relied on for 50 years and overtake the system.

• South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford’s aides say he was stunned by all the fuss over his five-day absence and would cut short a secretive hike along the Appalachian Trail. He is expected back in his office today.

• Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) apologized to his GOP colleagues for his affair with a staff member, which has already caused him to step down from his party leadership post and could threaten his Senate career.

• Comedian Hal Sparks calls in at 8:06am Pacific to talk about the news of the day.

• Iranian authorities agreed yesterday to recount disputed presidential votes as the country faced intensifying unrest in the wake of a claimed victory by incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that opponents say was the result of a rigged ballot. His opponent, Mir Hossein Moussavi, rejected the vote recount, instead calling for a fresh election.

• State radio in Iran reported today that clashes in Tehran left seven people dead during an “unauthorized gathering” at a mass rally over alleged election fraud.

• Health care reform should mean all Americans can get coverage while allowing doctors to heal patients instead of being bureaucrats, President Obama told the American Medical Association yesterday. Obama called an overhaul of the ailing health care system the most important issue for the nation’s long-term economic stability.

• On last night’s “Late Show with David Letterman,” Letterman offered a full apology to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her family for the joke he told last week about Alex Rodriguez knocking up her daughter. He said the joke was “beyond flawed,” and that his intent was completely meaningless compared to the perception.

• West Hollywood City Councilmember (and former Mayor) John Duran calls in at 8:06am Pacific to talk about West Hollywood’s Gay Pride, Prop. 8, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and Chastity Bono.

• Frances Callier and Angela V. Shelton (Frangela) return from the jungle and join us in studio at 8:35am Pacific for another edition of Fridays with Frangela!

• President Obama took his health care reform push on the road yesterday, saying in Green Bay, Wisconsin, that those concerned with high costs and rising deficits should be proponents of a change to an ailing system. He aimed his comments at GOP opponents of Dem-backed proposals for a government-funded national health care option intended to ensure that 47 million Americans can afford coverage.

• Iranians began voting today on whether to keep hard-line President Ahmadinejad in power for four more years or replace him with a reformist more open to loosening the country’s Islamic restrictions and improving ties with the U.S.

• The Obama administration struck a delicate balance on executive pay yesterday, blaming flawed compensation packages for encouraging disastrous risk-taking but insisting it doesn’t want to dictate how corporation reward their top people.

• Comedian Hal Sparks joins us in studio at 8am Pacific to hang out and talk about the news of the day.

• In Dresden, Germany today, President Obama called for a redoubling of efforts toward separate Israeli and Palestinian states, saying “the moment is now for us to act.” He announced he was sending special envoy George Mitchell back to the region next week to follow up on the president’s speech in Cairo a day earlier in which he called for both Israeli and Palestinian leaders to give ground in the longtime standoff toward the elusive goal of peace in the Middle East.

• The main themes of President Obama’s speech in Cairo resonated well with Palestinian and Israeli officials, while a Jewish settlers’ group – upset that Obama spoke against settlement activity – found problems with the speech, and others, like a Hamas official, expressed mixed or negative views.

• President Obama’s speech to the Muslim world yesterday faced mixed reaction abroad – and a very clear directive at home from Republicans and conservatives: the United States cannot ruin its relationship with Israel.

• The body of American actor David Carradine was found in a hotel room closet with ropes tied to his neck and genitals, and his death may have been accidental suffocation, Thai police said today.

• Rev. Jim Wallis, founder of Sojourners, calls in at 8:06am Pacific to talk about President Obama’s plan for national security, the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor, and the upholding of Prop. 8.

• Melissa Etheridge calls in at 8:30am Pacific to discuss the upholding of Prop. 8 and what that means for her relationship.

• Former President George W. Bush at a speech in Michigan last night repeated Dick Cheney’s assertion that the administration’s “enhanced interrogation” program, which included waterboarding, was legal and garnered valuable information that prevented terrorist attacks.

• President Obama is expected to announce today the creation of the position of cyber czar, a person who will coordinate the nation’s efforts to protect government and private computer systems from hackers, criminal gangs, terrorists, and spies.

• Israel must halt West Bank settlement activity and the Palestinians need to increase West Bank security to advance the Middle East peace process, President Obama said yesterday after meeting with Palestinian authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

• Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), the longest-serving GOPer on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said yesterday that he believes Sonia Sotomayor is headed for a Supreme Court confirmation.

• Rep. John Adler (D-NJ) calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about the economy.

• Comedian Hal Sparks joins us in studio at 8am Pacific to hang out and talk about the news of the day.

• President Obama said yesterday that the leaders of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the U.S. are meeting “as three sovereign nations joined by a common goal: to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat” al Qaida and the Taliban.

• The White House indicated yesterday that a report and a photo from the controversial low-altitude New York flyover by Air Force One could be released soon. Earlier, White House officials had said that there were no plans to release the photos to the public.

• Lawmakers voted in favor of same-sex marriage in New Hampshire and Maine yesterday, leaving Rhode Island as the only other New England state without legislation in favor of the issue. Maine’s governor signed the bill into law almost immediately, but warned that Maine’s citizens could still overturn the law with a referendum.

• Fierce winds blew a wildfire into homes in Santa Barbara, CA last night and this morning, forcing residents to flee as columns of smoke rose from a scenic coastal enclave.

• Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about President Obama’s first 100 days, the torture memos, Specter’s defection, the swine flu pandemic, passage of the budget.

• Comedian Hal Sparks joins us in studio for the 8am Pacific hour to hang out and to promote his show at the Irvine, CA Improv tonight, and the Hollywood, CA Improv on Friday night.

• Veteran GOP Sen. Arlen Specter disclosed plans yesterday to switch parties, bringing the Dems closer to the 60-vote supermajority they need to push President Obama’s agenda through the Senate. Specter called it a “painful decision,” and said he was disappointed by the reactions of his colleagues on the Right.

• As he enters his 100th day in office today, more than 6 in 10 Americans approve of Obama’s job, nearly two-thirds view him favorably, and a majority believe he has gotten off to a solid start during his first three months on the job, according to a new NBC News / Wall Street Journal poll.

• The toll from the swine flu epidemic appears to be stabilizing in Mexico, the health secretary said late last night, with only seven more suspected deaths. Cuba and Argentina became the first two countries to ban travel to and from Mexico outright.  The first American death from swine flu, a Texas baby, was confirmed this morning.

• President Barack Obama is expected today to bring an end to an eight-and-a-half year ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. White House officials say that the president’s order will give the National Institutes of Health 120 days to develop ethical guidelines for the research.

• Asian stock markets sank again today amid persistent fears that the recovery for slumping economies in the U.S. and elsewhere is still far off. Wall Street futures pointed to a lackluster open in the U.S. Dow futures were down 1 point while S&P500 futures rose 0.2 point.

• An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll has put GOP popularity at near historic lows. Just 26 percent in the survey viewed the Republican Party positively, compared with 68 percent for President Obama, despite the economic crisis and sharp GOP criticism of his $3.8 trillion budget plan.

• The Minnesota Supreme Court on Friday blocked Democrat Al Franken’s petition for an election certificate that would put him in the U.S. Senate without waiting for a lawsuit to run its course. The decision means the seat will remain empty until the lawsuit and possible appeals in state court are complete.