• Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY) calls in at 7:05am Pacific to talk about the Student Aid & Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009.

• The House of Representatives approved an amendment yesterday that calls for halting government funding to the community organizing group ACORN. This is in direct reaction to the recent release of videos that appeared to show the agency’s employees condoning illegal actions.

• It’s too early to say whether more troops are needed for Afghanistan, Vice President Joe Biden said yesterday, days after the top U.S. military officer said more forces are probably needed in order to effectively fight the insurgency.

• The U.S. is overhauling Bush-era plans for a missile defense shield in Europe, based partly on the latest analysis of Iran’s offensive capabilities, President Obama said yesterday. The first phase of the system is due to be in place in 2011.

• President Obama took his health care reform message back on the road yesterday, promising a raucous crowd of college students in Maryland that Congress will pass legislation this year. The president slammed GOP critics for attacking his reform plan to “score short-term political points.”

• Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY) calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about health care reform, Obama in Russia and at the G-8, and the possibility of another stimulus package.

• Carol Leifer joins us in studio at 8:06am Pacific to promote her upcoming gigs, and to talk about her book, “When You Lie About Your Age, The Terrorists Win.”

• President Obama is embarking on three days of multinational talks at the G-8 summit in Rome on climate change, the global economy, and world hunger in the second and most policy-laden stop of his three-nation, weeklong trip.

• Al Franken became a senator yesterday, being sworn in by Vice President Joe Biden and drawing thunderous applause in the Senate chamber. Former Vice President Walter Mondale, a Minnesota native, accompanied Franken. Franken was introduced by fellow Minnesotan and Democrat Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

• It was not spectacular, extravagant, or bizarre. There were songs and tears but little dancing. Instead, Michael Jackson’s memorial was a somber, spiritual ceremony that reached back for the essence of the man. If there was a shocking moment, it came from Jackson’s daughter, Paris-Michael, who made the first public statement of her 11 years, dissolving into tears, and saying she loved her daddy very much.

• “The Rude Pundit,” Lee Papa, calls in at 6:30am Pacific to talk about his blog at RudePundit.Blogspot.com, about Palin’s resignation, and how George Washington would kick the teabaggers’ asses.

• The FBI, in a rare response to rampant rumors on the internet, said it is not investigating Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on public corruption charges. The speculation began almost immediately after Palin’s unexpected announcement on Friday that she would step down as Alaska’s chief executive with 18 months left in her term.

• Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev end a seven-year hiatus in U.S.-Russian summitry with a meeting in Moscow today, each declaring his determination to further cut nuclear arsenals and repair a badly damaged relationship.

• Listings for tickets to the Michael Jackson memorial service at Los Angeles’ Staples Center tomorrow appeared on eBay and Craigslist as soon as winners were notified yesterday. One listing asked for a “Buy It Now” price of $20,000.

• Vice President Biden said the Obama administration “misread how bad the economy was” but stands by its stimulus package and believes the plan will create more jobs as the pace of its spending picks up. Biden said the nation’s 9.5 percent unemployment rate is “much too high.”

• Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) calls in at 6:30am Pacific to talk about President Obama’s overseas trip, climate change, and the future of the auto industry.

• CNN’s Paul Begala calls in at 8:30am Pacific to talk about Obama’s overseas trip, the president’s economic plan, the fight between Rove and Biden, and pirates.

• U.S. Navy snipers opened fire and killed three pirates holding an American captain at gunpoint, delivering the skipper unharmed and ending a five-day high-seas hostage drama on Easter Sunday. Capt. Richard Phillips is resting comfortably after a medical exam. He had been tied up inside a lifeboat for most of the ordeal.

• President Obama twice authorized the military to use force to rescue the U.S. captain who was being held by Somali pirates. In a statement, Obama said, “I share the country’s admiration for the bravery of Capt. Phillips and his selfless concern for the crew. His courage is a model for all Americans.”

• President Obama and his family took communion yesterday as they celebrated Easter at St. John’s Episcopal Church in their first public worship service since the inauguration. Every president since James Madison has attended services at St. John’s, located across from the White House.

• The Obamas now have a 6-month-old Portuguese water dog named Bo. It was given to the Obama girls as a gift from Sen. Ted Kennedy.

For those of you in Portland, OR who are wondering where The Stephanie Miller Show went, we have good news! You can now hear us LIVE every weekday from 6am to 9am Pacific on 970AM, The Talker!

• Eric Boehlert, Senior Fellow at Media Matters for America, calls in at 6:30am Pacific to talk about his recent article, “Glenn Beck and the Rise of Fox News’ Militia Media.”

• Lawrence Korb, Senior Fellow at The Center for American Progress and former Assistant Secretary of Defense, calls in at 7:05am Pacific to discuss Obama’s foreign policy and how it relates to Iran.

• Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) calls in at 8:05am Pacific to talk about her recent trip to Cuba to meet with Fidel and Raul Castro.

• A U.S. warship arrived before dawn today near a 28-foot lifeboat holding four pirates and the kidnapped captain of a U.S.-flagged cargo ship. Also nearby was the Maersk Alabama – which had been seized early yesterday off the Horn of Africa. All 20 of its remaining crew members are in good physical shape.

• Fresh off a trip to Cuba that included a visit with both Fidel and Raul Castro, members of the Congressional Black Caucus are lobbying President Obama to lift the nation’s longstanding Cuba embargo, and open up lines of communication with the Castros.

• Vice President Joe Biden marked the return of the 18th Airborne Corps from Iraq at Fort Bragg, NC yesterday and told they troops that they left behind a country where “violence is being replaced by progress.”

• President Obama returned to Washington, D.C. in the early hours of yesterday morning, bringing his lengthy debut on the world stage – including his first stop in a war zone as commander in chief – to a close. Aides say he brought home achievements both large and small, evidence of the benefits of the extended travel.

For those of you in Portland, OR who are wondering where The Stephanie Miller Show went, we have good news! You can now hear us LIVE every weekday from 6am to 9am Pacific on 970AM, The Talker!

• Jenny Pizer, Marriage Project Director for Lambda Legal, calls in at 7:05am Pacific to talk about gay marriage in Iowa, Vermont, DC, and California.

• President Obama made a surprise trip to Baghdad yesterday, where he had a raucous meeting with several hundred U.S. troops who cheered wildly when he told them it’s time for Iraqis to take responsibility for their country. He also met with his top commander in Iraq, and the president and prime minister of the country.

• Vice President Joe Biden said yesterday that his predecessor, Dick Cheney, is “dead wrong” when he says President Obama’s national security policies are making the U.S. less safe. Biden said the exact opposite is true and added that President Bush’s vice president was part of a dysfunctional decision-making system.

• Vermont’s House and Senate voted yesterday to override the governor’s veto of a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in the state. This makes Vermont the 4th state to legalize gay marriage.

• CNN’s Jack Cafferty calls in at 6:30am Pacific to discuss his new book, “Now or Never: Getting Down to the Business of Saving Our American Dream.”

• Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) calls in at 7:06am Pacific to talk about the economy, AIG, Obama’s budget, and the banking industry’s accountability to the American people.

• CNN’s Chief Business Correspondent Ali Velshi calls in at 7:30am Pacific to discuss the bonuses for AIG and CNN’s special programming devoted to the economic crisis.

• President Obama said yesterday he will attempt to block bonuses to executives of ailing insurance giant AIG, payments he described as an “outrage.” Sen. Chris Dodd, Chairman of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs has suggested that a tax targeted at those receiving bonuses may be a way for the government to recoup those bonuses.

• President Obama vowed yesterday to ease the financial plight of the nation’s small businesses, promising immediate action to revive frozen credit markets and increase liquidity throughout the entire financial system.

• Vice President Joe Biden’s 91-year-old mother Catherine Biden has been hospitalized after a fall at her Delaware home. She is said to be “receiving treatment and is in good spirits.”

ALSO: Be sure to check out Steph on CNN’s “Reliable Sources” (now a part of John King’s “State of the Nation”) this Sunday at 10am Eastern / 7am Pacific!

• Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about Congress’ passage of the omnibus spending bill.

• Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) calls in at 8:06am Pacific to talk about his offer to debate Rush Limbaugh.

• Angela V. Shelton and Frances Callier (Frangela) have fallen ill today, and won’t be able to do their regular “Fridays with Frangela” segment.  They will be filling in for Steph and the Mooks during their vacation later this month, however!

• Confronting misgivings, even in his own party, President Obama mounted a stout defense of his blueprint to overhaul the economy yesterday, declaring the national crisis is “not as bad as we think” and his plans will speed recovery. He said that Americans shouldn’t be whipsawed by bursts of either bad or good news and he was “highly optimistic” about the long term.

• President Obama and Vice President Biden yesterday rallied a gathering of state officials yesterday, telling the people he is counting on to help turn around the economy and warning anew that he will not tolerate wasteful spending of his $787 billion economic stimulus package.

• GOP national chairman Michael Steele said yesterday that he’s opposed to abortion and that Roe v. Wade should be repealed, commenting a day after GQ Magazine quoted him as saying abortion was “an individual choice.”

• Admitted Ponzi scheme operator Bernard Madoff pled guilty to 11 felony counts of fraud yesterday and a Manhattan judge ordered him handcuffed and taken straight to jail. He faces a 150 year sentence.

• President Obama began to flesh out the details of one of his signature campaign promises yesterday, outlining his plan for a major overhaul of the country’s education system “from the cradle up through a career.” He will push for more funding for “No Child Left Behind,” and merit pay for teachers.

• President Obama is halfway through his first 100 days in office and he’s still enjoying a honeymoon with the American public. Obama’s job approval rating stands at 61% in a new CNN poll of polls, which averaged seven national surveys conducted over the past two weeks.

• Vice President Joe Biden told NATO members yesterday that the situation in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan was worsening, adding, “The deteriorating situation in the region poses a security threat from our respect not just to the United States, but to every single nation” in NATO.

• An Alabama man went on a shooting spree last night, killing 10 people – family members and apparent strangers – before turning the gun on himself. This morning, authorities are still trying to piece together the chronology of events and the motive for the gunman’s actions.

• Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about the Obama presidency and the stimulus and housing bills.

• Angela V. Shelton and Frances Callier join us in studio at 8:30am Pacific for another edition of Fridays with Frangela!

• President Obama visited Canada yesterday in his first foreign trip as head of state, meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to discuss possible remedies for the global economic downturn, global warming, and the ongoing struggle against Taliban and Al Qaida elements in Afghanistan.

• World stock markets dropped sharply today, with benchmarks in Japan and Hong Kong sliding about 2 percent or more, after gnawing economic fears sent Wall Street tumbling to its lowest close in more than six years yesterday.

• A day after publishing a cartoon that drew fire from critics who said it evoked historically racist images, the New York Post apologized in a statement on its website – even as it defended its action and blasted some detractors.

• Vice President Joe Biden yesterday presided at a ceremonial swearing-in for the new CIA director, Leon Panetta, at the intelligence agency’s headquarters in Langley, VA, where he was cheered by employees.

• The Senate is poised to pass a compromise $827 billion version of the economic stimulus bill as soon as tomorrow. The legislation would have to be reconciled with the very different $819 billion version already approved by the house.

• In an effort to build support for his signature economic stimulus plan, President Obama is setting off for Indiana today, holding his first prime-time news conference tonight and heading to Florida tomorrow. In both states, he will be working to counter GOP criticism of his jobs creation package and take greater control of the debate.

• Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Alabama), the ranking Republican on the Senate Banking Committee, warned yesterday that Obama’s jobs creation effort will lead to “financial disaster.” He added that America will “pay dearly.”

• Vice President Joe Biden emphasized a “new tone” in Washington and around the world as he delivered his first major speech Saturday in Munich, Germany. He told delegates at a security conference that the U.S. will work “preventatively, not pre-emptively” whenever possible to avoid conflict, and will at the same time “vigorously defend” the nation’s security.

• Todd Palin and nine aides were found in contempt Friday by the Alaska Senate for failing to appear to testify in the Legislature’s “troopergate” investigation of his wife, Gov. Sarah Palin. But a Senate resolution said no one should be punished because the 10 did submit statements to the investigator.

• Thousands of people packed the National Mall yesterday for a free concert featuring big stars such as U2, Mary J. Blige, Usher, and Beyonce. President-elect Barack Obama addressed the roaring crowd after the music acts, saying that it was a “celebration of American renewal.”

• They came from around the world, braving bitterly cold temperatures, security perimeters and large crowds in the streets of the nation’s capital to see one man make American history. Even while Barack Obama was about 40 miles to the north on Saturday, they descended on the National Mall, where more than 2 million people are expected to gather for tomorrow’s inauguration.

• Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said yesterday that authorities are not aware of any credible threat to the inauguration. An estimated 8,000 police officers will be on duty, along with almost a thousand FBI personnel, and 10,000 National Guard troops to provide security for the event.

• The Pittsburgh Steelers and The Arizona Cardinals won their conference titles yesterday and will meet in The Super Bowl in two weeks in Tampa, Florida.