• David Shuster, MSNBC’s dayside anchor and regular substitute for “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” calls in at 6:30am Pacific to talk about Iran and health care reform.

• Jennifer Palmieri, Senior Vice President for Communications at the Center for American Progress, calls in at 8:05am Pacific to talk about health care and Iran.

• Lead Franken attorney Marc Elias calls in at 8:30am Pacific to talk about the latest in the Franken / Coleman senate recount.

• Iran’s election authority has rejected claims of voting irregularities by a defeated presidential candidate, while acknowledging that the number of ballots cast in dozens of cities exceeded the number of eligible voters there, state-run TV reported today. Earlier yesterday, thousands of riot police and militia lined Tehran’s streets as the public rift among Iranian leaders appeared to be widening.

• Several senior Dem advisers to the White House are urging President Obama to further step up his personal involvement in the health care debate, as administration allies privately warn the president’s push for a major reform bill is hitting major roadblocks at a critical juncture on Capitol Hill.

• President Obama is set to sign into law an anti-smoking bill today that will give the Food and Drug Administration unprecedented authority to regulate tobacco.

• Brazilian and French rescue teams combed vast sections of the Atlantic after an Air France jet disappeared in a possible crash. A report of “shiny spots” in the sea along the route of Flight 447 by a crew from a Brazilian airline prompted a search in the territorial waters off Senegal, but without result.

• Scott Roeder faces a scheduled court hearing today in the weekend slaying of Dr. George Tiller, a Kansas abortion doctor. Associates described Roeder as a regular participant in anti-abortion demonstrations in Kansas City and Wichita, where Tiller’s practice was located.

• The United States is working with its allies to send a “strong, unified” message to North Korea that its “belligerent” actions have consequences. Sanctions may include travel and visa bans on certain members of the regime and tougher trade and economic sanctions.

• General Motors filed for bankruptcy protection early yesterday, a move once viewed as unthinkable that became inevitable after years of losses and market share declines capped by dramatic plunges in sales in recent months.

• In an hour of rapid-fire questions over Minnesota’s disputed Senate election, the state’s highest court yesterday focused on whether vote-counting flaws alleged by Norm Coleman were severe enough to deny Democrat Al Franken the win.

• Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD) calls in at 6:30am Pacific to talk about the economy.

• Lt. Gen. Russell Honoré calls in at 8:30am Pacific to talk about his new book, “Survival: How A Culture of Preparedness Can Save You and Your Family From Disaster.”

• Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke gave his most optimistic prediction yet yesterday about the end of the recession, saying he expects the economy to start growing again this year – although the comeback could be weak and more jobs will disappear even after a recovery takes hold.

• President Obama wants Pakistan to step up its commitment to fighting Taliban militants who are growing in strength and compromising vital U.S. interests. In meetings at the White House today, Obama will press the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan to better coordinate their efforts to fight the Taliban.

• The White House yesterday put to rest speculation that President Obama may choose his first Supreme Court nominee as early as this week. Spokesman Robert Gibbs said that Sen. Orrin Hatch was (R-UT) was incorrect when he told reporters that he expected a nomination by the end of this week.

• Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) said yesterday that he hoped GOPer Norm Coleman would be declared the winner in Minnesota’s dragged-out senate race. He said that he would like a Jewish Republican in the Senate.

• President Obama gathered together every confirmed member of his Cabinet for the first time as president yesterday and challenged them to cut $100 million in the next 90 days. The edict is part of Obama’s “commitment to go line by line through the budget to cut spending” and “reform the government.

• The Norm Coleman legal team announced yesterday that it would be filing a notice of appeal with the Minnesota Supreme Court. Coleman’s lawyers say it could take anywhere from “two weeks to two months” for the court to begin hearing oral arguments.

• A number of delegates walked out of a United Nations conference on racism in Geneva yesterday when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called Israel a racist government during his address. Some 40 Western diplomats walked out of the room when Ahmadinejad said Israel was created on the “pretext of Jewish suffering” from the Second World War. The U.S. Canada, and Israel all boycotted the meeting.

• A Boston University medical student was arrested yesterday in the shooting death in a hotel of a masseuse and the robbery of another woman who both advertised their services on Craigslist.

• NY Times columnist Frank Rich calls in at 6:30am Pacific to talk about his latest regarding the economy, “Awake and Sing!”

• Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) calls in at 8:05am Pacific to discuss the anti-gay murders in Iraq and the need for an investigation. Polis was in Baghdad earlier this week.

• Lead Franken attorney Marc Elias calls in at 8:30am Pacific to talk about the latest in the Franken / Coleman fight for the Senate in Minnesota.

• In a speech at Georgetown University yesterday, President Obama balanced painting an optimistic picture on the health of the economy – spurred by what he claims are his administration’s efforts – with the likely rocky road ahead to economic recovery.

• The Liberty Sun, a U.S.-flagged cargo ship bound for Kenya, was attacked last night by Somali pirates. The pirates fired rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons at the ship, which sustained damage, but they never made it onto the ship and the vessel is now being escorted by a coalition ship, still bound for Kenya.

• A nationwide “tea party” protest is scheduled in 500 cities for today, Tax Day, in the United States. The protesters’ goal is to pressure Congress and states to reject government spending as a way out of the recession and build an anti-spending coalition around taxpayers.

• Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) calls in at 6:30am Pacific to discuss her recent battle with breast cancer.

• Filmmaker Robert Greenwald (Brave New Films) calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about his recent trip to Afghanistan.

• Actress Sharon Gless calls in at 7:48am Pacific to discuss the possibility of a “Cagney & Lacey” reunion on The Stephanie Miller Show.

• Gen. Wesley Clark calls in at 8:05am Pacific to talk about President Obama’s defense plan, specifically related to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq.

• President Obama and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown met for more than two hours in London today, the day before the G-20 summit begins. Both say the G-20 must agree to tough new rules for the banking system to help lift the world out of recession.

• In a late afternoon ruling yesterday, a three-judge panel in Minnesota delivered a severe blow to GOPer Norm Coleman’s attempts to return to the Senate in the ongoing recount there. The panel ruled that less than 400 absentee ballots should be opened and recounted. Coleman said there would be an appeal to the full Minnesota Supreme Court.

• Kathleen Sebelius, Obama’s nominee to become Health and Human Services secretary, revealed to senators yesterday that she made “unintentional errors” on her taxes and has corrected her returns from three different years.

• President Obama retook his oath of office yesterday after Chief Justice John Roberts flubbed while delivering it at Tuesday’s inauguration. The do-over was aimed at dispelling any confusion that might arise from Tuesday’s take – in which “faithfully” was said out of sequence – and erase any question that Obama is legally the president.

• Promising “a new era of openness in our country,” President Obama signed executive orders yesterday relating to ethics guidelines for staff members of his administration. Obama also said he would issue a pay freeze for his senior staff members and promised swift action on the beleaguered economy.

• Sen. Norm Coleman began packing his Capitol Hill office yesterday, but said he has no intention of giving up his legal fight to serve another term in Congress. Coleman claimed that Al Franken’s 225-vote lead was “artificial” and expressed hope that the courts will rule in his favor on ballot disputes when a court hearing begins next week.

• The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce the Oscar nominations this morning. Front runners for Best Picture are “Slumdog Millionaire,” “Frost/Nixon,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” and “Milk.”