• Christian Weller, economist with the Center for American Progress, calls in at 7:05am Pacific to update us on jobs, the economy, and holiday retail sales.

• Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) calls in at 8:05am Pacific to defend The Bronx, and to talk about health care reform and Afghanistan.

• Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) calls in at 8:30am Pacific to talk about health care reform, Afghanistan, and the cops that were killed in his district.

• Unflinching on a critical first test, Senate Dems closed ranks yesterday behind $460 billion in politically risky Medicare cuts at the heart of health care reform legislation, thwarting a GOP attempt to doom President Obama’s sweeping overhaul. The Senate also backed a guarantee for all insured women age 40 and older to receive mammograms with no out-of-pocket costs.

• President Obama promised at a White House jobs forum yesterday to take “every responsible step to accelerate job creation,” including some ideas he said could be put into action quickly. He cited an expanded program to make more U.S. homes energy efficient as an example.

• The White House as authorized an expansion of the CIA’s drone program in Pakistan’s tribal areas, paralleling President Obama’s decision to send more troops to Afghanistan.

• House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about health care reform.

• Comedian John Fugelsang joins the Mooks in studio in L.A. for another edition of “Fridays with Fugelsang.”

• After scouring northern Colorado by foot and air, frantically chasing a now-infamous Mylar balloon for dozens of miles and interviewing his big brother over and over, local and federal authorities ended their search for 6-year-old Falcon Heene where it began – at his house. He was in a box. In the attic. The whole time.

• House speaker Nancy Pelosi warned her Senate counterparts yesterday that she intends to fight hard for a public plan option as part of any comprehensive health care overhaul bill. Dem Senate leaders have not yet indicated whether they will include the option when they combine their two measures.

• President Obama signed legislation yesterday providing an additional $7.5 billion in assistance to the Pakistani government to help them combat a wave of attacks orchestrated by the Taliban.

• Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was hospitalized Wednesday night for what appeared to be an adverse reaction to medication, but she was released Thursday.

• NY Times columnist Frank Rich calls in at 8:05am Pacific to talk about his column, “Two Wrongs Make Another Fiasco”

• Health insurance premiums for the typical American family would increase by another $4000 by 2019 under a key Senate overhaul plan, according to a health insurance industry trade group. The White House blasted the report Monday, calling it inaccurate and self-serving. The Senate Finance Committee is expected to vote on the bill today.

• An audacious weekend assault by Islamic militants on Pakistan’s army headquarters is again raising fears of an insurgent attack on the country’s nuclear weapons installation. Analysts are divided on how secure these weapons are.

• In an unannounced move, President Obama is dispatching an additional 13,000 troops to Afghanistan beyond the 21,000 he announced publicly in March. The additional forces are primarily support forces, such as engineers, medical personnel, intelligence experts, and military police.

• Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), the chair of the Senate’s environmental committee, said yesterday it’s possible Congress will pass a bill aimed at slowing climate change by December.

• 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. 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.

• Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) calls in at 6:05am Pacific to talk about the torture memo debate.

• Comedian Michael McDonald calls in at 8:30am Pacific to talk about his upcoming gig at The Improv in Hollywood, CA.

• Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned yesterday that Pakistan is in danger of falling into terrorists’ hands because of failed government policies and called on Pakistani citizens and expatriates to voice more concern. Pakistan is a nuclear-armed state.

• Ramping up his campaign to crack down on credit cards, President Obama will meet today with executives of 14 leading companies to press his case for new consumer protections. Meanwhile, the House moved forward on a bill Tuesday to ban “arbitrary” interest rate increases, prohibit excessive fees, and order more disclosure.

• Condi Rice, John Ashcroft, and other top Bush administration officials approved as early as the summer of 2002 the CIA’s use at secret prisons of harsh interrogation menthods, including waterboarding, a technique that Attorney General Eric Holder has described as illegal torture.

• Brushing aside the president’s suggestions, congressional Dems pushed ahead firmly yesterday toward investigations into the Bush administration’s harsh interrogation of terrorism suspects including hundreds of instances of waterboarding and other abusive practices.

• General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner announced his resignation early today, the latest change for the troubled automaker. White House and GM sources told news outlets yesterday that Wagoner would resign as part of the federal government’s bailout strategy for the company.

• President Obama said yesterday that his administration remains prepared to order strikes against “high-value” targets within Pakistan. Obama reiterated a previous assertion that the U.S. military would pursue extremists within Pakistan’s borders after consulting with the Pakistani government.

• A tightened version of President Obama’s $3.6 trillion budget moved through a key Senate committee Thursday night. The Senate and the House are expected to vote on different versions of the budget next week.

• A North Korean rocket slated for launch sometime early next month can be clearly seen in a satellite photograph taken yesterday. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gibbs said yesterday there is little doubt that the planned launch is designed to bolster that country’s military capability.

• Residents in Fargo braced for an early spring snow storm today, even as they held their breath while record flood waters receded.