• 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. Tim Bishop (D-NY) calls in at 7:06am Pacific to talk about the omnibus spending bill and earmarks.

• Karl Frisch with Media Matters for America calls in at 8:06am Pacific to talk about their monitoring of Rush Limbaugh and his diatribes of hate.

• Two Senate Dems, Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin and Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana, urged President Obama yesterday to veto a $410 billion spending bill and said they are going to vote against it, criticizing it for its cost and for including too many personal pet projects.

• The Obama administration’s foreclosure prevention program was launched yesterday. It calls for companies to help as many as 4 million struggling borrowers by modifying loans so housing payments are no more than 31% of monthly gross income, and it will allow some to refinance into lower-cost loans even if they have little or no equity.

• Former White House political adviser Karl Rove and counsel Harriet Miers have agreed to face questions from Congress about allegations of improper political influence in the Justice Department. Both will give depositions to investigators from the committee, and claims of privilege will be “significantly limited.”

• Former first lady Barbara Bush underwent heart surgery yesterday in Texas. She is said to be “fine” and “awake” today.