United States
National Briefing | West: California: Engineer Is Sentenced for Espionage
Dongfan Chung, who was convicted of passing space shuttle secrets to China, was sentenced Monday to 15 years in prison.New York Times
Federal Reserve hopes clear exit strategy will boost market confidence
When you've flooded the economy with trillions of dollars, mopping up is no easy task.Washington Post
Analysis: Iranian plan will put nation a step closer to having material for bomb
Iran's formal notification Monday to a United Nations nuclear watchdog that it will begin producing higher-grade enriched uranium marks a new and potentially dangerous turn in Tehran's confrontation with the West over its nuclear ambitions.Washington Post
Criminal probe is launched in Connecticut power plant blast
Authorities looking for the cause of an explosion that killed five people at a power plant under construction launched a criminal investigation Monday, saying they could not rule out criminal negligence as the cause.Washington Post
Limited bus and rail service tests Metro and its users
Metrorail service will be extended Tuesday to some aboveground stations, although the time between trains will continue to be 30 minutes, Metro said Monday night. Rail and a modified bus service will start at 5 a.m., but service could be stopped if a predicted snowstorm develops. .Washington Post
Daniel Weinberg, the man behind the nation’s census
Assistant director American Community Survey and Decennial Census, U.S. Census Bureau .Washington Post
Q. Does your office encourage telework? What would be the effect on the workforce and its productivity level if the federal government allowed more telework? Send your answers to federaleye@washingtonpost.com, and we'll publish some answers on this page.
Washington Post
Republicans may opt out of Obama’s health-care summit
Leading House Republicans raised the prospect Monday night that they may decline to participate in President Obama's proposed health-care summit if the White House chooses not to scrap the existing reform bills and start over.Washington Post
In Congress, it’s decision time on long-term unemployment benefits
As the Senate this week considers a "jobs bill" to reduce unemployment, lawmakers will have to decide whether to continue an unprecedented change in how the country treats people who are out of work, which was quietly approved last year.Washington Post
McDonnell directing more education money to N.Va.
RICHMOND -- In one of his first decisions on the state's two-year budget, Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell sided with Northern Virginia, the vote-rich region that helped him secure his landslide victory in November, by sending it more school dollars. .Washington Post
Va. Senate passes anti-discrimination bill for state workers
RICHMOND The Virginia Senate passed a bill Monday that would make it illegal to discriminate in the state workforce, including on the basis of sexual orientation, marking the first time such legislation has passed either chamber of the Virginia General Assembly.Washington Post
Jenny Sanford: ‘It’s too late for the marriage’
South Carolina's first lady, Jenny Sanford, said on "Larry King Live" that writing her much-anticipated memoir of her husband's affair was a "cathartic" and "cleansing" experience.CNN
Police: Iraq vet abused daughter, held her head in water
An Iraq war veteran has been charged with assault on suspicion of abusing his daughter, whose head he allegedly held in water to get her to recite the ABCs, according to police in Yelm, Washington.CNN
Orthodox Jews hit in Northeast mumps outbreak
More than 1,000 people in New Jersey and New York, many of them adolescent Orthodox Jews, have been sickened with mumps since August, health authorities said Monday.CNN
Toyota recalls may not solve problem, experts say
In his hectic, noisy laboratory at the University of Maryland, Michael Pecht is wary when it comes to assessing whether Toyota's suggested repair of sticky gas pedals will have any real impact.CNN
Japanese Split on Exposing Secret Pacts With U.S.
Agreements on U.S. bases and allowing nuclear-armed ships in Japanese ports date from the 1960s and 1970s. .
New York Times
Study: ‘Electronic cigarettes’ don’t deliver
"Electronic cigarettes" that vaporize nicotine juice to inhale instead of smoke from burning tobacco do not deliver as promised, according to research at Virginia Commonwealth University.CNN
Calif. insurer’s rate increases draw attention of federal government
President Obama's secretary of health and human services fired off a sharply worded letter to a California insurer Monday, demanding to know why it is raising rates for individual policyholders by as much as 39 percent.Washington Post
Elizabeth Smart kidnapper pleads guilty to trying to abduct cousin
A woman convicted in the 2002 kidnapping of Utah teenager Elizabeth Smart pleaded guilty in the attempted kidnapping of Smart's cousin a month later, court officials said Monday.CNN
Rep. John Murtha dead at 77
Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, a longtime fixture on the House subcommittee that oversees Pentagon spending, has died. .CNN
Rep. John Murtha dies after intestines nicked in surgery
Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, a longtime fixture on the House subcommittee that oversees Pentagon spending, has died following complications from gallbladder surgery, according to his office.CNN
In Toyota Mess, Lesson for Japan
Economists said that Toyota’s troubles show that economic change is urgently needed in Japan.
New York Times
A year later, where did the hopes for Obama go?
A year ago, Barack Obama's true believers were euphoric. The huge and jubilant gathering in Chicago's Grant Park on election night 2008 gave way to almost 2 million people on the Mall for the president's inauguration. .Washington Post
A year later, where did the hopes for Obama go?
A year ago, Barack Obama's true believers were euphoric. The huge and jubilant gathering in Chicago's Grant Park on election night 2008 gave way to almost 2 million people on the Mall for the president's inauguration. .Washington Post
March hearing set in Fort Hood massacre
A hearing in November's 13 deaths at the Fort Hood, Texas, military base is tentatively scheduled to begin March 1, the Army said Monday.CNN
Upcoming health care talks to be televised
President Obama's bipartisan meeting on health care reform planned for February 25 will be broadcast live, a senior administration official said Monday.CNN
U.S. proposes new climate service
The Obama administration proposed a new climate service on Monday that would provide Americans with predictions on how global warming will affect everything from drought to sea levels.Washington Post
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The Fix: White House moves to make the filibuster a campaign issue
Over the past week, President Obama and his senior aides have repeatedly cited Republicans' filibuster threats as the primary reason for the lack of progress on big ticket legislative items, an early sign that Democrats will seek to use this bit of legislative arcana against the GOP in the coming...Washington Post
World War II-era navigation system shutting down
Good night, Loran.CNN
World
World Briefing | Middle East: Saudi Arabia: Rights Group Hires Lawyer in Child-Marriage Case
The state human rights body has hired a lawyer to review the case of a girl whose mother sought her divorce from an 80-year-old man.New York Times
World Briefing | Asia: Kashmir: Avalanche Kills Soldiers
At least 15 Indian soldiers were killed after an avalanche smashed into a military training camp near the country’s disputed border with Pakistan on Monday, the army said.New York Times
World Briefing | Asia: Japan: Official Says He’ll Keep Job
Japan’s most influential political leader, Ichiro Ozawa, said that he would keep his formal job as the No. 2 leader of the governing Democratic Party after prosecutors decided not to charge him in a financing scandal. .New York Times
Chinese Advocate of Quake Victims Sentenced Over E-Mails
A Chinese activist who sought to document shoddy construction that he contended had contributed to deaths in China’s devastating 2008 earthquake has been sentenced to five years in prison for subversion.New York Times
French ‘Identity’ Debate Leaves Public Forum
The prime minister moved a contentious debate over “national identity” to a group of experts, ending the debate in its public form.
New York Times
Iran Is Said to Begin Nuclear Enrichment
Iran was reported on Tuesday to have begun enriching its stockpile of uranium for use in a medical reactor, raising the stakes again in its dispute with the U.S.New York Times
Names of the Dead
The Department of Defense has identified 969 American service members who have died as a part of the Afghan war and related operations.New York Times
World Briefing | Africa: International Judges Dismisscharges Against a Sudanese Rebel
International judges said there was not enough evidence to try a Sudanese rebel leader on charges that he played a key role in the killing of 12 African Union peacekeepers in Darfur in 2007.New York Times
Sources: Pakistani Taliban leader is dead
Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud is dead, three Taliban sources said Tuesday.CNN
World Briefing | Middle East: Egypt: Police Arrest 3 Top Figures of a Powerful Opposition Group
The police arrested three top figures of the Muslim Brotherhood, the country’s most powerful opposition group, as part of a continuing crackdown since the group recently chose new leadership.New York Times
World Briefing | Europe: Vatican: Child Abuse Condemned
Pope Benedict XVI on Monday condemned the abuse of children by members of the clergy.New York Times
World Briefing | The Americas: Canada: Air Force Official Charged
The commander of the largest air force base in eastern Canada has been charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of two women from eastern Ontario and with the sexual assault of two others.New York Times
National Briefing | West: California: Engineer Is Sentenced for Espionage
Dongfan Chung, who was convicted of passing space shuttle secrets to China, was sentenced Monday to 15 years in prison.New York Times
World Briefing | Middle East: Yemen: Qaeda Affiliate Urgesjoint Blockade of Red Sea
The Yemen-based wing of Al Qaeda called Monday for a regional holy war and a blockade of the Red Sea to cut off shipments to Israel.New York Times
Enriched Iran
Iran's Rep. to the International Atomic Energy Agency tells Christiane Amanpour how much uranium Iran will enrich. .CNN
Toyota recalls 400,000 hybrid cars
Toyota announced a global recall Tuesday for three of its 2010 hybrid models, totalling about 400,000 vehicles, the first recall of Toyota vehicles sold in the domestic Japanese market.CNN
K. Skubiszewski, Polish Minister, Dies at 83
Mr. Skubiszewski, Poland’s first foreign minister after Communism, helped the country chart a pro-Western course. .New York Times
In southern Afghanistan, even the small gains get noticed
ZARI, AFGHANISTAN -- Four of the Army's hulking mine-resistant armored vehicles had just been bombed into submission.Washington Post
World Digest: International observers say Ukrainian election was free and fair
Ukraine International monitors on Monday described Ukraine's presidential election as free and fair, putting pressure on Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko to concede defeat despite a tight vote count and charges of irregularities.Washington Post
Chávez Declares an ‘Electricity Emergency’ in Venezuela
Despite large reserves of crude oil, the country relies on hydroelectricity for 70 percent of its power needs.New York Times
Pakistani Military Retakes Key Town in Tribal Belt From Taliban
The military has retaken the town of Damadola, in the Bajaur area, where the army has been fighting militants for more than a year, officials said.
New York Times
Burmese-American Awaits Verdict in Myanmar Case
Nyi Nyi Aung, a naturalized American citizen, gave up a comfortable life near Washington to campaign for democracy for his native Myanmar.
New York Times
Media coverage impact on Haiti
Anderson Cooper examines the story of the Haitian people's plight and interviews Frances Robles, a Miami Herald reporter.CNN
Medics treat survivor
CNN exclusive: Medics treat man who survived in rubble for about a month.CNN
U.N. Climate Panel and Chief Face Credibility Siege
Rajendra K. Pachauri and the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change face accusations of scientific sloppiness and potential financial conflicts of interest. .
New York Times
Iran official: Window for nuke deal open
Iran's envoy to the International International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the window for nuclear negotiations is still open -- even as tensions rise over Iran's decision to defy the world on uranium enrichment.CNN
In Northern Iraq, a Vote Seems Likely to Split
In Nineveh Province, a parliamentary election considered crucial to Iraqi unity is highlighting conflicts among ethnic and religious groups.
New York Times
Ebadi’s open letter to U.N. on Iran
Although I have already highlighted the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran on several occasions in writing and in person, I deem it necessary to once again draw the attention of Your Honor and the distinguished members of the UNHRC to the following issues as you prepare to review the Islamic Republic of Iran's human rights record, on February 15, 2010.CNN
Canadian Official Charged in Murders
The commander of Canada’s largest Air Force base has been charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of two women.New York Times
Japanese Split on Exposing Secret Pacts With U.S.
Agreements on U.S. bases and allowing nuclear-armed ships in Japanese ports date from the 1960s and 1970s. .
New York Times
Business & Economics
Apotheker Says He Did What Was Best
BusinessWeek.com --
Greece Says Call for Aid Would Send ‘Worst Signal’ (Update1)
Greek Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou said he can’t call for outside aid as his government struggles to cut the European Union’s largest budget deficit.BusinessWeek.com --
Kim Jong Il Repeats North Korean Commitment to Denuclearization
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il said he remained committed to giving up the country’s nuclear weapons program as a news report said his chief arms negotiator is visiting China.BusinessWeek.com --
Dead Stowaway on Delta Air Flight Spotlights Security (Update1)
A body found in the landing-gear compartment of a Delta Air Lines Inc. jet that flew to Tokyo’s Narita Airport from New York may spur a fresh review of U.S.BusinessWeek.com --
Gates Shores Up Allies in Afghan War, Urges Pressure on Iran
Defense Secretary Robert Gates returns to Washington today after a weeklong Europe tour spent shoring up coalition support for Afghanistan and calling for sustained pressure on Iran to curtail its nuclear ambitions.BusinessWeek.com --
Greece’s ASE Index May Plunge Up to 34%: Technical Analysis
Greece’s benchmark ASE Index may lead a retreat among the euro region’s smaller stock markets, dropping as much as 34 percent, after forming a so-called head- and-shoulders chart pattern, Bank of America Corp.’s technical analyst Mary Ann Bartels said.BusinessWeek.com --
Holders of Billions in Czar Bonds Seek Kremlin’s Paris Property
A group representing French holders of czarist bonds says it will sue Russia in a bid to seize Paris property bought by the Kremlin and reclaim part of a century-old debt valued at as much as 100 billion euros ($137 billion).BusinessWeek.com --
Developer Is Accused of Fleecing Investors
Adam Hochfelder, a onetime real estate mogul, was charged with taking $2.5 million from clients and friends for hotel deals he never made.New York Times
What SAP Needs After Apotheker
Co-CEOs Bill McDermott and Jim Hagemann Snabe must revitalize SAP's product pipeline, soothe customers, and counter competition from OracleBusinessWeek.com --
Super Bowl Ads Don’t Age Well
An advertising executive asks why consumer companies spend millions to ignore or insult the over-50 audience that buys the most productsBusinessWeek.com --
Akio Toyoda Makes His Case
Washington Post
Promising Results in Bone Drug Trial
A third trial of an experimental drug found that it worked better than a rival to delay the risk of bone complications in men with advanced prostate cancer.New York Times
‘Blind Pools’ Falter as Ziman, Callahan Plan Property Comeback
Richard Ziman and Timothy Callahan want to raise money in the equity market after selling their real estate companies for a combined $12 billion before the property crash.BusinessWeek.com --
Haiti Aid Summit May Cool Tensions Among South American Leaders
South American leaders will rally around efforts to coordinate aid to Haiti at a summit today, seeking to avoid regional disputes that have undermined relations on the continent since 2008.BusinessWeek.com --
Insurers Test Market as Obama Opens Annuity Door for 401(k)s
Insurers and mutual-fund companies are starting to sell retirement accounts with built-in annuities in response to concerns Americans will outlive their savings.BusinessWeek.com --
Greece Not Named as New EU President Sets Tone for Summit
A European Union summit this week will focus on long-term economic strategy, President Herman Van Rompuy said, making no direct reference to Greece’s fiscal crisis.BusinessWeek.com --
Junk Bonds Show Ebbing Distress on Record Sales: Credit Markets
Investors in the lowest rated corporate bonds are looking past concern that worsening government finances will derail the economy, paying prices that imply the fastest drop in defaults in more than a decade.BusinessWeek.com --
Ex-Space Shuttle Engineer Gets 15-Year Term for China Spying
A former Rockwell International and Boeing Co. aerospace engineer who worked on the Space Shuttle program was sentenced to more than 15 years in prison for economic espionage and acting as an agent for China. .BusinessWeek.com --
Crude Oil to Rise to $75, Then Revisit Lows: Technical Analysis
Crude oil is poised to rise to $75 a barrel, recouping a week’s losses, before the market revisits chart support around $70, said National Australia Bank Ltd.BusinessWeek.com --
Frequent Flier: A Chef’s Ingredients, and His Hopes, Run Afoul of a Border Inspection
In the travels of the chef Susur Lee, recipe ingredients raise red flags for airport security agents.
New York Times
Making Solar Power Portable
A growing number of business travelers are using portable renewable energy devices to power up their electronics when they work in places that offer little or no access to electricity.
New York Times
Reuters BreakingViews: Protecting Banks in the Boardroom
Directors at banks can help control risk by routinely posing the question: “What could make this institution fail?”
New York Times
Asian Stocks Mixed
Asian markets struggled to hold firmer ground on Tuesday but won some respite from recent losses.New York Times
Consumer Stocks Stall Amid Surprising Earnings
Better-than-expected profits and sales aren't helping consumer discretionary stocks maintain last year's big gainsBusinessWeek.com --
‘PIGS’ Crisis Is Opportunity for Euro to Stand Up: Matthew Lynn
“You never want a serious crisis to go to waste,” Rahm Emanuel, U.S. President Barack Obama’s chief of staff, said during the 2008 credit crunch. “It’s an opportunity to do things that you could not do before.” .BusinessWeek.com --
Toyota Details Recall of 2010 Prius for Brake Problems
The worldwide recall will affect about 436,000 units of the 2010 Prius and other hybrid models, according to the company’s filing.
New York Times
Immigrants Claim Wal-Mart Fired Them to Provide Jobs for Local Residents
Ten West Africans have filed federal complaints accusing Wal-Mart stores in Colorado of discrimination.
New York Times
Dealbook Column: Shareholders Deciding a Dividend
The dividend, which private equity firms routinely paid to themselves until the economy turned against them, is back.New York Times
Crude Oil to Rise to $75, Then Revisit Lows: Technical Analysis
Crude oil is poised to rise to $75 a barrel, recouping a week’s losses, before the market revisits chart support around $70, said National Australia Bank Ltd.BusinessWeek.com --
Crestor Wins Approval as a Drug to Prevent Heart Disease
The Food and Drug Administration cleared the way for the cholesterol treatment to be used by millions of people who are not normally prescribed such drugs.New York Times
Articles & Opinion
Letter: Controlling Radiation Risks
NYT > Opinion
Letter: A Word From Harper’s
NYT > Opinion
Letter: Oil Drilling Royalties
NYT > Opinion
Letters: Tea Partiers and Republicans, in Battle Mode
NYT > Opinion
Letters: How to Reduce the Federal Deficit
NYT > Opinion
Op-Ed Columnist: The Worst of the Pain
Those in the lower-income groups are in a much, much deeper hole than the general commentary on the recession would lead people to believe.
By BOB HERBERT
Op-Ed Columnist: The World’s Watchmaker
China has America about where it wants it. You can make your own calculation of President Obama's leverage over Beijing - and it's heading south. .
By ROGER COHEN
Op-Ed Contributor: Iran’s Two-Edged Bomb
Believe it or not, there are some potential benefits to the United States should Iran build a bomb.
By ADAM B. LOWTHER
Editorial: The Hudson Cleanup
The Environmental Protection Agency must make sure that General Electric follows through on the second phase of dredging the Hudson River no matter how difficult.NYT > Opinion
Op-Ed Columnist: The House of Tranquillity
Barack Obama and Joe Biden once had a Felix and Oscar air about them. But in recent months, Obama has found a way to use Biden’s skills, while Biden has found ways to be of use. .
By DAVID BROOKS
Editorial: Music Inc. Gets Bigger
Antitrust regulation still suffers from an unwillingness to challenge “vertical integration” — as such is the case in the merger between Ticketmaster and Live Nation.NYT > Opinion
Editorial: A New Space Program
President Obama is calling on NASA to develop “game-changing” technologies. For this to happen, the plan must be focused and adequately financed. .NYT > Opinion
How the First Amendment Works
A follow-up column on the First Amendment and the recent Supreme Court decision, with a discussion of readers’ comments.By STANLEY FISH
Letter: U.S. Bases in Japan
NYT > Opinion
Letter: Sex Education and Freedom of Choice
NYT > Opinion
Letters: Using Talk and Play to Develop Minds
NYT > Opinion
Letter: Home Health Workers
NYT > Opinion
Letter: Holocaust Remembrance
NYT > Opinion
Op-Ed Contributor: Sucking the Quileute Dry
The “Twilight” series’ makers owe it to the Quileute people to let them have a say in, and benefit financially from, outsiders’ use of their cultural property.
By ANGELA R. RILEY
Op-Ed Contributor: Have Faith in Love
Every bit of Christian teaching can be summed up in three words: God is love. That is the simple truth that teaches tolerance of same-sex unions. .
By ERIC LAX
Op-Ed Columnist: America Is Not Yet Lost
The way the Senate works is no longer consistent with a functioning government, and senators should change the rules to end obstructionism.
By PAUL KRUGMAN
Op-Ed Columnist: The Dream of Zero
Linking the antiproliferation agenda to the dream of universal nuclear abolition, as President Obama seems intent on doing, is a naïve approach to a very difficult problem.
By ROSS DOUTHAT
Editorial: Pay Up
A 1999 settlement for generations of cheated black farmers will not right an injustice until the nation pays the claimants what it owes.NYT > Opinion
Editorial: The Privilege to Serve
Legislators should be required to disclose the names of their legal clients. That way New York’s voters can be sure that all officials are putting the state’s interests first. .NYT > Opinion
Editorial: Lobbyists and Students
Congress must not allow private lending companies unfairly profiting from federal student loan programs to kill a bill that would stop their gravy train.NYT > Opinion
Editorial: Abstinence Education Done Right
No single approach will reduce sexual activity in all teenagers, but a new study suggests that there is a sensible, effective way to teach abstinence.NYT > Opinion
Rock Groups
Treating numbers concretely - think rocks, for instance - can make calculations less baffling.By STEVEN STROGATZ
Op-Ed Contributor: Addicted to Haiti
America’s cocaine habit could undermine rebuilding efforts in a Haiti where the political narrative since the fall of the Duvaliers closely tracks the rise of drug trafficking.By BEN FOUNTAIN
Letters: Protecting Youth in Prisons From Violence and Abuse
NYT > Opinion
The Riddle of Consciousness
Patients in a “vegetative” state showed some bright blips on brain scans, but there’s still no real answer to what’s behind blank eyes.By BENEDICT CAREY