The latest news on the President's Speech to Congress, Layoffs, D.C. Vote, Death Penalty, Iraq Withdrawal, Iran, Human Rights, Middle East, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, and Select Op-eds.

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President's speech to Congress. In Speech to Congress, Obama Outlines His Plans for Economic Recovery "President Obama offered a grim portrait of America's plight in an address to a joint session of Congress last night, but he promised to lead an economic renewal that would lift the country out of its current crisis without bankrupting its future." Obama Assures Nation: 'We Will Rebuild' "President Obama urged the nation on Tuesday to see the economic crisis as reason to raise its ambitions, calling for expensive new efforts to address energy, health care and education even as he warned that government bailouts have not come to an end." Obama says American spirit will overcome crisis "Speaking to a nation shaken by joblessness and a collapsing stock market, President Obama on Tuesday sought to rally the public with optimism and ambition, saying the country would overcome its economic challenges by embracing a new era of American ingenuity." 'We will recover' "With his speech to Congress on Tuesday night, President Barack Obama tried to navigate shoals that have challenged other presidents serving during times of economic crisis: how to balance warnings of dire circumstances against the need to inspire confidence." Transcript: President Obama's Address to Congress

Layoffs. Gov't says 'mass layoffs' soared in January "Employers took a large ax to their payrolls in January, the government said Wednesday, and the cuts are likely to get worse over the next few months."

D.C. vote. Senate To Weigh D.C. Vote Measure "For the first time since the 1970s, the U.S. Senate decided yesterday to take up a D.C. voting rights bill, fueling hopes that the District is finally nearing its longtime goal of having a full member of the House of Representatives."

Death penalty. Citing Cost, States Consider Halting Death Penalty "When Gov. Martin O'Malley appeared before the Maryland Senate last week, he made an unconventional argument that is becoming increasingly popular in cash-strapped states: abolish the death penalty to cut costs."

Iraq withdrawal. Obama Favoring Mid-2010 Pullout in Iraq, Aides Say "President Obama is nearing a decision that would order American combat forces out of Iraq by August 2010 as he seeks to finally end a war that has consumed and polarized the United States for nearly six years." Compromise on Iraq withdrawal timeline appears near "The Obama administration is close to deciding on a 19-month withdrawal plan for the bulk of U.S. troops in Iraq and could announce a timetable this week, military officials said Tuesday." Iraq government welcomes U.S. plans to withdraw combat troops by August "The Iraqi government today welcomed American plans to withdraw most U.S. combat troops by August next year."

Iran. Iranians start reactor test run "Iranian and Russian nuclear officials have begun a test run of Iran's first nuclear power plant." Tehran begins test run of nuclear plant "Iran moves a step closer to joining the nuclear club today by beginning a test run of its Russian-built atomic power plant." Iran presidential campaigns off to early start "Former President Mohammad Khatami, a relative liberal who announced his candidacy this month, has come out swinging against his main rival, incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Khatami has accused the president of damaging Iran's foreign relations and has launched a campaign tour through the provinces." Veteran Mideast negotiator will be Clinton's Iran advisor "Veteran Mideast peace negotiator Dennis B. Ross, who was widely expected to be named special envoy to Iran, has been given a less ambitious mission as the Obama administration continues to weigh how best to deal with the Islamic Republic."

Human rights. 'War' mentality eroding human rights, report says "Calling upon the world to dispense with any 'war' mentality, the judges say it's high time that terrorism suspects and intelligence agents cease to be treated as though they exist outside the rule of law."

Middle East. Clinton plunging into Mideast politics with eye on blunting Iran's influence in the region "Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is preparing to plunge into one of the toughest foreign policy issues facing the Obama administration - the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with personal diplomacy aimed at blunting what Washington sees as malign Iranian influence in the region." Peres puts peace deal on top of agenda for new lawmakers "President Shimon Peres urged the new parliament to wrap up a peace accord with the Palestinians by the end of its term, as the 18th Knesset opened its first session on Tuesday." Musical Show of Unity Upsets Many in Israel "Achinoam Nini, a singer and peace activist, has long stirred controversy here. Known abroad by her stage name, Noa, she has recorded with Arab artists, refused to perform in the occupied West Bank, condemned Israeli settlements there and had concerts canceled because of bomb threats from the extreme right."

Afghanistan. Bomb Kills 4 U.S. Troops and an Afghan Civilian in the Country's South "A roadside bomb killed four U.S. troops patrolling in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday in the deadliest single attack on international forces this year. An Afghan civilian working with the Americans also died." U.K. soldiers die in Afghan blast "Three British soldiers have been killed by an enemy improvised explosive device in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) has said."

Pakistan. Strikes Worsen Qaeda Threat, Pakistan Says "American missile strikes have reduced Al Qaeda's global reach but heightened the threat to Pakistan as the group disperses its cells here and fights to maintain its sanctuaries, Pakistani intelligence officials said."

Syria. Diplomats: Damascus has built missile facility on suspected nuclear site "Syria's nuclear chief has told the U.N.'s nuclear agency that his nation built a new missile facility on the site of what the U.S. says was a nearly finished nuclear reactor bombed by Israel, diplomats said."

Opinion. Cardinal Mahony's message (Tim Rutten, Los Angeles Times) "As pastor to a flock of more than 4.3 million Catholics, Mahony is firmly in the man-does-not-live-by-bread-alone camp. As a guy with a master's degree in social work, as a former head of California's Agricultural Labor Relations Board and as chief executive of the largest network of private social service agencies in the three counties his archdioceses covers, he also knows that without bread nobody lives -- at least not in this world." Mugabe has ruined Africa's beacon of hope (Rowan Williams and John Sentamu, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, Times of London) "We know that there is no quick solution to this; and we know that there will be no serious solution as long as Robert Mugabe remains in power and refuses to accept the verdict of his people in last year's election."