– Panetta also said during the hearing that U.S. and Afghan officials are weeks away from reaching a security pact allowing an American military mission to stay in Afghanistan beyond 2014.

– “The world must denounce Iran’s terrorist activity and mark red lines on the Iranian nuclear program,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told members of the Israeli parliament today, following Iran’s unveiling of a new generation of domestically made enrichment centrifuges and locally made fuel rods.

– Modest demonstrations in Tehran on Tuesday marked the first anti-government protests since the opposition Green Movement marches in February 2011, raising questions about whether the opposition still has the power to mobilize large numbers of protesters.

– Iranian state news reported that the Islamic Republic has stopped oil exports to six European states in retaliation for European Union sanctions on Iranian crude.

– Syrian President Bashar Assad ordered a referendum for later this month on a new constitution that would permit opposition political but details of how the vote would be conducted remains unclear as the Syrian military continues daily battles against army defectors.

– The U.S. and some Middle East allies are stepping up surveillance of Syria’s chemical and biological weapons depots amid fears that the weapons could go loose if unrest escalates out of control.

– The Obama administration is considering reducing the number of deployed nuclear weapons by 80 percent.

Congressional negotiators reached a deal to extend the payroll tax holiday and unemployment benefits yesterday. The plan, hammered out by a bipartisan House-Senate committee, came after Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) made a major concession in okaying the extension of the tax holiday without spending cuts. Tea Party Republicans may still derail the deal, which is expected for a vote Friday.

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is staying at arm’s length from Boehner, refusing to endorse the deal to extend the tax holiday.

“President Obama’s political standing is rising along with voters’ optimism that the economy,” according to a new New York Times/CBS poll which shows the president’s approval rating at 50 percent — compared to Congress’ 10 percent. For the first time in some time, more Americans have a positive outlook on the economy than a negative one.

The same poll shows that a whopping 65 percent of voters say they support the Obama administration’s new contraception rule. Meanwhile, 44 percent of Catholics said they favored marriage equality, while 25 percent preferred civil unions — just 24 percent favored no legal recognition at all.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) will allow a vote on a Republican Senate bill today to repeal President Obama’s new birth control policy. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) is “unlikely to pass the Senate,” but Reid is allowing the vote so pro-life Democrats can reaffirm their position.

Newt Gingrich slammed Rick Santorum’s stance against allowing women to serve in combat in the military, saying the position shows Santorum completely misunderstands modern warfare.”

Nearly half of Michigan voters are less likely to vote for Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R) after his Senate campaign ran its racially-charged ad during the Super Bowl, according to a new poll. Of 54 percent who have seen the ad, 45 percent say they’re less likely to vote for Hoekstra. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D) now has a 14-point lead in the race, double her lead before the ad ran.

The White House threatened to veto House Republicans’ transportation package if it passes, because of its inclusion of the Keystone XL pipeline and the inadequacy of its funding for roads and bridges. The Senate is also debating a transportation bill that has President Obama’s support.

Famed author and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel is asking Mitt Romney — perhaps the most visible Mormon in the country — to denounce the Mormon Church’s practice of posthumously baptizing Jews killed during the Holocaust.

A day after the White House welcomed Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, whom President Obama spoke with for 85 minutes, Obama will today call on businesses to “insource” jobs that have been shipped overseas back to the United States, echoing a key passage of his State of the Union address last month.

And finally: The New York State Senate won’t always love Whitney Houston — in fact, Republicans there are blocking a motion to honor the late singer because she may have died of a drug overdose. “I was outraged,” said sponsor, Sen. Eric Adams (D). “For us to focus on how she died rather than how she lived is an insult.”

For breaking news and updates throughout the day, follow ThinkProgress on Facebook and Twitter.

– U.S. troops will feel the effects of military spending budget cuts as the Pentagon plans to limit pay increases and raise health care costs. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned that DOD’s current personnel cost levels are “unsustainable.”

– China’s defense budget will double by 2015 to $238.2 billion, more than the rest of the Asia Pacific region combined.

– An Iranian man detonated a series of three explosions in Bangkok, injuring four civilians and blowing off his own legs, one day after Israel accused Iran and Hezbollah of coordinating attacks on Israeli diplomats in India and Georgia.

– Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) called on Monday for a congressional hearing on Syria and, in a letter to Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI), emphasized that “all options must now be on the table to stop the bloodletting in Syria.”

– Two administration officials said that the a major intelligence gathering effort on the plans and operations of the Syrian regime. “There is an obvious focus on developing intelligence,” one official said.

– Bahraini protesters prepare for a new attempt to retake a landmark roundabout in Manama on Tuesday following clashes on Monday in which protesters were reportedly tear gassed and shot with birdshot at the conclusion of a legal anti-government rally.

– The Obama administration announced yesterday that it would hold its first talks with North Korea over its nuclear weapons program since the death of the country’s leader, Kim Jong-il.

In an effort to prove that the myth of widespread voter fraud is just that, the head of the American Civil Liberties Union has offered to pay $1,000 for a single example of voter impersonation. The offer applies to anyone who can show a prosecuted case of someone successfully voting by impersonating another person that would have been stopped by voter ID laws.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) put a hold on the transportation bill, delaying consideration of the bill in order to make an unrelated statement on U.S. aid to Egypt.

Lobbyists who were kicked off federal advisory committees when the Obama administration implemented a ban against lobbyists on the committees are now suing the government to reverse the decision. In a court filing, six lobbyists argue that the ban violates the First Amendment.

A new Gallup survey shows that fewer Americans received health insurance from their employer in 2011, continuing a three-year decline in employer-provided health care. During the same period, the number of Americans without any insurance has increased from 14.8 percent in 2008 to 17.1 percent in 2011.

Wall Street “made its broadest assault yet against new regulation” yesterday, targeting the Volcker Rule, part of the Dodd-Frank financial reform law. While some called for the rule to go farther, “the loudest response came from critics like Wall Street trade groups.”

Rick Santorum pulled ahead of Mitt Romney in another national poll, this one from CBS News/New York Times, which showed him leading with a 3 percent margin.

Independent voters are fleeing Romney, according to new polling data. In November, Romney was beating President Obama among independent voters, 53 percent to 41 percent. Now those numbers are upside down with Obama beating Romney 41 to 42 percent.

And finally: Outside the Westminster dog show in New York City today, the group “Dogs Against Romney” will protest “to ensure pet lovers are aware that Mitt Romney is mean to dogs.” The group was inspired by Romney’s tale of leaving his dog strapped to the roof of his car in a crate during a 12-hour road trip.

For breaking news and updates throughout the day, follow ThinkProgress on Facebook and Twitter.

A majority of Catholic voters support President Obama’s new contraception policy, according to a poll released this weekend by the Coalition to Protect Women’s Health Care, which includes the Center for American Progress. Just 29 percent of Catholics polled opposed the policy, while 57 percent (and 59 percent of Catholic women) support it. An additional 5 percent wanted the policy to be stronger.

Obama will unveil his 2013 budget proposal today, which the White House is calling a “blueprint for how we can rebuild an economy” and Republicans are already attacking. The plan includes increased spending on infrastructure and education, with spending cuts in many other places.

Athens saw its biggest riots yet this weekend as the Greek Parliament passed strict new austerity measures. The vote paves the way for a bailout from its European neighbors and the International Monetary Fund; without it, Greece would almost certainly have to leave the Eurozone, which could seriously harm global markets.

Mitt Romney claims to be an outsider, but his campaign has made room for lobbyists. At least 294 registered lobbyists donated more than $400,000 to Romney’s campaign in 2011 and bundled more than $2 million in donations. Several advisers are also lobbyists.

Romney picked up two much-needed wins this weekend in Maine’s caucuses and at the CPAC straw poll, but his competitors are contesting both. Rick Santorum accused Romney of essentially buying the straw poll by purchasing tickets for supporters — a charge supported by reporting from Politico and the New York Times — while Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) suggested the Maine GOP favored Romney.

A new PPP poll released this weekend shows Santorum is the new national leader with a huge 15 point margin. However, the poll was conducted before the Maine caucus and CPAC straw poll.

Newt Gingrich is in desperate need of cash and struggling to raise money. Having largely struck out with top bundlers, he is now focusing on mid-tier donors and has been forced to spend less time with voters and more with potential donors.

The New Jersey state Senate is expected to pass a bill today to recognize gay marriage. On Thursday, the state Assembly is expected to do the same, but Gov. Chris Christie (R) has promised a veto. Democrats hope to muster enough votes to override Christie’s veto.

The administration is preparing to call for reducing the corporate tax rate, a proposal Obama hinted at in his State of the Union address last month. The current rate of 35 percent is one of the highest in the world and the new rate would put it more in line with that of other developed nations.

And finally: Rick Santorum was overheard this weekend in Northern Virginia asking if the sushi he had just eaten was cooked.

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– Syrian security forces resumed their bombardment of the city of Homs on Monday while China’s foreign ministry backed Arab League mediation efforts but offered no sign of support for League calls to send in peacekeepers.

– The AP reported on Friday that the Obama administration is seeing signs that the Syrian elite, including those close to President Bashar al-Assad, “are increasingly worried and beginning to prepare exit plans.”

– Israel’s foreign ministry reports that bombers targeted staff at Israel’s embassies in India and Georgia on Monday, leading to a bomb detonating in New Delhi, wounding one person.

– The Wall Street Journal reports that attempts to unite with the rival Fatah party in the Palestinian government has opened up a split in Hamas.

– Defense News has details of the Defense Department’s FY2013 budget request which is set to be made public today.

– Special Operations Command head Adm. William H. McRaven, “is seeking new authority to move his forces faster and outside of normal Pentagon deployment channels.”

– Greece’s Parliament approved spending cuts early Monday to secure a bailout but furious protesters set fires and burned buildings in Athens, expressing their fear that European demands for “austerity measure” will reshape their economy and exacerbate the current recession.

The White House will likely announce “an accommodation” for religious groups angered by its new rule requiring employers — including organizations with religious affiliations — to offer health insurance that fully covers birth control. ABC’s Jake Tapper reports that the deal with be respectful of religious beliefs, but the move most likely will not satisfy bishops and religious leaders.

House Financial Services Chair, Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-AL) faces an insider-trading probe by the Office of Congressional Ethics. Bachus received over 44 percent of his campaign donations last quarter from the industries he oversees.

Nine months ahead of Election Day, participants at the Conservative Political Action Conference reflect the same disenchantment with Republican presidential candidates and weariness of Republican in-fighting that voters have complained about on the campaign trail. “I know it’s a long shot, but I wish someone like Daniels or Christie would come along and win the nomination at a brokered convention,” said a Republican activist from Virginia.

Conservative columnist Peggy Noonan notes that both cable news and broadcast news are down, suggesting interest in politics “on both the left and the right, are relatively flat, with mild increases here and there.”

The right-wing U.S. Chamber of Commerce begins a multi-million dollar ad campaign in congressional races. The independent expenditures aim to help 11 Republican allies of big business in House races and 8 Senate races, as well as Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT).

The Oklahoma Democrat who introduced an “Every Sperm is Sacred” amendment to the state senate’s controversial Personhood Bill writes in The Guardian that her amendment was meant “to draw humorous attention to the hypocrisy and inconsistency of this proposal,” which would declare that life begins at conception and grant full legal protection to the fetus.

Lawmakers in Virginia passed legislation that will allow adoption agencies to deny placement of children based on their religious or moral beliefs, including gay couples in the state. Governor McDonnell has said he will sign it, making Virginia the second state after North Dakota to pass such a law.

And finally: This week, Virginia state Rep. Robert Bell passed a bill that allows Virginia’s homeschooled students to play at their local high schools despite not attending that school. The passage of the so-called Tebow legislation (in honor of home-schooled Tim Tebow) excited Bell so much that he bent over on a knee in the Virginia House chamber and broke into the “Tebowing” pose.

For breaking news and updates throughout the day, follow ThinkProgress on Facebook and Twitter.

– Syrian officials suspected of ordering crimes against humanity should be prosecuted in the International Criminal Court (ICC), said a spokesman for the ICC on Friday.

– Syrian opposition figures claim that security forces are stockpiling chemical weapons and distributing gas masks to soldiers near Homs.

– Congress approved a Pentagon request to shift $81.6 million in funds to improve the military’s largest bomb, a 30,000 pound bunker buster, a move that may have been triggered by Iran’s January 9 announcement that it would being enrichment at an underground facility near Qom.

– A new poll from the London-based YouGov organization found that nearly half of Americans support an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities in order to halt advances toward the ability to build nuclear weapons.

– The Muslim Brotherhood demanded that Egypt’s military rulers cede control of the government, a move toward a long-anticipated confrontation between the military leadership and Muslim Brotherhood-dominated Parliament.

– The United States’ top human rights envoy, Assistant Secretary of State Michael Posner, said yesterday that Bahrain should stop prosecuting “all persons accused of offenses involving political expression” and expressed concerns about police using excessive force, including “widespread and sometimes indiscriminate use of tear gas.”

– The Somali terror group Al-Shabaab’s leader pledged loyalty to al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, telling Zawahiri in an audio message that his followers “will march with you as loyal soldiers.”

– The conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch filed papers this week in its suit against the Defense Department and the CIA for the release of “all photographs and/or video recordings” taken on the night Osama bin Laden was killed.

If you believe every woman deserves access to affordable birth control, make sure Congress hears from you. 

Government officials have reached an agreement with five of the nation’s biggest banks on a $26 billion settlement to aid homeowners caught in the home foreclosure crisis. The agreement is the broadest effort yet and could provide relief to nearly 2 million current and former homeowners.

Despite the public outcry, Michigan’s Republican Party chairman defended former congressman Pete Hoekstra’s controversial ad. Bobby Schostak called the spot’s stereotyping of Asians “satirical.”

A growing number of Republican lawmakers want return to earmarks, The Hill reports. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) says Republicans increasingly believe they have ceded too much authority on funding home-state projects to the administration.

Washington state is poised to legalize marriage equality after the state House passed a bill to do so yesterday, which now just requires the governor’s signature. Gov. Chris Gregoire (D) has been a strong supporter of the measure and will sign it in the next few days.

Nancy Brinker, the founder and head of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, admitted that she “mishandled” the Planned Parenthood controversy in her first public comments since the controversy erupted. In a statement to the Washington Post’s Sally Quinn, Brinker wrote that she had “made some mistakes” and said she learned some lessons.

Federal regulators with the Securities and Exchange Commission will sue several big banks for contributing to the financial crisis through the sale of bonds linked to subprime mortgages. The SEC is expected to argue that the banks misrepresented the poor quality of the loans pools they bundled and sold to investors. The suit represents a greater crackdown on Wall Street giants that have yet to be held accountable for their role in the economic downturn.

Young adults have been among those hit hardest by the economic downturn, the AP reports. Americans aged 18 to 34 “have suffered bigger income losses than other age groups and are less likely to be employed than at any time since World War II.”

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce plans to announce a $10 million campaign today to support 20 congressional candidates, the majority of whom are Republicans. The ads will focus on four Senate races, including candidates such as Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), that Republicans hope to win to gain control of the Senate.

And finally: Who says there are no conservative celebrities? CPAC, the premier annual gathering of conservatives that starts today, will feature some major star power: one member of the Duggar family, Kirk Cameron from “Growing Pains,” and Stephen Baldwin. Meanwhile, Donny Osmond is helping out Mitt Romney. OK, maybe they’re right.

– Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) wrote a letter of complaint to the Justice Department calling the administration’s stonewalling Congress on information about the program of targeting U.S. citizens abroad for assassination, calling it “an indefensible assertion of executive prerogative” while not challenging the authority to carry out the killings.

– At least 50 people died in mortar and rocket attacks in the Syrian city of Homs after the Syrian military launched a new assault today. Homs is Syria’s third largest city and the focus of unrest in the 11-month uprising against President Bashar Al Assad.

– The U.S. and Israel have different timelines for when the Iranian nuclear program will enter, as the Israeli defense minister put it, a “zone of immunity” because components of the program are being moved to underground bunkers.

– U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Marc Grossman met Taliban leaders in Qatar as part of U.S. efforts to bring the insurgents to the negotiating table.

– The deputy commander of U.S. forces and head of the NATO forces in Afghanistan Lt. Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti pushed back against reports that Afghan forces will not be ready to take the fighting load from the U.S. in the next two years, saying, “[T]hey’re going to be good enough, as we build them, to secure their country and to counter the insurgency.”

– The State Department is pushing back on “funky” reports on cutting its diplomatic presence in Baghdad. “Contrary to some of the news reports, we are not reducing our operations by 50 percent,” a State official said.

– The United Nations plans to cut $1 billion from its peacekeeping budget this year as major powers press for spending cuts and a reduction of the $8 billion peacekeeping budget.

– Syria’s economic and diplomatic isolation deepened amid ongoing brutal assaults on anti-government strongholds, with the European Union debating new rounds of sanctions, including on the Syrian central bank, and Persian Gulf states breaking relations by recalling their ambassadors and expelling Syria’s from their countries.

– Turkey seeks to form a international pressure group on Syria as to coordinate policy between regional and world powers following the “fiasco,” as Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan called it, at the U.N. after China and Russia vetoed a Security Council resolution on Syria.

– The architect of Egypt’s recent crackdown on U.S.-funded pro-democracy organizations, Faiza Abou el-Naga, is a holdover from the cabinet of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, evidence, her critics say, that elements of Egypt’s old guard are entrenched in the new government and blocking the rise of new political leadership.

– U.S.-backed Afghan President Hamid Karzai has emerged as an obstacle to U.S. talks with the Taliban aimed at brokering a political resolution to the decade-old war there, objecting, for example, to a Taliban office in Qatar that will likely serve as a point of contact for the U.S.

– Despite the lack of concession from Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki, the political crisis in Iraq showed signs of easing as ministers from a large Sunni bloc of Parliament retook their seats, agreeing that one minister charged with crimes should go through the courts.

– Assistant Secretary of State Andrew Shapiro said that ispectors searching for shoulder fired missiles that have gone missing after the fall of Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi cannot account for thousands of them. “The frank answer is we don’t know and probably never will,” Shapiro said.

– The CIA is expected to maintain a large clandestine presence in Iraq and Afghanistan long after the withdrawal of U.S. troops “as part of a plan by the Obama administration to rely on a combination of spies and Special Operations forces to protect U.S. interests in the two longtime war zones.”

With US troops withdrawn, the State Department is finding it difficult to do their job in Iraq and is preparing to downsize its staff at the embassy in Baghdad by as much as half in the coming weeks, a stunning reversal after a huge buildup, the New York Times reports.

Members of a bipartisan negotiating committee can’t agree on how to pay for another payroll tax cut extension, dashing “any hope for a quick a quiet resolution” before the current extension expires at the end of the month. Senate Democrats have pledged to put forth their own bill if negotiators can’t agree.

The longest serving person in the U.S. Senate, Sen. Dan Inouye (D-HI) blasted Senate hopeful and former Rep. Pete Hoesktra (R-MI) for his controversial ad playing on Asian stereotypes. “His racist thoughts are not welcome in the United States Senate,” Inouye, who is Asian-American, said.

Rick Santorum swept all three GOP primaries last night in Colorado, Missouri, and Minnesota, dealing a severe blow to Mitt Romney, who has tried to present his nomination as inevitable.

Newly amended forms for the pro-Romney super PAC reveal that another Bain exec and his wife are the people behind a mysterious $250,000 donation.

In its comprehensive examination of federal disclosure forms, the Washington Post has discovered that members of Congress have steered millions of taxpayer dollars to institutions where their relatives work. The Post found 16 representatives whose actions aided their immediate families.

The CBO on Tuesday reported that the budget deficit fell sharply in January, from $50 billion a year ago to $27 billion last month. The improved numbers were attributable to higher tax collections from individuals and lower outlays. January’s numbers bring the total deficit reduction to around $70 billion for the first four months of fiscal year 2012, which began on October 1.

The government’s proposed settlement with banks over their mortgage and foreclosure practices was dealt another setback last night when New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (D) canceled a news conference where he was expected to endorse the deal. Officials are still intent on finalizing the deal this week, even as multiple states continue to holdout.

And finally: Someday, wrestler/actor “The Rock” will save the world, but not yet, he said in a recent interview. “Right now, the best way that I can impact the world is through entertainment,” he said. “One day, and that day will come, I can impact the world through politics. The great news is that I am American, therefore I can become President.”

– A BBC reporter in Syria says the Syrian army resumed mortar attacks and heavy machine-gun fire in the besieged city of Homs. Hundreds have died since the shelling of the city began on Friday.

– Sanctions and instability due to an 11-month uprising against the Syrian government and subsequent violent crackdown have led to rampant inflation, layoffs, and a crumbling economy in Syria, affecting both the prospects for the Assad regime to survive and the country’s citizens.

– Saudi Arabia has started to supply small quantities of extra crude oil to several European countries that have begun to reduce their purchases of Iranian crude because of an impending E.U. ban on Iranian oil.

– Iranian rice buyers defaulted on payments for 200,000 tons of rice from India, a sign that Western sanctions are putting mounting pressure on the Iranian financial system.

– Iran is believed to be expanding uranium enrichment activity deep inside a mountain at the Fordow underground nuclear facility, a move that would stoke tensions with Western powers who suspect Tehran is pursuing a nuclear weapon capability.

– Gen. James N. Mattis, head of the military’s Central Command, will travel to Pakistan this month in the first step toward repairing the U.S.-Pakistan strategic relationship that has been effectively frozen for more than two months.

– The top Democrat and Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sens. Carl Levin (D-MI) and John McCain (R-AZ) voiced disappointment in a letter that Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta removed a delayed and over-budget project to build up F-35 fighters from probation without giving assurances about what specific progress has been made.

As the bankrolls of GOP-aligned Super PACs continue to grow, President Obama’s campaign announced that it will no longer oppose the use of Super PAC funding to aid the reelection bid. Obama made the decision reluctantly and simultaneously announced that he supports a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United.

Good news on the jobs front is forcing Republicans to tread carefully as they continue to criticize President Obama for “failed” economic policies, The Hill reports. Republicans who go much further than saying America “can do better” risk looking like they are rooting against recovery.

Center for American Progress Action Fund President Tom Perriello writes in an op-ed in Politico today that Mitt Romney has a “poverty problem” far larger than a few gaffes. “Some political analysts made this a story about Romney’s penchant for verbal slip-ups. But the real problem is one of policy, not PR. It’s his moral framework, not his misstatements.”

Just days after Susan G. Komen for the Cure reversed course and reinstated Planned Parenthood to its grant network, GOP Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney told a conservative radio host that Komen was right to cut financial ties to Planned Parenthood because they provide abortions.

Records show Bain execs spent nearly $5 million in support of Mitt Romney’s White House campaigns — some dating back as early 2004.

Republicans in Colorado, Minnesota, and Missouri will vote today to make their choice for who should be the party’s presidential nominee. Romney is feeling heat from former senator Rick Santorum, who could pick up victories in two of the three states today.

A new Washington Post investigation shows Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) directed more than $100 million in federal earmarks to renovate downtown Tuscaloosa near his own commercial office building, Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) got $6.3 million in taxpayer dollars to fix-up the beach next to his island vacation home — two examples of how Congressional earmarks have been used to fund projects near lawmakers’ properties.

After Rep. Pete Hoekstra’s (R-MI) campaign ran an attack ad against Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) during the Super Bowl, even Republicans are pushing back against the xenophobic ad. A GOP consultant wrote on Facebook that “Racism and xenophobia aren’t any way to get things done,” and an Asian-American GOP county commissioner called the ad “incredibly racist.”

The Senate passed its reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration last night, the first long-term extension for the agency in more than four years. The House has already passed the $64 billion, four-year extension, and President Obama is expected to sign it.

A Missouri grand jury has indicted DocX, one of the largest companies that foreclosed on homeowners, on forgery charges. The state’s attorney general will now prosecute the case of “mass-produced fraudulent signatures” they used on documents to wrongfully evict borrowers from their homes. DocX executed millions of mortgage documents for big banks and other lenders.

And finally: Harry Potter — well, at least the actor who plays him — doesn’t think the GOP field is too magical. Daniel Radcliffe told a British magazine that he is “disgusted, amazed, stunned” by the candidates, especially on gay rights. “But they disgusted me less than candidates like Rick Perry, who made that ridiculous advert wearing ‘the Brokeback jacket,” he said.

For breaking news and updates throughout the day, follow ThinkProgress on Facebook and Twitter.

– After Russia and China vetoed a tough U.N. resolution seeking to rein in Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s violent crackdown on protesters, the U.S. called for a new international coalition, including European and Arab states, to seek for an alternate plan.

– Kassam Salimani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s elits Quds Force, reportedly arrived in Syria to help manage Syrian President Bashar Al Assad’s suppression of popular unrest, according to a “top member of the National Syrian Council.”

– Special Operations forces will take an elevated role in Afghanistan as the U.S. military shifts away from a combat mission and focuses on advising Afghan security forces and killing top insurgent leaders.

– Egypt’s decision to charge 19 Americans being held by authorities with crimes amid growing acrimony with the U.S. over the direction of the military-led transitional government could cause U.S. lawmakers to make good on threats to withhold the U.S.’s massive military aid package to the military as leverage.

– A study by a British group being disputed by American authorities found that the Obama administration has launched 260 drone strikes in Pakistan, killing between 282 to 535 civilians, including more than 60 children.

– Amid news yesterday that current Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas could be considered to lead a new unity government, his Fatah faction and the Hamas resistance movement, considered by Israel and most of the West to be a terror group, agreed to form a national unity government in meetings in Qatar.

– The U.N. reported on Friday that the famine that killed tens of thousands in Somalia last year has ended. However, officials remain cautious. “The crisis is not over,” said José Graziano da Silva, director general of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations,

According to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, President Obama holds a clear lead over GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney. By a 2-1 margin, Americans said the more they learned about Romney, the less they liked him — likely a function of the overwhelmingly negative primary campaign the candidate has waged against his fellow contenders.

The same poll shows 68 percent of Americans think the tax code favors the wealthy, including 56 percent who strongly believe so, while two-thirds think Romney is not paying his fair share in taxes.

Egypt will put 19 Americans on trial as part of an investigation into the funding of pro-democracy groups, the government announced Sunday. One of those reportedly facing charges is Sam LaHood, the son of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Members of Congress are using backdoor ways to direct funding back to their districts despite a official ban on earmarks, according to a coalition of budget watchdog groups. Lawmakers are using special funds in spending and authorization bills, such as the recently approved budget for the Army Corps of Engineers, to get pork back to their districts.

Roll Call reports that records show Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) was apparently reimbursed twice for travel, paid by both taxpayers and his political and non-profit organizations, in eight cases.

Many vulnerable congressional Republicans decided to back a popular ban on insider trading at the last minute. The insider trading bill now has 282 co-sponsors after a 60 Minutes report on representatives profiting from their exclusive knowledge sent members racing to show they’re clean.

The Obama administration is close to garnering support from California officials for its mortgage relief plan, which would increase the amount for mortgage relief to $25 million nationwide, up from $19 million. New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman, who previously withheld his support, now supports the deal.

In the final tally, Mitt Romney won the Nevada caucuses with just over 50 percent of the vote, according to certified results released by the Nevada Republican Party on Monday. He received more than twice as many votes as Newt Gingrich, who came in second with 21 percent.

General Motors, the world’s largest automaker, is expected to announce record profits for 2011 on strong earnings in the final quarter of last year, reports the Wall Street Journal. They would be the third US automaker to announce healthy profits for the year, a strong indication that President Obama’s efforts to revitalize the US auto industry, which was on the verge of collapse when he took office, have been successful.

And finally: Conservative shock jock Rush Limbaugh was caught picking his nose at the Super Bowl last night. See him here.

For breaking news and updates throughout the day, follow ThinkProgress on Facebook and Twitter.

– Panetta sought to mollify European concerns of a U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and clarified his comments about a shifting role for U.S. combat troops in Afghanistan, telling reporters, “As I stated to our allies today, we hope that the [Afghan National Security Forces] will be ready to take the combat lead in all of Afghanistan sometime in 2013.”

– The Pentagon’s monthly spending in Afghanistan dipped late last year to just over $5 billion from an average of nearly $8 billion as the level of U.S. troops started to decline.

– The U.N. Security Council reached a tentative consensus on Thursday supporting an Arab League plan for political change in Syria but dropped references to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad ceding power and a voluntary arms embargo and sanctions.

– U.S. officials report that Iran recently gave new freedoms, including the ability to leave the country, to five top al-Qaeda operatives who have been under house arrest in Iran since 2003.

– A senior State Department official said yesterday that the U.S. still does not know how many antiaircraft missiles are missing in Libya as a result of the fall of the late leader Col. Muammar Qaddafi.

– Libya’s ambassador to France under Qaddafi died from torture within a day of being detained in Zintan, the town where Gaddafi’s prominent son Saif al-Islam Gaddafi is being held, reports Human Rights Watch.

– President Obama plans to announce details today for a $1 billion Veterans Job Corps that the White House says will put up to 20,000 veterans to work over the next five years.

Congressional Republicans are growing concerned with Mitt Romney, fearing his gaffes will hurt the party this fall. “Mr. Romney, unfortunately and through no fault of his own whatsoever, is almost the ideal caricature for the ‘divide America’ strategy of Barack Obama,” said Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ). “It’s going to be important for him to be aware of that.”

According to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the economy created 243,000 jobs in January, and the unemployment rate fell to 8.3 percent. The numbers far surpassed analysts’ expectations of about 140,000 jobs.

All seven California affiliates of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Foundation came out against the national organization’s decision to stop granting money to the Planned Parenthood. Meanwhile, thanks to an internet fundraising appeal, Planned Parenthood may have already replaced the funding they lost from Komen, thanks in part to a large donation from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Undermining notions about a liberal media bias, traditional media employees gave more than $350,000 to conservative super PACs in 2011.

President Obama will propose $6 billion in new aid for veterans, aimed at helping find jobs for those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Yesterday, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner took aim at critics of financial reform, arguing opponents of Dodd-Frank are risking another financial crisis. Every GOP candidate has pledged to repeal the landmark legislation. “Remember 2008, 2009, remember the fact that the reason we’re living with very high unemployment…If you want to go back to…then you should be in favor of repeal of the law,” Geither said.

According to a new analysis by the New York Times, over the last decade the Security and Exchange Commission has consistently avoided punishing big banks in fraud cases. The Times found nearly 350 instances where the agency gave Wall Street giants like Goldman Sachs and Bank of America a pass on sanctions for giving investors misleading information or other misdeeds.

House Republicans unanimously voted down a measure admitting the Bush tax cuts added to the deficit last night. “I’m disappointed that every single one of my Republican colleagues refused to admit that the Bush Administration was wrong…that the Bush Tax Cuts would pay for themselves,” said Rep. Gary Peters (D-MI), who sponsored the measure.

Mitt Romney’s hard-line stance on immigration is at odds with his church, which has “become a decisive player in promoting policies that are decidedly more friendly toward immigrants.” The Mormon Church helped pass a controversial pro-immigrant policy in Utah last year and has pushed for a balanced approach to immigration reform.

In the first full year since President Obama’s health care reform law took effect, the cost of prescription drugs to those on Medicare fell $2.1 billion in 2011. A total of 3.6 million people took advantage of the bill’s provisions, which provided beneficiaries with a 50 percent discount on certain brand-name drugs and another seven percent discount on generic prescriptions, or about $600 per person.

And finally: Fringe presidential candidates and internet sensations Vermin Supreme and Jimmy “The Rent is too Damn High” McMillan faced off in a presidential debate last night. “I’d say it’s a battle of the memes. He’s a meme. I’m a meme, and only one meme can really be president, I think,” Supreme sad beforehand.

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Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced yesterday that the U.S. and NATO plan to end the Afghanistan combat mission by the end of 2013. “Hopefully, by mid- to the latter part of 2013, we’ll be able to make a transition from a combat role to a training, advise and assist role,” Panetta said, so that “2014 then becomes a year of consolidating the transition.”

Yesterday, President Obama unveiled his housing plan to help millions of homeowners refinance their mortgages by giving those who are up to date on mortgage payments a chance to refinance at lower rates, “even if they owe more money than their homes are worth.” The plan could help about 3.5 million homeowners and would cost between $5 and $10 billion.

Five GOP senators are trying to stop the automatic defense cuts triggered by the super committee’s failure to reach an agreement to reduce the deficit by $1.2 trillion. Their bill, to be released today, is expected to be similar to a proposal by House Armed Services Chairman Buck McKeon (R-CA), who introduced a bill to halt the first year of sequestration cuts by slashing federal jobs.

The hacking scandal that has engulfed Rupert Murdoch’s British newspapers spread to News Corp’s flagship paper in the U.K., the Times of London, Thursday. A Labour Party MP disclosed that Scotland Yard had confirmed its investigation into a 2009 incident at the Times, when an employee allegedly “gained unauthorized access to an email account.”

A new poll in Nevada shows that Mitt Romney has a large lead in the state ahead of Saturday’s GOP caucuses. According to the poll conducted by the Las Vegas Review-Journal and KLAS-TV, 45 percent of likely caucusgoers support Romney. Newt Gingrich comes in second with 25 percent, Rick Santorum is third with 11 percent, and Ron Paul is fourth with 9 percent.

Donald Trump is expected to announce at a press conference today that he is endorsing Gingrich. The endorsement is surprising after Trump had been hinting about running as a third-party candidate.

While Mitt Romney’s campaign relied mostly on deep-pocketed donors giving large sums, once again small-dollar donors are propelling Barack Obama’s campaign. The president has raised more from small-dollar donors than Romney received from all of his contributors.

Presidential campaign-focused Super PACs raised $49 million through December 2011. To match that amount in individual donations, it would take 39,250 people each giving the legal maximum.

And finally: Snooki slammed New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) on Twitter after he called her and her fellow “Jersey Shore” cast members “losers.” “No thanks,” Snooki wrote about the prospect of voting for him, though she voted Republican in 2008. “I’ll stick w Obama.” Meanwhile, Hoboken’s mayor has refused to allow the diminutive reality TV star to film a spin-off in her city.

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