Congress Moves on Stimulus Bill and Bailout Money

By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN 7:01 PM ET

House Democrats unveiled an $825 billion recovery package, and the Senate voted to release the second half of the Treasury’s $700 billion bailout fund.

• Senate Roll Call Vote

In Farewell Address, Bush Says He Kept America Safe

By JEFF ZELENY 35 minutes ago

In a speech from the White House, the president conceded he “experienced setbacks” over a tumultuous eight years.

• Video via MSNBC | Text

Intelligence Court Rules Wiretapping Power Legal

By ERIC LICHTBLAU 1:20 PM ET

The ruling validated the president’s power to wiretap international phone calls without a court order.

• The Caucus: Departing Spy Chief Has Few Regrets

In Pelican Mystery, Weather Is a Suspect

By JESSE MCKINLEY 7:42 PM ET

A report says a brutal snowstorm is responsible for killing the hundreds of endangered California brown pelicans that have been found dead or dying since late December.

College Students Paying More for Less

By KATE ZERNIKE 29 minutes ago

College students are covering more of what it costs to educate them, even as colleges are spending less on them.

Holder Tells Senators Waterboarding Is Torture

By DAVID STOUT 2:02 PM ET

Eric H. Holder Jr., the attorney general pick, came under close questioning for his role in the pardon of Marc Rich.

Gentle Questioning for U.N. Nominee

By NEIL MacFARQUHAR

In a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Susan E. Rice said her one of her priorities would be improving the U.N.’s ability to undertake peacekeeping operations.

S.E.C. Nominee Offers Plan for Tighter Regulation

By STEPHEN LABATON 7:20 PM ET

At her confirmation hearing, Mary L. Schapiro outlined an ambitious agenda that included tighter regulation of hedge funds and credit rating agencies.

• Times Topics: Mary L. Schapiro | Securities and Exchange Commission

Homeland Security Nominee Vows to Safeguard Country, but Offers Few Specifics

By DAVID JOHNSTON

Gov. Janet Napolitano of Arizona, President-elect Barack Obama’s nominee to head the Homeland Security Department, breezed through a “warm and fuzzy” confirmation hearing.

Spirit of Bipartisanship Spreads to Consultants

By ADAM NAGOURNEY and JIM RUTENBERG

In Washington, Republican and Democratic consulting firms are linking arms, creating unlikely marriages in a world that was once politically segregated.

Swindlers Find Growing Market in Foreclosures

By JOHN LELAND

A new breed of swindlers calling themselves “foreclosure rescue companies” is preying on desperate homeowners.

Ex-Officer Is Charged in Killing in Oakland

By MALIA WOLLAN

A white former transit police officer was charged with murder in the New Year’s Day shooting death of a young unarmed black man that provoked public outrage and violent protest.

Supreme Court Eases Limits on Evidence

By ADAM LIPTAK

A 5-to-4 decision suggested a fragile commitment to the exclusionary rule, which requires the suppression of some evidence obtained through police misconduct.

• Text of the Opinion (pdf)
• Justices Turn to Rights of Defendants

Religious Groups Seek Swift Ban From Obama on Torture

By LAURIE GOODSTEIN

After meeting with officials from the Obama transition team, leaders of a religious coalition said they were optimistic.

News Analysis

Torture Acknowledgment Highlights Detainee Issue

By WILLIAM GLABERSON

With Mohammed al-Qahtani, the incoming Obama administration has a flesh-and-blood case of a detainee who can not be prosecuted but might be too dangerous to release.

• Room for Debate: Torture’s Blowback

Study Finds Drug Risks With Newer Antipsychotics

By BENEDICT CAREY and RONI CARYN RABIN

Popular drugs known as atypical antipsychotics double patients’ risk of dying from sudden heart failure, a study found.

Geithner’s Skill May Trump Tax Issue

By JACKIE CALMES

Even though Timothy F. Geithner paid more than $48,000 in delinquent taxes and interest, many still see him as best able to handle the economy.

• Geithner’s Mistake on Tax Is Common, Experts Say
• Treasury Nominee’s Hearing Delayed
• Times Topics: Timothy F. Geithner

Military Planners, in Nod to Obama, Are Preparing for a Faster Iraq Withdrawal

By ELISABETH BUMILLER and THOM SHANKER

The new plans would provide alternatives to a timetable drawn up by the top commanders to bring troops home more slowly than Barack Obama promised during his campaign.

House Votes to Expand Children’s Health Care

By ROBERT PEAR

Similar versions of the bill, extending coverage to four million uninsured children, had previously been vetoed.

• House Roll Call | Times Topics

Court Orders Search of White House Computers

By MICHAEL FALCONE

A federal judge ordered a search of White House computers and other electronic storage devices, which may contain some of the millions of e-mail messages that have apparently disappeared.

No Hard Sign of Reverse Migration

By NINA BERNSTEIN

Despite the trouble in the United States economy, there is no hard evidence of a return migration tied to the recession, researchers said.