Obama Announcing Gregg Appointment This Morning
President Obama is holding a series of closed meetings with advisers this morning, and then at 11 a.m. ET he will make an announcement about his appointment for Secretary of Commerce. The president is expected to appoint Republican Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire.

Biden Meeting With Hillary, Swearing In Holder At DOJ
Vice President Biden is having breakfast this morning with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, then at 10 a.m. he will go to the Justice Department to swear in Eric Holder as Attorney General. Then he is headed to the White House to join the president for the announcement about the Commerce Secretary.

Report: GOPer Bonnie Newman Will Be NH Senate Appointee
CNN reports that former Judd Gregg chief of staff Bonnie Newman will be the appointee to Judd Gregg's Senate seat. Gregg made the appointment of a Republican to his seat a condition for accepting the cabinet appointment, rather than having the Democratic governor pick another Dem who would give the party a filibuster-proof margin.

Senate Taking Up Stimulus Amendments
The Senate will begin voting today on amendments to the stimulus bill, as Senators sort through the changes they would like to make to the version that passed in the House. The range of opinions varies from Democrats who would like to shift the spending priorities around, to Republicans who want to cut back the spending itself.

Strib: Minnesota Senate Contest Affecting Stimulus Margins
The Star Tribune reports that the protracted Minnesota Senate dispute, and the resulting absence of a Democratic Senator, appears to be making the passage of a stimulus bill more difficult. "Our burden would be a little lighter," said Chuck Schumer, while Congressman Keith Ellison was even more blunt: "Sometimes being one or two away is like being 100 members away. We need that Franken vote, and it's critical that we get it fast."

Lawmakers' Portfolios Plummet In Recession
The Hill reports that the stock market's problems might be making a very important impact Capitol Hill -- lawmakers are seeing their own portfolios fall precipitously. The members of Congress who did speak to the paper about this, including Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-MN) and Paul Ryan (R-WI) all said they've been too busy dealing with the economy to worry about their own stocks, and they are unaware of any recent transactions.

Palin Backs Perry In Texas Gubernatorial Race
Sarah Palin has now gotten herself involved in the politics of another state, endorsing Texas Governor Rick Perry for re-election. Perry is facing a likely primary challenge by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, so the Perry campaign has sent out a letter from Palin that is specifically addressed to Republican women.

Gregg Was For Abolishing Commerce Dept. Before He Was For Running It
CQ points out that Judd Gregg voted in 1995 for a non-binding budget resolution that called for abolishing the Department of Commerce in the wake of the 1994 Republican victories, and that as a committee chairman he was for cutting the Commerce budget. Now Gregg is poised to head up that very department -- so really, a lot of things can change in 14 years.