We haven't forgotten you. Here's a catch-up look at what's been happening today in politics:

Republican Sen. Jim Bunning of Kentucky "all but declares war" on his party's Senate campaign chairman, John Cornyn of Texas, saying he'll sue if Cornyn recruits a primary opponent. Democrat Daniel Mongiardo, a candidate for the seat, says Bunning should retire next year instead of running for re-election.

Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council, a Christian conservative advocacy group in Washington, says he might challenge Sen. David Vitter, R-Louisiana, next year.

Republican governors start a website called TheGOPComeback.com.

Mitt Romney fuels 2012 talk with a return to Washington.

GOP chairman Michael Steele reacts to President Obama's speech.

And a couple of tidbits from The Oval, where I'm spending most of my time this week:

Some conservatives pan Bobby Jindal's delivery last night and one takes on his message, calling it "insane." But Jindal has a defender in Rush Limbaugh.

SEIU chief Andy Stern tells USA TODAY he expects quick action this year on health-care reform and the Employee Free Choice Act. He says there are 60 senators who would support the act or vote to cut off a filibuster.

USA TODAY's congressional reporter Fredreka Schouten reports that Sen. Roland Burris of Illinois met with the state's senior senator, Dick Durbin, for about 45 minutes. Durbin asked for the meeting to discuss the junior senator's conflicting accounts of his contacts with former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his associates prior to being appointed to the Senate.

Burris declined to comment as reporters circled around him and walked with him to the elevators. "My attorney suggests I don't discuss this," Burris said as he waited for the elevator.

Fredreka is waiting outside Durbin's office on Capitol Hill for the senator to come out and speak to the media. Durbin's office has said he will make himself available for comments after the meeting.

Stay tuned.

Update at 3:52 p.m. ET. Durbin says he advised Burris to resign, but was rebuffed.

"I told him under the circumstances that I would consider resigning," Durbin told reporters. "He said he would not resign."

Durbin was clearly frustrated by the meeting. He recalled how he had advised Burris not to accept the appointment in the first place. "My advice obviously doesn't move him," Durbin said.   

"The people of Illinois have grown weary of this stuff," he added. "They want this Blagojevich burlesque to end." 

Durbin said he feels Burris did not meet the conditions that had been set out for him by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in the very beginning of his appointment process. As Durbin recalled it, Burris was told he needed to testify at the Blagojevich impeachment hearing "completely, honestly and under oath." Durbin said he was "disturbed" that the testimony in Springfield was not complete. He called the subsequent disclosures about Burris' contacts with the governor's brother and Burris' attempt to raise money for the governor "troubling."

Update at 4:03 p.m. ET. The Burris seat is up for grabs in the 2010 election, but the senator has not said whether he will run again. Durbin made it clear to Burris that he will not have the support of the party. Durbin said he told Burris it would be "extremely difficult" for him to be a candidate in either primary or general election.

Update at 5:16 p.m. ET. AP story on the meeting can be found here.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is a prolific fundraiser. Since 1989, Reid has raised $21 million for his Senate candidate committee. And he has raised nearly $7 million for his political action committee, Searchlight Leadership Fund, since 1997. Yet, he's getting some fundraising help from a losing Senate candidate, Jim Martin of Georgia.

In an e-mail solicitation sent today to his supporters, Martin says Reid "did more than anyone else" to help in his unsuccessful 2008 race against Sen. Saxby Chambliss. Martin lost to Chambliss in a runoff election, despite heavy financial support from his party.

Reid is a big target for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which already has launched a TV campaign against him in Nevada and a website called REIDistributeWealth.com to raise money to beat Reid and other Senate Democrats in 2010. But the majority leader has no GOP challenger yet, he had $3.3 million in his campaign account at year's end, and he's considered likely to win by the Cook Political Report.

New York Governor David Paterson's popularity is falling faster than the Dow Jones. Our colleagues at the Democrat and Chronicle say his approval rating now stands at a new low of 28% -- down 23 percentage points from just a month ago.

Steve Greenberg, a spokesman for the Siena New York Poll, says the governor's handling of the Senate appointment process, which ended with Caroline Kennedy pulling out and Kirsten Gillibrand being appointed, is partly to blame. He says, “Between the Senate appointment process, which is still the focus of negative reports one month later, and the attacks being waged across the media by those opposed to his budget proposals, the governor is tumbling in the polls from record highs three months ago to new record lows.” 

The New York Times says Paterson "still seems adrift" and in recent days "he has acknowledged he had a role in unleashing his aides to challenge Caroline Kennedy's account of why she withdrew from consideration for a Senate appointment."

Good morning.

Big day on the Hill. President Obama gives his address to Congress at 9 p.m., and Sen. Roland Burris of Illinois will be among those in attendance. Burris has kept a low profile since Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and others have called on him to resign and the Senate ethics committee has launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his appointment. Burris has resisted calls to resign, but the pressure will increase when he returns to the Capitol. AP reports that Sen. Dick Durbin, the state's senior senior, wants to schedule a meeting with Burris "as soon as possible."

The Chicago Tribune reports that Burris' attorney Timothy Wright is preparing a report that will show Burris has been consistent in his statements regarding his contacts with former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his associates. Wright would not say when or if the report will be released. It is being written for the Senate ethics probe and the state perjury investigation, Wright says.

Burris at least has bridged the partisan divide in the Senate. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says he wants the issue resolved quickly by the ethics committee. And Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid agrees.

Other political stories in the news:

New York Times -- Democrat gains traction in special election on strength of stimulus plan. The fight for Kirsten Gillibrand's old House seat may turn on the stimulus issue, the Times says. Gillibrand, who is now in the Senate, is a moderate, gun-rights Democrat who won in a Republican-leaning district. The GOP was hoping to take it back, but now the stimulus issue and the Republican candidate's refusal to say how he would have voted on it may cost the GOP a chance to steal a seat from the Dems, the Times says.

USA TODAY -- Matt Kelley reports that there is at least $3.8 billion worth of earmarks in the $410 billion spending plan introduced yesterday in the House. That bill is Part 2 of the fiscal year 2009 budget, which was never finished during President Bush's term because of the partisan gridlock. Part 1 was passed last year and had $6.6 billion worth of earmarks, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense. Steve Ellis, a vice president of the watchdog group, was at his desk late last night counting up the earmarks in the new bill, and he thinks it will be well above the $3.8 billion announced by the House appropriations committee and, in fact, the total amount of earmarks may be at or near $14 billion -- slightly less than FY2008 -- despite all the talk of cutting earmarks. 

Related: The Hill says the you can expect Sen. John McCain and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to battle over earmarks in the spending bill.

The Washington Independent -- There was a "striking moment" at yesterday's fiscal summit that went underreported. As the Independent noted on its website, House Minority Leader John Boehner spoke of cutting or eliminating Social Security benefits for older Americans with higher incomes. That would turn Social Security into a "welfare program," the website says.

Related: Sen. Bernie Sanders warns of a "new attack" on Social Security and Medicare.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has launched a low-budget email, text message and phone campaign against a dozen Republican lawmakers who voted against President Obama's $787 billion stimulus plan. And former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has fired back.

Romney, the vanquished presidential primary candidate who still has designs on the White House, put out a release today saying that his political action committee has contributed $1,000 to each of the targeted members who are running for reelection. Romney's release refers to them as the "undaunted dozen."

The press release credits them for “standing up for fiscal responsibility and saying no to spending abuse.”

At his meeting with the nation's governors, Obama took issue with his GOP critics. "If we agree on 90 percent of this stuff, and we're spending all our time on television arguing about 1, 2, 3 percent of the spending in this thing, and somehow it's being characterized in broad brush as wasteful spending, that starts sounding more like politics," he said. "And that's what right now we don't have time to do."

Read more about Obama's meeting with the governors at The Oval.   

Over the weekend, Kentucky Republican Sen. Jim Bunning predicted that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg likely would be dead from pancreatic cancer in nine months. "Bad cancer. The kind you don't get better from," Bunning said Saturday during a speech covered by our Gannett colleagues at the Louisville Courier-Journal. "Even though she was operated on, usually, nine months is the longest that anybody would live," he said.

Ginsburg, 75, underwent surgery earlier this month. Doctors removed a lesion from her pancreas. Ginsburg was back at work today during a public session of the high court, vigorously asking questions in a case involving a dispute over a Navajo coal lease, our colleague Joan Biskupic reports.

Bunning, 77, is up for re-election in 2010, but has faced questions about his ability to mount a successful campaign. As Politico reported last month, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, questioned whether Bunning would actually run.

Bunning said he planned to seek a third term and retorted that Cornyn is "either deaf or he didn't listen very well."

Bunning started the year with slightly less than $150,000 cash on hand and said Saturday that he doesn't have the fundraising ability of Kentucky's other senator, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who spent more than $21 million to win re-election last year.

His 2004 rival, Kentucky Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo, recently announced he would run for the Senate seat. Bunning defeated Mongiardo by less than 23,000 votes in the bitterly fought race during which Bunning said that Mongiardo looked like one of Saddam Hussein's sons. He later apologized.

Update at 3:34 p.m. ET. Bunning put out a statement saying: "I apologize if my comments offended Justice Ginsburg." He said of her return to the bench today, "It is great to see her back at the Supreme Court today and I hope she recovers quickly."

Gov. Pat Quinn of Illinois is holding a press conference right now. He said: "I would ask my good friend Sen. Roland Burris ... to step aside and resign from the office."

Burris remains mum. AP reports that the senator did indeed visit a veterans medical center north of Chicago today. "But he's sticking to his pledge to not speak publicly or answer any more questions about the evolving story of his Senate appointment," the news organization says.

Update at 12:22 p.m. ET. At his press conference, the governor also called for a new law that would require special elections to fill a U.S. Senate vacancy, rather than require the governor to appoint one until an election can be held at the regular time, which in this case is 2010. He did, however, say that an interim senator should be appointed for a few months until a special election can be held. "We should always have two senators," he said.

Quinn says he doesn't think it is feasible to force a sitting senator out of office by passing a law calling for a special election to replace Burris. That's what the state Republicans want. Instead, he said, he wants Burris to resign and the Legislature to pass a law to require a special election now and in all cases when there is a vacancy.

Update at 12:30 p.m. ET. It would take 115 days to hold a special election, under the law proposed by Quinn.

Update at 12:33 p.m. ET. Quinn says Burris must resign for the "common good" of Illinois and he will be held in "high regard" if he does. "Sen. Burris makes the ultimate decision. I know it is very hard for any human being to resign from anything, but the common good is really what we have to focus on in Illinois today."

Update at 12:39 p.m. ET. Quinn reminded reporters that he said at the outset that Burris made a mistake taking the position from disgraced former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. But he blamed Democratic leaders in Washington, too. "I wish the U.S. Senate had not acted" on Burris' appointment, he said.

Update at 12:41 p.m. ET. He said that the state's senior senator, Dick Durbin, "pleaded" with Burris not to accept the position. "To do that was not a wise decision," he said. Quinn added, "I think he will do the right thing and resign."

Update at 12:44 p.m. ET. Why should Burris listen to Quinn and resign? Quinn says he thinks Burris will listen to people like him who know and respect him. "I consider myself a friend and I admire what he has done. I think that message will come through and I hope it does."

The press conference, which was carried live on WGN-TV in Chicago, has ended.

Update at 2:31 p.m. ET. Robert Gibbs, President Obama's spokesman, just said at a White House press conference that Burris should take some time over the weekend to think about his next steps. Gibbs said the president supports an investigation "that would get some full story out." He added: "It might be important for Sen. Burris to take some time this weekend to correct what has been said and think of what lays ahead in his future." You can read all about the press conference at The Oval.

Update at 4:05 p.m. ET. Another Democrat is calling for Burris to resign. Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias put out a press release saying Burris' contradictory statements regarding his contacts with Blagojevich's brother and other associates "violated the public trust." AP story here.

Update at 4:45 p.m. ET. Burris spokesman Jim O'Connor just told USA TODAY's Fredreka Schouten that the Democrat is "again asking that the public and elected officials stop their rush to judgment and let the facts come out." O'Connor also said that Burris' acting chief of staff Darrel Thompson has resigned, but did not provide further explanation. Thompson, an aide to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, had been on loan to help Burris establish his office.

Good morning.

What to watch for today: An 11 a.m. press conference by Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, who Politico reports will discuss the possibility of a special election to replace Sen. Roland Burris. The Republicans have been pressuring Quinn and the Democrats to pass a law that would call for a special election, as we reported yesterday. Burris, after canceling all events yesterday, resumes his "listening tour" today. He will visit  the Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Naval Training Center on the North Side of Chicago, Politico says.

Here are some of the stories making news this morning:

Chicago Sun-Times -- Did Sen. Roland Burris lie to state Supreme Court? The embattled senator sent the same affidavit to the state's highest court that he had sent to the House panel that recommended the impeachment of then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich, the Sun-Times reports. In it, Burris said he had no contact with Blagojevich or any of his associates about the Senate appointment prior to Dec. 26. That, of course, turned out not to be true. The paper says: "Burris' law license could be in jeopardy regardless of whether there is a perjury finding."

USA TODAY -- What recession? Members of Congress are wining and dining their donors at exotic locales to raise campaign money, reports Fredreka Schouten. Just think, you could be here for a $2,500 contribution (plus airfare, hotel room and tips). Nancy Watzman, who tracks political fund-raising events for the watchdog group Sunlight Foundation, says: "This is the kind of thing that's out of reach to most people, and it's pretty much hidden from the public."

New York Times -- Republican lawmakers who opposed the stimulus package are now touting parts of the plan. The Times writes: "Just hours after voting against the bill on the House floor last week, Representative John L. Mica of Florida issued news releases lauding the inclusion of $8 billion for high-speed rail projects around the nation."

Related story by Howie Kurtz at the Washington Post, who predicts that South Carolina Gov. Mark Stanford and other Republican governors outspoken against the stimulus bill will take the money, anyway. He writes, "But can you imagine the local revolt if Sanford or one of his statehouse colleagues actually passed up tens of billions of dollars for their citizens--money for roads, schools, health care--because of a philosophical disagreement with the president?"

Related story by Matt Kelley at USA TODAY: Some critical GOP governors may not take stimulus money that goes for new or expanded programs that would leave the state holding the bag after the federal money dries up.

Employees and others connected to Stanford Financial Group, the investment company whose leader has been accused of fraud by federal securities regulators, have showered a lot of money on federal candidates and political parties, according to the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics.

President Obama is the third largest recipient of the cash among individual lawmakers, the analysis released today shows. He received $31,750, including $4,600 from the firm's chairman Allen Stanford. Bloomberg cites an unnamed Obama aide saying the money was donated to charity Wednesday.

This week, after Securities and Exchange Commission authorities accused Stanford and three of his companies of a "massive" $8 billion international financial fraud, politicians on both sides of the aisle have scrambled to rid their campaign coffers of donations from the Texas billionaire.

Arizona Sen. John McCain, the 2008 GOP presidential nominee, pledged to return or donate his Stanford contributions to charity, the Los Angeles Times has reported. The center's analysis found that McCain received $28,150.

Altogether, the company's political action committee and its employees doled out $2.4 million since 2000, with 65% of the money going to Democrats, the center found. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee led the pack, taking in $965,500 in Stanford money since 2000. The full list is here.

Stanford has not been charged with a crime. This afternoon, the FBI announced that it had located Stanford in Virginia and served him with court orders related to the SEC probe.

(Reported by Fredreka Schouten)

Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., made it official and announced today he will run for the U.S. Senate.

“The Senate is where the real battles will be fought for America’s future. It is where every voice must be heard,” Roy said in a statement. “One-party control in Washington has created a dramatically new setting. Common sense and open debate are in danger of being suppressed by the overreaching liberal monopoly in Congress and the White House."

It's no surprise that Blunt, now in his 13th year as a congressman, will run for the seat that retiring Republican Sen. Kit Bond is giving up. The real question is whether he will have a primary fight on his hands. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch says some Republicans "privately believe" that former treasurer and gubernatorial candidate Sarah Steelman "would be a better candidate to face Democrat Robin Carnahan, but they don’t believe she could beat Blunt in a primary." Steelman has not said whether she will run, the paper says.

Blunt has shown he can raise money. He collected $2.5 million in the last campaign cycle, according to CQ MoneyLine, a non-partisan group that tracks campaign spending. But he had only $336,000 cash on hand at the end of 2008 and that's not enough to scare off potential opponents.

Good morning. Looks like we won't hear much from Sen. Roland Burris today. The Illinois senator fighting to hold onto his Senate seat has canceled his events today, says the Chicago Sun-Times. 

The senator had a rough day yesterday, with some Democrats joining Republicans in calling for him to resign. Rep. Phil Hare was among them, as we reported yesterday. (Here's how yesterday unfolded for the senator.)

At the moment, Democratic leaders in Washington are holding fire, but perhaps not for long. Sen. Dick Durbin was forced to address the issue Wednesday at a press conference in Greece. The state's senior senator, who was opposed to seating Burris at first because of the statehouse scandal that toppled the governor, said Burris' latest comments "raised questions that need to be looked at very carefully." And William Daley, the Chicago mayor's brother and one of the city's top Democrats, signaled to Burris that perhaps it is time to go. Daley says Burris needs to do some "serious reflection" on whether he can be an effective senator.

We know how you feel. An unscientific, just-for-fun On Politics poll showed 92% of 758 readers think Burris should resign, 6% say he should stay, and 2% have no opinion.

Here's an AP video of Burris' speech yesterday at the City Club of Chicago and Durbin's reaction from Greece:

Update at 9:35 a.m. ET. The Illinois state Republicans are putting pressure on new Gov. Pat Quinn and the Democratic leadership to call for a special election to replace Burris.

Lance Trover, a spokesman for the state Republican party, says in a press release: "The Illinois Republican Party will be launching a petition drive today.  This will be a grassroots effort in all 102 counties to renew calls for a special election." In his release, Trover reminds Quinn that the governor, before he took office and before Burris was appointed, had stated that his preference was to fill President Obama's old congressional seat by special election. The Chicago Tribune does, too, in this editorial today calling on Quinn to support a special election.

Update 11:40 a.m. ET. Burris may be quiet today, but the Illinois Republican party isn't. It now has started an online petition drive calling for a special election.

Update at 1:50 p.m. ET: Newspapers calling for Burris to resign now include The Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post and the Dallas Morning News.

In an editorial today, the Los Angeles Times says: "By failing to level with investigators and the public, he has forfeited all credibility. He should resign to make way for an untainted appointment by Gov. Pat Quinn, who would have chosen a new senator in the first place if Blagojevich had had any sense of shame."

Update at 5:10 p.m. ET: AP is reporting that a group of black ministers who had previously supported Burris will call on him to resign. The news organization says they got this from a black minister who asked not to be identified because the meeting with Burris hasn't been scheduled.

Update at 5:20 p.m. ET. The Washington Post quotes Burris' spokesman, Jim O'Connor, as saying Burris has been holding private meetings today. "He returns to Washington, getting to work again on Monday," O'Connor told the post. That should be quite a scene, reminiscent of the hectic day when Burris held a news conference in the rain outside the Capitol after being failing in his attempt to be seated. Video of that day is here.

Well, Judd Gregg will be at the White House after all -- if only for a day.

The Republican senator from New Hampshire, who abruptly withdrew as President Obama's nominee for Commerce Secretary, announced on his website that Obama has invited him to participate in the Fiscal Responsibility Summit at the White House.

In his statement, Gregg sounded very much like an Obama Cabinet member, calling the summit "a very appropriate and needed action."

Who said there were "irresolvable conflicts" between Gregg and the Obama administration? Oh, right, it was Gregg.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is selling his "9,500-square-foot, wood-beamed ski villa" in Deer Valley, Utah. No sale price yet, but the house and land were valued at nearly $3.8 million in 1999.

Could it be that the Romneys, like everybody else, are victims of the economic downturn? (He says no, telling the Salt Lake Tribune on Feb. 6 that his stock portfolio is "doing OK.") Or maybe he's tapped out after spending $35.4 million of his own money on his campaign? As USA TODAY's Fredreka Schouten reported during the campaign, Romney was worth as much as $250 million, but that was before the campaign and the global economic crisis.

Or could it be that Romney, who has an active political action committee and is mentioned as a possible presidential candidate again in 2012, doesn't want to have to have a John McCain moment and flub the answer to the question: how many houses do you own?

None of the above, says Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom. He told the paper: "The Romney children are all grown up with families of their own, and Mitt and Ann have more space than they need. So they are simplifying and downsizing." Ann is Romney's wife.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- the nation's highest ranking Italian-American in elective office -- is spending her congressional recess in Italy. Sounds nice, but . . . 

So far on her trip, which began Sunday in Rome, Pelosi had to defend the "Buy American" provision in the stimulus bill and had what sounds like an uncomfortable meeting with Pope Benedict. USA TODAY's religion writer Cathy Lynn Grossman says the pope lectured the speaker on abortion rights.

So much for a little R&R away from the rough-and-tumble of Washington.

The speaker's roots in Italy are deep. In a speech at the Italian Chamber of Deputies in Rome, Pelosi described them this way: "My family's background is as diverse as the map of Italy, with grandparents and great-grandparents born in Abruzzi, Venice, Genoa, Campobasso and Sicily. My husband, Paul's, father was born in Potenza and his mother in Tuscany."

The rest of the congressional delegation: Reps. John Larson of Connecticut, George Miller of California, Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, William Pascrell of New Jersey, Anna Eshoo of California, Edward Markey of Massachusetts, Michael Capuano of Massachusetts. They are all Democrats, if you are wondering.

Who's in the money? House Dems, it seems.

The mid-term congressional election is nearly two years away, but the early indications show House Democratic candidates with a big cash advantage, according to an analysis of fundraising reports by the non-partisan CQ MoneyLine. Democrats started the year with $133.1 million in the bank -- a nearly 2-to-1 edge over Republican House candidates, who had $72.2 million available in their campaign coffers, the study shows.

The 3 House incumbents heading into the 2010 election with the most cash in the bank:

Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., $3.5 million

Rep. Joseph Sestak, D-Pa., $2.9 million

Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., $2.8 million.

The top Republican: Rep. Ron Paul of Texas with $2.5 million. Not surprising for a candidate who tapped the Internet to raise millions from grassroots supporters during his unsuccessful 2008 presidential campaign.

(Reported by Fredreka Schouten)

Good morning. The hot political story remains Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill., and his admitted attempts to raise money for then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich while talking with the governor's associates about an appointment to the U.S. Senate.

The Chicago Tribune in today's paper called on Burris to resign. By the Tribune's count, Burris' latest version of how he became a U.S. senator was his fourth -- and should be his final. The paper's editorial says: "The benefit of the doubt had already been stretched thin and taut by the time Roland Burris offered his third version of the events leading to his appointment to the U.S. Senate. It finally snapped like a rubber band, popping him on that long Pinocchio nose of his, when he came out with version four."

Some Republicans, too, are calling on Burris to resign. USA TODAY's Judy Keen in Chicago reports state Rep. Jim Durkin as saying: "I've heard enough. He needs to resign."

Democrats, too, are skeptical of Burris, says Brian Brueggemann of the Belleville News-Democrat.

"I just don't believe that's going to be accepted by the citizens of Illinois unless he's completely forthright on all of the conversations," said state Sen. Bill Haine, D-Alton. "I don't think that's going to fly."

Burris, the Chicago Tribune reports, defended himself Tuesday in a brief statement to reporters that he delivered while carrying out his week-long tour of the state. The Tribune quotes Burris, who took no questions from reporters, as saying: "There were never any inappropriate conversations between me and anyone else. And I will answer any and all questions to get that point across to keep my faith with the citizens of Illinois."

Click here to read how yesterday's developments unfolded.

Update at 11:30 a.m. ET. AP and Chicago Tribune reports that two Illinois House Republicans sent a letter to the Democrats on the impeachment committee asking for more information on when Burris asked to amend testimony he gave about how he got his job. The Tribune story is here.

As we have written here before, Burris has said it is "positively not true" that he revealed new contacts with Blagojevich's associates because federal authorities had told him that they had secretly recorded those conversations. The timing of Burris' request may be important as more details about this story come out. 

Update at 11:48 a.m. ET. Here's a "quick question" to consider:

Update at 1:35 p.m. ET. AP raises the question of whether the Illinois state legislature can call a special election for Burris' seat. The constitution says special elections should be held at the next regular election, which won't be until November 2010. That's when Burris' seat will be up for grabs. But Dawn Clark Netsch, who helped rewrite the state's constitution, says the legislature may be able to set an earlier date by law. Then again, AP called that "a remote chance" that would likely be challenged in court.

Thanks for clearing that up.

Update at 3 p.m. ET: Burris at the City Club speech this afternoon: "I've done nothing wrong and I have absolutely nothing to hide."

Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times says Burris acquitted himself well, relatively speaking. "Unlike his most recent appearances on TV, he did no damage to himself," Sweet writes under the blog entry Burris does not shoot himself in the foot at City Club speech. The bar is getting kinda low, no?

Update at 5:05 p.m. ET. Rep. Phil Hare just became the first Democratic member of the Illinois congressional delegation to call for Burris to resign. In a statement, Hare said it is in the "best interest" of the state that Burris resign. He's "deeply disappointed" in the state's junior Democratic senator.

"A cloud of corruption has hung over our state and its leaders for too long," Hare said. "The impeachment and removal of former Governor Blagojevich was a step in the right direction. But just as it looked like a new era in Illinois politics was possible, we suffer yet another setback. It is like a recurring nightmare."

Bristol Palin says the first few months of motherhood has been a "very challenging" but "so rewarding" time.

The 18-year-old daughter of former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin said on Fox News' "On the Record" that the decision to keep the child was hers, and abstinence is "not realistic at all." The unmarried Bristol Palin also said she hoped other girls would learn from her example in order to help prevent teen pregnancy.

"I wished it could have happened in like, 10 years so I could have a job and an education and be, like, prepared and have my own house and stuff," Bristol Palin said in the interview where her 2-month-old son Tripp made his television debut. "But he brings so much joy, I don't regret it at all. I just wish it would have happened in 10 years, rather than right now."

The second part of the interview with Bristol Palin will air tonight at 10 ET on Fox News.

The Alaska governor also spoke with Fox News, telling the channel's Greta van Susteren that President Obama and Congress do not understand the impacts of the stimulus bill that the president signed today.

"The economic stimulus package dollars are going to dry up at some point," Palin said. "States then are going to be beholden to these programs. We will have to pay for them. That's not right. That's not fair. And we just want to make sure that whatever it is that's passed makes sense for our states, for the residents of our individual states."

But Palin's vocal criticism of the stimulus bill has drawn some fire from Alaska Rep. Les Gara. In an e-mail exchange with Mindy Rowland, Palin's deputy legislative director, Gara said commenting on the stimulus package was creating a "partisan battle" that may not be productive.

"I don't think it's useful to keep up the campaign rhetoric -- seemingly aimed at the 2010 and 2012 elections -- about whether Republicans or Democrats are smarter," Gara wrote in the e-mail.

Palin is often mentioned as a possible presidential contender in 2012. She launched a political-action committee last month dedicated to supporting "fresh ideas and candidates who share our vision for reform and innovation."

(Reported by USA TODAY intern Seung Min Kim)

Let the race begin in Ohio.

Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner announced in a video that she is going to run for U.S. Senate to replace retiring Sen. George Voinovich. Here is the video:

Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, who like Brunner was elected in 2006, emailed his supporters to announce that he, too, will run. Lee is scheduled to make an official announcement in the next few days, AP reports.

The Democrats have targeted the vacant seat as a possible pickup in a key swing state that President Obama carried in the fall. 

On the Republican side, former congressman Rob Portman has indictated he will run. Portman also served as budget director for George W. Bush.

UPDATED at 7:52 p.m.: AP reports that Fisher held his press conference with Gov. Ted Strickland to announce "I'm running."

Strickland called it a "bittersweet moment." But, he added, "Lee Fisher is superbly qualified to serve in the U.S. Senate."

Fisher resigned Tuesday from his position as director of the Ohio Department of Development, but will serve out the remainder of his term as lieutenant governor.

U.S. Sen. Roland Burris has changed this story -- again.

The Chicago Tribune is reporting on its website that Burris now admits he tried to raise money for former Gov. Rod Blagojevich before being appointed to the Senate.

The AP says: "According to a transcript posted on the Chicago Tribune's Web site, Burris told reporters in Peoria Monday night that he talked to some friends about putting together a fundraiser after being called by the ex-governor's brother. But Burris says he told Rob Blagojevich shortly after the November election that he couldn't get any friends to contribute and suggested he might be able to find others.

Burris testified last month to a state legislative panel that recommended impeaching Rod Blagojevich that he had told only one Blagojevich associate he was interested in being senator. But he released an affidavit over the weekend indicating he had spoken to four others, including the calls from Rob Blagojevich."

First, he did not disclose his contacts with Blagojevich's brother. Then he did disclose the contacts, but denied Robert Blagojevich's request to help raise money for the governor. Now, he admits for the first time that he tried to raise money for Blagojevich.

The Tribune is also reporting that Burris gave reporters in Peoria a brief statement in which he said an aide had contact Sangamon County State's Attorney John Schmidt, a Republican, whose office is conducting a perjury investigation. 

UPDATED at 7:40 p.m.: USA TODAY's Judy Keen in Chicago reports that Burris now says he will cooperate with state inquires and the U.S. Senate ethics committee.

The reaction in Washington has been swift, reports USA TODAY's Fredreka Schouten:

From Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's office: “Senator Reid supports Senator Burris’s decision to cooperate with all appropriate officials who may review this matter, including state agencies and the Senate Ethics Committee.”

From Natalie Ravitz, spokeswoman for Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., who heads the Senate Ethics Committee: "Whenever allegations of improper conduct are brought to the attention of the Senate Ethics Committee, we open a preliminary inquiry."

From Melanie Sloan of Citizens for the liberal-leaning Responsibility and Ethics in Washington: “The evidence suggests Sen. Burris lied under oath when he failed to disclose these contacts earlier. As a result, prosecutors should investigate and see if Sen. Burris can be prosecuted for perjury.”