The Stephanie Miller Show - Jan 26 2010

• Charlie Pierce, writer for “The Boston Globe” and author of “Idiot America,” calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about the news of the day.



• Carol Leifer, comedian and author of “When You Lie About Your Age, The Terrorists Win,” joins us in the L.A. Studio for the 8am hour to talk about her book and the news of the day.



• The Senate is likely to reject a White House-backed plan to establish a bipartisan task force to recommend steps to curb the deficit, even as lawmakers digest the news that President Barack Obama wants a three-year freeze in the domestic budgets they control.



• Bolstered by a White House lobbying effort that included the president, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s chances at a second four-year term improved Monday, calming a stock market that had grown anxious over the uncertainty of his support.



• Democratic congressional leaders are coalescing around their last, best hope for salvaging President Barack Obama’s sweeping health care overhaul. Their plan is to pass the Senate bill with some changes to accommodate House Democrats, senior Democratic aides said Monday.



• Sales of previously occupied homes took their largest drop in more than 40 years last month yet managed to end 2009 with the first annual gain in four years. Still, prices plunged by more than 12 percent last year — the sharpest fall since the Great Depression.