It’s perfectly legal for lawmakers to arrange contracts for lobbying firms from which they also receive campaign donations, according to a new ruling from the House Ethics Committee. Much to the dismay of various ethics groups, the ruling cleared seven lawmakers (including the late John Murtha) and came with the stipulation that they benefit companies based on “criteria independent” of campaign donations, reports The Washington Post. The seven lawmakers under review collectively sponsored $112 million in earmarks for PMA Group clients in spite of accepting over $350,000 in donations. “Simply because a member sponsors an earmark for an entity that also happens to be a campaign contributor does not, on these two facts alone, support a claim that a member’s actions are being influenced by campaign contributions,” read a statement from the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct. “This comes as no surprise because there was never anything to justify a review in the first place,” said Todd Tiahrt (R-KS).

If she wants to keep health-care reform alive, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) must corral two groups of conservative Democrats reluctant to vote for the legislation. The bill, based on what President Obama presented Thursday at his health-care summit, is significantly different from the version the House passed in December. Pro-life and fiscally conservative Democrats are skeptical, especially as midterm elections draw near. About 40 House Democrats voted for the bill in part because it had the anti-abortion Stupak amendment, which was stripped from Obama’s version. Others have cost concerns. Of the 39 Democrats who voted against the bill late last year, 31 represent districts that voted for Sen. John McCain for president in 2008. “The concern among Democrats right now is that there are more yes votes reconsidering than no votes,” an analyst says. For Pelosi to push the bill through, several Democrats in trouble in the polls would have to put passing the health-care overhaul ahead of their own electoral survival.

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has declared a “state of catastrophe” as her country reels from a devastating 8.8 magnitude earthquake. The quake struck off the coast, close enough to do major damage to its two most populated cities, Santiago and Concepcion, and Chile felt more than two dozen aftershocks. The interior minister says at least 214 are dead, a number likely to rise, especially around Concepcion, which is just 70 miles from the quake’s center. Residents of Santiago, 200 miles from the epicenter, felt the shaking for 90 seconds. “Most of the embassy folks I talked to said that it felt like five minutes,” the American ambassador to Chile said. “It was definitely an emotional experience.” Cell phone and internet service is limited, making rescue efforts more difficult. Though Santiago saw long lines at grocery stores, the city was mostly calm. That city was also the site of the worst earthquake recorded—9.5 magnitude—in 1960. Officials issued the first hemisphere-wide tsunami warning in 46 years, but swells in Hawaii were not as high as feared.

There wasn’t much speculation on this one. Talk began yesterday, and it was confirmed Saturday that Democratic fundraiser Julianna Smoot will succeed Desiree Rogers as White House social secretary. Smoot is a veteran from Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, having broken fundraising records while serving as his campaign-finance director. Her most recent post was chief of staff for U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk. Rogers stepped down Friday after having come under fire for the gatecrashing incident at the White House State Dinner in November.

Bode Miller came to the Vancouver Games seeking to make history by medaling in each of the five alpine events, and to be the first to stand atop four podiums in a single Olympic Games. But he failed to qualify in the Slalom on Saturday, not even making it past the first round. He missed a gate early on, in a run that was made difficult by heavy snowfall. "It's unfortunate to make a mistake so early in the course before you really have a rhythm for it. But that's the way slalom goes," Miller said. Miller, who will ski away with three medals, is still happy with his overall performance. Teammate Ted Ligety also failed to make it past the first round.

With widespread opposition in the Senate to the consensus environmentalist approach to regulating greenhouse emissions, known as cap and trade, a bipartisan group of lawmakers are looking to find an alternative that could defeat a likely filibuster. Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), John Kerry (D-MA), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) have spent months planning their push for climate legislation and are now exploring a new approach that would cap carbon for some sectors of the economy and try to reduce them in different ways. "This is a different bill," Lieberman told The Washington Post. "We haven't abandoned the market-based idea, but we're willing to negotiate with colleagues who have different ideas." The new plan would isolate electric utilities, transportation, and industry and could feature a cap on power-plant emissions and a tax on motor fuel to help finance more electricity-based modes of transport.

With the bipartisan health-care summit behind him, President Obama used his radio address Saturday to prepare America for the next step, which is likely a Democratic-only push to complete a bill. "I am eager and willing to move forward with members of both parties on health care if the other side is serious about coming together to resolve our differences and get this done," Obama said. "But I also believe that we cannot lose the opportunity to meet this challenge." Added Obama: "The tens of millions of men and women who cannot afford their health insurance cannot wait another generation for us to act."

State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo may be following in his father’s footsteps, now that New York Governor David Paterson has dropped his bid for election. Although Cuomo did not receive the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 2002, Paterson has made room at the top of the list for the New York legacy this time around. “It puts him as the early odds-on favorite for a multitude of reasons—money, name recognition, popular standing, momentum,” one pollster said. On Friday, Cuomo issued the following statement: “I am sure this is a difficult choice and a sad day for the governor and his family. It is in the best interests of all New Yorkers that the state government function through this difficult time and address the pressing budgetary problems we face.” Though he has yet to announce his official plans, a Marist poll this month put Cuomo ahead of the only announced Republican gubernatorial candidate, former Rep. Rick Lazio.

The company’s been dodging criticism about the new iPad, but now Apple has a much more serious problem on its hands after a new report shows a litany of abuses in company factories. An annual report for the company revealed that at least 11 15-year-old children were employed in three factories used by the company, presumed to be in China. This is not the first time the company has come under fire for poor conditions in its factories, and as recently as last week 62 workers were poisoned by the toxic chemical n-hexane. A number of problems are tied to factories run by Taiwanese company Foxconn, which China Labor Watch has described as having “inhumane and militant management” which in one instance caused an employee to leap to his death after accusations that he stole an iPhone prototype. Apple has ordered extensive reviews of the factories in question but has not stopped using them to manufacture products.

After a lifelong battle with depression, Michael Blosil, son of Marie Osmond, ended his life on Friday. He jumped to his death from his downtown Los Angeles apartment. Blosil left a note, referring to his depression. In a statement, Osmond said, “My family and I are devastated and in deep shock by the tragic loss of our dear Michael and ask that everyone respect our privacy during this difficult time.” The Donny & Marie show, which runs at the Flamingo hotel in Vegas, has been canceled for Saturday. The Donny & Marie show was a brother-sister variety act in the 1970s, and The Osmonds was a family show-business affair.

Liev Schreiber literally leapt to the aid of an audience member during a performance of A View from the Bridge in New York City Friday. Schreiber was behind the set when a woman began screaming for help during the production; when the lights went up, the actor “sprung to action,” TMZ reports. The woman’s husband was slumped over in his seat, and Schreiber rushed over to help. A doctor in the audience helped until paramedics arrived. The man was conscious and responsive before he was taken to the hospital.

Republicans have repeatedly warned Democrats that they’ll stop at nothing to stall the reconciliation process, which they can do by offering copious amounts of amendments. One Republican aide even said, “While debate time is limited, the number and content of amendments are not.” But is this a foolproof strategy? Reconciliation experts say that the Dems can circumvent those amendments by simply waiving them. But how can they stop the onslaught of amendments Republicans may throw at them? “That's uncharted territory,” says Talking Points Memo, “but, as one expert points out, the chair in the Senate—a.k.a. Vice President Joe Biden—has almost unlimited power to make rulings so long as 50 members are willing to go along with them. And if Republican tactics were to go over the line, Democrats would theoretically be able to put a stop to them.”

With one victory against the hockey-centric country beneath their belts, the U.S. men’s hockey team has to play Canada one more time on their home turf in order to earn an Olympic gold medal. “It’s hard to beat a team twice in a tournament like this,” the U.S. team’s coach said, despite their blowout win against Finland yesterday. “They’ve got a great team over there,” one member of the Canadian team told the AP. “They’ve proven that already by finishing first, and they’re obviously in the gold medal game for a reason.” The U.S. team is 5-0.

Daniel Radcliffe is lending his face to a public-service announcements for the Trevor Project, a hotline aimed at preventing suicide in gay teens. The Harry Potter star filmed the spots this week and said the decision to get involved came from his background growing up in acting circles, the New York Daily News reports. "I grew up knowing a lot of gay men and it was never something that I even thought twice about—that some men were gay and some weren't," he said. "And then I went to school and [for] the first time ... I came across homophobia. ... I had never encountered it before. It shocked me.” The project was founded by the makers of the film Trevor, which focuses on the suicide of a gay teenager. “I’ve always hated anybody who is not tolerant of gay men or lesbians or bisexuals,” said Radcliffe. “Now I am in the very fortunate position where I can actually help or do something about it.”

Charlotte basketball fans can only hope Michael Jordan is half as good at owning a team as he was playing for one. The sports icon reportedly struck a deal Friday to purchase the Charlotte Bobcats from owner Bob Johnson. Jordan has been affiliated with the team as an executive for the last several years, but turning the Bobcats around financially will be difficult—Johnson ran up $150 million in debt after paying $300 million for the team, which launched in 2004.

It seems like the Toyota scandal just keeps on going. Two days after the carmaker’s president testified before Congress, additional investigations now reveal that the company “withheld substantial” evidence in vehicle liability lawsuits. Documents from the company’s former lawyer reveal that Toyota mishandled safety disclosures related to rollovers, not the acceleration issue that has led to the recent round of recalls. Edolphus Towns (D-NY), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, claimed Toyota has demonstrated a “systematic disregard for the law.” In a 2005 memo obtained by the Los Angeles Times, Toyota’s then-lawyer wrote, “It is simply not acceptable for a… company with 30 billion yen sitting in the bank to not take action and devote the resources to fulfill its discovery obligations.” Towns alleges Toyota routinely hid electronic records in litigation and that they “withheld substantial relevant information” from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In a statement, Toyota said it “acted appropriately with respect to product liability litigation and our discovery practices.”

While on the set of The Insider yesterday morning, Gary Coleman suffered an apparent seizure and was rushed to the hospital, according to sources from the entertainment show. Television personality Dr. Drew Pinsky was with Coleman, known for his role on Diff’rent Strokes, when the incident occurred. Pinsky reportedly helped the ailing star until paramedics arrived at the studio. Last week, Coleman walked off The Insider when a panel continued to bombard him with questions about whether or not he abused his wife. Just a month ago, Coleman was hospitalized after suffering from “seizure activity,” as he referred to the episode.