The Note’s Must-Reads for Friday, January 15, 2010

The Note's Must-Reads are a round-up of today's political headlines and stories from ABC News and the top U.S. newspapers. Posted Monday through Friday right here at www.abcnews.com

Compiled by ABC News’ JAYCE HENDERSON, PETER MARTINEZ, KRISTEN RED-HORSE, CLAUDIA MORALES and CARRIE HALPERIN

BOOKMARKS:

The Note: LINK

The Must-Reads Online: LINK

Top Line Webcast (12noon EST M-F): LINK

ABC News Politics: LINK

The Political Punch (Jake Tapper): LINK

George's Bottom Line (George Stephanopoulos): LINK

Clem's Chronicle: LINK

Follow ABC News on Twitter: LINK

ABC News Mobile: LINK

ABC News on your iPhone/iPod Touch: LINK

HAITI:

The New York Times’ Marc Lacey: “Tensions Mount in Devastated Capital as Nations Step Up Aid Pledges to Haiti” LINK

The New York Times’ Helene Cooper: “Obama Pledges Aid to Haiti” LINK

The Washington Post’s Mary Beth Sheridan, William Booth and Manuel Roig-Franzia: “On Streets of Haiti’s capital two days after quake, growing despair” LINK

The Washington Post’s Paul Farhi: “Talking heads’ comments about Haiti draw fire from both sides” LINK

The Washington Post’s N.C. Aizenman: “Groups seek temporary legal status for Haitians illegally in U.S.” LINK

Newsweek’s David Graham: “Obama Rolls Out First Concrete Haiti Relief Steps” LINK

Newsweek’s Arian Camp-Flores: “Pressure Grows to Grant Haitian Temporary Protected Status” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Yochi J. Dreazen: “Three-Star General to Head U.S. Relief in Haiti” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Charles Forelle and Jose De Cordoba: “Haitian Rescue Stymied Amid Chaos” LINK

Bloomberg’s Tom Randall, Meg Tirrell and Michelle Fay Cortez: “Haiti’s Health System Crumbles Under Quake as Outbreaks Loom” LINK

The Los Angeles Times' Joe Mozingo and Tracy Wilkinson: "For many in Haiti quake, help is still a no-show" LINK

The New York Daily News' Helen Kennedy: "Haiti earthquake: President Obama urges Port-au-Prince survivors not to lose hope" LINK

USA Today's Marisol Bello, Rachel Revehl and Brian Winter: "As Haiti crisis escalates, relief effort begins" LINK

USA Today's Ken Dilanian: "Obama pledges starter of $100M in relief" LINK

USA Today's Judy Keen: "Haiti donations on track to break records" LINK

USA Today's Christine Dugas: "Companies efficiently pour out $16 million to help Haiti" LINK

The Boston Globe's David Abel and Brian R. Ballou: "News of Haiti – or lack of it – tortures local relatives" LINK

The Associated Press' Jennifer Loven: "US takes charge in Haiti – with troops, rescue aid" LINK

Time's Ioan Grillo: "Haiti Tries to Dig Out As Corpses Pile Up" LINK

OTHER FOREIGN AFFAIRS:

ABC News’ Pierre Thomas, Jack Cloherty, Jason Ryan and Richard Esposito” LINK

The Washington Post’s Pamela Constable and Haq Nawaz Khan: “U.S. drone attack may have killed Pakistani Taliban chief” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Margaret Coker and Charles Levinson: “Yemen in Talks for Surrender of Cleric” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Zahid Hussein and Matthew Rosenberg: “U.S. Fires at Pakistan Taliban” LINK

Bloomberg News: “China Says U.S. Backsliding on Trade, Warns on Google” LINK

Bloomberg’s Ari Levy, Brian Womack and Rochelle Garner: “Google Said to Have Tried to Get Support Over Attack” LINK

The New York Daily News' James Gordon Meek: "Homeland Security Sec. Napolitano tightens air security after U.S. intel picks up new terror chatter" LINK

PRESIDENT OBAMA / FIRST FAMILY:

ABC News’ Jake Tapper, Betsy Stark and Sunlen Miller: “Obama Announces Big Bank Fee” LINK

ABC News’ Karen Travers: “Obama Gives Speeches, Interviews But Few Press Conferences” LINK

ABC News’ Yunji de Nies: “Obama Calls on George W. Bush to Assist Haiti Recovery” LINK

Politico’s Kasie Hunt: “Obama soothes anxious Dems” LINK

Politico’s Josh Gerstein: “David Axelrod blasts Karl Rove” LINK

Politico’s Amie Parnes: “Obama Aide Huddles With Bushies” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Amir Efrati: “Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening to Kill Obama” LINK

USA Today's Larry Copeland: "MLK-LBJ phone chats resonate in Obama era" LINK

The Associated Press' Christine Simmons: "First family goes back to school for evening event" LINK

The Boston Globe's Susan Milligan: "Campaign visit to Bay State by Obama a tricky prospect" LINK

HEALTH CARE:

ABC News’ Jake Tapper and Sunlen Miller: “Tentative Deal on the Cadillac Health Insurance Plans Reached” LINK

Politico’s Carrie Budoff Brown: “White House scores key labor deal” LINK

The New York Times’ Robert Pear and Steven Greenhouse: “Accord Reached on Insurance Tax for Costly Plans” LINK

The Washington Post’s Lori Montgomery and Michael Shear: “White House nears deal on health care” LINK

The Washington Post’s Perry Bacon Jr.: “Obama pledges campaign for health-care bill and Democrats” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Laura Meckler and Naftali Bendavid: “Unions Cut Special Deal on Health Taxes” LINK

The Hill's Walter Alarkon: "Obama tells Dems that economy, healthcare will help in midterms" LINK

USA Today's John Fritze: "Democrats see progress on health care bill compromise" LINK

Time's Karen Tumulty: "Health Care: The White House and the Unions Have a Deal" LINK

GOOGLE & CHINA:

The New York Times’ David Sanger and John Markoff: “After Google’s Loud Stance on China, U.S. Treads Lightly” LINK

The New York Times’ Miguel Helft: “For Google, a Threat to China With Little Revenue at State” LINK

The Washington Post’s Ellen Nakashina and Ariana Eunjung Cha: “Tensions between Google and China complicate U.S. diplomacy” LINK

PENTAGON:

The New York Times’ Elisabeth Bumiller: “Pentagon Step Up Talks on Ending Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” LINK

FORT-HOOD:

The Associated Press' Anne Gearan: "Official: 8 officers could get punished for Fort Hood rampage" LINK

ECONOMY / BANK BAILOUT:

The New York Times’ Jackie Calmes: “Taxing Banks for the Bailout” LINK

The Washington Post’s David Cho and Binyamin Appelbaum: “Anger over Wall Street’s big bonuses resurfaces, despite Obama policies” LINK

The Washington Post’s Binyamin Appelbaum: “Obama plan to tax large financial firms designed to pay for TARP losses” LINK

Newsweek’s Michael Hirsh: “Off the Hook” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s John D. Mckinnon and Michael R. Crittenden: “Financial Inquiry Widens to Include Past Regulators” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Damian Paletta: “Consumer Protection Agency in Doubt” LINK

Bloomberg’s Lorraine Woellert and Julianna Goldman: “Obama Bank-Tax Proposal Has Populist Appeal, Political Critics” LINK

Time's Michael Scherer: "Taking on the Banks: Obama's New Populist Pitch" LINK

GEITHNER / AIG:

Time's Michael Grunwald: "Geithner Gets a Bad Rap in the AIG Scandal" LINK

G.O.P. / DEMOCRATS:

The New York Times’ Kate Zernike: “In Power Push, Movement Sees Base in G.O.P.” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Heidi Przybyla: “Republicans May Gain Even By Losing Massachusetts Senate Race” LINK

The Boston Globe's Eric Moskowitz: "Brown pushes far beyond his GOP base" LINK

MASS. SENATE SEAT:

The New York Times’ Michael Cooper: “3rd-Party Candidate Named Kennedy Could Tip Senate Race in Massachusetts” LINK

The Washington Post’s Karl Vick: “Polls show race for Kennedy seat about even” LINK

The Boston Herald’s Jessica Van Sack: “Poll shocker: Scott Brown surges ahead in Senate race” LINK

The Boston Herald’s Hillary Chabot and Richard Weir: “AG gets star boost while courting President Obama” LINK

IMMIGRATION:

USA Today's Dennis Wagner and Emily Bazar: "Arizona has become 'ground zero' of immigration fight" LINK

USA Today's Emily Bazar: "Special status will halt deportations from U.S." LINK

CONGRESS:

Politico’s Erika Lovley: “Congress Returns From Break Broken” LINK

Politico’s Jake Sherman: “Geithner called to testify before House panel” LINK

SENATOR HARRY REID:

USA Today's William M. Welch: "Senator Harry Reid faces 'big trouble' in Nevada race" LINK

OTHER MUST-READS:

The Hill's Sean J. Miller: "Census director aims to keep politics out of it" LINK

The Los Angeles Times' Jessica Guynn: "Chinese hackers pose a growing threat to U.S. firms" LINK

The Boston Globe's Brian C. Mooney: "Outside groups fund attack ads" LINK

ABC NEWS VIDEOS:

“Obama to Banks: 'We Want Our Money Back'” LINK

“WH Press Secy: Pat Robertson's Remark 'Stupid'” LINK

“White House Addresses New Bank Tax” LINK

“Obama to Haiti: 'The World Stands With You'” LINK