The Note’s Must-Reads for Wednesday, January 27, 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 Desk Assistants KRISTEN RED-HORSE, PETER MARTINEZ, JAYCE HENDERSON, CLAUDIA MORALES and CARRIE HALPERIN

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PRESIDENT OBAMA / ECONOMY / BUDGET / STATE OF THE UNION:

ABC News’ Jonathan Karl: “Obama Spending Freeze Lands on Hill with Thud” LINK

ABC News’ Sunlen Miller: “Obama to Reinstate Pay Freeze of Top White House Officials, and Now Political Appointees” LINK

ABC News’ Mathew Jaffe: “Crucial Week for Obama’s Economic Team” LINK

ABC News’ Alice Gomstyn: “Obama’s Middle Class Tax Credits: What Do They Mean for you?” LINK

The New York Times’ Jackie Calmes: “President Plans Own Panel on Nation’s Debt” LINK

The New York Times’ Jeff Zeleny: “In Speech, Obama to Admit Missteps in First Year” LINK

The Washington Times’ Stephen Dinan: “Stimulus price tag soars as jobless rate rises” LINK

The Washington Times’ Kara Rowland: “Lobbying gets fierce for Obama’s address” LINK

The Washington Post’s Nick Anderson and Michael D. Shear: “Obama to promote more education spending in State of the Union speech” LINK

The Washington Post’s Al Kamen: “Hillary Clinton will be in London for State of the Union” LINK

The Washington Post’s Alec MacGillis and Amy Goldstein: “Obama’s proposed budget spending freeze sparks concern, guesswork” LINK

The Los Angeles Times’ Peter Nicholas and Christi Parsons: “Obama’s State of the Union address will focus on economy” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Jonathan Weisman and Peter Wallsten: “Obama to Tout Jobs Push” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Jess Bravin: “White House Defends Use of War Crime Tribunals” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s John D. Mckinnon: “A ‘Bleak’ Budget but Slightly Better” LINK

USA Today’s Richard Wolf: “Obama address aims for jobs, less red ink” LINK

USA Today’s The Oval: “Obama’s State of the Union: Immigration? Gays in the military?” LINK

USA Today’s The Oval: “Obama gets bad numbers from Congressional Budget Office” LINK

Boston Globe’s Susan Milligan: “Mass. in mind for State of Union” LINK

Bloomberg’s Edwin Chen and Nicholas Johnston: “Obama Speech Will Seek Reset Message With Spending, Tax Plans” LINK

Bloomberg’s Robert Schmidt: “Stunned Wall Street Firms Don’t Want to Wage War on Obama” LINK

Bloomberg’s Brian Faler: “Senate Action Shows Difficulty of Cutting U.S. Budget Deficits” LINK

The Associated Press’ Ben Feller: “Obama’s goal: Get agenda moving, people believing” LINK

The Associated Press’ Ben Evans: “Heckling lawmaker says no more outbursts Wednesday” LINK

Time’s Mark Halperin: “What Obama Can Learn From Reagan” LINK

Newsweek’s Robert Samuelson: “Reality Check: The Proposed Freeze Is Peanuts” LINK

Politico’s Kenneth P. Vogel: “Obama to push Hill on foreign cash” LINK

The Hill’s Walter Alarkon and J. Taylor Rushing: “Lawmakers give cold shoulder to Obama call for budget freeze” LINK

FOREIGN AFFAIRS / TERRORISM:

The New York Times’ Robert Worth: “U.S. to Join Talks on Helping Yemen” LINK

The Washington Post’s Dana Priest: “U.S. military teams, intelligence deeply involved in aiding Yemen on Strikes” LINK

The New York Daily News’ Alison Gendar AND Stephanie Gaskell : “Defense team wants ‘Lady al Qaeda’ Aafia Siddiqui barred from taking stand” LINK

Newsweek’s Mark Hosenball: “Napolitano: U.S. Moves to Improve Preflight Screening” LINK

Newsweek’s Michael Isikoff: “White House Pushes Back on Bioterror Report; calls it ‘Absurd’ and Bashes the Drug Industry” LINK

The Associated Press’ Matthew Lee and Lolita C. Baldor: “US redefines Yemen strategy” LINK

Time’s Tony Karon: “Fighting for a Draw in Afghanistan” LINK

The Hill’s Susan Crabtree: “9/11 Commission head presses Obama on anti-terrorism efforts” LINK

HEALTH CARE:

The New York Times’ David Herszenhorn and Robert Pear: “Democrats Put Lower Priority on Health Bill” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Janet Adamy: “Democrats Slow Efforts on Health” LINK

The Associated Press: “Democrats pull back on health care bill” LINK

Time’s Karen Tumulty: “Health Care: Running Out of Options” LINK

Politico’s Carrie Budoff Brown and Patrick O’Connor: “Dem impasse on health bill continues” LINK

The Hill’s Alexander Bolton: “Democrats woo Snowe, Collins in hope of saving health reform legislation” LINK

CONGRESS:

The Washington Times’ Jennifer Haberkorn: “Senate nixes panel In deficit and debt” LINK

The Washington Post’s Carol Leonnig and Garance Franke-Ruta: “James O’Keefe charged in alleged plot to bug Senator Mary Landrieu’s office” LINK

The Washington Post’s Lori Montgomery: “Senate rejects plan to create commission on federal deficit” LINK

Newsweek’s Katie Connolly: “Fake ACORN Pimp Arrested in Attempt to Bug Senate Office” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Corey Dade: “Senator’s Phones Allegedly Targeted” LINK

The Los Angeles Times’ Richard A. Serrano and Kate Linthicum: “Anti-ACORN activist arrested in incident at Sen. Landrieu’s office” LINK

Politico’s Victoria McGrane: “Bernanke Senate vote on Thursday” LINK

Politico’s David Rogers: “Senate politics stall deficit efforts” LINK

DEMOCRATS/REPUBLICANS:

USA Today’s The Oval: “Biden: Losing the 60th Senate vote not that bad a thing” LINK

Politico’s Manu Raju and John Bresnahan: “Dem plan: split GOP, tea party” LINK

BEN BERNANKE:

The Wall Street Journal’s Sudeep Reddy, Greg Hitt and Luca Di Leo: “Over Half of Senate Backs Bernanke” LINK

Bloomberg’s Scott Lanman and Alison Vekshin: “Bernanke Gains Backers as Reid Sets Procedural Vote” LINK

The Hill’s Silla Brush: “Senate to vote on Bernanke on Thursday” LINK

GAY RIGHTS:

The Washington Post’s Ed O’Keefe: “Survey shows slight increase in reported number of gays serving in the military” LINK

CLIMATE PLAN:

The New York Times’ John Schwartz: “Courts as Battlefields in Climate Fights” LINK

Bloomberg’s Kim Chipman and Daniel Whitten: “Kerry, Graham Seek Scaled-Back Climate Plan in Bid for Support” LINK

OTHER:

The Washington Post’s Paul Kane: “Justice Dept. ends probe of Rep. Mollohan” LINK

The Boston Herald’s Joe Dwinell: “Poll: Fox most-trusted news outlet” LINK

The Boston Globe’s Political Notebook: “$8.8b to assist military families” LINK

USA Today’s Fredreka Schouten: “More court cases to test campaign-finance limits” LINK

ABC NEWS VIDEOS:

“’The Note’: Obama as Promise-Keeper” LINK

“First Lady Announces New Military Funding” LINK

“Senator’s Cell Rings During Newser on Texting Ban” LINK