The Note’s Must-Reads for Friday, February 5, 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, CARRIE HALPERIN and CAITLIN PLUTO

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PRESIDENT OBAMA:

ABC News’ Ariane de Vogue: “White House Prepares for Possibility of 2 Supreme Court Vacancies” LINK

Politico’s Eamon Javers and Victoria McGrane: “Dems grouse as Obama tacks to center” LINK

Politico’s Glenn Thrush and Marin Cogan: “Big bang takes toll on moderates” LINK

Politico’s Carrie Budoff Brown: “Obama’s ‘next step’: Go back to Republicans” LINK

The Washington Times’ Kara Rowland: “Obama praying for ‘spirit of civility’” LINK

The Washington Post’s Michael Fletcher: “Obama, at National Prayer Breakfast, calls for civil political debate” LINK

The Washington Post’s Perry Bacon Jr.: “Republican lawmaker’s budget plan gets Obama’s attention” LINK

The Washington Post’s Al Kamen: “Obama ponders ‘holds’ and ‘recess appointments’ as Sen. Scott Brown arrives” LINK

Time's Joe Klein: "Obama Calls Out GOP, but Nobody's Home" LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Peter Wallsten: “Keeping Faith, Courting Conservatives” LINK

Bloomberg’s Heidi Przybyla: “Obama Seeks to Channel Reagan as Democrats Prepare for Election” LINK

AFGHANISTAN:

The Washington Post’s Greg Jaffe: “U.S. commanders in Afghanistan face tougher discipline for battlefield failures” LINK

The Washington Post’s Craig Whitlock: “Gen. McChrystal says conditions in Afghanistan war are no longer deteriorating” LINK

FOREIGN AFFAIRS:

The Washington Post’s John Pomfret: “U.S. officials hopeful China will make concessions on currency” LINK

The Washington Post’s Blaine Harden: “North Korea says it will free American missionary” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Peter Spiegel: “McChrystal Sees Signs of Progress in Push to Stabilize Afghanistan” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Jaeyeon Woo: “North Korea Says It Will Release American Missionary” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Margaret Coker: “Iraq Delays Start of Parliamentary Election Campaigns” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Matthew Rosenberg: “U.S. Puzzles Over Top Militant's Fate” LINK

Bloomberg’s Bomi Lim: “North Korea to Release Detained U.S. Missionary Park” LINK

The Los Angeles Times' Mark Magnier: "Seized North Korea arms cache still a mystery" LINK

The New York Times’ Mark Landler: “Bit of a Stir as Clinton Strays From Script on Mideast Peace” LINK

EDUCATION:

The New York Times’ Eric Lichtblau: “Lobbying Imperils Overhaul of Student Loans” LINK

HEALTH-CARE BILL:

Politico’s Andy Barr and Manu Raju: “Al Franken lays into David Axelrod over health care bill” LINK

Politico’s Chris Frates: “Pelosi, Hoyer don’t detail any reform progress after White House meeting” LINK

ECONOMY / JOBS / STOCKS:

ABC News’ Z. Byron Wolf: “Reid calls Monday vote phantom jobs bill” LINK

ABC News’ Z. Byron Wolf, Jonathan Karl, Huma Khan and Kristina Wong: “Scott Brown Sworn In as 41st GOP Senator, Says Stimulus ‘Did Not Create One New Job’” LINK

ABC News’ Jake Tapper: “Bleak Unemployment Assumptions in Obama Budget” LINK

The Washington Times’ Jennifer Haberkorn: “Brown takes Senate seat with jobs bill on agenda” LINK

USA Today's John Fritze: "Dems take new approach on joblessness" LINK

USA Today's Adam Shell: "Stock sell-off follows worries about jobs, European debt" LINK

Time's John Curran: "Stocks Drop Sharply: Reality Bites" LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Naftali Bendavid and Greg Hitt: “Senators Spar Over Jobs Bill” LINK

The Los Angeles Times' Maeve Reston and Phil Willon: "L.A. mayor orders 1,000 jobs eliminated" LINK

SCOTT BROWN / G.O.P. / DEMOCRATS:

The New York Times’ Carl Hulse and Jeff Zeleny: “G.O.P. Senator Is Sworn In, and Democrats Regroup” LINK

Newsweek’s Howard Fineman: “Downtown Scotty Brown: The New GOP Senator Looks Like a Partisan” LINK

USA Today's On Deadline: "Brown sworn in, giving GOP 41 Senate seats" LINK

The Associated Press' Andrew Miga: "Brown sworn in as US senator; takes Kennedy's seat" LINK

The Boston Globe's Political Intelligence: "It's official: Brown sworn in as senator" LINK

The Boston Globe's Political Intelligence: "Brown's remarks to the press following his swearing-in" LINK

USA Today's On Deadline: "Brown sworn in, giving GOP 41 Senate seats" LINK

The Associated Press' Andrew Miga: "Brown sworn in as US senator; takes Kennedy's seat" LINK

The Boston Globe's Political Intelligence: "It's official: Brown sworn in as senator" LINK

The Boston Globe's Political Intelligence: "Brown's remarks to the press following his swearing-in" LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Douglas Belkin: “Woes Beset Illinois Democrats” LINK

The Boston Herald’s Jessica Van Sack: “Scott Brown makes it official” LINK

The Hill's Roxana Tiron: "Democrats send conflicting signals on repealing ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’" LINK

The Hill's J. Taylor Rushing: "Sen. Brown sworn in, promises cross-aisle communication’" LINK

The Los Angeles Times' Janet Hook: "Republican Scott Brown of Massachusetts sworn in to Senate" LINK

SARAH PALIN:

The New York Daily News' Walter Alarkon: "Sarah Palin lashes at 'disrespectful' Rush Limbaugh after he enters the 'retard' firestorm" LINK

TEA PARTY:

ABC News’ Steven Portnoy and John Berman: “Tea Party Fireworks: Speaker Rips McCain, Obama, ‘Cult of Multiculturalism’” LINK

Newsweek’s Daniel Stone: “Has the Tea Party Gone Global?” LINK

USA Today's Kathy Kiely: "Infighting threatens to ice hot 'Tea Party'" LINK

CONGRESS / SENATE:

The Washington Times’ Jerry Seper: “Gaps in laundering laws vex senators” LINK

The Washington Post’s Lori Montgomery: “House votes to revive pay-as-you-go budget rules” LINK

The Washington Post’s Ed O’Keefe: “Senate confirms Martha Johnson as head of General Services Administration” LINK

Time's Jay Newton-Small: "How the Democrats Could Lose the Senate" LINK

The Hill's Silla Brush: "Senate Banking panel split on consumer protection options" LINK

The Hill's Walter Alarkon: "House raises debt limit to $14.3 trillion" LINK

ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT:

The Wall Street Journal’s Ian Talley and Stephen Power: “Spending Backlog Vexes Energy Chief” LINK

The Los Angeles Times' Catherine Saillant: "Southland panel rejects funds for ethanol fueling stations" LINK

OTHER:

The Washington Post’s Steven Pearlstein: “The myth of Washington bipartisanship and the art of true compromise” LINK

The Washington Post’s Rob Stein: “Pentagon to stock health facilities with morning-after pill” LINK

USA Today's Fredreka Schouten: "Lobbying industry booms in recession" LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s John R. Emshwiller and Stu Woo: “Funding Looms Large in California Race” LINK

The Boston Herald’s Laurel J. Sweet: “Drama as Obama’s aunt states case for political asylum” LINK

Politico’s Josh Gerstein: “NYer Rahm opposed Holder on 9/11 trials” LINK

ABC NEWS VIDEOS:

“Washington Welcome: Scott Brown Sworn In” LINK

“Republicans Zero in on 'Shameful' Spending” LINK

“Obama Jokes About Nationality at Prayer Breakfast” LINK

“The Conversation: Tea Party Convention” LINK