Morning Folks….Happy Monday!!!  A few more victories for Obama and Huckabee over the weekend on the Raw Politics front…NOW it is onto Maryland, Virginia and DC. Is the former Democratic front-runner now the underdog? AND if McCain is the assumed nominee, why is Huckabee still pulling in votes?  PLUS we are keeping the Bush budget honest, this morning…Sooo grab your coffee and take a look at today’s headlines…

Top Stories
Future of U.S. troops in Iraq…
A pause in the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq after the current reduction is completed in July “makes sense,” Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters in Baghdad Monday.

Death penalty for 9-11 roles…
Military prosecutors have decided to seek the death penalty for six GITMO detainees who are to be charged with central roles in the Sept. 11 terror attacks, government officials who have been briefed on the charges said Sunday.

Iraq War planning buried…
The Army is accustomed to protecting classified information. But when it comes to the planning for the Iraq war, even an unclassified assessment can acquire the status of a state secret.

Get out of Iraq to boost economy…
The heck with Congress’ big stimulus bill. The way to get the country out of recession — and most people think we’re in one — is to get the country out of Iraq, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll.

New problems in the market…
A widening array of financial-market problems threatens to trigger a new phase in the global credit crunch, extending it beyond the risky mortgages that have cost banks and investors more than $100 billion in losses and helped push the U.S. economy toward recession.

Paintings stolen…
Works by Paul Cezanne, Edgar Degas, Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh were stolen from an art foundation’s gallery in Zurich, Switzerland, according to Bernd Quellenberg, a spokesman for the Kunsthaus, a major art museum in Zurich.

Raw Politics
Obama wins Maine…
With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Obama was leading Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York 59 percent to 40 percent. At stake are 24 delegates to August’s Democratic national convention in Denver.

Huckabee wins again…
Just as Senator John McCain appeared poised to become the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, he was reminded over the weekend that many Republican voters still have not climbed aboard his bandwagon.

Clinton staff shakeup…
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton has replaced her campaign manager with a longtime adviser, Maggie Williams, the campaign announced Sunday.

DC, Maryland blitz…
Democratic presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, their family members and surrogates swept through the Washington region yesterday, appearing in packed churches, schools and retirement communities in a blitz of activity two days before the high-stakes “Potomac Primary” in Virgina, Maryland and the District.

Keeping them Honest
Bush earmarks…
President Bush often denounces the propensity of Congress to earmark money for pet projects. But in his new budget, Mr. Bush has requested money for thousands of similar projects.

Clemens doping denials…
A lawyer for Brian McNamee believes the Justice Department will open a criminal investigation into Roger Clemens’ denials of doping.

What YOU will be talking about TODAY
And the Grammy goes too…
Winehouse, the troubled singer and songwriter who was let out of rehab to perform via satellite at the 50th annual Grammy Awards Sunday night, took home awards in five of the six categories in which she was nominated, including three of the big four general categories: record of the year, song of the year (both for “Rehab”) and best new artist.