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Republican Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania announced Wednesday that he is switching parties and is now a Democrat. The switch means that if Democrat Al Franken is declared the winner in the contested Minnesota Senate race, Democrats will have the 60 votes needed to block GOP filibusters.

The nation's 19 largest banks have gotten the final results from the government's stress tests. Some banks were told they need to raise more capital in order to be considered healthy. The results are scheduled to be released to the public Thursday.

President Obama unveiled a plan to overhaul regulation of the nation's financial institutions Wednesday. He blamed the current economic crisis on a culture of irresponsibility by Wall Street, Main Street and Washington. Obama also said the government had to do more to protect consumers. The effort requires congressional action and would represent the most substantial revamping of the regulatory structure since the Great Depression.

In his fourth formal news conference, President Obama took questions Tuesday that focused on Iran and health care. He said he was "appalled and outraged" by Iran's violent reaction to protests following the disputed presidential election. The president also talked at length about the cost of overhauling health care and the role of a public insurance plan.

Saying he looks at his brief tenure as "what might have been," New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned Wednesday. The former state attorney general, who fought Wall Street and organized crime, was named as a client of a prostitution ring.

Mississippi voters are preparing for a Tuesday primary that has taken on new significance as the race between Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton remains tight. What do Democrats in Mississippi think about the prospects of a so-called "dream ticket" that would match the two?

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is visiting the United States this week. Brown will meet with President Bush and all three U.S. presidential candidates, but he has also focused his trip on the current economic downturn.

Intelligence officials told the Senate Homeland Security committee Monday that the U.S. is still at high risk of terrorist attacks. Some aspects of security have been improved, they say, but not enough to justify complacency.

The New York Philharmonic Orchestra will travel to North Korea on Monday after performing on Sunday in Beijing. Observers are watching and hoping — cautiously — that this is a sign that North Korea is more willing to open up to the outside world.

NPR's A Martinez talks to Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin ahead of a congressional hearing on the planned merger between golf's major organizations, PGA Tour and LIV Golf.