OVERHEARD, on last night's 'The Good Wife' on CBS: 'Ben Smith just linked to it as part of a 'Remainder' item, so it may get wider play.' (hat tip: Crider)

KNOLLER NUGGET, from Mark Knoller of CBS News: 'President Obama's health care speech today in St. Charles, Mo., will be his 52nd on the subject - out of 463 speeches/remarks since taking office.'

VIDEO -- THE MELTDOWN -- former Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.), to Fox News' Glenn Beck: Groping, tickling, propositioning young males is 'nothing sexual' ... 'I own this misbehavior' (part 1 of interview) ... 'Rahm Emanuel hates me' (part 2 of interview) ... 'It's called whipping' (part 3 of interview) ... 'Emanuel is very good at making enemies' (part 4 of interview)

--LARRY KING: 'Are you gay?'

ERIC MASSA: 'I'm not going to answer that. ... Why don't you ask my wife, ask my friends, ask the 10,000 sailors I served with in the Navy? ... It insults every gay American. ... '

KING: 'Who was the guy you groped?'

EXCLUSIVE -- 5-page 'Interested Parties' memo from Senate Republican Whip Jon Kyl and House Republican Whip Eric Cantor, 'Will the Democrats' 'Go It Alone' Approach to Health Care Work?': 'Chances Are Good That The House Will Have To Vote On The Reconciliation Bill Twice ... House Democrats who vote for the Senate health care overhaul can be certain of one thing if it passes-it will become law over the objections of the American people. And they will spend the rest of the year explaining that vote, whether or not the Senate passes a reconciliation bill to 'fix' it.'

HEY, MARTHA! 'Facebook Will Allow Users to Share Location,' by Nick Bilton, on NYT's 'Bits' blog': 'Starting next month, the more than 400 million Facebook users could begin seeing a new kind of status update flow through their news feed: the current locations of their friends. Facebook plans to take the wraps off a new location-based feature in late April at f8, the company's yearly developer conference ... In preparation for the introduction, Facebook updated its privacy policy last November. The new policy states: 'When you share your location with others or add a location to something you post, we treat that like any other content you post.' ... Facebook has been working on a location-based tool for close to a year, but decided to wait until the product was completely ready for mainstream adoption before announcing it.'

BIRTHDAYS: Bradford Darice Dayspring ... John Murray (yes, the Cantor colleagues share a b'day). TOMORROW: Nick Shapiro! (h/t Columbus)

BREAKING -- Vice President Biden Trip to West Bank Pool Report, by WashPost's Janine Zacharia: 'Vice President Biden began the day with a meeting with Quartet representative Tony Blair at his hotel. He said good morning to the press but would not answer any questions. He then visited staff at the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem. He then took the long, round-about, bypass road to Ramallah, traditionally taken by U.S. officials and met with Prime Minister Salam Fayyad at his office. Fayyad was asked about Israel's housing announcement in east Jerusalem yesterday. 'It's damaging for sure,' Fayyad said. 'This is a moment of great challenge to the effort led by the United States to get the political process going again. We definitely appreciate the strong statement of condemnation by the administration vis-a-vis this action which definitely undermines confidence in the prospects of the political process.' Biden made no comment except to acknowledge that he had climbed four flights of stairs to get to the meeting room.'

--Gates arrives in Saudi Arabia -- AFP: 'Defence Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Riyadh Wednesday for talks expected to focus on Iran's nuclear programme and Washington's push for tough sanctions against Tehran. Gates's plane touched down at Riyadh's international airport from Afghanistan where he reviewed war efforts against the Taliban and conferred with coalition troop commanders, according to an AFP correspondent. In Saudi Arabia, Gates is expected to meet King Abdullah and other senior officials to discuss shoring up Saudi air and missile defence capabilities as part of a broader US effort to boost security in the Gulf in the face of Iran's expanding arsenal of ballistic missiles.'

2010 -- The DCCC today will announce the first 13 House challengers and open-seat candidates to receive support through the committee's 'Red to Blue' program. Alex Burns has the full list at POLITICO's 'Morning Score,' an early-morning e-mail on the midterm races.

Good Wednesday morning. DRIVING THE DAY:

--SPEAKING TO THE ENEMY: After months of bashing health insurers, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will be speaking to them in Washington this morning, at the America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) annual policy conference at the Ritz-Carlton. But she hasn't come to make up. POLITICO has learned that she plans to take them on, face to face. An administration official tells us: 'She will raise some tough issues, discuss why the current health insurance system is unsustainable for all Americans and the benefits of reform.' The White House realized this was an opportunity for mammoth news coverage. A top aide e-mails: 'They were distorting health reform and she wanted to go into the belly of the beast and take them on.' Sebelius' acceptance letter to AHIP

--STRATEGY -- David Rogers, on Republican plans for a preemptive strike

--DAN PFEIFFER 360

--THE PRESIDENT, IN SUBURBAN ST. LOUIS -- Forthcoming release: 'President Barack Obama today announced a new effort to crack down on waste and fraud in Medicare, Medicaid, and other government programs through the expanded use of payment recapture audits. ... Delivering remarks on health insurance reform in St. Charles, Missouri, President Obama discussed a new effort to recoup taxpayer dollars through the use of payment recapture audits, which offer specialized private auditors financial incentives to root out improper payments, and have been demonstrated through pilot programs to be highly effective. In fact, expanded use of payment recapture audits could return at least $2 billion in taxpayer money over the next three years– double the current amount of projected recovered costs.'

DEMS SAY 'NO WAY' TO LINDSEY'S THIRD WAY: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) tells Jim VandeHei that the Senate needs to pull together a new gang of 14 to save the institution from a disaster over health care. Graham says using reconciliation in the process would be devastating. All efforts to find agreement on other issues will grind to halt, he warned. 'Many Republicans were ready to pull the trigger on the nuclear option on judges are now glad they didn't,' he said. Graham, who is working with the White House on immigration and energy, said Obama's summit was clearly a 'sham' because he suggested he'd give Congress six weeks to find common ground -- only to plunge ahead without pause. Graham suggested he and other Republicans could support a scaled-back bill that cuts health costs and expands coverage. 'I would be willing to find ways to solve problems without blowing up the Senate.'

--But POLITICO's Carrie Budoff Brown and Chris Frates report: 'Some of the moderates who would usually be the first to join such a push scoffed at the idea. 'Who are they going to get?' asked Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), a member of the original Gang of 14. 'It is not the same as it was before.' The resistance to Graham's proposal is a sign of how centrist Democrats, who were among the most skeptical of reconciliation after their party's Massachusetts Senate defeat, have come largely to accept that the use of the fast-track rules is a legitimate tool to enact fixes to the Senate health care bill. ... Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) said, 'It's a little too late to start that process.' 'This health care bill is going to pass,' Landrieu said. 'There will be opportunities for bipartisan coalitions to build on the foundation of this bill, but there's no talk about starting over.'

** BBC World News America connects the dots between the U.S. and the world each weeknight at 7 p.m. ET on BBC America. Accent, attitude, and guaranteed nonsense-free. http://bit.ly/cqzfXB **

Live Chat – BROOKINGS – Eight months after President Obama's reached out to the Muslim world in an optimistic speech in Cairo, where do we stand? The administration faces a multitude of unresolved issues with Muslim-majority countries, including the nuclear standoff with Iran, tensions in Afghanistan and Pakistan and the unresolved Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Today at 12:30 p.m., Stephen Grand, Brookings fellow and director of the Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World, will participate in a live web chat about President Obama's outreach to the Muslim world, with POLITICO's David Mark moderating. Join live on Arena, register here, or submit advance questions to [email protected].

POLITICO digital reader (makes the sound of pages turning as you flip) -- all 36 pages of today's print edition ... p. 1 image

HOUSE REJECTS OBAMA'S DEADLINE:

--SHOT: House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), when reporters asked him if Congress can pass a health-care package by March 18: 'None of us has mentioned the 18th, other than Mr. Gibbs. ... We are trying to do this as soon as possible. That continues to be our objective.' --Patrick O'Connor

--CHASER -- Later, at Robert Gibbs' daily briefing, he replied when asked by AP's Ben 'Good' Feller if he believes that the House will vote on the Senate health care bill by March 18th: 'I do. ... The information I gave out last week was based on conversations with staff that I've had here in the building, and I've been given nothing that would change that advice that I was given last week.'

JOHN ROBERTS V. WHITE HOUSE:

--'Roberts: Scene at State of Union 'very troubling,' by AP's Jay Reeves in Tuscaloosa, Ala.: 'Chief Justice John Roberts said Tuesday the scene at President Barack Obama's first State of the Union address was 'very troubling' ... Obama chided the court for its campaign finance decision during the January address, with six of the court's nine justices seated before him in their black robes. Roberts said he wonders whether justices should attend the address. 'To the extent the State of the Union has degenerated into a political pep rally, I'm not sure why we're there,' said Roberts, a Republican nominee who joined the court in 2005.'

--In response, Robert Gibbs said in an e-mailed statement: 'What is troubling is that this decision opened the floodgates for corporations and special interests to pour money into elections – drowning out the voices of average Americans. The President has long been committed to reducing the undue influence of special interests and their lobbyists over government. That is why he spoke out to condemn the decision and is working with Congress on a legislative response.'

TOP TALKER -- --POLITICO, 'Massa: 'I did nothing sexual,' by Jonathan Allen and John Bresnahan: 'New York Democrat Eric Massa finds himself in the midst of a fast-growing sex scandal involving allegations that he had improper physical contact with several men who worked for him - including at least one intern. ... On Glenn Beck's Fox News show Tuesday night, Massa acknowledged that he had 'groped' and 'tickled' a male staffer at the congressman's 50th birthday party. He also said he'd used rough language when he shouldn't have and that he had jokingly told a male staffer at a wedding reception that he'd rather have sex with him than with one of the bridesmaids. But, Massa told Beck, 'I did nothing sexual.' He said he had done 'things that were wrong,' but he suggested that his only real sin - aside from 'salty' talk - was that he had allowed himself to become too familiar with his staff. And he said his political enemies were twisting his high jinks into something sinister to smear his name and drive him out of Congress.'

FUN WITH GOOGLE, from an early-rising Republican aide:

--July 28: 'Healthcare endgame on Capitol Hill' (Reuters)
--Aug. 21: 'Health care endgame near but uncertain' (AP)
--Oct. 14: 'Senate, administration begin healthcare endgame' (The Hill)
--Oct. 25: 'Senators say health care bill endgame is in sight' (POLITICO)
--Oct. 27: 'End Game: So When Will Health Care Really Happen?' (TPM)
--Oct. 30: 'Health reform inches closer to endgame' (WaPo)
--Nov. 23: 'The Health Care Endgame' (NPR)
--March 10: 'Obama pushing on health care end game' (AP)

POPPING ONLINE:

--POLITICO lead story, 'Graham to Obama: Time to 'step it up,' by Glenn Thrush: 'President Barack Obama is summoning two key senators to the Oval Office on Thursday for an update on immigration reform efforts ... Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), ... said Obama's lack of direction on immigration reform is hampering Graham's efforts to recruit additional Republicans to the cause. 'At the end of the day, the president needs to step it up a little bit,' Graham told POLITICO on Tuesday. 'One line in the State of the Union is not going to do it.' For the past six months, Graham and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) - who meet with Obama at 3 p.m. Thursday - have worked on a reform framework. Their plan, which hasn't been introduced yet, includes a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants (a liberal must-have) while sweetening the pot for moderates by proposing tough new safeguards, including a biometric national ID card for workers. To the frustration of many reform advocates, Obama has kept his opinions of the possible deal vague.'

--Drudge banner is a photo of Rahm, with the headline, 'SLIME TIME!' Links to the WashPost's A1 story by Carol Leonnig, 'Male Massa staffers reported groping': 'On Sunday, Massa said he was set up by powerful Democrats such as White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) as part of an effort to remove opponents of health-care reform legislation. He backed away from that claim Tuesday, telling Beck, 'I wasn't forced out. I forced myself out.' 'The notion that somehow the White House had anything to do with the series of events . . . is silly and ridiculous,' White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters Tuesday, while Pelosi said in an interview with PBS's Charlie Rose that Massa is 'a very sick person. He has been diagnosed with cancer.' She added, 'Perhaps his judgment is impaired because of the ethical issues that have arisen.'

--HuffPost banner, 'Supreme Court's Chief Justice Calls Obama's State Of The Union Rebuke 'Very Troubling' -- White House Responds To Justice John Roberts: Only 'Troubling' Thing Is Court's Ruling' -- Sam Stein: 'The push back against the Supreme Court header from the White House seems almost unprecedented in its directness, though White House officials claim previous administrations expressed equally public criticisms of the court. Undoubtedly, it's bound to spur another round of debates over what constitutes proper decorum between the two branches.'

--The Daily Caller banner, 'Everyone is Just Waiting: Uncertainty prevails as Dems anticipate Budget Office's health bill score': 'House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she did not know when House lawmakers would look at a legislative text of President Obama's proposal, telling The Daily Caller that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) was working on a preliminary score of the bill and of a reconciliation package. 'It's all up to the CBO. We don't know anything until they tell us,' Pelosi said in a brief interview after meeting with the Democratic Caucus Tuesday night. 'It's really the strangest thing because so much of this is very new, so we thought we'd get it back sooner. But anyway, they do their very careful work and I respect that.' Pelosi and her leadership team want to present a package deal to House Democrats - President Obama's proposal and reconciliation fixes both scored by CBO for its impact on the budget. But House Democrats likely won't get a look at any language on Wednesday, Pelosi's office said.'

VITAL VOICES -- The two BIG events are the conference on the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Women and the gala at the Kennedy Center. The Conference is being hosted by Vital Voices in conjunction with the State Department and the Avon Foundation for Women. Reese Witherspoon will be there (as Avon Global Ambassador), as well as Alyse Nelson, CEO of Vital Voices and Andrea Jung, Chairman and CEO of Avon Products Inc. The Kennedy Center gala will Sally Field, Melinda French Gates, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, NYTs Nicholas Kristoff, NBC News' Brian Williams, Suze Orman, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Diane Von Furstenberg, Time Inc. Chairman and CEO Ann Moore and FDIC Chairperson Sheila Bair.

POOL REPORT -- Retiring Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) treated his entire D.C. and R.I. staff, and former staff, to a private cocktail hour last evening at Altitude, the rooftop bar at the new W Hotel, followed by a private dinner at the W Hotel. About 40 people were, including R.I. staff he had flown down. The congressman thanked the staff for all for their years of dedication, loyalty and hard work. 'Everything I was able to do was because of you doing your jobs,' he said. 'You all exhibited a kind of loyalty that's just not available anymore. ... You're all family, and have always been protective and there for me and what a difference it was for me. ... I love all of you for being there for me so many times, no matter how subtle, and I will carry it all with me in my heart and I thank all of you.' During dessert, about 15 staff from all eras stood up and toasted the Congressman. Sean Richardson, the congressman's former Chief of Staff spoke first. Other speakers included Mike Zamore chief of staff to Sen. Jeff Merkley; Kimber Colton, the deputy chief of staff; Terri Alford, the scheduler,; Kathy Hinckley, the director of constituent services; and Michael Pratt, a former fundraiser. Chief of Staff Adam Brand closed out the evening with thanks to the congressman on behalf of all staff. Others in attendance were Mike Harney, legislative director to Sen. Kay Hagan,; Greg Mecher, CoS to Rep. Steve Driehaus; Rachael Bornstein, legislative director to Rep. Jim Langevin; Leah Rosales of Rep. Tim Walz's staff; and Matt Braunstein, former legislative director. Each staff member received a copy of Senator Kennedy's 'True Compass,' with a personalized inscription from Rep. Kennedy.

HOLLYWOOD MAKES A CALL TO ACTION -- From release: At the Oscars, American Express and TakePart.com launched 'Members Project, a new philanthropic partnership that separates itself from other corporate social responsibility efforts by supplementing corporate giving with a comprehensive web based platform for social action. As with other efforts like Pepsi's Refresh program, visitors to the site can vote for the charity they want American Express to award a grant to -- to the tune of $200,000 every three months. But unlike those programs, people can also get involved with the charity, volunteer, connect to others with similar interests and donate themselves. This is made possible through TakePart.com, a project of Participant Media. Participant Media, through its films like 'An Inconvenient Truth,' [brings] the issues of Washington to Hollywood ¬ and then on from Hollywood to the country as a whole. ... There are 49 partner NGOs that are eligible for the money ... arts and culture, environmental advocacy, community development, education, and health and welfare.'

ALSO DRIVING THE CONVO, by Tim Alberta:

--L.A. Times 2-col. lead: 'Biden's Israel visit takes a rocky turn' ... WSJ A19, 'Biden Criticizes Israeli Plan to Build Homes,' by Joshua Mitnick in Jerusalem: 'Vice President Joe Biden was knocked off stride during his first day of meetings in the Middle East, as he criticized the surprise publication of a new Israeli plan to build in east Jerusalem that seemed to endanger the renewal of tentative peace talks after a year hiatus. Israel's Interior Ministry said it decided to move forward on planning for a new neighborhood of 1,600 homes-the second notice in two days of building in territory claimed by the Palestinians. ... 'I condemn the decision by the government of Israel to advance planning for new housing units in east Jerusalem,' Mr. Biden said in a statement ... 'The substance and timing of the announcement, particularly with the launching of proximity talks, is precisely the kind of step that undermines the trust we need right now and runs counter to the constructive discussions that I've had here in Israel.' Word of the plan came during a series of meetings with top Israeli leaders in Jerusalem that were outwardly congenial and warm. On Wednesday, Mr. Biden travels to the West Bank to meet with the Palestinians.'

--NYT A1, 'Conservatives Split Deeply Over Attacks on Justice Dept. Lawyers,' by John Schwartz: 'A conservative advocacy organization in Washington, Keep America Safe, kicked up a storm last week when it released a video that questioned the loyalty of Justice Department lawyers who worked in the past on behalf of detained terrorism suspects. ... [T]he tactics of the group, which is run by Liz Cheney ... have also split the tightly knit world of conservative legal scholars. Many conservatives ... have vehemently criticized Ms. Cheney's video, and say it violates the American legal principle that even unpopular defendants deserve a lawyer. ... On Sunday, the Brookings Institution issued a letter criticizing the 'shameful series of attacks' on government lawyers ... The letter was signed by a Who's Who of former Republican administration officials and conservative legal figures, including Kenneth W. Starr.'

--WaPo A1, 'Dispute threatens to undercut legitimacy of Iraqi vote,' by Ernesto Londoño and Leila Fadel in Baghdad: 'U.S. officials ... were growing increasingly concerned by the dispute Tuesday evening, fearing it could lead to violence. The candidates were barred on election eve by a commission -- run by onetime U.S. ally Ahmed Chalabi and other Shiite politicians -- that was empowered to screen government officials for loyalty to Saddam Hussein's outlawed Baath Party. Most of the 55 candidates who were disqualified belong to the Iraqiya list of former prime minister Ayad Allawi, which appears to have done well in secular and Sunni communities. If the votes for the newly barred candidates are annulled, it could give the Iraqiya coalition powerful ammunition to allege vote-rigging by rival politicians, including some in the Shiite-led camp of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.'

--Barney Frank wants financial-regulatory reform conference on C-SPAN -- POLITICO's Victoria McGrane: 'Remember this, 'Let's do it all on C-SPAN? ... Clear your calendar,' Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, told POLITICO, adding that he has spoken to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office and personally with Majority Leader Steny Hoyer about his intentions. The type of 'old-fashioned' conference Frank is talking about is a real rarity in today's Congress. House and Senate negotiators would debate the points of disagreement between the two chambers, voting point-by-point in open session – an open session that Frank would like broadcast on C-SPAN for all the world to see. The move is a clear signal that Frank will not let Senate Republicans to water down key elements of the legislation without a public brawl. There would still be plenty of behind-the-scenes arm-twisting and deal-cutting for votes, but Frank's plan would force Senate lawmakers to go on the record as choosing weaker proposals on the consumer protection piece and others.'

--WaPo A1, 'Common set of school standards to be proposed,' by Nick Anderson: 'The nation's governors and state school chiefs will propose standards Wednesday for what students should learn in English and math, from kindergarten through high school, a crucial step in President Obama's campaign to raise academic standards across the country. The blueprint aims to replace a hodgepodge of state benchmarks with common standards. The president has aggressively encouraged the states' action as a key to improving troubled schools and keeping the nation competitive. Instituting new academic standards would reverberate in textbooks, curriculum, teacher training and student learning from coast to coast. ... There is no required reading list. But the plan lists dozens of classic works to illustrate a rising level of language complexity that students should be expected to handle. ... The proposal, obtained by The Washington Post in advance of its release, is considered a breakthrough after years of stalemate over the federal role in setting education standards. ... The proposal from the National Governors Association and Council of Chief State School Officers, called 'common core' rather than national standards, seeks to sidestep the federalism debate. The Obama administration played no role in drafting the blueprint.

--WaPo A1, 'With JihadJane, a new kind of threat,' by Carrie Johnson: 'A petite, blond-haired, blue-eyed high school dropout who allegedly used the nickname JihadJane was identified Tuesday as an alleged terrorist intent on recruiting others to her cause, as federal prosecutors unsealed criminal charges that could send her to prison for life. Colleen Renee LaRose, 46, has been quietly held in U.S. custody since October on suspicions that she provided material support to terrorists and traveled to Sweden to launch an attack ... LaRose, who lived in suburban Philadelphia, allegedly recruited men and women in the United States, Europe and South Asia to 'wage violent jihad,' according to an indictment issued in Pennsylvania..'

--'Cost, intrigue doomed Northrop bid,' by POLITICO's Jen DiMascio: 'It was a Clash of Titans: a brutal feud, spanning nearly five years, between Boeing and Northrop Grumman over Pentagon billions. Then, just days after Boeing champion Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wash.) took the helm of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, Northrop up and quit. To be sure, there were complex business reasons for doing so ... But this fight was really about winning in Washington. And from that viewpoint, a crippling error for Northrop may well have been its decision to bank too long and too heavily on Republicans maintaining control. That may have seemed the smart choice five years ago, when Northrop ... began promising to build plants and bring new jobs to Alabama, home of GOP Sens. Richard Shelby ... and Jeff Sessions ... But those carefully cultivated ties gradually unraveled as Democrats retook Congress in 2006 and President Barack Obama defeated [John] McCain in the 2008 presidential campaign, bringing Boeing's largely Democratic allies into leadership positions.'

--FT A1, 'Europe accuses Washington of foul play over air tanker tender': 'European countries have accused Washington of foul play after the continent's largest aerospace and defence company pulled out of a multi-billion-dollar race to supply the US military, alleging unfair competition.'

BUSINESS BURST -- WSJ A2, 'Labor Market Brightens a Bit More,' by Conor Dougherty and Kathleen Madigan: 'Two new reports show that the job market continues to make small gains, though employers will have to do a lot more hiring before a dent is made in the nation's 9.7% unemployment rate. There were 2.7 million job openings on the last business day of January, up from 2.5 million a month earlier, the Labor Department said Tuesday. More openings mean more opportunities for the jobless to land positions. The job-openings rate-a measure of openings for full- or part-time jobs relative to the total number employed-was 2.1%, up from 1.9% a month earlier and the highest reading since February 2009.'

SPORTS BLINK -- --Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg, the 21-year old phenom who has Nats' fans fantasizing about .500 seasons, made his big league debut Tuesday, tossing two shutout innings against the Detroit Tigers (whom TA predicts will win the World Series this year). Strasburg threw a seven-pitch first inning and followed that up by blowing away Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera with a 100-mph fastball in the second inning. 'Now that,' said one scout in attendance, 'is worth $15 million.' ESPN STORY w/ VIDEO

DESSERT -- 'Andy Richter calls 'Tonight' exit frustrating,' by AP's Frazier Moore: 'Andy Richter, Conan O'Brien's sidekick at 'The Tonight Show,' is acknowledging some ill will toward NBC and Jay Leno in the wake of the network's late-night upheaval. 'Why wouldn't I?' said Richter, who was filling in Tuesday for Regis Philbin on 'Live! with Regis and Kelly.' Richter told Kelly Ripa he was frustrated that Leno was allowed to reclaim 'The Tonight Show' host chair just nine months after O'Brien had inherited that plum assignment. 'NBC, definitely, everybody said they were going to do something and they didn't,' said Richter, implying the network broke long-standing commitments it made to O'Brien.'

** BBC World News America's certified-nonsense-free guarantee: Aerial images of high-speed car chases shall not appear. Conservatives and liberals shall not be invited to shout at each other. Our anchors shall not shed tears, nor simulate empathy. We shall not have a regular segment titled 'Your Pocketbook.' Neither shall we feature coma-inducing deconstructions of inside-the-beltway political maneuvering.

We SHALL provide smart, sophisticated daily coverage of the wider world to an audience hard pressed to find it anywhere else on American television. We shall cover important stories and issues inside America with accent and attitude, from the perspective of 'the friendly outsider with the slightly arched eyebrow.' We shall have insightful nightly interviews, as well as incisive contributions from analyst Ted Koppel.

BBC World News America with Matt Frei, Katty Kay, and the global resources of the BBC. Weeknights, 7 p.m. ET on BBC America. Always lively. Never stupid. http://bit.ly/cqzfXB **