This week the stimulus bill will make its way through the Senate, former Maryland lieutenant governor Michael Steele will take over as the first African-American leader of the Republican National Committee, and analysts will look back at the take home message of last week's World Economic Forum. Marcus Mabry, International Business Editor for the New York Times, joins Katherine and Adaora with a look at these issues and more.

President Barack Obama has pledged to reduce our carbon emissions by 80 percent come 2050, and that means saying goodbye to carbon-spewing coal and oil plants. But we can't wave a magic, rhetoric wand to change from black energy to green. So how do we move forward in establishing a new, clean power economy? To launch our Power Trip energy series, The Takeaway is joined by Garry Golden, a futurist and energy blogger who lays out the yellow brick road toward green energy.

Listen to more from Garry Golden in The Takeaway's Power Trip series:
More on the future of energy from Garry Golden and Introducing the new energy economy.

It seems like there are two kinds of people: the ones who agonize over every decision and the ones who go with their gut. There’s the guy on line at the coffee house who takes ten minutes to decide on a latte and there’s the pilot who makes a split second decision to land a plane in the Hudson River. Neuroscientist Jonah Lehrer is the author of the new book, How We Decide, which explores what goes on in the brain when we make a decision.

We continue our discussion on the future of energy with blogger Garry Golden.

Listen to more from Garry Golden in The Takeaway's Power Trip series:
With energy, where do we go from here?
Introducing the new energy economy

In 2005, Iraqis went to the polls to elect leadership, but the Sunni population refused to participate. Last weekend Iraqis went to the polls again and everyone turned out. Anthony Shadid, Middle East correspondent for The Washington Post, joins us now from Baghdad with an account of how the elections went and what outcome is expected.

For more of Anthony Shadid's insight, check out his book Night Draws Near: Iraq’s People in the Shadow of America’s War

The country's economic situation has been pretty well reported. In such bleak times, with unemployment numbers reaching record highs in many states, you would expect to see an increase in the number of people seeking public assistance. But according to an investigation by our partners at the New York Times, 18 states cut their welfare rolls last year and nationally the number of people getting assistance is near a 40-year low. Jason Deparle, reporter in the Washington Bureau for the New York Times joins us for a peek at the results of their investigation. For more from Jason Deparle, read his article, Welfare Aid Not Growing as Economy Drops Off in today's New York Times and pick up his book American Dream: Three Women, Ten Kids, and a Nation's Drive to End Welfare on welfare reform.

The boss's salary has always been fodder for gossip around the water cooler. And knowing what you’re worth and how much others are paid can be key to negotiating your own pay. In the past it’s been considered gauche to bring up the subject in the office, but is the conversation about how much money your peers and bosses make becoming less taboo? Kristina Cowan, senior writer for Payscale.com helps The Takeaway figure out whether we're headed for a new era in salary transparency.

California is hurting. Its budget deficit is larger than total expenditures in most states, it's got high unemployment, and the most foreclosures of any state. Stimulus money — an estimated $32 billion would go to the state under the House's stimulus plan — would of course ease some of the short-term pain. But economists and local officials are unclear on how to turn the windfall into long-term economic well-being for the state. New York Times reporter Jesse McKinley joins Katherine and Adaora from San Francisco with a look at how his home state might fare under the stimulus bill.

To see more items on California's wish list, read Jesse McKinley's article, A State With a Wish List for Stimulus Spending in today's New York Times.

This month Iran is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. The revolution signified a profound paradigm shift: transitioning its monarchy to an Islamic Republic. Three decades on it remains one of the most turbulent and profound moments in the history of the modern Middle East. For a look at how the aftermath of the revolution is still shaping Iranian society, we are joined by Darius Rejali, the chair of the political science department at Reed College and the author of Torture and Democracy.

When it comes to Super Bowl Sunday, who turned out the best commercial is almost as newsworthy as who won the game. This year companies forked out a record $200 million for a slice of the Super Bowl advertising pie. With the economy in shambles, consumer confidence at a 30-year low and the GDP shrinking at an alarming rate, these ads need to get a serious bang for their buck. To assess if this year’s batch of commercials did what they needed to do to motivate reluctant consumers, we turn to Behavioral Economist Dan Ariely. He is the James B. Duke Professor of Behavioral Economics at Duke University and author of Predictably Irrational.

Missed the ads? Watch some highlights here:
• Drink Sobe
• Drink Bud Light
• Buy an Audi
• Go to Cars.com
• Drink Pepsi
• Drink Coke
• Use H&R Block
• Get a job on Careerbuilder.com
• Freak yourself out with Etrade.com