On Thursday, House lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to continue an investigation into the activities of Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY) who resigned on Monday amid allegations of sexual misconduct. However, now that Massa has resigned, it is unclear whether the body responsible for the investigation, the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, must actually honor the House request to keep the investigation open. 

• WASHINGTON TAKEOUT: Health care is back on the front burner for President Obama this week, and today he travels to Glenside, Pa. to push health care at Arcadia University. Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich tells us more.
• SPORTS TAKEOUT: In like a lion, march madness begins now that college basketball is heating up across the country. Ibrahim Abdul-Matin talks about the UConn women's basketball team tying their own record for consecutive wins, and number one team Syracuse losing.

"Gridlock" is a term that went from engineering jargon to everyday lingo during a transit strike in 1980. Now it's used more to describe the situation on Capitol Hill, with partisan rancor holding up major legislation. We find out how stuck Congress really is and look at new ways to break the deadlock.

• Finance Takeout: So far, the federal government and banks have done swift work disentangling public and private interests, following the massive economic rescue effort launched last year. But Newsweek columnist Dan Gross says the Fed's hardest work is just around the corner. Gross says raising interest rates and cutting ties to the housing market are tough but necessary moves to truly get back to business as usual.
  
• Politics Takeout: Time Magazine's Jay Newton Small reports on Alabama Rep. Parker Griffith's defection from the Democratic party to the Republican side of the aisle. 
• Sports Takeout: Our own Ibrahim Abdul-Matin with his second of top ten sports moments of the year: Serena Williams.

• Tiger Takeout: Ed Wanambwa, senior editor of African American Golfers' Digest, joins sports contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin to discuss the latest on Tiger Woods' recent car accident, his firm insistence on privacy ... and why the story continues despite Woods' refusal to speak.

• Washington Takeout: Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich describes some of the hoaxes that are making business not-so-usual on Capitol Hill this week. 
• Business Takeout: Dan Gross, columnist for Slate and Newsweek, explains why the dollar continues to fall against other currencies. 
• Sports Takeout: Ibrahim Abdul-Matin takes us through two exciting MLB playoff games, both decided in the final inning, and both with a final score of 5–4. 

Today we look ahead to events in Washington, including an update on the health care bill, and the effects of President Obama's media blitz. Our Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich drops by to give us a preview of the week ahead on Capitol Hill.

The hotly contested "public option" for health care coverage is up for debate on Capitol Hill next week. Some say it's essential for reform while others, such as Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, say it's not critical.  Sebelius said last month that the public option was “not the essential element” of the president’s health care plan.

For a closer look, we talk to Xavier Becerra (D-California), Congressman from California and the vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus. (click through for the full interview transcript)

The Sunshine State is buzzing over Republican Florida Senator Mel Martinez's sudden resignation. Governor Charlie Crist, the Republican front-runner for this Senate seat in 2010, must pick a replacement who won't challenge him, and won't hurt him in a contested GOP primary. Joining The Takeaway to talk about this is Joshua Johnson of WLRN-Miami Herald News, and Al Cardenas, former chair of the Republican Party of Florida. He's also a good friend of Senator Mel Martinez.

This morning Congress will hold the first formal hearing over the so-called torture memos since their declassification by the Obama administration. While President Obama has said he won't seek charges, there are still harsh implications for the former Bush administration lawyers who drafted the memos, which document their justification for waterboarding and other "enhanced interrogation techniques." There may also be political repercussions for members of Congress who were briefed on the techniques before they were used and apparently did not protest. Todd Zwillich, The Takeaway's Washington correspondent has all the details.

Democrats are meeting today to hash out preliminary steps towards finalizing a budget before the recess. Republicans are organizing opposition to a spending plan that many in their ranks call irresponsible. Todd Zwillich from Capitol News Connection joins us to talk about the public opinion war being waged on Capitol Hill this week and what the final budget might look like.

A busy day is ahead on Capitol Hill as President Obama pleads his case for the stimulus package to Senate and House Republicans. Vice President Joe Biden will also be on the Hill for the swearing in of New York’s newest senator, Kirsten Gillibrand. Capitol News Connection’s Todd Zwillich tells us what we should expect from the President and Vice-President's tag-team.

Follow The Takeaway's coverage of the stimulus package

Things are not slowing down at all this week on Capitol Hill. Among other big events, Tim Geithner is likely to be approved as Treasury Secretary, the new Senator from New York will be sworn in, and the Senate Appropriations Committee will debate the stimulus bill. Todd Zwillich of Capitol News Connection joins Katherine and Adaora with a preview.

The conclusion of the presidential Inauguration marks the end of what may have been the biggest party in U.S. history. Tens of thousands of people head back home today and the real work in the Capitol begins. The Takeaway checks in with two reporters who covered the inauguration. Josh Rogers is a political reporter for New Hampshire Public Radio and Ben Calhoun is a political reporter for Chicago Public Radio.

The U.S. Senate’s rejection of Roland Burris is the latest chapter in a saga ripped straight from the complicated playbook of Chicago politics. Burris was turned away from the Capitol on the grounds that he did not have the right credentials following his appointment by embattled Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich. For some context into the latest political spectacle out of Chicago, we’re joined by Abner Mikva, former Illinois Congressman, retired Federal Judge, former White House Counsel to President Bill Clinton, and current law professor at the University of Chicago.