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In Today’s Times:

–If Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi seems impervious to efforts to oust him, it could be because he has “tens of billions” stashed away that he can use to defend his power. The Times’s Jim Risen and Eric Lichtblau write, “The possibility that he could resist the rebellion in his country for a sustained period could place greater pressure for action on the Obama administration and European leaders, who had hoped the Libyan leader would be forced from power quickly.”

–Carl Hulse writes that the Obama administration and Congress are headed back into budget negotiations after Senate lawmakers rejected competing plans on Wednesday. Mr. Hulse also reports that Republicans, responding to criticism that they have focused too much on cutting spending, plan to put the focus on job creation in a forum with business leaders next week.

–Sam Dillon weighs the potential consequences of the Education Department’s estimate that four out of every five of the nation’s 100,000 public schools are likely to receive failing grades under the No Child Left Behind Act this year. President Obama is likely to use this estimate on Thursday when he meets with lawmakers to discuss revising the law.

–NPR faces a vacuum in its leadership ranks as it fights to hold onto federal funds, which prop up many of its affiliate radio stations. Elizabeth Jensen and Brian Stelter report that Vivian Schiller, the network’s chief executive, stepped down late Tuesday amid a swell of controversy over partisan statements made by one of the public broadcaster’s fund-raising executives, who resigned Tuesday. Republicans in Congress have begun fresh efforts to cut financing to NPR’s parent company, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which received more than $430 million in the current fiscal year that ends in September.

–Wisconsin’s Democratic state senators will return from their self-imposed exile today after Republicans abruptly pushed through a bill Wednesday night stripping government workers of most of their collective bargaining rights. Monica Davey explains how Republicans were able to maneuver around absent Democrats. The measure is expected to be approved Thursday by the state Assembly and signed later by Gov. Scott Walker.

Around the Web:
–The Wall Street Journal reports that a bipartisan effort that would force Congress to trim $4 trillion from the deficit over a decade is picking up support although it still faces a number of hurdles.

–Roll Call reports that some conservatives on Capitol Hill are threatening to sink a long-term budget resolution if it includes money for Planned Parenthood.

Happening in Washington:
–The president and Michelle Obama will host a summit on bullying prevention at the White House, followed by a meeting with lawmakers to discuss revising the No Child Left Behind Act. Mr. Obama also has a meeting with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.

–Hearings on the threat of homegrown Islamic terrorism begin at 10 a.m. in the House.

–Today in economics: The Department of Labor will release weekly jobless claims at 8:30 a.m., followed by regional and state unemployment for January at 10 a.m. At the same time, Freddie Mac unveils weekly mortgage rates and the Census bureau distributes its quarterly survey of the services sector. At 2 p.m., the Treasury Department releases the federal budget for February.

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Covington & Burling, one of Washington’s blue-chip law firms, has signed on to represent Alassane Ouattara, the former Ivory Coast prime minister, in his widely supported effort to claim the west African nation’s disputed presidency.

That alone would not normally make much news in a town where Washington lawyers collect foreign clients like hood ornaments. But Covington’s newest client is noteworthy because of the public-relations kerfuffle that has sprouted over the role that Washington lawyers have played on both sides of the Ivory Coast crisis.

Word came last month that two former Clinton administration officials, Lanny Davis and Michael Espy, were lobbying on behalf of Mr. Ouattara’s rival, Laurent Gbagbo, the Ivory Coast strongman who has refused to cede power following an election that international monitors say he lost.

The backlash over his lobbying work prompted Mr. Davis to end his contract with Mr. Gbagbo’s government, which paid him $100,000 a month. While lobbying papers that Mr. Davis filed said he was expected to put forth “substantial evidence” that Mr. Gbagbo actually won the election, he said in interviews that his work was misunderstood and that he was simply seeking a peaceful resolution to the crisis, which has led to bloodshed at the hands of Mr. Gbagbo’s supporters.

Officials at Covington and Burling were quick to note that they will be providing legal advice for for Mr. Gbagbo’s opponent for free – in contrast, the firm noted, to Mr. Davis’ contract.

“Pro bono work like this is who we are,” said Alan Larson, an international specialist at Covington who will be working on Mr. Ouattara’s behalf. “It’s absolutely crystal clear that there is lawful winner to this election, and it is Ouattara and not the guy pretending to be the president.”

Mr. Davis said Thursday that he would be returning half of the $300,000 he received from the Ivory Coast. He said he had already put $150,000 — money that he said was unspent from his work in the Ivory Coast — in an escrow account and was awaiting word from the Treasury Department to ensure that returning the money to Mr. Gbagbo’s regime would not violate international financial regulations.

Any contrast between his work in the Ivory Coast and the pro bono work at Covington, Mr. Davis added, was fueled by “a misimpression about the role that I played.” 

He said he was “not on anyone’s side” in the dispute but was seeking to play a behind-the-scenes role as a liason to the Obama administration in an effort to avert further bloodshed. He said that because he could not get direct access to Mr. Gbagbo and was unable to get him to take a call from President Obama, he realized he had become “totally useless” and decided to end the contract.  

This post has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: January 21, 2011

An earlier version of this post misspelled the surname of Laurent Gbagbo.

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Michael D. Shear/The New York Times Looking shiny and new, this sign appeared Wednesday over the doorway that leads to the House speaker’s offices.

Change has come to Washington.

Hours before Representative John A. Boehner of Ohio is expected to take the oath of office to become the next House speaker, a shiny new sign proclaiming that fact went up over the entrance to his new suite of Capitol Hill offices.

Michael D. Shear/The New York Times The sign at the former speaker’s office now simply says “Democratic Leader.”

The wood-carved sign with gold lettering was affixed to the cement wall with gold-colored screws. It says simply: “Speaker of the House John A. Boehner.”

At the same time, around the corner and down the hall from Mr. Boehner’s new digs, another set of signs quietly went up. These appeared in front of the new, smaller set of offices which will be occupied by Representative Nancy Pelosi of California.

“Office of the Democratic Leader,” the sign says. Under it, another says: “Ms. Pelosi.”

Republicans in 2008 mocked President Obama’s call for change in Washington. But they no doubt are enjoying this one.

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Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg NewsEvan Williams, left, who has started several Internet companies, including Twitter, and Fred Wilson, a venture capitalist who says investors are eager to participate in young start-ups. In a memorable scene in the movie “The Social Network,” Sean Parker, the investor played by Justin Timberlake, leans over the table and tells the founders [...]

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Sam’s Club – the Walmart-owned megastore that sells almost everything in bulk – is hardly the epitome of glamour. So where does a superstar like Sarah Palin set up shop to sign books here? Amid the pallets of canned green beans? Behind the sea of poinsettias? Near the crates of toilet [...]

As something to help pass the time before tonight’s results roll in, here is a funny and frenetic look at the sign-bearing, costume-wearing masses at the rally organized by Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert on the Mall this Saturday. The participants talk politics and their feelings going into the midterms with a healthy dose of [...]