Happy Thursday!

Hello everybody and welcome to the Shuster "Daily Briefing" for March 19, 2009. I'm back in D.C. and will turn over today's briefing to another star intern - Hui Wang! Take it away, Hui!

Thanks Shuster! This has been a day full of fast moving developments in the AIG bonus story. The House this afternoon approved legislation that would tax 90 percent of the bonus money in an effort to recoup most of it .

We will start the show with Rep. Paul Hodes, D-N.H. Yesterday, the Hodes said that AIG stands for "arrogance, incompetence, and greed." Across the nation, the AIG greed prompted protests. We will take a closer look.

Also, one of D.C.'s more intriguing "blame games" is now underway along Pennsylvania Avenue. At one point this year, the stimulus bill contained a provision that would have blocked the AIG bonuses. But, the measure was removed. The White House and Treasury departments are blaming Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn. Dodd is blaming the Treasury department. It is prompting a new round of questions about the job security of Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.

In the midst of everything boiling over here in DC, President Obama spent the day in California where he is focused on "green energy." NBC White House correspondent John Yang will give us the Obama update.

In our second block, we will take a closer look at embattled Citigroup. We learned today that CEO Virkram Pandit may have misled Congress when he testified last month. Furthermore, Citigroup is now considering whether to spend $10 million to redecorate it's Park Avenue offices. The company says the move will save money in the long run. But, it will cost money in the short term.

Tonight in "Hypocrisy Watch," we will examine the Republican Senators who are complaining about the AIG bonuses and are insisting the government could have stopped it. These are the same Republicans who said last month that when it comes to executive pay, the government should butt out.

At the half hour, we will turn to CNBC's John Harwood for a special report on the web of connections between Washington, D.C. and Wall Street. There is growing evidence that the culture in D.C. helped enable the Wall Street greed.

Then, we will chat with our panel: Democratic strategist Joe Trippi and Republican strategist Ron Christie.

Also, we are thrilled tonight to interview Zimbabwe opposition leader Roy Bennett. All of you who have been following us on Twitter are aware of the horrifying situation in Zimbabwe where President Robert Mugabe is literally starving his nation to death and is stifling political opposition. Bennett was in a jail for nearly a month but was let out, in part, because of the enormous pressure many of you brought to bear on the Zimbabwe government through internet on-line activism. We will talk with Bennett about his experience and with Joe Trippi on where on-line activism is heading next.

In our last block, we will look at President Obama's decision to go on the "Tonight Show with Jay Leno." George Bush joined NBC’s “Deal and No Deal”, and Bill Clinton showed up in The Arsenio Hall Show during his campaign in 1992, but Barack Obama will be the first president to appear on a late night show during his presidency. The timing is intriguing.

"Quote of the Day" comes from Woody Allen:

"Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons."

Thanks in advance for watching tonight's show. "1600" airs at 6 p.m. in Washington, D.C.; 5 p.m. in Des Moines; 4 p.m. in Great Falls; and 3 p.m. in Portland.

Hui Wang

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