Washington in 60 Seconds: Climate Summit Opens Amid Scandal; NPR Takes Aim at Fox

Good morning, Capitolists! It's the anniversary of Pearl Harbor, with a day full of war talk in the White House and political skirmishes on Capitol Hill.

Here's what's making news in Washington today:

* Marching Orders. Now that the president has announced a troop increase for Afghanistan, he'll meet this afternoon with his top commander there, Gen. Stanley McChrystal. The Washington Post reported this morning that despite the political hand-wringing over the president's announcement last week, McChrystal's original plan for the war is largely intact and will go forward as he'd intended. The general will also testify on Capitol Hill this week.

* Talking Turkey. In addition to his meeting with McChrystal, President Obama also hosts the prime minister of Turkey at the White House today.

* Abortion Showdown Set for the Senate. Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) will introduce an amendment today in the Senate much like the Stupak abortion-funding restrictions that passed the House and created an enormous family feud for Democrats. Look for the vote today or tomorrow, and serious fireworks from Democratic women in the Senate leading up to it.

* Weird Science. The two-week global climate summit begins in Copenhagen today. Although the prime minister of Denmark said his city should be called "Hopenhagen," the BBC reports that leaked e-mails showing possible manipulation of climate studies has given some doubters all the room they need to discredit the whole show. The climate point man for Saudi Arabia, for example, says trust in climate science had been "shaken" by the leaked e-mails.

* NPR Shooting at Fox? Executives at NPR have asked Maura Liasson to reconsider her frequent appearances on Fox News Channel because the public radio execs say Fox has become more politically biased, according to a report in Politico. Liasson's supervisors at NPR, who have been frequently criticized on Capitol Hill for having a political bias of their own, told her to watch Fox for 30 days and then decide if she'd like to continue her appearances. A Fox spokeswoman did not comment on the specific allegations, but did e-mail, "With the ratings we have, NPR should be paying us to even be mentioned on our air."