You may have noticed late last Friday we updated the LittleSis look. For months we’ve been asking our designer friends for help developing a site redesign plan, and we finally made our first steps towards implementing it. The changes so far aren’t exactly radical, but looking at the old design now makes us cringe a bit. Consider us relieved. If you don’t feel the same, we want to hear about it!

First off, we should recognize our main muses: Han Yu, Ali Felski (of Sunlight Foundation), and Mushon Zer-Aviv. If you don’t like the new design, blame us; if you like it, blame them. They’ve thrown some great ideas at us, many of which are still unrealized.

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Lewis, Weill, other execs at bailed-out banks continued personal use of company jets after receiving federal aid. (WSJ)

Golisano and Pigeon under investigation for political contributions by Responsible New York, Citizens for Fiscal Integrity. (NYT)

Blago under investigation for seeking to influence student admissions at University of Illinois, other schools. (NYT)

Stanford indicted. (Reuters)

Draft healthcare bill in Senate omits public option; Baucus, Grassley form bi-partisan “coalition of the willing.” (WaPo)

Last week I wrote about the bizarre links between key players in the New York State Senate coup and NXIVM, an “executive success” program that has many characteristics of a cult. The story got some exposure on Monday when it made it into the Albany Times Union, where James Odato noted NXIVM’s connections to the Senate drama:

The odd bedfellows that joined to overturn the Senate have some links to the intriguing Nxvim. The Capital Region company runs some executive success programs that employ questionable tactics to break down clients, according to some people formerly associated with the group, which has made a one watchdog’s list of suspected cults.

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Dodd, Frank, other members of Congress raise concerns about expanded powers of Fed. (NYT)

Iran’s top legislative body says it is investigating 646 election-related complaints. (BBC)

Electric industry group looks to partner with defense contractor to root out cyberspies. (WSJ)

After admitting to affair, Ensign resigns leadership post in Senate. (NYT)

In tense encounter, Clinton clashes with Israeli leaders over settler freeze. (FT)

Obama to release financial regulation proposal today; Fed will be charged with averting future financial disasters.  (FT)

CIA pushing White House to withhold report detailing interrogation methods; Panetta reportedly “captured” by interrogation backers. (WaPo)

Rising Republican star Ensign acknowledges extramarital affair. (WaPo)

Private equity firms Carlyle, TPG, and Blackstone consider bid for Bank of America’s First Republic bank. (NYT)

House approves spending for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. (WSJ)

Obama voices concerns about election in Iran, but stops short of denouncing the vote.  (WSJ)

Obama team including Sunstein, Farrell, Wolin, Barr works to overhaul financial regulation. (WSJ)

State Department overpaid Blackwater for security work. (WSJ)

Geithner, Summers, and Romer turn down California’s requests for federal aid. (WaPo)

Iran aide leaving State Department for expanded role at White House. (WaPo)

Last week our friends at CorpWatch unveiled their great new API, which extracts corporate subsidiary information from SEC filings and makes the data available for the world to navigate in a structured way — or to reuse. SEC 10-K filings are notoriously difficult to parse with automated scripts (that’s where LittleSis gets its corporate boards and executives from, and believe us, even that is quite tough), so this is a very useful service.

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Supreme Court declines to hear pension fund challenge, clears way for Chrysler sale. (NYT)

With Golisano backing, Pigeon masterminded senate takeover; conspired with Republicans at Albany rock club called “Red Square.” (NYT)

In upset, McAuliffe loses Virginia gubernatorial primary to state senator. (WaPo)

Bair tries to ease tensions between FDIC and Citi over Pandit, management. (FT)

One day after ten banks re-pay TARP money, White House drops plans to restrict executive salaries. (WSJ)

Rahm’s brother emerges as dominant power player in Hollywood. (NYT)

Yesterday’s Republican takeover of the New York State Senate was truly bizarre. Usually you can count on powerful social incentives to keep governing types from flouting basic standards of decorum and order. In this case, something went terribly wrong.

The lede from the New York Times, in case you missed it:

The Democrats’ tenuous control of the New York State Senate abruptly collapsed on Monday, throwing the Legislature into chaos with just two weeks remaining in its session.

Two dissident Democrats, who had been secretly strategizing with Republicans for weeks, bucked their party’s leaders and joined with 30 Republican senators to form what they said would be a bipartisan power-sharing deal. But the arrangement effectively re-establishes Republican control.

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Golisano watches from back room as Republicans seize control of NYS Senate. (NYT)

Supreme Court’s Ginsburg issues order holding up Chrysler deal, casting uncertainty over restructuring. (FT)

Shell pays $15.5 million to settle lawsuit stemming from deaths of Nigerian activists. (WSJ)

Treasury set to announce that ten banks will be allowed to repay TARP, including JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs. (WSJ)

SEC asks two dozen Wall Street firms to turn over information on pension fund dealings. (WSJ)