UPDATE: Obama faces tough week; stimulus, bailout on tap

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama takes his case for a massive economic stimulus direct to the people tomorrow night with his first prime-time news conference.
   
Ahead of that, the stimulus war was being fought on the Sunday talk shows with House Banking Committee Chairman Barney Frank saying that cuts forced by the GOP will mean police officers and firefighters are going to be laid off. Republican Senator John Ensign of Nevada dismissed that as “fear-mongering.“
   
The Senate’s $827 billion stimulus legislation seems assured narrow passage by Tuesday.
   
Then the House and Senate will attempt to reconcile differences in their two versions.
   
Lawrence Summers, Obama’s top economic adviser, said today on ABC there are crucial areas like support for higher education that are in the House bill that are very important to the president.