* The recession has turned 21st century America in to Victorian England with the reinstatement of debtor’s prisons. You’ve got to love a good recession trend story. [The New York Times]

* Emboldened by the recent coup in Iowa, activists push for the expansion of gay marriage rights in New England. [The New York Times]

* Between Guantanamo, Senator Stevens, and the mysterious 2006 dismissal of 9 US attorneys, Attorney General Eric Holder has been busy cleaning up after the last administration. [USA Today]

* Madonna returned home this weekend after her request to adopt a second child from a Malawi orphanage was denied. [Los Angeles Times]

* Watch this wicked, hilarious SNL skit about Madonna and Angelina and their love of adopting “exotic babies.” [Morninpaper.com]

* The lawyers arguing the criminal case over Brooke Astor’s fortune just can’t seem to get along. [The New York Times]

* President Bush said yesterday that 14 “high-value” terror suspects, who were previously held in secret by the CIA, had been transferred to Guantánamo Bay, for possible trials before military tribunals. Gitmo’s not exactly the Four Seasons Nevis; but we suppose it’s an improvement. [New York Times; Washington Post]

* Former Illinois Governor George Ryan was sentenced to 6½ years in prison on federal corruption charges. Interesting factoid: “Ryan was the third former governor in Illinois history to be convicted of wrongdoing, all since the 1970s.” [Chicago Tribune]

* The court-appointed guardian of New York grande dame Brooke Astor’s assets in looking into whether her son improperly obtained some $14 million from his mother while “managing” her finances. [New York Times]

* James Frey, disgraced author of “A Million Little Pieces,” and Random House, his publisher, have reached a settlement with readers who filed lawsuits claiming they were defrauded. The terms of the settlement are a bit silly — but then again, the lawsuit was too. [New York Times]