It took Villa 22 minutes to win their first corner but Stoke keeper Thomas Sorensen got a firm fist to Ashley Young's kick and his right hook was in action again as Young curled in a free-kick after debutant Abdoulaye Faye fouled Villa striker John Carew.
Fellow British and Irish Lions star Shane Williams is close to a return to action, along with James Hook and Alun Wyn Jones who were injured last month.
But correspondents say that Democrats are now less reluctant to pursue gun control legislation than before, after two pro-gun senators said they supported action in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting.