Burris denied entry to Senate  —  (CNN) — Roland Burris was denied entry to the Senate chambers on Tuesday as he tried to claim the seat once held by President-elect Barack Obama.  —  Burris said the secretary of the Senate rejected his credentials, and therefore he would not be allowed access to the floor.

40 Palestinians killed in IDF strike on UN school  —  Israel Defense Forces tank fire killed up to 40 Palestinians at a United Nations school in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, medical sources at two hospitals said.  —  The attack brought the Palestinian death toll to nearly 600 in Israel's 11 …

Biden: Not consulting Senate on Panetta “a mistake”  —  Veep-elect Joe Biden, chatting with reporters after his swearing-in, sympathized with Sen. Dianne Feinstein's gripe that members of the intelligence committee weren't consulted on Leon Panetta's CIA appointment.  —  “I'm still a Senate man and I always think this way.

Imagine the Jews Were the Real Terrorists!  —  Stephen Walt, coauthor with John Mearsheimer of The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, has started a new blog at the website of Foreign Policy.  He is one of a number of new bloggers the magazine has brought on board ahead of Obama's inauguration.

Levi Johnston quits oil field job  —  PUBLIC SCRUTINY: Rules say he needs diploma for apprenticeship.  —  wloy@adn.com  —  Levi Johnston, the boyfriend of Gov. Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol, has quit his North Slope oil field job over questions about his eligibility to work …

Skier Suffers Exposure  —  Man left dangling upside down, pantsless after Vail lift mishap  —  In a bizarre incident that will surely lead to litigation (or an out-of-court settlement), a skier at Colorado's ritzy Vail resort was left dangling upside down and pantsless from a chairlift last Friday morning.

The Obama stimulus package should be spent on transformative investments, not bridges and buildings.  —  The incoming Obama administration and Congress are planning a huge fiscal stimulus package.  They hope that such a stimulus will catalyze an economic turnaround and be a cornerstone of a “New New Deal.”

Senate bid by Jeb Bush iffy, friends say  —  Republican excitement over the prospect of Jeb Bush running for U.S. Senate has given way to increasing speculation that the former governor will stay out of the race.  —  Bush declined to comment for this article but was expected to make an announcement perhaps as early as this week.

Stimulus arithmetic (wonkish but important)  —  Bit by bit we're getting information on the Obama stimulus plan, enough to start making back-of-the-envelope estimates of impact.  The bottom line is this: we're probably looking at a plan that will shave less than 2 percentage points off …

Coulter booked for ‘Today’ show  —  Conservative author Ann Coulter will appear on Wednesday's “Today” show, according to an NBC spokesperson.  —  Coulter has been talking up being bumped by NBC for the past two days, both on other networks and the radio.  A controversy erupted …

Latinos push Obama on vacant post  —  READ  —  After the withdrawal of Bill Richardson's name as an Obama administration Cabinet nominee, Hispanic leaders say they expect the president-elect to name another Latino to head the Commerce Department.  —  An Obama transition team source …

Obama to ride in style in GM limo  —  Armored '09 Cadillac to carry new president in inaugural parade.  —  WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama is getting a new ride to go with his new address on Jan. 20.  —  General Motors Corp. recently delivered to the U.S. Secret Service a brand …

The Man in the Middle  —  Buzzzzzz.  THE CELL PHONE rings again and Chuck Schumer flips it open.  “I figured it out,” he says without preamble.  “George Washington.  If George Washington got indicted, you wouldn't pounce on the guy—you'd say he served honorably and now it's time for Alaskans to move on.”

Pelosi's power move leaves House Republicans fuming  —  House Democrats are poised to approve new rules that will significantly increase their authority while taking the bullets out of the few legislative weapons Republicans have in the lower chamber.  —  Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) …

Obama Wants Journalist for Surgeon General  —  President-elect Barack Obama has offered the job of surgeon general to Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the neurosurgeon and correspondent for CNN and CBS, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation.  —  Gupta has told administration officials …

THE FIRST TEN SENATE BILLS.  —  A Democratic aide on the hill passes along the first ten bills that Majority Leader Harry Reid will put in the hopper this evening to kick off the new session of Congress, as sent by leadership to various Senate Legislative Directors.

240,000 dollars awarded to man forced to cover Arab T-shirt  —  NEW YORK (AFP) - An airline passenger forced to cover his T-shirt because it displayed Arabic script has been awarded 240,000 dollars in compensation, campaigners said Monday.  —  Raed Jarrar received the pay out on Friday …