“Damn, Obama looks like James Bond in this picture.”  —  Says a commenter at the White House Flickr site.  Is that what you see?  Keep in mind that this is a picture the WH selected and had to have thought flattered the President and furthered his interests:  —  People who like Obama are blinded to the way other people see him.

U.S. Intensifies Screening for Travelers From 14 Nations  —  WASHINGTON — Citizens of 14 nations, including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Nigeria, who are flying to the United States will be subjected indefinitely to the intense screening at airports worldwide that was imposed after the Christmas …

Brit Hume: Tiger Woods must become Christian to be forgiven  —  Buddhism is inferior to Christianity when it comes to forgiveness of sins, according to Fox News pundit Brit Hume.  Tiger Woods should turn his back on Buddhism and become a Christian to be forgiven for cheating on his wife, Hume told Fox News' Chris Wallace Sunday.

TSA: Newark terminal locked down  —  (CNN) — Hours after a security breach forced the closure of a terminal at the Newark, New Jersey, airport Sunday, authorities were still searching for a man who went the wrong way through a checkpoint exit.  —  The incident happened at about 5:20 p.m. at Terminal C …

Effigy of Obama hanged in US town  —  The US Secret Service says it is investigating after an effigy of Barack Obama was found hanging in the home town of former President Jimmy Carter.  —  TV footage showed the doll hanging by a noose in front of a red, white and blue sign that reads “Plains, Georgia.

White House: No matter what, we're sending Gitmo prisoners back to Yemen  —  As Susan notes below, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is urging the Obama White House not to go forward with plans to send a number of Yemeni terrorists now being held in the Guantanamo Bay detention facility back to their home country.

Peru's mountain people face fight for survival in a bitter winter  —  For alpaca farmer Ignacio Beneto Huamani and his young family, life in the Peruvian Andes, at almost 4,700m above sea level, has always been a struggle against the elements.  His village of Pichccahuasi, in Peru's Huancavelica region …

Iran denies entry to Sen. Kerry  —  Iranian legislators on Sunday decided to not allow a visit from Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.), according to Iranian media.  —  “Members of the Iranian parliament's Foreign Relations Committee (a subcommittee …

Monetary Policy and the Housing Bubble  —  The financial crisis that began in August 2007 has been the most severe of the post-World War II era and, very possibly—once one takes into account the global scope of the crisis, its broad effects on a range of markets and institutions …

Gaza March Blocked But Message Delivered  —  This past week 1,400 activists from around the world gathered in Cairo on their way to Gaza.  They planned to show their concern and support for the people of Gaza on this anniversary of the devastating Israeli Operation Cast Lead and demand an end of the blockade.

Alabama Democrat Casts His Lot With G.O.P.  —  ANDALUSIA, Ala. — Among the men who gather every morning at 6 o'clock at the Church's Chicken here on Three Notch Street, there is general agreement that the Obama administration is doing a very bad job of running the country.

That 1937 Feeling  —  Here's what's coming in economic news: The next employment report could show the economy adding jobs for the first time in two years.  The next G.D.P. report is likely to show solid growth in late 2009.  There will be lots of bullish commentary …

Brennan: Deal ‘on the table’ for terror suspect  —  The U.S. Government is offering the suspect charged with attempting to bomb an aircraft on Christmas Day, Omar Abdulmutallab, some kind of incentives to share what he knows about Al Qaeda, White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan said Sunday.

53% Favor Abortion Ban in Health Plan  —  Fifty-three percent (53%) of voters favor a ban on abortion coverage in any health insurance plan that receives federal subsidies.  A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 40% are opposed to such a ban in the proposed health care legislation now before Congress.