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 …

REALLY A MYSTERY  —  From an observer up on the Hill ...  And from a career intel professional ...  I used to do a lot of intelligence reporting.  But I haven't really done any to speak of in a few years.  So I'm coming at this cold.  But I feel instinctively suspicious of the congressional reaction to this appointment.

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 …

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.

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.) …

A Conflict Hamas Caused  —  Nearly a year ago, I was in the southern Israeli city of Sderot, where, on almost any day, you could see the current war coming.  “The next Middle East war may start over Sderot,” I wrote back then.  I came by my prescience the hard way — in a bomb shelter.

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 …

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.”

Richardson, Obama Teams Trade Blame  —  Weeks before President-elect Barack Obama chose New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to head the Commerce Department, a small group of volunteers with ethics, tax and investigative expertise — most of them lawyers — scoured his background looking for embarrassing facts or political problems.

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 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.”

Hard-Hit Families Finally Start Saving, Aggravating Nation's Economic Woes  —  BOISE, Idaho — Rick and Noreen Capp recently reduced their credit-card debt, opened a savings account and stopped taking their two children to restaurants.  Jessica and Alan Muir have started buying children's clothes …

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.

It's Up to You New York, New York  —  With the headlines, and the Bagger's bank account, painting a dreary picture of 2009, it was nice to be someplace, specifically Strata restaurant in Chelsea, where abundance was still in, um, abundance.  At the 74th annual New York Film Critics Circle Awards …

Five Reasons Why India Can't ‘Do A Gaza’ On Pakistan  —  Israel has far fewer restrictions.  —  Over the last week, many Americans (and not a few Indians) have asked me why India does not “do a Gaza” on Pakistan, referring, of course, to an emulation of Israel's punitive use of force …

Obama names gay man as director of Office of Management and Administration  —  Brad Kiley has been named as the director of the Office of Management and Administration by President-elect Barack Obama.  Kiley, who is openly gay, is currently the director of operations for the Obama-Biden Transition Project …

Respectfully, Hume Torch Is Passed  —  Bret Baier, who took over Fox's Washington newscast last night, dutifully declares that he will gradually put his own “stamp” on the program.  —  Yet in praising the decade-old show that Brit Hume built from scratch — with its heavy focus on politics and punditry …