Confirmed: Kirsten Gillibrand Chosen to Fill Clinton's Senate Seat  —  PIX NEWS is being told that Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand is the reported choice of Governor David Paterson to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton.  Two Congressional sources say members …

Obama flashes irritation in press room  —  President Obama made a surprise visit to the White House press corps Thursday night, but got agitated when he was faced with a substantive question.  —  Asked how he could reconcile a strict ban on lobbyists in his administration …

Freed by U.S., Saudi Becomes a Qaeda Chief  —  BEIRUT, Lebanon — The emergence of a former Guantánamo Bay detainee as the deputy leader of Al Qaeda's Yemeni branch has underscored the potential complications in carrying out the executive order President Obama signed Thursday that the detention center be shut down within a year.

The Frigid Fingers Were Live, but the Music Wasn't  —  It was not precisely lip-synching, but pretty close.  —  The somber, elegiac tones before President Obama's oath of office at the inauguration on Tuesday came from the instruments of Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman and two colleagues.

President Obama Delivers Remarks to State Department Employees  —  SPEAKERS: PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA VICE PRESIDENT JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR. SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON  —  FORMER SEN. GEORGE MITCHELL, D-MAINE, SPECIAL ENVOY FOR THE MIDDLE EAST  —  [*] CLINTON: Thank you.  Thank you very much.

On Plane to Texas, Critiques of the Speech  —  WASHINGTON — On the plane, no longer Air Force One but now Special Air Mission 28000, they talked about the speech.  George W. Bush, the former president, was heading home to Texas with his inner circle, having just left the west front of the Capitol …

Our Struggle for the Soul of our Nation  —  In remarks delivered yesterday at the Cardinal O'Connor Conference on Life, Robert P. George reflected on the history of the pro-life movement and offered advice for its future.  —  Thirty-six years ago tomorrow, the Supreme Court of the United States handed …

The right and wrong way to bail out the banks  —  According to reports in Washington, the Obama administration may be close to devoting as much as $100bn of the second tranche of the troubled asset relief programme funds to creating an “aggregator bank” that would remove toxic securities from the balance sheets of banks.

Senate Gets Reacquainted With McCain the Maverick  —  He Chides Republicans Who Hindered Clinton  —  A joke made its way around the Capitol yesterday: How do you know the 2008 election is really over?  Because John McCain is causing trouble for Republicans again.

Senate approves landmark equal pay legislation  —  WASHINGTON — The Senate approved landmark worker rights legislation on Thursday that will make it easier for those who think they've endured pay discrimination to seek legal help.  The vote was 61-36.  —  The House of Representatives approved …

Obama urges Israel to open Gaza borders  —  By Daniel Dombey in Washington and Tobias Buck in Jerusalem  —  President Barack Obama urged Israel on Thursday to open its borders with Gaza.  —  The plea came in a speech that signalled the new US administration's shift from Bush-era policy on the Middle East and the world as a whole.

Who Expects To Gain — And Lose — Under Obama  —  More Americans say that people like themselves will gain influence under the Obama administration than was the case for the last two incoming presidents.  An analysis finds that those who think they will gain under the new president includes groups …

Obama ready to cut Karzai adrift  —  As support for Afghan leader wanes, rivals go to Washington for meeting with new President  —  Barack Obama's arrival in the White House and the wind of change sweeping through Washington could lead to the ousting from power of Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan, The Independent has learnt.