Obama picks Gregg for Commerce  —  Sen. Judd Gregg will be nominated as the new Commerce secretary Tuesday morning, giving President Obama a fresh independent voice in his Cabinet but at a huge cost to Republicans and the larger Senate.  —  The run-up to the nomination has focused on backroom deals …

Senate confirms Holder as first black AG  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  WASHINGTON - Eric Holder won Senate confirmation Monday as the nation's first African-American attorney general, after supporters from both parties touted his dream resume …

US-IRAQ: Generals Seek to Reverse Obama Withdrawal Decision  —  CENTCOM commander Gen. David Petraeus, supported by Defence Secretary Robert Gates, tried to convince President Barack Obama that he had to back down from his campaign pledge to withdraw all U.S. combat troops from Iraq within 16 months at an Oval Office meeting Jan. 21.

The Travails of Tom Daschle  —  When President Obama nominated former Senator Tom Daschle to be his secretary of health and human services, it seemed to be a good choice.  Mr. Daschle, as the co-author of a book on health care reform, knew a lot about one of the president's signature issues.

Sarah Palin endorses Texas Gov. Rick Perry for re-election  —  wslater@dallasnews.com  —  AUSTIN - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has endorsed Rick Perry for re-election, calling him the “true conservative” in a primary election showdown with fellow Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison.

STRAIGHT OUTTA HOOVERVILLE  —  It gets better.  The latest from RNC Chair Michael Steele: “Not in the history of mankind has the government ever created a job.”  —  This is such transparent nonsense it's hard to know where to start; but I guess it builds on the DeMint nonsense.

Joe the Plumber advises GOP-ers  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  Fresh off his stint as a war correspondent in Gaza, Joe the Plumber is now doing political strategy with Republicans.  —  When GOP congressional aides gather Tuesday morning for a meeting …

Cramer on Obama's Anti-Wall Street Comments: ‘We Heard Lenin’  —  ‘Mad Money’ host compares new president's attack on corporate profits to rhetoric from Russian communist.  —  Business & Media Institute  —  With all the populist sentiment generated from the economic slowdown by politicians …

In Bolivia, Untapped Bounty Meets Nationalism  —  UYUNI, Bolivia — In the rush to build the next generation of hybrid or electric cars, a sobering fact confronts both automakers and governments seeking to lower their reliance on foreign oil: almost half of the world's lithium …

A free speech killer  —  UN warns: Don't defame religions, especially Islam  —  On Inauguration Day, after it got the United Nations to pass a gag rule on insulting religions, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) told our new president in a New York Times ad that Muslims …

Ex-Journalists' New Jobs Fuel Debate on Favoritism  —  An unusual number of journalists started new government jobs in January, stoking the debate over whether President Obama is receiving favorable treatment in the media.

Behind the blow-out at Davos  —  From Michael Reynolds  —  Origins of a cooperation.  For the past two decades, cooperative relations between Turkey and Israel had been one of the constants of international relations in the Middle East.  While it would be incorrect to describe those ties …

Unions to hit Capitol for card check  —  President Barack Obama may be keeping his powder dry on a major union bill, but labor isn't.  —  On Wednesday, thousands of union members will flood the Capitol, where they will deliver 1.5 million signatures in support of a bill that would make it much easier for workers to unionize.

Daschle pushed Hindery for Obama job  —  Tom Daschle backed the patron who paid him a million-dollar salary and supplied him with a free car and driver for a job inside the Obama administration, two Democrats said Monday.  —  Leo Hindery, whose InterMedia Partners employed the former Senate Majority Leader …

The LA Times takes a cheap shot at Dr. Jill Biden.  —  In an article portraying Jill Biden - who is teaching at a community college in Virginia, though she could doubtless land a gig at Georgetown or GW if she chose - as pompous, the Los Angeles Times falsely suggests her use of the title “Doctor” is fraudulent.

How the stimulus might help Illinois  —  Pay, jobless benefits, food stamp aid would grow slightly  —  WASHINGTON — If the Obama administration's economic stimulus package is passed and signed into law, the first way most working people in Illinois would feel it would be a small increase …

HAMAS RALLIES AT MINNESOTA STATE CAPITOL  —  On January 5, representatives of Hamas and Fatah rallied on the steps of the Minnesota state capitol in St. Paul.  Their purpose was to condemn Israel, and an Israeli flag was burned.  Mostly, though, the rally turned into a confrontation between …