President-elect Barack Obama is getting right into the business of power brokering. Beginning with a morning sitdown with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Obama met with lawmakers to push for passage of his proposed $300 billion in tax cuts and $500 billion in spending. "The reason we are here today is because the people can't wait," Obama said. Republicans, meanwhile, are "responding warily" to Obama's tax cut idea, Politico reports. "There are a lot of questions," one aide explained.

Another point for experience over change. Leon Panetta, former congressman and Clinton White House chief of staff, has been tapped by President-elect Barack Obama to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency. With “little hands-on intelligence experience,” The New York Times reports, Panetta “will take control of the agency most directly responsible for hunting senior Al Qaeda leaders around the globe” if he wins confirmation in the Senate. Aides to Obama indicated Panetta was Obama’s second choice, after the more-experience John Brennan withdrew his name from consideration. A less surprising selection is retired Navy Admiral Dennis Blair, chosen as director of national intelligence; he’s a veteran military man with a 34-year Navy career a history on the Joint Staff and at the CIA.

As Israeli ground forces have split densely-populated Gaza in half despite calls from world leaders for a truce, BBC News reports that hospitals in the region are "over-stretched" from casualties. Since Saturday, 90 people, including 26 children, have been killed, according to the Palestinian health ministry. President George W. Bush kept pressure on Hamas to appease Israeli demands. "Instead of caring about the people of Gaza, Hamas decided to use Gaza to launch rockets to kill innocent Israelis," he said Monday.

It definitely was not a merry Christmas for automakers. In December, Ford's domestic sales dropped 32%, Toyota's slipped 37%, GM's skidded 31%, Honda's fell 35%, and Chrysler dipped 53%. For the year, Toyota's sales were down 16% while Ford's were down 20%. Hyundai is even offering buyers the option to return their new cars for free if they lose their jobs. The situation is only expected to worsen, with 10 million cars expected to be purchased in 2009 versus 13 million in 2008.

Bad news for Caroline Kennedy’s campaign to replace Hillary Clinton in the Senate. A new poll out today finds her popularity has taken a “major hit,” with 44 percent of New York voters saying they have a lesser opinion of her now than they did before she started making noises about going to Washington. In a faceoff with state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, 58 percent (and 54 percent of Democrats) prefer him over Kennedy; a month ago, Cuomo was the top choice for just 23 percent of Democrats. Fortunately for Kennedy, this Senate seat isn’t up to New York voters—it’s Gov. David Paterson’s opinion that matters most.

Meg Whitman has quit the boards of Proctor & Gamble, eBay and Dreamworks amid rumors that she is considering a run for governor of California. A person familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal that Whitman, the former CEO of eBay, may announce her decision within the next four to six weeks. Her spokesman would not comment on Whitman's next move. This would not be Whitman's first foray into politics: she was an early supporter of Mitt Romney and on the long list of vice presidential prospects for John McCain

The conservative pundit Ann Coulter’s media tour has hit a brick wall over at 30 Rock: Matt Drudge is reporting she’s been banned from NBC for life. Coulter was scheduled to appear on the Today show tomorrow morning to promote her new book, Guilty, but the network canceled on her. NBC had come under criticism for helping the controversial Coulter sell copies of her book, in which she mocks Michelle Obama’s style, refers to Obama as B. Hussein, and—you guessed it—bashes the “liberal media” for fawning over the president-elect.

Take it either as evidence of Bernard Madoff's brilliance or government regulators' incompetence: Madoff was investigated eight times in 16 years by the SEC and other regulatory agencies, reports The Wall Street Journal, "but regulators never came close to uncovering the alleged $50 billion Ponzi scheme that investigators now believe began in the 1970s." The investigations included two interviews with Madoff. "The situation is even more awkward," writes The Journal, "because SEC examiners seemed to be looking in the right places, yet still were unable to unmask the alleged scheme." The SEC's failures will be on display today in Congress, as the SEC's inspector general will testify.

Details of the investigation into the death of John Travolta's 16-year-old son, Jett, are leaking out. TMZ.com reports that two pathologists who worked on an autopsy report following Jett's untimely death in the Bahamas say the cause is being listed as “seizure.” According to the funeral home, “The body was in great condition and shows no sign of head trauma,” though police and family said Jett hit his head on the toilet seat and/or the bathtub. Meanwhile, a first-responder EMT has spoken out about transporting Jett from the family's vacation home to the hospital where he died. “Come on, Jett, come on, baby, come on, Jett,” the actor reportedly said in the ambulance. Jett, who was chronically ill, was found unconscious in a bathroom Friday.

After months of speculation and rumors, Apple CEO Steve Jobs admitted that the cause of his recent weight loss is a hormone imbalance. "The remedy for this nutritional problem is relatively simple and straightforward, and I've already begun treatment," he said in an open letter. "But, just like I didn't lose this much weight and body mass in a week or a month, my doctors expect it will take me until late this spring to regain it. I will continue as Apple's CEO during my recovery." Jobs, who has battled pancreatic cancer, will remain as CEO of the company. Jobs has previously battled pancreatic cancer.

Bill Richardson’s decision to give up his bid for Commerce Secretary raises a question: Did Obama’s vetters blow it? Politico reports that, in fact, Obama’s team did press Richardson on a grand jury investigation into a possible pay-for-play scheme involving a California company and political action committees run by the governor. Result: “Those guys were pressed for information and they gave nothing,” a source tells Politico. The Times dryly notes: “Mr. Obama did not ask Mr. Richardson to step aside, associates close to both men said. But when Mr. Richardson offered to withdraw, the officials said, Mr. Obama simply accepted, without trying to persuade Mr. Richardson otherwise.”

Barack Obama may not assume the presidency for another two weeks, but he arrived in Washington, D.C. last night: He had to get his girls ready for their new school this morning. Obama told reporters he "choked up" at bidding Chicago adieu before departing for Washington, where he is staying at the Hay-Adams Hotel, on the other side of Lafayette Square from the White House. The Obama family's request to stay at the Blair House, a guest house across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House, was rebuked by President Bush, who claimed the house was already booked. Obama was greeted both by adoring fans and protesters angry about the Gaza Strip.

First Lady Laura Bush has finally inked a deal for her memoir: Scribner will publish her recollections in 2010. The publisher promises "a candid and personal perspective" from "a rare witness to the private moments" of the president. Though the payout has yet to be released, the deal was negotiated by power attorney Robert Barnett, who has secured top-dollar deals for books from the Clintons and Ted Kennedy.

The recession could be good news for those with enough money to travel: According to the Los Angeles Times, in 2009 “U.S. hotels will suffer one of the greatest annual declines in occupancy and revenue in history.” That means deals! Hotels will begin lowering prices and offering incentives like free meals, car rentals, and free third nights in order to lure vacationers. The image is less rosy from the hoteliers’ point of view. Reports are predicting an 8 percent drop in revenue per room this year. Other analysts predict net operating income will decline 14 percent, in part due to room reductions.

Don’t can your Barcelona or Amsterdam study-abroad plans just yet: Classes in Iraq, offered by The University of Maryland University College are only available to service members. But the program is reflective, reports The Washington Post, “of the greater stability in Iraq, as violence has dropped, and of the number of American troops leaving small urban outposts for large bases where the courses are taught.” While in Baghdad, students should take the time to visit the new American embassy, which opened today. According to Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, the $700-million embassy is “a symbol of the deep friendship between the two peoples of Iraq and America." The 104-acre complex is surrounded by reinforced concrete walls.

In 2001, linguistics professor Robin Lakoff noticed that Hillary Clinton said "you know" 19 times in a speech about her brother Hugh's criminal activity, indicating that she was, Lakoff thought, feeling vulnerable. "Her possible senatorial replacement, Caroline Kennedy," writes Ben McGrath in this week's New Yorker, "would seem, by this standard, to be overqualified." In her New York Times interview, Kennedy said "you know" 138 times. In her Daily News interview and on NY1, she broke 200. It all reminds McGrath of an interview by Caroline's uncle Ted with Roger Mudd, in which Ted proved similarly inarticulate. "The Mudd parallel highlighted the strange tension in Kennedy's nascent candidacy. On the one hand, her lack of polish, or media training, suggests an Everywoman appeal—the mother of three with no Washington experience, like a Sarah Palin for Democrats—while at the same time undermining the Kennedy mystique and serving as a reminder of the Bush lesson that dynasties can devolve (and not just into mangled English)."

Hamas shouldn't turn to its southern neighbor for sympathy: Haaretz is reporting that Egypt is set to demand "an immediate cease-fire from Hamas in Gaza," as Israeli operations enter their tenth day. Hamas is sending its first delegation to Egypt today since Israel's operation began. Hamas' trip to Cairo is set to coincide with one by Nicolas Sarkozy, who told Lebanese papers today that Hamas bore "a heavy responsibility for the sufferings of the Palestinian people."

F. Scott Fitzgerald was one of literature's keenest chroniclers of Hollywood. Can Hollywood now treat Fitzgerald with similar tact? Well, it's certainly trying. Variety notes a spate of interest in the famous author: David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is based on a Fitzgerald story; John Curran plans to direct a biopic, The Beautiful and the Damned, starring Keira Knightley as Fitzgerald's troubled wife Zelda; and Baz Luhrmann has announced plans to adapt The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald himself served a tour as a screenwriter, but considered himself a hack.

Looks like President-elect Obama's detractors may have to remove the first part of their "tax-and-spend liberal" smear. Obama is asking that tax cuts make up to 40 percent of his $775 billion stimulus. That means more than $300 billion in tax cuts, which are already winning Republican approval from the likes of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Obama's tax-cut proposal, spread out over two years, would pack more punch than either of President Bush's tax cuts (his $1.35 trillion cut in 2001 was spread over 10 years). The plan would attempt to boost consumer demand by $140 billion by providing a $500 tax break for individuals and $1000 for couples.

Minnesota is expected to declare Al Franken the winner of its U.S. Senate contest today. So is it finally over? Not exactly. Norm Coleman has asked the Minnesota Supreme Court to count a few hundred extra absentee ballots. Should the court deny his request and the state proceed to certify Franken's victory, then Coleman will likely challenge the result, which will require the state's chief justice to appoint three judges to investigate his claims. Coleman's campaign contends that hundreds of absentee voters were "disenfranchised," some votes were double counted, and, in other instances, lost ballots were counted.

In yesterday’s Independent, journalistic malcontent Toby Young worked himself into a fine lather about the Golden Globes—the “standing joke” of the Hollywood awards season. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which hands out the Globes, is all but bought off by the stars. “A typical junket will end with the stars of the film in question dutifully posing for photographs with every single member of the association, a process that usually takes several hours,” Young writes. “Some of the hacks even bring their pets along to appear in the photos.” Young also notes that in 1982, Pia Zadora won the Globe for “New Star of the Year”—the very same year she won “Worst Actress” at the Razzies.

A personal friend of Barack Obama’s who helped deliver Old Dominion to the Democrats for the first time in nearly half a century, Virginia Governor Tim Kaine will chair the Democratic National Committee, sources told The Washington Post. As DNC leader, Kaine will be the Obama administration’s top political messenger. A “gregarious chief executive who is known to relish political combat,” he’s a true party loyalist who worked methodically in Virginia to get Democrats elected at the state level. During the campaign, he was reportedly on Obama’s shortlist of potential running mates until he effectively took himself off it by saying he intended to finish his term as governor. That assertion will surely come back to haunt him in the form of criticism from Republicans, now that he’s accepted a job at the national level. Kaine will work for the DNC part-time from Richmond until his term ends in 2010, when he will become the full-time chairman.

"There's probably no God. Stop worrying. Enjoy life". So read the signs developed by atheist groups in Barcelona, which will being appearing on some of the city’s public buses in the following weeks. Inspired by a recent atheist campaign in London, the messages have already been widely criticized by the Catholic church.

This weekend, thousands attended the "Festival de la Digna Rabia" (Festival of Decent Anger) in Mexico to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the rebel group Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (EZLN). The group made its first appearance in 1994 to defend indigenous rights in Mexico. Notable was the reappearance of Subcomandante Marcos, the legendary Mexico City intellectual who hides under a mask and has developed a cult-like following throughout the continent. After a year of silence, Marcos spoke in public about the future of his movement and took a chance to criticize Obama: "those who think he is a lighting rod will be disappointed.”

President Bush will be the first president not to receive lifetime protection from the Secret Service. It’s nothing personal—Congress changed the law in the 1990s so that any president elected after January 1, 1997, will receive federal protection for only 10 years. Bush, however, will still enjoy a Dallas office, staffers, a travel budget, medical coverage, and a nearly $200,000 annual pension.

Roland Burris might not be persona non grata in the Senate after all. After vowing to block any appointment by Rod Blagojevich, Senator Harry Reid indicated yesterday that he would consider allowing Burris to be seated. "I'm an old trial lawyer. There's always room to negotiate," Reid said on Meet the Press. When asked if this meant there is a possibility that Burris will be ultimately seated, Reid said, "that's right." Reid is scheduled to meet with Burris on Wednesday.

Dear Diary, today I pillaged half a dozen pirate ships, rescued a castaway, and sailed the South Seas. Or so (presumably) goes the recently unearthed 300-year-old journal of British explorer Captain Woodes Rogers. A rare copy of Rogers’ journal was found in Bristol and will be auctioned at the end of January. He is hailed for finding Alexander Selkirk, the real-life Robinson Crusoe, stranded on a remote Pacific island: “He had with him his clothes and bedding, with a firelock, some powder, bullets and tobacco, a hatchet, a knife, a kettle, a Bible and books." Rogers sailed the South Seas, the East Indies, and the Cape of Good Hope in the 1700s on a mission to victimize pirates who were after fellow British merchants. Fire up the film adaptation.