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Burris denied seat in US Senate to succeed Obama (AP)

AP - Roland Burris failed in his bid to take President-elect Barack Obama's Illinois Senate seat on Tuesday in a scripted piece of political theater staged just before the opening of the 111th Congress.

Economic crisis, Obama response face new Congress (AP)

AP - The new Congress opened for business at the stroke of noon on Tuesday, eager to join President-elect Barack Obama in tackling the worst economic crisis in generations. Democrats celebrated last fall's election gains in the House and Senate.

Israel shells near UN school, killing at least 30 (AP)

AP - Israeli mortar shells struck outside a U.N. school where hundreds of Palestinians had sought refuge on Tuesday, killing at least 30 people — many of them children whose parents wailed in grief at a hospital filled with dead and wounded.

Obama says trillion-dollar deficits may last years (AP)

AP - President-elect Barack Obama says the nation probably faces huge deficits for years to come, but heavy spending is needed now to spur the economy.

Social Security begins taking online applications (AP)
AP - The Social Security Administration, bracing for the coming eligibility of 80 million baby boomers, is introducing an online application that will allow people to apply for retirement benefits in as little as 15 minutes.

Stocks up moderately after mixed economic reports (AP)

AP - Wall Street proceeded cautiously Tuesday, with stocks rising moderately following disappointing readings on pending home sales and factory orders.

Apple cuts copy protection and prices on iTunes (AP)

AP - Apple Inc. is cutting the price of some songs in its market-leading iTunes online music store to 69 cents and plans to begin selling all tracks without copy protection.

Travolta family returns to US with son's remains (AP)

AP - Actor John Travolta and his wife, Kelly Preston, have returned to Florida with the remains of their 16-year-old son, Jett, who died at the family vacation home in Grand Bahama.

Islamic militants ridicule death of Bush cat (AP)
AP - Islamic militants posted sarcastic comments on an extremist Web site Tuesday ridiculing a recent announcement by First Lady Laura Bush that the family's cat had died.

Phillies' J.C. Romero is suspended for 50 games (AP)

AP - Phillies reliever J.C. Romero and Yankees minor league pitcher Sergio Mitre were suspended for the first 50 games of next season after testing positive for a banned substance.

Democrat Roland Burris blocked from Senate (Reuters)

Reuters - The man named by the scandal-plagued governor of Illinois to replace President-elect Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate failed to gain entry on Tuesday when the chamber's secretary rejected as incomplete his credentials for the seat.

Israeli shelling kills 42 at U.N. school: medics (Reuters)

Reuters - Israeli shelling killed more than 40 Palestinians Tuesday at a U.N. school where civilians had taken shelter, medical officials said, in carnage likely to boost international pressure on Israel to halt a Gaza offensive.

German tycoon Adolf Merckle commits suicide (Reuters)

Reuters - German billionaire Adolf Merckle has committed suicide, in despair over the huge losses suffered by his business empire during the financial crisis, his family said on Tuesday.

Treasury says TARP costs $26.55 million through January (Reuters)

Reuters - How much does it cost to spend $350 billion?

New Congress convenes focused on economy (Reuters)

Reuters - Democrats sealed their increased control of the U.S. Congress on Tuesday with the swearing in of newly elected members expected to help enact President-elect Barack Obama's call for a massive economic stimulus package.