Stories Making Headlines Today

RICHARDSON
    Richardson withdraws bid to be commerce secretary

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is withdrawing
his nomination to be President-elect Barack Obama’s commerce
secretary amid a grand jury investigation.
    Obama said in a statement Sunday that he accepted Richardson’s
withdrawal “with deep regret” but that the governor was putting
the nation first to avoid any delay in filling the Cabinet post.
    A federal grand jury is investigating how a California company
that contributed to Richardson’s political activities won a New
Mexico state contract worth nearly $1.5 million.
    Richardson said in a statement issued by Obama’s transition
office that the investigation could take weeks or months and he
couldn’t ask Obama to delay the Commerce Department’s work.
Richardson said the investigation will show that he “acted
properly in all matters.“

OBAMA
    Obama arrives in Washington

President-elect Barack Obama has a busy week
ahead in Washington.
    On Monday, after Sasha and Malia Obama leave for their first day
of classes at their new school, the president-elect has a meeting
with Democratic and Republican leaders about a proposed economic
plan.
    On Wednesday, he is scheduled to attend lunch at the White House
along with former presidents.
    He also has some high-profile members of his administration to
name, including a director of national intelligence and a CIA
director.
    And he has to make a new choice for commerce secretary, since
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson backed out, citing a grand jury
probe.
    Obama, who’s joining his wife and daughters at the plush,
historic Hay-Adams Hotel across from the White House, says he got a
little choked up when leaving the family’s Chicago home Sunday.

SENATE-BURRIS
    Supporters rally behind Blagojevich pick, Burris

Supporters of the man picked to replace
President-elect Barack Obama in the Senate have rallied around
Roland Burris ahead of a high-stakes showdown in Washington.
    Senate Democratic leaders have said they might not seat Burris,
who was named by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich
The governor, who’s facing federal charges and threat of
impeachment, is accused of earlier attempts to sell the seat.
    Burris took the stage Sunday night at a Chicago church to a
crescendo of drums, organ music and applause from hundreds of
supporters, including black leaders and ministers. Burris told them
the appointment is legal and he doesn’t know what “all the
confusion is about.“
    Before the service, Burris supporter Congressman Bobby Rush and
about 60 ministers condemned Senate Democratic leaders for
rejecting Burris.
    Rush, a Chicago Democrat, called the Senate “the last bastion
of plantation politics.“

MINNESOTA SENATE
    Schumer: Senate should seat Minn. Dem. Al Franken

New York Sen. Charles Schumer says Democrat
Al Franken should be seated in the Senate as soon as possible after
it convenes Tuesday.
    Schumer, the former head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign
Committee, said in a statement Sunday that it’s clear Franken has
won the election for Minnesota’s Senate seat. He says Republican
Norm Coleman can’t get enough votes to win, even if claims of
double-counted ballots are resolved.
    Franken had a 225-vote lead over Coleman when election officials
completed their re-count Saturday. The state Canvassing Board is
expected to sign off on the results Monday. The result cannot be
certified for at least one more week under state law.
    But the election may not be over. Coleman has a court petition
pending that seeks to add ballots to the re-count and hasn’t ruled
out challenging the election results in court.

FATAL HELICOPTER CRASH
    Investigators to scene on Monday

Federal investigators are expected to arrive
in Louisiana on Monday to look into what caused a fatal helicopter
crash.
    Eight people were killed in the crash in marshlands about 100
miles southwest of New Orleans. One person was critically injured.
    A spokesman for PHI, the company that operated the helicopter,
says the chopper crashed after taking off from PHI’s base in Amelia
on Sunday afternoon.
    The helicopter was carrying two pilots and seven passengers. It
was bound for offshore oil fields.
    PHI is a primary provider of helicopter services to oil and gas
platforms that dot the coast of Louisiana. It also flies medical
helicopters.

ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS
    Death toll climbs; Israel pushes deeper into Gaza

Thousands of Israeli troops backed
by tanks and helicopter gunships have surrounded Gaza’s largest
city and fought militants at close range on the first full day of a
ground offensive.
    Israeli soldiers are fighting mainly in open areas in the
launching zones used by Gaza’s militants to fire rockets into
Israel.
    A health ministry official says 64 Palestinian civilians have
been killed since the ground assault began. The new deaths brought
the death toll in the Gaza Strip to more than 512 since Dec. 27th.
    Five Israelis have been killed since the offensive began.
    Meanwhile, Israel has approved the mobilization of thousands of
reservists, in addition to tens of thousands called up Saturday.
Defense officials say the extra forces could enable a far broader
ground offensive.
    The troops could also be used in the event Palestinian militants
in the West Bank or Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon decide to
launch attacks.

SOLDIER KILLED-MEMORIAL
    UPDATE: Funeral Monday for Army surgeon killed in Iraq

Funeral services are Monday for a prominent
Philadelphia surgeon who was killed in Iraq.
    Army Maj. John Pryor died Christmas Day when a mortar round hit
near his living quarters.
    Pryor was a trauma surgeon at the Hospital of the University of
Pennsylvania. The 42-year-old father of three was serving his
second tour of duty with the Army reserves as a combat medic.
    Pryor lived in New Jersey. The funeral has been moved from a
small community church to a large Philadelphia cathedral because so
many people want to pay their respects.

WORLD MARKETS
    Asian markets rise

Investor hopes for 2009 may have been buoyed by
stimulus plans in the U.S. and elsewhere as Asian stock markets
rose strongly Monday morning.
    All Asian markets rose with benchmarks in Tokyo and Shanghai
gaining more than 2 percent.
    Some encouragement came as President-elect Barack Obama urged
congressional leaders Saturday to move quickly on recovery measures
that aides say could cost as much as $775 billion, including a
reported $300 billion in tax cuts.
    Global markets rang in the new year with a strong advance
despite more dismal economic news. That included evidence that
manufacturing in the U.S., Europe and China was deteriorating amid
the slowdown.
    The session was the year’s first for a number of Asian
countries, including Japan.
    Wall Street futures were modestly lower after a rally last week,
pointing to a weak opening in the U.S.

INDONESIA-EARTHQUAKE
    Aid on the way

The Indonesian healthy ministry is
sending in aid teams along with four tons of medical supplies and
baby food to remote Papua province in eastern Indonesia after a
series of earthquakes.
    Relief agency World Vision Indonesia is rushing in 2,000
emergency provision kits, including canned food, blankets and basic
medical supplies.
    Officials say a 10-year-old girl died, dozens were injured and
some 135 homes and other buildings were badly damaged or toppled in
the quakes which rumbled across Papua early Sunday morning.
Officials initially reported four deaths, but later discovered
three people had died from illnesses.
    Local officials have been driving through the streets of the
provincial capital Manokwari warning people not to return to
structures that might be vulnerable to aftershocks.

NFL PLAYOFFS-FINAL SCORES
    NFL down to final eight…Eagles and Ravens fly into divisional
games

The NFL divisional playoff lineup is set.
    Baltimore and Tennessee open next Saturday’s action in the AFC.
Then Arizona visits Carolina in an NFC game.
    The next day, Philadelphia travels to the Meadowlands to play
the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants in the NFC. The
final game of the weekend will be San Diego at Pittsburgh in the
AFC.
    In Sunday’s games, Baltimore defeated Miami 27-9, while
Philadelphia topped Minnesota 26-14.