Roland Burris arrived at the Capitol to be sworn in as a member of the 111th Congress, but Obama's appointed successor to the Senate was turned away.
![[Bill Richardson]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/NA-AV126_CDR_A_20090106195810.jpg)
The financial company tied to Gov. Richardson has a history of making campaign contributions in the states where it does business.
![[Hadley: Pakistan is top U.S. challenge]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/NA-AV118_HADLEY_A_20090106152720.jpg)
Pakistan will pose the greatest foreign-policy challenge to the Obama administration, Bush's national security adviser said in an interview.
![[Luis Fortuno]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/NA-AV133_FORTUN_A_20090106200024.jpg)
Republicans' focus on recovering after sharp blows in the past two elections has put a spotlight on an unlikely star: Puerto Rico's new governor, Luis Fortuno.
Obama defended his choice of Panetta to head the CIA amid concerns over Panetta's lack of intelligence experience.
Coleman said he is suing to challenge Franken's apparent recount victory in Minnesota's U.S. Senate race, delaying a resolution of the contest for weeks or months.
![[Tech Chiefs Vie to Run California]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/NA-AV125_TECHGO_A_20090106195659.jpg)
Silicon Valley veterans are setting their sights on the California capital. Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, entrepreneur Steve Poizner and former eBay executive Steve Westly are all possible gubernatorial contenders.
Unions likely won't see action soon on legislation that would make it easier to organize workers, but Democrats are moving to back a pair of bills that would facilitate filing discrimination suits against employers.
The cost to operate the Treasury Department's $700 billion financial rescue plan is expected to rise sharply before the end of the month.
The family of former Florida Gov. Lawton Chiles is trying to block state officials from dipping into an endowment named for the late politician to help close a budget deficit.
Florida's Ex-Gov. Jeb Bush said that he won't run for the Senate in 2010 to succeed the retiring Mel Martinez, saying that it was not the right time to return to elected office.
![[Democrats' Factions Could Stall Plans]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/NA-AV102_DEMPLA_A_20090105181314.jpg)
Democrats are touting grand plans as the new Congress sweeps into town. But they face obstacles, starting with the party itself, which is hardly unified.
![[CNN's Gupta May Be Surgeon General]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/NA-AV127_GUPTA_A_20090106195859.jpg)
CNN reporter Sanjay Gupta, a neurosurgeon who is among the nation's best-known physicians, is under serious consideration to be the next surgeon general.
![[Businesses Focus on Finding Common Ground]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/NA-AV103_BUSINE_A_20090105194011.jpg)
Big Business will be facing a bolstered Democratic majority when the new Congress convenes. But the battle lines aren't clearly drawn because neither the Democrats nor the business lobby speak with one voice on many issues.
![[Clouds Still Hang Over 2 Senate Seats]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/NA-AV091_SENATE_A_20090105191942.jpg)
The fate of two would-be senators remained unsettled as Congress prepared to resume business, presenting a quandary for Democratic leaders.
The six candidates vying to chair the Republican National Committee agreed that the party must return to core principles after its stinging election defeats.
In the long run, the Israeli push into Gaza could open some doors for the Obama administration.
![[Obama Pushes States to Cover More Unemployed]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/NA-AV120_STIMUL_A_20090106195157.jpg)
Obama plans to offer states $7 billion to entice them to expand unemployment-insurance laws.
Onetime Reagan adviser Martin Feldstein is an unlikely Democrats' darling. But given present circumstances, the economist supports government spending to boost the U.S. economy.
Obama met with lawmakers to begin selling his stimulus plan as his advisers offered more details, including a proposal to expand the child tax credit for poor families.
![[Barack Obama answers questions from the press after a meeting with his top economic advisors]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-CX313_taxher_A_20090105221230.jpg)
The incoming Obama administration is considering tax changes that could give stumbling financial companies increased tax rebates.
IBM's CEO advised the Obama transition team that $30 billion in government investments in IT infrastructure could create more than 900,000 U.S. jobs.
![[President-elect Barack Obama and congressional Democrats are crafting a plan to offer as much as $310 billion of tax cuts.]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-CX110_barack_A_20090104190150.jpg)
Obama and congressional Democrats are crafting a tax-cut plan to offer about $300 billion in tax cuts to individuals and businesses.
![[Senate minority leader, Republican Mitch McConnell]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/NA-AU992_STIMUL_A_20081229213437.jpg)
Republican lawmakers are positioning themselves as foes of excessive spending as they prepare for battle over Obama's stimulus package.
Democrats worry they won't be able to offer a stimulus package for congressional debate until late January because they haven't received a plan from Obama's team.
![[Pet Doctors in Ohio Hope for Cash From Stimulus]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/P1-AO115_SEWER__A_20081226145832.jpg)
An Ohio veterinary hospital is hoping that the huge economic stimulus being pondered in Washington will bring money for a sewer line that would improve life for animals in its care.
![[Biden]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-CW092_biden_A_20081223130537.jpg)
Biden released details of the emerging stimulus package, saying that 85% of jobs created under the plan will be in the private sector and that no pet projects will be accepted.
![[Best Campaign Photos]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-CV716_1219be_A_20081219131619.jpg)
Sen. Barack Obama was elected the nation's first African-American president after an epic two-year campaign. See photos from the trail.
Peter A. Brown, of the Quinnipiac Polling Institute, offers an award to the person in the public eye who most royally screwed up to their own detriment in the past 12 months.
Thomas Geoghegan never bought the 'new economy' hype.
Obama's HMO deserves principled opposition.
A look at those named to the cabinet and key advisory roles in the new administration -- and those expected to be named soon.
