AP - There is no box on U.S. Census forms that accurately describes Ray Gongora.

AP - A case before the Supreme Court on Monday could set a precedent for how mining waste is disposed of in streams, rivers, lakes and even wetlands.

AP - Days before taking office, President-elect Barack Obama is meeting Mexican President Felipe Calderon, a pre-inauguration tradition that comes as Mexico's drug violence escalates and spills into the United States.

AP - The Mideast foreign policy black hole has relentlessly sucked in American diplomacy for more than a half century and now awaits Barack Obama even as he refuses to show his hand before taking office.

AP - The Army's top lawyer is disputing a critical government report that concluded faith instead of facts drove the investigation of a civilian employee wrongly suspected of spying for Israel.

Politico - Hillary Clinton, ever the preparation junkie, is cramming for Tuesday’s confirmation hearing — intent on downplaying old disagreements with Barack Obama and parrying questions about her husband’s overseas entanglements, aides say.

AP - Leading British Jews said Sunday that Israel's government must end its military action in Gaza to achieve security.

Politico - Hillary Clinton, ever the preparation junkie, is cramming for Tuesday’s confirmation hearing — intent on downplaying old disagreements with Barack Obama and parrying questions about her husband’s overseas entanglements, aides say.

Reuters - A deal to restore Russian gas supplies via Ukraine to Europe appeared on the verge of collapse after Moscow rejected additions by Kiev as a 'mockery of common sense'.

AP - In the final days of his presidency, George W. Bush is acknowledging a list of mistakes or disappointments.

AP - President Bush says he isn't certain whether democracy will survive in Iraq.

Politico - The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, who was elected the Episcopal Church’s first openly gay bishop in 2003, will deliver the invocation for Sunday’s kickoff inaugural event on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, the Presidential Inaugural Committee said.

AP - When it comes to the economy, President George W. Bush is making no apologies.

AP - Investigators say a lawyer for the U.S. Marshals Service used government cars and armed deputies to drive himself and broadcasters to major sporting events like the Super Bowl and the World Series.

Politico -  

AP - President George W. Bush is defending the government's record in responding to Hurricane Katrina, even while admitting once more that some things could have been done differently.

AP - President George W. Bush on Monday renewed his support for Israel's military operations in Gaza, saying it has the right to defend its citizens from Hamas rocket attacks. But he also called for a lasting cease-fire that includes the disarming of militants.

AP - President Bush says he isn't certain whether democracy will survive in Iraq.

AP - A lawyer for a proposed Alaska gold mine told the Supreme Court on Monday that the mine should be allowed to dump metal waste into a nearby lake.

AP - President-elect Barack Obama is preparing to issue an executive order his first week in office — and perhaps his first day — to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, according to two presidential transition team advisers.

AP - Lawmakers want more details on an agreement between Hillary Rodham Clinton and President-elect Barack Obama intended to ensure her husband's charitable work would not pose a conflict of interest if she is confirmed as secretary of state.

AP - Do what you think is right. Avoid self-pity. And be ready for that one moment when it really hits you: Yes, you are the president.

Politico - President-elect Barack Obama has teamed up with President George W. Bush for what could be the last major action of this presidency.

AP - President elect Barack Obama says his administration will begin work immediately to build upon the relationship between the U.S. and Mexico.

AP - More than 7 million poor people who are elderly, blind or disabled and receive cash benefits averaging $477 a month could get an extra monthly payment as part of President-elect Barack Obama's $800 billion economic recovery plan.

AP - President elect Barack Obama said Monday that his administration will begin work immediately to strengthen the U.S.-Mexico relationship.

AP - With rare public emotion, George W. Bush sat in judgment on his controversial, consequential presidency on Monday, lamenting mistakes but claiming few as his own, heatedly defending his record on disasters in Iraq and at home and offering kindly advice to a successor who won largely because the nation ached for something new.

AP - Eager to put the scandal-tainted standoff behind them, Senate Democrats accepted Roland Burris as President-elect Barack Obama's Senate successor on Monday and said they expect to swear in the new Illinois senator this week.

Politico - President-elect Barack Obama is expected to move swiftly to reverse executive orders regarding torture of terror suspects, the military prison at Guantanamo Bay and other controversial security policies, sources close to his transition said, in dramatic gestures aimed at reversing President Bush’s accumulation of executive power.

AP - President George W. Bush claimed to have inherited a recession that in fact began on his watch in a legacy-polishing news conference Monday often at odds with his record. A look at some of the president's claims in his final news conference, and the facts:

AP - More than 7 million poor people who are elderly, blind or disabled and receive cash benefits averaging $477 a month could get an extra monthly payment as part of President-elect Barack Obama's $800 billion economic recovery plan.

AP - The Drug Enforcement Administration has rejected a petition by a University of Massachusetts-Amherst professor to let him grow marijuana for medical research.

AP - Bill Stone, one of Britain's last surviving World War I veterans has died aged 108, the Ministry of Defense said Monday.

CQPolitics.com - The people President-elect Barack Obama wants to put in his Cabinet won't be nominated until after he takes office next week. But the Democrats who run Senate are going to be ready for quick action so their party's president can get his team to work right after the Jan. 20 inauguration.

AP - President Dmitry Medvedev allowed viewers to post comments on his video blog for the first time Monday and he instantly got an earful.

Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama plans to meet on Tuesday with Senate Democrats to seek their backing for his request for the remaining $350 billion from the financial industry bailout, a Democratic congressional aide said on Monday.