AP - Some 6,000 people marched silently through this northwest Belgian town on Sunday, laying hundreds of bouquets and stuffed animals outside the daycare center where a man with a knife killed two babies and a caregiver.

AP - If the government spends billions on education to help jump-start the staggering economy, what happens when things improve and schools have grown used to the largesse?

AP - Among the pressing questions swirling at the dawn of the Obama administration: Will Michelle and Barack Obama's Friday date nights survive?

AP - Pope Benedict XVI has praised as 'providential' the Second Vatican Council, the 1960s meetings that led to liberalizing reforms in the Church.

Politico - In his first interview since becoming vice president, Joe Biden did not rule out the Obama administration’s asking for additional bailout money for financial institutions beyond the $700 billion already committed. 

AP - Paris menswear displays ended Sunday with a flourish of flowing jackets, schoolboy bow-ties and profusely pleated pants as designers here refused to bow to the gloomy recession aesthetic that has cast a pall over other fashion capitals.

AP - The Homeland Security Department still is requiring high-level approval before federal immigration agents can arrest fugitives, a rule quietly imposed by the Bush administration days before the election of Barack Obama, whose aunt has been living in the United States illegally.

Politico - Congressional Republicans face the tough task of opposing an economic stimulus plan proposed by President Obama – without opposing Obama himself.

AFP - The United Nations refugee agency said Monday it was concerned about the fate of 126 boat people from Myanmar who were detained in Thailand, as authorities refused to reveal their location.

Politico - Blog: William Kristol's announced departure from the Times op-ed stable has prompted a round of speculation and suggestion on who should replace him as th

AFP - The Illinois governor accused of trying to auction off a US Senate seat for personal gain said in an interview Monday he considered naming television talk show star Oprah Winfrey to the job.

Politico - Blog: Oprah, on Sirius, responds to Blago's recent mention that he'd considered trying to name Oprah to the seat:

Politico - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday will name Todd D. Stern, a trusted top aide in her husband’s White House, to serve as a special envoy for climate change, Democratic officials said.

AP - The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to clarify how long a suspected criminal's request for a lawyer during police interrogation should be valid, taking on a case where a child molester asked for a lawyer almost three years before admitting to the abuse.

AP - The drawn-out contest over who won Minnesota's Senate race is moving into the courtroom.

AP - French designer Stephane Rolland made his debut Monday as a full member of the elite club of grands couturiers, sending out an imaginative collection of cocktail dresses and evening gowns that played on bold beadwork and unexpected elements like bustles and capes.

AP - President Barack Obama's top spokesman says the administration's new U.N. ambassador was restating Obama's policy on Iran when she said the United States plans 'direct diplomacy' with Tehran.

AP - Reaching for a cigarette to cope with a flashback is all too common among sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder. The nicotine hit may feel good but scientists say its brain action probably makes their PTSD worse in the long run.

Politico - Blog: A reader sends in this picture from the Cardinals' airport rally this morning.

Politico - Auto-industry officials were surprisingly receptive to President Obama’s announcement about tightening emission standards, saying the steps he announced were the best they could hope for. 

Reuters - An employee is protected from being fired in retaliation for answering questions during an employer's investigation of suspected sexual harassment, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday.

AFP - The World Trade Organization on Monday ruled against China in a copyright protection dispute with the United States -- a move hailed by Washington as 'an important victory.'

Politico - Blog: Chris Frates and I wrote a while ago about how John Podesta's role running transition had suddenly created the potential for conflicts of interest,

AFP - European Union nations expressed support Monday for US moves to close the Guantanamo 'war on terror' prison camp but few are keen to accept the freed detainees.

AP - President Barack Obama says his special Middle East envoy is departing on his first peacemaking mission to solidify a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and that he is empowered to speak for the president.

AP - The Army said Monday it is expanding its attention to sexual abuse cases by adding prosecutors, rearranging its criminal investigative unit and stepping up training to change behavior.

Politico - Blog: Obama wastes no time sending Middle East envoy Sen. George Mitchell out on assignment. Obama's cardboard likeness has white hands and

AP - The House Judiciary Committee chairman subpoenaed former White House adviser Karl Rove on Monday to testify about the Bush administration's firing of U.S. attorneys and prosecution of a former Democratic governor.

AP - Under normal circumstances, failing to pay your taxes is a surefire way to torpedo your nomination to a Cabinet position.

AP - Southern African leaders must stop supporting Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe or accept complicity in a 'passive genocide,' Catholic bishops from the region said Monday as the European Union increased sanctions on Mugabe and his supporters.

AP - Democratic officials say House leaders are seriously considering deleting family planning funds for the low-income from an economic stimulus bill headed for a vote later in the week.

AP - The Senate on Monday confirmed New York Federal Reserve Bank chief Timothy Geithner as President Barack Obama's treasury secretary despite tax problems that might have sunk his nomination in less desperate times.

Politico - Rod Blagojevich’s impeachment trial kicked off Monday, despite the Illinois governor’s absence.

AP - People who have not gotten their TV sets ready for the changeover to digital signals could earn a four-month reprieve under a bill making its way through Congress.

AP - Republican lawmakers tried to slow momentum for expanding a children's health insurance program Monday by arguing that a bill in the Senate would draw about 2.4 million children away from private insurance into government-sponsored coverage.

AP - The thin, young suspect with the enigmatic smile who is charged with three killings at a Belgian day center was linked Monday to a fourth death — the fatal slashing of a 73-year-old grandmother on a remote farm.

AP - Launching the Obama administration's first Mideast peace mission, former Sen. George J. Mitchell brings a track record of patience and persistence in protracted negotiations.

AP - House Democrats appear likely to jettison family planning funds for the low-income from an $825 billion economic stimulus bill, officials said late Monday, following an appeal from President Barack Obama at a time the administration is courting Republican critics of the legislation.

Politico - A week after his Inauguration, President Barack Obama will be back in the Capitol on Tuesday, courting Republican votes for his recovery program and countering fresh questions about the effectiveness of his plans to quickly pump $825 billion into the economy.

AP - President Barack Obama emphasized a desire to build stronger working relationships with Russia, Germany, France and Brazil in telephone conversations Monday with his counterparts in those countries.

AP - Spain's Prado Museum on Monday named the workshop assistant believed mostly likely to have painted 'Colossus,' a work that was once attributed to Francisco de Goya y Lucientes.

Politico - Blog: My story: President Barack Obama presented a humble and conciliatory face of America to the Islamic world Monday in the first formal

Politico - President Barack Obama presented a humble and conciliatory face of America to the Islamic world Monday in the first formal interview since he assumed office, stressing his own Muslim ties and hopes for a Palestinian state, and avoiding a belligerent tone — even when asked if America could 'live with' an Iranian nuclear weapon.

AP - For a decade, environmentalists and states have urged the federal government to limit greenhouse gases from automobile tailpipes.

McClatchy Newspapers - The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office Monday had some good news — sort of — for President Barack Obama and House Democrats: About two-thirds of their economic stimulus bill would be pumped into the economy through Sept. 30, 2010.

Reuters - The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said on Monday the new U.S. administration would make Iran's nuclear program a top diplomatic priority and would pursue direct talks with Tehran.