The latest news on the Economy, Gaza, Immigration, Faith-Based Initiative, Children's Health Insurance, Unemployment, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, and Select Op-eds.

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Economy. Obama wants quick action on economic stimulus plan "President-elect Barack Obama urged Congress on Sunday to move quickly on a stimulus package to calm what he called the worst recession since the Great Depression." In His Emphasis on Economy, Obama Is Looking to History "It is still a week before he takes office, yet President-elect Barack Obama is everywhere: on the Sunday talk shows, on radio and YouTube, on Capitol Hill, drawing on the techniques he employed during the campaign and lessons from predecessors as he seeks to shape public attitudes about the economic downturn."

Gaza. Israelis 'edge into urban Gaza' "Israeli forces move slowly into Gaza's most densely populated areas, reports say, but the military denies an escalation." Israeli offensive presses into Gaza City "Israeli troops and tanks thrust into densely populated Gaza City from three directions Sunday, drawing Hamas fighters into fierce combat in an offensive expanded by a fresh deployment of army reservists." With goals unmet in Gaza, Israel military wants more time "Israeli political leaders indicated Sunday that they were looking to bring the fighting in Gaza to an end soon. But the Israeli military has not achieved all of its goals, prompting some top strategists to push for more time to undermine Hamas's ability to attack Israel." Crisis in Gaza Imperils 2-State Plan "With every image of the dead in Gaza inflaming people across the Arab world, Egyptian and Jordanian officials are worried that they see a fundamental tenet of the Middle East peace process slipping away: the so-called two-state solution, an independent Palestinian state coexisting with Israel."

Immigration. Push on Immigration Crimes Is Said to Shift Focus "The emphasis, many federal judges and prosecutors say, has siphoned resources from other crimes, eroded morale among federal lawyers and overloaded the federal court system."

Faith-based initiative. Faith office declares success "The White House, in a report to be released Monday morning, will make a final argument that its office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives has been redeemed from its politics-tainted past."

Children's health insurance. Democrats set vote to tighten health gap "Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill, eager to score an early session victory and to give President-elect Barack Obama a high-profile bill to sign by Inauguration Day, are set to vote this week on legislation that would give medical coverage to millions of uninsured children."

Unemployment. Jobless claims overwhelm state offices "Layoffs are happening so fast that those seeking unemployment benefits are overloading state computer systems, jamming phone lines, and making it necessary for administrators to hire temporary workers." Adding to Recession's Pain, Thousands to Lose Jobless Benefits "Just as the recession is throwing people out of work at an alarming rate, the unemployment insurance system in New York and many other states will start cutting off benefits this week for thousands of people who have been unable to find jobs since early last year."

Afghanistan. In surprise visit to dangerous Afghan region, Biden pledges to support fight against terror "Vice President-elect Joe Biden promised U.S. support for Afghanistan's struggle against terrorism, drugs and corruption, in surprise visit Sunday to a dangerous Taliban-stronghold area of Afghanistan." 46 Die in Taliban Attack on Pakistani Troops "Hundreds of Taliban militants poured into northwestern Pakistan in a large frontal attack on a paramilitary base late Saturday and Sunday that left at least 40 militants and 6 Pakistani soldiers dead, according to Pakistani security officials." U.S. Marines find Iraq tactics don't work in Afghanistan "Marines newly arrived in Afghanistan are discovering that the tactics they learned in nearly six years of combat in Iraq are of little value in their new war - and may even inhibit their ability to fight their Taliban foes. Mine-resistant vehicles are too slow, body armor is too heavy, and heavily armored Humvees can't take the difficult Afghan terrain."

Iraq. U.S. Troops Uneasy as Rules Shift in Iraq "Tens of thousands of U.S. troops in Iraq started the year calibrating their missions to conform with a new security agreement that demands that American combat troops depend more heavily than ever on their often-bungling Iraqi counterparts."

Iran. U.S. Rejected Aid for Israeli Raid on Iranian Nuclear Site "President Bush deflected a secret request by Israel last year for specialized bunker-busting bombs it wanted for an attack on Iran's main nuclear complex and told the Israelis that he had authorized new covert action intended to sabotage Iran's suspected effort to develop nuclear weapons, according to senior American and foreign officials."

Opinion. 'What if' questions of Gaza war (James Carroll, The Boston Globe) "As the criminal march of Hamas rocket fire continues across the territory of Israel, the rockets' red glare casts a new light on Israel's and the world's dangerous nuclear complacency. Rockets have fallen, to the north of Gaza, within about 20 miles of Tel Aviv. But even more threatening, they have fallen, to the east, within about 20 miles of Dimona, Israel's ultra-secret nuclear facility in the Negev desert." 'Life' movement evolves (Tom Krattenmaker, USA Today) "Christians have taken up a fight for global good, targeting human trafficking and the sex trade industry that tortures souls around the world. Consider this a new face of the 'pro-life' movement." Cover the Children (E.J. Dionne Jr., The Washington Post) "And this week, the House of Representatives is determined to prove Daschle right. It is scheduled to take up an extension of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), as the Kennedy-Hatch initiative is called, so that 10 million kids can get insurance. Getting more children covered before Congress starts wrangling over the larger health-care bill is good politics and the right thing to do. Congress needs to act anyway, because the program expires March 31. It might as well act fast, and act generously."