Hurley's World

An audio message reportedly from al Qaeda's deputy chief vows revenge for Israel's air and ground assault on Gaza and calls the Jewish state's actions against Hamas militants "a gift" from U.S. President-elect Barack Obama.

Nine sites in the central Pacific will be set as sanctuaries for marine life and bases of research for scientists, President Bush said Tuesday.

The Israeli military said Hamas militants positioned in a U.N. school in northern Gaza fired mortar shells at Israeli forces today, prompting Israeli forces to return fire, according to its initial investigation. Three artillery shells believed to have been fired by the Israeli forces struck near the perimeter of the school in Jabalya, killing at least 30 people and wounding 55, according to a U.N. official.

Any cease-fire in the Gaza conflict will require "clear and definitive action" to halt the smuggling of weapons and money into the Hamas-ruled Palestinian territory, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Tuesday.

We have been trying to report as accurately as possible on the fighting in Gaza.

Could someone without intelligence experience effectively lead the United States' top spy agency during a time of war? Two Democratic sources say Barack Obama will nominate Leon Panetta, former chief of staff for President Clinton, to lead the CIA. Some former intelligence officials, and some lawmakers in Obama's own party, have questioned the choice.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent, has been approached by Barack Obama's transition team about the U.S. surgeon general's post, according to sources inside the transition and at CNN. Gupta, a neurosurgeon, has served as a White House fellow and as a special adviser to then-first lady Hillary Clinton.

Roland Burris was denied entry to the Senate chambers today as he tried to claim the seat once held by President-elect Barack Obama. Burris said the secretary of the Senate rejected his credentials, and therefore he would not be allowed access to the floor. An attorney for Burris said the rejection was unlawful.

Israel has agreed to establish a "humanitarian corridor" to supply residents of Gaza with aid as international concerns about conditions among civilians mount, according to a government statement.

Members of Congress won't be allowed to slip earmarks into the economic recovery package Congress will soon take up, President-elect Barack Obama said Tuesday.

It had to happen, and it did.

Statements made to Arizona police by an 8-year-old boy suspected of fatally shooting a man will not be used against him in court -- unless the statements are needed to refute any testimony he gives -- prosecutors agreed Tuesday.

The first session of the 111th Congress officially convened at noon Tuesday, with the troubled economy at the top of its agenda.

A New Year's Day shooting in which a subway police officer fired a deadly shot into the back of an unarmed man has the San Francisco Bay Area demanding answers, while authorities are appealing for patience. Bay Area Rapid Transit spokesman Linton Johnson told CNN affiliate KTVU-TV that the officer is presumed innocent and described him as devastated.

The recent carnage in Gaza has left little doubt that within the tortured dynamic of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, both the chicken and the egg have completely and utterly lost their minds.

John Travolta and Kelly Preston have returned to Ocala, Florida, with the remains of their teenage son, a family friend told CNN on Tuesday.

The Purple Heart medal, awarded to service members who have been physically wounded in combat, will not be given for a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder, a Pentagon statement said.

The number of homes under contract to be sold fell 4% in November, according to a report released Tuesday.

Far more civilians than Hamas fighters are arriving for treatment of war wounds at Gaza's main hospital as Israel's military incursion into the territory continues, two doctors say.

When Apple vice president Philip Schiller takes the stage here Tuesday morning for the keynote address at the Macworld Conference & Expo, he'll face a good-news, bad-news scenario.