The New Congress

President-elect Barack Obama is expected to push his economic recovery plan when he meets with Congressional leaders today. Congress is also holding hearings today on the scandal involving investor Bernard Madoff. We preview the new Congress with Gail Chaddock of The Christian Science Monitor.

Gaza

Even as Israeli tanks and soldiers are pushing deeper into Gaza, taking up critical positions on the outskirts of Gaza City, there is a growing debate in Israel about the wisdom of this latest military operation. We speak with veteran Reuters correspondent Nidal Al Mughrabi in Gaza City. We also speak with Bernard Avishai, author most recently of “The Hebrew Republic: How Secular Democracy and Global Enterprise Will Bring Israel Peace at Last.”

Congressional Ethics

Julian Zelizer of Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School says the time is right for Congress to stress ethics. Zelizer says the ethics probe against Congressman Charles Rangel, chair of the Ways and Means Committee, gives lawmakers an opportunity to go beyond simply punishing Rangel, if the House Ethics Committee affirms the allegations against him.

Biking for Obama

Close to three million people are expected to inundate Washington, D.C. for President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration later this month. And at least one will be arriving on his bicycle. Ryan Bowen set off from his home in Los Angeles early December and he’s made it more than 3,000 miles to Florida. We speak with him about why he’s riding his bike and how the trip is going.

Martin Ramirez

Exhibits of the work of Martin Ramirez are currently on display at the American Museum of Folk Art in New York, NY. Ramirez was a Mexican immigrant who spent more than 30 years in California psychiatric hospitals doing paintings and drawings. The art works he created during that time have been selling for as much as six figures and now the Ramirez heirs are taking legal action to recover some of them. Jon Kalish reports from New York.