WASHINGTON, D.C. — An enthusiastic contingent of about 15 Cornell students spread out across dozens of Capitol Hill offices yesterday to lobby members of Congress for more federal financial aid as part of a University-sponsored trip.

The students shared with House, Senate and education-related committee staffers from both sides of the aisle their personal stories about how financial aid and the rising cost of attending higher education have impacted their lives.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Stepping into history, Barack Hussein Obama grasped the reins of power as America's first black president on Tuesday, declaring the nation must choose "hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord" to overcome the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

In frigid temperatures, an exuberant crowd of more than a million packed the National Mall and parade route to celebrate Obama's inauguration in a high-noon ceremony. Waving and cheering in jubilation, they stretched from the inaugural platform at the U.S. Capitol toward the Lincoln Memorial in the distance.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Obama has told Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid he's not interested in seeing the Democrats oust Connecticut's Joe Lieberman from their ranks over his endorsement of Republican John McCain.

Obama told Reid in a phone conversation last week that expelling Lieberman from the Democratic caucus would hurt the message of bipartisanship and unity that he wants for his new administration, a Senate Democratic aide said Tuesday. This aide spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions were confidential.

The caucus is the meeting of all Senate Democrats and at the beginning of each Congress it chooses the body's leaders. Lieberman, a longtime Democrat mostly recently re-elected as an independent, has continued to join the Democratic caucus.

CHICAGO (AP) — Barack Obama's fellow Chicagoan Rahm Emanuel, the hard-charging No. 3 Democrat in the House, has accepted the job of White House chief of staff, Democratic officials said Thursday.

One of Obama's first decisions as president-elect was to ask the Illinois congressman to run his White House staff. The selection of the fiery Democrat marked a shift in tone for Obama, who chose more low-key leadership for his presidential campaign.

Emanuel, who served as a political and policy aide in the Clinton White House before running for Congress, weighed the family and political considerations before accepting. He will have to resign his seat, relinquish his position in the House Democratic leadership and put aside hopes of becoming House speaker.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush and Barack Obama will hold their first substantive talks Monday as the transition to a new Democratic administration accelerates.

Bush, who will return to Texas soon after completion of his two terms in office, publicly directed employees Thursday to ensure a peaceful and cooperative transfer of power. The transition is a delicate dance, in which the White House keeps the president-elect in the loop, and even solicits his input, but the decisions remain solely the president's.

On Monday's discussion list: the financial crisis, the war in Iraq and the future of the country.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senators want to know whether Attorney General-nominee Michael Mukasey would uphold the administration's view of executive power, the president's eavesdropping program and a legal shield for reporters before they confirm him as So far, Mukasey has told senators he will reject any White House meddling in Justice Department matters and resign if his legal or ethical concerns about administration policy are ignored.

Senate confirmation seemed all but certain, but members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have more questions for him.

ROGERS, Ark. (AP) — President Bush admonished Congress on Monday for failing to send him a single spending bill yet, and warned lawmakers to trim their plans or face rejection.

"You're fixin' to see what they call a fiscal showdown in Washington," Bush told a friendly audience in this northwest Arkansas community.

"The Congress gets to propose, and if it doesn't meet needs as far as I'm concerned, I get to veto," Bush said. "That's precisely what I intend to do."

The budget year began Oct. 1, and federal agencies are operating on a stopgap bill for now. Congress has not yet agreed on the 12 spending bills that keep the government running.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush defended his administration's methods of detaining and questioning terrorism suspects on Friday, saying both are successful and lawful.

"When we find somebody who may have information regarding a potential attack on America, you bet we're going to detain them, and you bet we're going to question them," he said during a hastily called Oval Office appearance. "The American people expect us to find out information, actionable intelligence so we can help protect them. That's our job."

Bush volunteered his thoughts on a report on two secret 2005 memos that authorized extreme interrogation tactics against terror suspects. "This government does not torture people," the president said.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Idaho Sen. Larry Craig lost a court bid to withdraw his guilty plea stemming from an airport men's room sex sting, and his state's governor swiftly announced he had chosen a replacement in the event of a resignation.

Craig had no immediate public response to the ruling by Hennepin County Judge Charles Porter in Minnesota.

But a pre-emptive announcement from Idaho, Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter seemed an unmistakeable signal that home-state Republicans want Craig to surrender the seat he has held for 17 years.