PRESS DIGEST - Washington Post - Jan. 13

WASHINGTON, Jan 13 (Reuters) - The Washington Post included the following items on its front page on Jan. 13. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

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President-elect Barack Obama launched an aggressive campaign to persuade a deeply skeptical Congress to permit him to spend another $350 billion to stabilize the still-fragile U.S. financial system, as the Bush White House formally notified lawmakers of Obama's intention to use the money.

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President-elect Barack Obama intends to sign off on Pentagon plans to send up to 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, but the incoming administration does not anticipate that the Iraq-like "surge" of forces will significantly change the direction of a conflict that has steadily deteriorated over the past seven years.

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When Sen. John Kerry gavels the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to order on Tuesday and welcomes Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to her confirmation hearing as President-elect Barack Obama's nominee to be secretary of state, he will mark the ascendance of a new triumvirate dominating the foreign policy arena.

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Anybody who's anybody. That pretty much describes the list of musicians and celebrities who will participate in a free concert at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday afternoon to kick off Barack Obama's inaugural celebration.

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