EARLYBIRD

Monday, December 29, 2008 12:30 PM

Top Transition News - 12/29

Doctors suggest that Barack Obama start trying to kick his cigarette habit before moving into the White House, since it takes smokers an average of 8 to 10 attempts to quit. (New York Times)

Obama has said little about the Gaza crisis, invoking his well-worn refrain that "there is only one president at a time." (New York Times)

Despite the economic downturn and a new stimulus in the works, Obama will stick by his pledge to cut middle-class taxes, aides say. (Los Angeles Times)

Attorney General-designate Eric Holder's confirmation hearing promises to be "bruising," with GOP senators expected to go after him on his involvement in the Marc Rich pardon and the Elian Gonzalez case. (Boston Globe)

Mark Penn, Hillary Rodham Clinton's former campaign strategist, has severed his business ties with the Pakistan People's Party, removing another possible hurdle to her Senate confirmation. (Politico)

Big Labor spent millions getting Obama elected but may not see its agenda advanced in the near future, with "card check" legislation still unlikely to break through Congress anytime soon. (Washington Times)

Local vendors concerned about lack of proximity to the action on Jan. 20 protested outside the offices of the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs this morning. (Washington Post)

Inauguration revelers will congregate on the National Mall Jan. 20, most not realizing that it was once the site of slave markets. (Boston Globe)

While the Kennedys and Johnsons were involved in revitalizing DC, recent history offers the Obamas few examples of first families enmeshed in city life. (NationalJournal.com - video)

All Axelrod, All The Time

Obama's top adviser, David Axelrod, vowed Sunday that he would not follow the lead of predecessor Karl Rove. (The Hill)

Obama's stimulus package will be somewhere in the neighborhood of $675 billion to $775 billion, Axelrod told "Face The Nation" Sunday. (New York Times)

Family Matters

Despite the press' strong track record of leaving the first family's youngest members alone, the temptation to snap photos of Malia and Sasha may be too great. (AP)

The first family's weekend outing for shave ices "caused a stir" in Hawaii. (Reuters)

As Jan. 20 draws closer, so too does the chance that new Obama family members will start to "come out of the woodwork." (Politico)