Good Wednesday morning. The 111th Congress is now in session. The highlight of the day yesterday -- besides the Burris show -- may have been Vice President-elect Biden being sworn in for his seventh Senate term (which will last only several days) by outgoing VP Dick Cheney.

**Former Illinois Atty. Gen. Roland Burris, recently appointed to the Senate by scandal-plagued Gov. Rod Blagojevich, showed up to the Capitol yesterday to take his seat. As expected, Burris was turned away by the secretary of the Senate because the Illinois secretary of state has not signed his certificate of election, which is required under Senate rules.

However, Burris now "heads into a pivotal meeting" with Reid and Majority Whip Richard Durbin "with an unmistakable sense of momentum" on his side, Politico reports. "The key question now for Reid and Durbin: How do they find cover in a political story that has run amok? One idea being considered is to have Burris win an endorsement from the sitting lieutenant governor, Pat Quinn, one Democratic insider said."

**In other Blagojevich-related news, the Chicago Tribune reports that a state House panel is hitting a "crucial step" in the Blagojevich investigation that "may culminate in his impeachment by week's end."

**The battle over whether or not Al Franken has won the Minnesota Senate race continued on the Senate floor yesterday, with Harry Reid calling on incumbent Republican Norm Coleman to concede the race. "This is a difficult time for former Senator Coleman and his family, and he is entitled to the opportunity to concede this election graciously," Reid said. "But we cannot let this drag on forever."

**Of course, Coleman did just the opposite yesterday, announcing at a press conference in St. Paul that he intends to file a lawsuit contesting the results. Despite finishing the recount trailing Franken by 225 votes, Coleman is challenging whether or not the recount was conducted accurately, saying not every vote was counted and some were counted twice.

**In Biden news, the hometown Wilmington News Journal calls Vice President-elect Biden's swearing in yesterday a "bittersweet moment." He became the youngest person ever to be seated for a seventh term. Ted Kaufman, who will take his seat in a few weeks: "We all encouraged him to do it. It's historical."

And as a "Senate man" still, Biden called the failure to consult with Sen.
Dianne Feinstein a "mistake."

Marc Ambinder explains one rationale for Biden's Southwest Asia trip now, saying that if he went as Vice President, it would take months for the Secret Service, State Department and military to plan.

**Presidential Transition News

One day after warning of trillion dollar deficits, the New York Times reports, President-elect Barack Obama plans to announce this morning the selection of a chief performance officer: Nancy Killefer. The former assistant Treasury secretary under President Clinton will have "the task of finding government efficiencies."

Politico looks at the "game plan" for Obama's economic package, which starts with Chairman Max Baucus using an executive session of the Senate Finance Committee to test key health care and tax cut proposals.

It's already cliche:­ "Paging Doctor Gupta." In choosing the CNN medical correspondent for Surgeon General, Obama signals he is "looking to a popular television personality to help provide a public face for his healthcare agenda," the Los Angeles Times reports.

Bloomberg highlights the fact that DNC chair-designee Tim Kaine currently chairs the Southern Governors Association, "a group that raises money from tobacco, oil, energy and pharmaceutical companies in exchange for access to governors and other state officials." CREW's Melanie Sloan: "If Tim Kaine is going to be the head of the DNC, given Obama's rhetoric in the past, Mr. Kaine will have to either change the rules of the SGA or step down as chairman."

--Kyle Trygstad and Mike Memoli