Hours before a cease-fire proposal was ratcheted together by Egypt and France, Israel launched its single deadliest attack in Gaza. The mortar fire hit a school run by the United Nations. At least 30 Palestinians, who were seeking refuge in the school, were killed. Israel claims the targeting was in response to rocket fire from within the school. Needless to say, the U.N. is ticked off. Joining us with details is the New York Times' Isabel Kershner on her way to Gaza.

For more, read Isabel Kershner's article Israel Halts Attack Briefly to Allow Aid Into Gaza in today's New York Times.

Dr. Ron Lobel is the medical director of a hospital about 17 kilometers from the Gaza border. His hospital treated both Israelis and Palestinians alike, until the borders closed. Now, he joins John and Adaora from Ashkelon, Israel where he puts a human face on the story of two embattled rivals and his patients who can't return home.

What we fear and why we fear it is the new favorite topic of economist Stephen Dubner, co-author of the "Freakonomics" book and New York Times blog. In the context of the New Year's Day bombings in Aspen and the Muslim family who were removed from a commercial flight, he joins John and Adaora to explain why the things we fear the most are simply irrational.

Be sure to read Stephen Dubner's blog post on fear, The Cost of Fearing Strangers.

Crank up the tunes--they might help you make money on Wall Street. Phil Maymin, a professor at the Polytechnic Institute of NYU, studied decades of Billboard Hot 100 hits and discovered that songs with more consistent beats tend to be popular just before periods of high volatility in the stock market. He'll explain his theory and tell us what he thinks the current hit, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" by Beyonce, says about our financial future.

For more about how this theory works, watch Phil Maymin's video on Youtube.

For more than 25 years, the Tamil rebels have been fighting for independence from the government of Sri Lanka. Today the Sri Lankan army is continuing a massive military assault to force the rebels to give up much of the territory they have won. The BBC World Service's Roland Buerk joins us from Colombo, Sri Lanka for an update on the situation.

The U.S. Senate’s rejection of Roland Burris is the latest chapter in a saga ripped straight from the complicated playbook of Chicago politics. Burris was turned away from the Capitol on the grounds that he did not have the right credentials following his appointment by embattled Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich. For some context into the latest political spectacle out of Chicago, we’re joined by Abner Mikva, former Illinois Congressman, retired Federal Judge, former White House Counsel to President Bill Clinton, and current law professor at the University of Chicago.

President-elect Barack Obama is preparing to present a stimulus package to the country. Yesterday he warned the nation that between the bailout plans and the stimulus packages, it is likely we could see a multi-trillion dollar deficit. Today the Congressional Budget Office is set to release it’s latest budget estimates. To go over the numbers, The Takeaway is joined from Washington, D.C. by New York Times reporter Jeff Zeleny.

If you want more on this topic, read Jeff Zeleny's article Obama Warns Trillion-Dollar Deficit Potential in the New York Times.

President-elect Obama kicked off the week on Capitol Hill, pitching his economic stimulus plan. It’s a plan that leading Democrats are eager to have signed first thing on January 20th. To jump-start the stimulus debate, House Democrats are holding a number of informal hearings, starting today. Mark Zandi, Chief Economist for Moody’s, will be among the many experts who are testifying today. He joins us now for a preview of what he will say on the Hill.

For more on Mark Zandi's take on the economic crisis, buy his book Financial Shock: A 360º Look at the Subprime Mortgage Implosion, and How to Avoid the Next Financial Crisis.

Today one of the biggest power lunches of the year will take place in the Oval Office. President Bush, President-elect Barack Obama, and former Presidents Clinton, Carter and George H.W. Bush will all gather for a private midday meal. For a look at what it takes to cater to their presidential palates, The Takeaway turns to Chef Roland Mesnier. For 25 years he was the Executive Pastry Chef at the White House.

When the U.S. Bureau of Land Management auctioned off oil and gas drilling leases in Salt Lake City, Utah last month, some activists stood outside and protested. But Tim DeChristopher, a student at the University of Utah, went one step further. He bid on, and won, $1.7 million dollars worth of land rights. The problem is that he never had any means or intent of paying for it. Some are calling him an environmental hero, others, a criminal. The Takeaway talks to DeChristopher himself about his peculiar act of civil disobedience.

For more, watch this interview with Tim DeChristopher courtesy of YouTube.

When Illinois Senate-Designate Roland Burris arrived on Capitol Hill yesterday, he was turned away at the door. The Secretary of the Senate claimed that his credentials lacked a required signature and his state's seal. While that may be true, the Senate leadership had made it clear that they did not want to seat Burris under the cloud of suspicion surrounding his appointment by Gov. Blagojevich. Todd Zwillich of Capitol News Connection, joins us now to mull it all over.

Israel has paused its military operations in Gaza for three hours to allow food, fuel, and humanitarian aid to reach Palestinian civilians cornered by the fighting. Meanwhile leaders of the European Union and Egypt are trying to cobble together an international cease-fire plan. But how do you broker peace between Israel and Hamas? Alistair Crooke has special insight. He's a former E.U. Mediator and Director of Conflict Forum, and he has negotiated with Hamas before. He joins us from Beirut.

Israel has ordered a three-hour break in their offensive in Gaza in order to allows food and humanitarian aid to reach the civilians caught in the fighting with Hamas. Israel's military is considering similar lulls in the coming days as they have come under criticism for civilian casualties. Israel is also deciding whether to accept and international cease-fire plan put together by French and Egyptian leaders. Joining us live from Jerusalem is Gwen Ackerman a reporter for Bloomberg News.

Rumors of a potential ceasefire in Gaza are swirling through the international press. A government spokesman says Israel "welcomes" a proposed cease-fire cobbled cobbled together by France and Egypt so long as that cease-fire will stop Hamas rocket fire. Hamas says it will only support a deal that includes opening of Gaza's borders. Meanwhile, French President Nicolas Sarkozy claims that both parties have agreed to the cease-fire. To parse out the welcome news are Rob Watson, the BBC Defense Correspondent, in London and Steven Erlanger of the New York Times joins us from Jerusalem.