On Capitol Hill, confirmation hearings have begun for several of President-elect Obama’s cabinet nominees. Senator Hillary Clinton appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where she faced questions over her husband former President Bill Clinton’s charitable foundation. Clinton also ruled out talks with Hamas, contradicting reports that have said the Obama administration would be open to negotiations. Clinton also repeated her campaign trail insistence that the US could use nuclear weapons against Iran.

Sen. Hillary Clinton: “We are not taking any option off the table at all. But we will pursue a new, perhaps different approach that will become a cornerstone of what the Obama administration believes is an attitude toward engagement that might bear fruit.”

Also testifying Tuesday, Energy Secretary nominee Steven Chu, Education nominee Arne Duncan and Housing and Urban Development nominee Shaun Donovan. The Veterans Administration nominee, former General Eric Shinseki, is set to testify today. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is meanwhile facing a possible roadblock to his confirmation. Geithner has admitted he once initially failed pay some $43,000 in personal taxes. Geithner would oversee the IRS as head of the Treasury. And he’s also facing questions over the immigration status of a housekeeper who worked in his home.