Jewcy Zeitgeist: Rosanne Barr’s Comments On Israel, Lackluster December Retail Sales, and U.N. Relief Suspended in Gaza

Here are today’s top stories in no particular order:

• Poor retail sales for December 2008 have affected big and small businesses nationwide. Retail heavyweight Wal-Mart reports a drop in sales, while Macy’s has announced that the company plans to close 11 stores nationwide.

• Outspoken celeb Rosanne Barr blogged about her controversial opinions on the conflict in Gaza, in which the comedienne publicly sides with Palestine and calls Israel "a NAZI state."

• Peaceful protests in Oakland, California for the young African-American man fatally shot on New Year’s Eve by a transit cop turned violent as protestors lit trash cans on fire and shattered car windows.

• The U.N. has suspended relief efforts to Gaza due to the dangerous circumstances and the violent threat to relief workers. The suspension comes after a U.N. driver was killed by Israeli tank fire en route to the Gaza-Israel border.

• President-elect Barack Obama wants to take "dramatic action" to help the sagging economy and is calling for a major $800 Billion spending plan in the hopes of lifting the country out of a recession.

• Lasantha Wickramatunga, a lead editor at a Sri Lankan newspaper, was shot dead this morning on his way to work. Wickramatunga was known for his articles critiquing the Sri Lankan government.