Why Rahm: A Message To — And From — The Center  —  Why Rahm, really?  —  Advisers say that Obama has sent a not-so-subtle message to Congress: President-Elect Obama will not cede much agenda-setting ground to liberals.  While outside Democrats are interpreting Emanuel's selection …

Reid looking to remove Lieberman as committee head  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. Joe Lieberman's affiliation with Democrats was in question after a meeting Thursday with Majority Leader Harry Reid, steamed over the Connecticut independent's high-profile support of John McCain for president.

Franken's deficit: 236 votes  —  Sen. Norm Coleman's Democratic challenger is vowing to push ahead with a recount.  —  Just as Secretary of State Mark Ritchie was explaining to reporters the recount process in one of the narrowest elections in Minnesota history, an aide rushed in with news …

The Great Debates  —  McCain bridled at reducing his opinions to sound bites.  Obama prepped as if he were taking the bar exam—nothing was left to chance.  —  This is part six of a seven-part in-depth look behind the scenes of the campaign, consisting of exclusive behind-the-scenes reporting …

Report: '08 turnout same as or only slightly higher than '04  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - A new report from American University's Center for the Study of the American Electorate concludes that voter turnout in Tuesday's election was the same in percentage terms as it was four years ago — or at most has risen by less than 1 percent.

Brooklyn Marine & wife tortured, slain in Calif.; 4 Marines charged  —  A Brooklyn-raised Marine sergeant and his new bride were tortured and killed execution-style in their California home - allegedly by four other Marines under his command.  —  Sgt. Jan Pawel Pietrzak, who was raised in Bensonhurst …

Georgia Claims on Russia War Called Into Question  —  TBILISI, Georgia — Newly available accounts by independent military observers of the beginning of the war between Georgia and Russia this summer call into question the longstanding Georgian assertion that it was acting defensively against separatist and Russian aggression.

Palin Aide Fires Back at Reported McCain Camp Slams  —  Says RNC, Not Palin, Responsible for Wardrobe Missteps; Rejects Other Complaints  —  Now that the defeated Republican presidential team of Sen. John McCain and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin have gone their separate ways, the knives are out and Palin is the one who is getting filleted.

Las Vegas Sands Plunges on Default, Bankruptcy Risk  —  Nov. 6 (Bloomberg) — Las Vegas Sands Corp., billionaire Sheldon Adelson's casino company, fell the most in New York trading since going public after saying it may default on debt and face bankruptcy.  —  The casino owner …

No hidden white bias seen in presidential race  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  WASHINGTON - Whether whites supported Barack Obama or not, they don't seem to have lied to pollsters about it.  —  Obama's election triumph on Tuesday presented no evidence …

Obama's ex-pastor: Media used me  —  Rev. Wright accuses media of using him as a ‘weapon of mass destruction’  —  MILFORD, Conn. - Barack Obama's former pastor complained Thursday that the media used him as a “weapon of mass destruction” in an attempt to derail Obama's campaign for the presidency.

Ahmadinejad Offers Obama Landmark Congratulations  —  For the first time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, an Iranian leader has offered well wishes to a U.S. president-elect.  —  TEHRAN,Iran — President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has congratulated Barack Obama on his election win …

America Serves … The Obama Administration will call on Americans to serve in order to meet the nation's challenges.  President-Elect Obama will expand national service programs like AmeriCorps and Peace Corps and will create a new Classroom Corps to help teachers in underserved schools …

SOMETHING SMELLS VERY FISHY IN ALASKA  —  ANCHORAGE - Something stinks.  Not just an ordinary low tide smell.  Not like something you'd blame on the dog.  It smells like an infection.  For me to plug my nose, I'd have to overlook some curious facts.  —  In Alaska, more people voted …

A Butler Well Served by This Election  —  For 34 Years, Eugene Allen Carried White House Trays With Pride.  Now There's Even More Reason to Carry Himself That Way.  —  For more than three decades Eugene Allen worked in the White House, a black man unknown to the headlines.

U.S. Stocks Tumble in Market's Worst Two-Day Slump Since 1987  —  Nov. 6 (Bloomberg) — U.S. stocks slid, sending the market to its biggest two-day slump since 1987, after jobless claims jumped and the shrinking economy crushed earnings at companies from Blackstone Group Inc. to News Corp.

The Right's Inequality Challenge  —  In politics, there are lots of ways to win an election.  The best thing is to just be lucky.  If your opponent screws up enough, you'll win.  But it's one thing to win an election and another thing to implement a successful governing agenda.