Barack Obama is warned to beware of a ‘huge threat’ from al-Qaeda  —  Security officials fear a ‘spectacular’ during the transition period  —  Barack Obama is being given ominous advice from leaders on both sides of the Atlantic to brace himself for an early assault from terrorists.

GOP senator: McCain betrayed Republican principles  —  MYRTLE BEACH, South Carolina (CNN) - South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint on Friday became one of the first high-profile Republicans to publicly criticize John McCain following his electoral defeat, blaming the Arizona senator …

Rahm Emanuel Roasts Stephen Colbert (VIDEO)  —  White House chief of staff-designate Rahm Emanuel took some time off from the transition Friday night to hurl barbs at his longtime pseudo-nemesis Stephen Colbert (as well as Joe Biden, Sarah Palin, Joe Lieberman, et al...)

Obama-Biden Transition: Agency Review Teams  —  Obama-Biden Transition: Agency Review Teams  —  The Agency Review Teams for the Obama-Biden Transition will complete a thorough review of key departments, agencies and commissions of the United States government, as well as the White House …

NYT: Transition tangled in lobbying ties  —  Dozens of former influence seekers are among those getting jobs  —  WASHINGTON - President-elect Barack Obama has imposed stricter conflict-of-interest restrictions on his White House transition team than any president before him.

Spam Turns Serious and Hormel Turns Out More  —  AUSTIN, Minn. — The economy is in tatters and, for millions of people, the future is uncertain.  But for some employees at the Hormel Foods Corporation plant here, times have never been better.  They are working at a furious pace and piling up all the overtime they want.

What Happens If You're on the Gay “Enemies List”  —  Ever since a slim majority outlawed gay marriage in California, opponents have waged national protests and petitions, urging the judicial system to reconsider the results of the Nov. 4 referendum.  (Proposition 8 overturned an earlier decision …

The Wild Wordsmith of Wasilla  —  Electronic devices dislike me.  There is never a day when something isn't ailing.  Three out of these five implements — answering machine, fax machine, printer, phone and electric can-opener — all dropped dead on me in the past few days.

Blame to Go Around  —  I was ranting the other day about the evils of the finance sector and its denizens, and one of the people I was talking to, being a reasonable person, tried to get me to put things in perspective.  “But,” she said, “don't you also blame the people who took out loans …

Change You Can Conceive In  —  Could euphoric Obama fans be sparking a baby boom? … From the magazine issue dated Nov 24, 2008  —  The theory is almost too perfect to be true.  Barack Obama, the son of politically progressive parents, was born Aug. 4, 1961—almost nine months …

Beyond Doom & Gloom  —  On the governors, Sarah Palin, and challenges ahead.  —  The Washington Post's front page story on the Republican Governors Association meeting last week carried the headline “Republican Governors Meet, Glumly.”  After the jump, the Post bannered its account, “Doom and Gloom at GOP Governors' Meeting.”

Hawaii friends, former co-workers remember Madelyn Dunham  —  Former co-workers, friends honor Obama's grandmother at tribute  —  From bank retirees to curious visitors to former bridge partners, hundreds turned out yesterday to share their memories of and pay their respects to Madelyn Payne Dunham …

How to Ground The Street  —  President-elect Barack Obama will soon face the extraordinary task of saving capitalism from its own excesses, much as Franklin D. Roosevelt had to do 76 years ago.  Up until this point in the crisis, policymakers have appropriately applied the rules of triage …