Pritzker as Commerce Secretary Unlikely  —  Hotel heiress Penny Pritzker, who commanded Barack Obama's record-shattering fundraising operation, has run into business obstacles that will likely prevent her from becoming Commerce secretary, sources close to the president-elect said.

Waxman wrestles gavel from Dingell  —  Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) will become the next chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee after House Democrats voted to replace current Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.).  —  Waxman won 137-122 in the secret ballot vote.

Arizonan will head Homeland Security  —  Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano (D) has been chosen to serve as secretary of the vast and troubled Department of Homeland Security for President-elect Obama, Democratic officials said.  Napolitano is a border governor who will now be responsible …

Health Insurers Offer to Accept All Applicants, on Condition  —  WASHINGTON — The health insurance industry said Wednesday that it would support a health care overhaul requiring insurers to accept all customers, regardless of illness or disability.  But in return, the industry said …

Senate GOP in big funk  —  A day after losing Ted Stevens' seat, along with their best hope for getting Joe Lieberman to cross over, Senate GOP leaders preached party unity as the key to surviving the Obama years.  —  If that doesn't work, there's always psychotherapy.

Iran Said to Have Nuclear Fuel for One Weapon  —  Iran has now produced roughly enough nuclear material to make, with added purification, a single atom bomb, according to nuclear experts analyzing the latest report from global atomic inspectors.  —  The figures detailing Iran's progress …

McCain Pollster Explains Loss, Calls Frank Luntz A Moron  —  The chief pollster for John McCain's presidential campaign offered a candid diagnosis of how his candidate was done in, on occasion reserving harsh words for fellow Republicans.  —  Bill McInturff, speaking at a National Journal breakfast …

Auto Execs Fly Corporate Jets to D.C., Tin Cups in Hand  —  There are 24 daily nonstop flights from Detroit to the Washington area.  Richard Wagoner, Alan Mulally and Robert Nardelli probably should have taken one of them.  —  Instead, the chief executives of the Big Three automakers opted …

Kerry poised to cap long journey  —  Will lead panel that thrust him to fame in '71  —  EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/GETTY IMAGES/file Barack Obama and John Kerry embraced at a political rally in Charleston, S.C., during the presidential campaign in January.  (EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/GETTY IMAGES/file)

Challenged ballots: You be the judge  —  Representatives from the campaigns of Sen. Norm Coleman and Al Franken have been challenging ballots across the state.  —  It's your turn to play election judge.  Tell us how you would rule in the case of these challenged ballots.

Ignore the Stock Market Until February  —  The current volatility is less about fundamentals than forced selling.  —  Down in the morning, up in the afternoon.  Or is it the other way around?  The topsy-turvy stock market is tough to read.  —  In the last year, the Dow Jones Industrial Average …

New friendly fire coverup: Army shreds files on dead soldiers  —  Editor's note: On Oct. 14, 2008, Salon published an article about the deaths of Army Pfc. Albert Nelson and Pfc. Roger Suarez.  The Army attributed their deaths in Iraq in 2006 to enemy action; Salon's investigation …

Conservative Transportation Policy  —  Politico reports on conservatives trying to think of some ideas: … I'm not sure exactly what Strassel has in mind, but to my way of thinking an enormous amount of good could be done if conservatives were more interested in applying really basic free market principles to transportation policy.

The race for 2012 kicks off?  —  (CNN) — Remember the date.  Thursday, November 20, 2008.  Mike Huckabee visits Iowa.  Just 16 days have passed since the presidential election, and 2012 is a long, long, long way away.  —  So what gives?  Is the former Republican presidential candidate heading …

Most Americans Back Idea of Clinton as Secretary of State  —  Nearly 8 in 10 Democrats favor the possibility  — USA - Election 2008 - Elections - Government - Party Affiliation - The Presidency - Americas - Northern America  —  PRINCETON, NJ — A new Gallup Poll finds a majority of Americans …

Regenerating a Mammoth for $10 Million  —  Scientists are talking for the first time about the old idea of resurrecting extinct species as if this staple of science fiction is a realistic possibility, saying that a living mammoth could perhaps be regenerated for as little as $10 million.

Moore: Automakers never listened to workers, consumers  —  (CNN) — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid reversed plans Wednesday to hold a test vote on an automakers' bailout bill on Thursday.  Reid had planned to move on legislation that would have taken $25 billion from the $700 billion already approved …

GOP Takes Another Image Hit Post-Election  —  Republicans favor tacking right; independents offer mixed guidance  — USA - Democrats - Favorability - Government and Politics - Political Parties - Republicans - Americas - Northern America  —  PRINCETON, NJ — The Republican Party's image …