Top Items:
New York Times:
Discussions With Clintons as Obama Creates Team — WASHINGTON — Former President Bill Clinton has agreed to all of the conditions sought by President-elect Barack Obama's transition team to eliminate potential conflicts of interest if Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton becomes secretary of state …
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Washington Post:
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.
Discussion:
TIME.com, The Washington Independent, Scared Monkeys, The Fix, QandO and The Moderate Voice
CNN:
Sources: Pritzker, Napolitano vetted for Cabinet — (CNN) — Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano is President-elect Barack Obama's top choice for homeland security secretary, according to multiple Democratic sources close to the transition. — One source said he believed the final decision depends …
Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Barack Obama and the Culture of Leaks — Throughout the election cycle President-elect Barack Obama and his campaign remained tight-lipped. These days, it's tougher to keep a secret. (EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images) — Throughout President-elect Barack Obama's primary and general election campaigns …
Mike Allen / The Politico:
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 …
Discussion:
The Swamp, Ben Smith's Blogs, Jezebel, Think Progress, TalkLeft, FiveThirtyEight.com, Associated Press, The Washington Independent, ATTACKERMAN, Outside The Beltway, Reuters, 24Ahead, Prairie Weather, TIME.com, THE LIBERAL JOURNAL, Wonkette, MyDD, Donklephant, Swing State Project and Joe. My. God.
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Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
NAPOLITANO TO DHS.... There were widespread hopes that Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano (D) would find a role in the Obama administration, so the overnight news was encouraging. … Reports about Napolitano's DHS gig have been confirmed by the Washington Post and CNN, with the cable network, I believe, the first to break the news.
Discussion:
The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Washington Post, Salon, The New Republic, The Reaction and Truthdig
Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
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 …
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Robert Pear / New York Times:
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 …
New York Times:
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 …
RELATED:
Joby Warrick / Washington Post:
Syrian Facility Looked Like Reactor, U.N. Says
Syrian Facility Looked Like Reactor, U.N. Says
Discussion:
ThreatsWatch
Bryan Bender / Boston Globe:
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)
Michelle Malkin:
eHarmony forced to offer same-sex dating services — So, this is “progress?” eHarmony, a Christian-targeted dating website, gets sued by a gay man demanding that the business match him up with a same-sex partner. The New Jersey Attorney General intervenes on behalf of the gay plaintiff …
The Politico:
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.
Discussion:
MSNBC
Andy Kessler / Wall Street Journal:
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 …
Desi / Greatscat!:
Where is the love? — 11-19-08: CNN: George Bush snubbed at the G20 Summit. Everyone greeting each other and shaking hands, but Bush walks with his head down like the dejected most unpopular kid in high school. —Diane — Welcome Kossacks! Hope you'll check out the site …
Salon:
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 …
Karl Rove / Wall Street Journal:
Now Obama Has to Govern — There may be more difficulties than he realizes in closing Gitmo. — Presidential transitions can be problematic. The candidate is utterly exhausted. Supporters have unattainable expectations and unrealistic personal hopes.
New York Times:
Flunking the Electoral College — On Dec. 15, the United States will endure a quadrennial ritual born in the economics and politics of slavery and the quill-pen era. Members of the Electoral College are scheduled to meet in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia to formally choose the next president.
Discussion:
Prairie Weather
CNN:
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 …
Discussion:
Donklephant
Patt Morrison / Los Angeles Times:
California Rep. Linda Sanchez's baby announcement — It was planned, and so is a wedding in the future with the father. — When was the last time you read a baby announcement on the Op-Ed pages? — Exactly. So this is obviously more than baby news. It's about how far we've come, and where we may still fall short.
Discussion:
Reliable Source
Bob Geiger:
Democrats Push For Unemployment Benefits Extension Today — The United States Senate will vote this week — and very likely today — on a bill that will extend unemployment insurance benefits by seven weeks for the jobless whose benefits have run out and a total of 13 weeks for those in states …
Discussion:
Think Progress