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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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)

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

Jobless claims jump unexpectedly to 16-year high  —  WASHINGTON - New claims for unemployment benefits jumped last week to a 16-year high, the Labor Department said Thursday, providing more evidence of a rapidly weakening job market expected to get even worse next year.

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.

Lights, camera, Senate recount: National and local media ‘brighten’ Minneapolis vote-tabulation scene  —  In a cold Northeast Minneapolis warehouse, election judges and campaign representatives gathered to start the laborious Coleman-Franken recount process.  The day's biggest distraction, it turned out, was the massive media presence.