Top Items:
Mike Soraghan / The Hill:
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.
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Patrick O'Connor / The Politico:
Waxman dethrones Dingell as chairman — California Rep. Henry A. Waxman on Thursday officially dethroned longtime Energy and Commerce Chairman John Dingell, upending a seniority system that has governed Democratic politics in the House for decades. — In a secret ballot vote in the Cannon Caucus Room …
Paul Volpe / Capitol Briefing:
Waxman Defeats Dingell — Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) won the vote, 137-122, to become the new chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, defeating the legendary Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.). — The vote came a day after the House Democratic steering committee recommended Waxman for the post in a narrow 25-22 vote.
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:
The Fix, The New Republic, Top of the Ticket, The Washington Independent, Scared Monkeys, TIME.com and QandO
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:
Ben Smith's Blogs, The Swamp, Reuters, Jezebel, The Impolitic, Think Progress, TalkLeft, Associated Press, FiveThirtyEight.com, The Washington Independent, Outside The Beltway, ATTACKERMAN, Prairie Weather, 24Ahead, The Fix, TIME.com, THE LIBERAL JOURNAL, Wonkette, Donklephant, Joe. My. God., MyDD and Swing State Project
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Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
NAPOLITANO TO DHS.... There were widespread hopes that Arizona …
NAPOLITANO TO DHS.... There were widespread hopes that Arizona …
Discussion:
The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Washington Post, The Swamp, Salon, The New Republic and The Reaction
Spencer S. Hsu / Washington Post:
Ariz. Governor Said to Be Pick For Homeland Security Post
Ariz. Governor Said to Be Pick For Homeland Security Post
Discussion:
JustOneMinute, Michelle Malkin, Moonbattery, NY Daily News, Shakesville, MSNBC and Boston Globe
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 …
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Minnesota Public Radio:
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.
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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 …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Soccer Dad, Outside The Beltway, Commentary, Democracy in America, Jules Crittenden and Right Wing News
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
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 …
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)
Discussion:
TIME.com
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 …
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 …
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 …
Matthew J. Slaughter / Wall Street Journal:
An Auto Bailout Would Be Terrible for Free Trade — Does anyone really expect other countries to ignore our subsidies? — Congress is now considering a federal bailout for America's Big Three automobile companies. Many want to grant them at least $25 billion from the $700 billion Troubled …
Discussion:
Economist's View
Nicholas Wade / New York Times:
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.
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 …
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.