Paulson May Ask for Remaining $350 Billion of TARP  —  Nov. 24 (Bloomberg) — Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, less than a week after indicating he would let the Obama administration decide how to use the second half of the $700 billion financial fund, is considering asking for the money.

Bush pardons 14 individuals  —  Outgoing president also commutes the prison sentence of two others  —  WASHINGTON - The Associated Press has learned that President George W. Bush has granted pardons to 14 individuals and commuted the prison sentences of two others.

GOP senator: We haven't learned  —  The Republican U.S. senator sits glumly across the restaurant table.  —  “I don't think we have learned much from the election in terms of what people want to see,” he says.  “We have the same gridlock.”  —  By the “same gridlock,” he means that party hard-liners …

Geithner, Summers among key economic team members announced today  —  Chicago — President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden officially announced key members of their economic team today, naming Timothy Geithner as Secretary of the Treasury and Lawrence Summers as Director of the National Economic Council.

Holy Land Foundation defendants guilty on all counts  —  jtrahan@dallasnews.com  —  A jury on Monday determined that the Holy Land Foundation and five men who worked with the Muslim charity were guilty of three dozen counts related to the illegal funneling of at least $12 million to the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.

For Collins, forgiveness may be tough  —  The tactics used by Democrats to secure at least 58 Senate seats may have damaged their chances of winning vital support from Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) in key votes in the 111th Congress.  —  Collins told colleagues at a small Senate prayer breakfast meeting …

Politico poll: Chambliss up by three  —  Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss holds a narrow lead over Democrat Jim Martin in the Dec. 2 Georgia Senate runoff, according to a new Politico/InsiderAdvantage poll.  —  The poll shows Chambliss leading Martin by three points, 50 to 47 percent, with three percent of respondents undecided.

For Lobbyists, No Downturn, Just a Turnover  —  WASHINGTON — Richard Hunt, a top Republican lobbyist for the securities industry, was among the first to go, just a week after the election.  Marc Racicot, the president of the American Insurance Association and former Republican Party chairman, resigned a few days later.

Minner naming Ted Kaufman to fill Biden's seat  —  Gov. Ruth Ann Minner said today she will appoint Ted Kaufman, a longtime, close adviser to Sen. Joe Biden, to fill the senator's seat until a 2010 special election, a move that some warned could leave Delaware Democratic Party feelings bruised for years to come.

Bigotry on the Bus  —  A week after the election, I was riding the bus home in Santa Monica when we went past one of the many protests around the city against the narrow passage of Proposition 8, which amended the California constitution to eliminate marriage rights for an entire class of people.

The Odd Lies Of Sarah Palin XXV: The Turkey Massacre  —  The wack-job is once again denying reality.  Here's a sane person: … But Palin is now denying all of it, and implicitly calling the photographer a liar: … Who are you going to believe: Palin or your lyin' eyes?

HISTORY MAKES WAY FOR OBAMA-WORSHIP AT THE NEW YORK TIMES  —  Obama-worship remains the order of the day at the New York Times, and the Times is more than happy to rewrite history on behalf of the candidate it worked so hard to elect.  —  Consider this piece by David Sanger.

Candidate For RNC Chair Was Member Of Whites-Only Country Club  —  Now here's a good way for the GOP to make the case that it hasn't been reduced to a southern regional rump party that's held hostage by intolerant crackpots: Elect as the new chairman of the Republican National Committee …

49% Say U.S. Should Keep Guantanamo Prison Open  —  Nearly half of U.S. voters (49%) say the United States should not close the terrorist prison camp at Guantanamo Naval Base in Cuba, but the identical number (49%) also say Barack Obama is Very likely to close it in the first year of his presidency.

State high court opens door for prosecuting some medical pot suppliers  —  (11-24) 14:41 PST SAN FRANCISCO — Someone who supplies marijuana to a patient who has a doctor's approval for it can be prosecuted for drug-dealing, the state Supreme Court ruled today in a narrow interpretation of California's medical marijuana law.

Zimbabwe on brink of collapse as outbreak of cholera spreads  —  The situation in Zimbabwe may soon “implode” as a cholera outbreak spreads and basic services collapse, South African leaders and a group of international statesmen warned yesterday.  —  On the eve of talks in South Africa …

Transcript: Reps. Hoyer and Boehner on ‘FNS’  —  WASHINGTON — WALLACE: And we're back to discuss the possible auto bailout and how Congress will work with the incoming Obama administration.  —  Joining us, two men who will have a big say in all that, House majority leader Steny Hoyer, and the Republican leader John Boehner.

Hero of the Day  —  Marine Makes Insurgents Pay the Price November 18, 2008 Marine Corps News  —  FARAH PROVINCE, Afghanistan - In the city of Shewan, approximately 250 insurgents ambushed 30 Marines and paid a heavy price for it.  —  Shewan has historically been a safe haven for insurgents …

Opposition gains ground in Venezuela elections  —  CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's growing opposition and President Hugo Chavez's left-wing party shared the spoils from weekend elections as they jostled for political momentum in the OPEC nation on Monday.  —  The multi-party opposition …