Five hostages killed in Jewish center, chaos at hotel  —  MUMBAI, India (CNN) — The siege at a Jewish center in Mumbai is in its final stages, according to reports, but fighting still rages at a hotel in the city two days after terrorists launched a series of deadly attacks.

Worker dies at Long Island Wal-Mart after being trampled in Black Friday stampede  —  A worker died after being trampled and a woman miscarried when hundreds of shoppers smashed through the doors of a Long Island Wal-Mart Friday morning, witnesses said.  —  The unidentified worker …

Chris Matthews Staffing Up for Probable Senate Run in 2010  —  [EDIT — 8:26 AM.  I am changing the reporting and headline slightly to more cautiously reflect what our sources are telling us.  Matthews, we have strong reason to believe, is hiring staff for a run at the Senate …

Lest We Forget  —  A few months ago I found myself at a meeting of economists and finance officials, discussing — what else? — the crisis.  There was a lot of soul-searching going on.  One senior policy maker asked, “Why didn't we see this coming?”  —  There was, of course …

Who is Christina Romer?  —  When Barack Obama selected Christina Romer to lead his Council of Economic Advisers, the response of many in Washington was “Christina who?”  —  But in economic circles, Romer was an obvious pick.  The University of California at Berkeley professor …

Thanksgiving Cheer From Obama  —  He's assembled a first-rate economic team.  —  When President-elect Barack Obama's economic transition team met this month, everyone was there — inflation fighters, business leaders, union firebrands and leftist economists — creating confusion about where the new administration was headed.

Wolff: Murdoch ‘absolutely despises’ O'Reilly  —  In Michael Wolff's forthcoming biography of Rupert Murdoch, “The Man Who Owns The News,” the author writes that the media mogul has seemed to turn away lately from his cable news network, and isn't fond its top-rated personality, Bill O'Reilly.

Citigroup Should Be Held Accountable, Obama Aide Podesta Says  —  A A A  —  Nov. 28 (Bloomberg) — The U.S. government should demand accountability and changes at Citigroup Inc., as well as from automakers, in exchange for any financial assistance, a top transition official for President-elect Barack Obama said.

Area's Other Obamas Revel in Rare Moniker  —  Nicanor Obama began to realize he might be on to a good thing when he didn't get a speeding ticket not long ago.  After stopping the 28-year-old for a little lead-footing near the Verizon Center, a District police officer looked at his driver's license and put the citation book away.

Cyber-attack on Defense Department computers raises concerns  —  The ‘malware’ strike, thought to be from inside Russia, hit combat zone computers and the U.S. Central Command overseeing Iraq and Afghanistan.  The attack underscores concerns about computer warfare.

Joan of Arc Was a Loser [Reader Post]  —  Yes, Joan of Arc was a loser.  Moses was a failure.  Churchill was an outcast and then an outcast again.  The Lord Jesus himself was defeated.  This is an important thing to remember at times like this.  The election has been lost.

Stimulus for Skeptics  —  Over the past year, the federal government has poured money into the economy hundreds of billions of dollars at a time.  It has also guaranteed investments, loans and deposits worth about $8 trillion.  Barry Ritholtz, the author of “Bailout Nation,” …