Report Sounds Alarm on Threat of Weapons of Mass Destruction  —  The odds that terrorists will soon strike a major city with weapons of mass destruction are now better than even, a bipartisan congressionally mandated task force concludes in a draft study that warns of growing threats from rogue states …

The Sovereignty Dodge  —  What Pakistan Won't Do, the World Should  —  “We don't think the world's great nations and countries can be held hostage by non-state actors,” Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said yesterday.  Fair enough.  But what is the world to do when those non-state actors operate …

Pardon Is Back in Focus for the Justice Nominee  —  WASHINGTON — In the much praised career of Eric H. Holder Jr., President-elect Barack Obama's choice to be attorney general, there is one notable blemish: Mr. Holder's complicated role in the 2001 pardon of Marc Rich, a billionaire financier …

A Rush for Clinton's Senate Seat  —  N.Y. Governor Is Silent for Now About Any Early Favorites  —  The nomination of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to be secretary of state in the Obama administration has set off an intense political scramble in New York for a cherished prize: her soon-to-be-vacant Senate seat.

Palin Does Georgia: What Does It Mean?  —  PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — As the Fix prepared to head back east to the frigid and snowy east (booo!) yesterday, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was barnstorming the state of Georgia on behalf of Sen. Saxby Chambliss, whose political fate hangs in the balance of today's runoff.

Automakers' plans due today  —  Today's the deadline for the Big Three automakers to send their restructuring plans to Congress as they attempt to get a $25 billion taxpayer bailout they say they need to avoid insolvency.  —  Congress requested the plans after the chief executive officers of Ford …

Economic Signs Point to Longer, Deeper Recession  —  Decline Began a Year Ago, Experts Declare; Wall Street Reacts With Huge Sell-Off  —  The U.S. economy entered a recession one year ago, a group of the nation's leading economists said yesterday, and new evidence that the downturn will be deep …

Afghan Strategy Poses Stiff Challenge for Obama  —  WASHINGTON — One of the most difficult challenges President-elect Barack Obama's national security team faces is Mr. Obama's vow to send thousands of American troops to help defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Franken May Ask Senate to Intervene in Minn. Recount  —  Democrat Al Franken's campaign said Monday that as many as 1,000 absentee ballots were improperly disqualified in Minnesota's Senate race, and that it may appeal to courts or the U.S. Senate to order that those ballots be counted.

Gates's Top Deputies May Leave  —  Major Shifts at Pentagon Anticipated in Obama Administration  —  Although President-elect Barack Obama's decision to keep Robert M. Gates at the helm of the Pentagon will provide a measure of continuity for a military fighting two wars …

Lieberman now praising Obama  —  Sen. Joe Lieberman, the maverick lawmaker from Connecticut, has praised President-elect Barack Obama's national security team after criticizing Obama's ability to lead during wartime earlier this year.  —  Lieberman, the Democrat-turned-independent …

Federal Reserve Policies in the Financial Crisis  —  It is a privilege for me to be here in Texas, and I would like to thank the Austin Chamber for hosting this luncheon.  The Texas economy is strong and diversified, accounting for more than a trillion dollars of output last year.

Murkowski to Palin: Leave my seat alone  —  Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski has some Republican-to-Republican advice for Gov. Sarah Palin: If you want to make a run at the White House, keep your hands off my Senate seat.  —  Murkowski, up for reelection in 2010, is nervously awaiting word …

Fiscal Policy Puzzles  —  As a student of Alan Blinder, Larry Summers, and Stanley Fischer, I was trained to view the short-run effects of fiscal policy through the lens of Keynesian macroeconomic theory.  I am sure that many of the economists in the new Obama administration share that intellectual framework.

Broader medical refusal rule may go far beyond abortion  —  The Bush administration plans a new ‘right of conscience’ rule that would allow more workers to refuse more procedures.  Critics say it could apply to artificial insemination and birth control.  —  Reporting from Washington …

NO MANDATE FOR LIBERAL-NDP-SEPARATIST BACKROOM COALITION  —  On October 14, 2008 Canadians rendered a clear judgment in the Federal Election.  —  Stephen Harper and the Conservatives promised strong, certain leadership to protect Canada's future in a time of unprecedented turmoil.

Sink not running against Martinez  —  One of the Democrats' leading candidates to challenge Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) in 2010 has decided to pass up the opportunity, according to a source familiar with her decision.  —  Florida's chief financial officer, Alex Sink, has decided to run …

Love the victims, loathe their killers  —  All terrorism is monstrous, but the murder of Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg by “religious Islamic extremists” stands out for its unspeakable infamy.  The deliberate targeting of a small Jewish center and its married young directors …