Malkin: Democrats Will ‘Turn On A Dime’ Against Patrick Fitzgerald  —  This morning on Fox and Friends, right-wing pundit Michelle Malkin took up the conservative mantra of linking President-elect Obama to disgraced governor Rod Blagojevich (D-IL).  (In fact, Obama may have “indirectly contributed to the downfall” of Blagojevich.)

Auto Bailout Appears Halted in Senate as G.O.P. Resists  —  WASHINGTON — In a last-ditch effort to revive a government rescue for the American auto industry, Senator Bob Corker, Republican of Tennessee, was trying late Thursday to persuade Senate Democrats to back an alternate plan …

The Unreal Bill Ayers  —  Three Decades After the Weather Underground's End, He's Still Justifying Its Means  —  I never thought Barack Obama's acquaintance with former Weather Underground leader Bill Ayers disqualified him for the White House.  And now that Obama has been elected …

Blagojevich's Legal Bills Topped $500,000  —  CHICAGO — The criminal complaint against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich repeatedly refers to his family's financial troubles.  Those problems include more than $500,000 in unpaid legal bills, according to people familiar with the matter.

Obama's atomic umbrella: U.S. nuclear strike if Iran nukes Israel  —  U.S. President-elect Barack Obama's administration will offer Israel a “nuclear umbrella” against the threat of a nuclear attack by Iran, a well-placed American source said earlier this week.

Whitewashing Fannie Mae  —  Congress begins its self-absolution campaign.  —  Henry Waxman's House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform met Tuesday to examine “The Role of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the Financial Crisis.”  Alas, Mr. Waxman didn't come to bury Fan and Fred, but to bury the truth.

FIRST THOUGHTS: NO ORDINARY HONEYMOON  —  From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Carrie Dann  —  *** No ordinary honeymoon: While the political world continues to focus on the Blagojevich scandal, which at this point has been only a headache for the incoming Obama administration …

NASA has become a transition problem for Obama  —  CAPE CANAVERAL - NASA administrator Mike Griffin is not cooperating with President-elect Barack Obama's transition team, is obstructing its efforts to get information and has told its leader that she is “not qualified” to judge his rocket program, the Orlando Sentinel has learned.

Bipartisan Report: Rumsfeld Responsible for Detainee Abuse  —  Senate Committee Finds Officials Made Decisions That Led to Offenses Against Prisoners  —  A bipartisan Senate report released today says that former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and other top Bush administration officials …

A box unchecked  —  An Ambinder reader notices a gap in the diversity of the otherwise extraordinarily, thoroughly diverse Obama cabinet: Southerners.  —  John Edwards probably would have filled that slot, had he not fallen from grace.  Sam Nunn and Max Cleland have been mentioned, but faded.

North Dakota tops analysis of corruption  —  WASHINGTON — Its largest city is legendary for machine-style politics and its elected leaders have been under investigation for years, but by one measure, Illinois is not even close to the nation's most-corrupt state.  —  North Dakota, it turns out, may hold that distinction instead.

Asking questions, and flagging them  —  A couple of analysts whose opinions I respect, including John Cole, criticized my item yesterday on what I see as an abuse of the “flagging” function on Obama's “Open for Questions” site.  —  I wrote about the ability of some readers to take a highly rated …

Breaking: “Hannity” To Premiere January 12  —  Exclusive: TVNewser has learned Fox News will debut a new program at 9pmET, entitled “Hannity,” featuring Sean Hannity as host.  The program premieres January 12.  —  “Hannity” will include a “Great American Panel” of three nightly in studio guests …

CAROLINE ‘EQUALS J.LO’: DEM  —  REP. TAKES SWIPE AT CAMELOT CELEB POWER  —  ALBANY - A prominent New York Democratic congressman publicly questioned Caroline Kennedy's credentials to replace Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, saying she's no more qualified to hold office than Jennifer Lopez.

Could Detroit Trigger a New Global Meltdown?  —  Washington's Infamous Sex Blogger Gets Hitched by Jessica Cutler  —  Blogs and Stories  —  If history is any indication, bankruptcy filings by American automakers could have aftershocks around the world.  —  Would the auto industry …

David Plouffe  —  If he were less shy and had a funny accent, David Plouffe would be every bit the household name that James Carville is—perhaps even going on Oprah and taking cameo roles in Hollywood movies.  Plouffe is, after all, “the unsung hero” of the “best political campaign …

Obama's Health Care Briefing  —  The following is a transcript of Barack Obama's press conference about his health care team and the Blagojevich scandal, as transcribed by CQ Transcriptions.  —  Speakers:  —  President-elect Barack Obama  —  Former Senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota

The Mattress Stuffers  —  As the financial crisis swept across the nation these past few months, one of the first microtrend groups to emerge is the New Mattress Stuffers — people who have lost their trust in the financial world, and are preparing for the next meltdown.

Starbucks won't slug it out in ad wars  —  McDonald's has erected a billboard in sight of Starbucks headquarters declaring, “four bucks is dumb.”  —  If Dunkin' Donuts' taste test commercials were the schoolyard equivalent of blowing spitballs at the coffee giant from afar, then the latest from McDonald's is like pulling a wedgie.

The Aimless War: Why Are We in Afghanistan?  —  “Things have gotten a bit hairy,” admitted British Lieut. Colonel Graeme Armour as we sat in a dusty, bunkered NATO fortress just outside the city of Lashkar Gah in Helmand province, a deadly piece of turf along Afghanistan's southern border with Pakistan.

Union Linked to Corruption Scandal  —  The Service Employees International Union has long boasted that it is on the cutting edge of the labor movement.  But it found itself badly embarrassed this week when it was linked by name to Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich's maneuvering to secure some financial gain …