THE BACK STORY OF VALERIE JARRETT, ILLINOIS U.S. SENATE SEAT AND THE WHITE HOUSE  —  No one with President-elect Barack Obama's transition team has identified his close friend and adviser Valerie Jarrett as Senate candidate #1, as mentioned in the criminal complaint against Gov. Rod Blagojevich …

GOP: ‘ACTION ALERT - AUTO BAILOUT’  —  Countdown has obtained a memo entitled “Action Alert - Auto Bailout,” and sent Wednesday at 9:12am, to Senate Republicans.  The names of the sender(s) and recipient(s) have been redacted in the copy Countdown obtained.

UK caused cholera, says Zimbabwe  —  The cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe which has left hundreds dead was caused by the UK, an ally of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has said.  —  Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu described the outbreak as a “genocidal onslaught on the people of Zimbabwe by the British”.

A Bailout Plan the GOP Can Support  —  Inspired by a commenter, I have come up with an auto industry bailout plan.  For years, we have been treated to the following comments: … And this: … Rep. Steve King (R-IA) was even dedicated enough to run the numbers:

22 Pounds of UAW Rules and Regulations  —  Ever wondered what a UAW contract looks like?  Here is all 22 pounds of it (in this case, Ford's 2,215 page 2007 master contract; Coke can is for scale and because I was thirsty).  —  I'll tell you this much, those 2,215 pages don't include much regarding efficiency and competitiveness.

Absentee vote issue headed for state Supreme Court  —  Minneapolis election director Cindy Reichert addressed members of the state Canvassing Board at the State Capitol on Friday morning.  Members (l to r) are: Kathleen R. Gearin, Chief Judge, Second Judicial District; Eric J. Magnuson …

McCain Campaign Sells Info-Loaded Blackberry to FOX 5 Reporter  —  Exclusive FOX 5 Investigation  —  ARLINGTON, Va. - Private information at bargain prices.  It was a high-tech flub at the McCain-Palin campaign headquarters in Arlington when Fox 5's Investigative Reporter Tisha Thompson bought …

Exclusive: Pentagon Pro-Troop Group Misspent Millions, Report Says  —  While the Pentagon preps for a new administration, a scandal from an earlier era is rearing its head.  —  A Defense Department project, supposedly designed to support U.S. troops, was used instead to channel millions …

Sorry, We're Booked, White House Tells Obamas  —  Michelle, Malia and Sasha Obama met Barack Obama's campaign plane in Colorado on Nov. 1.  (Photo: Damon Winter/The New York Times)  —  Updated |  3:12 p.m. CHICAGO—The White House has turned down a request from the family …

Fed Refuses to Disclose Recipients of $2 Trillion  —  A A A  —  Dec. 12 (Bloomberg) — The Federal Reserve refused a request by Bloomberg News to disclose the recipients of more than $2 trillion of emergency loans from U.S. taxpayers and the assets the central bank is accepting as collateral.

Using the courts to oust Blagojevich on the theory that he's “disabled” from serving as governor.  —  Illinois AG Lisa Madigan makes the move to oust Blagojevich that we were talking about yesterday. … Oh, the irony!  Grabbing power to oust someone for grabbing power.

Corker: UAW didn't ‘release’ Dems  —  Sen. Bob Corker, who emerged as a central player in the auto-bailout debate, insisted Friday that the package that collapsed in the Senate could be revived and easily clear Congress if the United Auto Workers agreed to wage concessions.