$14B auto bailout dies in Senate  —  WASHINGTON - A bailout-weary Congress killed a $14 billion package to aid struggling U.S. automakers Thursday night after a partisan dispute over union wage cuts derailed a last-ditch effort to revive the emergency aid before year's end.

Obama damage control  —  He was elected president on a promise of “transparency” but barely five weeks later, Barack Obama is scrambling to meet his first big test on openness.  —  Obama's campaign lawyer Bob Bauer is taking a leading role in conducting what one top aide described as …

Blagojevich fundraiser held by Jackson allies Saturday  —  As Gov. Rod Blagojevich was trying to pick Illinois' next U.S. senator, businessmen with ties to both the governor and U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. discussed raising at least $1 million for Blagojevich's campaign as a way to encourage …

Prominent Trader Accused of Defrauding Clients  —  On Wall Street, his name is legendary.  With money he had made as a lifeguard on the beaches of Long Island, he built a trading powerhouse that had prospered for more than four decades.  At age 70, he had become an influential spokesman …

The Real Obama  —  Barack Obama has garnered praise from center to right — and has highly irritated the left — with the centrism of his major appointments.  Because Obama's own beliefs remain largely opaque, his appointments have led to the conclusion that he intends to govern from the center.

McCain pollster: Wright wouldn't have worked  —  John McCain's top pollster, Bill McInturff, said this evening that attacking Barack Obama over his relationship with Rev. Jeremiah Wright would not have helped McCain's campaign and could have destroyed his presidency, had he been elected.

Powell: GOP ‘polarization’ backfired in election  —  (CNN) — The Republican party must stop “shouting at the world” and start listening to minority groups if it is to win elections in the 21st century, former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Thursday.  —  In an interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria …

Politics and the Federal Prosecutor  —  The criminal complaint filed against Illinois Governor Ron Blagojevich is getting ample attention on a number of fronts.  The political entertainment value of the materials filed with the indictment, particularly including the transcripts of some internal conversations, is hard to beat.

Sam Zell's financial adviser at Tribune Co. was middleman sought by Blagojevich  —  Governor sought to withhold Wrigley Field funds unless Chicago Tribune fired editorial writers critical of him, complaint says  —  As Tribune Co. acknowledged Thursday that it received a federal subpoena …

Report Blames Rumsfeld for Detainee Abuses  —  WASHINGTON — A report released Thursday by leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee said top Bush administration officials, including Donald H. Rumsfeld, the former defense secretary, bore major responsibility for the abuses committed …