New York Housing Chief Is Chosen for Cabinet  —  WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama has picked the widely respected housing commissioner for New York City, Shaun Donovan, to be the secretary of housing in his cabinet.  —  Assuming that Mr. Donovan, 42, is confirmed by the Senate …

They Can't Be That Desperate  —  Dear God: … I honestly don't know quite how to deal with this.  Over the past year I have strained and even broken treasured friendships over the idea that allowing a Republican to win over a Democrat, no matter how bad he or she is …

Now Accused of Fraud, Wall St. Wizard Had His Skeptics  —  For years, investors, rivals and regulators all wondered how Bernard L. Madoff worked his magic.  —  But on Friday, less than 24 hours after this prominent Wall Street figure was arrested on charges connected with what authorities portrayed …

The Obama Administration Is Now Damaged Goods, Obama Lied To America  —  Update: A consensus is brewing about Obama's pending troubles - see here, here, here and here.  —  Major Update Below!  —  The big dominos seem to be falling already, less than a week from the news breaking.

Sorry, Obamas, Early Check-In Isn't Available  —  CHICAGO — To the list of people having trouble finding somewhere in Washington to stay in early January, there can now be added one more entry: the Obama family.  —  President Bush's aides have turned down a request from President-elect Barack Obama …

Obama logo ideas that weren't chosen  —  Sol Sender, who led a design team for the Obama 08 logo, was recently interviewed about the project.  —  Here's a walk through the various logo options, with some of Sol's thoughts.  The full interview videos can be watched on the website of VSA Partners (where Sol is now a strategist).

Meet the GOP's wrecking crew  —  Why did a small group of Southern Republicans turn the auto bailout into a demolition derby?  Introducing the senators who hate unions and love foreign cars.  —  WASHINGTON — On July 15, Bob Corker was a happy man.  —  “I cannot think of a more exciting day …

Blago could decide future by Monday  —  Gov. Blagojevich will decide early next week — perhaps as early as Monday — whether he should resign, a source close to the governor told the Chicago Sun-Times.  —  “He was blindsided by this,” the source said.  “He needs some time to digest what's going on.

Fitzgerald Should Keep His Opinions to Himself  —  As in the Libby case, his behavior is ‘appalling.’  —  Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's “conduct would make Lincoln roll over in his grave,” according to U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald.  But Mr. Fitzgerald's statement would, at the very least …

Media Matters: Media pick up where they left off 8 years ago  —  To anyone who lived through the media feeding frenzy of the 1990s, during which the nation's leading news organizations spent the better part of a decade destroying their own credibility by relentlessly hyping a series of non-scandals …

Our Sen. Kennedy?  Tipsville . . .  Is Chris Kennedy, the son of the late, great U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, a possible entrant on the list to fill Presidentelect Barack Obama's Senate seat?  —  •  • To wit: Sneed hears Kennedy's name has been wafted into the inner circle of Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn …

Obama's Friends Form Strategy for Staying Tight-Knit  —  Last Sunday night, President-elect Barack Obama's three closest friends — Martin Nesbitt, Eric Whitaker and Valerie Jarrett — sat down in the study of Mr. Nesbitt's house in Chicago for one of their increasingly frequent heart-to-hearts.

Gates, in Iraq, Affirms U.S. Pullout Goal  —  BALAD, Iraq — The top American commander in Iraq said Saturday that some soldiers would remain in a support role in cities beyond summer 2009, when a new security agreement calls for the removal of American combat troops from urban areas.

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.