GERRY: SHE'S NOT READY  —  Geraldine Ferraro gave a thumbs down to Caroline Kennedy's bid for the Senate yesterday - even as the Camelot daughter won her biggest endorsement for the job, The Post has learned.  —  Ferraro, the first woman nominee for vice president, sent a letter …

EPA Eases Emissions Regulations for New Power Plants  —  The Environmental Protection Agency ruled yesterday that new power plants are not required to install technology to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, rejecting an argument from environmental groups.  —  The ruling, in a memorandum signed …

If criminal penalties are removed, what will deter lawbreaking by political officials?  —  (updated below)  —  The Washington Post's Ruth Marcus today perfectly expresses the consensus view of establishment Washington regarding the exemption which political elites should and do enjoy from the rule of law …

Document drop: The story behind Change.gov  —  I've obtained documents sent to a reader in response to his FOIA request regarding the creation of Barack Obama's Change.gov website.  It gives you the rest of the story.  You'll recall last month that I blogged several questions about the propriety …

“The search for knowledge, truth and a greater understanding of the world around us”  —  In the latest weekly address, President-elect Barack Obama took a bold stand for making decisions based on science and facts rather than ideology as he introduced leading members of his science and technology team.

A Chance for Consensus on Iraq  —  After our visit to Iraq this month, it is clear that what was once unthinkable there is now taking place: A stable, safe and free Iraq is emerging.  Violence has fallen to the lowest level since the first months of the war.

Johnston's arrest was oxycontin-related  —  WASILLA — Wasilla resident Sherry L. Johnston, mother of Bristol Palin's boyfriend, faces a Jan. 6 court date for an oxycontin-related arrest at her home by Alaska State Troopers.  —  Little additional information was available Friday on the case …

Veep-Hunting  —  Looking for the party line on Cheney?  Here it is.  —  Angler  —  The Cheney Vice Presidency  —  by Barton Gellman  —  Penguin, 384 pp., $27.95  —  Anyone still interested in the sorry state of mainstream journalism should have a good, long look at Barton Gellman's blistering portrait of Dick Cheney.

Pilot killed as plane crashes in Lake Twp.  —  LAKE TWP.: A single-prop, private airplane crashed next to a vacant house on Charolais Street Northwest Friday evening, exploding into flames and killing the pilot.  —  Michael Connell, 45, of Bath Township, was alone in the plane, according to State Highway Patrol Lt. Eric Sheppard.

Tech followups on NYTimes.com blockage in China (updated)  —  On December 19, the NYTimes.com site was apparently blocked all across China.  For the sake of completeness, these followups.  —  1) Could the problem be related to a recent physical break in three of the four main internet cables connecting Asia to North America?