Transition Team Releases Review of Contacts  —  Today the Obama Transition Team released the review of Obama Transition staff contacts with Governor Blagojevich and his office.  Download a PDF of the memo.

When a Woman Isnt in the Mood: Part I  —  Given our preoccupation with politics and economics, it is easy to forget that for most of us micro issues still play a greater role in our lives.  So here are some thoughts that, as heretical as they might sound, have been found extremely helpful …

Exclusive: Cheney's admissions to the CIA leak prosecutor and FBI  —  Vice President Dick Cheney, according to a still-highly confidential FBI report, admitted to federal investigators that he rewrote talking points for the press in July 2003 that made it much more likely that the role …

Rev. Pat Robertson: 'I am remarkably pleased with Obama...he's picked a middle-of-the-road Cabinet.'  —  In an interview with CNN's The Situation Room, conservative televangelist Pat Robertson ripped the Bush administration for its failures in mishandling and mismanaging the economic bailout …

It's a Wonderful Thought  —  Over the years, Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life has become a Christmas classic—a heartwarming, eye-watering parable about virtue being its own reward.  —  The story of George Bailey, the big-hearted proprietor of Bailey Savings & Loan, is morally uncomplicated.

U.S. and Afghans Plan to Recruit Local Militias  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — Taking a page from the successful experiment in Iraq, American commanders and Afghan leaders are preparing to arm local militias to help in the fight against a resurgent Taliban.  But along with hope …

Nearly the End of the Line for S.U.V.'s  —  JANESVILLE, Wis. — Even a federal bailout could not save three of the last remaining plants in the United States still making sport utility vehicles.  —  Reeling from its financial problems and a collapsing S.U.V. market, General Motors …

The Big Question: What's behind Christmas traditions - and just how traditional are they?  —  Why are we asking this now?  —  Tonight you will put up the stockings, Santa Claus will arrive on his sleigh drawn by reindeer to slide down your chimney in his trademark red suit with a sack over his shoulder …

Texas report: Abuse widespread in polygamist sect  —  SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Nearly two-thirds of the families living at a polygamist group's ranch — targeted in a high-profile raid last spring — had children who were abused or neglected, Texas child welfare officials said in a report released Tuesday.

Coleman speaks!  —  For the first time since the Minnesota Senate recount began, Sen. Norm Coleman briefly talked to a Minneapolis TV station about the recount, where he finds himself trailing Al Franken for the first time.  —  “I feel fairly confident.  In the end, the good Lord's going to decide …

Why Obama Really Might Decriminalize Marijuana  —  The stoner community is clamoring to say it: “Yes we cannabis!”  Turns out, with several drug-war veterans close to the president-elect's ear, insiders think reform could come in Obama's second term — or sooner.

Fat-Fueled Ford Is Biodiesel Biohazard  —  If you had cosmetic surgery with Dr. Craig Alan Bittner, there's a chance fat sucked from your butt went right into the fuel tank of his SUV.  Bittner called his thigh-test fuel “lipo-diesel.”  We call it revolting, but we're also stepping out on a limb and calling his bluff.

Lone Star State to pick up 3 seats  —  Texas will lose some influence in Washington when President George W. Bush leaves the White House, but a new study finds that the Lone Star state will be the big winner in the upcoming congressional reapportionment.  —  The study, from the firm Election …

Massive Coal Ash Spill in Tennessee puts the lie to Clean Coal  —  When it comes to PR spindoctoring there is always one surefire cure - reality.  —  If you were fooled by the multimillion dollar “clean coal” PR marketing campaign take a look at this video footage of a massive flood …

Bush pardons man who helped Israel during wartime  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  WASHINGTON - In a gesture of forgiveness for a decades-old offense, President George W. Bush on Tuesday granted a pardon posthumously to a man who broke the law to supply aircraft …