Minnesota Supremes Shoot Down Crucial Coleman Lawsuit, Making A Franken Win Nearly Certain  —  Norm Coleman just got a Christmas present from the Minnesota Supreme Court: A giant lump of coal.  —  In a unanimous decision handed down just now, the state Supremes denied Coleman any relief …

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran to give alternative Christmas Day message  —  President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran will give a message of seasonal goodwill on Christmas Day as an alternative to the Queen's traditional broadcast, it has been announced.

Toussie pardon canceled  —  President Bush pulled the plug on the pardon of a mortgage scammer, which I noted with surprise yesterday, and whose outraged victims the New York papers quoted today.  —  Isaac Toussie's pardon was among those listed in a press release yesterday.

Time to Reboot America  —  I had a bad day last Friday, but it was an all-too-typical day for America.  —  It actually started well, on Kau Sai Chau, an island off Hong Kong, where I stood on a rocky hilltop overlooking the South China Sea and talked to my wife back in Maryland, static-free, using a friend's Chinese cellphone.

Pastor says ‘God will punish Rick Warren’  —  Wiley Drake criticizes Warren, calls Obama ‘evil illegal alien.’  —  Recommend  —  BUENA PARK — Southern Baptist Pastor Wiley Drake bashed Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren this week, saying “God will punish” Warren for agreeing to give …

CNN Poll: Obama transition draws approval of 4 in 5 Americans  —  (CNN) - Hawaii's always been a great spot for honeymoons — and Barack Obama, who's spending the holiday season there on the beach at Kailua, is unquestionably having one of the best in modern presidential history.

As Christmas Approaches, Muslims Erect ‘Allah Has No Son’ Banner in Nazareth  —  Nazareth, Israel (CNSNews.com) - As Nazareth's Christians prepare to celebrate Christmas, they are playing down the appearance of a confrontational Islamic banner that challenges an elemental Christian belief.

Merry Christmas, Kwanzaa is Over  —  fIn the days leading up the Christmas, one couldn't help but notice that references to Kwanzaa, the decades-old African-American holiday that captured so many dull minds during the Great Culture Wars of the 1990s, were almost nonexistent.

Reboot the FCC  —  We'll stifle the Skypes and YouTubes of the future if we don't demolish the regulators that oversee our digital pipelines.  —  Economic growth requires innovation.  Trouble is, Washington is practically designed to resist it.  Built into the DNA of the most important agencies created …

The Only Facts So Far: 10 Balls, 5 Locations  —  News flash!  Rumors are true!  —  The Presidential Inaugural Committee — trumpets, please! — is hosting 10 official balls on the night of Jan. 20.  —  These, ladies and gentlemen, are the only parties where Barack Obama …

Obama's Job-Creation Program Flunks Basic Math: Caroline Baum  —  A A A  —  Dec. 24 (Bloomberg) — President-elect Barack Obama is still four weeks away from inauguration, and already the size of government is growing.  His initial goal of creating 2.5 million new jobs has been upped to 3 million …

Military center tracking Santa's sleigh ride  —  COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Who says Santa Claus doesn't exist?  —  The military personnel charged with being the eyes in the sky are certainly acting like he does — and they've been joined on the Internet by millions of believers.

Denver mayor confirms interest in Senate job  —  Hickenlooper says he would bring his experience as a business owner to Congress.  —  Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper on Monday confirmed that he is interested in Colorado's looming U.S. Senate vacancy.  —  In a brief interview …

RAID ON PLAX HOME  —  WEAPONS FOUND IN LATEST WOE FOR FALLEN STAR  —  Police yesterday seized a small cache of weapons and ammo from the Totowa, NJ, home of troubled Giants star Plaxico Burress, possibly setting up the suspended grid star for more legal trouble, law-enforcement sources said.

For Stimulus Plan, Obama Team Weighing ‘Green’ Jobs vs. Traditional Projects  —  Obama Weighs Them Vs. Traditional Projects  —  In one of the first internal struggles of the incoming Obama administration, environmentalists and smart-growth advocates are trying to shift the priorities …

Scientists warn Christmas lights harm the planet  —  SCIENTISTS have warned that Christmas lights are bad for the planet due to huge electricity waste and urged people to get energy efficient festive bulbs.  —  CSIRO researchers said householders should know that each bulb turned on in the name …

Resistance to Kennedy Grows Among Democrats  —  ALBANY — Resistance is emerging among Democratic officials against Caroline Kennedy as she pursues Hillary Rodham Clinton's seat in the United States Senate, with Gov. David A. Paterson bristling over suggestions that her selection is inevitable …