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 …

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.

In full: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's ‘alternative’ Christmas message  —  Full text of Iranian President's Christmas message to be broadcast on Channel 4  —  In the Name of God the Compassionate, the Merciful.  —  Upon the anniversary of the birth of Jesus, Son of Mary, the Word of God …

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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 …

Pope issues plea for end to child abuse  —  VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict led the world's 1.1 billion Roman Catholics into Christmas at a midnight mass Thursday in which he appealed for an end to child abuse in all its forms.  —  He also called for peace in the Middle East, ahead of a possible trip to the region next year.

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.

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 …

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 …

Russia may cut off Ukraine's gas  —  Russian gas giant Gazprom has renewed its threat to cut off gas supplies to Ukraine on 1 January, saying a contract dispute has reached a “critical” stage.  —  But Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov stressed that the dispute would not disrupt gas deliveries to Europe.

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.

A New Partner In Syria?  —  DAMASCUS, Syria — President Bashar al-Assad says he doesn't want to send a message to Barack Obama, exactly, but to express a three-part hope for the incoming administration's Middle East policy:  —  First, he hopes Obama won't start “another war anywhere in the world, especially not in the Middle East.”