Toxic Asset Plan Foresees Big Subsidies for Investors  —  WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department is expected to unveil early next week its long-delayed plan to buy as much as $1 trillion in troubled mortgages and related assets from financial institutions, according to people close to the talks.

The Problem With Flogging A.I.G.  —  Can we all just calm down a little?  —  Yes, the $165 million in bonuses handed out to executives in the financial products division of American International Group was infuriating.  Truly, it was.  As many others have noted, this is the same unit whose …

How Obama can make up for his gaffe  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  My older brother has Down syndrome, which hinders his ability to learn.  Despite his disability, he graduated from high school and lived independently with a job for several years until …

Israeli Soldier Says Military Rabbis Framed Gaza Mission as Religious  —  A soldier involved in Israel's recent military offensive in the Gaza Strip said in published reports Friday that the military's rabbinical staff distributed material characterizing the operation as a religious mission to …

VIDEO: Obama's 4 budget principles  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  Previewing a critical week for his administration, President Barack Obama on Saturday called on Congress Saturday to pass a budget that adheres to four principles: increasing energy independence …

ARE WE A BANANA REPUBLIC?  —  I'm stupefied to find that some people are defending the constitutionality of Nancy Pelosi's discriminatory, confiscatory and retroactive tax on people who receive bonus income from companies that got TARP money.  I would have considered it a bright line rule …

Iran's supreme leader dismisses Obama overtures  —  TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's supreme leader rebuffed President Barack Obama's latest outreach on Saturday, saying Tehran was still waiting to see concrete changes in U.S. policy.  —  Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was responding to a video message Obama released Friday …

WITCH HUNTERY!  —  A great exchange on CNBC between the anchor and Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), one of the few elected voices of reason during the financial crisis:

Analysis: Obama rhetoric, reality clash  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  WASHINGTON - Barack Obama's optimistic campaign rhetoric has crashed headlong into the stark reality of governing.  —  In office two months, he has backpedaled on an array of issues …

North Korea confirms two Americans detained  —  SEOUL, (AFP) - North Korea on Saturday confirmed that it had detained two American journalists along the border with China earlier this week, amid tensions in the region over Pyongyang's plans for a rocket launch.

Conyers suggests probe of ACORN  —  Calls fraud charges ‘serious’  —  In an startling partisan shift, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. on Thursday proposed holding hearings on claims the liberal activist group ACORN engaged in a pattern of crimes ranging from voter fraud to a mob-style “protection” racket.

US Post Service looks for new ways to cut losses  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  WASHINGTON - The U.S. Postal Service has already suggested dropping a day of mail delivery to save money.  Now, with economic gloom everywhere, it's turning to early retirements, management cutbacks and office closings.

ARE ANN ALTHOUSE'S COMMENTERS ANTI-SEMITES?  —  The other day I twittered (tweeted? tweetered?) that “Ann Althouse sure has a lot of anti-semitic commenters.”  Althouse wants a correction and an apology.  In any case, she's certainly entitled to an explanation.

Obama could make top high court lawyer a justice  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Elena Kagan on Friday became the nation's first female Solicitor General, a position informally regarded as the 10th Supreme Court justice and, for her, a possible audition for a spot in the starting nine.