Obama On Rick Warren Pick: We Have To Be Able To Agree To Disagree  —  Obama, at his presser today, defends the decision to choose Rick Warren to deliver the invocation as his inauguration with a restatement of his commitment to gay rights and, more broadly, to the principles of unity that have been a hallmark of his rise to power:

AP source: Rep. Hilda Solis is Obama's labor pick  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — A labor official says Rep. Hilda Solis of California will be nominated as labor secretary by President-elect Barack Obama.  —  The Democratic congresswoman was just elected to her fifth term representing heavily Hispanic portions …

New Rule Protects Health-Care Workers' ‘Right of Conscience’  —  The Bush administration today issued a sweeping new regulation that protects a broad range of health-care workers — from doctors to janitors — who refuse to participate in providing services that they believe violate their personal, moral or religious beliefs.

Sources: John Holdren to be Nominated as Obama's Science Adviser  —  Strong indications are that President-elect Barack Obama has picked physicist John Holdren to be the president's science adviser.  —  A top adviser to the Obama campaign and international expert on energy and climate …

The Torture Report  —  Most Americans have long known that the horrors of Abu Ghraib were not the work of a few low-ranking sociopaths.  All but President Bush's most unquestioning supporters recognized the chain of unprincipled decisions that led to the abuse, torture and death in prisons run …

Brett Favre Beats Lizard People  —  Yesterday, the Franken campaign challenged this ballot, claiming that “Brett Favre” was an identifying mark:  —  The Canvassing Board rejected the challenge and awarded the vote to Coleman.  —  Today, just moments ago, the infamous Lizard People ballot came up for the Canvassing Board's review!

Bush Weighs ‘Orderly’ Bankruptcy for Automakers  —  WASHINGTON — The White House said on Thursday that an “orderly” bankruptcy was one option being considered to try to rescue General Motors and Chrysler, which are seeking billions of dollars to avoid a shutdown.

Kennedy is listening to wrong folks  —  Who says Camelot kid Caroline Kennedy isn't ready to be a big-time politician representing New York in the U. S. Senate?  —  She doesn't even have the job yet, and she's already acting like a seasoned insider.  —  In her first visit to Buffalo …

Gay man backed for Navy secretary  —  Foes cite 'Don't ask, don't tell'  —  Some top retired military leaders and some Democrats in Congress are backing William White, chief operating officer of the Intrepid Museum Foundation, to be the next secretary of the Navy - a move that would put …

First Read: Obama names intel czar  —  From NBC's Jim Miklaszewski  —  Sources involved in President-elect Obama's transition confirm that former Admiral Dennis Blair has been selected as the new Director of National Intelligence.  —  A 34-year Navy veteran, Blair was commander …

Todd NBC's chief White House correspondent  —  Will retain political director title in addition to new duties  —  NBC News political director Chuck Todd will add the White House beat and Meet the Press Contributing Editor responsibilities to his list of duties.

Frigid Storm Closes California Freeways, Drops Snow in Malibu  —  LOS ANGELES — Snow snarled major mountain highways and even dusted Malibu on Wednesday as a cold storm hit parts of California.  One person was killed by a wind-related helicopter crash, and an overflowing river …

Conservative Leader Paul Weyrich Dies; First to Lead Heritage  —  Paul M. Weyrich, chairman and CEO of the Free Congress Foundation and first president of The Heritage Foundation, died this morning around 1 a.m. He was 66 years old.  Weyrich was a good friend to many of us at Heritage, a true leader and a man of unbending principle.

Iraqi shoe-thrower ‘apologises’  —  The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at US President George W Bush has apologised to Iraqi PM Nouri Maliki, the prime minister's office says.  —  Local TV reporter Muntader al-Zaidi wrote a letter to Mr Maliki asking for forgiveness over his “ugly act” …

Former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk emerges as front-runner for Obama Cabinet post  —  tgillman@dallasnews.com  —  WASHINGTON - Ron Kirk emerged late Wednesday as the front-runner for an Obama Cabinet post handling international trade, thrusting the pro-trade former Dallas mayor …

A Kennedy-Sharpton Meet-Up at Sylvia's  —  Day Two of Caroline Kennedy's cram session-cum-listening tour of New York took her to Sylvia's, the Harlem soul food institution, for a lunchtime sit-down at the invitation of the Rev. Al Sharpton — with more than 40 journalists looking on, or at least trying to.

Rahm Emanuel's Brother Joins White House Team  —  Jonathan Weisman reports on the transition.  —  A second Emanuel is heading for the White House.  —  Ezekiel J. Emanuel, a prominent bioethicist at the National Institutes of Health-and the brother of incoming White House Chief …

Pan Am Dies, America Lives  —  I used to live in Miami and fly Pan Am to South America to cover this and that: the fall of Pinochet, uprisings in Argentina, one gazillion percent inflation in Brazil.  Lest we forget, things really have gotten better in the Americas.