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Lawmakers choosing new leaders

Associated Press

Technically, lawmakers are returning to Washington for a final meeting of the old, lame-duck 110th Congress. In reality, the confab on Capitol Hill is nearly all about next year.

Stevens loses Alaska Senate race

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, 6:48 p.m. Nov. 18 (AP)

Sen. Ted Stevens, the longest serving Republican in Senate history, narrowly lost his re-election bid Tuesday, marking the downfall of a Washington political power and Alaska icon who couldn't survive a conviction on federal corruption charges. His defeat by Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich moves Senate Democrats within two seats of a filibuster-proof 60-vote majority.

Stevens' ouster on his 85th birthday marks an abrupt realignment in Alaska politics and will alter the power structure in the Senate, where he has served since the days of the Johnson administration while holding seats on some of the most influential committees in Congress.

More Politics & Elections News

WASHINGTON, 2:42 p.m. Nov. 18 (AP)

Holder is Obama's top choice for attorney general: Washington attorney Eric Holder is President-elect Barack Obama's top choice to be the next attorney general and aides have gone so far as to ask senators whether he would be confirmed, an Obama official and people close to the matter said Tuesday.

WASHINGTON, 3:32 p.m. Nov. 18 (AP)
McCain returns to Senate, is welcomed by Kerry: The red-and-blue Senate trolley rolled up to the Capitol basement Tuesday, a lone senator in the front seat checking a piece of paper before slipping it back into his jacket pocket.

WASHINGTON, 1:37 p.m. Nov. 18 (AP)
Lawmakers press Paulson on bailout plan changes: Faced with exasperated lawmakers upset by shifts in bailout strategy, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson launched a spirited defense Tuesday of his handling of the $700 billion program and expressed fresh reservations about tapping the pool for mortgage guarantees to relieve skyrocketing home foreclosures.

WASHINGTON, 2:50 p.m. Nov. 18 (AP)
Big 3 carmakers beg for $25 billion, see U.S. peril: Detroit's Big Three automakers pleaded with Congress on Tuesday for a $25 billion lifeline to save the once-proud titans of U.S. industry, warning of a national economic catastrophe should they collapse.

NEW YORK, 2:10 p.m. Nov. 18 (AP)
Wall Street pulls off final-hour rebound: Wall Street rebounded Tuesday in another turbulent session, as investors rushed back into the market after the Standard & Poor's 500 index tested a 2003 low.

WASHINGTON, 2:37 p.m. Nov. 18 (AP)
Report urges Obama name full-time nuclear adviser: President-elect Barack Obama has a historic opportunity to drastically reduce the threat of nuclear terrorism and should appoint a senior White House official to take charge of countering the danger, according to an academic report released Tuesday.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, 11:19 a.m. Nov. 18 (AP)
Cold realities await Gov. Sarah Palin in Alaska: Gov. Sarah Palin, heralded by some conservatives as the future of the Republican Party, faces some cold political realities in present-day Alaska.

WASHINGTON, 12:00 p.m. Nov. 18 (AP)
Obama promises leadership on climate change: Calling climate change an urgent challenge, President-elect Barack Obama promised Tuesday that Washington would take a leading role in combating it in the United States and throughout the world.

WASHINGTON, 2:08 p.m. Nov. 18 (AP)
Obama snags Hill insider for White House team: Phil Schiliro has spent his entire working life in Congress, doing every imaginable job from drafting arcane legislation to running for a seat himself. Steeped in the culture and traditions of Capitol Hill, Schiliro seemed to be one of those people who'd never leave voluntarily – he'd have to be carted out.

WASHINGTON, 2:22 p.m. Nov. 18 (AP)
Mayor: 3 million or more possible for inauguration: President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration has officials in the nation's capital bracing for an unprecedented turnout of possibly 3 million people or more, District of Columbia Mayor Adrian M. Fenty said Tuesday.

ST. PAUL, Minn., 2:37 p.m. Nov. 18 (AP)
Minnesota set to begin recount in U.S. Senate race: Minnesota's deadlocked U.S. Senate race will edge closer to resolution on Wednesday as an army of election workers begin a statewide recount of more than 2.9 million ballots.

WASHINGTON, 11:12 a.m. Nov. 18 (AP)

McCain backer Lieberman keeps committee chair: Sen. Joe Lieberman will keep his chairmanship of the Senate Homeland Security Committee despite hard feelings over his support for GOP nominee John McCain during the presidential campaign.

CHICAGO, 12:24 a.m. Nov. 18 (AP)

Obama, McCain pledge to work together for reform: The bitter general election campaign behind them, President-elect Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain are seeking common ground on a range of issues in hopes of engendering greater bipartisan cooperation in Washington.

WASHINGTON, 6:56 a.m. Nov. 18 (AP)

Federal judges to hear Murtha defamation case: Federal judges will hear arguments about whether Pennsylvania Rep. John Murtha should have to give a sworn deposition about his comments alleging “cold-blooded murder and war crimes” by unnamed Marines in connection with Iraqi civilian deaths in Haditha.

WASHINGTON, 4:28 p.m. Nov. 17 (AP)

Aid prospects darken for desperate U.S. carmakers: Prospects dimmed on Monday for the $25 billion bailout that U.S. automakers say they desperately need to get through a bleak and dangerous December.

WASHINGTON, 9:10 p.m. Nov. 17 (AP)
Top salesmen for financial bailout face grilling: The two top salesmen for a $700 billion financial bailout are in for a grilling by Capitol Hill lawmakers just one week after the administration officially ditched the original strategy behind the rescue.

WASHINGTON, 3:15 p.m. Nov. 17 (AP)
McCain backer Lieberman may keep committee chair: Sen. Joe Lieberman appears increasingly likely to hold onto his prized chairmanship of the Senate Homeland Security Committee as he meets Tuesday with Democratic colleagues unhappy over his vocal support for GOP nominee John McCain during this year's presidential campaign.

WASHINGTON, 3:17 p.m. Nov. 17 (AP)
Nominee for overseer of bailout faces senators: President George W. Bush's choice to be the federal watchdog over the $700 billion bailout for banks and other financial companies promised Monday to use his experience prosecuting mortgage and securities fraud to keep Congress apprised if the money is being misused.

WASHINGTON, 3:20 p.m. Nov. 17 (AP)
New, old Congress cross paths in lame duck session: Outgoing and incoming Washington crossed paths on Capitol Hill Monday, as lawmakers-to-be trod the same pillared hallways as the members of Congress they defeated, the Senate convened without President-elect Barack Obama and a familiar face returned.

WASHINGTON, 2:51 p.m. Nov. 17 (AP)
Auto bailout: A Washington issue beyond lobbying?: Judging from the lobbying lineup, legislation to bail out the auto industry should be assured of passage.

WASHINGTON, 6:56 a.m. Nov. 17 (AP)

White House rebuffs criticism of its auto-aid plan: With Congress returning Monday to deal with an auto industry in dire financial straits, the Bush White House stressed that it supports help, but not at the expense of the $700 billion Wall Street rescue program.

WASHINGTON, 12:59 p.m. Nov. 17 (AP)
Bill would ban sale, forgery of inauguration tix: The senator overseeing President-elect Barack Obama's swearing-in ceremony introduced legislation Monday to criminalize scalping tickets to the historic event.

SACRAMENTO, Nov. 17

Summit takes aim at climate change: Will the world's economic meltdown stall initiatives to curb global warming? World leaders in the campaign to address climate change will confront that question as they gather in Beverly Hills tomorrow and Wednesday to shape policies aimed at responding to the mounting threats to food production, public health and the environment.

SACRAMENTO, Nov. 17 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

State air board to consider new rules on emissions: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's global warming summit may receive international attention, but it will be the California Air Resources Board rolling up its sleeves and getting down to business this week.

6:34 a.m. Nov. 17 (REUTERS)

Obama interview on '60 Minutes': FACTBOX-Obama interview on CBS' '60 Minutes' – In his first sit-down interview since winning the Nov. 4 presidential election, President-elect Barack Obama spoke about the economic crisis, national security concerns and more personal topics in an interview with CBS's ”60 Minutes” Sunday.

WASHINGTON, 11:40 a.m. Nov. 16 (AP)

Showdown looming in Congress of automaker rescue: Hardline opponents of an auto industry bailout branded the industry a “dinosaur” whose “day of reckoning” is near, while Democrats pledged Sunday to do their best to get Detroit a slice of the $700 billion Wall Street rescue in this week's lame-duck session of Congress.

WASHINGTON, 12:30 p.m. Nov. 16 (AP)
Financial overhaul added to Obama's to-do list: Barack Obama isn't president yet, but his must-do list just got longer. The newest addition to the lengthy list of tasks after taking office: helping oversee the overhaul of the world's financial regulatory system.

CHICAGO, 7:00 a.m. Nov. 16 (AP)
Obama tries to savor near-normalcy before Jan. 20: Barack Obama seems to be savoring his last few days of near-normalcy. Or at least as normal as life can be for a president-elect living in a house fortified with barriers, traveling in a motorcade, surrounded by Secret Service agents and mapping out the next administration.

WASHINGTON, 7:53 a.m. Nov. 16 (AP)
Clinton as top U.S. diplomat? OK by top GOP senator: The Senate's second-ranking Republican says it wouldn't be a bad idea if President-elect Barack Obama named Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state.

WASHINGTON, 7:59 a.m. Nov. 15 (AP)

What course for McCain, now back in the Senate?: His hopes for the presidency dashed yet again, John McCain returns to the Senate as the Republican iconoclast his GOP colleagues find hard to embrace and one his Democratic peers would love to win over.

WASHINGTON, 6:41 p.m. Nov. 14 (AP)

Obama weighs Clinton, Richardson for State: President-elect Barack Obama has interviewed primary election rivals Hillary Rodham Clinton and Bill Richardson for secretary of state, according to Democratic officials who revealed his secret meetings with both as he weighed the decision on folding former foes into his new administration.

WASHINGTON, 8:42 a.m. Nov. 15 (AP)

Husband's foreign deals may pose issue for Clinton: Former President Bill Clinton's globe-trotting business deals and fundraising for his foundation sometimes put his activities abroad at odds with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and could cause complications if President-elect Barack Obama picks her to be secretary of state.

WASHINGTON, 8:13 a.m. Nov. 15 (AP)

Absent Obama still a presence in the capital: President-elect Barack Obama is an invisible force as foreign leaders and Congress convene separately in Washington, the economy at center stage.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, 7:22 p.m. Nov. 14 (AP)
Stevens falls further back in Alaska Senate count: Republican Sen. Ted Stevens, a stalwart of Alaska politics who was convicted of felony charges last month, fell further behind his Democratic rival Friday, and most remaining ballots come from parts of the state that have favored the challenger.

WASHINGTON, 7:17 p.m. Nov. 14 (AP)
Obama names Valerie Jarrett as senior adviser: President-elect Barack Obama is naming his longtime friend and supporter Valerie Jarrett to be his White House senior adviser.

CHICAGO, 5:37 p.m. Nov. 14 (AP)
Obama to use Web videos for presidential address: This isn't your grandfather's fireside chat. President-elect Barack Obama plans to tape a weekly address not just for radio listeners, as presidents have for years, but for YouTube Internet viewers, too.

WASHINGTON, 3:05 p.m. Nov. 14 (AP)

Northeast lawmakers want Lieberman ousted as chair: Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman's chances of holding onto his committee chairmanship suffered a blow Friday when two key New England Democratic senators came out against him.

WASHINGTON, 3:01 p.m. Nov. 14 (AP)

Obama threats more than previous presidents-elect: Threats against a new president historically spike right after an election, but from Maine to Idaho law enforcement officials are seeing more against Barack Obama than ever before.

WASHINGTON, 2:43 p.m. Nov. 14 (AP)

Michelle Obama gets sneak peak of WH closets: Touring the White House, Michelle Obama did what any prospective homebuyer might do: Check out the closet space.

WASHINGTON, 2:14 p.m. Nov. 14 (AP)

Clinton could be mixed blessing as No. 1 diplomat: During the Democrats' quarrelsome nominating contest, Hillary Rodham Clinton argued that she, and not upstart rival Barack Obama, had more impressive credentials as a statesman: familiarity with world leaders and problems, toughness under fire.

WASHINGTON, 2:14 p.m. Nov. 14 (AP)

Audit: Sharpton campaign owes U.S. nearly $500,000: Federal auditors have concluded the Rev. Al Sharpton's 2004 campaign owes the government nearly $500,000 for illegal donations and other financial improprieties.

1:04 p.m. Nov. 14 (AP)

Congress has fast-track power to kill Bush rules: Barack Obama will have limited authority to overturn federal regulations approved in the waning months of the Bush administration. But a little-used power offers the new Democratic Congress an early test of how aggressively lawmakers might unravel such rules pushed through by Republicans.

NEW YORK, 12:21 p.m. Nov. 14 (AP)

Washington novelists ponder Obama: In the 1960s, Irving Wallace wrote a novel called “The Man,” in which the sudden deaths of the president, vice president and speaker of the House bring to power a most unlikely occupant of the Oval Office: Sen. Douglas Dillman – a black man.

WASHINGTON, 12:12 p.m. Nov. 14 (AP)

Musical chairs begin before Clinton leaves: Hillary Rodham Clinton's Senate seat is still warm – and occupied – but the first notes are already sounding in the New York game of musical chairs to succeed her.

WASHINGTON, 11:41 a.m. Nov. 14 (AP)

THE INFLUENCE GAME: Lobbyists adapt to power shift: Wanted: Democratic congressional aide seeking new career. Must have strong powers of persuasion, excellent connections and good marksmanship. Contact the National Rifle Association's government affairs office for details.

CHICAGO, 8:58 a.m. Nov. 14 (AP)

Obama-McCain: New meeting set to bury campaign ax: President-elect Barack Obama will meet Monday with John McCain in talks that Obama's transition office said would focus on ways they can cooperate on an array of troublesome issues facing the country.

WASHINGTON, 8:28 a.m. Nov. 14 (AP)

Group seeks records on missing White House e-mails: A federal appeals court gave a chilly reception Friday to a private group trying to force the Bush administration to surrender records detailing problems with the White House's e-mail system.

WASHINGTON, 7:49 a.m. Nov. 14 (AP)

Senate will take up $25 billion auto bill Monday: Senate Democrats will take up a bill to extend $25 billion in emergency loans to the auto industry on Monday and plan a test vote on it two days later, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Friday as supporters scrambled for votes to break an expected filibuster by opponents.

WASHINGTON, 7:36 a.m. Nov. 14 (AP)

Panel moves to strengthen financial oversight: A presidential panel announced steps Friday to strengthen oversight of complex financial instruments partly blamed for the global financial crisis.

CHICAGO, 5:36 a.m. Nov. 14 (AP)

Tube-side chat? Obama takes radio address online: The traditional White House radio address is going virtual. President-elect Barack Obama is taping Saturday's weekly Democratic address not just for listeners, but for YouTube viewers, his office said Friday. And he plans to keep videotaping the radio addresses after taking the oath of office on Jan. 20.

ST. PAUL, Minn., 1:07 a.m. Nov. 14 (AP)

Pressure mounts in Minn. Senate ballot recount: Minnesota is preparing to move a seemingly stalemated U.S. Senate election into the tedious process of a statewide recount as it readies an army of workers to sort through nearly 3 million ballots.

BOSTON, 12:12 a.m. Nov. 14 (AP)

Facing Palin factor, Romney mulls political future: Tagg Romney was in his office the other day when the door opened and in popped his father, Mitt Romney, dropping off the family dog.

CHICAGO, 3:12 p.m. Nov. 13 (AP)
Obama top aide apologizes to Arabs: President-elect Barack Obama's White House chief of staff apologized to the Arab-American community on Thursday for remarks his father made to an Israeli newspaper.

SAN FRANCISCO, 1:54 p.m. Nov. 13 (AP)
John Edwards and Karl Rove debate Bush's record in S.F.: Two-time Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards and Republican strategist Karl Rove don't see eye-to-eye on much, but in a spirited debate here Thursday they agreed Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin needs to hone her knowledge of foreign policy and geography if she runs for president in 2012.

WASHINGTON, 2:51 p.m. Nov. 13 (AP)
1M plus possible for Obama inauguration: President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration is expected to draw 1 million-plus to the capital, and already some lawmakers have stopped taking ticket requests and hotels have booked up.

ST. PAUL, Minn., 7:36 a.m. Nov. 13 (AP)

Key panel named in Minnesota Senate race recount: The board that will determine whether Republican Norm Coleman or Democrat Al Franken won Minnesota's Senate race will be “extraordinarily nonpartisan,” according to its new chairman.

WASHINGTON, 7:06 a.m. Nov. 13 (AP)

Outgoing veep hosts incoming veep Thursday: The high-profile White House meeting this week between outgoing and incoming presidents is being followed Thursday night by a much lower-key get-together hosted by Vice President Dick Cheney for his successor, Democrat Joe Biden.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, 6:18 a.m. Nov. 13 (AP)

Democrat takes lead in Alaska Senate race: Just as Sen. Ted Stevens appeared set to return to Congress, felony conviction and all, his re-election bid has faltered. If he loses, it also closes a possible door into the Senate anytime soon for Gov. Sarah Palin.

CHICAGO, 6:01 a.m. Nov. 13 (AP)

Democrats say Biden chooses new VP chief of staff: Vice President-elect Joe Biden chose as his chief of staff a man who once served in that same role for Vice President Al Gore, Democratic officials said Thursday.

SAN DIEGO, 4:57 p.m. Nov. 12 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Field Poll: Feinstein top pick for next Calif. governor: A new Field Poll released Wednesday measures public sentiments about nine potential candidates for governor of California in 2010, when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will be unable to seek re-election because of term limits.

SAN FRANCISCO, 4:27 p.m. Nov. 12 (AP)
Calif. may vote on gay marriage again in 2010: Gay rights groups in California may ask voters to overturn the ban on same-sex marriage they approved last week if legal challenges to Proposition 8 are unsuccessful.

WASHINGTON, 3:21 p.m. Nov. 12 (AP)

Obama announces transition leaders for 3 agencies: President-elect Obama on Wednesday named a team heavy on experience in the Clinton administration to help guide transition efforts in the State, Defense and Treasury departments.

WASHINGTON, 12:18 a.m. Nov. 12 (AP)

AP poll: Public seems willing to wait on tax cuts: People want the tax cuts promised during the presidential campaign, but they may be willing to wait while President-elect Obama takes on the larger issue of fixing the economy.

MIAMI, 11:02 a.m. Nov. 12 (AP)

Palin says woman on ticket would be good for GOP: Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who clearly is looking ahead to her political prospects in 2012, said Wednesday that a woman would be good for the Republican presidential ticket in four years.

SACRAMENTO, 6:10 a.m. Nov. 12 (AP)

Calif. governor's race not registering with voters: A Field Poll released Wednesday finds California voters giving little thought to who should succeed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger when he leaves office after 2010 – no surprise when votes are still being tallied from last week's election.

WASHINGTON, 4:35 a.m. Nov. 12 (AP)

Palin conditionally comfortable with Obama on Iraq: Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has given President-elect Barack Obama a conditional vote of confidence on handling the war in Iraq.

Nov. 12 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Protests of Prop. 8 shaped on Internet:A cavalcade of e-mails, text messages, blogs and social-networking Web sites is propelling a series of protests against last week's statewide vote to ban gay marriage.

WASHINGTON, 11:40 a.m. Nov. 11 (AP)

Obama team announces new rules on lobbyists: President-elect Obama's aides are announcing new rules to govern the conduct of lobbyists during the transition to power, including steps to limit their involvement in areas where they have sought to influence policy in the past year.

GENERAL