Minneapolis discovery costs Franken 46 votes  —  What Maplewood giveth, Minneapolis taketh away.  —  Elections officials in Minnesota's largest city today discovered that one precinct came up 133 ballots short of election day totals, resulting in a net loss for Democratic challenger Al Franken of 46 votes.

Obama or an Obama-Impersonator?  Ros-Lehtinen Flubs the Call  —  Twice on Wednesday, President-elect Barack Obama tried to reach across the partisan divide with a phone call to Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Republican from Florida.  —  And twice, according to her office, she hung up on him.

We need to stop using the bailouts to rebuild gigantic financial institutions.  —  Last month, as the financial crisis and the government rescue plan dominated headlines, almost everyone overlooked a news item that could have enormous long-term impact: GE Capital announced the acquisition …

Mumbai police to use truth serum on ‘baby-faced’ terrorist Azam Amir Kasab  —  Indian police interrogators are preparing to administer a “truth serum” on the sole Islamic militant captured during last week's terror attacks on Mumbai to settle once and for all the question of where he is from.

U.A.W. Makes Concessions in Bid to Help Automakers  —  WASHINGTON — The United Automobile Workers union said Wednesday that it would make major concessions in its contracts with the three Detroit auto companies to help them lobby Congress for $34 billion in federal aid.

NO TRANSITION FROM NONESENSE  —  Congressional Quarterly bemoans Obama's broken promise of a bipartisan cabinet since he's only appointed one Republican to one of the top three positions in government — State, Defense and Treasury ...  I guess maybe it's a slow news period and there's not much to write about.

RENDELL APOLOGIZES FOR AZ GOV COMMENT  —  From NBC's Lauren Appelbaum  —  During a news conference on budget reductions today, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) apologized for a hot mic statement he made yesterday, saying Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano (D) is perfect for the position …

U.S. Eyes Plan to Lift Home Sales  —  Treasury Considers Encouraging Banks to Offer Mortgages at Rates as Low as 4.5%  —  WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department is considering a plan to revitalize the U.S. home market that would push down interest rates for loans to purchase a home, according to people familiar with the matter.

Discourse Watch: Obama's Citizenship A Legit Topic?  —  Townhall.com is a mainstream, legitimate, comprehensive, informative, and entertaining conservative news and opinion magazine and website.  Disclosure: they've written nice things about me.  To liberals and non-conservatives, their content can sometimes be edgy.

Russian warship to cross Panama Canal … MOSCOW (AP) - A Russian warship will sail through the Panama Canal this week for the first time since World War II, the navy announced Wednesday, pushing ahead with a symbolic projection of Moscow's power in a traditional U.S. zone of influence.

Chambliss: Palin Key To My Win (VIDEO)  —  Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss, fresh off his victory in a runoff election against Democrat Jim Martin, says Sarah Palin gave him the boost he needed.  “I can't overstate the impact she had down here,” the Republican Senator said in an interview on Fox News Wednesday morning.

Poll: 61% oppose auto bailout  —  Survey shows that Americans think federal aid for the Big Three is unfair and won't help the economy.  —  NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — A majority of Americans oppose a bailout of the troubled U.S. auto industry, according to a poll released Wednesday.

Mukasey Sees No Necessity for Pardons in Terror War  —  WASHINGTON — Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey said Wednesday that he saw no need for President Bush to issue blanket pardons of officials involved in some of the administration's most controversial counterterrorism policies.

School cancels Christmas nativity in favour of Muslim Eid celebrations  —  A primary school has cancelled its Christmas nativity in favour of Muslim festival of Eid celebrations because it would be too much for the children to do both.  —  Greenwood Junior School sent out a letter …

Bill Richardson: What I've Learned  —  The just-tapped Secretary of Commerce shares intimate new stories on how Barack Obama saved his ass before he became his boss, Saddam Hussein's guile, Bush's charm, racial politics and more.  —  After the campaign, I grew a beard as a rebellion …