Anchorage Daily News

Richardson longed to return to DC, federal posts

No one believed Bill Richardson was leaving the national stage just because he abandoned his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination last January.

Auditors fault Treasury oversight of bailout funds

A government audit says the Treasury Department needs tougher controls to oversee the $700 billion financial bailout package.

Officials: Richardson to get Commerce nomination

Democratic officials say President-elect Barack Obama plans to name New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson as his choice for Commerce Secretary on Wednesday.

Correction: Bio attack likely in next 5 years

In a Dec. 1 story about a WMD commission report, The Associated Press reported erroneously the date Vice President-elect Joseph Biden would be briefed on the commission's findings because of incorrect information provided by the commission. Biden will be briefed Wednesday, not Tuesday.

FACT CHECK: Michelle Obama won't get pricey ring

Looks like Michelle Obama won't be setting aside her fake pearls in favor of a $30,000 thank you ring from her husband.

White House nixes tree ornament for impeachment

The White House won't display a Christmas tree ornament that calls for President Bush's impeachment.

Cox Newspapers to close Washington bureau

Cox Newspapers said Tuesday it will shut its Washington, D.C., office in April, citing a need to limit costs in a tightening economy.

Va. GOP chief: Obama remark was stupid but true

Virginia's Republican chairman said Tuesday that his remark tying Democrat Barack Obama to Osama bin Laden during the presidential campaign was stupid, but he refused to apologize.

Group: Palin not only one with donor-funded duds

Turns out Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin wasn't the only candidate with donor-financed duds.

Federal Election Commission

CREW

Banned from inauguration: strollers, umbrellas

Camera and cell phone, yes. Backpack, no.

http://inaugural.senate.gov/2009/planyourtrip.cfm?utm

Justices chide California-based appeals court

The Supreme Court took aim at one of its favorite targets Tuesday, criticizing a California-based federal appeals court for its ruling in favor of a criminal defendant.

Sen. Mel Martinez of Fla. won't seek re-election

U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida, who has struggled to boost public support because of his close ties to President George W. Bush, announced Tuesday he will not seek a second term in 2010, saying he wants to spend more time with his family.

Rules target medically unfit truck, bus drivers

Federal regulators are taking steps to get medically unfit truck and bus drivers off the road after being accused for years of dragging their feet on the issue.

US official: India attack may have Pakistani roots

The Pentagon chief says U.S. and British citizens were the targets last week in the violent siege of India's financial capital.

Rove: Obama security team represents continuity

President Bush's former political director says the national security team named by President-elect Barack Obama "represents, to a substantial degree, continuity" especially in hot spots like Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mayor: Auto companies can't be allowed to collapse

The mayor of Lansing, Mich., says the government must step in and save the troubled auto industry because it is indispensable to America's national security.

Obama taps Clinton, Gates for US 'new dawn' abroad

Barack Obama promised "a new dawn of American leadership" in a troubled world, announcing a strong-willed national security team headed by Hillary Rodham Clinton, who fought him long and bitterly for the presidency, and Robert Gates, the man who has been running two wars for George W. Bush.

Obama AG pick defended Guantanamo policy

President-elect Barack Obama's choice to become the next attorney general, Eric Holder, once defended the Bush administration's arguments for holding detainees at Guantanamo Bay, a position that runs counter to his more recent comments - and to a signature policy of the incoming administration.

Bush touts program mentoring prisoners' children

President George W. Bush, trying to emphasize the softer side of his policy record before leaving office, on Tuesday thanked volunteers who have served as mentors to children of prisoners.

Rice: Still not business as usual with Russia

The United States blinked in two symbolic stare-downs with Russia on Tuesday, but Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Moscow is not back in global good graces four months after it invaded a small, U.S.-backed neighbor.

Ford tells Congress it may be able to go it alone

Ford Motor Co. is asking Congress for a $9 billion "stand-by line of credit" to stabilize its business, but says it doesn't expect to tap it.