From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Carrie Dann
*** The full Obama Cabinet: At his last press conference of the year before departing for Hawaii, NBC's Savannah Guthrie reports, Obama will unveil his final cabinet picks (and maybe others!): Ray LaHood for Transportation secretary, Hilda Solis for Labor, and Ron Kirk for U.S. Trade Representative. As transition expert Thomas Mann of the Brookings Institution tells First Read, this is the earliest an incoming president has assembled his entire cabinet since Richard Nixon announced his cabinet picks on Dec. 11, 1968. Also, we've learned that Obama has picked Dennis Blair, a former Navy admiral, to be his director of national intelligence. The next question is if -- or when -- Obama decides to replace the current CIA chief. The Washington Post has a new name for the list, but we should remind folks that Obama isn't under any Jan. 20 pressure to name him/her. He could keep current chief Hayden in place for as long as he and Hayden want. The CIA director's term doesn't expire at end of a president's term, but instead simply serves at pleasure of president. Hayden would stay if asked...

*** Updated Cabinet census: Here's our updated list after the Solis and Kirk picks:
-- 8 State Schoolers (Daschle, Vilsack, Chu, Napolitano, Salazar, Gates, Solis, Kirk)
-- 7 Ivy Leaguers (Clinton, Duncan, Geithner, Holder, Donovan, Orszag, Jackson)
-- 5 Raised in the Midwest (Clinton, Daschle, Gates, Duncan, LaHood, Vilsack) Note: This doesn't include Chu, who was born in Missouri but grew up in New York or Vilsack who can be now considered a "midwesterner" since he had lived in and lives in Iowa, but he grew up in Pennsylvania.
-- 5 Women (Clinton, Napolitano, Solis, Rice, Jackson)
-- 4 Raised in New York (Holder, Donovan, Geithner, Chu -- who grew up on Long Island) Note: This does not include Napolitano who was born in NYC or Clinton who currently lives there.
-- 4 Basketball Players (Duncan, Rice, Holder, Kirk -- who also was a cheerleader in college)
-- 4 African Americans (Holder, Kirk, Rice, Jackson)
-- 3 Hispanics (Salazar, Richardson, Solis)
-- 3 Westerners (Salazar, Richardson, Napolitano -- who was born in NYC but raised in Albuquerque) Note: Solis is from L.A., but is that really a Westerner?
-- 2 Asian Americans (Shinseki, Chu)
-- 2 Republicans (Gates, LaHood)
-- 2 Sitting Senators (Clinton, Salazar)
-- 2 Sitting Governors (Napolitano, Richardson)
-- 2 Raised in the South (Kirk, Jackson -- who was born in Philadelphia, but adopted a few weeks later and grew up in New Orleans' Ninth Ward)

*** An auto deal? At publication time, President Bush is making a statement on the administration's plan to assist the auto industry. Here's a quickie summary of what he'll announce: Magic number is $17.4 billion, with the last $4 billion coming from Part 2 of the TARP and with $13.4 billion available immediately; there's no use of the word "bankruptcy"; and the emphasis is on "restructuring," but viability has to be proven by March 2009 (of course, there will be a new administrator of the TARP by then). The bottom line here, it appears: The Bush administration is punting. It is offering enough money for GM and Chrysler to stay alive for a few months, but make no mistake -- this is now in Obama's hands. Also today, at 10:15 am, President Bush and the first lady attend the unveiling of their portraits at the National Portrait Gallery.

Video: President Bush offers ailing automakers $17.4 billion in short-term loans.

*** Stimulate this: The New York Times reports today that the Obama team hopes to have its stimulus plan ready by next week, so Congress can take up the legislation before Obama is sworn in. But get this -- the Obama plan might be just 15 pages, and Congress will be able to fill in the blanks. Wow, talk about trust in congressional Democrats!  Some questions this will raise: What are the restrictions Obama will put on earmarks? Will there be transparency on pork? And will Obama threaten any vetoes if some members take advantage of the situation? Already, there is a coalition of unions ready to sell this package, semi-sight unseen.

*** Just askin': With no real surprises with the Clinton Foundation donor list, why didn't Bill Clinton release this information last year, before the primaries got underway? Or would Bill have been forced to release them had Hillary become the Democratic nominee?

Video: Former President Bill Clinton releases the donor list to his foundation as his wife prepares to take the post of secretary of state. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports. 

*** The never-ending recount: Just when you thought the Senate recount in Minnesota couldn't become more bizarre -- or go on any longer -- the state Supreme Court ruled yesterday that the canvassing board must count improperly rejected absentee ballots (which Franken's campaign had wanted, and Coleman's didn't), but also said that two campaigns must agree on how they'll be counted (which allows the campaigns to drag their feet if they want). The decision makes it likely that the recount will go for more weeks, possibly after the new Congress is supposed to reconvene on Jan. 6. That would mean that the next Congress might have two unfilled Senate seats: Minnesota's (due to the recount) and Illinois' (due to the Blago scandal). For some perspective, the Minnesota recount has now gone on six days longer than the 2000 Florida recount, which ended Dec. 13. By the way, the state Supreme Court ruling came as Franken -- as expected -- nearly erased Coleman's lead in the recount in Day 3 of the canvassing board's decisions on the challenged ballots. Per the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Coleman's lead is now just five votes; the AP has it at just two. No matter the number, yesterday was a huge gain for Franken, and he very well might win. But is there a specific lead he needs to make Senate Dems comfortable seating him? 

*** Happy holidays and looking ahead: This will be the final morning First Read note of the year, although we'll be updating our online blog as news warrants. The morning note will back first thing on Monday, Jan. 5. To whet your appetite for the big month ahead, here's a quick look at what to expect for January: 

Jan. 6: Congress returns (and gets to work on a stimulus plan)
Jan. 7: President Bush hosts a White House lunch with Obama and the three living ex-presidents: Clinton, Bush 41, Carter
Jan. 7: Terry McAuliffe makes an announcement about his intentions for Virginia governor
Jan. 8: Congress conducts its electoral vote count
Jan. 15: The Senate Judiciary Committee holds its confirmation hearing on Eric Holder's nomination for attorney general (the other hearing dates haven't been announced, but NBC's Ken Strickland says that key hearings are expected before Obama is inaugurated so these people can be confirmed after he's sworn in)
Jan. 20: Obama's inauguration
Jan. 28-31: RNC winter meeting in DC, where new RNC chair will be selected

Countdown to Electoral Vote Count In Congress: 20 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 32 days
Countdown to VA Dem primary: 172 days
Countdown to Election Day 2009: 319 days
Countdown to Election Day 2010: 683 days

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The New York Times on Solis (at Labor) and Kirk (as USTR): "The appointments are expected to be announced Friday at Mr. Obama's final news conference before he heads to Hawaii for a Christmas break. Mr. Obama is also expected to formally announce his nomination of Representative Ray LaHood, Republican of Illinois, for transportation secretary… With his choices of a labor secretary and a trade representative, Mr. Obama appears to have sought to appeal to each side in the battle over free trade. Ms. Solis, a longtime labor advocate who is of Central American heritage, has been skeptical about free-trade agreements, while Mr. Kirk, a lawyer with a political bent, comes from the Texas establishment and has spoken out in favor of the North American Free Trade Agreement."

Retired Admiral Dennis Blair will indeed become the nation's next intelligence director -- still a fairly new agency head, succeeding Mike McConnell. "Described as independent-minded and cerebral, Blair advised Obama on defense matters in the Senate but otherwise had no formal ties to the Obama campaign. Since retiring from the Navy in 2002, he has held positions at several nonprofit agencies and participated in a major study  on reforming the country's national security infrastructure."

"While Blair is generally well regarded, his career has occasionally been marked by controversy. He was forced to resign as president of the Institute for Defense Analysis because of possible conflicts of interest after it was revealed that he simultaneously served on the boards of defense contractors whose products were being evaluated by the board. He also came under criticism in the 1990s when his command provided support to the Indonesian military at a time when that country was violently suppressing an uprising in Indonesian-administered East Timor. An East Timor advocacy group has collected hundreds of signatures for a letter to Obama urging him to reject Blair." 

"In a sign that President-elect Barack Obama intends to elevate science to greater prominence, John P. Holdren, a Harvard physicist widely recognized for his leadership on energy policy and climate change, will be appointed White House science adviser this weekend, the Globe confirmed yesterday… A representative from one of the institutions with which Holdren is affiliated said Obama will announce Holdren's selection during a Saturday morning radio address."
 
"Also yesterday, The Washington Post reported that Jane Lubchenco, a prominent marine biologist at Oregon State University, had been picked to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration."

OUR OBAMA CABINET SPECULATION LIST:
NAMED President's office/staff:
-- Chief of Staff: Rahm Emanuel (Deputies: Jim Messina, Mona Sutphen)
-- Senior Advisers: Valerie Jarrett, Peter Rouse, David Axelrod
-- Political Director: Patrick Gaspard
-- Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs: Phil Schiliro
-- White House Counsel: Greg Craig
-- Press Secretary: Robert Gibbs
-- Communications Director: Ellen Moran (Deputy: Dan Pfeiffer)
-- Director of Scheduling and Advance: Alyssa Mastromonaco
-- Staff Secretary: Lisa Brown
-- Cabinet Secretary: Chris Lu
-- Special Assistant to the President and White House Social Secretary: Desirée Rogers
-- Director, White House Military Office: Louis Caldera
 
NAMED Vice President's office/staff:
-- Biden's Chief of staff: Ron Klain
-- Counselor to the Vice President: Mike Donilon
-- Domestic Policy Advisor to the Vice President: Terrell McSweeny
-- Assistant to the Vice President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Liaison: Evan Ryan
-- Communications Director: Jay Carney
 
NAMED First Lady's office/staff:
-- Michelle Obama's Chief of Staff: Jackie Norris (Deputy: Melissa Winter)
 
NAMED CABINET MEMBERS:
-- Agriculture: Tom Vilsack
-- Commerce: Bill Richardson
-- Defense: Robert Gates
-- Education: Arne Duncan (Chicago public schools superintendent)
-- Energy: Steven Chu
-- HHS: Tom Daschle
-- HUD: Shaun Donovan (NYC housing commissioner)
-- Interior: Sen. Ken Salazar (D-CO)
-- Homeland Security: Janet Napolitano
-- Justice (AG): Eric Holder
-- State: Hillary Clinton (Jim Steinberg-deputy CONFIRMED BY NBC NEWS)
-- Treasury: Tim Geithner
-- Veterans Affairs: Eric Shinse
 
POTENTIAL CABINET MEMBERS:
-- Labor: Hilda Solis CONFIRMED BY NBC NEWS
-- Transportation: Fmr Republican Rep. Ray LaHood CONFIRMED BY NBC NEWS
 
CABINET RANK:
-- UN Ambassador: Susan Rice NAMED
-- USTR: Ron Kirk CONFIRMED BY NBC NEWS
-- OMB: Peter Orszag NAMED (Deputy: Rob Nabors NAMED)
-- EPA: Lisa Jackson (NJ environ commission) CONFIRMED BY NBC NEWS
 
OTHER POSITIONS:
-- National Economic Council Director: Larry Summers NAMED
-- Council of Economic Advisers: Christina Romer (chair), NAMED, Dan Tarullo, Jacob "Jack" Lew, Jason Furman, Austan Goolsbee, Laura Tyson
-- Economic Recovery Advisory Board: Paul Volcker NAMED, Austan Goolsbee (staff director, chief economist) NAMED, Eric E. Schmidt (Google chairman, CEO)
-- Natl Sec Adviser: Gen. James L. Jones NAMED, (Deputy: Tom Donilon)
-- DNI: Ret. Adm. Dennis Blair
-- NSC: Dennis Ross, Tony Lake
-- White House Domestic Policy Council Director: Melody Barnes NAMED (Domestic Policy Council Deputy Director: Heather A. Higginbottom NAMED)
-- Energy "Czar" reporting to the president: Carol Browner CONFIRMED BY NBC NEWS
-- SEC: Mary Schapiro CONFIRMED BY NBC NEWS
-- CIA: Tony Lake, John Brennan (wrote a letter to Obama asking that his name be withdrawn), Chuck Hagel, Michael Hayden, Jami Miscik (fmr CIA dep dir for Intel)
-- FEMA: James Lee Witt
-- FBI: Robert Mueller (term expires 2011)
-- Fed Chair: Ben Bernanke (at least for first year)
-- FDA: Steven Nissen (Cleveland Clinic), Joshua Sharfstein (Baltimore health commissioner), Janet Woodcock (Big Pharma's choice), Susan Wood (GWU occupational and environmental health professor), Diana Zuckerman (president, National Research Center for Women & Families) Joint Chiefs: Michael Mullen (term ends in late 2009, can expect to be appointed for second term, per tradition)
-- Peace Corps: Chris Shays
-- Auto Czar: Jennifer Granholm
-- Secretary of the Army: Mortimer Downey
-- Chief Technology Officer: Julius Genachowski, Shane Robison (HP), Edward Felten (Princeton)
-- FCC: Jonathan Adelstein (FCC commissioner), Antoinette Bush (Skadden), Karen Kornbluh (Obama's former Senate policy director), Blair Levin (fmr chief of staff to then-FCC Commissioner Reid Hunt)

Here's the New York Times' take on the release of the Bill Clinton donor list: "Lifting a longstanding cloak of secrecy, Mr. Clinton on Thursday released a complete list of more than 200,000 donors to his foundation as part of an agreement to douse concerns about potential conflicts if Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is confirmed as secretary of state in the  Obama administration."

"The donor list offers a glimpse into the high-powered, big-dollar world in which Mr. Clinton has traveled since leaving the White House as he jetted around the globe making money for himself and raising vast sums for his ambitious philanthropic programs fighting disease, poverty and climate change. Some of the world's richest people and most famous celebrities handed over large checks to finance his presidential library and charitable activities."

It appears the release didn't surprise many about who would be on the list, and that's the best news so far for Clinton's prospects. But could this be Clinton's most embarrassing donor? "Embattled defense contractor Blackwater Worldwide contributed a pile of cash to Bill Clinton's foundation, newly released records show -- the first potential conflict for his wife, Secretary of State-designate Hillary Rodham Clinton, who may ultimately decide if the contractor stays in Iraq. Blackwater, the largest security contractor in Iraq, donated between  $10,000 and $25,000 to the former president's foundation, records show. 

Meanwhile, Obama's economic team hopes to have its stimulus plan ready by next week so Congress can begin taking up the legislation before Obama's sworn in. "'The goal for completing action on this important legislation should be as close to Jan. 20 as possible,' said an e-mail message from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's office to senior Senate Democratic staff members. Some Obama advisers have sought to tamp down expectations that Mr. Obama could sign a package immediately after he is inaugurated. The opposition of some Senate Republicans and House and Senate negotiations on a final compromise could force delays into February."

More: "The Obama plan has five main parts, according to Democrats in Congress and the Obama transition office. Besides the health care financing, it would propose billions of dollars for energy-saving programs, public works projects, school construction and renovation, and expanded jobless aid and food stamps for 'the most vulnerable,' as well as tax cuts." Amazingly, "The Obama plan could end up at about 15 pages, an adviser said, leaving precise legislative language and some details to Congress. The House and Senate will be working simultaneously to draft separate but similar measures."

Regarding stimulus' price tag, the Washington Post reports that Obama and congressional Democrats "have entered discussions over an economic stimulus package that could grow to include $850 billion in new spending and tax cuts over the next two years, a gigantic sum that some Democrats say could prove difficult to push rapidly through Congress."

The Boston Globe's Scott Helman: "As Obama's aides, lawmakers, industry associations, and interest groups furiously debate how to divide up an expected $50 billion in new road, mass transit, and rail spending, the president-elect is facing competing pressures. On one hand, the goal of the stimulus bill is to kick-start the economy with a wave of short-term public spending projects across the country, and the quickest way to do that is to follow existing priorities. But it also offers a rare opportunity to shift American transportation in the long term toward a greener, more sustainable system that promotes mass transit and so-called smart growth over sprawl and patronage projects."

The Washington Post reports, "The White House was moving closer yesterday to a dramatic restructuring of the nation's ailing automakers, deliberating among several options including an 'orderly' bankruptcy in return for an emergency government infusion of billions of dollars. As the White House raised the prospect of bankruptcy, senior officials at the Treasury Department were coalescing around an alternative that would reshape the companies but not require them to file for bankruptcy protection, sources familiar with the matter said. Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. has repeatedly said that federal help for Detroit must put the companies on track for long-term viability rather than simply delay their collapse."

But… "[A] senior administration official, however, later described that option [orderly bankruptcy] as a last resort, to be used only if an agreement for a voluntary overhaul of the industry could not be reached," the New York Times writes. "These officials said the preferred solution would be to force a restructuring of the industry outside of bankruptcy court, extracting concessions that would make the companies more cost-competitive with foreign automakers. In return, the Treasury would tap the financial rescue fund, called the Troubled Asset Relief Program, to make loans to the companies."

It's this forced bankruptcy that's got the automakers not ready to accept this deal -- which may mean this won't happen today. It could be next week.

SCANDAL IN ILLINOIS: I'm smarter than you!
The Hill's Reid Wilson probes the relationship between Rahm Emanuel and Rod Blagojevich.  Sources say the two weren't exactly bosom buddies. "Emanuel, many said, thinks he is smarter than Blagojevich, while Blagojevich believes Emanuel rose too fast through the political ranks." 
 
Here's a quote you don't hear every day, re: Jesse Jackson Jr.'s cooperation as an informant to the FBI. "Turning a politician against another politician is not something that happens every day," said defense attorney and former House general counsel Stan Brand. "You don't advance your career and your trust with other elected officials when you do that." 

"Illinois lawmakers could be forced to build their impeachment case against Governor Rod Blagojevich on a raft of smaller grievances, rather than the blockbuster Senate-seat-for-sale charges he faces in a federal criminal case, for fear of undermining federal prosecutors' investigation," the AP writes. "Members of the state House Impeachment Committee said yesterday that they will do nothing that would interfere with the investigation by US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald. If Fitzgerald asks lawmakers not to interview certain witnesses, they will abide by that, they said." 
 
"Blagojevich's attorney is offering a glimpse of his client's unfolding legal strategy, saying he'll challenge the lawfulness of court-ordered wiretaps at the heart of federal corruption allegations against the Democrat," the AP reports. "But the two-term governor may go public to defend himself first."

Rick Warren, the evangelical pastor whose inclusion at Obama's inauguration has upset gay-rights supporters, released this statement last night: "I commend President-elect Obama for his courage to willingly take enormous heat from his base by inviting someone like me, with whom he doesn't agree on every issue, to offer the Invocation at his historic Inaugural ceremony. Hopefully individuals passionately expressing opinions from the left and the right will recognize that both of us have shown a commitment to model civility in America."

Warren added, "The Bible admonishes us to pray for our leaders. I am honored by this opportunity to pray God's blessing on the office of the President and its current and future inhabitant, asking the Lord to provide wisdom to America's leaders during this critical time in our nation's history."

The good new for Obama today: There wasn't a lot of Day Two print coverage on the Warren news. The blogosphere is still fired up about it, and that's the real danger for Obama on this -- that the fire doesn't get put out before the end of the week.

Salon's Madden on the controversy: "So about the only thing less surprising than the outrage that news of  Warren's selection to give the invocation at Obama's inauguration is prompting among gay activists, liberals and Obama supporters generally is probably Warren's appearance on the program in the first place. Obama and Warren have often used each other to demonstrate that they'll be willing to listen to people they disagree with -- and yes, also to let everyone know that they'll be willing to anger their friends. This isn't one of those political controversies that pop up out of nowhere without warning; whether they want to admit it or not, it seems Obama's advisors brought on this fight with his own supporters knowing full well what was coming."

"Having Warren speak at the inauguration might make more sense for Obama, now that he's been elected, than going to Warren's Saddleback Civil Forum in August in search of evangelical votes did from a campaigning standpoint. When the ballots were counted he only did marginally better among white evangelicals than Gore and Kerry; the idea now, apparently, is to signal that Obama will be a president for all Americans, whether they voted for him on Nov. 4 or not."

COLORADO: Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter is launching an online campaign to solicit suggestions on who should be appointed to fill Sen. Ken Salazar's seat.

MINNESOTA: The Minneapolis Star Tribune says that a ruling by Minnesota's highest court yesterday presented good news and bad news for both Coleman and Franken. The ruling also postpones the recount for another few weeks. "The Minnesota Supreme Court said improperly rejected absentee ballots must be counted by the state Canvassing Board, something Coleman tried to prevent. But they won't be counted immediately, and Coleman and Franken must agree on which ones are tallied."

"Meanwhile, as the state Canvassing Board continued working its way through challenged ballots, DFLer Franken all but erased Republican Coleman's lead in the U.S. Senate recount and appeared poised to pull ahead today. But his gains could in turn prove short-lived when thousands of previously disputed ballots are added to the tally."

The Pioneer Press: "The court endorsed counting hundreds of mistakenly rejected absentee ballots statewide -- but only if the two sides agree they should be counted. The move takes the decisions out of the hands of local elections officials and places it in the hands of the very candidates who will benefit or suffer from those decisions… The court set a deadline of 4 p.m. Dec. 31 to complete the process, then threatened sanctions if the campaigns don't participate in good faith."

So with Congress coming back on Jan. 6 -- likely before the Coleman-Franken race is settled -- what happens next? The Washington Post: "Democrats have privately raised the possibility of temporarily leaving Minnesota's seat vacant, something that has not occurred since 1974, when the Senate was unable to declare a victor and New Hampshire held a repeat election in 1975. The Minnesota recount comes amid the Illinois corruption scandal that is delaying the Senate replacement of President-elect Barack Obama, creating the possibility that a very busy legislative season could begin with two vacancies. Because of the uncertainty in Illinois and Minnesota, the Senate has delayed formally reconstituting its committee structure. Democrats could end up holding 57, 58 or 59 seats, and the majority ratio on committees will shift accordingly. Until those panels are in place, it is difficult to hold hearings and move legislation that Obama made the centerpiece of his campaign." 

NEW YORK: Here's a story type that always hits first-time candidates, and yet never seems to bother voters: the not-voting-enough issue. "City Board of Elections records show Kennedy has failed to vote in many elections since she registered in the city in 1988 - including votes for the Senate seat she hopes to fill and numerous Democratic faceoffs for mayor." More: "Records show Kennedy did not pull the lever for any of her fellow Democrats in city primary races for mayor in 1989, 1993 and 1997 and 2005, which Republicans went on to win three out of four times in the general election."  

Worth noting: This is not nearly as spotty of a voting record as many other first-time candidates.

Another member of the New York delegation who isn't on the Caroline bandwagon: Dem Rep. Michael Arcuri of Utica, who wants an upstate Dem appointed.

But look who is winning over Al Sharpton... "Sharpton stressed Thursday that there are many qualified candidates but said, 'The unique person in this, with some unique skills, I think, is Caroline Kennedy.' The visit to Harlem came a day after she made a similarly symbolic pilgrimage to three upstate New York cities, meeting privately with Democratic leaders there. Later Thursday, she planned to attend a holiday party for the Queens Democrats, being held at the Queens Museum."

Kennedy made sure to call herself a "Clinton Democrat" yesterday as well.

Any reason why New York Gov. David Paterson decided to go public about AG Andrew Cuomo's interest in the Senate seat? Considering that Cuomo used to be married to Caroline's cousin, doesn't this just add to the soap opera aspect of all this? 

From Ken Strickland and Andrea Mitchell
NBC News has obtained a Memorandum of Understanding between the Clinton Foundation and the Obama transition on how Bill Clinton's Foundation will conduct its activities -- and disclose its donors -- for the duration of Hillary Clinton's tenure as secretary of state, should she be confirmed.

The memo was signed on Dec. 12th by Bruce Lindsey, Bill Clinton's longtime lawyer and troubleshooter, and Valerie Jarrett on behalf of the President-elect.

It has been circulated by Sens. Kerry and Lugar, leaders of the Foreign Relations Committee, to all committee members in advance of Clinton's confirmation hearings in January.

Today, Bill Clinton's foundation, as promised in the agreement, released the names of all donors to the library and foundation.

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 of the U.S. military's Pacific Command, was director of the Joint Staff, but also worked with the CIA and National Security Council.

Blair, a Rhodes Scholar and Russian speaker is considered a "brainiac" who has experience in managing large organizations. A commander of Pacific Command he's known for pushing political and diplomatic engagement over military confrontation.

From Savannah Guthrie and Mark Murray
Former Dallas mayor Ron Kirk will be announced U.S. Trade Representative, officials said. 

NBC News also confirmed today that Hilda Solis will also be named Labor Secretary.

There will be another Obama news conference tomorrow at 2:15 p.m. ET.

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
After more than a year of public debate, the Clinton Foundation released its list of donors today, a move widely viewed as part of a deal between the Clintons and Obama to ensure Clinton's appointment as Secretary of State.

It's a splashy list that includes foreign entities, including Saudi Arabia and Dubai; controversial characters close Clinton, like Stephen L. Bing and Frank Giustra; charities, like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UNITAID of the World Health Organization and the ambiguous Children's Investment Fund Foundation; and celebrity organizations, like the Elton John AIDS Foundation and the Princess Diana Memorial Fund

The nearly 3,000 Web-page list is here and is listed from largest donors to smallest. We'll update with more, but here's a quick sampling from page 1.

$25 million +
UNITAID, a group administered by the World Health Organization

Children's Investment Fund Foundation: There's very little information on the London-based group's Web site as to the source of the funds, but the New York Times wrote: "Christopher Cooper-Hohn and his wife, Jamie, follow a simple economic formula: he makes money, and she gives it away. Mr. Cooper-Hohn runs the Children's Investment Fund, or T.C.I., a successful -- and controversial -- hedge fund that has become a gadfly to corporate giants like CSX, the American railroad. Ms. Cooper-Hohn leads an affiliated charity, the Children's Investment Fund Foundation, which uses some of the profits that T.C.I. earns to finance programs for underprivileged children. The partnership has made the Cooper-Hohns the most generous philanthropists in Britain. Last weekend, their foundation reported a $439 million ($856 million) jump in funds for fiscal 2007, reflecting $324 million in donations from T.C.I. and the Cooper-Hohns. In an interview, Ms. Cooper-Hohn dismissed the notion that the charity is a ploy to soften Mr. Cooper-Hohn's hard-charging image. … It worked with the Clinton Foundation to cut prices of H.I.V. drugs for children in a housing project, and it shepherded economic and nutritional programs for children and families affected by H.I.V. and AIDS in India."  
$10M-25M
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Stephen L. Bing, Clinton friend, who was written about in Vanity Fair by Todd Purdham: "Burkle's usual means of transport is the custom-converted Boeing 757 that Clinton calls "Ron Air" and that Burkle's own circle of young aides privately refer to as "Air F--- One." Clinton himself had arrived on the private plane of another California friend, the real-estate heir, Democratic donor, liberal activist, and sometime movie and music producer Steve Bing, whose colorful private life includes fathering a child out of wedlock with the actress Elizabeth Hurley and suing the billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian for invasion of privacy, alleging that private investigators for Kerkorian swiped Bing's dental floss out of his trash in a successful effort to prove that Bing's DNA matched that of a child delivered by Kerkorian's ex-wife, the former tennis pro Lisa Bonder. (The suit was later settled out of court.) ... Bing, 43, who helped finance Shine a Light, the recent Martin Scorsese documentary about the Rolling Stones, and who has given tens of millions to environmental and other causes dear to Clinton's heart in recent years, is described as very well read, thoughtful, interesting—and willing to stay up long into the night indulging Clinton's craving for conversational companionship." 

Frank Giustra, Canadian mining financier. Clinton traveled to Kazakhstan with Giustra, where they both met and dined with the lightning rod 19-year president of the country. "Mr. Nazarbayev walked away from the table with a propaganda coup, after Mr. Clinton expressed enthusiastic support for the Kazakh leader's bid to head an international organization that monitors elections and supports democracy," the New York Times wrote. "Mr. Clinton's public declaration undercut both American foreign policy and sharp criticism of Kazakhstan's poor human rights record by, among others, Mr. Clinton's wife, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.

"Within two days, corporate records show that Mr. Giustra also came up a winner when his company signed preliminary agreements giving it the right to buy into three uranium projects controlled by Kazakhstan's state-owned uranium agency, Kazatomprom. The monster deal stunned the mining industry, turning an unknown shell company into one of the world's largest uranium producers in a transaction ultimately worth tens of millions of dollars to Mr. Giustra, analysts said."

Citi Foundation, former Clinton Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin is director and senior counselor there. And Lisa Caputo, who was Hillary Clinton's press secretary, is executive vice president of global marketing and corporate affairs for Citi.

Tom Golisano, Paychex (payroll processing) billionaire New Yorker, who ran and failed in three bids for governor. He is thought to have a networth of $1.7 billion; was named one of Forbes' 400 Richest People in America. He carries around $1,000 to $2,000 dollars in cash on him in a money clip. He doesn't use a wallet.

Fred Eychaner, Democratic donor, Hillary funder

Haim Saban, producer most notably in the 1990s for Power Rangers. He also created the soundtracks for cartoon hits Inspector Gadget, He-Man.

Nasser Al-Rashid, billionaire Saudi business owner, who owns reportedly one of the largest -- if not the largest -- yachts in the world. He has a couple of degrees from the University of Texas and is the financier and namesake of the Texas Football weight room.

From NBC's Savannah Guthrie
NBC News has confirmed that Obama will name California Rep. Hilda Solis (D) to be his Labor secretary.

From NBC's Athena Jones
CHICAGO -- The $50 billion Bernard Madoff scandal that has rocked New York took center stage here at Obama's press conference this morning, as the president-elect pointed to the massive Ponzi scheme as another indication that the nation's financial regulatory system must be overhauled.

He also responded to the controversy surrounding his selection of evangelical minister Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration on Jan. 20.

On the campaign trail this fall, as the crisis on Wall Street worsened, Obama spoke frequently about the need for what he called a 21st-century regulatory framework. He stressed that theme again today in announcing Mary Schapiro as his pick to head the Securities and Exchange Commission, Gary Gensler to head of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and Georgetown professor Daniel Tarullo to an open Federal Reserve Board seat.

"In the last few days, the alleged scandal at Madoff Investment Securities has reminded us yet again of how badly reform is needed when it comes to the rules and regulations that govern our markets," Obama said. "Charities that invested in Madoff could end up losing savings on which millions depend -- a massive fraud that was made possible in part because the regulators who were assigned to oversee Wall Street dropped the ball. And if the financial crisis has taught us anything, it's that this failure of oversight and accountability doesn't just harm individuals involved ;it has the potential to devastate our entire economy."

The president-elect said instituting a new regulatory framework would be "one of the top legislative priorities" of his administration, as suggested by the fact that he was announcing these appointments much earlier than past administrations have done. This regulatory-minded team would be tasked with putting in place "new common-sense rules of the road" to protect, consumers, investors, and the economy, as well as cracking down on what he called the "culture of greed and scheming" at the root of the current problems.

Obama said his team would be releasing a "very detailed plan" for how to go about revamping the system, and suggested it might be necessary to merge some agencies to improve and strengthen the regulatory system.

Schapiro, Gensler, and Tarullo would take office at a time when individuals and businesses are facing a severe credit crunch and a deepening recession, and also when many investors and ordinary Americans want to see better oversight of Wall Street to help avoid a repeat of the recent financial market meltdown regulators failed to prevent. The SEC has been criticized for failing to avert the collapse of Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers and for not acting on nearly a decade of credible allegations of wrongdoing by Madoff.

"Investor trust is the lifeblood of our financial markets," Schapiro said during her brief remarks. "The only way to restore the trust that has been lost is through effective, thoughtful reform of our regulatory structure and the consistent and robust enforcement of our financial regulations and this will be my top priority."

Outgoing Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Christopher Cox commended the choice of Schapiro: "I have worked closely with Mary for many years on a wide range of financial industry and market regulation efforts, including the creation of FINRA and the protection of senior investors, and she has always been a consummate professional," the Cox statement read in part. "Her experience at both the CFTC and SEC will be invaluable in tackling the challenges of regulatory restructuring that the next Congress will face."

Obama on Rick Warren
In answering a question about the invitation extended to evangelical Pastor Rick Warren of  to participate in his swearing-in ceremony -- a decision that angered gay rights groups because of Warren's support for the California ballot proposition that banned gay-marriage -- Obama emphasized his strong commitment to equality for gays and lesbians and the importance of listening to diverse viewpoints.

"That dialogue, I think, is part of what my campaign's been all about: That we're not going to agree on every single issue. But what we have to do is to be able to create an atmosphere when we -- where we can disagree without being disagreeable and then focus on those things that we hold in common as Americans," he said. "That's the spirit in which, you know, we have put together what I think will be a terrific inauguration and that's, hopefully, going to be a spirit that carries over into my administration."

From NBC's Ken Strickland
Reacting to press reports that retiring GOP Rep. Ray LaHood is the likely nominee for Transportation secretary, John McCain today commended Obama "for once again reaching across the aisle." McCain called LaHood "one of our country's finest public servants. "

In a written statement, he said LaHood "has always fought for the best interests of our nation -- recognizing that bipartisan compromises often provide the best solutions to the problems facing our country."

"Our nation's transportation system faces some of the most pressing challenges of our time -- from modernizing our federal air traffic control system, resolving the funding crisis facing our nation's aging infrastructure, and promoting a safe, efficient and accessible transportation system that meets our nation's needs. Ray LaHood's experience will be critical to forging reasonable solutions to these challenges and I trust that he will be quickly confirmed by the U.S. Senate."

From NBC's Mark Murray
As Republican pollster Bill McInturff sees it, two differences would have made last month's presidential contest much closer -- had the financial collapse occurred on Dec. 15 instead of Sept. 15, and had the Republican National Committee been able to raise more than $200 million in the final two months, without any restrictions on how the McCain campaign could use it.

But, of course, neither happened.

McInturff, who was McCain's pollster and who has since returned to become the Republican half of the NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, says the McCain camp was in the process of unveiling its "Chicago" ad on Sept. 15. That advertisement, which linked Obama with Tony Rezko and even Rod Blagojevich (!!!), was the beginning of an effort to raise this question with voters about Obama: What else do we not know about him? "It was not the killer ad, but it was the right opening," McInturff said. Yet the economic collapse that began on Sept. 15 forced both campaigns instead to spend the next month reacting to that crisis.

The Obama campaign, McInturff notes, was better able to get out its message during the crisis by being able to spend a whopping $100 million-plus during the first two weeks of October. By contrast, because it decided to accept public funds during the general election (giving it just $85 million to spend from September to November), the McCain campaign couldn't compete financially. The money that the Republican National Committee raised helped close the gap, but those funds came with restrictions, which forced the McCain camp and the RNC to produce "hybrid" ads that were split between criticizing Obama and congressional Democrats.

McInturff said those ads were "horrible" because they didn't present viewers with a consistent message.

McInturff made these remarks at a breakfast meeting with reporters sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor. During the Q&A, he acknowledged that the campaign's polling numbers bottomed out after House Republicans killed the initial financial bailout package and after Colin Powell endorsed Obama. And he said he knew McCain wouldn't win on November 4 after seeing the initial exit polls that were released at 5:00 pm ET on Election Day.

To win, McInturff noted, the exit polls were going to have to show McCain narrowly ahead in Indiana, tied in Virginia, and up big in both Kentucky and Georgia. Those things didn't happen: As McInturff expected, the exit polls were inflated for Obama, but even after shaving several points off the Democrat's numbers, he knew Obama was well on his way to winning approximately 350 electoral votes.

Despite the grim outlook for McCain, McInturff defended the campaign memo he penned a week before the election, which argued that McCain's poll numbers were improving to the point where "we are headed to an election to an election that may easily be too close to call by next Tuesday." He said the campaign's internal polling had McCain down by 11 or 12 after Powell's endorsement, but those numbers kept improving until Election Day. The memo's purpose was two-fold, he said: 1) to argue that the race wasn't in the double digits as some public polls showed, and 2) to demonstrate that "John McCain had a pulse."

Also at the briefing, McInturff talked about the GOP's upcoming challenges with Latinos, younger voters, and moderates and independents. "If you can't win the center, you can't win an election."

Asked what Obama's potential vulnerabilities might be as president, McInturff responded that sometimes a person's strengths -- e.g., Obama's calm temperament -- could later turn out to be a weakness. He also said that the White House "bubble" could be a problem. "There is a big difference between how you operate in a campaign and what happens in the White House."

Yet McInturff cautioned that Republicans should probably wait a few months before taking out their knives to combat Obama. "The comeback doesn't have to start the first day after the swearing-in."

And given that about half of Republican Iowa caucus-goers are religious conservatives, McInturff predicted that Sarah Palin might be tough to beat in that first 2012 GOP contest. Despite her poor poll numbers among swing voters, he said to expect her to try to reach out in some way to these voters if she is indeed serious about a 2012 bid. 

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Carrie Dann
*** Cabinet census: Obama has tapped retiring GOP Rep. Ray LaHood (R-IL) to be his Transportation secretary -- to be named Friday with likely his Labor secretary as well (maybe one of two Congresswomen -- Hilda Solis, of California or Rosa DeLauro, of Connecticut), First Read has learned. Given that Obama's cabinet team is almost all but complete, now's as good a time as any to break down the cabinet by the numbers. Note: We include the offices that Obama gives cabinet rank (EPA administrator, OMB chief, and UN ambassador). Today, Obama holds a press conference at 10:45 am ET to announce Mary Schapiro the chief of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the head of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission and an open Federal Reserve Board seat (Georgetown professor Daniel Tarullo), none of which hold cabinet rank. But in the wake of Madoff, the P.R. timing of these announcements couldn't be better for Team Obama.

Video: President-elect Barack Obama introduced veteran regulator Mary Schapiro to head the Securities and Exchange Commission Thursday and had some strong words regarding the recent allegations involving Wall St. figure Bernard Madoff.

Here are the numbers:

- 7 Ivy Leaguers (Clinton, Duncan, Geithner, Holder, Donovan, Orszag, Jackson)
- 6 State Schoolers (Daschle, Vilsack, Chu, Napolitano, Salazar, Gates)
- 6 Raised in the Midwest (Clinton, Daschle, Vilsack, Gates, Duncan, LaHood) Note: This doesn't include Chu, who was born in Missouri but grew up in New York)
- 4 Women (Clinton, Napolitano, Rice, Jackson)
- 4 Raised in New York (Holder, Donovan, Geithner, Chu – who grew up on Long Island; does not include Napolitano who was born in NYC or Clinton who currently lives there)
- 3 African Americans (Holder, Rice, Jackson)
- 3 Westerners (Salazar, Richardson, Napolitano -- who was born in NYC but raised in Albuquerque)
- 3 Basketball Players (Duncan, Rice, Holder -- does not include NSA appointee Gen. James Jones)
- 2 Hispanics (Salazar, Richardson)
- 2 Asian Americans (Shinseki, Chu)
- 2 Republicans (Gates, Lahood)
- 2 Sitting Senators (Clinton, Salazar)
- 2 Sitting Governors (Napolitano, Richardson)
- 1 Raised in the South (Jackson, who was born in Philadelphia, but adopted a few weeks later and grew up in New Orleans' Ninth Ward)

*** When liberals attack: Axelrod and Gibbs have to be smiling this morning with the news that gay-rights groups are angry that Obama has announced that conservative evangelical Rick Warren will give the invocation at Obama's inauguration. Why are they smiling? Because it never hurts -- at least when it comes to governing or running for re-election -- when you sometimes disappoint/anger your party's interest groups (in this case, People for the American Way and the Human Rights Campaign). Just asking, but is anyone but People for the American Way and the Human Rights Campaign surprised that Rick Warren is going to give a prayer at the inauguration? Where was this outrage when Obama appeared at Warren's Saddleback forum back in August? The difference may be that the forum came before Proposition 8 passed in California. As for the pure politics of this, when you look at the exit polls and see the large numbers of white evangelicals in swing states like North Carolina, Florida and Missouri, as well as emerging battlegrounds like Georgia and Texas, you'll understand what Obama's up to. 

*** Big bucks, big buck, no whammies: Something worth pointing out if Caroline Kennedy is appointed to the Senate -- she is going to have to fill out a Senate disclosure form. Will we find out how big the Onassis fortune actually is? The point of this nugget is to remind folks that if Caroline were truly worried about her privacy, she wouldn't want this appointment because she has to do something most Americans hate doing, open up her finances. Clearly, she's crossed a threshold in her own mind to go public. There is an upside to all of this criticism she's receiving this morning over her reaction to local press inquiries: she's got low expectations for press access so any access will look like a lot at this point. It's not unlike the expectations that were built around Hillary when she began her listening tour. By the way, has she cleared another hurdle in getting the appointment by saying she would "absolutely" pursue the seat in 2010 -- even if Paterson doesn't appoint her, according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.

Video: Caroline Kennedy gets a chilly reception from some high-placed politicians in New York, as she makes it official that she's interested in Hillary Clinton's Senate seat. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.

*** Bush legacy watch: Buried by yesterday's other news -- Caroline's trip Upstate, the question Obama received at his press conference about transparency, and the latest in the Blagojevich scandal -- was the speech President Bush delivered Wednesday on national security and terrorism. "While there's room for honest and healthy debate about the decisions I've made -- and there's plenty of debate -- there can be no debate about the results in keeping America safe," he said. This morning, at a speech sponsored by the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute, Bush will turn his attention to domestic issues. The title of the speech is: "Building on a Foundation for the Future." It could very well be his last opportunity to talk about what Republican governance looks like.

*** Mad(off) Money: Bernard Madoff, the New York investor who has admitted to swindling some $50 billion in a Ponzi scheme, contributed more than $183,000 to federal political candidates (mostly Democrats) over the past 15 years, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Earlier this week, the National Republican Congressional Committee blasted out a press release noting that embattled Rep. Charlie Rangel received $2,000 from Madoff (a Rangel spokesman tells First Read that he has since cut a check in that amount to the Boys & Girls Club of Harlem). Other notable recipients: $100,000 to the DSCC (the committee say it's reviewing whether to give the money back); $6,000 to Chuck Schumer (who has said he's giving that amount to charity); $5,000 to Sen. Ron Wyden (who donated the money to an Oregon food bank); $7,000 to Rep. Ed Markey (who's trying to identify a Massachusetts charity where he can send that money); $3,600 to Sen. Frank Lautenberg (who will be dumping that money and whose charities were invested with Madoff!!!); and $1,000 to Hillary Clinton (spokesman Philippe Reines tells First Read, "It was made for the '00 campaign, which doesn't exist anymore, has no funds, completely closed out in FEC parlance"). Of course, it's worth asking: Who should get this Madoff money -- charities or the people who lost their money? … By the way, you think John McCain is sitting around somewhere, saying, "See. I told ya so" over saying SEC Chair Chris Cox should be fired. Give McCain credit. Some cynics might view his call as a ruse, that he's fundamentally a deregulator and was pandering to what he thought was the visceral populist notion in the country. But was he wrong?

Video: Madoff has been released from jail and placed under partial house arrest.  CNBC's David Faber reports.

*** The never-ending recount: It's Day 3 of the Minnesota canvassing board's ruling on the challenged ballots in the Coleman-Franken race, and the Star Tribune's count has Norm Coleman up by 358 votes. So far, the board has decided on 420 ballots disputed by the Franken camp, and as the Star Tribune writes: "Typically, most challenges lose. On Tuesday and Wednesday, most of the Franken challenges were resolved in favor of Coleman, adding votes to the incumbent's column and increasing his margin, if only temporarily. By the same logic, Franken is expected to gain votes when the board takes up Coleman's ballot challenges." Also on today's agenda: The canvassing will take up the Coleman camp charge that as many as 150 ballots have been double counted.

Countdown to Electoral Vote Count In Congress: 21 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 33 days
Countdown to VA Dem primary: 173 days
Countdown to Election Day 2009: 320 days
Countdown to Election Day 2010: 684 days

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Obama has made good on his pledge to add an "S" to the phrase "Republicans in his cabinet," as he'll name retiring GOP Rep. Ray LaHood Transportation secretary This is a post that Bush used to make his Cabinet bipartisan as well. LaHood joins Robert Gates as the second known Republican in Obama's cabinet.

Video: The President-elect plans to name Ill. Congressman Ray LaHood as his secretary of transportation. NBC's Brian Williams reports.

The AP on the expected appointment of Republican Ray Lahood (IL) as Transportation Secretary: "He has been at the forefront of efforts to make the floor of the House less partisan. Respected for his ability to preside, he was in the chair during most of President Bill Clinton's impeachment a decade ago." Lahood also is one Republican who did not sign on to Newt Gingrich's Contract with America in the 1990s.

Left to fill: Labor, "senior intelligence positions, or the Office of US Trade Representative. Representative Xavier Becerra (D-CA) ... had been penciled in as trade representative, but he announced on Tuesday he intends to remain in the House."

In subcabinet posts, "Knowledgeable officials said Dr. Gail Rosseau, a Chicago neurosurgeon, is among the final contenders to become surgeon general. These officials spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to discuss the appointment."

The Hill points out: "LaHood does not sit on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Department and did not introduce any transportation bills in the 110th Congress. He did not run for reelection in November. LaHood, a centrist, is friends with incoming White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel." 

The Obama transition team knows timing. With the Bernie Madoff scandal grabbing headlines and the S.E.C. taking hits for missing the warning signs, Obama is expected to name a new head of the S.E.C. "Word came late Wednesday that President-elect Barack Obama is expected today to name Mary L. Schapiro to succeed Christopher Cox as SEC chief. Schapiro is chief executive of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, an industry group that regulates brokerages. Cox, expressing concern that the agency missed numerous red flags about Madoff over the last decade, has asked the SEC's inspector general to conduct an investigation."

Indiana GOP Rep. Dan Burton has passed along the info he gathered when his committee investigated Eric Holder's role in the Marc Rich pardon. "The Republican lawmaker who investigated the controversial Rich pardon told The Washington Times that evidence documenting the 1999 contacts conflicts with Mr. Holder's testimony and that he has forwarded information he has on the subject to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will examine President-elect Barack Obama's choice for attorney general."

"Mr. Holder 'certainly had more than a passing familiarity with this case,' said Rep. Dan Burton, Indiana Republican, who oversaw the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee when it investigated the Rich pardon in 2001. 'I know human beings are fallible and they make mistakes, but making statements that are not accurate while under oath before a congressional  committee goes beyond the pale,' he said. 'Sure as the dickens, he was not straight with our committee.'"

Could Obama appoint an openly gay man as the Secretary of Navy? The Washington Times says so.

Pay-to-play or water under the bridge? The Hill looks at cabinet appointees and their campaign contributions.

CQ offers a history lesson on lame ducks and incoming leaders. "Obama's refusal to assume responsibility for any action before becoming president is reminiscent of Roosevelt, who refused to join Hoover during his final days in office in calling for a bank holiday to halt withdrawals of gold and currency. But one day after taking the oath of office, Roosevelt put his intentions into action by issuing an unprecedented edict that halted withdrawals for four days."

By the way, does the New York Post get ALL of its news from Drudge? It puts TIME's photo of Obama smoking a cigarette -- that also was leading Drudge most of the day yesterday -- under the headline, "Secret Obama photos."

OUR OBAMA CABINET SPECULATION LIST:
NAMED President's office/staff:
-- Chief of Staff: Rahm Emanuel (Deputies: Jim Messina, Mona Sutphen)
-- Senior Advisers: Valerie Jarrett, Peter Rouse, David Axelrod
-- Political Director: Patrick Gaspard
-- Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs: Phil Schiliro
-- White House Counsel: Greg Craig
-- Press Secretary: Robert Gibbs
-- Communications Director: Ellen Moran (Deputy: Dan Pfeiffer)
-- Director of Scheduling and Advance: Alyssa Mastromonaco
-- Staff Secretary: Lisa Brown
-- Cabinet Secretary: Chris Lu
-- Special Assistant to the President and White House Social Secretary: Desirée Rogers
-- Director, White House Military Office: Louis Caldera

NAMED Vice President's office/staff:
-- Biden's Chief of staff: Ron Klain
-- Counselor to the Vice President: Mike Donilon
-- Domestic Policy Advisor to the Vice President: Terrell McSweeny
-- Assistant to the Vice President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Liaison: Evan Ryan
-- Communications Director: Jay Carney
 
NAMED First Lady's office/staff:
-- Michelle Obama's Chief of Staff: Jackie Norris (Deputy: Melissa Winter)
 
NAMED CABINET MEMBERS:
-- Agriculture: Tom Vilsack
-- Commerce: Bill Richardson
-- Defense: Robert Gates
-- Education: Arne Duncan (Chicago public schools superintendent)
-- Energy: Steven Chu
-- HHS: Tom Daschle
-- HUD: Shaun Donovan (NYC housing commissioner)
-- Interior: Sen. Ken Salazar
-- Homeland Security: Janet Napolitano
-- Justice (AG): Eric Holder
-- State: Hillary Clinton (Jim Steinberg-deputy CONFIRMED BY NBC NEWS)
-- Treasury: Tim Geithner
-- Veterans Affairs: Eric Shinse

 

POTENTIAL CABINET MEMBERS:
-- Labor: Kathleen Sebelius (asked that her name be removed from consideration from any post), Andy Stern (SEIU) (said not interested), Jennifer Granholm, Richard Gephardt, George Miller, David Bonior (said he's not interested, suggested: American Rights at Work Executive Director Mary Beth Maxwell), Rep. Xavier Becerra, Linda Chavez-Thompson, Antonio Villaraigosa
-- Transportation: Fmr Republican Rep. Ray LaHood (known by some as Obama's favorite Republican), CONFIRMED BY NEWS

OTHER POSITIONS:
-- National Economic Council Director: Larry Summers NAMED
-- Council of Economic Advisers: Christina Romer (chair), NAMED, Dan Tarullo, Jacob "Jack" Lew, Jason Furman, Austan Goolsbee, Laura Tyson
-- Economic Recovery Advisory Board: Paul Volcker NAMED, Austan Goolsbee (staff director, chief economist) NAMED, Eric E. Schmidt (Google chairman, CEO)
-- Natl Sec Adviser: Gen. James L. Jones NAMED, (Deputy: Tom Donilon)
-- NSC: Dennis Ross, Tony Lake
-- OMB: Peter Orszag NAMED (Deputy: Rob Nabors NAMED)
-- White House Domestic Policy Council Director: Melody Barnes NAMED (Domestic Policy Council Deputy Director: Heather A. Higginbottom NAMED)
-- UN Ambassador: Susan Rice NAMED
-- EPA: Lisa Jackson (NJ environ commission) CONFIRMED BY NBC NEWS
-- Energy "Czar" reporting to the president: Carol Browner CONFIRMED BY NBC NEWS
-- CIA: Tony Lake, John Brennan (wrote a letter to Obama asking that his name be withdrawn), Chuck Hagel, Michael Hayden, Jami Miscik (fmr CIA dep dir for Intel)
-- DNI: Ret. Adm. Dennis Blair, Tony Lake, John Brennan, Tim Roemer, Rand Beers, Jane Harman, John Abizaid, Evan Bayh
-- FEMA: James Lee Witt
-- FBI: Robert Mueller (term expires 2011)
-- Fed Chair: Ben Bernanke (at least for first year)
-- FDA: Steven Nissen (Cleveland Clinic), Joshua Sharfstein (Baltimore health commissioner), Janet Woodcock (Big Pharma's choice), Susan Wood (GWU occupational and environmental health professor), Diana Zuckerman (president, National Research Center for Women & Families) Joint Chiefs: Michael Mullen (term ends in late 2009, can expect to be appointed for second term, per tradition)
-- Peace Corps: Chris Shays
-- USTR: Xavier Becerra, Cal Dooley (American Chemistry Council president), Daniel K. Tarullo (Georgetown University law professor), Lael Brainard (Brookings Institution vice president), Thomas F. "Mack" McLarty (fmr Clinton White House chief of staff)
-- Auto Czar: Jennifer Granholm
-- Secretary of the Army: Mortimer Downey
-- Chief Technology Officer: Julius Genachowski, Shane Robison (HP), Edward Felten (Princeton)
-- FCC: Jonathan Adelstein (FCC commissioner), Antoinette Bush (Skadden), Karen Kornbluh (Obama's former Senate policy director), Blair Levin (fmr chief of staff to then-FCC Commissioner Reid Hunt)

Might an Obama stimulus be $850 billion? "Obama's economic advisers are assembling a recovery plan and reaching out to members of Congress and their staffs. Obama aides cautioned that they have not settled on a specific grand total. But they noted that economists from across the political spectrum have recommended spending similar or even larger amounts to jolt the worsening economy. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., this week said Democrats were preparing their own recovery bill in the range of $600 billion, blending immediate steps to counter the slumping economy with longer-term federal spending that encompasses Obama's plan."

Caroline Kennedy got a taste of the New York press corps, as she is taking what amounts to a listening tour of Upstate New York.

Kennedy said for the first time that she would "absolutely" pursue the New York Senate seat when it comes open in 2010 -- even if Paterson doesn't appoint her, according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.

"Kennedy's 160-mile upstate listening tour made stops in Syracuse and Buffalo and included her first-ever trip to Rochester," the New York Daily News writes. "'I'll be back as many times as Chuck Schumer,' she said, referring to New York's senior senator. Along the way, Kennedy insisted 'it's not a campaign' even as she ticked off the reasons she's the best-qualified person to fill Hillary Clinton's Senate seat.

Think high drama in the Empire State is new? Fuggedaboutit. "Kennedy's maneuvering to win the Senate appointment has echoes of her uncle Robert F. Kennedy's 1964 New York Senate campaign -- and of Clinton's own Senate bid in 2000. In each case, RFK and Clinton, newcomers to the state and novices as candidates, blew their opposition out of the water."

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Emanuel spoke directly to Blagojevich. "Emanuel talked with the governor in the days following the Nov. 4 election and pressed early on for the appointment of Valerie Jarrett to the post, sources with knowledge of the conversations told the Sun-Times. There was no indication from sources that Emanuel brokered a deal, however. A source with the Obama camp strongly denied Emanuel spoke with the governor directly about the seat, saying Emanuel only spoke with Blagojevich once recently to say he was taking the chief of staff post."

 Blagojevich attorney Ed Genson yesterday "tore into impeachment-minded state lawmakers trying to force the governor out of a job," the Chicago Tribune reports. Genson "complained of a lack of standards to determine impeachment, decried his inability to subpoena witnesses such as U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald and asked that some panel members be removed because they had 'already made up their minds in this case.' 'Everybody's in a rush to judgment,' Genson said later at a news conference. 'If you know of another case coming out of the State of Illinois that had more pizazz to it . . . where there were so many people that wanted to chop somebody's head off, you tell me it. But I don't. This is a real witch hunt.'"

Of course, as we said earlier, the impeachment proceedings are not about laws, it's about votes and politics. They don't need proof but the votes.

The Trib also notes that Genson said Blagojevich won't be appointing anyone to fill Obama's Senate seat. "… Genson was asked if Blagojevich would make an appointment against the wishes of Democrats across the state and country. 'No,' Genson replied. '(U.S. Senate Majority Leader) Harry Reid said that they're not going to accept anybody he picks. Why would he do that?' A Blagojevich spokesman could not confirm that the governor would not make the appointment, but said Blagojevich has repeatedly expressed a desire for the seat to be filled through the will of voters via a special election."

AFSCME president Gerald McEntee, in an interview with the Washington Times, said the SEIU's link to the Blagojevich scandal won't help the labor movement's push for the employee free choice act. "McEntee said labor must guard against overreaching and should avoid warring with other Democratic-leaning groups – 'to turn the other cheek on this and be more interested in the bigger picture,' he said - but he also said unions paid their dues by supporting Democrats and President-elect Barack Obama in this year's election."

"'The payback would be Employee Free Choice Act - that would be a vehicle to strengthen and build the American labor movement and the middle class,' he said. 'It's the condition of the country, it's health care, it's the Employee Free Choice Act, it's some kind of effort made in protection of their pensions. These are big and major items.'"

Mr. McEntee said his members understand the limits of the Senate, with its filibuster rules that the minority Republicans can use to block legislation, but said unions at least want to see a full-throttle effort. 'I think our people have to be able to see that the Democrats, including Obama, are fighting ... for these kinds of things and not backing off or backing away.'"

Taxpayers for Common Sense doesn't like this one. "A crumbling economy, more than 2 million constituents who have lost their jobs this year, and congressional demands of CEOs to work for free did not convince lawmakers to freeze their own pay. Instead, they will get a $4,700 pay increase, amounting to an additional $2.5 million that taxpayers will spend on congressional salaries, and watchdog groups are not happy about it."

Those hoping for the wheels of health care reform to start turning might have to wait 'til early 2010, says the chairman of the House Ways and Means health subcommittee.

Mr. Jefferson goes to Washington. Well, the Supreme Court in Washington. "The Louisiana lawmaker, who lost his re-election bid, is fighting his indictment, asserting that prosecutors violated the Constitution's Speech or Debate Clause when they provided the grand jury with evidence of his legislative activities."

The news yesterday didn't seem controversial at first… "Aretha Franklin and Dr. Rick Warren, an evangelical minister of the Saddleback Church, are among the select group of people who will participate in Barack Obama's inaugural swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 20," the New York Times wrote. "Mr. Obama has also chosen Elizabeth Alexander, an African-American poet at Yale University, and some of the world's premier musicians, including Itzhak Perlman and Yo-Yo Ma, to share the podium with him. In honoring the civil rights movement, Mr. Obama has asked the Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery, dean of the civil rights movement and co-founder with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, to deliver the benediction."

But per Politico, the news about Warren -- who supported the victorious anti-gay-marriage California ballot proposition -- infuriated gay-rights groups. "'Your invitation to Reverend Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at your inauguration is a genuine blow to LGBT Americans,' the president of Human Rights Campaign, Joe Solomonese, wrote Obama Wednesday. '[W]e feel a deep level of disrespect when one of architects and promoters of an anti-gay agenda is given the prominence and the pulpit of your historic nomination.'"

CBN's Brody says Warren giving the invocation makes a lot of sense. "Even though Warren and Obama disagree on the life issue, they do see eye to eye on many social justice issues. This move is also classic Obama because it is a signal to religious conservatives that he's willing to bring in both sides to the faith discussion in this country. Obama has never shied away from that."

Is RNC Chair Mike Duncan's re-election bid in big trouble? Many a leading Republican has criticized the RNC's push against Obama regarding the Blagojevich scandal. "'I was saddened to learn that at a time of national trial, when a President-elect is preparing to take office in the midst of the worst financial crisis in over seventy years, that the Republican National Committee is engaged in the sort of negative, attack politics that the voters rejected in the 2006 and 2008 election cycles,' former House Speaker Newt Gingrich wrote to RNC Chairman Mike Duncan."

More: "John McCain was also critical. 'In all due respect to the Republican National Committee and anybody -- right now, I think we should try to be working constructively together, not only on an issue such as this, but on the economy stimulus package, reforms that are necessary,' the GOP's 2008 White House hopeful said. .... Even the online guru for ex-Mayor Rudy Giuliani's presidential bid chimed in. 'Any residual connections Obama may have with Gov. Blagojevich as a result of being an Illinois Senator are not the strongest part of our argument. I can understand the desire to go at Obama. But with Obama at 76% approval for the transition, our hits against him have to be clean hits, or they will blow up in our face,' Patrick Ruffini wrote on the conservative Web site, The Next Right."

(Of course, Gingrich may have another horse in the RNC chair race.)

COLORADO: Hispanic groups are happy that Ken Salazar is in the cabinet, but upset that the Senate has lost an Hispanic in the Senate and is pushing the Colorado governor to appoint another Hispanic to the seat. http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2008-12-17-Hispanic_N.htm

MINNESOTA: Today is Day 3 of the canvassing board's ruling on the challenged ballots, and Coleman is currently up 358 votes per the Minneapolis Star Tribune's count. What's on tap today: "[A]nother simmering dispute could slow the process when the board reconvenes this morning. Republican Sen. Norm Coleman's campaign contends that as many as 150 ballots were counted twice by local elections officials and suggests that many of those extra votes could have gone to Democrat Al Franken. It wants the board to eliminate any double-counting."

"Franken's campaign dismisses the claim as 'just a theory' advanced by a Coleman camp increasingly worried about the outcome of the canvass, and argues that the issue is beyond the scope of the board. Most Canvassing Board members seemed to agree Wednesday that their job is to determine voters' intent on ambiguous ballots, not to investigate actions of local elections officials. Yet they will consider whether to explore the issue when they meet today."

The bottom line: for those who were praying for a Friday resolution to the race, buckle down.

The law of unintended consequences? "Sen. Chris Dodd's failed presidential campaign appears to have hurt him in Connecticut according to a new survey that showed the Democrat with his lowest poll numbers in 14 years. The poll by Quinnipiac University shows the Senate Banking Committee chairman with a 47 percent approval rating. That's down from 60 percent in May 2007 shortly after he declared his candidacy for president. Dodd faces re-election in 2010."