Attorney General Michael Mukasey collapsed during a speech Thursday night and lost consciousness, a Justice Department official said.

The 67-year-old Mukasey was rushed to George Washington University Hospital, where his condition was not immediately known.

Mukasey was delivering a speech to the Federalist Society at a Washington hotel when "he just started shaking and he collapsed," said Associate Attorney General Kevin O'Connor. "They're very concerned."

Mukasey was 15 to 20 minutes into his speech about the Bush administration's successes in combatting terrorism when he began slurring his words. He collapsed and lost consciousness, said O'Conner, the department's No. 3 official.

Mukasey's was noticeably shaking during his speech before he collapsed shortly before 10:20 p.m. EST. His security detail called 911. Mukasey was on the stage for 10 minutes being attended to by his FBI detail before medics arrived, according to a Justice Department official who was there. Mukasey was still breathing at the time, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to talk to the media.

A senior law-enforcement said Mukasey appeared to be talking when he was taken away. That official also spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the situation.

Chicago businesswoman Penny Pritzker, national campaign finance chairwoman for the Obama campaign, has taken herself out of the running to be secretary of commerce, a Democratic official said.

“She fears problems with her confirmation based on past business dealings,” the official said.

Pritzker was featured in a flurry of news reports as a likely secretary of commerce. But senior officials repeatedly — and correctly — told Politico that was not true.

California Rep. Henry A. Waxman on Thursday officially dethroned longtime Energy and Commerce Chairman John Dingell, upending a seniority system that has governed Democratic politics in the House for decades.

In a secret ballot vote in the Cannon Caucus Room, House Democrats ratified an earlier decision by the Steering and Policy Committee to replace the 82-year-old Dingell with his 69-year-old rival. The vote was 137-122 in favor of Waxman.

The ascension of Waxman, a wily environmentalist, recasts a committee that Dingell has chaired since 1981 with an eye toward protecting the domestic auto industry in his native Michigan. The Energy and Commerce Committee has principal jurisdiction over many of President-elect Barack Obama's top legislative priorities, including energy, the environment and health care.

"Seniority is important, but it should not be a grant of property rights to be chairman for three decades or more,” Waxman said after emerging from the caucus meeting.

Waxman’s win is a big victory for environmentalists who want a more aggressive stance on global warming from the committee, and the vote showed the powerful hand of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Waxman ally, even though she officially remained neutral in the race.

More than three decades after he first appeared before the panel as a 27-year-old Vietnam veteran-turned-antiwar protester, Senator John F. Kerry will be named chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, giving him enormous influence over President-elect Barack Obama's foreign policy, according to congressional officials.

Kerry, who was elected to a fifth term from Massachusetts earlier this month, will be handed the gavel when the new Congress convenes in January, replacing Vice President-elect Joe Biden, the officials said.

Aides to Kerry said he is already laying out a broad agenda for the committee, beginning with new legislation to strengthen the United States' hand against terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan; provide oversight of efforts to end the war in Iraq; and seize what he sees as a new opportunity to curtail the spread of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons.

Kerry, 64, is still considered by some political observers to be a possible pick for Obama's secretary of state, but Senator Hillary Clinton of New York and former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, each of whom met separately with Obama at his Chicago transition office last week, are considered far more likely selections for the position of top diplomat.

Incoming White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, on Capitol Hill today to meet with House and Senate Republicans, says that the lines of communication will run across the aisle in an Obama administration.

Senate Republicans say that promise includes the famously outgoing Democrat's digits.

"He gave us all his personal cell phone," said newly-selected Republican Policy Committee Chairman John Ensign, who met with Emanuel today. "He said he promised to get back us on issues within 24 hours."

Chief of staff: Rahm Emanuel NAMED
Deputy chiefs of staff: Jim Messina NAMED, Mona Sutphen NAMED
Senior advisers: Valerie Jarrett NAMED, Peter Rouse NAMED, David Axelrod NAMED Assistant to the president for legislative affairs: Phil Schiliro NAMED
White House counsel: Greg Craig NAMED
Press secretary: Robert Gibbs
Biden chief of staff: Ron Klain NAMED
Staff secretary: Lisa Brown NAMED
Cabinet secretary: Chris Lu NAMED

HHS: Tom Daschle CONFIRMED BY NBC NEWS
Justice (AG): Eric Holder CONFIRMED BY NBC NEWS
OMB: Peter Orszag CONFIRMED BY NBC NEWS

Right after UL lost to Syracuse, I know we could not keep the callers coming on fast enough from UL fans criticizing Steve Kragthorpe, with the occasional Tom Jurich basher. I can not even estimate how many CARDS fans were calling for his head. And during that whole week, the theme from the Front Row Hosts (Zach McCrite and Rick Bozich) was that it is NOT good to fire a coach after two seasons. So, all criticism of the UL program was coming from fans. Obviously the calls continued after bad losses to Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. After the Pitt loss, some of you all may have read Jurich’s criticism of the UL fan base for expecting too much out of their football program.

Once again, CARDS fans called in droves to bash Jurich this time. But, word began to get around the station that Jurich was not happy with 93.9 The Ticket, feeling we were unfair to the Cards program, and instigating fans to be negative towards Kragthorpe.

Let’s address this: First of all, the football program SUCKS. We didn’t have to do a damn thing at 93.9 to anger fans. They were angry by not only the awful product on the field, but also their jerk athletic director being critical of them. Second of all, the hosts straight down the line said that Kragthorpe should keep his job. Jurich was also angry at liners that 93.9 The Ticket ran that said things such as “We don’t tow the company line at 93.9 The Ticket, Real Cards Radio”. These were created as competiton against the other station in Louisville, which the UL athletic department helps run, and basically is always positive to the program, and certainly would never criticize it. IT’S CALLED TRYING TO COMPETE TOM!!!! SOMETHING YOUR FOOTBALL PROGRAM CAN’T DO!!!!!

Jurich thinks that it is inappropriate for the media to be critical of the local school, as it only leads to problems. What he will never tell you is that he may have made a mistake in the Kragthorpe hire. Just as he blames fans for expecting too much, he would never admit he has been too leniant in the decline of the program.

So the question you might ask is: So what if Tom Jurich is a jerk? How does that hurt the radio station? Well, quite frankly, Jurich is very powerful in the city. He threatened and possibly went to the levels of telling advertisers of the UL program to not even consider advertising with 93.9 The Ticket, or lose their contracts with UL. That is the lifeblood of sports radio. You have to get advertising to survive. Jurich tried to railroad the station, from what I have heard unsuccessfully. I don’t think it is too crazy to think he MAY have had a hand in knocking us off the air. I have no proof of that, but after all the links he went to show his dislike of the station, it just would not suprise me.

This post has run on pretty far, so let me wrap up with this: Tom Jurich is a bad guy. He is in my opinion a very good athletic director, but he is a man who is a coward. I truly hope the failure of Steve Kragthorpe also brings him down. I hope the UL fans turn on him, which has already started to happen. He has made slam dunk hires in nearly all his sports, and has made one bad hire. Hey Tom, it happens!!!! Man up and take some blame. You have a hand in the demise of your football program.

His most notable work included the vaudeville sketches he penned for Milton Berle and comedies he wrote for the Marx Brothers - including a solo credit on 1940 film Go West.

Early in his career, Brecher was an uncredited script doctor on The Wizard of Oz, leading Groucho Marx to call him The Wicked Wit of the West - the title of his autobiography, which is scheduled to hit shelves in January.

His film credits came to include Shadow of the Thin Man in 1941, 1943's Du Barry Was a Lady, starring Lucille Ball, Gene Kelly and Red Skelton, Yolanda and the Thief in 1945, starring Fred Astaire, and 1963 classic Bye Bye Birdie.

Brecher was also nominated for an Academy Award for his screenplay for Meet Me in St. Louis, starring Judy Garland.

In addition to the silver screen, Brecher also turned his talents to radio, creating long-running series The Life of Riley - later adapted into a feature film and TV series in 1949.

Advance Praise
“Like Tuesdays With Morrie meets Krapp's Last Tape!”

— Don Foster, Emmy-nominated exec producer/writer of Two-and-a-Half Men

“Irving Brecher was hilarious in 1938 and he’s hilarious in 2008. He’s also a true gentleman who values friendship and learning. Salute!”

— Scott Eyman, author of Lion of Hollywood: The Life and Legend of Louis B. Mayer

“The only good thing about making At The Circus was beginning my friendship with Irving Brecher.”

-Groucho Marx

“The dictionary defines wit as the ability to perceive and express in ingeniously humorous manner the relationship between seemingly incongruous or disparate things.

My own definition is infinitely simpler.

I define wit as Irving Brecher”

—Larry Gelbart

“One of the three fastest (along with George S. Kaufman and Oscar Levant), with the one-line impromptus”

—S.J. Perelman

“Irv of the incomparable wit!”

—Ben Hecht

"Irving Brecher never did a damn thing for me. He already committed his crime, by putting Milton in the business."

—Red Buttons

If you're interested in real "groundbreaking television" look no further than Irv Brecher (creator of the first sitcom.etc..) — a real pioneer, funnyman, and historical treasure.

Thank God for this book—at 94, Irv is truly the last of the Joke-hicans.

—Liz Tuccillo, writer for Sex and the City and co-author of "He's Just Not That Into You"

“I don’t like to quote myself but unfortunately everybody I know who should be quoting me is dead.”

—Irving Brecher

Coldplay could call it quits at the end of next year- singer Chris Martin has hinted.

Talking to the Daily Express he said he didn’t want the band to end up as wrinkly rockers like The Rolling Stones.

He said: "I'm 31 now and I don't think that bands should keep going past 33. So, we're trying to pack in as much as possible. Up until the end of next year, we'll just go for it in every sense.”

Although Martin is known for making funny tongue in cheek comments many have taken this to mean that multi-million selling Coldplay are set to split.

He told the paper: "I don't believe in time off. We've still got most of our hair, we can still fit into our musical trousers and we've got to make the most of that."

The group have previously hinted that their next (fifth) album will be their last. Their latest album Viva La Vida is one of the best selling records of 2008 worldwide.

Some husbands send flowers. Some buy chocolate. In the Hillary-Bill relationship, he gives up sources of foreign income and names of donors to show his support.

As the Obama transition team vets Hillary Clinton for a possible appointment as Secretary of State, a reported sticking point in the process has been Bill and his charitable foundation. The Clinton Global Initiative, a subset of the William J. Clinton Foundation, has extensive overseas dealings, possible conflicts-of-interest should his wife become secretary of state.

AP is reporting today that Hillary believes "the job is hers if she wants it." And there are multiple reports that the former president is making concessions in the Obama team's vetting requests, including an AP report that Clinton "has agreed to release the names of several major donors to his charitable foundation and will submit future foundation activities and paid speeches to a strict ethics review, said Democrats knowledgeable about the discussions."[...]

If Hillary Clinton is offered the Cabinet post, she'll be one of many reported Clinton administration retreads working in or with the Obama administration. Eric Holder, a deputy at the Department of Justice during the Clinton administration, was reportedly offered the job of attorney general. Before Rahm Emanuel was a congressman, he was a senior advisor in the Clinton White House. He's now Obama's chief of staff. John Podesta, heading up the Obama transition, is Clinton's former chief of staff.

Obama has said he may be looking to create a "team of rivals." But this stack-up of Clinton veterans in the Obama administration has already caused buzz that this may not be what some people were looking for when they voted for change. Buried in that Rasmussen poll was this nugget: "Despite the support for Clinton to be secretary of state, 70% of voters think Obama should reach out and appoint new people for his Cabinet rather than including more people who served in the Clinton administration."

One big-name non-Clinton now associated with the Obama administration surfaced in news reports today. Tom Daschle, the former Senate Majority Leader, has accepted a cabinet post at Health and Human Services.

Just call him Mr. November. Or better yet, refer to Dustin Pedroia as the Most Valuable Player of the American League.
The second baseman of the Boston Red Sox continued his rapid burst into the national spotlight on Tuesday, when he was recognized with that impressive honor.

Though most pundits expected the race for MVP to be agonizingly close, Pedroia won in comfortable fashion, outdistancing a solid field that included, among others, Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis, Twins first baseman Justin Morneau, Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton and Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez.

Following a 2007 season in which Pedroia helped fuel the Red Sox to a World Series championship and won the American League Rookie of the Year Award, the right-handed hitting machine staged quite an encore.

Pedroia joins Cal Ripken Jr. and Ryan Howard as the only players to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in consecutive years.

For his performance in 2008, Pedroia received a Gold Glove Award, a spot on the American League's Silver Slugger team and now the MVP.

By prevailing in the Baseball Writers' Association of America voting, Pedroia became the first Red Sox player to cart home the coveted MVP Award since Mo Vaughn in 1995. But unlike Vaughn, one of the most physically imposing figures in club history, Pedroia will go down as one of the slightest.

Democrats in Congress have allowed Joe Lieberman to hold onto his powerful chairmanship of the Homeland Security Committee in a secret ballot vote.

Majority Leader Harry Reid, however, asked the Connecticut senator to step down as chairman of the Private Sector and Consumer Solutions to Global Warming and Wildlife Protection subcommittee of the Environmental & Public Works Committee, which Lieberman said he did.

Lieberman, who caucuses with the Democrats, retains his AirLand subcommitte chairmanship of the Armed Services Committee.

Lieberman said he regretted some of his comments regarding President-elect Obama during the campaign trail, or that he would have liked to have made them more clearly.

Hillary Clinton plans to accept the job of secretary of state offered by Barack Obama, who is reaching out to former rivals to build a broad coalition administration, the Guardian has learned.

Obama's advisers have begun looking into Bill Clinton's foundation, which distributes millions of dollars to Africa to help with development, to ensure that there is no conflict of interest. But Democrats do not believe that the vetting is likely to be a problem.

Clinton would be well placed to become the country's dominant voice in foreign affairs, replacing Condoleezza Rice. Since being elected senator for New York, she has specialised in foreign affairs and defence. Although she supported the war in Iraq, she and Obama basically agree on a withdrawal of American troops.

Clinton, who still harbours hopes of a future presidential run, had to weigh up whether she would be better placed by staying in the Senate, which offers a platform for life, or making the more uncertain career move to the secretary of state job.

Former president Bill Clinton's business and international work is being closely examined in hopes of clearing the way for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to become secretary of state, several people familiar with the process said Monday.

They did not describe President-elect Barack Obama as having formally offered her the job but said that there is an understanding that if Clinton can sort out her husband's global work -- which has made him an international philanthropic powerhouse but also earned him millions in speaking fees from foreign companies, creating obvious potential conflicts-of-interest -- she would have a good, if not completely certain, shot at it.

"There's a lot of momentum in the direction of this happening," close Clinton friend James Carville said. He said that the former president's work -- both past and future -- is a complicating matter. "She's not married to Todd Palin," Carville said.

Reports of the move, which first surfaced last week, have stunned some Obama loyalists who said they fear the administration is becoming an all-Clinton operation, with the transition run by former Clinton chief of staff John Podesta. Greg Craig, the former special counsel during the Clinton impeachment, is slotted to serve as White House counsel (he is much less of a Clinton partisan, having backed Obama during the primaries). Rahm Emanuel, who was political director during the Clinton administration, is now Obama's chief of staff.

Tomorrow, Senate Democrats gather to decide if Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-D) should keep his position as chairman of Homeland Security Committee, and it looks like he just may. Several Democrats and Democratic-leaning groups were calling for Lieberman to stripped of his chairmanship for not only supporting John McCain's candidacy for president -- but also criticizing Barack Obama in the process.

According to sources familiar with negotiations, Democrats are expected to vote in favor of letting the Connecticut senator keep his chairmanship and seniority, but give up the gavel on a subcommittee he chairs. The vote happens tomorrow morning by secret ballot.

The tide turned in Lieberman's favor, sources say, after two events in recent weeks. First, President-elect Obama told Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that he wanted Lieberman to stay in the Democratic caucus. Later, in a meeting with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Lieberman told him it would be "unacceptable" for him to give up his gavel. That was considered by some as a veiled threat that Lieberman would jump to caucus with Republicans if he was forced to give up the gavel.

Obama tipped the scales in Lieberman's favor, one source said. The source essentially explained it like this: If the wrath was directed at Obama and got over it, shouldn't the Democratic caucus do the same?

The new president's team must soon get to the root causes of the mistakes that have brought us to the economic precipice. Yes, we have all derided the explosion of leverage, the failure to regulate derivatives, the flood of subprime lending that was bound to default and the excesses of CEO compensation. But these are all mere manifestations of three deeper structural problems that require greater attention: misconceptions about what a "free market" really is, a continuing breakdown in corporate governance and an antiquated and incoherent federal financial regulatory framework.[...]

No major market problem has been resolved through self-regulation, because individual competitive behavior doesn't concern itself with the larger market. Individual actors care only about performing better than the next guy, doing whatever is permitted -- or will go undetected. Look at the major bubbles and market crises. Long-Term Capital Management, Enron, the subprime lending scandals: All are classic demonstrations of the bitter reality that greed, not self-discipline, rules where unfettered behavior is allowed.[...]

Let's leave aside the ideological hesitancy that has long hamstrung regulatory agencies. Today's balkanized regulatory framework for financial services no longer matches in any way the needs of a fully integrated global financial system. The divisions of the past -- commercial banking vs. investment banking vs. insurance vs. hedge funds vs. private equity -- have become distinctions without a difference. But these old boxes and formalities still determine how entities are viewed and regulated. It should surprise nobody that capital found the crevices in the regulatory framework. That is what capital is paid to do. But we failed to respond with a regulatory framework flexible enough to plug the leaks.[...]

We do not need additional fragmented areas of federal regulation to handle hedge funds, sovereign wealth funds or derivatives. We need a unified approach that addresses the underlying issues: what kinds of leverage we wish to tolerate, how to measure risk, how much disclosure various trading products should provide. We cannot survive with the current system: the SEC, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Fed, the Office of Thrift Supervision and on and on. We must go from the Rube Goldberg structure we now have to a sleek iPod design that is cleaner, has better operating software and may even look good.

Although mistakes I made in my private life now prevent me from participating in these issues as I have in the past, I very much hope and expect that President Obama and his new administration will have the strength and wisdom to do again what FDR did.

The National League's best player has also been named its most valuable.

Albert Pujols' magnificent season earned him his second NL Most Valuable Player Award. Pujols finished ahead of Philadelphia's Ryan Howard, who beat him out by a narrow margin to win the 2006 MVP.

Pujols has finished in the top 10 in the voting in every one of his eight Major League seasons, and has been fourth or better seven times. He is the 11th player to win two NL MVP awards.

As baseball waited to hear the results of the ballot, the discussion centered on the definition of "most valuable." Some argued that because Pujols' Cardinals did not make the postseason, he could not be the most valuable player in the league. It was the only possible case against Pujols, who was indisputably his league's best hitter and who plays Gold Glove-caliber defense at first base.

Pujols had already been recognized with virtually every other major individual award for which he was eligible. He was named National League or Major League player of the year by the Sporting News, the MLB Players Association and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, as well as NL MVP in Baseball Prospectus' Internet Baseball Awards.

In the end, the Baseball Writers' Association of America joined the chorus, choosing not to penalize Pujols for his team's fourth-place finish. In fact, it's quite possible that quite the opposite happened -- that Pujols was rewarded for the Cardinals' place in the standings.[...]

It was by some measures the slugger's best season. He hit .357, two points shy of his career high, and set new personal bests with a .462 on-base percentage, a 1.115 OPS and 104 walks. He slugged .653, nearly 30 points better than his career average, cranking 37 homers and 44 doubles. Pujols drove in 116 runs, scored 100 and struck out just 54 times.

It was not only a supremely productive season for Pujols, it was a consistent one as well. He never hit lower than .302 in any month, never had an OBP lower than .413 and never slugged below .558. He came on especially strong in the second half, batting .366 and slugging .706 after the All-Star break. Pujols finished seven points behind Chipper Jones in the race for the NL batting title.

Only four players -- Barry Bonds, Roy Campanella and Stan Musial -- have been the NL MVP three or more times. Musial had been the only Cardinal to win the award twice or more.

In the history of the award, 13 Cardinals have won a combined 16 times. In addition to Pujols and Musial, Willie McGee, Keith Hernandez, Joe Torre, Bob Gibson, Orlando Cepeda, Ken Boyer, Marty Marion, Mort Cooper, Joe Medwick, Dizzy Dean and Frankie Frisch all garnered MVP honors.

President-elect Barack Obama said today he will step down from his Senate seat effective this Sunday.

The decision adds to the pressure on Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a fellow Democrat, who under state law has the sole responsibility for naming a successor to Obama, the only African-American in the Senate.

“It has been one of the highest honors and privileges of my life to have served the people of Illinois in the United States Senate," Obama said in a statement today.

"In a state that represents the crossroads of a nation, I have met so many men and women who’ve taken different journeys, but hold common hopes for their children’s future," Obama said. "It is these Illinois families and their stories that will stay with me as I leave the United States Senate and begin the hard task of fulfilling the simple hopes and common dreams of all Americans as our nation’s next President.”

Aides to Obama already had said he would not be returning to Washington to vote on Senate matters this fall, in advance of his being sworn in as the nation’s 44th president Jan. 20. Obama was in Chicago today working on transition matters from the Kluczynski Federal Building in the Loop.

Blagojevich has said he expects to make a decision by the end of the year and is “not interested” in naming himself to the post.[...]

Among those who have expressed interest or are being considered for the post are U.S. Reps. Jan Schakowsky of Evanston and Luis Gutierrez and Jesse Jackson Jr. of Chicago; Tammy Duckworth, who heads Blagojevich's department of Veterans' Affairs; and Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan and state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, two potential rivals if the governor seeks a third term.

Illinois Senate President Emil Jones Jr., an African-American and close Blagojevich ally who served as an early Obama mentor, also has been mentioned as a possible replacement.

But Jones, 73, who is leaving his post in the legislature, is considered a caretaker replacement and national Democrats want an appointee who can run for re-election and win in two years.

The constant quest for perfection drove Cliff Lee to great feats throughout 2008.

"Even if I had won every start, I don't know if I'd be satisfied," he said near the season's end. "There's always something you can do better. I don't know how to explain it other than that. It's just the way I am, I guess."

But even Lee has to be satisfied with what took place Thursday, when the Baseball Writers' Association of America named him the American League Cy Young Award winner.

The honor was well-deserved. Lee led the AL in wins with a 22-3 record and in ERA with a 2.54 mark, posted the third-highest winning percentage (.880) for a 20-game winner in baseball history and became the Tribe's first 20-game winner since Gaylord Perry in 1974. The voters took notice. Lee received 24 of 28 first-place votes and finished with 132 points in balloting. He beat out the Jays' Roy Halladay, who finished second with 74 votes.

Lee followed the trail of former teammate and fellow left-hander CC Sabathia, who, one year ago, became the Indians' first Cy Young winner since Perry in 1972. Lee, Sabathia and Perry are the only Tribe pitchers to win the prestigious award.

Lee captured his in dramatic fashion, having been banished to the Minor Leagues and left off the Indians' playoff roster in '07. He was 5-8 with a 6.29 ERA in that '07 season, which was marred by a right abdominal strain he suffered in Spring Training.

In Spring Training of this year, Lee had to fight for a spot on the Tribe's roster. Because of the $3.75 million Lee was set to make, it was generally assumed he was the front-runner to beat out young left-handers Aaron Laffey and Jeremy Sowers, but the Indians nonetheless wanted him to earn the job.

Lee earned it all right. He looked confident and in command of all his pitches in spring camp, and the fifth starter's job was his.

But Lee wouldn't be the Tribe's fifth starter for long. He began the season 6-0 with a 0.81 ERA in his first six starts and never looked back.

The elections division still has over 10,000 ballots left to count today and thousands more through next week, but the latest numbers show Mark Begich leading Sen. Ted Stevens 125,019 to 125,016.

The new numbers, reflecting nearly 43,000 absentee ballots counted today, are from all over the state. Election night, Ted Stevens led the Democratic Begich by about 3,000 votes.

Vice President-elect Biden has asked veteran Congressional and White House staffer Ron Klain to be his chief of staff in the White House, according to Democratic insiders.

UNC-Chapel Hill students will have a famously devoted Wildcats fan sitting in their section when the Tar Heels host Kentucky next week.

On a campaign trip for Obama late last month, actress Ashley Judd promised students she would return to Chapel Hill for the basketball game -- and sit in the student section -- if Obama won North Carolina.

He did, and Judd's public relations firm said the star of "High Crimes" and "Kiss the Girls" plans to attend the Tuesday game.

No word on what shade of blue she'll be wearing.

The Comic's Comic has learned that Lorne Michaels didn't wait too long to figure out how to replace Amy Poehler's presence in the cast of Saturday Night Live, hiring not one but two new female cast members: Abby Elliott and Michaela Watkins. They should make their debuts this Saturday night, a show already begging to be an awesome blossom of funny and fierce thanks to host Paul Rudd and musical guest Beyonce.

About our newbies!

Abby Elliott is 21, and if the Internets are to be believed, the daughter of the illustriously eccentric comedic actor Chris Elliott, so that already makes her a welcome addition to SNL. She has voiced "hipster girl" on a couple of episodes of King of the Hill. She also was among the sketch comedy players of The Midnight Show at the UCB Theatre in Los Angeles, and has a couple of 2006 videos on the YouTube displaying her abilities to channel Kirsten Dunst and Angelina Jolie. I'm sensing some youthful exuberance...

Michaela Watkins already has been appearing on your TV set this fall in primetime as "Lucy" on The New Adventures of Old Christine (more credits at IMDB). Watkins also comes from the main company of The Groundlings in Los Angeles, which has sent many past alums on to stardom at SNL.

Joe Maddon and the man he succeeded as Tampa Bay manager, Lou Piniella, were named Managers of the Year in the American League and National League, respectively, by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, announced Wednesday afternoon.

Both were recognized for leading their teams to 2008 glory, with Maddon's Rays reaching a destination that remained out of the reach of Piniella's Cubs for a 63rd straight year -- the World Series.

Maddon's selection had been long anticipated, ever since he put the Tampa Bay Rays on track for their first playoff appearance following a 10-year existence of losing.

The honor is the first for the 54-year-old Maddon, who assumed his first managerial job when he was hired by Tampa Bay in November 2005, taking over after Piniella had guided his hometown team to 200 wins in three seasons.

And, typical of the blithe spirit that is often associated with the manager, Wednesday's announcement caught Maddon on a European honeymoon with his bride of a few days, Jaye.

Piniella, a two-time winner of AL honors in 1995 and 2001 with the Seattle Mariners, prevailed in a more competitive NL race after guiding the Cubs to the Central Division title with a 97-64 record.

State Sen. Julie Denton has been sued by one of her own children, who alleges that she took money from his trust account and spent it on herself.

In a lawsuit filed Monday in Jefferson Circuit Court, Thomas G. Rose Jr., 20, alleges that his mother took $15,000 from the account and converted it “to her own use and enjoyment.”

Denton, a 48-year-old Republican who has worked as a dental hygienist and lives in Anchorage, did not respond to phone calls. B. Mark Mulloy, a lawyer who has represented her in the past, said she hadn’t been served with the suit and couldn’t immediately comment on it.

In his suit, Rose, who lives in Lexington and has been a student at University of Kentucky, asks for compensatory as well as punitive damages, saying his mother’s “wrongful acts” were committed with “malice and oppression.”

The suit said the trust was established by his father, Thomas G. Rose, in 1997. Rose’s lawyer, John Helmers said Denton became the trustee after she and her husband divorced.

The U.S. vice president-elect spoke to the Israeli foreign minister after last week’s elections, said a statement released Tuesday by Livni’s office.

Biden, a a senator from Delaware for 35 years, is expected to take a lead foreign policy role in the Barack Obama administration. He is well known to Israeli leaders, having made his first visit to the region just before the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

“Livni thanked Vice President-elect Biden for his long-standing friendship and support of Israel, and said that she looks forward to continuing to work with him,” the statement said. “They agreed to work together to advance the shared interests and values of Israel and the United States in the Middle East.”

The statement emphasized concerns about Iran’s suspected nuclear weapons program and control of the Gaza Strip by Hamas terrorists.

"It is very important that we continue our cooperation and work together against the Iranian threat,” it quoted Livni as saying. “Time is not working in favor of the moderates in Iran. Hamas and the extremist elements are studying our moves and they must understand that the world will not tolerate extremism and terror."

During Republican administrations dating to Ronald Reagan's, Sen. Mitch McConnell has used his clout to help presidents decide on the appointments of federal judges, U.S. attorneys and other key officials in Kentucky, and to steer patronage jobs to friends and supporters.

But now, with Democratic Sen. Barack Obama about to occupy the White House, much of that clout will shift from McConnell -- and his fellow Kentucky Republican, Sen. Jim Bunning -- to state Democrats, including U.S. Reps. John Yarmuth and Ben Chandler.

Although Obama's transition team hasn't contacted Yarmuth, Chandler or Gov. Steve Beshear to talk about appointments, people familiar with the process said they will now gain much of the influence that McConnell has had.

"I think Congressman Yarmuth and Congressman Chandler are very well-positioned, not only because of being Democrats, but because they were early supporters of Senator Obama," said Rick Northern, a Louisville lawyer who worked at the White House for a year in 1979-80.

After filling cabinet positions and other top jobs, Obama's administration is expected to turn to Kentucky's Democratic congressmen, and Beshear, as they make choices for other government posts, including:

U.S. attorney, the top federal prosecutor, in both the Eastern and Western court districts of Kentucky.

U.S. marshal, the top federal law enforcement official, in both districts.

Vacancies in the federal judiciary in Kentucky and on commissions and agencies that affect the state, such as the Appalachian Regional Commission, an economic development agency.

Former U.S. Sen. Wendell Ford, who retired in 1998, may also play a role in making recommendations for such appointments, Northern said.

But he noted that some lesser-known names also will have the administration's ear. For example, there's Louisville businessman Matthew Barzun, who according to published accounts raised more than $500,000 for Obama.

Roemer, who campaigned for Obama in 11 states this year, was a foreign policy adviser to the campaign alongside Hamilton.

Roemer said he's heard the rumors that he's being considered for Obama's administration. But until now, he said, he's been focused on the campaign.

"I would highly recommend Lee Hamilton and Evan Bayh," he said.

Hamilton, who is 77, said he isn't likely to take a job in Obama's administration,

"Oh, I think I'm too old," he said. "I have a good relationship with Obama, but I'm not at an age where I can take over a major responsibility."

Bayh, a popular two-term Democratic senator who was rumored to have been on Obama's vice presidential short list, is focused on his work in the Senate, said his spokesman, Eric Kleiman.

EVAN BAYH (D), INDIANA SENATOR: Sean, it's good to be back.

HANNITY: All right, now, I'd be very surprised if you support this. In other words, do you think if Joe Lieberman still wants to caucus with the Democrats, would you — do you think there should be retribution because he supported Senator McCain?

Do you think he should be punished and have his chairmanship stripped from him?

BAYH: No, I don't think there should be retribution, Sean. We have an opportunity to make a fresh start in this country. And I think reconciliation is in order, not revenge or retribution.

HANNITY: Yes.

BAYH: Joe did say some things. Not his support of John McCain. I think everybody understands that supporting your friend is perfectly legitimate. He said some things that perhaps crossed the line in terms of questioning Senator Obama's, you know, patriotism or things like that.

And I think if Joe came before the caucus and said look, if I said some things that came as offensive, I'm sorry, but.

HANNITY: Yes.

BAYH: . they were — you know heartfelt in my support of John McCain. I think we had to just let bygones be bygones. We're going to need him on healthcare and energy independence and education and a whole lot of other things.

So to answer your question directly, no, I don't think retribution or revenge is in the best interests of anyone.

HANNITY: It appears like it's on its way. Now I want to play for you a — this sort of all comes together from my standpoint because this is Senator Obama. This is on his victory speech the other night.[...]

COLMES: Let's forgive. By the way, Lindsey Graham said this was a great choice for Barack Obama, you know, a very good friend of John McCain.

Let me show you — getting back to Joe Lieberman for a second, Senator Bayh. And welcome once again to our show. It's good to see you.

BAYH: Thank you, Alan.

COLMES: Here is what Senator Lieberman said when he was in a tight primary race with Ned Lamont about his allegiance to the Democratic Party.

Let's take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIEBERMAN: I want Democrats to be back in the majority in Washington and elect a Democratic president in 2008.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLMES: That's what he said then. But, of course, that's not exactly what he did. He didn't just support John McCain and vote for him. He was a key note speaker at the RNC, as you said, questioning the patriotism of Barack Obama when he implied Barack Obama didn't always put his country first.

I mean, doesn't Joe Lieberman have t o say I'm really sorry for those kinds of things before he is accepted back into the fold?

BAYH: Alan, I think we need to look at the whole context here. First, this is someone who votes with the majority of Democrats, a vast majority of the time, particularly on domestic issues.

Secondly, you know, John McCain has been his good friend for many years and I think we have to give him some allowance f or that. Now, he did say some things about Barack that I think crossed the line in this campaign. But if he's willing to step up and say look, if in the heat of the moment I said some things that were taken the wrong way, I'm sorry for that, let's all now work together and move on, I think we should do that.

We have a wonderful opportunity here rather than going back and seeing what someone said two years ago or six months ago, or whatever, to instead start anew addressing the new problems that affect your viewers. That's what we ought to be focusing on here.

COLMES: You know, it's not just one comment, though. Things like there's no room for strong on security Democrats. Things like that. Questioning Democrats ' stances on a number of issues, not just the war.

I mean doesn't that concern you? I'd like to see as many Democrats as possible in the Senate. It would be great if Joe Lieberman would be one of them. Don't you find some of those comments about what you stand for offensive?

BAYH: Well, Alan, I do think he went too far when he questioned Barack Obama's patriotism. I said so at the time. When he said he was for losing in Iraq, I just know that is not the case.

I think Joe Lieberman got caught up in the emotions of the moment and went too far. It's a human aspect that I think we all can relate to.

The important thing now is, the important thing now, Alan, is we're going to need his support on energy independence, on health care, on education, job creation, on a lot of things you and I care about.

COLMES: Yes.

BAYH: And we're going to prove that there is a place for Democrats who are strong on national security in the Democratic Party.

COLMES: All right. Well, I hope it all works out. It would be great if we could all come together.

It's no secret that plenty of satirical outlets — Saturday Night Live, the Onion, late-night talk shows — have had trouble finding good Obama jokes. But we're not forecasting their doom. The Daily Show is unique, though, in its audience and in its comedic approach, and we're very worried that an Obama presidency might send Jon Stewart's show speedily on the road to obsolescence.

Why? First of all, in one eventful day, the prototypical Daily Show viewer has been transformed: Once disaffected and angry at Washington's power structure, he's now delighted and hopeful about the new president and all that he symbolizes. And if you're an Obama fan — eager to give Barack the benefit of the doubt, and proud and excited about the change you've helped bring the nation — do you really want Jon Stewart sitting on the sidelines, taking potshots at your hero?

Tim Lincecum has been called "The Freak," "The Franchise" and "Seabiscuit."
Now he can be called something else: The National League's Cy Young Award winner.

The Giants right-hander earned the prestigious honor, emblematic of the league's best pitcher, in voting conducted by the Baseball Writers' Association of America and announced Tuesday.

Lincecum received 23 of 32 first-place votes, seven second-place votes and one third-place vote for 137 points, which were assigned on a 5-3-1 basis. He outdistanced Arizona's Brandon Webb (73 points), the New York Mets' Johan Santana (55), Philadelphia's Brad Lidge (10), Milwaukee's CC Sabathia (9) and the Chicago Cubs' Ryan Dempster (4).

Lincecum became only the second Giant to capture the Cy Young, joining 1967 winner Mike McCormick, and the first second-year player to earn the distinction since right-handers Dwight Gooden of the Mets and Bret Saberhagen of Kansas City secured the 1985 awards in their respective leagues.

At 24, Lincecum already has earned a place in Giants lore alongside Juan Marichal and Gaylord Perry, San Francisco's Hall of Fame right-handers. Marichal somehow never received a Cy Young first-place vote in his six 20-win seasons, and Perry twice won the award after leaving the Giants.

Despite Lincecum's sustained excellence, he faced formidable competition for the award. Santana's 2.53 ERA led the NL, Webb's 22 victories paced the league, Sabathia performed in otherworldly fashion after being traded from Cleveland (11-2, 1.65 ERA) and Lidge converted all 41 of his regular-season save opportunities.

But none of them matched Lincecum's overall dominance. He compiled a league-best .783 winning percentage with his 18-5 record and amassed 265 strikeouts to become the first Giant in baseball's modern era (since 1900) to earn that distinction. Against Lincecum, opponents hit .221 overall and .167 with runners in scoring position while averaging 7.22 hits per nine innings -- all league lows. And his 2.62 ERA was the NL's second best.

Holocaust survivors said Monday they are through trying to negotiate with the Mormon church over posthumous baptisms of Jews killed in Nazi concentration camps, saying the church has repeatedly violated a 13-year-old agreement barring the practice.

Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints say they are making changes to their massive genealogical database that will make it more difficult for names of Holocaust victims to be entered for posthumous baptism by proxy, a rite that has been a common Mormon practice for more than a century.

But Ernest Michel, honorary chairman of the American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors, said that is not enough. At a news conference in New York City on Monday, he said the church also must "implement a mechanism to undo what you have done."

"Baptism of a Jewish Holocaust victim and then merely removing that name from the database is just not acceptable," said Michel, whose parents died at Auschwitz. He spoke on the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Nazi-incited riots against Jews.

"We ask you to respect us and our Judaism just as we respect your religion," Michel said in a statement released ahead of the news conference. "We ask you to leave our six million Jews, all victims of the Holocaust, alone, they suffered enough."

Michel said talks with Mormon leaders, held as recently as last week, have ended. He said his group will not sue, and that "the only thing left, therefore, is to turn to the court of public opinion."

In 1995, Mormons and Jews inked an agreement to limit the circumstances that allow for the proxy baptisms of Holocaust victims. Ending the practice outright was not part of the agreement and would essentially be asking Mormons to alter their beliefs, church Elder Lance B. Wickman said Monday in an interview with reporters in Salt Lake City.[...]

Only the Jews have an agreement with the church limiting who can be baptized, though the agreement covers only Holocaust victims, not all Jewish people. Jews are particularly offended by baptisms of Holocaust victims because they were murdered specifically because of their religion.

Michel suggested that posthumous baptisms of Holocaust victims play into the hands of Holocaust deniers.

"They tell me, that my parents' Jewishness has not been altered but ... 100 years from now, how will they be able to guarantee that my mother and father of blessed memory who lived as Jews and were slaughtered by Hitler for no other reason than they were Jews, will someday not be identified as Mormon victims of the Holocaust?" Michel said Monday.

Evan Longoria, the third baseman whose powerful bat keyed the Rays' remarkable turnaround season, and Cubs catcher Geovany Soto were named Monday the 2008 winners of their respective leagues' Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award.

Longoria was the unanimous American League selection of the 28 voting members of the Baseball Writers Association of America, for the 27 homers and 85 RBIs that followed his delayed addition to the Rays' lineup on April 12.

Longoria, also the only player named on all 28 ballots, and White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez, who drew 18 second-place votes and 59 total points, reigned over a deep influx of first-year players.

An unusually high number of 10 different rookies, half of them pitchers, attracted votes.

But none of them wowed voters like Longoria, the first unanimous AL winner since Nomar Garciaparra in 1997 (Albert Pujols took NL honors unanimously in 2001).[...]

Soto was nearly as popular a choice in the NL, getting 31 of the 32 first-place votes after minding the critical defensive position for the Central Division champs while putting up 23 homers and 86 RBIs.

He was the only player named on each of the 32 ballots, his 31 firsts and one second resulting in a total of 158 points. Cincinnati first baseman Joey Votto finished second with 76 points and was followed by Atlanta pitcher Jair Jurrjens (34).

"I feel very honored," said Soto, speaking from his homeland of Puerto Rico, calling the moment he learned he'd won the award "very emotional. It was a very good moment in my life.

"I worked really, really hard. And now I feel all the work paid off."

The Reds had the distinction of placing three young talents among the top five, with right-hander Edinson Volquez and outfielder Jay Bruce following Jurrjens.

Volquez's presence on that list is definitely unique: No longer a rookie, the pitcher was mistakenly placed on the ballot and received three votes for second, thus there was an obligation to include him in the final results.

KING: A lot of attention focused on a new president coming into town but you have a pretty interesting job at the moment yourself, managing a sometimes dysfunctional family here in the Senate. You mentioned Senator McCain, I want to move on to one of his sidekicks on the campaign trail, was Senator Lieberman who is an Independent but a member of your Democratic family when it comes to voting in the Senate. Many members, many of your Democratic members flatly think he is a traitor for not only his support of John McCain but for the things he said critical of Barack Obama. They want him gone.

You have proposed he lose his premier committee, Homeland Security, take a lesser committee, Veterans' Affairs or something else. Why not just say sorry, Joe, you are not welcome here anymore.

REID: Well, John, whoever gave you this information is wrong because he is not on the Veterans' Committee. I couldn't offer him that if I wanted to.

But let me just say this about John -- about Joe Lieberman. I know Joe Lieberman very well. He is a senior member of the Senate. He is on Armed Services, if something happens to the chairman he becomes chairman. If something happens to the chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, he becomes chairman. So he is a senior member -- person around here. And I want to remind all of the people that are watching this newscast or however this program is going to air that I would not be majority leader but for his vote.

We could not have passed our budget -- we passed a budget the Republicans couldn't pass. They had 55 senators. We had 51. They couldn't pass a budget, we did. Why? Joe Lieberman voted with us.

So I recognize what he did was wrong and quite frankly, I don't like what he did. I told him so all during the campaign. But the caucus has a decision to make and they're going to make it. I am not going to make the decision. Whether we're going to say, OK, we've had enough of you, Joe, go vote with the Republicans or whether we're going to try to work something out with Joe Lieberman. Say, Joe, we don't like what you did. And here is what we propose we're going to do.

So we've had a number of conversations, we're going to have more. But for those people beating up on Joe Lieberman, I've done my share. Recognize the glass being half full, not half empty.

KING: He's chairman of the committee now, the Homeland Security Committee, which has a lot to do with the safety of Americans here. You mentioned Armed Services. He said this at the Republican Convention. He highlighted John McCain's service and he criticized those who quote, "wanted to retreat in defeat from the field of battle which would have been a disaster for the United States when colleagues like Barack Obama were voting to cut off funding for troops on the battlefield."

Senator Obama is about to be President Obama, about to be the commander-in-chief. Do you want a man who says he is not ready to be commander-in-chief, nowhere close, to be the chairman of a committee in the Democratic Senate?

REID: Joe Lieberman told me yesterday you have a big job to do. I am going to do everything I can to help Barack Obama.

KING: Does he owe him an apology?

REID: Oh, I don't know. This is not a high school deal where you say, OK, you embarrassed me in front of my girlfriend therefore you apologize.

KING: But you made peace with Senator McCain. Should they do something like that?

REID: Maybe they already have. I think a lot of this is very private stuff but Joe Lieberman has done something that I think was improper, wrong, and I'd like -- if we weren't on television, I'd use a stronger word of describing what he did. But Joe Lieberman votes with me a lot more than a lot of my senators.

He didn't support us on military stuff and he didn't support us on Iraq stuff.

REID: But you look at his record, it's pretty good. He comes from one of the most liberal states in the country. He is -- Joe Lieberman is not some rightwing nutcase. Joe Lieberman is one of the most progressive people ever to come from the state of Connecticut.

President-elect Barack Obama has informed party officials that he wants Joe Lieberman to continue caucusing with the Democrats in the 111th Congress, Senate aides tell the Huffington Post.

Obama's decision could tie the hands of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who has been negotiating to remove Lieberman as chair of the Homeland Security and Government Reform committee while keeping him within the caucus. Lieberman has insisted that he will split from the Democrats if his homeland security position is stripped.[...]

A Democrat close to Lieberman, meanwhile, said he thought that keeping Lieberman in the fold "would be a good move for Obama as a way to make real his promise of new politics, a less partisan Washington and more unity. He would do so at some risk. Obviously there is a liberal wing of the party that wants Joe punished... "