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Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens loses re-election bid (AP)

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

Holder accepts Obama's Justice offer, senior Democrat says (AP)

AP - President-elect Barack Obama's top choice for attorney general is Eric Holder, a former No. 2 Justice Department official in the Clinton administration and Obama campaign aide who would become the first African American to serve as the nation's chief lawyer.

Big 3 carmakers beg for $25B, warn of catastrophe (AP)

AP - Detroit's Big Three automakers pleaded with a reluctant Congress Tuesday for a $25 billion lifeline to save the once-proud titans of U.S. industry, pointedly warning of a national economic catastrophe should they collapse.

Aruba police pursue new evidence in Natalee Holloway case (AP)

AP - A new witness has come forward in the 2005 disappearance of American teenager Natalee Holloway in Aruba, and prosecutors said Tuesday they are seeking more evidence against the only remaining suspect.

Clinton lawyers vetting her for secretary of state (AP)

AP - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has engaged a team of prominent lawyers to help President-elect Barack Obama vet her candidacy for secretary of state even as some insiders criticized the pick and advisers to the former first lady said she was weighing whether to take the job if Obama offered it.

8-year-old admits double shooting in police video (AP)

AP - An 8-year-old boy accused in the deaths of his father and another man gave police conflicting accounts about the shootings, at one point saying, "I wasn't shooting any guns" before admitting to firing at least two shots at each of the men.

Doctors transplant windpipe with stem cells (AP)

AP - Doctors have given a woman a new windpipe with tissue grown from her own stem cells, eliminating the need for anti-rejection drugs. "This technique has great promise," said Dr. Eric Genden, who did a similar transplant in 2005 at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. That operation used both donor and recipient tissue. Only a handful of windpipe, or trachea, transplants have ever been done.

Astronauts end space walk marred by lost tool bag (AP)

AP - A spacewalking astronaut accidentally let go of her tool bag Tuesday after a grease gun inside it exploded, and helplessly watched as the tote and everything inside floated away.

Disney's Cody Linley doesn't make 'Dancing' finals (AP)

AP - Cody Linley won't be graduating "Dancing with the Stars."

Source: Mariners to name Don Wakamatsu manager (AP)

AP - The Seattle Mariners picked Don Wakamatsu as their new manager, giving the job to Oakland's bench coach and filling the only opening in the majors. Wakamatsu was chosen Tuesday over several other candidates, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made.

U.S. auto execs plead for Congress to fund bailout (Reuters)

Reuters - U.S. auto executives warned Congress on Tuesday that their industry was teetering on the brink of disaster as they pleaded for a $25 billion aid package despite political opposition to another multibillion-dollar government bailout.

Lawmakers, Treasury lock horns on foreclosures (Reuters)

Reuters - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and members of Congress clashed on Tuesday over the best use for the $700-billion financial bailout fund, with lawmakers demanding money to stem a national wave of mortgage foreclosures.

Obama moves closer to key cabinet pick (Reuters)

Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama moved closer to filling a key spot in his cabinet on Tuesday as his transition team plotted a careful course to shaping the next U.S. administration.

Democrat claims victory in Alaska Senate race (Reuters)
Reuters - Democrat Mark Begich claimed victory on Tuesday in the race for an Alaska seat in the U.S. Senate, defeating six-term Republican incumbent Ted Stevens.

Clinton job for Obama may depend on Bill (Reuters)

Reuters - If Sen. Hillary Clinton is to be picked by President-elect Barack Obama as his secretary of state, it may well depend on a review of the business activities of her husband, former President Bill Clinton.