AP - The Democrats have gained another foot soldier in Congress: Democrat Frank Kratovil has won an open seat in the U.S. House from Maryland's 1st District.

AP - The lawyer for a Serbian basketball player wanted on assault charges in the United States is demanding a halt to a Serb-based investigation into the attack.

AP - Italy's Premier Silvio Berlusconi on Friday defended his description of U.S. President-elect Barack Obama as 'young, handsome and even tanned,' and said critics who saw the remark as racist were 'imbeciles.'

AP - Tuesday's elections leave little doubt that the Republicans' Nixon-era strategy to win over white Southerners has been a resounding success. But have they lost the rest of the country along the way?

AP - Barack Obama's big victory could provide Democrats with a road map for an even bigger electoral majority in the future — something that seemed implausible just four years ago.

Politico - CHICAGO—President-elect Barack Obama used his first radio address Saturday since winning election to press for action on his proposals to restore the economy.

AP - Switzerland's president expressed regret Friday that his country failed to use diplomatic channels to stop the Nazis from executing a Swiss theology student who tried to assassinate Adolf Hitler 70 years ago.

AP - President-elect Obama has spoken to the president of Poland about relations between the two countries but didn't make a commitment on the multibillion-dollar missile defense program undertaken by the Bush administration, an Obama aide said Saturday.

Politico - Here's newly elected Senator Obama roasting Rahm at a 2005 charity fundraiser. Corny stuff, but nice delivery and a few good one-liners mixed in.  The full 2-hour roast, with Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd and others is here. 

AP - Key events in the life of President-elect Obama:

AFP - US President-elect Barack Obama will not be attending a summit of world leaders for economic crisis talks in Washington next week, his spokeswoman said Friday.

Politico - In both the Senate and the House, the longest-serving Democratic member has faced increased pressure to step aside from a powerful committee post since Barack Obama's election last week.

AP - Cuba's communist leadership has long cast itself as David standing up to the U.S. Goliath and the crippling force of America's punitive trade and travel embargo.

AP - Democrats are fighting over control of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the outcome could affect President-elect Obama's efforts to limit the heat-trapping gases blamed for global warming.

AP - The international system for tracking and cutting off terrorist financing has achieved major successes but is fraying seven years after the Sept. 11 attacks, two former Treasury Department officials report. Some U.S. allies in the fight against terrorism pose the weakest links.

AP - President-elect Obama spoke with six world leaders by phone Friday, as he continues to prepare for taking office Jan. 20, his office said.

AP - President-elect Obama spoke to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday as the future American leader had another round of phone calls with counterparts in other nations.

AP - Barack Obama's big victory could provide Democrats with a road map for an even bigger electoral majority in the future — something that seemed implausible just four years ago.

CQPolitics.com - Election: Defeated James S. Gilmore III, R, to succeed John W. Warner, R, who retired

AFP - US President-elect Barack Obama on Friday spoke by telephone with leaders of six US allies including Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari to thank them for their messages of congratulation, an aide said.

Politico - In keeping with his campaign's use of the Internet to create a vast network and raise unprecedented sums of money, President-elect Barack Obama is using a website to usher his supporters through the transition: change.gov.

Politico - Despite widespread predictions of record turnout in this year’s presidential election, roughly the same portion of eligible voters cast ballots in 2008 as in 2004.

Politico - President-elect Barack Obama says he’ll not dictate his Senate replacement, making him one of very few Illinois politicians sitting out the fight over the seat.