The Note’s Must-Reads for Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Compiled by ABC News’ PETER MARTINEZ, CARRIE HALPERIN, KRISTEN RED-HORSE, JAYCE HENDERSON, STEPHANIE WASH and JUSTIN GRANT

2008: ABC NEWS VIDEOS:

"Biden: Report Will Confirm What Obama’s Said" LINK

"Obama Reports on Blagojevich Scandal" LINK

"Kimmel: Own a Piece of Obama" LINK

“Keep Your 2009 Finances in Check” LINK

2008: ILLINOIS SENATE SEAT SCANDAL / GOVERNOR BLAGOJEVICH:

The Associated Press’ Jennifer Loven and Brett J. Blackledge: "Blagojevich Questioning Takes up Obama’s Time" LINK

USA Today’s Jill Lawrence: "Aides’ contact with Blagojevich ‘innocent’" LINK

The Chicago Sun-Times’ Dave McKinney: "Panel’s Request to Hear Tapes ‘Under Active Consideration’" LINK

The Hill’s Sam Youngman: "Internal Report Clears Obama, Staff of Wrongdoing" LINK

Politico’s Nia-Malika Henderson & Craig Gordon: "Emanuel the only Aide to Talk with Blago" LINK

Politico’s Kenneth P. Vogel: "Jarrett: Idea of Blago at HHS ‘Ridiculous’" LINK

The New York Times’ Jeff Zeleny: "Obama Report Outlines Talks on Senate Seat" LINK

The Washington Post’s Michael D. Shear: "Obama report Clears Dealings with Blagojevich" LINK

Time’s Karen Tumulty: "The Blago Report" LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Jonathan Weisman: “Obama, Two Aides Questioned in Probe” LINK

2008: PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA AND THE WHITE HOUSE TRANSITION:

ABC News’ Special Index for the 44th President: LINK

ABC News’ Rick Klein: "Obama Was Interested in Senate Successor After All" LINK

The Associated Press: "Obama Attends Memorial for His Grandmother, ‘Toot’" LINK

The Chicago Tribune’s Vikki Ortiz: "Shirtless Barack Obama photos heat up the Internet" LINK

The Chicago Tribune’s John McCormick: "Barack Obama bids Grandmother Madelyn Dunham goodbye at Honolulu memorial service" LINK

Politico’s Carol E. Lee: "Obama Pays Tribute to Late Grandmother" LINK

The Washington Post’s Paul Kane and Michael D. Shear: "Green Jobs Compete for Stimulus Aid" LINK

The Washington Post’s Jane Black: "Targeting Obesity alongside Hunger" LINK

The Washington Post’s Michael D. Shear: "Obama Report Clears Dealings with Blagojevich" LINK

Time’s Peter Boylan: "From Hawaii, An Obama Vacation Diary" LINK

Bloomberg’s Ken Fireman: “Obama’s Afghan Troop-Surge Plan May Prove Too Much, Too Late” LINK

Bloomberg’s Heidi Przybyla: “Rail Takes Back Seat as States Target Obama Stimulus for Roads” LINK

Bloomberg’s: “Obama Report Finds No ‘Inappropriate’ Contacts With Blagojevich” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Jonathan Weisman: “Biden Says Stimulus Won’t Include Earmarks” LINK

The Washington Times’ Jim McElhatton: “Climate czar left no electronic trail” LINK

The Washington Times’ Stephen Dinan and Christina Bellantoni: “Feds interview Obama on ‘pay-to-play’” LINK

The Boston Globe’s Political Notebook: “Shirtless Obama images causing stir on Internet” LINK

The Los Angeles Times’ Peter Nicholas: “Obama economic team tries to allay worries about stimulus plan” LINK

2008: PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA AND THE INAUGURATION:

USA Today’s Fredreka Schouten: "Corporate sponsors pay for inauguration parties" LINK

The Chicago Sun-Times’ Guy Tridgell: "Sauk Village firm selling luxury train trip to Obama inauguration" LINK

The Associated Press: "Barack Obama to take oath at inauguration on Abraham Lincoln Bible" LINK

The Washington Post’s Roxanne Roberts: "The Only Facts So Far: 10 Balls, 5 Locations" LINK

The Washington Post’s Mary Beth Sheridan: "Chertoff, Area Officials Discuss Plans" LINK

2008: CAROLINE KENNEDY:

The New York Times’ Nicholas Confessore: "Resistance to Kennedy Grows among Democrats" LINK

The New York Daily News’ Michael Saul: "Caroline Kennedy: The $100 million woman" LINK

The New York Daily News’ Kenneth Lovett: "Kennedy is just Hizzoner’s pet, Silver hints" LINK

2008: AUTO INDUSTRY:

USA Today’s Sharon Silke Carty: "GMAC awaits a lifesaving debt swap to help avert bankruptcy" LINK

The New York Times’ Nick Bunkley and Bill Vlasic: "Nearly the End of the Line for S.U.V.’s" LINK

Bloomberg’s Alan Ohnsman: “Toyota’s Watanabe May Leave; Toyoda in Line for Post” LINK

2008: ECONOMY:

ABC News Nightline: "Closing Arguments: Where’s Our Bailout?" LINK

ABC News’ David Muir and Laurent Sher: "Store Sales Hit Hard by Cold Weather" LINK

USA Today’s Rick Hampson: "In tough times, they are the lights of Christmas" LINK

USA Today’s Theresa Howard: "After-Christmas sales could offer really big bargains" LINK

The New York Times’ Steven Greenhouse and Stephanie Rosenbloom: "Wal-Mart Settles 63 Lawsuits over Wages" LINK

The New York Times’ Edward Wyatt and Jori Finkel: "$30 Million Rescue for Los Angeles Museum" LINK

The Washington Post’s Renae Merle: "Recession Propels Skid in Housing Sales, Prices" LINK

The Washington Post’s Ylan Q. Mui: "The Economy’s Latest Hurdle for Retailers: Shoplifting" LINK

The Washington Post’s Zachary A. Goldfarb: "Freddie Board Appointed by Regulator" LINK

The Washington Post’s Sharon L. Lynch: "Fannie, Freddie Cut Deal over Home Appraisals" LINK

Time’s Barbara Kiviat: "Is There Really a Credit Crunch? An Economists’ Dlebate" LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Phred Dvorak: “A Small Bank Juggles Its Roles” LINK

Bloomberg’s Christopher Condon: “Reserve’s Bent May Be Charged by SEC Over Money Fund’s Collapse” LINK

Bloomberg’s Bob Willis: “Consumer Spending in U.S. Probably Dropped for a Fifth Month” LINK

The Boston Herald’s Donna Goodison: “Stores eyeing Xmas Eve rush” LINK

The Washington Times’ Patrice Hill and David M. Dickson: “Holiday sales worst in 40 years” LINK

The Boston Globe’s Kim Christensen: “More in middle class using payday lenders” LINK

The Boston Globe’s Chris Reidy: “Housing has its worst monthly price drop in 20 years” LINK

The Boston Globe’s Megan Woolhouse: “Gilt-free shopping” LINK

2008: DEMOCRATS/GOP:

ABC News’ Justin Rood: "Powerful Democrats No Strangers to Scandal" LINK

The Washington Times’ Tom LoBianco: “GOP hopefuls focus on reform” LINK

2008: CONGRESS:

USA Today’s John Fritze: "Senate may open without Minn. seat" LINK

The New York Times’ Christina Capecchi: "New Congress Likely to Meet before Ruling in Minnesota" LINK

2008: MADOFF’S SCAM:

ABC News’ Richard Esposito: "Madoff Business Associate De La Villehuchet Found Dead" LINK

The Associated Press Adam Goldman: "Investor Who Lost $1.4B to Madoff Kills Himself" LINK

The New York Times’ Nelson Schwartz: "Madoff Dealings Tarnish a Private Swiss Bank" LINK

The New York Times’ Robin Pogrebin: "In Madoff Scandal, Jews Feel an Acute Betrayal" LINK

The Washington Post’s Amit R. Paley and David S. Hilzenrath: "SEC Chief Defends His Restraint" LINK

The Boston Globe’s Jill Zuckman and John McCormick: “Obama team report says there was no dealing with Blagojevich over Senate seat” LINK

The Boston Globe’s Michael Paulson: “Foundations to aid groups Madoff hurt” LINK

The Los Angeles Times’ Duke Helfand: “Madoff’s alleged misdeeds spark feelings of betrayal, outrage in L.A.’s Jewish community” LINK

2008: CURRENT ADMINISTRATION:

Politico’s Alexander Burns: "Regrets? Bush Has Too Few to Mention" LINK

The New York Times’ Felicity Barringer: "In Reversal, court allows a Bush Plan on Pollution" LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Jane Zhang: “Blunt Talk by Health-Care Leader” LINK

The New York Daily News’ James Gordon Meek: "Bush pardons Brooklyn home scammer" LINK

The New York Daily News’ John Marzulli and Celeste Katz: "Toussie’s victims feel like the roof has fallen in" LINK

The Boston Globe’s Milton J. Valencia: “Pardon is given man who aided Israel” LINK

The Los Angeles Times’ Editorial: “Is the Bush administration criminally liable for its lawlessness?” LINK

2008: OTHER MUST-READS:

USA Today’s Thomas Frank: "Feds consider searches of terrorism blogs" LINK

Time’s Jeff Israely: "The Pope’s Christmas Condemnation of Transsexuals" LINK

Time’s Jeffrey Kluger: "Remembering Apollo 8, Man’s First Trip to the Moon" LINK

Time’s Tony Karon: "The Mideast’s ‘Two-State Solution’ Is Now a Three-Way Stalemate" LINK