The Note’s Must-Reads for Friday, December 5, 2008

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

2008: ABC NEWS VIDEOS

"Big Three Asks for $34 Billion" LINK

"Indicted USB Bank Parties On" LINK

"Inauguration Seats for the Needy" LINK

"LBJ Tapes Implicate Nixon with Treason" LINK

"Oops! Ed Rendell’s Mic Mistake" LINK

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

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

ABC News Nightline Closing Argument: "Obama’s $400-Million Edge" LINK

ABC News’ Jake Tapper: "Obama ‘Almost Speechless’ Thanking Donors in Chicago" LINK

ABC News’ Jake Tapper: "Nine Illinois State Employees Face Suspension for Accessing Obama’s Address" LINK

ABC News’ Jake Tapper: "Final Official Obama Fundraising Number — a Record-Setting $745 Million" LINK

ABC News’ Jake Tapper: "Some Frank Talk About the Need for Obama to Step Up" LINK

ABC News’ Susan Donaldson James: "Gym Rat in Chief? Obama’s Fitness Regimen" LINK

Politico’s Craig Gordon & Ben Smith: "The 5 Best Jobs Obama Has Yet To fill" LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Laura Meckler: “Daschle Launches Push For Health-Care Overhaul” LINK

CLICK HERE for more of today’s Must-Reads from ABC News.

USA Today’s Greg Toppo: "Will Obama’s Mother-in-Law Move to the White House?" LINK

The Associated Press: "Obama raises $104 million in 5 weeks" LINK

The Wall Street Journal Capital Journal: “Not Right Or Left, But Forward” LINK

Time Magazine’s Karen Tumulty and Mark Thompson: "Obama’s New World Order" LINK

Time Magazine’s Mark Thompson: "Robert Gates: Secretary of Hilarity!" LINK

The Los Angeles Times’ Josh Meyer, Tom Hamburger, and Peter
Nicholas: “Obama’s choice of Xavier Becerra revives 2001 clemency case”
LINK

The Los Angeles Times’ Peter Wallsten: “Barack Obama’s grass roots in search of new turf” LINK

The Los Angeles Times’ Julian E. Barnes: “Robert Gates lays out agenda for U.S. military” LINK

2008: PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA’S INAUGURATION:

With troops serving in Afghanistan and Iraq, what is your message to
the President? Share your thoughts on inauguration day with ABC News. LINK

ABC News’ Wonbo Woo and Lauren Sher: "Down on Their Luck to Be VIPs at Obama Ball" LINK

2008: PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA AND THE ECONOMY:

The Associated Press’ Jim Kuhnhenn: "Democrats: Obama Needs Hands-on Economic Approach" LINK

ABC News’ Scott Mayerowitz: "Can These Hybrid Cars Save Detroit?" LINK

2008: ECONOMY/AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY BAILOUT:

ABC News’ Z. Byron Wolf: "Dems Give White House Ultimatum on Auto Bailout" LINK

ABC News’ Jonathan Karl, Z. Byron Wolf and Kate Barrett: "Auto CEOs Return to Capitol Hill" LINK

USA Today’s James R. Healey: "Detroit 3 once again plead for help" LINK

USA Today’s Oren Dorell: "Malls boost security as shopping season starts" LINK

USA Today’s Stephanie Armour and Anna Bahney: "We must cut foreclosures, says Bernanke, as mortgage rates fall" LINK

The Associated Press: "Oil, gasoline hit 4-year lows as economy sags" LINK

USA Today’s Traci Watson: "Economists raise doubts about alternative-energy spending" LINK

The Hill’s Silla Brush and J. Taylor Rushing: "Dodd Paints Bleak Picture For Auto bailout" LINK

Politico’s David Rogers: "Big Three Still Face Big Climb" LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Michael M. Phillips and Bobby White: “Housing-Crisis Grants Force Cities To Make Tough Choices” LINK

Bloomberg’s Bob Willis: “U.S. Job Losses Probably Reached 26-Year High As Economy Sank” LINK

Bloomberg’s Josh Fineman: “Bank of America’s Merrill Takeover May Be Lewis’s Toughest Deal” LINK

Bloomberg’s Li Yanping and Rebecca Christie: “China, U.S. Agree To Deepen Financial Ties, Aid Global Trade” LINK

Bloomberg’s John Brinsley and Alison Vekshin: “Dodd, Frank Warn Paulson May Not Get Tarp’s Next $350 Billion” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Greg Hitt and Matthew Dolan: “Detroit Bailout Hits A Bumpy Road” LINK

Bloomberg’s John Hughes and Nicholas Johnston: “Gm Chief Says He’d Accept Strict Conditions On Federal Bailout” LINK

Time Magazine’s Barbara Kiviat: "States Financial Outlook: Getting Worse Fast" LINK

Boston Globe’s Robert Gavin: “Job losses are disproportionately falling on males” LINK

Boston Globe’s Steven Syre: “Job cuts make holidays bleak” LINK

The Los Angeles Times’ Claudia Eller: “Viacom to cut 7% of workforce; MTV division takes biggest hit” LINK

The Los Angeles Times’ Martin Zimmerman: “Is U.S. facing a depression? National Bureau of Economic Research won’t go there” LINK

The Los Angeles Times’ Andrea Chang: “Retail sales fall 2.7% in November” LINK

The Washington Times’ Richard C. Gross: "Automakers Try To Sell Plan To Congress" LINK

The Washington Times’ David R. Sands Jon Ward: "Big Three CEOs Grovel For Bailout" LINK

2008: SENATOR HILLARY CLINTON AND FORMER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON:

ABC News’ Teddy Davis: "’Ugly Betty’ to Help Clinton Pay Campaign Bills" LINK

The Washington Times’ Christina Bellantoni : "State Nod Helps Clinton Raise Funds" LINK

2008: SENATE:

Politico’s Michael Calderone: "Critics Rip MSNBC, Matthews" LINK

Time Magazine’s Tim Padgett: "Why Jeb Bush Might Run for the Senate" LINK

2008: CURRENT ADMINISTRATION:

The Wall Street Journal’s Alicia Mundy: “Lawmakers Divided Over Next FDA Head, Fixing Safety Issues” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Stephen Power: “Policy Move Gives Mining Another Boost” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Leslie Eaton and Ben Casselman: “Bushes Buy Dallas Home For Residence” LINK

Bloomberg’s Michael B. Marois and William Selway: “California May Pay With IOUs For Second Time Since Depression” LINK

Newsweek’s Anne Belli Perez: “The Blue House? Bush decamps to Dallas, for a home in a pro-Obama county” LINK

2008: MUMBAI CRISIS:

ABC News’ Martha Raddatz and Kirit Radia: "Rice Makes Brief but Significant Stop in Pakistan" LINK

USA Today’s Kevin Johnson and Thomas Frank: "Mumbai attacks refocus U.S. cities" LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Matthew Rosenberg and Zahid Hussain: “Rice Visit Ends But Mumbai Rift Remains” LINK

Bloomberg’s Vipin Nair and Jay Shankar: “Indian Airports Put On Alert After Terrorist Threats” LINK

2008: GOVERNOR SARAH PALIN:

ABC News’ Jake Tapper: "More Rendell Hot Mic Comments!!! Palin ‘Not A Genius’ But Has ‘Very Good Political Instincts’" LINK

2008: POLITICS:

Associated Press’ Matt Apuzzo and Lara Jakes Jordan: "AP: US Mulls Unusual Tactic in Blackwater Case" LINK

ABC News’ Rick Klein: "New York Times Wrangles with Rangel" LINK