What You Need to Know: 12.15.08

Obama to announce energy posts as Blagojevich questions linger
"Obama likely is to name Steven Chu, a physicist who runs the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, as his energy secretary, three Democratic officials close to the transition team said last week. Chu won the 1997 Nobel Prize in physics and is highly respected in energy circles.

Obama also is expected to name Carol Browner, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in the Clinton administration, as the newly created "climate czar" inside the White House.

Energy is one aspect of the president-elect's goal to create 2.5 million jobs by 2011. The plan aims to put Americans to work updating the country's infrastructure, making public buildings more energy-efficient and implementing environmentally friendly technologies, including alternative energy sources."

'Bizarre moment' dominates Bush's trip
"President George W. Bush wrapped up a whirlwind trip to two war zones Monday that in many ways was a victory lap without a clear victory. A signature event occurred when an Iraqi reporter hurled two shoes at Bush, an incident the president called "a bizarre moment."

Bush visited the Iraqi capital just 37 days before he hands the war off to his successor, Barack Obama, who has pledged to end it. The president wanted to highlight a drop in violence and to celebrate a recent U.S.-Iraq security agreement, which calls for U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq by the end of 2011."

Ill. House speaker launches impeachment panel
"The speaker of the Illinois House is taking the first step toward possibly impeaching embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Speaker Michael Madigan announced Monday that he's appointing a special committee to review the case and recommend whether Blagojevich should be impeached."

Few mysteries found in Minnesota Senate ballots
"Jesus, Bob Dylan and Mickey Mouse will play a part in determining Minnesota's next senator. So will voters who scrawled the same name for every local race. And so will people who marked their choice not just with a darkened oval but with an X, too — maybe for emphasis, or maybe for a do-over.

Those ballots by people who took creative liberties, as well as thousands of others being challenged, are critical in the tight battle between Republican Sen. Norm Coleman and his Democratic challenger, Al Franken. A state board begins meeting Tuesday to decide their fate."

Toward A Better Registration System
"Imagine an election in which registration is automatic, voters cast their ballots online, and more than half the votes are in before Election Day.

It may seem like a pipe dream to Washington lawmakers preoccupied with economic and national security woes. But state and local election officials are already envisioning a radically different future for American elections."