• Subzero temperatures have hit the Midwest with high winds driving the windchill to 25 degrees below zero. Around the entire US, record snow and cold temperatures are being recorded. — AP [1]
• Toyota has projected its first loss in 70 years, the first since the Japanese car company began such reports. — San Francisco Chronicle [2]
• Muntadar al-Zaidi, the journalist who threw his shoes at President Bush, will stand trial on Dec. 31. He faces a prison term of five to 15 years for aggression against a head of state. — BBC News [3]



• Rahm Emanuel only had one "courtesy" phone conversation with Gov. Blagojevich, according to sources familiar with the Obama team's yet-to-be released report. Most of the conversation involved Rahm's House of Representative's seat, with only a passing reference to Obama's Senate seat. — ABC News [4]

Source [5]