The Note's Must-Reads for Thursday, December 18, 2008

December 18, 2008 5:11 AM

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

2008: ABC NEWS VIDEOS:

"Automakers to Bush: Bailout Dire" LINK

"SEC Questioned in Madoff Case" LINK

"Dissecting Deflation" LINK

"Blago to Open Up By Week's End" LINK

"Madoff Pushed by Photographer" LINK

"Hasselbeck Gets White House Apology" LINK

"Vilsack, Salazar Tapped for Cabinet" LINK

"Cheney's Exclusive Exit Interview" LINK

"Clinton Allies Critical of Caroline" LINK

2008: ILLINOIS SENATE SEAT SCANDAL / GOVERNOR BLAGOJEVICH:

ABC News' Judy Keen: "Blagojevich lawyer challenges impeachment's legitimacy" LINK

The Washington Times’ Stephen Dinan: “Blagojevich link stings even rival union” LINK

The Washington Times’ Jerry Seper: “Holder testimony on pardon questioned” LINK

Bloomberg’s Joe Carroll: “Blagojevich Won’t Fill Obama’s U.S. Senate Seat, Attorney Says” LINK

The New York Daily News' Kenneth Bazinet: "Don't slam Bam for Blagojevich say GOPers" LINK

The New York Times' Monica Davey and Catrin Einhorn: "Illinois Court Won't Hear Plea to Oust Blagojevich" LINK

The New York Times' Susan Saulny: "Vigorous Blagojevich Defense by Noted Lawyer" LINK

The Washington Post's Peter Slevin and Kari Lydersen: "Blagojevich's Attorney Assails Proceedings" LINK

2008: PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA:

Time Magazine's Craig Robinson: "The Interview: Person Of the Year Barack Obama" LINK

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

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

ABC News' Teddy Davis: "Obama’s ‘Purpose Driven’ Pastor Draws Heat" LINK

ABC News' Karen Travers: "Oh to be a fly on the wall…" LINK

ABC News' George Stephanopoulos: "Obama's Cabinet Picks" LINK

ABC News' George Stephanopoulos: "LaHood Expected for Transportation Secretary" LINK

USA Today's Kathy Kiely: "Cabinet picks help, hurt Hispanics political gains" LINK

USA Today's Traci Watson: "Obama names Interior, Agriculture heads" LINK

Time Magazine’s Michael Grunwald: “Vilsack: Some Hard Choices on Ethanol” LINK

Time Magazine’s Bryan Walsh: “Salazar at Interior: For Greens, Not a Dream Choice” LINK

The Washington Times’ Stephen Dinan: “Gay man backed for Navy secretary” LINK

The Washington Times’ Christina Bellantoni: “Obama stimulus plan may hit $1 trillion” LINK

The Washington Times’ Mona Charen: “The good Obama can do” LINK

The Washington Times’ Editorial Staff: “Obama's abortion conundrum” LINK

The Hill's Roxana Tiron: "Clinton Backers Selected to Join Obama Administration" LINK

The Hill's Ian Swanson: "Obama’s Ethanol Dream Team" LINK

The Hill's Sam Youngman "Bush to Host Lunch for Obama, Former Presidents" LINK

Politico's Ben Smith & Nia-Malika Henderson: "Gay leaders furious with Obama" LINK

Politico's Jonathan Martin: "Next Up For Obama: Sec, Transportation" LINK

Politico's Kenneth P. Vogel & Chris Frates: "Vilsack Got Ag. Dept. Farm Subsidies" LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Jonathan Weisman: “Compiling A To-Do List For Obama's New Deal” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Jonathan Weisman and Christopher Conkey: “LaHood to Get Transportation Post” LINK

The New York Daily News staff: "Liberals hit Obama for Warren selection" LINK

The Los Angeles Times’ Peter Nicholas: “Stimulus plan could shape course of Barack Obama’s presidency” LINK

The Boston Globe’s Articles of Faith’s Michael Paulson: “Obama taps evangelical for inauguration” LINK

The New York Times' Jeff Zeleny and Ben White: "Picks Made for S.E.C. and Transportation Post" LINK

The New York Times' John M. Broder: "Praise and Criticism for Proposed Interior Secretary" LINK

The Washington Post's Michael A. Fletcher and Philip Rucker: "Obama to Add GOP's LaHood to Cabinet" LINK

The Washington Post's Amit R. Paley: "Obama Pick to Lead SEC Is Veteran Wall St. Regulator" LINK

2008: PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA'S INAUGURATION:

The Associated Press: "Franklin, Warren, Yo-Yo Ma to perform during inauguration" LINK

2008: PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA AND THE ECONOMY:

The Associated Press: "Obama looking at $850 billion jolt to the economy" LINK

Bloomberg’s Jesse Westbrook: “Obama’s Pick of Schapiro To Head SEC May Clear Way For Overhaul” LINK

Bloomberg’s Lorraine Woellert: “Obama May Seek a Stimulus Spending Plan Exceeding $850 Billion” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Randall Smith and Kara Scannell: “Regulator Schapiro To Run SEC For Obama” LINK

The Los Angeles Times’ Jim Puzzanghera and Peter Nicholas: “Obama picks Mary Schapiro to head Securities and Exchange Commission” LINK

2008: VICE-PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN:

Watch Biden’s First Post-Election Interview with George Stephanopoulos on "This Week" LINK

2008: FIRST LADY-ELECT MICHELLE OBAMA:

USA Today's Maria Puente: "What kind of first lady will Michelle Obama be?" LINK

2008: AUTO INDUSTRY SHUT-DOWN:

ABC News' Charles Herman: "Chrysler to Temporarily Shut Down Plants" LINK

ABC News' Jonathan Karl, Z. Byron Wolf, Kate Barrett and Chris Bury: "Big Three Hit the Breaks Leaving Deadline Pressing" LINK

Bloomberg’s Greg Bensinger: “GM May Shrink Pontiac To One Model From Six In Bid To Survive” LINK

The Los Angeles Times’ Martin Zimmerman: “Chrysler to close all manufacturing plants for a month” LINK

The Washington Post's Peter Whoriskey: "Chrysler Shutting Down for One Month" LINK

2008: ECONOMY:

ABC News' Charles Herman, Dan Arnall, Lauren Pearle and Zunaira Zaki: "Morgan Stanley Is One Bank That Cites a Loan From TARP Money" LINK

The Associated Press' Alan Zibel: "Borrowers Rushing to Refinance Loans as Rates Drop" LINK

USA Today's Kathy Chu: "New rule to crack down on credit card rates" LINK

USA Today's Barbara Hagenbaugh: "Oil tumbles despite OPEC's record cut in production" LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Conor Dougherty and Amy Merrick: “States Squeeze Cities, Spreading The Economic Pain” LINK

Bloomberg’s Brian Swint: “World Confidence Drops as Slump Deepens, Bloomberg Survey Shows” LINK

Bloomberg’s Rebecca Christie and Robert Schmidt: “Paulson May Seek Next $350 Billion In Financial-Rescue Funds” LINK

The New York Times' Louise Story: "On Wall Street, Bonuses, Not Profits, Were Real" LINK

The New York Times' David M. Herszenhorn, Bill Vlasic, and David E. Sanger: "In Auto Talks, Paulson Takes the Wheel" LINK

The New York Times' Carter Dougherty and David Jolly: "As the Fed Flattens rates, the Dollar Gets Bruised" LINK

The Washington Post's Anthony Faiola: "Dollar's Slump Erases Months Of Solid Gains" LINK

The Washington Post's Nancy Trejos and Binyamin Appelbaum: "New Limits Imposed on Credit Card Companies" LINK

The Washington Post's Steven Mufson: "OPEC Agrees To Slash Output" LINK

The Washington Post's Heather Landy: "Morgan Stanley Reports Loss, Hunts for Funding" LINK

The Washington Post's Renae Merle: "Optimism Over Fed Move Dims; Stocks Fall" LINK

The Washington Post's Neil Irwin: "fed Cuts Key Rate to Record Low" LINK

2008: CONGRESS:

The Hill's Jordy Yager: "With Economy In Shambles, Congress Gets A Raise" LINK

Politico's Fred Barbash: "Pundits No Fans of Nepotism" LINK

2008: CAROLINE KENNEDY:

ABC News' Rick Klein: "Caroline Meets New York Media -- Or Not" LINK

ABC News Now: "Politics Live: Caroline Kennedy's Path to the U.S. Senate" LINK

The Associated Press: "Kennedy says publicly she wants Senate seat" LINK

The New York Daily News' Glenn Blain and Corky Siemaszko: "Kennedy meets Syracuse politicians as she campaigns for in Hillary's seat" LINK

The New York Daily News' Kenneth Lovett: "Kennedy can lock in Senate seat by saying she'll run in 2010" LINK

The Los Angeles Times’ Geraldine Baum and Mark Z. Barabak: “Caroline Kennedy: This isn’t her father’s Camelot” LINK

The New York Times' Michael Barbaro and Raymond Hernandez: "Mayor's Aide Pushes Hard for Kennedy" LINK

The New York Times' Jeremy W. Peters and Nicholas Confessore: "Kennedy, Touring Upstate, gets Less and Less Low-Key" LINK

2008: MADOFF INVESTIGATION:

ABC News Nightline: "Closing Arguments: Madoff's 'Penthouse Arrest'" LINK

ABc News' Richard Esposito and Brian Ross: "House Arrest for Madoff in $7 Million Apartment" LINK

The Associated Press' Larry Neumiester: "Fallout Over Madoff Ripples Through Washington" LINK

The New York Daily News' George Rush, Thomas Zambito, and Phyllis Furman: "Madoff housebound after failing to get enough co-signers for bail bond" LINK

The Boston Globe’s Jeffrey Krasner: “Scandal dampens the charity galas” LINK

The New York Times' Christine Haughney: "Madoff Scandal Shaking Real Estate Industry" LINK

The New York Times' Alex Berenson: "Authorities Ease Madoff's Bail Terms" LINK

The New York Times' Stephen Labaton: "S.E.C. Knew Him as Foe and Friend" LINK

2008: CURRENT ADMINISTRATION:

Time Magazine's Robert Baer: "The Lesson of the Iraqi Shoe Thrower" LINK

The Washington Times’ Jon Ward: “Cheney defends war on terror's morality” LINK

The Washington Times’ Betsy Pisik: “Shoe-sympathizers advise Bush” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s John Carreyrou and Barbara Martinez: “Grassley Targets Nonprofit Hospitals on Charity Care” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Alicia Mundy: “Advocates Weigh In O FDA Leader” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Jennifer Corbett Dooren: “Diabetes Drugs To Face Tougher Risk Scrutiny” LINK

The Washington Post's Dan Eggen: "Bush Says His Post-9/11 Actions Prevented Further Terrorism" LINK

2008: OTHER MUST-READS:

ABC News' Rick Klein: "Spitzer Booked for Public Debate" LINK