Obama’s cabinet picks continue to be leaked. Hill’s almost certain as Secretary of State, and now, rumors are floating that New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson —after being rumored to be in conention for Sec. of State—is being tapped for Commerce Secretary. Meanwhile, Arizona Governor, Janet Napolitano is being tapped for Homeland Security.

Just as we were beginning to breathe a bit more easily…We hear that the stock market’s falling again, the credit crisis worsening and the recession set to become a likely mainstay in our lives for a longer, more difficult period of time than most had expected…

But there’s a silver…er gold…er whatever color it is…lining in gas prices we’ve witnessed finally come down slightly from their frightening heights in the $4 range to a more approachable $2.

Iraq remains a hotbed of chaos and discontent as today’s uproar centers around a George Bush effigy, located where Saddam Hussein’s statue once did, a thousands-strong crowd burned to protest the more than likely continuation of an American presence in the country until 2011.

Political junkies still hankering for an election fix can count their lucky stars for the Minnesota recount. Norm Coleman’s lead has been whittled down to less than 100 over Al Franken. However, there are still 800-plus challenged ballots, and more than 49% of precincts to be counted. Sure to be a nail-biter.

Angelina doesn’t simply have Brad whipped, she’s got the media under her thumb, too. Lara Croft’s got news outlets and tabloids doing her bidding. A saavy auto-PR maven, she’s become the uber-star at regulating her image. Seems if mags like People want photos of her nestlings, they can’t simply pay up with cash (which ends up in charity), they have to write about the causes Ms. Jolie supports. While it’s admirable to use popularity for a good cause, but if this rumor’s true, then how else can the media—and journalistic standards—be manipulated toward an infotainment end?