AP - Space shuttle Endeavour closed in for a 220-mile-high linkup with the international space station on Sunday, hauling gear for a huge home makeover that will allow twice as many astronauts to live up there beginning next year.

Reuters - A top Republican senator said on Sunday U.S. President-elect Barack Obama would be making a good choice if he selected Sen. Hillary Clinton as his Secretary of State.

AP - President-elect Barack Obama is forming a White House leadership team that combines experienced Washington insiders who can help build a bridge with Congress and trusted associates who share his Chicago roots.

Reuters - A key Republican Senator said on Sunday it was "pretty clear" a $25 billion bailout proposal for U.S. automakers will fail in the U.S. Senate, while Democrats argued saving the industry was critical to the U.S. economy.

AP - As a portly woman plodded ahead of him on the sidewalk, the obese mayor of America's fattest and unhealthiest city explained why health is not a big local issue.

AP - Calmer wind Sunday aided firefighters battling wildfires that have destroyed hundreds of homes in Southern California, forced thousands of residents to flee and blanketed much of the region with choking smoke.

Reuters - U.S. President-elect Barack Obama resigned his seat in the Senate on Sunday to focus on his transition to the White House, appointing new staff and thanking his home state of Illinois for launching his political career.

AP - Top Republican senators said Sunday they will oppose a Democratic plan to bail out Detroit automakers, calling the U.S. industry a "dinosaur" whose "day of reckoning" is coming. Their opposition raises serious doubts about whether the plan will pass in this week's postelection session.

AFP - The White House on Sunday welcomed the approval by Iraq's cabinet of a military pact that requires the withdrawal of all US troops by the end of 2011.

Reuters - Congolese rebel leader Laurent Nkunda agreed on Sunday to take part in U.N.-backed peace talks, but fighting between the army and rebels raged on in the east despite his declared support for a ceasefire.

AFP - World leaders at a financial crisis summit in Washington have agreed on an action plan to restore global growth and prevent future financial upheaval while promising new spending plans, a trade deal and a set of reforms.

AP - Speeding 17,000 miles an hour around Earth, space shuttle Endeavour aimed for a docking with the international space station Sunday to drop off a new housemate and deliver equipment which will change the outpost into a two-kitchen, two-bath, five-bedroom home.

AP - Barack Obama seems to be savoring his last few days of near-normalcy.