Obama names financial advisers. Flanked in Chicago by financial experts who will shape his economic recovery plan, President-elect Barack Obama showed he is ready to attack the financial crisis now rather than wait until he officially takes office on Jan. 20. “It is my hope that the new Congress will begin work on an aggressive economic recovery plan when they convene in early January, so that our administration can hit the ground running,” Obama said at a news conference in his hometown. Read the rest here.

A Delaware man admits to voter fraud. A 34-year-old Chester man arrested last month for alleged voter-registration fraud admitted his guilt yesterday in Delaware County Court. Jemar Barksdale, an ex-employee of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), was accused of turning in voter-registration cards for 18 already-registered voters, altering information, and forging signatures. He pleaded guilty to charges of forgery, identity theft, and tampering with public records, Deputy District Attorney Greg Hurchalla told PhillyNews.com. Under the terms of the plea agreement approved in Delaware County Court, Barksdale, who spent about a week in prison on the charges, must serve six to 23 months on house arrest, undergo a psychiatric evaluation, perform eight hours of community service, and pay $574 in restitution to ACORN, Hurchalla said.

A cell phone helps police rescue a Delaware shooting victim. Wilmington, Del., Police used the cell phone of a shooting victim to locate the victim of a gunshot. The 37 year-old Wilmington man had been shot in the neck with a shotgun, but did not know where he was when he contacted police about 6:30 Saturday night. Authorities say they were able to get a general location by tracking which cell phone towers had handled his call. Once police were in the vicinity, they heard the man pounding on a shed door. He was then taken to Christiana Hospital where he is in critical, but stable, condition. There’s no word on what prompted the shooting.

A showdown is expected over an automaker bailout plan.  Proponents, mostly Democrats, say $25 billion of the $700 billion Wall Street rescue package should be used to bail out the failing U.S. auto industry.  “The repercussions would be dire” if the nation allowed the auto industry to collapse, President-elect Obama said on CBS’s 60 Minutes Sunday. But hard-line opponents, mostly Republicans, brand the industry a “dinosaur” that should be allowed to fail. That’s how the debate is expected to go when Senate Democrats introduce legislation today to attach an auto bailout to a House-passed bill that extends unemployment benefits. But if the talk on Sunday news shows is any indication, the measure faces an up-hill battle in the Senate lame-duck session. Sens. Richard Shelby of Alabama and Jon Kyl of Arizona said it would be a mistake to use any of the Wall Street rescue money to prop up the automakers because a bailout would only postpone the industry’s demise. “Companies fail everyday and others take their place. I think this is a road we should not go down,” Shelby, the senior Republican on the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, said Sunday. Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) also said that automakers are trying to adapt to a changing consumer market, but need immediate help to survive the economic crisis. “This is a national problem,” Levin said Sunday. “The auto industry touches millions and millions of lives.” A White House alternative to the Democrats’ plan would allow the car companies to divert the $25 billion in loans Congress previously approved to develop fuel-efficient vehicles and use the money for more immediate needs. Congressional Democrats oppose the White House plan as shortsighted. A vote on the measure is expected as early as Wednesday. Majority Democrats will need at least a dozen GOP votes in the Senate to prevent opponents from blocking their measure – assuming all Senate Democrats support it, reports The Washington Post.

Member of Super Bowl-winning team allegedly involved in club scuffle.
The son of Detroit’s most popular TV anchor woman and a native son returning home from the NFL have allegedly clashed. Geoffrey Pope, cornerback for the New York Giants, faces felony charges after visiting Detroit this past weekend to show his grandmother his Super Bowl ring and celebrate his 24th birthday. Police say Pope got into a scrap at a downtown club where he allegedly struck the son of the local NBC affiliate’s long-time evening anchor woman Carmen Harlan with a champagne bottle. The alleged victim was treated with 28 stitches. Pope’s lawyer says he didn’t commit the assault, while Pope has declined comment.

Kearse is the latest NFL player to get arrested
Tennessee Titans defensive end Jevon Kearse was arrested early Sunday morning for driving under the influence near the campus of Vanderbilt University. Why did he refuse to take a breathalyzer test? Read more details at Playa Hater.