U.S. President George W. Bush (center) meets with President-elect Barack Obama (second-left), former President Bill Clinton (second-right), former President Jimmy Carter (right) and former President George H.W. Bush (left) in the Oval Office today.

Mark Wilson, Getty Images

More via PC World:

The U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration's TV Converter Box Coupon Program, with a $1.3 billion budget from Congress, has been depleted, the NTIA announced. Starting last Sunday, U.S. residents applying for a digital TV converter box voucher were put on a waiting list, the agency said.

On Feb. 17, U.S. television stations will stop broadcasting analog signals and switch to digital, as required by Congress. Many U.S. residents who own TVs receiving signals over the air, through an antenna, will no longer be able to receive TV signals, although some newer TV sets are capable of receiving digital broadcasts.

Customers of cable or satellite TV service will not be affected; they already have digital converter boxes as part of their service.

Flashback: Will Your TV Go Dark In February?

Illinois U.S. Senate appointee Roland Burris leaves the U.S. Capitol, seen right, in Washington after he was turned away when he appeared to take his seat.

Charles Dharapak, AP Photo

Amid a chaotic scene on Capitol Hill today, the Secretary of the Senate denied former Illinois attorney general Roland Burris from taking the Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.

Burris, 71, said he was told "my credentials are not in order and will not be accepted." Speaking to reporters, Burris added he was "not seeking to have any type of confrontation."

Here's more from the Associated Press:

It was a spectacular demonstration of political gridlock at a time when the Democratic-controlled Congress has been eagerly awaiting Obama's inauguration while nervously anticipating tense work on a much-discussed stimulus program to steady the faltering economy.

An attorney for Burris, Timothy W. Wright III, said that "our credentials were rejected by the secretary of the Senate. We were not allowed to be placed in the record books. We were not allowed to proceed to the floor for purposes of taking oath. All of which we think was improperly done and is against the law of this land. We will consider our options and we will certainly let you know what our decisions will be soon thereafter."

Asked what his options were, Wright said there possibly could be a court challenge and he said that Burris also would continue to talk to the Senate leadership.

Should the Senate honor Burris' appointment by embroiled Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich? What do you think of Burris' Senate pursuit?

On today's show, Farai Chideya gets an update from NPR's Cheryl Corley and professor Sherrilyn Ifill.

Former Ill. Attorney General Roland Burris, right, takes questions after Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich announced Burris as his choice to fill President-elect Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2008 in Chicago.

AP Photo/Paul Beaty

On Tuesday, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich went against Senate Democrat demands and appointed former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to fill the Senate seat left open by Barack Obama.

Burris, an African American, was never seriously considered for the post, but is highly regarded in the state political arena. Now, some argue that Blagojevich is playing the race card with this decision. His gamble? That no U.S. Senator would be willing to deny an African American a seat at the table, despite the dubious circumstances.

U.S. Congressman Bobby L. Rush didn't make things any easier, appearing alongside the Governor and Burris at their Tuesday press conference. Supporting Roland Burris, Rush said, don't "hang or lynch the appointee, as you try to castigate the appointer." This racially charged language heated up the issue, even managing to wrangle in President-elect Obama -- who wasn't eager to directly respond to Rush.

According to The Huffington Post:

"I believe the best resolution would be for the governor to resign his office and allow a lawful and appropriate process of succession to take place."

"They cannot accept an appointment made by a governor who is accused of selling this very Senate seat," Obama said in a statement. "I agree with their decision, and it is extremely disappointing that Governor Blagojevich has chosen to ignore it."

Burris said Wednesday that Blagojevich "has the constitutional and statutory authority to make those appointments ... and I have absolutely nothing to do with those problems."

"I will not be tainted because the governor has followed the constitution," Burris told NBC. "And I am confident that when all is said and done, I will be a United States senator."

Naturally, the seat should go to the most qualified person. While Roland Burris may be that person, time will tell if his quasi-appointment by Blagojevich will even be recognized by state officials (let alone by the Senators on Capitol Hill).

We were inspired by an historic election, swashbuckled by Somali pirates, and scared by the threat of a new Great Depression.

We reached out to each other with "terrorist fist jabs," fell for a Bigfoot hoax, and rooted for Michael Phelps.

We learned way too much about Eliot "Client #9" Spitzer, not enough about where our tax dollars are going, and just enough about Governor Sarah Palin.

Yes, we've been through a lot over the past 12 months.

Please share your memories of 2008 with us below. To help out, feel free to look back at what News & Views was blogging about throughout the year:

• January 2008 Archive
• February 2008 Archive
• March 2008 Archive
• April 2008 Archive
• May 2008 Archive
• June 2008 Archive
• July 2008 Archive
• August 2008 Archive
• September 2008 Archive
• October 2008 Archive
• November 2008 Archive
• December 2008 Archive

Chip Saltsman was former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee's campaign manager during the Republican presidential primaries.

AP Photo

On Friday, news reports revealed former Tennessee GOP leader Chip Saltsman -- who also ran Mike Huckabee's presidential campaign -- had distributed a Christmas CD to Republican National Committee members, featuring a song called "Barack the Magic Negro." Based on the tune "Puff the Magic Dragon," the parody has hit all the right nerves on both sides of the aisle.

Naturally, Democrats aren't amused and Republican leaders are left scampering this week to either defend or reject the ballad. The RNC is currently seeking a new chairman and the row over this song has seemingly created a divide within the party leaders vying for the job.

Chip Saltsman, who is up for the chairmanship himself, released a statement saying that "our party leaders should ... refuse to pander to the media's desire for scandal."

On Politico.com, former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell -- who is black -- has also come to Saltsman's defense.

"When looked at in the proper context, these concerns are minimal," he said. "All of my competitors for this leadership post are fine people."

Not everyone agrees with Ken Blackwell. According to CBS News:

Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer, who has reportedly been mulling a run for the RNC chair, released a statement supporting candidates for the chairmanship who have taken a "firm position" on Saltsman's decision to distribute the "racially-insulting song":

"As the GOP Chairman in one of our nation's most ethnically and culturally diverse states, I am especially disappointed by the inappropriate words and actions we've seen over the past few days," he said. "I am proud of those party leaders who have stood up in firm opposition to this type of behavior."

"Actions such as the distribution of this CD, regardless of intent, only serves to promote divisiveness and distracts us from our common goal of building our party," added Greer.

Here is the song in question (via YouTube):

Let us know what you think.

With the holidays upon us, News & Views is turning off the lights. We'll be back on Monday, December 29th. Our newsletter will return on Monday, January 5.

You can continue listening to News & Notes each weekday at its regularly scheduled time. Beginning Thursday, December 25th and continuing through Friday, January 2nd, we'll be airing broadcasts compiled of our best and most popular interviews and reports.

We'll be back with new shows on Monday, January 5.

All the best of the holiday season to you and yours!

Republican Anh "Joseph" Cao waves as he holds his daughter Betsy Cao, 4, with his wife Kate Hieu Hoang, right, at his victory party after defeating Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., for the 4th Congressional District in New Orleans.

Alex Brandon, AP Photo

The first Vietnamese-American elected to Congress -- Republican Anh "Joseph" Cao -- wants to be the first Vietnamese-American to join the Congressional Black Caucus.

Cao defeated Democrat William Jefferson earlier this month. Though Cao represents a largely black district, the CBC has reportedly never admitted a non-black member.

You tell us: Should the CBC let Cao join? Take a listen to what our bloggers said on today's roundtable.

Related: Rep. Cao's Interest In CBC Could Spark Clash

As the transmission of television signals over the air moves to a digital format, those foil-wrapped TV antennas will be useless and many Americans will be caught off guard.

More from the Times:

According to surveys conducted by the Consumers Union, a consumer advocacy group that also publishes Consumer Reports magazine, while 90 percent of the nation is aware of the transition, 25 percent mistakenly believe that one must subscribe to cable or satellite after February, and 41 percent think that every TV in a house must have a new converter box, even those that are already connected to cable or satellite.

To help reduce the expense of acquiring the converter boxes, which cost about $50 for basic models, consumers can get two government rebate vouchers worth $40 a box.

About 40 million coupons have been requested, but to date 16 million have been redeemed, compared with an estimated 35 million televisions that will lose a signal. Adding to the problem: people who obtained coupons early this year, but never redeemed them, have discovered that they expire after 90 days. They are not allowed to reapply for vouchers (though they could use someone else's coupon).

...With time running short, the government is now urging Americans to request a coupon by the end of the year, assuming that it will take about six weeks to receive the coupon, buy a box and reconfigure the antenna to find the digital signals.

To apply for a converter box voucher, click here or call 888-388-2009. And you can sign up a relative or friend, too -- might make for a nice (free!) holiday gift.

Then presidential candidate Barack Obama shakes hands with Pastor Rick Warren during the Saddleback Forum in Lake Forrest, Calif.

Alex Brandon, AP Photo

It's what some see as the first major rift between President-elect Obama and his progressive supporters: his choice of evangelical pastor Rick Warren to deliver the inauguration invocation.

Warren supported a California initiative aimed at banning gay marriage and says he disapproves of homosexuality.

For his part, Obama said of his controversial decision: "That dialogue, I think, is part of what my campaign's been all about: That we're not going to agree on every single issue. But what we have to do is to be able to create an atmosphere when we -- where we can disagree without being disagreeable and then focus on those things that we hold in common as Americans."

Below is a sampling of what some of our regular bloggers' roundtable guests think. (Click the links to read the full posts.)

Corey Richardson of Vexed In The City in a post titled, "Gay People, Please Calm Down":

Rick Warren isn't your enemy because Rick Warren can't do anything to you or for you. He's just another guy who has an opinion that you don't share. Get over it, move on.

Your real enemies are the people who you don't know. Your real enemies are the ones who silently went into the voting booth and voted YES on Prop 8, then returned to work, had a cup of coffee with you and asked you if the jeans they were wearing made their butt look big. Your real enemy isn't the person who would speak his mind against you, your real enemy is the person who would conspire their thoughts to harm you and say nothing of it.

... So instead of throwing your well manicured and gay hands in the air in protest, be cool. You know who Rick Warren is and what he's about and there's nothing you can do to change him or that fact.

And for those who want to get mad at Barack Obama for asking him to deliver the invocation, I got some bad news for you too. A lot of people voted for Obama and a lot of the folks who voted for him aren't down with gay marriage either. That's why Prop 8 passed. It's called democracy. The people vote and sometimes they make choices you don't like (see President George W. Bush 2000/2004). That's what being a minority is about sometimes, not getting your way ... Black folks know the deal, we dealt with that slavery sh*t for a minute.

Jill Tubman of Jack & Jill Politics:

Boo ... hiss ... claws scratching at the air -- this was a major misstep IMHO. I salute the instinct to unify the nation symbolically. But this guy is on the wrong side of some basic human rights issues. ... [The Reverend Dr. Joseph E. Lowery] is the man who should be giving the invocation, not Warren. It is his courage, values and example that should precede Obama's swearing in, not Warren's. He's most recently known for bravely castigating Bush's policies at Coretta Scott King's funeral two years ago in front of 4 U.S. presidents, including Bush himself. Here's a quote: "We know now there were no weapons of mass destruction over there. But Coretta knew and we know that there are weapons of misdirection right down here. Millions without health insurance. Poverty abounds. For war billions more but no more for the poor!"

Jasmyne Cannick in a post directed at "white gays."

The man isn't even in office yet and you are all up in arms over the inaugural invitation of evangelical pastor Rick Warren by President-elect Barack Obama just because Warren opposes gay marriage.

Look -- America already knows that you are unhappy with the outcome of Prop. 8, but ... you have no one to blame for that but yourself.

Instead of denouncing Obama's choice to invite Warren, you should be hailing it, as it shows a continued effort on Obama's behalf to reach across the aisle in an effort to bring everyone to the table. You know, that thing that you haven't quite learned how to do yet.

If no one ever told you -- the world doesn't revolve around gay marriage. If it did, let's face it, Obama wouldn't be the President-elect, now would he?

And Pam Spaulding of Pam's House Blend:

How's the whole fundie outreach thing going, Team Obama? Look at who's giving you praise for giving Rick Warren the mic at the inaugural -- Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, the man who paid former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke $82,500 for his mailing list. Are you scratching from the fleas yet?

What do you think? Share your thoughts below.

As a promotion for the cross-dresser's new show, RuPaul's Drag Race, the card depicts the fabulous host as both Barack and Michelle Obama.

www.RuPaulsDragRace.com

So, in your opinion, does RuPaul look better as the President-elect or the future First Lady?

This new composite image reveals Cleopatra to be a mixed-race Queen.

Image Foundry Studios Ltd.

Move over Liz Taylor -- the real Cleopatra just showed up. Researchers have unveiled a new composite image which they say more accurately portrays the ancient seductress. Renowned for her legendary ability to beguile men like Julius Caesar and Roman General Mark Antony, she probably didn't attain her reputation by being entirely unattractive.

The computer-enhanced image takes into account her geography, family history, and various items bearing her likeness. Daily Mail has more:

Pieced together from images on ancient artifacts, including a ring dating from Cleopatra's reign 2,000 years ago, it is the culmination of more than a year of painstaking research.

The result is a beautiful young woman of mixed ethnicity - very different to the porcelain-skinned Westernised version portrayed by Elizabeth Taylor in the 1961 movie Cleopatra.

Dr Ashton, of Cambridge University, said the images, to be broadcast as part of a Five documentary on Cleopatra, reflect the monarch's Greek heritage as well as her Egyptian upbringing.

"She probably wasn't just completely European. You've got to remember that her family had actually lived in Egypt for 300 years by the time she came to power."

So, if Hollywood were to remake Cleopatra with this mixed-race image in mind, who would you like to see play the title role?

Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., D-Ill., pauses during last Wednesday's news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Pablo Martinez Monsivais, AP Photo

On today's show, Democratic strategist and News & Notes regular contributor Donna Brazile said Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s claim that he is not an informant in a federal investigation of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich
"didn't meet the smell test."

Farai Chideya: ... What's the status in your mind of Congressman Jackson's ability to frame the debate around his role, or lack thereof in this?

Donna Brazile: You know, when you start issuing press releases every other day, things become a little bit murky. After his first press conference, I called him to say I thought he did a great job in laying out the facts, and essentially acknowledging that he was "Candidate 5."

Now with this new revelation that he may or may not have served as a government informant, and then another press release indicating that he did nothing wrong -- all he was doing as a public servant was informing federal officials something that was going on -- that didn't meet the smell test.

I have to tell you, I too, am one of those Americans that's waiting for Mr. Fitzgerald to lay out all of the information to give us a complete account on what happened and to see the evidence. Right now, it's a lot of innuendo, a lot of hearsay, a lot of talk. But this seems to be a web that is going to ensnare a lot more than the governor, and it worries me deeply.

Listen to the entire segment here.

CNN quotes Jackson spokesman Kenneth Edmonds on the matter: "As a responsible citizen and elected official, Congressman Jackson has in the past provided information to federal authorities regarding his personal knowledge of perceived corruption and governmental misconduct. ... This was completely unrelated to the current investigation regarding the U.S. Senate appointment. And it is absolutely inaccurate to describe the congressman as an informant."

Do you agree with Brazile's assessment?

Sean John suggests this look for the President-elect.

Women's Wear Daily

After suggesting inauguration dress ideas for Michelle Obama, top fashion designers now have President-elect Barack Obama in their sights.

The fashion magazine Women's Wear Daily is back with a photo gallery of suggested looks for a range of inaugural events ... with the man of the house in mind.

Take a look, pick your favorite(s), and fill us in below.

Flashback: Fashion Desginers Try To Size Up Michelle Obama

Rabid inflation causes prices to skyrocket.

Richard Byrom

While here in the U.S., we are battling what economists call "deflation," or the devaluation of the dollar, our friends in Zimbabwe have a different problem. For a number of reasons, their monetary system has undergone massive inflation over the past couple years -- to a disastrously high degree.

The picture above was taken at Country Club bar in Zimbabwe on November 24th, 2007. At that time, a single beer would put you back Z$1 million. According to the photographer, Richard Byrom, the bar patron had been to the bank and was supplied with their remaining $500 bills. In case your math is rusty, that comes out to 250,000 notes for one cold, frosty ale.

We still think paying $8 for a Budweiser is highway robbery, but it's nothing compared to this.