The comparisons are eerily similar.

Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, the Republican lawmaker convicted on felony corruption charges in October, was defeated in his bid for re-election by Democrat Mark Begich, according to a release from Begich's campaign and unofficial results from state officials.

Vice President Dick Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales have been indicted on separate charges related to alleged prisoner abuse in federal detention centers, Willacy County, Texas, District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra told CNN Tuesday.

More than a week after voters in California, Arizona and Florida passed ballot initiatives outlawing same-sex marriage, thousands of people across the country protested the bans in simultaneous rallies Saturday. In California, Proposition 8 overturned a May ruling by the California Supreme Court that struck down a 2000 ban on same-sex unions. It passed 52.5 percent to 47.5 percent. CNN's D.L. Hughley spoke to sex columnist Dan Savage about the ongoing battle to legalize same-sex marriage in California. Savage is the author of the popular syndicated sex advice column "Savage Love."

Lawmakers challenged Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson on his handling of the $700 billion bank bailout program and stressed the importance of doing more to help homeowners.

Former President Bill Clinton's international business dealings, global foundation and penchant for going off script could present a significant obstacle to Hillary Clinton becoming secretary of state, observers say.

Officials in Alaska, one of three states yet to certify winners in the November 4 U.S. Senate races, say they hope to have nearly all ballots counted on Tuesday.

Ford Motor Company chief executive Alan Mulally defended his company Tuesday against charges that Ford caused its own problems and said bailing out Detroit was essential to the U.S. economic recovery.

Missouri has gone for McCain, ending the state's 50-year string of support for the winning presidential candidate. Sen. John McCain's unofficial margin over President-elect Barack Obama: 3,632 votes.

With a change in administrations, many political appointees at government agencies will take career jobs, becoming part of the permanent civil service. It's a phenomenon known as "burrowing."

On Thursday, Democrats in the House will vote on whom they want to lead the Energy and Commerce Committee. The face-off is a battle between two legislative titans in Congress: current Chairman John Dingell, from Michigan, and California Rep. Henry Waxman.

Embattled Sen. Ted Stevens concedes after coming up short in a tight race for re-election to Alaska's Senate seat. How are Alaskans greeting the news that Stevens is out after 40 years in office?

Senators on the Judiciary Committee had mostly favorable reactions to news that Eric Holder is likely to be President-elect Obama's choice for attorney general. But some potential stumbling blocks remain.

Pending appointments to President-elect Obama's cabinet have been widely reported and discussed after leaks to the media. What's going on here?

It's been only two weeks and a day since the election, and Democrats are already debating how fast President-elect Barack Obama should go in bringing change to Washington.

If confirmed, the former Senate majority leader would fill what may be one of the most important Cabinet posts, given the emphasis the Obama campaign put on the need for affordable health care during the election.

President-elect Barack Obama has chosen Tom Daschle for Secretary of Department of Health and Human Services. Senior Washington Editor Ron Elving discusses what this says about Obama's policy plans.

President-elect Barack Obama is expected to nominate Eric Holder as attorney general. Holder, who served as deputy attorney general during the Clinton Administration, would be the first African American to hold the top position at the Justice Department. A close family friend of Holder shares her thoughts on the Washington lawyer.

The talk of Washington is that Sen. Hillary Clinton is on President-elect Barack Obama's short list for secretary of state. The XX Factor bloggers discuss past female secretaries of state and how well Clinton would do in the role.

President-elect Barack Obama wants to bring change by recruiting people from across the aisle for his cabinet. Some are comparing this plan to Abraham Lincoln's so-called "Team of Rivals." Civil War historian Matthew Pinsker says Lincoln's idea didn't work out so well.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is hosting an international climate change summit in Beverly Hills this week. He's partnered with governors from across the country to discuss how cutting emissions can help the economy. We also talk to Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who recently vetoed the expansion of coal plants in her state.

Bill Ayers gained a lot of attention in the last days of the recent presidential campaign, when he became the focus of attacks against then-Senator Barack Obama. Ayers, a former member of the radical antiwar group the Weather Underground, talks about the extent of his association with the President-elect and why he remained silent during the campaign.

President-elect Barack Obama will likely have to give up his well-worn BlackBerry and e-mail account when he takes office in January. For years, Obama has lived with his BlackBerry on his hip, but the Presidential Records Act would make all of his correspondence available for public review.