Newly elected president Barack Obama faces extraordinary challenges. And how America handles two wars and a global economy in turmoil could depend on the team he assembles.

 

"If Emanuel doesn't accept, it makes Obama look like a chump."

— Politico.com's David Mark, on President-elect Barack Obama asking Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., to be his chief of staff

Georgia is still red for a fourth consecutive presidential election, but in the Senate race, things aren't clear two days after Election Day. Votes are still being counted, and there may well be a runoff election called for Dec. 2 between Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss and Democratic challenger Jim Martin. Georgia Public Broadcasting News Director Susanna Capelouto explains the status of the race, while Paul Gronke, director of the Early Voting Information Center at Reed College, scores Tuesday's voting process.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair's reputation suffered greatly from his cooperation with U.S. foreign policy during the terrifically unpopular war in Iraq. Prime Minister Gordon Brown's first act in office was to make a statement distancing himself from the policies of President George W. Bush. Now, as Senator Barack Obama ascends to the presidency, the UK has made a quick turn to align itself with America once more.

Investigators in Mexico have begun examining the black box flight recorder from a plane that crashed in Mexico City on Tuesday, killing at least 14, including Mexican interior minister, Juan Camilo Mouriño. As President Felipe Calderón's "strongman," he had been leading a government campaign against Mexico's powerful and violent drug gangs. The government says investigators had not found any signs of foul play so far.

When President-elect Barack Obama takes office in January, he'll take over a transformed executive branch with expanded power — more power than most presidents have had. New York Times magazine contributor Jonathan Mahler talks about what he sees as an imbalance of power between Washington's legislative and executive branches in his upcoming article about presidential power, called "After the Imperial Presidency."

Across the country this week Democrats are on a political high. Senators and members of Congress alike benefited at the polls from of the poor approval ratings of their Republican counterparts. But even today not every race is decided. Todd Zwillich from Capitol News Connection joins The Takeaway from Capitol Hill.

Barack Obama's election to the top office in the United States was accomplished in part by his recruitment of thousands of new black voters. But though the president-elect is one of the more liberal members of the Senate, his constituency has a conservative streak. Nowhere is that clearer than in California, where the passage of Proposition 8 — an amendment to the state constitution that will ban gay marriage — can partially be attributed to conservative leanings among many black voters. So what does that say about the soon-to-be president's mandate? The Takeaway talks to Joe Hicks, a commentator for Pajamas TV and a talk show host with KFI.

Economist and op-ed columnist Jared Bernstein talks with The Takeaway about the Obama administration's challenge in pulling America out of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

The 2008 campaign season has come to an end and one thing that means is lots and lots of out-of-work politicos scrambling to find new gigs. Some of the winners will be headed to Washington, but for many, it's time to dive back into what's become an extremely competitive job market.
UPDATE: Marci Alboher wrote up a post on her blog, listing some points she didn't get to on air: http://shiftingcareers.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/06/politicos-scramble-for-new-jobs-like-so-many-other-americans/

President-elect Barack Obama will have a host of important decisions before him in the coming weeks. Among them - what sort of dog should he and his family choose as the new First Pet?

 

"Overwhelmingly, most feel that the new president-elect and his family should adopt a pound mutt." — Meg Frost, author of the blog Cute Overload. She's been polling her readers on the question of what dog best represents America.

President Bush's approval rating has dipped below 30 percent and the Republicans got pummeled during this election cycle. It's clear that enthusiasm in the GOP base has eroded. To help get the elephant back on its feet, The Takeaway turns to advertising guru Jeff Goodby. He's the advertising mastermind behind the popular (and long-running) 'Got milk?' campaign.

There's economic news on both sides of the Atlantic this morning. In the United States, weekly jobless claims in the United States dipped to 481,000 and long-term claims jump to highest level in 25 years. Meanwhile, the British central bank — the Bank of England — has cut its main interest rate by one and a half percent, the bank's biggest cut since 1981, aiming to thwart a national recession.