The preliminary results of Sunday's general elections in Iraq show a very tight race between current Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and the secular coalition led by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi.

The post-electoral confusion deepened with both sides throwing charges of fraud.

• CONGRESS: College students may find student loan programs in the federal health care bill's package. Meanwhile, Virginia became the first state to pass an anti-mandate bill on health care. Takeaway Washington correspondent, Todd Zwillich, updates us on the health care debate on Capitol Hill. 
• SPORTS: Takeaway Sports contributor Ibrahim-Abdul Matin discusses Marion Jones' return to sports after signing with the WNBA.

GOOD WEEK/ BAD WEEK: We team up with The Week Magazine to take a look at who has had a good week and who hasn't. This week has been great for Oregonian drivers and lousy for lox.

Although the campaign for health care reform may be in its final stretch, even reform supporters are having to plan very carefully for how we would pay for the changes, should they happen. 

Anti-government protestors are gathering in the Thailand's provinces and making their way to Bangkok on Sunday. The "Red Shirts," as they are called, support Thailand's exiled former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a military coup in 2006.

Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass, the actor-director team behind the hugely successful "Bourne Identity" franchise release "Green Zone" today, inspired by an account of life in Baghdad's Green Zone.

All this week on The Takeaway, we've been asking listeners to weigh in on what Haiti needs from the international community in order to move on from the devastating earthquake that struck two months ago. A few listeners homed in on one particular issue: jobs.

Among the projects picked for federal stimulus spending, Florida's Orlando-Tampa high-speed rail route was a curious place to put $1.25 billion.  After all, it's Florida, and the 90-mile route runs through counties President Obama fought over tight margins of victory and defeat.  So are the voters of Polk County, smack in between Orlando and Tampa, swayed by a stop on the federally-funded transit future?  Takeaway transportation reporter Collin Campbell went to find out.

Food? Shelter? Jobs? It's been two months since the devastating earthquake in Haiti and we've been asking listeners what the country needs now as it works to recover.  We hear what you have to say.

On Thursday, House lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to continue an investigation into the activities of Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY) who resigned on Monday amid allegations of sexual misconduct. However, now that Massa has resigned, it is unclear whether the body responsible for the investigation, the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, must actually honor the House request to keep the investigation open. 

This Saturday night, boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao will defend his WBO Welterweight title in Texas. And his chances are pretty good. Meanwhile, back in his home country, the Philippines, he's chasing long shot chance to win another fight. He's running for political office. 

Even though his book, “The Genius In All of Us”, has the word "genius" in the title, author David Shenk doesn’t think it's a particularly useful term.

Thousands of rescue and cleanup workers who sued New York City over damaging health effects of working at the World Trade Center following 9/11 have reached a settlement with the city.