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Attorney General-designate Eric Holder says "waterboarding is torture." He spoke about it at his confirmation hearing Thursday. The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to hear from other witnesses Friday.

Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee will question Attorney General nominee Eric Holder at his confirmation hearing Thursday. Holder has strong support in the Senate, but some Republicans on the panel say they will ask him about aspects of his private legal practice and some of his decisions while serving as deputy and acting attorney general under President Clinton.

The Senate is set to vote Thursday on whether to release the second half of the $700 billion financial rescue package. While most Democrats are on board to approve the funds, many Republicans say the bill lacks transparency and accountability. President-elect Barack Obama's economic team went to Capitol Hill Wednesday to try to win them over.

President-elect Barack Obama's choice for secretary of Housing and Urban Development got a friendly welcome at his Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday. Shaun Donovan said his top priority at HUD will be to address the foreclosure crisis, which he said has led to some 2 million families losing their homes last year.

Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Tuesday for her confirmation hearing. The New York senator, and former first lady, got a generally warm reception from her colleagues. Some were a bit cooler, though, about foreign donations to her famous husband's foundation.

Sen. Hillary Clinton is scheduled to testify Tuesday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which will decide whether to recommend to the full Senate that she be the next secretary of state. Clinton is expected to face tough questions from the committee's right flank, but not any major hurdles to confirmation.

President Bush, at the request of President-elect Barack Obama, has petitioned Congress to release the remaining $350 billion intended to help the nation deal with its financial crisis. The idea is to make the money available to the new administration shortly after Obama takes office next Tuesday.

The nation's unemployment rate shot up to 7.2 percent last month. It's the highest level in nearly 16 years. Governments and businesses cut more than half a million jobs in December. For all of 2008, the economy lost 2.6 million jobs.

U.S. officials tell NPR about what they say is a "significant" victory in the war against al-Qaida in Pakistan. A CIA strike on New Year's Day is said to have killed the terrorist organization's chief of operations in Pakistan, along with his top lieutenant. If the U.S. intelligence is true, this is an important development.

Citigroup has reached a deal with top Democrats in the Senate on legislation to prevent home foreclosures. The lawmakers want to empower bankruptcy judges to force lenders to lower homeowners' payments.