Los Angeles Times

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President-elect Barack Obama formally announced today that he will nominate Sen. Hillary Clinton for the position of Secretary of State.  From the Times’ story:

Obama also announced his intention to keep current Defense Secretary Robert Gates in his post, likely for at least a year in the new administration. The president-elect also said he would nominate Susan Rice as ambassador to the United Nations, retired Marine Gen. James Jones as his national security adviser, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano as homeland security director and Eric Holder as attorney general.

As Obama’s Cabinet takes shape, share your thoughts on his picks for key roles in his new administration.

Photo: Obama, Clinton and retired Marine General James L. Jones look on during today’s Chicago press conference.  Annie Ryan/Pool via Bloomberg News.

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Gunmen apparently targeting Americans and Britons carried out a series of coordinated attacks in Mumbai late Wednesday and early Thursday that left at least 78 people dead and more than 200 injured.

Witnesses interviewed by Indian and global television networks told of attackers sweeping through two luxury hotels, the Taj Mahal Palace (above) and the Oberoi Hilton, and separating American and British tourists from other guests for use as hostages.

Share your thoughts, experiences, and eyewitness accounts here.

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A federal judge has ordered the release of five terror suspects currently being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.  (A sixth suspect will remain in custody.)

From the Associated Press story:

In the first case of its kind, U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon said the government’s evidence linking the five Algerians to al-Qaida was not credible as it came from a single, unidentified source. Therefore, he said the five could not be held indefinitely as enemy combatants, and should be released immediately.

Share your thoughts on this decision and its implications for other Guantanamo detainees.

Photo:  Randall Mikkelsen/AFP/Getty Images

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Proposition 8, the initiative approved by California voters earlier this month to ban same-sex marriage, now heads to court.

The Times’ Maura Dolan reports today:

Meeting in closed session, the state high court asked litigants on both sides for more written arguments and scheduled a hearing for next March. The court also signaled its intention to decide the fate of existing same-sex marriages, asking litigants to argue that question.

Do you think the court acted rightly in agreeing to hear further arguments about Prop 8?  Or is this issue one that should ultimately be left up to California voters?  How do you think it will all be resolved?

Weigh in here.

Photos: Left, a supporter of gay marriage demonstrates during a rally November 15, 2008 in San Francisco. Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images. Right, a Yes on Prop 8 supporter demonstrates at a rally November 15, 2008 in downtown L.A.  Credit: Barbara Davidson/Los Angeles Times

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The Montecito wildfire, which began Thursday night, has destroyed more than 100 homes and burned 2,500+ acres in Santa Barbara County.  Share your thoughts here.

Photo: Reed Saxon/AP

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A U.S. Supreme Court ruling will allow the Navy to use high-powered sonar off the SoCal coast, despite protests from environmentalists who say the sonar harms whales and other marine mammals.

The Times’ David Savage reports:

Chief Justice John G. Roberts said the Navy needs to train its crews to detect enemy submarines, and it cannot be forced to turn off its sonar when whales are spotted nearby. "The public interest in conducting training exercises with active sonar under realistic conditions plainly outweighs" the concerns voiced by environmentalists, he said for a 5-4 majority.

Do you agree with the Supreme Court ruling?  Do the Navy’s needs trump the potential effects on marine life?  Weigh in here.

Photo: Dennis Fujimoto/AP

Comments Blog –

Our recent post, "Barack Obama’s swearing-in ceremony: How to get inauguration tickets," ostensibly about travel to Washington, has elicited an outpouring of reactions to the election.

For example, Melanie Hubbard commented:

"The first greatest days of my life was when my children were born. The second greatest day of my life was when Obama, was selected to be our president. I to am a product of a biracial relationship. I thank my generation of peers, to make such a wise, and intelligant [sic] decision to choose Obama as president elect. Because of my generations positive decision the world will forever be grateful."

For more on the Jan. 20 inauguration, see our post: "Obama inauguration ticket info plus travel tips and links," where we encourage you to share your comments and feedback on the election, and your experiences trying to source the tickets.

– Andrew D. Nystrom, senior producer, Los Angeles Times Travel

Photo credit: Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times

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Weigh in on the Proposition 8 debate, and the lawsuits filed to challenge it, here.  Do you think California voters made the right decision?  How will it affect you, your family and friends, and others throughout the state?

*Earlier today, readers commented on this issue on a message board.  The board is now closed but we encourage you to read the comments left there and continue the discussion here on Comments Blog. 

Photo: Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times

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Times art critic Christopher Knight is taking the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to task for its new exhibition — a collection of Vanity Fair magazine photographs, including the much-talked-about photo, above, featuring Keira Knightley and Scarlett Johansson. Says Knight: " ‘Vanity Fair Portraits’ is a vanity exhibition, plain and simple. And that’s precisely what our historic moment needs least right now, especially from a major civic art museum."

Reaction to Knight’s article so far has ranged from this:

Ugh. No wonder the East Coast looks down on us. — Frank F

and this … :

I absolutely agree. LACMA seems to always be struggling to be taken seriously and this exhibit really sets the museum back. I have never been a fan of these types of portraits. I look at the image and imagine if it would be considered anything at all if it didn’t have a celebrity in it. Same image but just an ordinary person. Almost always it doesn’t stand up. — daphne V

… to this:

Um, get over yourself. If you don’t like it, don’t go. And oh, btw, who are you Christopher Knight? Little jealous, maybe? — Bob

Read the rest of Knight’s take here and take a spin through a photo gallery of some of the images on display. And then tell us: Does this exhibition qualify as art?

Photo: Annie Leibovitz / Contact Press Images

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Today the Los Angeles Times reported:

McCain, Palin demand L.A. Times release Obama video:
The GOP running mates assail the newspaper, which says it will keep its promise of confidentiality to the source who provided the tape of Obama

Share your thoughts here.

Photo: Laurent Gillieron / Associated Press