National: TERROR-TIMES -- WASHINGTON -- U.S intelligence agencies had enough 'bits and pieces' of information to thwart the attempted Christmas Day airplane bombing, a senior administration official says, but they failed to properly analyze and share it. 1,270 words, by Josh Meyer, Peter Nicholas and Alana Semuels (Times). With TERROR-POST. IMMIG -- WASHINGTON -- With the health care battle still unfinished, the Obama administration has been laying plans to take up an issue that could prove even more divisive -- a major overhaul of the nation's immigration system. 1,070 words, by Peter Nicholas and Tom Hamburger (Times). HOLLYWOOD-POLITICS -- SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn't the only Hollywood celebrity shaping legislation in the state Capitol this past year. Jennifer Aniston, Paul Rodriguez and Sean Penn were among the A-listers who took on starring roles in crafting or promoting new laws. 835 words, by Patrick McGreevy (Times). AIG -- WASHINGTON -- Thousands of e-mails obtained by The Washington Post from inside insurance giant American International Group , as well as supporting interviews, reveal a company wracked by more division, doubt and turmoil than anyone on the outside realized during those tense months in 2007, a full year before the federal government undertook one of the largest corporate bailouts in U.S. history to prevent AIG's collapse. 2,750 words, by Brady Dennis (Post). IRAN-POLICY -- WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration is readying sanctions against discrete elements of the Iranian government, including those involved in the deadly crackdown on Iranian protesters, marking a shift to a more aggressive U.S. posture toward the Islamic Republic, U.S. officials said. 1,300 words, by Glenn Kessler (Post). International: GITMO-YEMEN -- SANA 'A, Yemen -- Former detainees of the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have led and fueled the growing assertiveness of the Qaida branch that claimed responsibility for the attempted Christmas Day bombing of a U.S. airliner, potentially complicating the Obama administration's efforts to shut down the facility. 1,055 words, by Sudarsan Raghavan (Post). With GITMO-YEMEN-TIMES. TERROR-EUROPE -- NEW YORK -- British investigators are hunting for signs that an accused Nigerian plane-bomber could have had contact with London's extremist underworld before the failed attack over Detroit on Christmas Day, counter-terror officials say. 700 words, by Sebastian Rotella (Times). MEXICO-SOCIETY -- SAN PEDRO GARZA GARCIA, Mexico -- The bloody drug clashes that permeate Mexican society take a heavy toll on all aspects of society. 1,470 words, by Tracy Wilkinson and Ken Ellingwood (Times). With MEXICO-SOCIETY-ARCHBISHOP. Financial: FOX-TIMEWARNER -- HOLLYWOOD -- Don't panic if you're watching Fox's New Year's Eve special and the screen goes black moments before host Carmen Electra finishes screaming 'Happy New Year.' There's nothing wrong with your TV. You're just caught in a brawl between two media giants. 1,095 words, by Joe Flint (Times). ESPN -- HOLLYWOOD -- Thanks to a couple of really big games from ageless quarterback Brett Favre, Walt Disney Co.'s sports cable channel ESPN had its best season ever carrying the National Football League's 'Monday Night Football' franchise. 430 words, by Joe Flint (Times). Commentaries and news features are listed on the NEWSFEATURES-LAT-WP budget that moves daily at noon EST. 