Life happens and sometimes you just have to do a Wednesday news roundup on Thursday.

1. Corrupt Republican Sen. Ted Stevens R-Alaska concedes his US Senate seat to challenger Democrat Mayor Mark Begich. Democrats are within striking distance of 60 seat supermajority in the US Senate if they win the recount in Minnosota and run-off in Georgia.

Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens conceded defeat Wednesday in a re-election bid shadowed by his federal felony conviction, a bitter end to a four-decade career in which he held a commanding place in state politics and on some of the most influential congressional committees in Washington. In an eight-sentence statement, the longest serving Republican in Senate history said not enough ballots remain uncounted for him to catch Democrat Mark Begich, who holds a 3,724-vote lead out of about 315,000 ballots cast.

2. It’s not yet “official” but the AP reports that McCain wins Missouri in close race against Obama.

Republican John McCain has defeated President-elect Barack Obama in Missouri — the last state to be decided in the 2008 presidential election. McCain’s narrow victory over Obama breaks a bellwether streak in which Missourians had picked the winning presidential candidate in every election since 1956. With all jurisdictions reporting complete but unofficial results, McCain led Obama by 3,632 votes Wednesday out of more than 2.9 million cast — a margin of 0.12 percentage points. [emphasis added]

3. Also “unofficial” — Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano will be tapped as Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security.

Napolitano is a border governor who will now be responsible for immigration policy and border security, which are part of Homeland Security’s myriad functions.

4. California’s Prop. 8 ban on gay marriage goes back to the California Supreme Court to review legal challenges contesting the proposition. Hearings might be set as early as March 2009. Prior to a ruling, gay weddings will not be allowed. According to the LA Times:

The California Supreme Court voted 6 to 1 on Wednesday to review legal challenges to Proposition 8, the voter initiative that restored a ban on same-sex marriage, but refused to permit gay weddings to resume pending a final decision. The court may hold a hearing on the lawsuits as early as March, a timetable that scholars said was swift considering the complexity and importance of the legal issues. The court’s action, taken during a closed conference, suggested that the court wants to resolve all of the legal issues surrounding Proposition 8, including the fate of existing gay marriages, in a single ruling. It also indicated that at least one of the court’s seven members, Justice Carlos R. Moreno, may be leaning in favor of overturning the measure. Moreno, who joined the state high court’s 4-3 ruling in May to strike down a state ban on same-sex marriage, was the only justice to support granting a stay of the proposition.

5. Bailout prospects for Big Three automakers dim.

Failure to craft a deal carries the risk that one or more of the U.S. automakers — General Motors Corp, Ford Motor Co or Chrysler LLC — could be forced into bankruptcy. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said in remarks on the Senate floor that the compromise “is the only proposal being considered” that has any chance of becoming law now. The approach, spearheaded by Republicans Christopher Bond of Missouri and George Voinovich of Ohio, would amend a plan that extended $25 billion approved in September for helping Detroit retool factories and make more fuel-efficient cars. A number of strings attached to the retooling money would have to be cut or reworked to make it available immediately for operational and other pressing needs. “We’ve made great progress. We’re down to wording challenges,” Bond said in remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday night. [emphasis added]

This is an opportunity for Democrats (and Republicans) to force the U.S. auto industry to make greener cars. I say go green or go bankrupt, Big Three, it’s your choice.