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President Obama's pick for Treasury secretary, Timothy Geithner, began his confirmation hearing with an apology Wednesday. He told members of the Senate Finance Committee the tax questions that delayed his confirmation were the result of his own careless mistakes. But he added the mistakes were unintentional. The panel is expected to vote Thursday on his nomination.

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.

Retired Gen. Eric Shinseki, President-elect Barack Obama's pick to head the Department of Veteran Affairs, has promised to modernize the agency. Shinseki appeared Wednesday before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee at his confirmation hearing.

A massive fire in the Angeles National Forest nearly doubled in size overnight, threatening 12,000 homes in the Los Angeles area. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has issued emergency declarations for four counties.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who is on a short swing through the Middle East, was in Iraq on Tuesday. On his agenda: a visit to a command post in southern Iraq where U.S. troops serve in an advisory capacity; a meeting with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and a visit to Kurdistan.

President Obama said Tuesday success in Afghanistan "was inextricably linked" to Pakistan. Adil Najam, professor of international relations at Boston University and the founding editor of the blog Pakistaniat: All Things Pakistan, says events in Afghanistan have an almost-immediate impact in neighboring Pakistan.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder called the recent beating death of a Chicago teen a "wake-up call" that would lead to action. Holder and Education Secretary Arne Duncan held a news conference with Chicago Mayor Richard Daley. The two Cabinet officials were sent by the White House to Chicago after the killing.

Automaker Toyota says it's recalling about 437,000 Priuses and other hybrid vehicles worldwide to fix brake problems. Toyota has now recalled more than 8.5 million cars worldwide because of various manufacturing defects.

The Senate is taking up the $700 billion plan to rescue Wall Street. Benton Ives, economics and finance reporter for the Congressional Quarterly, says the legislation is largely the same as the one the House rejected Monday, but with added tax breaks and an increase on the deposit insurance cap.

Families of Uvalde shooting victims plan to keep fighting to advance a bill raising the minimum age to buy assault-style weapons. But in Texas, a committee vote may be as far as gun control can go.