美国有线电视 CNN 2008-12-19（在线收听）

Hello, I'm Naamua Delaney at the CNN Center in Atlanta. And here's a look at what's happening NOW IN THE NEWS.

"I'm just worried for him, en， you know, for the family. We've got, he's got, I've got a brother that's in college, and you know he is going to IU. So you know, they're trying to take care of that. It's just,it's scary. "

Starting tomorrow, production at all thirty Chrysler factories will cease entirely for at least a month. Ford will add a week to its normal two-week seasonal shutdown at a number of its plants. And General Motors is cutting cost by halting construction of a new plant.

President-elect Obama continues to put his cabinet together. He nominated Mary Schapiro, an experienced regulator to head the Securities and Exchange Commission. CNN has also confirmed that Democratic representative Hilda Solis will be nominated as Labor Secretary.

Meanwhile, some liberals and gay rights activists are criticizing Obama for choosing an evangelical pastor to lead press at his inauguration. Pastor Rick Warran strongly opposes abortion and same-sex marriage. An Obama spokeswoman says the Warran pick doesn't necessarily mean he agrees with all the pastor's views.

Now facing a stand-in at Iraqi prisons, the journalist who hurled the shoes at President Bush is asking the Iraqi government for leniency. According to a government spokesperson, Muntader al-Zaidi characterized his actions as ugly in a handwritten a letter to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Some Iraqis have rallied in support of Al-Zaidi with widespread protests against his detention. In Arab culture, throwing your shoes at someone is a sign of contempt.

Credit card users could be in for some good news. The Federal Reserve is expected to vote on new rules for credit card providers today. It's thought the measures could include a clampdown on so-called rate-jacking, where interest rates skyrocket. A similar bill was passed by the House in September but stalled in the Senate.

The tough economy is causing some to send fewer presents this year. The Washington Post reports the postal service expected to deliver a billion fewer pieces of holiday mail this year. And FedEx says as best as they can tell, Christmas has more or less been cancelled.

That's so sad. And those are the headlines at this hour. Do stay with CNN for more on these stories and the other news of the day.