Among the old pals: James Bond, with Daniel Craig assaying the British secret agent again in "Quantum of Solace"; Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, the "Titanic" duo reuniting for "Revolutionary Road"; Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, once the stars of "Babel" and now pairing off in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"; and the king of "Independence Day," Will Smith, who's also carved out a holiday following with such films as "Ali," "The Pursuit of Happyness," "I Am Legend" and -- this year -- "Seven Pounds."

New visitors include the vampires and humans of "Twilight," based on Stephenie Meyer's popular books; "Bolt," an animated tale about a dog who plays a superhero on TV; "The Spirit," a film directed by Frank Miller ("300," "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns"); and the young beggar and game show winner of "Slumdog Millionaire," directed by Danny Boyle ("Millions," "Trainspotting").

By some measures, the season started November 7 with the release of "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa," an animated film that has made more than $118 million in its first 10 days. "Quantum of Solace" reinforced the holiday fever over the weekend, taking in $70.4 million -- the biggest opening of a Bond film ever. iReport.com: Reader says Bond film is "seriously lacking" in some areas

"Slumdog," which opened Friday in limited release and goes wide November 27, may become a sleeper hit. Reviews have been excellent, with the film winning the audience award at the Toronto Film Festival.

The attention has surprised star Dev Patel.

"It's been a roller coaster, to be honest. We've done so much press, so we haven't been able to absorb it all in yet," he told CNN.

Boyle said he was initially skeptical about making the film.

"My agent sent the script and said, 'It's a film about "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" ' and I thought, who would want to make a film about 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire?' " he said.

It wasn't until he was told that the script was by "Full Monty" screenwriter Simon Beaufoy that he decided to take on the project.

"[That's] a fantastic film, and I really thought, 'Well, I better read some of it at least to pay some respect,' and I was just 10-15 pages in, I just knew I was going to make the film," he told CNN.

"Slumdog" concerns a Mumbai urchin, played by Patel, who goes in search of his girlfriend. Knowing she's a dedicated watcher of the Indian version of "Millionaire," he goes on the show and wins -- but authorities believe that he has cheated.

A jackpot of a different sort may await the makers of "Twilight," given that Meyer's books have sold millions of copies and have a fan base as dedicated as Harry Potter's. "Twilight's" story concerns Bella Swan, a new student at a high school in Washington state, who falls in love with the mysterious Edward Cullen -- who turns out to be a vampire. iReport.com: Share your movie reviews and stories from the aisle

"He's a vampire man who is supposed to attract everybody," Kristen Stewart, who plays Bella, told CNN. "[But] he doesn't know why he feels the way he does about her. ... And for her, initially, it is the physiological draw; it is the magnetic pull. But then, she's able to see him in a way that nobody else can."

The vampires in the movie, which was directed by Catherine Hardwicke ("Thirteen"), are different from the bloodsuckers who have populated filmdom since "Nosferatu" in the 1920s, Stewart added. "You get to see how they live. They're not just the villains in the movie. And you see that they're really sorry characters, that it's really, really, impossibly difficult to live like them."

The characters in "Revolutionary Road" may be equally hard to live with, but not because they're vampires. They're upwardly mobile suburbanites in the 1950s who are papering over a crumbling marriage with dreams of better things -- like chucking their lives and starting over again in Paris.

DiCaprio and Winslet have been wanting to work together again for years, both performers have said, but had trouble finding the right project and the right timing. "Revolutionary Road," with a script by Justin Haythe (based on the novel by Richard Yates), is directed by Winslet's Oscar-winning husband, Sam Mendes ("American Beauty"). It was the kind of challenge they were looking for, DiCaprio told The Associated Press.

"We knew if we were going to do a relationship, a love story again, it would have to be dramatically different" from "Titanic," he said. "This very much is about the disintegration of a relationship."

"Revolutionary Road" is thought to have Oscar possibilities. Among its possible competition: "Doubt," starring Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman in the film version of John Patrick Shanley's Pulitzer- and Tony-winning play about a nun, a priest and accusations of sexual abuse; "Frost/Nixon," starring Frank Langella as the 37th president, engaging in interviews with David Frost; "Milk," with Sean Penn as the late gay politician Harvey Milk; and "Benjamin Button," starring Pitt and Blanchett in a story about a man who ages backwards.

But though the holidays are known for Oscar bait, the time period will also be full of crowd-pleasers, including the comedies "Yes Man" with Jim Carrey and "Bedtime Stories" with Adam Sandler; the family films "Bolt" and "Marley & Me"; and a remake of the 1951 classic "The Day the Earth Stood Still," starring Keanu Reeves in the role of Klaatu, which Michael Rennie made famous.

What films will rise above the rest? Only time will tell. But "Slumdog Millionaire's" stars say they may need time to get ready if their film is one of the lucky ones.

The Sirius Star -- a crude "super tanker" flagged in Liberia and owned by the Saudi Arabian-based Saudi Aramco company -- was attacked on Saturday more than 450 nautical miles southeast of Mombasa, Kenya.

The crew of 25, including British, Croatian, Polish, Filippino and Saudi nationals, are reported to be safe

U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet Cmdr. Jane Campbell said the super tanker weighs more than 300,000 metric tons and "is more than three times the size of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier."

Oil industry insiders say a tanker of this size can carry up to 2 million barrels of oil, and the ship's operator, Dubai-based Vela International Marine Ltd, says it is fully laden.

A U.S. Navy spokesman said the tanker is approaching Eyl, Somalia, on the Indian Ocean coast. It is routine procedure for pirates to take hijacked ships to shore, where they will keep them while they discuss negotiations.

A multinational naval force including vessels from the U.S., the UK and Russia has been patrolling the Indian Ocean waters seas near the Gulf of Aden, which connects the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, following a sharp increase in pirate attacks in the region.

"It was attacked more than 450 nautical offshore of Mombasa. This means that the pirates are now operating in an area of over 1.1 million square miles. This is a measure of the determination of the pirates and ... a measure of how lucrative piracy could become," Campbell said.

Campbell said the Navy does not expect to dispatch a vessel to aide the super tanker because it does not have dangerous weapons aboard like the MV Faina, a Ukrainian ship loaded with arms that was seized by pirates on September 25.

The UK Foreign Office confirmed two Britons were aboard and said it was seeking more information about the incident.

South Korean officials said on Sunday that armed gunmen hijacked a Japanese freighter and its 23-member crew off the coast of Somalia. The hijacking came as the Korean government was considering sending a warship to join those of other countries to combat piracy in the area.

A Russian patrol ship also thwarted an attack on a Saudi vessel.

Eleven vessels are currently being held by pirates hoping to secure ransoms for their release, according to The Associated Press. They include the MV Faina, which was hijacked along with 20 crew and a cargo of weapons and T-72 tanks.

Ninety percent of ships transiting the perilous seas are using a guarded corridor and there have been no hijackings inside the zone since it was set up on August 22, Danish Commodore Per Bigum Christensen told AP last week.

Around 20,000 oil tankers, freighters and merchant vessels pass along the crucial shipping route each year.

"Piracy is an international crime that threatens global commerce. Shipping companies have to understand that naval forces can not be everywhere. Self protection measures are the best way to protect their vessels, their crews, and their cargo."

High winds have fanned blazes from Santa Barbara to Anaheim since Thursday, scorching an estimated 35,000 acres of land. Sustained winds were expected to ease Monday, but locally gusty conditions and humidity in the single-digit range could continue into Tuesday, the National Weather Service predicted.

"If we were being very optimistic, we would be looking at the middle of the week," L.A. County Capt. Dennis Cross said. "If the weather forecast holds and we continue to get the great work being done in the last 24 hours, we're hoping midweek."

The most extensive losses have been in the Oakridge Mobile Home Park in the Sylmar district of Los Angeles, where winds clocked as high as 70 mph drove a wall of flames across the hillsides and destroyed nearly 500 homes. Authorities combed through the scorched wreckage Sunday in an effort to account for the park's residents, only 134 of whom had been accounted for earlier in the day. iReport.com: Map shows fire's devastation

No bodies were found during the search, and police believe most of those living in the 608 mobile homes fled the fire, Deputy Police Chief Michael Moore said. But he urged those who escaped to call in and let investigators know they survived.

"If you are a resident of this park, we want to talk to you," he said. "We want to know you are safe and know where you're at."

The largest of three fires, the Freeway Complex fire, had set ablaze nearly 24,000 acres in Orange, Los Angeles and Riverside counties. Most of the damage was in Orange County, in the Los Angeles suburbs of Anaheim and Yorba Linda, where more than 100 homes were destroyed.

As of 8 a.m. Monday, fire officials said the blaze was about 40 percent contained.

"It is a wind-driven fire, and with those gusty winds up to 25 miles an hour, it's giving the firefighters a really difficult time. It's hopscotched throughout the county," said Lynette Round, a spokeswoman for Orange County Fire Authority, said.

iReporter Carol Menke said she last saw her home in the Hollydale Mobile Home Estates in Brea Canyon around 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.

"I know our firefighters are the best and the bravest in the world, but that wall of fire looked insurmountable," she said at the time. iReport.com: 'Insurmountable' wall of flames looms

Firefighters on Sunday night told Menke that one home was destroyed and one damaged in Hollydale, but neither was hers.

"I am so thankful that I am at a loss for words. My heart goes out to those not as fortunate," she said.

The Sayre fire, which destroyed the mobile home park, was about 40 percent contained Monday morning after burning about 10,000 acres. Five firefighters and one civilian suffered minor injuries in the blaze, the Los Angeles County Fire Department reported.  And in Santa Barbara County, northwest of Los Angeles, firefighters said they had the Tea fire 95 percent contained after it destroyed more than 100 homes. Among the losses in the 1,900-plus acres it incinerated were a monastery and several mansions in a community where celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey, have homes.

Investigators have deemed the blaze suspicious, having eliminated "all accidental causes," said Doug Lannon, a spokesman for the state fire agency. iReport.com: Share wildfire photos, video

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared states of emergency for the four affected counties after the fire damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes and closed major freeways. The move frees up any state resources needed, and makes the counties eligible for federal assistance grants

The heavy snow spread north of Buffalo as well.

"Yesterday morning we had none. So it's quite a transition to go from no snow to all this. When you open the door, it's amazing," librarian Dorothy Valenti told The Associated Press by telephone from Constableville, New York, not far from the east end of Lake Ontario. "It's strange to have a snow day before Thanksgiving."

The latest lake-effect storm dropped 23 inches on Ellicottville, New York, 40 miles south of Buffalo, as of 10:15 a.m. Monday and 20 inches on nearby South Dayton.

"It's not nice," emergency dispatcher Laurie Moore in New York's Cattaraugus County told The AP. "Lots of snow. Roads are snow-covered and slippery."

An additional 6 inches of snow could come by evening, according to CNN affiliate WGRZ-TV in Buffalo.

The National Weather Service posted lake-effect snow warnings from Buffalo to Cleveland, Ohio, through Tuesday afternoon.

Lake-effect snow occurs when cold air passes over a warmer body of water, in this case Lake Erie, according to the weather service. The cold air sucks up the moisture and heat from the water, dropping it as snow when it moves over land.

Wind and snow showers with temperatures in the 20s are forecast for the NFL "Monday Night Football" game between the Buffalo Bills and the Cleveland Browns, WGRZ reported.

To the south along Interstate 90, shoppers in Erie, Pennsylvania, were preparing for the worst on Sunday. iReport.com: Thunder, lightning accompany snowstorm

"I just went and bought new wipers ... I'm scared!" Angela Gadzek, of Warren, Ohio, told CNN affiliate WJET-TV.

The area could expect as much as a foot of snow before Tuesday, WJET reported.

"Just pray everybody stays safe on the roads, just slow down and use your head," Mark Alexander, of Albion, Pennsylvania, told WJET.

"We're ready, we got steady snow tires on everything, and everything's secure at home," Alexander told WJET.

In Ohio, state transportation officials were concerned about keeping the roadways safe.

Rock salt to clear roads of ice was in short supply, CNN affiliate WKYC-TV reported, and authorities were looking for ways to stretch supplies to counteract escalating prices.

Three to five inches of snow are expected in northeastern Ohio, for a total accumulation of up to 10 inches, WKYC said. Authorities advised motorists to put off non-essential travel until the snow threat eased.

The president's e-mail can be subpoenaed by Congress and courts and may be subject to public records laws, so if a president doesn't want his e-mail public, he shouldn't e-mail, experts said. And there may be security issues about carrying around trackable cell phones.

Obama transition officials haven't made a decision on what the new president will or will not carry, but those who have been there say it's unlikely he'll carry his BlackBerry and he may be in for some withdrawal pains.

"Definitely he's going to feel an electronic detoxing," said Reed Dickens, former assistant press secretary to President George W. Bush. Dickens jokes that he personally is so addicted to his BlackBerry that he checks his device before opening his right eye.

President-elect Obama has often been seen avidly checking his e-mail on his handheld equipment. This past summer, news cameras recorded him checking his BlackBerry while watching his daughter's soccer game, only to have Michelle Obama slap at his hands, prompting him to return the device to its holster.

"This is a decision President-elect Obama will have to face," said former Bush press secretary Scott McClellan, who added that Obama's legal advisers will probably recommend against an e-mailing president.

"While he has pledged an open and transparent government, I doubt the president-elect is interested in subjecting his own personal communications to that standard," McClellan wrote in an e-mail interview. He added, "He will have to think very hard about whether he wants to make his own words that subject to open records by having his own e-mail and his own BlackBerry."

There is presidential precedent for an e-mail blackout. Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton didn't e-mail while in office.

"It's all discoverable; it creates a trail that might end up in congressional investigators' hands," said Clinton press secretary Mike McCurry. If you want to delete White House e-mail, you get a stern warning about archiving presidential records, he said.

A few days before Bush took office in 2001, he sent an e-mail to a few dozen close friends saying he would no longer use e-mail: "Since I do not want my private conversations looked at by those out to embarrass, the only course of action is not to correspond in cyberspace. This saddens me."
iReport.com: Write a letter to Obama as an iReport

Bush was unhappy about losing his e-mail and mostly used the phone to talk to friends, McClellan wrote, adding, "I am sure the president looks forward to being able to communicate with them via e-mail again come January 20, 2009."

The Bush White House has been battling courts about lapses in e-mail archives at the White House.

Before 2001, Bush was an active e-mailer, but that was before the now ubiquitous BlackBerry with e-mail and text message functions was released in 2002. Users who constantly check their devices often call themselves crackberry addicts. A Canadian government agency asked its workers to live by a "BlackBerry blackout" on nights and weekends "in order to achieve work/life quality here." The Blackberry is made by Canada's Research In Motion Ltd.

"I think Obama is the first president who is addicted to the BlackBerry like the rest of us, and there's a lot of presidential records and archive rules on what gets stored and what doesn't," said former Clinton press secretary Joe Lockhart.

Quitting BlackBerry use is not something some political types -- such as McClellan -- or tech-geeks like thinking about.

Benjamin Nugent, author of the book "American Nerd," said the president-elect is such a techie and has nerd qualities. So cutting off the BlackBerry could be painful: "It'll be interesting if we could see the torment on his face. For me it would be hell." iReport.com: Expanding technology in government

But it actually could be good for the president-elect, said psychology professor Lawrence Welkowitz of Keene State University in New Hampshire.

"It might be a completely freeing thing for him, so that he can free himself to think and act," said Welkowitz, who doesn't carry a BlackBerry.

But even if Obama isn't packing a BlackBerry or cell phone, he'll have plenty of aides within arm's reach who do, experts said. Often a president uses the equipment of personal assistants.

And there is the chance that Obama may buck the past and keep his BlackBerry tethered to his belt.

"He's the president," McCurry said. "If he wants to carry the BlackBerry, he's entitled."

President-elect Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain will meet for the first time on Monday since the election.

The meeting comes at an important time for McCain, who must decide what to do with remainder of his career in the Senate.

With his reputation severely harmed as a result of the campaign -- some Republicans furious at him for having lost the White House with a poor campaign and some Democrats furious with the negative tone that his campaign embraced in September and October -- he will have an interest in building a positive legacy.

McCain's best bet would be to form a bipartisan alliance with Obama on as many issues as possible -- perhaps with an economic stimulus bill, immigration reform, exiting Iraq and new regulations on Wall Street.

Doing so would help the president secure bipartisan support while McCain would go down in the record books for helping the nation, through legislation, in a time of grave crisis.

Bipartisan alliances usually happen when two people of opposing parties need each other for their own self-interest. This is the situation right now. Obama could use McCain to make sure his legislation survives the Senate. McCain needs Obama to help restore his legacy in political history.

There are not many models for McCain to turn to for inspiration, but he might think a bit about the Republican Wendell Willkie, defeated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940.

Though not a legislator, Willkie became a very important ally to FDR after 1940, fighting against isolationism in the GOP and building support for the president's foreign policy. He traveled around the globe to meet with foreign leaders and wrote a book that promoted the internationalist outlook.

Michigan Sen. Arthur Vandenberg, who coined the phrase "politics stops at the water's edge," worked closely with President Harry Truman in 1947 and 1948 to find support in the Republican Congress for the creation of the modern national security state.

In 1953 and 1954, Senate Minority Leader Lyndon Johnson of Texas worked with President Dwight Eisenhower on a series of foreign policy issues. The White House was under attack from conservative Republicans led by John Bricker, who sought to curtail executive power on foreign affairs.

Bricker proposed an amendment to limit the ability of the president to enter into international agreements without Senate consent. Many southern Democrats supported the amendment fearing that the U.N. Charter opened the opportunity for the president to expand civil rights.

Eisenhower thought the amendment would be extremely dangerous and handcuff the president when dealing with foreign policy. He turned to Lyndon Johnson, who brought along Senate Democrats to stifle the measure. Johnson hoped to make Senate Republicans seem like the obstructionists in Washington and to boost his own reputation as a leader.

Johnson's adviser, George Reedy, explained that the contrast of Republican intra-party warfare and "a dignified but pointed record on all issues" from the Democratic Party would be "potent campaign ammunition." The strategy worked. Johnson was selected as majority leader in 1954.

These alliances have also furthered the social agenda. As president in 1964, Johnson turned to Illinois Sen. Everett Dirksen to help him push the Civil Rights Act of 1964 through the Senate. In the 1960s, Southern Democrats, who chaired the major committees and were masters at using the Senate filibuster to block bills they opposed, were the chief opponents of civil rights.

So when Johnson pushed for the Civil Rights Act in 1964 he needed Republican support to break a filibuster. He found a partner with Dirksen, one of several Republicans who saw how the GOP could benefit from embracing civil rights as Democrats were divided.

"We dare not temporize with the issue which is before us," Dirken said in a speech before the Senate, "it is essentially moral in character. It must be resolved. It will not go away. Its time has come."

Dirksen's role in the passage of civil rights defined his role in the history books.

Bipartisan, inter-branch alliances have also bolstered the reputation of legislators who tackled unpopular fiscal issues such as deficit reduction. The alliances became less common after the 1970s as a result of polarization in Washington that diminished the role of centrists and the opportunity for compromise.

In 1990, President George H.W. Bush worked closely with House Ways and Means Chairman Dan Rostenkowski to design a deal that cut spending and increased taxes to reduce the deficit. Republicans were furious with the president for breaking his pledge in 1988 not to raise taxes.

Rostenkowski's career would go down in ignominious fashion as a result of a scandal, but his work on deficit reduction remains a testament to his ability to find bipartisan opportunities in rough, bipartisan waters.

"What's at stake here?" he asked his colleagues about the deal, "Nothing less, in my opinion, than American self-respect."

There are many other examples in American history where legislators enhanced their reputations in the history books by working with presidents, including presidents from other parties. This is McCain's best hope for strengthening his political legacy.

He will likely never be the kind of legislator who becomes a champion of a political ideology -- like Ted Kennedy and liberalism, or Newt Gingrich and conservatism -- nor is he likely to be the kind of forceful party leader like Tom DeLay or Trent Lott.

But what McCain can do, as he has done in the past with campaign finance and ethics reform, is to team up with the opposition and get legislation through Congress. According to Congressional Quarterly, former Bush and McCain adviser Mark McKinnon has predicted that "Senator McCain's interest after this election will be not any political ambition but a genuine desire to make his last chapter in Washington all about bipartisan healing."

Now he has a chance to enhance his mark in the history books, this time with the person who defeated him, and then his legacy would not be the failed political campaign of 2008.

FBI agent Donald Bain was sitting in his car in a parking lot with two other agents. He was armed and wore a Kevlar vest. He was also carrying a "flash-bang" grenade, a nonlethal weapon that emits a bright flash and deafening bang that's used to shock and disorient criminal suspects or the enemy in combat situations.

The three agents -- Bain, Thomas Scanzano and James Milligan -- were waiting for developments on a kidnapping that had turned into a hostage stakeout.

That's when, Bain says, the flash-bang grenade in his vest just blew up.

"The car is on fire," Bain recalled. "I was told later I was on fire. Smoke billowing in the car. It was obviously chaos."

Scanzano remembers "it was like being in combat. There was smoke and fire in the vehicle, and I knew that we were in trouble."

An ambulance rushed the three agents to a nearby hospital.

"To me, it felt like someone just whacked me in the back with a baseball bat as hard as they could," said Bain, recalling the incident, which happened four years ago.

Bain suffered severe bruising, a concussion and burns to his neck and ears. All three agents said they have experienced hearing loss.

"There was smoke, and it was like a grenade going off in the car," Scanzano said.

The company that manufactured the flash-bang grenade that Bain used is Pyrotechnic Specialties Inc., also known as PSI, based in Byron, Georgia.

Earlier this year, PSI, its chief operating officer, David Karlson, and three other defendants were indicted for fraud, conspiracy and money laundering. According to the federal indictment, PSI had a $15 million contract to supply flash-bang grenades to the military before it supplied them to the FBI.

The indictment states the company knew its flash bangs were defective and even knew how to fix those flaws, which would have cost PSI $3.72 per unit.

But, according to the indictment, many of the defective grenades the military was using were relabeled and then sold to the FBI and other local law enforcement agencies.

"In order to sell diversionary charges which had been rejected by, and were otherwise unacceptable to the Department of Defense, the defendants developed a scheme and artifice to defraud, and attempt to defraud, the United States of America, as well as state and local law enforcement agencies," the indictment states.

In a court filing, PSI's attorneys state the "indictment is lacking in detail, vague and/or confusing, however, either in regard to what particular conduct by PSI or Mr. Karlson is alleged to be wrongful; or what particular laws, regulations, rules or other authorities rendered any alleged conduct by PSI or Mr. Karlson wrongful, as well as many other areas."

CNN tried to speak with Karlson at PSI headquarters, but he would not comment. PSI attorney Craig Gillen also declined to comment. Send CNN's Abbie Boudreau your thoughts about this story

The criminal trial is scheduled to begin in January in Macon, Georgia. No court date has been set for the civil lawsuits.

"It drives me crazy," Scanzano said. "I don't sleep. I have tremendous headaches. I have the doctors claim severe hearing loss, but for all practical purposes, I'm deaf in my left ear."

Andrew J. Stern, a Philadelphia attorney, has filed civil suits against PSI on behalf of the three FBI agents.

"I don't know how someone looks themselves in the mirror every day in light of the kind of things that have happened here," Stern told CNN.

Stern has also filed a civil lawsuit against PSI on behalf of Dean Wagner, a master sergeant in the Army who also said he was seriously injured by a flash-bang grenade that he says prematurely detonated and was manufactured by PSI.

An emotional Wagner told CNN he was days away from finishing his second tour in Iraq when he was putting away his flash bangs. One of them exploded, severely damaging his right hand. The injuries were so severe that he ended up having his hand amputated.

Wagner said PSI officials have no idea how the incident has affected his life.

"They don't have a clue what it's like," Wagner said. "If they could experience that, or someone close to them would have to go through that experience, I'm sure it would be a different story and maybe they wouldn't have allowed it to happen."

An extensive federal report released Monday concludes that roughly one in four of the 697,000 U.S. veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf War suffer from Gulf War illness.

That illness is a condition now identified as the likely consequence of exposure to toxic chemicals, including pesticides and a drug administered to protect troops against nerve gas.

The 452-page report states that "scientific evidence leaves no question that Gulf War illness is a real condition with real causes and serious consequences for affected veterans."

The report, compiled by a panel of scientific experts and veterans serving on the congressionally mandated Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses, fails to identify any cure for the malady.

It also notes that few veterans afflicted with Gulf War illness have recovered over time.

"Today's report brings to a close one of the darkest chapters in the legacy of the 1991 Gulf War," said Anthony Hardie, a member of the committee and a member of the advocacy group Veterans of Modern Warfare.

"This is a bittersweet victory, [because] this is what Gulf War veterans have been saying all along," Hardie said at a news conference in Washington. "Years were squandered by the federal government ... trying to disprove that anything could be wrong with Gulf War veterans."

The committee's report, titled "Gulf War Illness and the Health of Gulf War Veterans," was officially presented Monday to Secretary of Veterans Affairs James Peak. Noting that overall funding for research into Gulf War illness has declined dramatically since 2001, it calls for a "renewed federal research commitment" to "identify effective treatments for Gulf War illness and address other priority Gulf War health issues."

According to the report, Gulf War illness is a "complex of multiple concurrent symptoms" that "typically includes persistent memory and concentration problems, chronic headaches, widespread pain, gastrointestinal problems, and other chronic abnormalities."

The illness may also be potentially tied to higher rates of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) -- more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease -- among Gulf War veterans than veterans of other conflicts.

The illness is identified as the consequence of multiple "biological alterations" affecting the brain and nervous system.

While it is sometimes difficult to issue a specific diagnosis of the disease, it is, according to the report, no longer difficult to identify a cause.

The report identifies two Gulf War "neurotoxic" exposures that "are causally associated with Gulf War illness." The first is the ingestion of pyridostigmine bromide (PB) pills, given to protect troops from effects of nerve agents. The second is exposure to dangerous pesticides used during the conflict.

The report does not rule out other possible contributors to Gulf War illness -- including low-level exposure to nerve agents and close proximity to oil well fires -- though it fails to establish any clear link.

The report concludes there is no clear link between the illness and a veteran's exposure to factors such as depleted uranium or an anthrax vaccine administered at the time.

"Gulf War illness isn't some imaginary syndrome," said Ken Robinson, the senior intelligence officer for the initial Department of Defense investigation into Gulf War illness in 1996-97. "This is real, and it has devastated families. Now is the time to restore the funding cuts that have been made in the Veterans Administration. Our mission has to be to ensure that these veterans get help and become whole again."

Robinson noted that soldiers in the field today are not at risk for Gulf War illness, because the military is no longer using the PB pills or pesticides that led to the illness in 1990 and 1991.

The report backs Robinson's conclusion, noting that no problem similar to Gulf War illness has been discovered among veterans from the conflict in Bosnia in the 1990s or in the current engagements in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The committee report also backs Robinson's call for more effective treatments among veterans suffering from Gulf War illness.

Noting that overall funding for research into Gulf War illness has declined dramatically since 2001, it calls for a "renewed federal research commitment" to "identify effective treatments for Gulf War illness and address other priority Gulf War health issues."

Specifically, the report calls for at least $60 million in new annual federal funding on research committed to improving the health of Gulf War veterans.

As newly minted legislators convened in Washington on Sunday for this week's orientation and leadership elections, the 110th Congress met in its last session before passing the baton January 6.

Specifically, Senate Democrats were trying to earn GOP support for their proposed bailout of the Big Three automakers. Democrats would like to see a vote Wednesday, but some concede they probably don't have the support.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, speaking on the Senate floor Monday, urged action on the plan.

"The Treasury Department has acknowledged that they could provide the auto companies the temporary assistance to keep automakers solvent by taking money out of the $700 billion we've already provided to the Treasury Department," Reid said.

"If we move forward, we can protect American jobs, help American families and prevent our economy from falling further into a recession," he said. "In the event there is objection to passing this important legislation, we'll have the opportunity to vote on a second piece of legislation ... that consists solely of unemployment insurance and relief for the auto industry and the auto industry's work force."

Two House Democratic aides confirm that House Democratic leaders and House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, D-Massachusetts, are scheduled to meet with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Monday afternoon.

The meeting -- to take place in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office -- will include an update on the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, the $700 billion measure that was passed last month to help bail out financial institutions.

"One out of 10 jobs in this country are auto-related. Twenty percent of retail sales are auto-related or automobiles, so this is a national problem," Sen. Carl Levin, D-Michigan, told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday.

Levin is drafting legislation to throw a lifeline to Detroit, Michigan -- home of the Big Three companies. The lifeline could include up to $25 billion in loans carved out of the TARP.

Congressional sources say the Democratic leaders would also discuss the proposed $25 billion bailout.

The automakers have come on hard times of late. Ford announced this month that it lost $3 billion last quarter. General Motors is trading at about $3 a share, the lowest figure at which its stock has traded in more than 60 years. Chrysler has announced numerous plant closings and thousands of job cuts as its sales have plummeted over the last year.

The Center for Automotive Research, a think tank in Ann Arbor, Michigan, that is pushing for a bailout, estimates about 2.5 million job cuts if just half of the Big Three's manufacturing capacity shuts down.

About 240,000 of those job losses would be at the automakers; 800,000 would be at various suppliers and dealerships; and another 1.4 million job losses would come from businesses that rely on automaker spending, the think tank estimates.

A letter is being circulated by Sens. Levin and George Voinovich, R-Ohio, to all senators for their signatures in support of the auto industry bailout. iReport.com: No choice but to bail out automakers?

The letter -- written to Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell -- said the automakers "face rapidly evaporating operational liquidity" and "soon may not be able to continue to operate."

Jobs that rely on the auto industry are diverse and can range from media outlets that depend on the Big Three's advertising dollars to local stores and restaurants in towns where auto plants would be shuttered.

Democrats who support the bailout say the demise of Ford, GM and Chrysler would be a devastating blow to an already ailing American economy. But opponents of bailing out the industry -- including the Bush administration and top Republicans -- say TARP funds weren't intended for automakers.

"There's a line of companies, of industries waiting at Treasury just to see if they can get their hands on that $700 billion," Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said on CNN's "Late Edition" on Sunday. "That is for the financial system. It's to stabilize the financial system. That should not be used."

Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pennsylvania, said last week that he concurs with his congressional rivals because he can't condone using TARP funds for the auto industry when the money has yet to help homeowners facing foreclosure.

Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Alabama, is one of the most vocal critics of the proposed lifeline and suggested Sunday that bailing out the Big Three would be a waste of taxpayer dollars because it would reward the companies for mismanagement.

Shelby, the ranking member on the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, further said in his remarks on NBC's "Meet the Press" that the government should allow the companies to file bankruptcy. See how foreign car companies have flocked to the U.S. »

"They would be, in a lot of people's judgment, a lot better off to go through Chapter 11, where they could reorganize, get rid of the management, get rid of the boards -- the people who've brought them where they are today," Shelby said.

President Bush and GOP leaders in Congress say they'd be willing to lift some restrictions on an already-approved program to dole out $25 billion in loans meant to help U.S. automakers design more fuel-efficient vehicles.

The funds are now tied up in Energy Department red tape, but the GOP says it would be willing to approve legislation to force their prompt distribution.

GM executives -- who say that without help, GM's cash will reach the operating minimum by year's end -- have said the loan money would have so many strings attached that they are not sure it can be used to solve their cash crisis.

Democrats say the automakers need the existing $25 billion in loans and an additional bridge loan just to survive through the year. However, many Democratic leaders say they realize the folly of bailing out Detroit without specifying Congress' expectations of the industry.

President-elect Barack Obama told CBS' "60 Minutes" on Sunday that Detroit needed help, but he opposes writing a "blank check." iReport.com: Reader believes auto bailout must come with "binding conditions"

Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Connecticut, who heads the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, said last week, "Clearly we shouldn't be writing checks without some clear conditionality of what's going to happen with that industry -- if they're going to change and get back on their feet again."

Democratic leaders would need 60 votes in the Senate to avoid a GOP filibuster, and as of last week, Dodd was certain they didn't have the numbers.

Gaining those numbers became more problematic Sunday, when Obama officially relinquished his Senate seat. Vice President-elect Joe Biden, a Delaware Democrat, is also expected to be absent from this week's wrangling.

Last week, Dodd said he had confirmed that the Treasury Department could use the TARP funds to help the Big Three without congressional approval. Paulson has expressed reluctance to do so, saying "the intent of the TARP was to deal with the financial industry."

The Senate Banking Committee will hold a hearing on the issue Tuesday and the House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday.

Despite the proposal's infinitesimal chance of succeeding, Democratic leadership aides said proponents will push for a vote this week. The pessimistic Dodd, however, has said his party should consider waiting for Obama to take office.

With Obama in office, the Treasury can act without legislation. Also, with all run-off elections decided, party leaders will know the exact makeup of the 111th Congress, though Democrats are not likely to garner a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.

 Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban, owner of the National Basketball Association's Dallas Mavericks, was charged Monday by the Securities and Exchange Commission with insider trading.

According to the SEC, Cuban sold 600,000 shares of Internet search company Mamma.com in June 2004 using non-public information.

Cuban is accused of calling his broker and instructing him to sell all of his stock from Mamma.com after receiving the confidential information from the company.

The SEC said Cuban learned that the company would raise money through a public offering, and he knew the stock price was about to fall.

When the offering was made public, the stock fell 9.3%, and Cuban avoided losses in excess of $750,000 by selling stock the day before, the SEC report said.

"I am disappointed that the Commission chose to bring this case based upon its Enforcement staff's win-at-any-cost ambitions," said Cuban in a statement released by his legal counsel, Dewey & LeBoeuf. "The staff's process was result-oriented, facts be damned. The government's claims are false and they will be proven to be so."

An SEC official said Cuban was given the public offering information from Mamma.com in confidence, and Cuban made illegal use of that knowledge.

"As we allege in the complaint, Mamma.com entrusted Mr. Cuban with nonpublic information after he promised to keep the information confidential," Scott W. Friestad, Deputy Director of the SEC's Division of Enforcement, said in the report. "Less than four hours later, Mr. Cuban betrayed that trust by placing an order to sell all of his shares."

Mamma.com has since changed its name to Copernic Technologies (CNIC), and now produces Internet search-advertising services in addition to search software. Copernic's stock currently trades for less than $1 per share.

According to Phillip Stern, a former SEC attorney and current lawyer at Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg, Cuban will likely face a fine of twice the losses he would have incurred, or about $1.5 million. The SEC's lawsuit is a civil case, and Cuban does not face any criminal charges.

Stern does not believe Cuban will have to divest his ownership stake in his other companies, including cable network HDNet.

Cuban has been identified as one of the bidders for Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs for about a year, after the team was put up for sale by owner Sam Zell, chief executive of the Tribune Co. But baseball sources told the Chicago-Sun Times last week that Cuban is unlikely to get the league's blessing despite his deep pockets.

"These allegations really say something about his integrity," said Stern. "Baseball was already concerned about him, and now it will be difficult to persuade them otherwise."