Washington (CNN) — Hundreds of mail-handling facilities have been named in a shutdown list released Thursday by the U.S. Postal Service as the agency tries to cut massive red ink.

The potential closings are the latest chapter in a fundamental overhaul of the agency that may also mean closing thousands of smaller post offices across the country, and cuts in tens of thousands of Postal Service jobs in years to come.

The budget stalemate between Congress and President Obama has raised the specter of a shutdown at the end of Friday.

If they don’t reach a deal, the government will shift to performing only “essential operations.”

It’s likely that more than 1 million essential employees will be asked to come to work — and not be paid.

Washington (CNN) — A recommendation by the Obama administration’s Guantanamo Detainee Review Task Force to continue holding nearly 50 detainees indefinitely without charges sparked fury among civil liberties groups Friday.

The recommendation, confirmed to CNN by two government sources not authorized to release the information, was completed by a task force under the direction of Attorney General Eric Holder and sent to President Obama for final approval.

Washington (CNN) — It’s known as the “greatest deliberative body in the world,” and with health care reform on the docket, the Senate’s debate on the contentious bill could last through Congress’ Christmas recess.

The goal, President Obama recently said, is for the Senate to pass legislation by Christmas — though opposition from Republicans could derail the hope.

While the House has wrapped up much of its business for the year and has already passed its form of the reform bill, senators have been working around the clock and on weekends.

“I think it has proven more complicated than anticipated,” Gates said in an interview broadcast Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Noting he had pushed for a firm deadline of January 2010 for closing the controversial facility, Gates said: “If you have to extend that date, if at least you have a strong plan showing you’re making progress in that direction, then this — it shouldn’t be a problem to extend it and we’ll just see whether that has to happen or not.”

In a separate interview on the ABC program “This Week,” Gates said closing the military prison on schedule would be “tough.”

Also on ABC, Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona said he attended briefings in which he was told the Guantanamo facility was unlikely to close on schedule.

WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the Obama administration had no choice but to order the shutdown of the prison at Guantanamo because “the name itself is a condemnation” of U.S. anti-terrorism strategy.

In an interview broadcast Friday on NBC’s “Today” show, Gates called the facility on the island of Cuba is “probably one of the finest prisons in the world today.” But at the same time, he said it had become “a taint” on the reputation of America.