WASHINGTON, Dec 4 (Reuters) - The Washington Post included the following items on its front page on Dec. 5. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

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The chief executives of Detroit's automakers returned to Capitol Hill yesterday bearing austere business plans and a dose of humility, but they failed to close the deal for as much as $38 billion in federal loans.

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Worsening budget conditions are pressing school officials in the Washington area and across the country to consider backing away from what has become a mantra of education: Kids learn best in smaller classes.

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Retailers posted the worst November sales in more than 30 years yesterday, as holiday shopping not only failed to lift the economy but showed that the financial crisis is further distressing everyday consumers.

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The followers of Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr once were powerful enough to battle against the U.S. military and play kingmaker in choosing Iraq's prime minister. But parliament's approval last week of a security agreement that requires U.S. forces to leave Iraq by end of 2011, has underscored the movement's waning influence.

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A Virginia church, which has operated a Christmas tree lot annually for six years, was forced to stop selling the trees after a county official said it violated a local statute banning the sale of Christmas trees before Dec. 5. Local lawmakers say they intend repeal the prohibition. (Reporting by Ayesha Rascoe; editing by Todd Eastham)

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