PRESS DIGEST - Wall Street Journal - Nov 10

Nov 10 (Reuters) - The following were the top stories in The Wall Street Journal on Friday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

* Some U.S Democrats are signaling a willingness to conduct tough oversight of U.S. President George W. Bush's policies and to reopen lingering controversies -- particularly over pre-Iraq intelligence.

* U.S Republican party chairman Ken Mehlman will step down from his post when his two-year term ends in January, GOP officials said. Mehlman has not yet made his intentions public.

* The $8-billion merger of Tribune Co. TRB.N and Times Mirror threw together two incompatible cultures driven by philosophical differences between the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune.

* A new Consumer Reports survey gave high marks to some U.S. car models, but Asian auto makers dominated the reliability rankings.

* Walt Disney Co.'s (DIS.N) profit doubled as huge summer hit "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" helped move its movie studio back into the black. ESPN and theme parks also boosted results.

* The U.S. trade deficit narrowed in September but the gap with China continued to grow, possibly inviting tougher policies under a Democratic Congress.

* Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (GT.N) swung to a quarterly loss amid plant-closing costs and higher raw-material expense, but revenue rose 5 percent. The tire maker also said it is ready to resume talks to resolve a strike.

* Activist investor William Ackman said his hedge fund has taken an 11 percent passive stake in book retailer Borders Group Inc. (BGP.N), sending its shares soaring nearly 10 percent.

* Wendy's International Inc. (WEN.N) named Kerrii Anderson president and chief executive after six months during which she served as interim CEO. ((Compiled by Shailesh Kuber; Bangalore Equities Newsdesk +91 80 4135 5800; within U.S. +1 646 223 8780))