Timely theme coming on the heels of the East Anglian e-mail scandal...
  Little shot?
Little shot?   PIC
It covers all the bases    TARP [given the newsy theme, maybe TARP should refer to govt. money]
What it takes    TWO
Thor Heyerdahl craft   RAI [First thought was 
Kon Tiki  but remembered he first sailed 
Ra I, named after the sungod {there was also 
Ra II}] 

Glad I got to learn the name for the Punjabi long-grain rice I always eat. 
 Like a butterfly in water?
Like a butterfly in water? seems like the clue calls for a noun, maybe an adjective.    The butterfly is a swimming stroke, the name of an action (a noun), and SWUM is a past participle (a verb), so I don't get it.  As it stands, SWUM needs to precede the clue to make sense.  How would "Like an angry bee" be for STUNG? 
 Trattoria order?
Trattoria order?    MANGIA [I don't think the Italian is common enough in our language to be appropriate, but if it were, isn't it the 
Italian mother cajoling her family to eat rather than a restaurant employee?]
(
Bologna bridge for PONTE, also Italain, is used in many place names and so is appropriate.)