Valerie Jarrett

CHICAGO — Prosecutors in the corruption retrial of Rod Blagojevich focused quickly yesterday on the most serious and sensational allegation: that the former Illinois governor tried to sell or trade an appointment to President Obama’s old US Senate seat. At Blagojevich’s first trial last year, the government didn’t delve into that accusation until weeks into testimony. Prosecutors jumped into it this time on their first day of presenting evidence, calling a onetime Blagojevich confidant who claims the two discussed how the governor could leverage the appointment into campaign cash or a top...

Lady Gaga visited the White House on Tuesday to discuss bullying prevention. The pop singer met with Obama administration staffers on the issue and afterward, Obama senior adviser Valerie Jarrett praised the star as "a source of strength for many young people who feel isolated and scared at their schools. " "Lady Gaga has described this cause as a personal one — she has said that as a child, she was often picked on for being different," Jarrett wrote in a blog post on the White House website.

CHICAGO — After promising for a year and a half to take the witness stand, former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich is likely to testify at his federal corruption trial this week. Unlike in his TV interviews, Blagojevich is going to be under oath. And the grilling he gets from government attorneys about charges that he sought to sell or trade President Obama’s former US Senate seat is guaranteed to be tougher than anything he faced on the talk-show circuit. Taking the stand, possibly as early as tomorrow, is a high-risk move that many lawyers warn could backfire.

CHICAGO — Prosecutors in the corruption retrial of Rod Blagojevich focused quickly yesterday on the most serious and sensational allegation: that the former Illinois governor tried to sell or trade an appointment to President Obama’s old US Senate seat. At Blagojevich’s first trial last year, the government didn’t delve into that accusation until weeks into testimony. Prosecutors jumped into it this time on their first day of presenting evidence, calling a onetime Blagojevich confidant who claims the two discussed how the governor could leverage the appointment into campaign cash or a top...

CHICAGO — Rod Blagojevich brought up the possibility of a Cabinet post almost immediately after an emissary for Barack Obama urged the Illinois governor to appoint a close friend of the president-elect to the US Senate, a union leader testified yesterday at Blagojevich’s corruption trial. Tom Balanoff, an official with the Service Employees International Union, said he told Blagojevich of Obama’s interest in seeing Valerie Jarrett take the vacated seat right after the 2008 election.

Lady Gaga visited the White House on Tuesday to discuss bullying prevention. The pop singer met with Obama administration staffers on the issue and afterward, Obama senior adviser Valerie Jarrett praised the star as "a source of strength for many young people who feel isolated and scared at their schools. " "Lady Gaga has described this cause as a personal one — she has said that as a child, she was often picked on for being different," Jarrett wrote in a blog post on the White House website.

WASHINGTON - President-elect Barack Obama plans today to reveal his staff's conversations with the Illinois governor, who is accused of trying to sell Obama's Senate seat, transition officials said yesterday. "We have a report," said Obama spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter. "It's been ready for release for a week. We've held off at the request of the US Attorney's office and that continues to be the case, though we expect to be able to release the report shortly. " Obama had promised this week to release the review he ordered of contacts between his aides and Governor Rod...

WASHINGTON - Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas is near the top of President Obama's list of candidates to head the Health and Human Services Department at least partly on the strength of her long and close working relationship with the president, a senior administration official said. Other candidates, including former Clinton White House chief of staff John Podesta, remain in the mix. A decision is not imminent, a senior administration official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss private administration deliberations.

PITTSBURGH - They wish he’d done more in his first eight months, but the liberal bloggers who helped propel President Obama to the White House are far from giving up on him. “He’s making some strides . . . but I think there needs to be more action,’’ said Lisa Derrick, a Los-Angeles-based blogger and one of those gathered in Pittsburgh for the annual Netroots Nation convention. Rumblings on the left could spell trouble down the road for the president and for other Democrats.

WASHINGTON - President Obama will fly to fly to Denmark to support Chicago’s 2016 Summer Olympics bid, elevating the Games to an issue of national importance - and exposing him to political risks as well as rewards at a critical point in his presidency. Obama’s presentation in Copenhagen on Friday will be the first time a US president has appeared before the International Olympic Committee to lobby for an Olympics. Obama initially had said he couldn’t make the trip because he needed to tend to the health care debate at home.

CHICAGO — After promising for a year and a half to take the witness stand, former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich is likely to testify at his federal corruption trial this week. Unlike in his TV interviews, Blagojevich is going to be under oath. And the grilling he gets from government attorneys about charges that he sought to sell or trade President Obama’s former US Senate seat is guaranteed to be tougher than anything he faced on the talk-show circuit. Taking the stand, possibly as early as tomorrow, is a high-risk move that many lawyers warn could backfire.

CHICAGO — Rod Blagojevich brought up the possibility of a Cabinet post almost immediately after an emissary for Barack Obama urged the Illinois governor to appoint a close friend of the president-elect to the US Senate, a union leader testified yesterday at Blagojevich’s corruption trial. Tom Balanoff, an official with the Service Employees International Union, said he told Blagojevich of Obama’s interest in seeing Valerie Jarrett take the vacated seat right after the 2008 election.

WASHINGTON - President Obama will fly to fly to Denmark to support Chicago’s 2016 Summer Olympics bid, elevating the Games to an issue of national importance - and exposing him to political risks as well as rewards at a critical point in his presidency. Obama’s presentation in Copenhagen on Friday will be the first time a US president has appeared before the International Olympic Committee to lobby for an Olympics. Obama initially had said he couldn’t make the trip because he needed to tend to the health care debate at home.

PITTSBURGH - They wish he’d done more in his first eight months, but the liberal bloggers who helped propel President Obama to the White House are far from giving up on him. “He’s making some strides . . . but I think there needs to be more action,’’ said Lisa Derrick, a Los-Angeles-based blogger and one of those gathered in Pittsburgh for the annual Netroots Nation convention. Rumblings on the left could spell trouble down the road for the president and for other Democrats.

WASHINGTON - Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas is near the top of President Obama's list of candidates to head the Health and Human Services Department at least partly on the strength of her long and close working relationship with the president, a senior administration official said. Other candidates, including former Clinton White House chief of staff John Podesta, remain in the mix. A decision is not imminent, a senior administration official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss private administration...

WASHINGTON - President-elect Barack Obama plans today to reveal his staff's conversations with the Illinois governor, who is accused of trying to sell Obama's Senate seat, transition officials said yesterday. "We have a report," said Obama spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter. "It's been ready for release for a week. We've held off at the request of the US Attorney's office and that continues to be the case, though we expect to be able to release the report shortly. " Obama had promised this week to release the review he ordered of contacts between his...

CHICAGO - Governor Rod Blagojevich is legendary in Illinois political circles for not picking up the phone or returning calls, even from important figures like the state's senior senator, Dick Durbin. But there was always one call Blagojevich regularly took, his aides say, and that was from Rahm Emanuel, his congressman, his one-time campaign adviser, and more recently - and troubling for Emanuel - one of his contacts with President-elect Barack Obama's transition staff. The rapport Blagojevich and Emanuel shared over the years has suddenly become a troubling liability for...

WASHINGTON - President-elect Barack Obama is considering primary election rivals Hillary Clinton and Bill Richardson to be his secretary of state, as Senator John F. Kerry, an early supporter of Obama, appeared to be out of the running according to Democratic officials. Obama met with Richardson yesterday in Chicago, a day after conferring one-on-one with Clinton at his Chicago office, said several Democratic officials. Senior foreign relations staffers on Capitol Hill yesterday were abuzz with news that Clinton would be the pick for...

CHICAGO - Governor Rod Blagojevich is legendary in Illinois political circles for not picking up the phone or returning calls, even from important figures like the state's senior senator, Dick Durbin. But there was always one call Blagojevich regularly took, his aides say, and that was from Rahm Emanuel, his congressman, his one-time campaign adviser, and more recently - and troubling for Emanuel - one of his contacts with President-elect Barack Obama's transition staff. The rapport Blagojevich and Emanuel shared over the years has suddenly become a troubling liability for...

WASHINGTON - President-elect Barack Obama is considering primary election rivals Hillary Clinton and Bill Richardson to be his secretary of state, as Senator John F. Kerry, an early supporter of Obama, appeared to be out of the running according to Democratic officials. Obama met with Richardson yesterday in Chicago, a day after conferring one-on-one with Clinton at his Chicago office, said several Democratic officials. Senior foreign relations staffers on Capitol Hill yesterday were abuzz with news that Clinton would be the pick for...