Administration

Labor coalition Change to Win said this afternoon that it was never approached by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) or his associates about the governor's alleged three-way scheme to obtain a high-paying job within the organization by appointing Valerie Jarrett to President-elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat.

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU), meanwhile, has denied any wrongdoing after the complaint alleged that Blagojevich met with an SEIU official to discuss Jarrett's potential appointment.

"No one connected with Change to Win ever considered, discussed or promised any position at Change to Win to Governor Blagojevich, his staff or his advisers. In the affidavit released by the United States Attorney, a position at Change to Win is discussed only in conversations between the governor and his advisers," Change to Win Communications Director Greg Denier said in a written statement issued to reporters this afternoon. Read more...

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will meet this afternoon with two of President-elect Barack Obama's top Cabinet picks: likely Treasury secretary Timothy Geithner and former Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder, who some say could face a bumpy confirmation process as Obama's attorney general.

The three will hold a photo opportunity at the Capitol at 3 p.m.

After Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) hung up on Presiden-elect Barack Obama--and his chief of staff--yesterday, thinking the calls were pranks, the Florida' congresswoman's office says she fielded several angry phone calls from constituents who thought she hung up on the president-elect out of disrespect.

Ros-Lehtinen hung up on Obama yesterday when he called to congratulate her on her reelection and discuss foreign policy matters (Ros-Lehtinen serves as the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, thinking his call was a prank from a local radio station. Read more...

The entire length of the National Mall will be open to the public during President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration in January, Obama's Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) announced this morning, with large TV screens set up along the Mall to give those in attendance a view of Obama's swearing in.

The committee claims this will be the first time in history that the whole Mall will be open during an inauguration.

"We're grateful to local, federal, and military officials for their efforts to open up the National Mall to Americans who want to participate in this historic occasion. These arrangements represent our committee's continuing commitment to make next year's historic inauguration as accessible as possible to citizens in Washington, D.C., and across the country," PIC Executive Director Emmett S. Beliveau said this morning in the committee's announcement. Read more...

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) today praised the announcement of neighboring-state Gov. Bill Richardson (D) of New Mexico as the nation's next Commerce secretary, singling out the "Western values" Richardson will bring to President-elect Barack Obama's Cabinet.

See below Reid's full statement, released by his Senate leadership office:

I commend President-elect Obama for selecting such a strong leader to guide our nation

President Bush this morning was briefed on the report that made headlines yesterday with a prediction that a terrorist attack using biological weapons is likely to be carried out on a major city in the next five years.

The White House issued a statement this afternoon Read more...

A majority of women would rather have Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) as the nation's top diplomat than as its president, according to a poll released today by women's TV network Lifetime.

According to the survey, 58 percent of women said they prefer Clinton as secretary of state, while 18 percent said they would prefer her as president and 18 percent said Clinton should be neither.

The poll was conducted on behalf of Lifetime by notable female pollsters Celinda Lake and Kellyanne Conway, a Democrat and a Republican respectively.

Rep. Neil Abercromibe (D-Hawaii) wrote a letter to President-elect Obama urging his future Department of Justice Antitrust Division to investigate the Bowl Championship Series (BCS).

Abercrombie highlighted Obama's previous criticism of the BCS in interviews on 60 Minutes and Monday Night Football, in which Obama advocated using a playoff to determine college football's national champion. Abercrombie sent the letter Nov. 20.

In it, Abercrombie charged that the BCS violates the Sherman Antitrust Act as "an illegal restraint of trade." Earlier this year, Abercrombie introduced a bill (H. Res. 1120) seeking to banish the BCS in favor of a playoff on the same grounds. Read more...

As pundits and commentators debate how history will remember President Bush's two terms in office, the White House Press Office released a fact sheet Tuesday morning plugging Bush's faith-based initiatives, one of his early priorities in office, as a success.

Faith-based and Community Organization Initiatives, which were an early part of President Bush Read more...

At an economic meeting with 49 governors and governors-elect in Philadelphia today, President-elect Barack Barack Obama heard input from governors on what the federal government should do to save the economy from crisis, seeking their help in crafting the stimulus plan that will likely be his first major action as president.

"As President, I will not simply ask our nation Read more...