Barack Obama

CHICAGO (AP) - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is among the candidates that President-elect Barack Obama is considering for secretary of state, according to two Democratic officials in close contact with the Obama transition team. Clinton, the former first lady who pushed Obama hard for the Democratic presidential nomination, was rumored to be a contender for the job last week, but the talk died down as party activists questioned whether she was best-suited to be the nation's top diplomat in an Obama administration.

CHICAGO (AP) - President-elect Barack Obama said Thursday that he will resign from the Senate effective Sunday. In a statement, the junior Illinois senator called his four-year term "one of the highest honors and privileges" of his life and said the people of Illinois will stay with him as he leaves the Senate to begin "the hard task of fulfilling the simple hopes and common dreams of all Americans as our nation's next president. " Obama won the presidency last week over Republican John McCain.

by Jim Grawe (Wichita, Kan.) A Topeka man wants a national holiday named after Barack Obama.  Sonny Scroggins is organizing weekly rallies at a downtown McDonald's to promote the idea.  But a leading presidential historian isn't ready to jump on board. Doris Kearns Goodwin spoke at the annual meeting of the Wichita Chamber of Commerce.  Goodwin tells Eyewitness News the election of Obama may be historic, but he president-elect has yet to earn such an honor. "Now the task is for him to be a leader that is worthy of that election, and I think he'd be the first to say it's pretty premature to name a national holiday after me right now," Goodwin says.

CBS Evening News Anchor Katie Couric spoke with President-elect Barack Obama before the election. She asked him where he stands on the most pressing issues facing The United States. The following is information collected from those interviews and from Obama's web site. Would eliminate Bush tax cuts for families making more than $250,000 Proposes $500 tax credits for workers making less than $150,000 Eliminate income taxes for seniors making less than $50,000 Proposes 2% Social Security tax on those making more than $250,000 Proposes raising top tax rate to more than 39%; second highest tax rate to 36%

CBS Evening News Anchor Katie Couric spoke with President-elect Barack Obama before the election. She asked him where he stands on the most pressing issues facing The United States. The following is information collected from those interviews and from Obama's campaign web site. Proposes to withdraw or redeploy all troops in phases within 16 months Would leave behind a small, residual, force Opposed the troop surge strategy.  

PERSONAL Birthdate: August 4, 1961; Honolulu, Hawaii (Age: 47) Education: Columbia University, B.A. (1983); Harvard Law School, J.D. (1991) Military: None Family: Married (Michelle Obama); Two children (Malia and Sasha) Hometown: Chicago, Ill. Religion: Christian CAREER 44th President of the United States (2009-?) U.S. Senator from Illinois (2005-2008) Illinois State Senator (1997-2004) Senior Lecturer, University of Chicago Law School (1996-2008)

WASHINGTON (AP) - Speculation swirled over what appointments President-elect Barack Obama would make as he pivots from an election campaign to the task of building a Democratic administration. Obama was set Thursday to receive the first of what will become regular briefings on highly classified information from top intelligence officials. He has promised to hold a news conference later in the week as his transition team steps up its work. Obama's choice for chief of staff, Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel, appeared conflicted over whether to take on what promises to be a grueling job. Emanuel told Chicago's WLS-TV that he was honored to be considered but needed to weigh the impact on his family.

WASHINGTON (AP) - His name etched in history as America's first black president-elect, Barack Obama turned Wednesday from victory's jubilation to the sobering challenge of leading a nation in crisis. The 44th president-in-waiting kept a low profile while Americans and the world took in the enormity of the election. "The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep," Obama told a victory rally of 125,000 people jammed into Chicago's Grant Park. Election Night Slideshow Video of Obama's Speech Young and charismatic but with little experience on the national level or as an executive, Obama easily defeated Republican John McCain, smashing records and remaking history along the way. Ending an improbable journey that started for Obama a long 21 months ago, he drew a record-shattering $700 million to his campaign account alone.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Barack Obama says that his grandmother has died. The Democratic presidential candidate announced the news in a joint statement with his sister Maya Soetoro-Ng. He said his grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, had died peacefully after a battle with cancer. He said: "She was the cornerstone of our family, and a woman of extraordinary accomplishment, strength, and humility. She was the person who encouraged and allowed us to take chances. " The candidate learned of her death Monday morning while he was campaigning in Jacksonville, Fla. He planned to go ahead with campaign appearances.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Barack Obama and John McCain uncorked massive get-out-the-vote operations in more than a dozen battleground states Sunday, millions of telephone calls, mailings and door-knockings in a frenzied, fitting climax to a record-shattering $1 billion campaign. Together, they'll spend about $8 per presidential vote. With just two days to go, most national polls show Obama ahead of McCain. State surveys suggest the Democrat's path to the requisite 270 electoral votes - and perhaps far beyond - is much easier to navigate than McCain's.