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Just a few days ago, some Illinois politicians were jockeying to fill the Senate seat left vacant by President-elect Barack Obama. But with Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich facing federal corruption charges, those hopefuls are now trying to avoid the taint of the governor's scandal.

President-elect Barack Obama has chosen Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Chu to serve as his energy secretary. An official announcement is expected in Chicago Thursday.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D-IL) and his top aide have been arrested on corruption charges related to filling the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama. Robert Grant, Chicago FBI chief, said in Tuesday's press conference, if Illinois "isn't the most corrupt state in the United States, it's certainly one hell of a competitor."

In 1896, a small copper box filled with items of the day was placed in the foundation of a church in Novato, Calif. The box was opened Monday. Its damp contents included newspapers and a Bible.

Days of heavy rain triggered flash floods and landslides and destroyed homes across the country. Dozens have died and thousands have been evacuated.

Rep. Jan Schakowsky, a Democrat from Illinois, is blasting Gov. Rod Blagojevich following allegations that he attempted to auction off the senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama. Schakowsky, who is also a contender to senate appointment, likens the governor's alleged demands to "wild fantasies."

President-elect Barack Obama is expected to nominate Hilda Solis as labor secretary. The Democratic congresswoman was just elected to her fifth term representing heavily Hispanic portions of eastern Los Angeles County and east L.A. She is the daughter of Mexican and Nicaraguan immigrants.

The rockets being fired from Gaza into Israel is the work of Israeli collaborators, says Ahmed Yusuf, political adviser to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. He says Hamas was willing to agree to a new cease-fire with Israel, but Israel hadn't lived up to its end of the bargain.

Israeli warplanes pounded the Gaza Strip for a third day Monday. The death toll in Gaza surpassed 300, with at least 1,000 wounded. U.N. officials say more than 80 of the Palestinian dead are civilians. Two Israeli civilians are known to have died so far in Hamas rocket attacks.

Illinois Gov. has named longtime Chicago politician Roland Burris to fill the seat vacated by Barack Obama. The 71-year-old Burris is a former state attorney general and was the first black politician elected to major statewide office in Illinois. Senate Democrats say they won't seat him.