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Latest News

Stories of interest to Illinois Residents

Bush to Sign U.S. Mercury Export Ban

September 30, 2008

WASHINGTON -- U.S. mercury exports to developing countries will be banned under a measure expected to be signed by President George Bush, backers say.

Obama-Sponsored Mercury-Storage Bill Sent to President Bush

September 30, 2008

Stockpiles of toxic mercury kept by industry soon will be stored safely in the United States instead of ending up on the world market where it might pollute the environment.

Congress Sends Mercury Export Ban To President

September 29, 2008

The House today sent to President Bush a bill sponsored by presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., that would eventually ban the export of elemental mercury, the Associated Press reported.

Congress Sends Mercury Export Ban to President

September 29, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The House on Monday sent to President Bush a bill sponsored by Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama that would eventually ban the export of elemental mercury.

House Approves Export Ban

September 29, 2008

The House voted 393-5 today in favor of legislation that would ban U.S. mercury exports.

Legislators Pushing for Outside Investigation of Marion VA Deaths

September 26, 2008

MARION -- When Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake visited Marion earlier this month, he said he would welcome an investigation of the VA Medical Center in Marion from a source outside the agency if Congress deemed such an action necessary.

Illinois legislators ask for VA review

September 25, 2008

WASHINGTON - Four Illinois legislators, Sens. Dick Durbin and Barack Obama and Reps. Jerry Costello and John Shimkus, are urging U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey to review the findings of several Veterans' Administration investigations of the Marion VA Medical Center for possible criminal violations.

Lawmakers Press for Criminal Review of Ill. VA

September 25, 2008

MARION, Ill. - Several Illinois lawmakers are urging federal prosecutors to consider criminal charges in connection with surgical troubles at a Veterans Affairs hospital.

Durbin, Obama Support VA Medical Center

September 18, 2008

U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Barack Obama on Wednesday asked the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Dr. James Peake, to investigate the possibility of converting the St. Margaret's Hospital building Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Reduced Exit Packages Urged for Ousted Executives

September 10, 2008

Senator Barack Obama and two other prominent Democrats urged federal housing regulators on Tuesday to cut the golden parachutes of the ousted leaders of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, another sign that the government bailout of those mortgage giants could reverberate through the presidential campaign.

Second Report Shows Marion VA's Blindness to the Depth of Problems

September 10, 2008

MARION -- The final two parts of Veterans Affairs review of the VA Medical Center in Marion have been released, further revealing the depths of the problems that plagued the hospital.

Obama Seeks Review of CEO Exit Pay

September 10, 2008

Sen. Barack Obama and two senior Democratic lawmakers have asked the government to review exit-pay plans for the departing chief executives of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, increasing pressure on the executives to give up part of their multimillion-dollar payouts.

Obama Warns on Fannie, Freddie Golden Parachutes

September 9, 2008

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama warned U.S. regulators on Tuesday it would be "a gross violation of the public trust" if they did not use their power to block excessive severance payments to executives leaving Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.

Obama Objects To Severance For Ousted CEOs

September 9, 2008

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- Barack Obama objected to reports Monday that the ousted heads of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may receive lucrative severance packages and asked the Bush administration to ensure their "poor leadership" isn't rewarded.

183rd Firefighters Sticking Around For At Least Another Year

August 27, 2008

Firefighters with the Illinois Air National Guard's 183rd Fighter Wing learned Tuesday the Springfield base has received a new mission that will keep them on the job for at least another year.

National Guard firefighters to stay in Springfield

August 26, 2008

WASHINGTON - A firefighting unit connected with the Illinois National Guard's 183rd Fighter Wing in Springfield, Ill., will stay there for at least another year, lawmakers said Tuesday.

Obama Urges New Fighter Mission for Illinois Units

August 20, 2008

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sens. Barack Obama and Dick Durbin are pushing for a new flying mission for the Air Force's fighter wing in Springfield to ensure that it remains in the capital of their home state.

Report: VA officials ignored issues

August 14, 2008

MARION - The most recent investigation into the VA Medical Center in Marion reveals hospital managers knew some doctors there were not properly credentialed, including Dr. Jose Veizaga-Mendez, a surgeon suspected of being at least partly responsible for nine confirmed patient deaths last year.

Airline Relents on Troop Baggage Fee

August 14, 2008

American Airlines announced Thursday that it will eliminate fees for a third piece of checked luggage for active military personnel on their way to the war in Iraq or anywhere in the U.S. American and other airlines waived fees for first and second pieces of checked luggage for military members. Veterans of Foreign Wars, one of the country's largest veterans groups, has asked the aviation industry to eliminate all baggage fees for military personnel heading to Iraq.

Obama, Bayh Urge Gates to Increase Medical Care for Iraq Vets

August 4, 2008

Obama, Bayh, and eight other senators want Gates to increase TRICARE coverage to include specialized treatment for Iraq vets who have experienced a traumatic brain injury (TBI) during deployment. In the letter, citing a RAND Corporation study that 19 percent of all vets have experienced a TBI, the lawmakers argue that the most promising treatments are not readily available for many injured vets who are often forced to get special permissions to get access to critical care. This letter is an effort to petition the Pentagon to remove those barriers.

Senators Press Pentagon On Health Care

August 4, 2008

Barack Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton and eight other senators urged the Pentagon on Monday to expand health benefits to cover cognitive rehabilitation treatments for traumatic brain injury.

FDA's Handling of Salmonella Outbreak Riles Some State Officials

July 30, 2008

WASHINGTON -- The federal government's handling of the recent salmonella outbreak has left some state officials angry and frustrated, saying they should have been kept better informed.

Democrats Seek Tougher Crane Safety Standard as Deaths Mount

July 25, 2008

Crane-related fatalities continued to mount, with six deaths in the past week, prompting Democrats in Congress to push for an enhanced federal safety standard and put more pressure on the agency charged with overseeing workplace safety.

Construction Workers Deaths on the Strip

July 24, 2008

Washington -- High-profile senators including Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Edward M. Kennedy have urged the Bush administration to enforce safety regulations that could prevent construction deaths similar to those that have occurred on the Las Vegas Strip.

AP: US Lawmakers Hope to Approve Great Lakes Compact

July 23, 2008

WASHINGTON- A compact to prevent the diversion of water from the Great Lakes has widespread support in Congress and a strong chance of winning approval by the end of the year, lawmakers said Wednesday.

Administrator Overseeing Marion VA Gets Promoted

July 23, 2008

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Dr. Peter Almenoff, the administrator who previously had regional oversight responsibility for the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Marion, has been promoted to assist in administering quality control for the entire department.

Legislators Question VA Promotion

July 23, 2008

ST. LOUIS - Four federal lawmakers want a Veterans Affairs chief to explain the promotion of a regional official to a national patient-safety role, claiming a string of surgical deaths at a Southern Illinois VA hospital make the appointee's track record "questionable."

Federal Lawmakers to Fight Promotion of VA Official

July 23, 2008

ST. LOUIS -- Federal lawmakers are challenging the promotion of a regional Veterans Affairs official who they say didn't do enough to prevent surgical deaths at an Illinois hospital.

Deadly Denial: Shifting Rules Drowning Sick Nuclear Workers

July 22, 2008

At the height of the Cold War, hidden away in the nation's heartland amid grazing cattle and glistening cornfields, a top-secret installation bustled with hundreds of workers assembling nuclear warheads.

Deadly Denial: Government Fails to Help Sick Nuclear Workers

July 20, 2008

The Americans who built the nation's nuclear weapons are still fighting a cold war. Tens of thousands of sick nuclear arms workers -- or their survivors -- from every state in the nation have applied for compensation that Congress established for them in 2000. But most have never seen a dime.

Housing Aid Bill Passes Senate Test

June 24, 2008

WASHINGTON -- A bill aimed at helping hundreds of thousands of homeowners in danger of foreclosure cleared an important test vote in the Senate on Tuesday, raising the prospects for final passage of an aid bill by mid-summer.

Scripps Howard Editorial: A Better Way to Track SIDS, Stillbirths

June 23, 2008

The efforts of advocacy groups, backed by a groundbreaking Scripps Howard News Service investigation, paid off this month when Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., introduced a bill calling for uniform national standards for reporting and investigating stillbirths and sudden infant deaths.

Finding Clears Way for Hefty Duties on Chinese Pipe

June 21, 2008

WASHINGTON -- In a big victory for U.S. pipe makers, the U.S. International Trade Commission cleared the way for hefty import duties on standard steel pipe from China.

U.S. Trade Panel Backs Duties on Chinese Pipe Imports

June 20, 2008

The U.S. International Trade Commission ruled that domestic steel pipe makers are being harmed by competition from China, a decision that will lead to tariffs of more than 100 percent on imports of that product.

Secretary of Veterans Affairs to Visit Marion

June 19, 2008

MARION - In the wake of deaths caused by substandard care and a resulting critical federal report, the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs will visit the VA Medical Center in Marion.

VA Chief to Visit Troubled Vets Hospital in Marion

June 19, 2008

Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake said Thursday he will go to a southern Illinois VA hospital where surgeries were halted last year after a spike in patient deaths.

VA Report Cites Problems at Southern Ill. Veterans Hospital

June 19, 2008

WASHINGTON - A Veterans Affairs medical center in southern Illinois has a long list of problems that require the removal of its "senior leaders," according to an agency report that looked into complaints of sexual harassment, forced retirements of elderly staff and the hiring of poor physicians.

Midwest Senators Plea for Flood Money

June 18, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) - Twelve Midwestern senators are pleading with leading members of the Senate Appropriations Committee to join them in fighting for money to deal with the disastrous flooding in their home states.

Controversy Over Drug Trial Involving Veterans

June 18, 2008

Were the veterans properly notified? Should the drug trials be discontinued? A controversy has erupted over veterans participating in a research study of an anti-smoking medication linked to severe psychological disturbances and the risk of suicide. The drug, Chantix, is being tested with veterans from Iraq, Afghanistan and other conflicts who've been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Obama Proposes Legislation to Better Track SIDS, Stillbirths

June 16, 2008

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Barack Obama on Tuesday proposed legislation aimed at improving the way America investigates and accounts for sudden infant deaths as well as stillbirths.

Dozens Attend Rally for 183rd Flying Mission

May 31, 2008

Retired Col. Gene Blade speaks at a rally to save the 183rd Fighter Wing's firefighters and flying mission Saturday at American Legion Post 32. At left is 183rd firefighter Mike Evans. A rally to save the 183rd Fighter Wing's flying mission and keep the unit's firefighters in Springfield drew a crowd of about 100 people Saturday, but several scheduled speakers were derailed by the ongoing state budget debate.

Legislators Want to Discuss Marion VA

May 27, 2008

MARION - U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Barack Obama and Rep. Jerry Costello want to know who are responsible for nine reported patient deaths at the VA Medical Center in Marion last year. They also want to know how that decline in quality of patient care occurred.

Senate OK's bill barring contractors from avoiding tax

May 23, 2008

WASHINGTON - The Senate yesterday passed by unanimous consent a bill prohibiting federal contractors from avoiding Social Security and Medicare taxes by hiring workers through offshore shell companies.

Obama Urges Bush to Withhold Korean Trade Pact, Not Force Vote

May 23, 2008

Bloomberg -- Illinois Senator Barack Obama, the leading contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, told President George W. Bush it would be ``misguided'' to press Congress to vote on a new trade agreement with South Korea.

U.S. FTC Reports 14 Deals to Delay Generics in '07

May 23, 2008

WASHINGTON, May 23 (Reuters) - Brand name pharmaceutical companies struck 14 deals that led to delayed sale of cheaper generic drugs in the 2007 fiscal year, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said.

Senate Panel OKs Homeowner Rescue

May 21, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Profits from government-sponsored mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, instead of taxpayers, would back up a home loan rescue for up to 500,000 strapped borrowers under a plan approved by a key Senate committee Tuesday to pull the nation out of a housing crisis.

Sudden Job Loss Destroys Lives, Ex-Workers Tell Senate Panel

May 21, 2008

WASHINGTON - A factory worker who toiled nearly 27 years in an upholstery fabric plant in Massachusetts told a U.S. Senate panel yesterday that his family is barely scraping by since he and his wife were laid off from their jobs without notice in July, 2007.

Obama Demands VA Investigation into PTSD Diagnoses

May 16, 2008

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is demanding an investigation into reports that a supervisor at a Texas Veterans' Affairs facility told staff members to refrain from diagnosing returning war veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder in order to reduce costs.

Senate Votes to Roll Back Media Ownership Rule

May 16, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate Thursday night voted to nullify a Federal Communications Commission rule that allows media companies to own a newspaper and a television station in the same market.

Obama's FEC Deadlock Fixes Itself

May 16, 2008

A bit of late-breaking news tonight: That Federal Election Commission deadlock Barack Obama helped create seems to have solved itself.

Benedictine Cuts Costs for Veterans

May 10, 2008

Illinois veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan will soon be able to get a break on their college education at Benedictine University's campuses, including Springfield College-Benedictine University.

Free Education for State's War Vets

May 10, 2008

To thank the U.S. military, Benedictine University will offer Illinois veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq a free education through its First Responder program, officials said Friday.

Benedictine University Offers Free Tuition to War Veterans

May 9, 2008

Call it a starter kit for funding Illinois military veterans' education. Benedictine University President William Carroll announced Friday that a $750,000 federal grant will enable the university to create a tuition-free education program for veterans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Senators want Chicago in Anti-Gang Effort

April 29, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) - Both of Illinois' senators want to meet with U.S. Justice Department officials to talk about including the Chicago area in the department's Comprehensive Anti-Gang initiative.

Durbin, Obama Say Chicago Should be Part of Anti-Gang Initiative

April 28, 2008

Citing the recent spike in shootings in the Chicago area, U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Barack Obama have requested a meeting with Justice Department officials to discuss the inclusion of the Chicago area in the department's Comprehensive Anti-Gang Initiative--a program created to enhance gang prevention across the country.

Senators Want Chicago Included in National Anti-Gang Initiative

April 28, 2008

Illinois Senators Dick Durbin and Barack Obama are asking the Department of Justice to include Chicago in a two-year old anti-gang initiative. Ten cities already in the program have each received $2.5 million for anti-gang efforts.

PBIs Make Gains in Washington

April 28, 2008

After years of lobbying for more federal aid and visibility, predominantly Black colleges and universities -- many of them located in northern cities -- are gaining a greater foothold in Washington.

New Role Proposed for Airport Fire Station

April 28, 2008

A proposal to expand the role of the federally funded fire station at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport is being discussed in Washington, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Springfield, said last week.

Senate Approves Filipino Vets Bill

April 25, 2008

WASHINGTON -- The Senate yesterday approved a omnibus veterans benefit bill that would authorize $221 million over the next decade to give special pensions to low-income Filipinos who fought with the U.S. Army against the Japanese in World War II. "The Filipino veterans of World War II fought bravely under U.S. military command, helping us win the war only to lose their veteran status by an act of Congress," said U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Akaka, D-Hawai'i, chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and sponsor of the bill.

Congress Daily: Obama, Kerry Seek Inquiry On Contractors' Tax Avoidance

April 24, 2008

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, who ran four years ago, asked a Senate oversight panel today to investigate U.S. government contractors who set up shell companies in foreign jurisdictions to avoid taxes.

Obama Urges Swift Passage of FCC-Blocking Bill

April 24, 2008

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) said Thursday that the recent newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership-rule change approved by the Federal Communications Commission was the kind of special-interest-engineered change he opposes, and he sought a quick vote on the bill in the full Senate. Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), who is motormanning the effort, said Tuesday that the bill was on a fast track.

Obama Prods TSA on O'Hare Security Slip

April 18, 2008

Illinois senator and Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama sent a letter to the Transportation Security Administration on Thursday expressing "serious concerns" over TSA uniforms being left in the open at O'Hare Airport.

Decision Delay May Mot Be a Bad Thing

April 13, 2008

A federal board last week again delayed a decision on claims for compensation from workers at the old Blockson Chemical plant in Joliet.

LA Times: Senate Passes Housing Relief Bill

April 11, 2008

WASHINGTON -- The Senate today passed legislation aimed at addressing the nation's housing crisis, setting the stage for difficult negotiations with the House, which is working on a more sweeping measure tilted more toward aiding homeowners at risk of losing their home and propping up the struggling real estate market.

Senate Backs Housing Bill Heavy on Tax Breaks

April 11, 2008

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Thursday voted overwhelmingly to approve a $15 billion bill tackling the nation's housing market crisis with tax breaks for corporations and some assistance for distressed homeowners.

Glencoe Couple Sponsors Trip to D.C.

April 10, 2008

Sometimes presidential candidate Barack Obama's senatorial office is rope-a-doped by reporters or Republicans, but this past March his organization took comments from Englewood high school students looking for positive change.

Congress Looks at Workers' Safety

April 10, 2008

For months, workplace safety officials in North Carolina and about two dozen other states have complained that the federal government is shortchanging them.

Federal Lawmakers Urge Quick Approval of Disaster Declaration

April 10, 2008

Federal lawmakers today urged President Bush to expedite Gov. Rod Blagojevich's request that Alexander, Franklin, Jackson, Perry, Pulaski, Randolph, Union, Williamson and seven other Illinois counties be declared a federal disaster area.

Durbin, Obama Seek Flood Aid

April 10, 2008

As another potent storm system zeros in on Illinois' midsection, the state's two U.S. senators, Democrats Dick Durbin and Barack Obama, are seeking federal help for victims of last month's flooding in 15 southern Illinois counties.

Towns, Counties Joining to Fight EJ&E; Sale

April 10, 2008

Dozens of local municipal and county leaders are gathering Friday to organize their battle against the hotly disputed sale of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway.

AP: House Advances Civil Rights Coin

April 2, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Congress is advancing legislation to mark the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act with a commemorative silver dollar.

Lawmakers: Toughen Poultry Plant Penalties

April 2, 2008

Saying companies that ignore workplace hazards face little more than a "slap on the wrist," lawmakers on Tuesday called for stiffer penalties and stronger enforcement against chronic violators.

Los Angeles Times Blog: EPA issues new rules to protect kids from lead during remodels

April 1, 2008

Sixteen years ago, Congress told the Environmental Protection Agency to do something about the lead-tainted dust that seeps into the air during renovations of houses built before 1978.

AP: EPA Issues New Rules on Lead Paint

March 31, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Contractors will have to take additional precautions when renovating buildings where children could be exposed to lead dust from old paint, the Environmental Protection Agency said Monday.

Chicago Tribune Editorial: To Your Safety

March 11, 2008

The U.S. Senate was in rare bipartisan agreement last week when it voted 79-13 to pass a broad reform of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The Senate said that the commission -- the agency responsible for ensuring the safety of everything from baby cribs to electric chain saws -- needs more staffing, more money and greater openness

Taking a Closer Look

March 8, 2008

Livingston and Iroquois counties were granted a federal disaster declaration Friday because of the January floods.

Pontiac, Watseka Will Receive Federal Help for Flood Damage

March 8, 2008

PONTIAC -- The people of Pontiac and Watseka will receive federal help after all for the damage done in January by Vermilion River flooding, but when it will start arriving isn't clear.

ABC 7 Chicago: Government Reverses Flooding Funding Decision

March 7, 2008

WATSEKA, Ill. (WLS) -- The federal government has changed its mind, and flood victims in Iroquois and Livingston counties will be eligible for federal disaster relief. Heavy rain and melting snow caused flooding in mid-January. The towns of Watseka and Pontiac were especially hard hit.

Senate Approves Product Safety Crackdown

March 6, 2008

WASHINGTON - A bill to crack down on dangerous consumer products was approved by the Senate on Thursday after a year of recalls of millions of lead-tainted toys and other hazardous products, many made in China.

Senate OKs Sweeping Consumer Safety Reforms

March 6, 2008

WASHINGTON - The Senate on Thursday passed the most sweeping reform of the nation's consumer safety system in a generation, including stricter tests for toys, greater public access to complaints about products and an overhaul of the federal safety agency charged with regulating most items in American homes.

AP: Nearly 100 homes evacuated along Rock River

March 6, 2008

MOLINE -- Two people have been injured in flooding along the Rock River in Moline. Authorities say a woman is in stable condition with hypothermia, and a firefighter sustained a strained knee.

Lawmakers Blast USDA for Blocking Audit

February 28, 2008

WASHINGTON- Six members of the Congressional Black Caucus urged the Agriculture Department on Friday to explain why it refused to cooperate with a government audit this week, calling the decision "entirely unacceptable."

AFP: Trailers Given to US Disaster Victims Unsafe: CDC

February 14, 2008

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Tens of thousands of trailers that the US government provided people left homeless after Hurricane Katrina contain unsafe levels of cancer-causing formaldehyde, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Thursday. Average formaldehyde levels in the units provided Katrina and other disaster victims by the Federal Emergency Management Agency were about five times higher than normal, high enough to raise the risk of cancer, according to CDC tests.

FEMA to Move People Out of Trailers With Toxic Threat

February 14, 2008

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (AP) -- Authorities say they will step up efforts to move hurricane victims out of more than 35,000 trailers now that tests indicate possibly high levels of formaldehyde contamination.

Legislators React Angrily to VA Findings

January 30, 2008

MARION - Four Illinois Congressmen have voiced their displeasure with Veterans Administration officials following Monday's release of federal investigation results into 29 deaths the VA Medical Center.

Birth-control Costs in Colleges Soar After Congress' Error

January 26, 2008

WASHINGTON -- Jen Mayekawa temporarily stopped using birth control last spring when she discovered the cost had more than quadrupled, from $11 to $49 per month.

Congress May Track Threat Reduction More Closely

January 14, 2008

WASHINGTON — An omnibus federal funding bill that U.S. President George W. Bush signed into law late last month includes provisions intended to allow Congress to more closely monitor progress in nuclear threat reduction efforts (see GSN, Dec. 21, 2007).

Obama, Durbin Fight for Fermi Funds

December 21, 2007

U.S. Democratic Senators Dick Durbin and Barack Obama and Rep. Judy Biggert (R-Hinsdale), chairman of the House Energy Committee, today launched a campaign to restore $62 million cut from the budget for Fermilab, the Batavia-based high-energy physics lab.

Obama Slams Media-Ownership Decision

December 18, 2007

Sen. and presidential candidate Barack Obama (D-Ill.) took the Federal Communications Commission to task Tuesday for its decision to loosen ownership rules. Barack Obama

Senate Votes to Reopen Black Farmers' Lawsuits

December 17, 2007

WASHINGTON (AP) - The farm bill approved by the Senate last week moved Congress a step closer to reopening a landmark discrimination case against the Agriculture Department.

Kerry, Obama Continue Push vs. Dec. 18 Vote

December 14, 2007

Late Friday, Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.) weighed in on the media-ownership debate, telling Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin in a letter that if he did not delay an FCC vote on the broadcast-newspaper cross-ownership rules, they would ask that the Appropriations Committee deny any funding to implement that decision.

Obama Also Seeking Answers to Contract Employee's Allegations

December 14, 2007

WASHINGTON (AP)- A second Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, has joined in chastising federal officials over a woman's allegations she was raped while working for a military contractor in Iraq.

Obama Op-Ed in Chicago Defender, Austin Weekly News: Former Prisoners Deserve a Second Chance

December 5, 2007

In America, nearly a third of African-American men will enter state or federal prison during their lives. Too many will be lost in the criminal justice system and end up in prison, poverty, and unemployment. And in some cases, the lack of job training and support programs means that those who are released could fail to become fully rehabilitated, and may go on to commit more crimes.

Wyden, Obama Introduce Credit Card Safety Star Act of 2007

December 5, 2007

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Working to give consumers the tools to make informed choices about complex credit card agreements, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Barack Obama, from Illinois, introduced the "Credit Card Safety Star Act of 2007."

Obama: FCC Must Slow Down

December 5, 2007

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) said Tuesday that the Federal Communications Commission must not be allowed to "move forward with regulatory changes through leaks to the press and closed-door meetings."

Peake: I'll Fight for Vets' Health Care

December 5, 2007

WASHINGTON (AP) — Veterans Affairs Secretary nominee James Peake pledged Wednesday to bring accountability to the embattled VA, saying he will reduce delays in disability pay and improve mental health care for thousands of injured veterans.

Op-Ed by Senator Barack Obama

November 22, 2007

Recently, the Georgia Supreme Court intervened in the case of Genarlow Wilson, a twenty-one year old Georgia honor student who was sentenced to eleven years in prison—even though he didn’t even commit a felony. The court recognized that the case was outrageous, deemed Wilson’s punishment unconstitutional, and released him. As we celebrate this young man’s freedom, we must also to rededicate ourselves to the task of correcting the inequities in our criminal justice system that led to his ordeal.

Sources See Continued Push for ‘Energy Lite’ With Expanded RFS

November 20, 2007

Before Congress adjourns for the year, it will likely pass some version of an energy bill that will contain an increased renewable fuels standard (RFS), a handful of Capitol Hill observers and legislative aides predict.

U.S. Offers Mild Criticism in Saudi Rape Case

November 19, 2007

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States, which wants Saudi Arabia to attend a Middle East conference next week, gave only mild criticism on Monday of a Saudi court's order to double the number of lashings for a gang rape victim.

America Has Obligation to Right the Wrongs of Centuries Past

November 18, 2007

As we work to find the best solutions to the challenges America’s farmers face in the 21st century, we have an opportunity – and an obligation – to right the wrongs of the past century.

Affordable Family Planning

November 18, 2007

Last week, Senators Barack Obama, Democrat of Illinois, and Claire McCaskill, Democrat of Missouri, unveiled a similar bill. The legislation deserves swift passage. College students and low-income women should not be priced out of family planning.

Barack Obama: School Strategy in Middle Grades is Key

November 16, 2007

The challenges facing our children and schools are not just something we see on television or read in our papers, they're something we confront everyday in our homes, neighborhoods and churches.

Media Consolidation Silences Diverse Voices

November 8, 2007

The bedrock of America's greatest advances — the foundation of what we know today are defining values — was formed not by cheering on things as they were, but by taking them on and demanding change.

The thoughtful exchange of diverse viewpoints not only helps guarantee our freedom as individuals, it ensures those in power can be held accountable for all that they do.

Consumer Agency's Recent 'Gift Travel' May Spur a Ban

November 8, 2007

Records newly released by the Consumer Product Safety Commission demonstrate that its employees traveled on industry-financed trips dating at least to 1998, demonstrating a wider use of "gift travel" than previously known.

Lawmaker Targets Industry Travel By Regulators

November 7, 2007

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Democratic senator on Wednesday introduced a bill to prohibit federal regulators from traveling at the expense of industries they oversee.

Students Challenge Rising Cost of "The Pill"

November 5, 2007

Ames, IA - A petition to Congress from more than 400 Iowa college students is part of an intensifying lobbying effort among college students and school employees to counter the effects of federal legislation that in January made it more difficult for contraceptive manufacturers to offer discounts to college health centers.

In Defense of Voting Rights

November 5, 2007

A House Judiciary subcommittee was the site of a sad spectacle the other day: John Tanner, who heads of the Justice Department’s voting section, trying to explain offensive, bigoted comments he made about minority voters. It was a shameful moment that crystallized the need for immediate steps to fight for the rights that Mr. Tanner has been working so hard to undermine.

Democrats Want Inquiry on 9.5 pct Student Loans

November 1, 2007

WASHINGTON- Six Senate Democrats called on Thursday for a complete accounting by the Bush administration of overpayments by the U.S. Education Department to college student loan firms under a loan program that guaranteed the firms a 9.5 percent interest rate. The overpayments may have totaled hundreds of millions of dollars from 2003 to 2006 and taxpayers have a right to know the actual amount, the senators said in an October 31 letter sent to the department's inspector general.

Blackwater Guards Given Immunity In Deadly Shooting

October 29, 2007

WASHINGTON-The State Department promised Blackwater USA bodyguards immunity from prosecution in its investigation of last month's deadly shooting of 17 Iraqi civilians, The Associated Press has learned.

Obama Urges Feds To Do More To Help Workers

October 29, 2007

Presidential candidate and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama sent a letter to U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao last week suggesting how she could do more to help ill nuclear weapons workers nationwide.

Senate Battle Over FEC Nominee May Hamper Agency's Ability to Act

October 26, 2007

With no resolution in sight to a partisan stalemate over one of President Bush's nominees to the Federal Election Commission , campaign finance experts said yesterday that there is a real prospect the commission could start the 2008 election year without enough members to take any official action.

Backlash Dims Ethanol Boom at Critical Time

October 22, 2007

Washington, D.C. -- The golden glow of corn ethanol has faded at a bad time. The ethanol industry faces a price-depressing glut of the fuel and is looking to Congress to increase the amount of biofuels that refiners must use.

Private Military Out of Control

October 22, 2007

If the U.S. government persists in outsourcing war to private contractors, those companies need to be accountable to the American people.

They're Throwing Them Away

October 21, 2007

WASHINGTON — After two combat tours in Iraq on a "quick reaction team" that picked up body parts after suicide bombings, Donald Schmidt began suffering from nightmares and paranoia. Then he had a nervous breakdown.

US Senators Offer Stand-Alone Ethanol Fuel Bill

October 19, 2007

WASHINGTON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Citing delays in reconciling energy legislation passed by both chambers of Congress earlier this year, two Democratic senators on Thursday unveiled a stand-alone bill to require 18 billion gallons of renewable fuels to be blended with U.S. gasoline supply by 2016.

EPA details more concerns with U.S. Steel permit

October 18, 2007

Federal regulators who recently blocked a wastewater permit for U.S. Steel's Gary Works steel mill complex have told Indiana officials they now have additional concerns about the draft permit. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sent a letter to Indiana officials on Wednesday detailing three new objections to the permit. Four members of Congress from Indiana and Illinois also have urged the agency to hold a public hearing on the proposed permit.

After Audit, Insurers Vow to Improve Medicare Service

October 10, 2007

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 — Health insurance companies cited by federal auditors for violation of Medicare standards said Tuesday that they were addressing the deficiencies and would improve service to patients, who will be able to switch plans in the last six weeks of the year.

Op-ed By Barack Obama: In Opposition to Hans von Spakovsky

October 8, 2007

More than 40 years ago, John Lewis and Hosea Williams, along with hundreds of everyday Americans, left their homes and churches to brave the blows of Billy clubs and join a march for freedom across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Thousands of anonymous foot soldiers – Blacks and Whites, the young and the elderly – summoned the courage to march for justice and demand freedom. A few months later, the Voting Rights Act was signed into law.

Obama, Harkin write to Bush about USDA stance on black farmers

October 5, 2007

Presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) kept up his pressure on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Thursday, suggesting that the department sought to weaken legislation designed to provide relief for disenfranchised black farmers. In a letter dated Thursday to President Bush, Obama again criticized USDA employees who had allegedly lobbied against a provision in the House’s farm bill that would reopen discrimination claims by black farmers who had missed the filing deadline.

House Bill Would Allow Prosecution of Contractors

October 4, 2007

WASHINGTON, Oct. 4 — With the armed security force Blackwater USA and other private contractors in Iraq facing tighter scrutiny, the House overwhelmingly approved a bill today that would bring all United States government contractors in the Iraq war zone under the jurisdiction of American criminal law. The measure would require the F.B.I. to investigate any allegations of wrongdoing.

Pentagon: Mental Illnesses 'Pre-Existing'

October 1, 2007

WASHINGTON (UPI) — Pentagon officials are blaming some mental health discharges of U.S. troops in Iraq on what they call pre-existing mental conditions.

Many Soldiers Get Boot for 'Pre-Existing' Mental Illness

September 30, 2007

Working behind the scenes, Sens. Christopher "Kit" Bond, R-Mo., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., have written and inserted into the defense authorization bill a provision that would make it harder for the Pentagon to discharge thousands of troops....

Blackwater and the Business of War

September 30, 2007

On Sept. 10, 2001, then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld gave a speech at the Pentagon on the need to combat "an adversary that poses a threat, a serious threat, to the security of the United States of America." The enemy wasn't Russia, China or Al Qaeda. It was the Pentagon bureaucracy. Rumsfeld declared a crusade not merely to attack waste but to transform the military into a technologically superior fighting force that would achieve what no modern military ever had: corporate-style efficiency.

Senator Obama Presses Bush on Blackwater

September 25, 2007

As Democrats weigh new limits on the private security firms in Iraq, one of the party's presidential hopefuls on Monday pushed President Bush to shed new light on war contractors before Congress does so first.

Obama: Stop personality-disorder discharges

September 20, 2007

Timelines and troop levels have thus far dominated the Senate's current debate over a bill reauthorizing the Department of Defense. But a group of senators led by Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is quietly trying to push another issue into the bill: the fate of soldiers who are diagnosed with "personality disorders" upon return from combat.

Tax loophole hurts misclassified workers

September 17, 2007

Every day, millions of working Americans go to their jobs, play by the rules and hope to make a decent living for themselves and their families. These workers strengthen our middle class and keep our economy going. In turn, the vast majority of American employers hold up their end of the bargain by treating their employees fairly.

LA Times: Lobbyist Overhaul Legislation Signed

September 15, 2007

The ethics bill curbs private entities' abilities to lavish gifts on lawmakers. Public agencies can still give game tickets, other items. Los Angeles Times Staff Writer by Richard Simon September 15, 2007 WASHINGTON — -- President Bush on Friday signed...

Bush Signs Lobby-Ethics Bill

September 15, 2007

WASHINGTON -- President Bush signed a bill Friday that will require lawmakers to disclose more about their efforts to fund pet projects and raise money from lobbyists, a measure that backers call the biggest ethics reform in decades.

Obama, Durbin Want to Meet with B of A on LaSalle Deal

September 15, 2007

(Crain's) — Sens. Richard J. Durbin and Barack Obama are seeking a meeting with Bank of America Corp. CEO Kenneth Lewis to discuss the impact of B of A's pending acquisition of LaSalle Bank Corp. — a move that signals a shift in what until now has been a largely mute response from Chicago's political leaders to the prospect of thousands of lost jobs here. In a letter sent Friday, the Democratic senators asked to meet with Mr. Lewis and other senior executives "at your earliest opportunity."

Democrats Tout New Lobbying Law

September 14, 2007

President Bush today signed into a law a major overhaul of lobbying and ethics laws — even though he made it clear he's not entirely pleased with the bill. While Congress approved the bill before the August recess, Democratic leaders held off sending the bill to the White House until last week to eliminate the possibility that Bush would kill it with a pocket veto by letting it sit unsigned for 10 days

The Swamp: Obama, Davis Boost New Type of 'Black College'

September 7, 2007

The Senate passed a broad higher-education bill today that included a small but important -- for a quarter million African-American students, anyway -- provision pushed by a pair of lawmakers from Illinois.

Obama Urges Action to Help With Dam

August 21, 2007

ROCKFORD — Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., is urging Congress to pass the Water Resources Development Act of 2007, which would provide money to strengthen and repair Alpine Dam in northeast Rockford.

Obama Attacks Violence in Chicago

July 17, 2007

Speaking to a Sunday congregation in Chicago, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama used often-fiery rhetoric to mourn the city's recent spate of gun violence and challenged the government, the gun lobby and the public to do more to stop it.

Bill May Build Consensus on Aid To Predominantly Black Colleges

June 29, 2007

A series of changes on Capitol Hill is providing new momentum for efforts to create a federal aid program for predominantly Black colleges — institutions that enroll a large number of African-Americans but are not recognized as historically Black schools.

Voter Intimidation Targeted By Obama

June 7, 2007

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Thursday that voter intimidation practices are targeting minorities, senior citizens and the poor and must stop in time for the next election.

Healing Warriors

May 28, 2007

A recently released Pentagon survey found that 30 percent of soldiers who have experienced heavy combat in Iraq also experienced mental health problems. The fraction is lower, but still high, for soldiers serving outside high combat areas -- 20 percent. Lengthy deployments and inadequate time for rest and relaxation magnify the intensity of the conflict. And those who serve multiple tours are yet more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental ailments. Yet soldiers who return from grinding combat in Iraq or Afghanistan with sometimes debilitating mental illnesses often have to contend with outdated rules and bureaucratic hassles to get the compensation and treatment that they deserve -- and sometimes do not get either.

Lawmakers Cite Compensation Progress for Ill Nuclear Workers

May 11, 2007

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — More employees at Dow Chemical Co.'s former nuclear facility in Madison, Ill., may become eligible for compensation for exposure to radiation during the Cold War.

Ill. National Guard's Readiness Scrutinized

May 10, 2007

Associated Press by Jim Suhr

Illinois has ample National Guard manpower to respond to any natural disaster or terrorist attack within its borders, but its arsenal of heavy equipment for such emergencies has been strained by their deployment overseas, state and federal officials warn.

UL Faces Pain at the Pump

May 7, 2007

Crains Chicago by Paul Merrion

Underwriters Laboratories is under pressure from ethanol backers including Sen. Barack Obama, Rep. J. Dennis Hastert and Sen. Richard Durbin to remove the speed bump the lab put in the path of a new ethanol-based fuel touted by President George W. Bush and the auto industry.

Obama Reintroduces Legislation on Mortgage Fraud

April 25, 2007

Reuters

WASHINGTON - Illinois Senator Barack Obama introduced legislation Wednesday that would set a national standard for mortgage fraud and outline penalties for fraudsters.

A Check on Executive Pay

April 25, 2007

Allowing shareholders a nonbinding vote on executive pay might influence corporate boards to apply the brakes to runaway compensation packages.

Why Were Soldiers With PTSD Discharged?

April 19, 2007

Senators ask for investigation into ‘upsetting allegations’

Army Times by Kelly Kennedy

Six senators have requested an investigation into what they call “upsetting allegations�? that the Army gave personality-disorder discharges to 18 Fort Carson, Colo., soldiers diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injuries.

Obama Says Chicagoans Should Be Proud

April 14, 2007

The Associated Press

CHICAGO- U.S. Senator Barack Obama says Chicagoans should be proud that their metropolis was selected as the American bid city for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Obama Files Bill to Help Homeless Veterans

April 11, 2007

WASHINGTON — Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., introduced legislation on Tuesday to increase funding for housing and rental assistance programs for homeless veterans, including down-and-out service members returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Recall of Children's Items Leads to Reintroduce Lead Legislation

April 5, 2007

WASHINGTON - Reacting to a manufacturer's recall of 4 million lead-contaminated children's bracelets, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama will reintroduce lead poisoning legislation when the Senate reconvenes next week.

Obama, Durbin Push to Help 183rd

March 29, 2007

U.S. senators from Illinois are pushing the Pentagon to establish an Air Operations Center at Springfield's Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport. The approval would mean more jobs for the 183rd Tactical Fighter Wing.

Obama Calls for Housing Summit on Foreclosures

March 22, 2007

WASHINGTON, March 22 (Reuters) - U.S. presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama called on Thursday for top economic policy-makers to convene a conference to help homeowners avoid losing their homes amid a wave of foreclosures.

Obama Backs Citizenship Promotion Bill

March 7, 2007

WASHINGTON — Presidential hopeful Barack Obama joined in an effort to keep U.S. citizenship within reach for immigrants — including some 9 million already eligible to become citizens.

Although illegal immigration is presenting some thorny challenges for Democrats, the idea of promoting American citizenship for those who enter the country legally is widely supported in both parties.

Obama, Biden Sponsor Bill With Tax Breaks for Auto Fuel Gains

March 5, 2007

March 5 (Bloomberg) -- Automakers in the U.S. would get tax breaks for raising fuel economy 4 percent a year under a bill whose sponsors include Senators Barack Obama and Joseph Biden, who are seeking the Democratic presidential nomination.

The proposal includes ``generous tax incentives'' to retool parts and U.S. plants to meet the tougher standards, Obama, an Illinois Democrat, said in a statement today. The legislation would allow different standards for different types of vehicles, rather than an average for an automaker's entire fleet of models.

Bill Would Reform Treatment of Wounded Vets

March 1, 2007

Army Times By Rick Maze

In the wake of the continuing scandal over the housing and medical evaluation process for wounded service members at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, House and Senate Democrats have unveiled a sweeping bill promising comprehensive reforms of how combat veterans and their families are treated.

Obama: Redistribute Anti-Terror Millions

March 1, 2007

Associated Press Writer By Nedra Pickler

WASHINGTON – Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama wants to change the government's formula for giving states money for homeland security, with the early voting states getting a little extra.

Congress Attends To Wounded Veterans

March 1, 2007

WASHINGTON- Prodded by veterans and embarrassed by media accounts of returning servicemen's plight, Congress is moving to improve care for the men and women injured in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Obama Has Right Idea on Security

February 27, 2007

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial

Though the newly hatched Democratic presidential candidates have expended time and energy defining themselves over having apologized or not apologized for authorizing the Iraq war, we haven't heard much from them on another pressing war topic, homeland security. But that stands to change this week, with Barack Obama putting before the Senate a proposal to take the Improving America's Security Act one step further in making "risks and vulnerabilities" -- as stated by the 9/11 Commission -- the determining factors in what percentage of anti-terrorism dollars each state receives.

US Says Must Fix Treatment of Wounded War Veterans

February 21, 2007

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

WASHINGTON- The Bush administration said on Tuesday problems in the treatment of wounded U.S. war veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan need to be fixed, after reports that many face neglect in the Army's medical system.

Senate begins work on ethics bill

January 8, 2007

There is some "institutional resistance," said Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., a potential candidate who has long championed the notion of an independent office of public integrity that would take over some of the self-policing duties of the Senate ethics committee. "A lot of members are concerned about the use of an independent commission as a political club to beat them over the head," Obama said at a news conference Monday as debate on ethics legislation opened.

A Chance To Change The Game

January 4, 2007

This past Election Day, the American people sent a clear message to Washington: Clean up your act. After a year in which too many scandals revealed the influence special interests wield over Washington, it's no surprise that so many incumbents were defeated and that polls said "corruption" was the grievance cited most frequently by the voters. It would be a mistake, however, to conclude that this message was intended for only one party or politician. The votes hadn't even been counted in November before we heard reports that corporations were already recruiting lobbyists with Democratic connections to carry their water in the next Congress.

Durbin, Obama urge passage of court security bill

December 8, 2006

WASHINGTON Illinois Senators Dick Durbin and Barack Obama are pushing the U-S House to approve a measure designed to improve federal court security before the Congress adjourns for Christmas. The Court Security Improvement Act would increase penalties for people who threaten or harass judges. The law also would allow the hiring of additional U-S Marshals to protect federal judges.

Tons of mercury could hit market

November 27, 2006

While the Bush administration promotes efforts to scrub mercury from the environment, one federal agency is considering selling a huge stockpile of the toxic metal on the world market. The Department of Energy acknowledged last week that it is mulling whether to unload more than 1,300 tons of mercury it collected over the years for processing materials used to make hydrogen bombs.

Big 3 Auto Heads Get Little From President

November 15, 2006

Democrats are pushing a number of industry-related initiatives on trade and health care. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) said he would continue to try to build support for a proposal to have the government pick up part of the auto industry's retiree health-care bills, if the carmakers promise to invest in new energy technologies such as hybrids. "My hope is that the president and his staff are working to examine these approaches," Obama said yesterday in an interview. "I can assure you if the president doesn't take the lead, the Congress will."

Obama gets new committee assignments

November 15, 2006

WASHINGTON (AP) -- While Senator Barack Obama considers whether he should run for the White House in 2008 and possibly become the nation's first black president, he is getting more assignments to keep him busy on Capitol Hill. In the upcoming 110th Congress, where Democrats will control both the House and the Senate, the Chicago Democrat will have his duties spread among four committees, instead of on three, as he has had in the 109th Congress.

A King memorial for 'eternal truths'

November 14, 2006

WASHINGTON -- Only a select number of Americans have been honored with individual monuments on the National Mall in Washington. There are no memorials to historic African-Americans. And few, if any, of those enshrined there were ever jailed. But that's all about to change. Nearly 40 years after the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., construction began Monday on a National Mall memorial honoring the civil rights icon.

Obama Comes to Rockford

October 2, 2006

Senator Barack Obama wants to know what's important in our community. So the freshman Senator hosted a town hall meeting Saturday at Rock Valley College. "We should begin a phased withdrawal and we should begin this year," Obama says. Condemning the war in Iraq was the highlight of this town hall meeting. Senator Barack Obama says the war has become less about the military and more about the game of politics.

Obama's First Law Known As 'Google For Government'

September 26, 2006

(CBS) CHICAGO Some A-list celebrities now say U.S. Sen. Barack Obama is their presidential pick for 2008. Oprah Winfrey and Halle Berry have gone public urging him to run. Tuesday was a big day for the junior senator from Illinois. For the first time, a bill he sponsored became law.

Sen. Obama at Joliet town hall

September 23, 2006

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama told an enthusiastic crowd of 1,300 in Joliet on Friday that their issues are important to him. "I especially enjoy coming to Will County because I think this is one of those areas that is really representative of what is best in Illinois," he said. "It's a growing area. It's an area full of working class people." At his 57th town hall meeting since being elected, Obama said the meetings help him stay in touch with local issues.

Bloggers help Obama pass Senate pork bill

September 9, 2006

WASHINGTON -- Teamed with Republican Sen. Tom Coburn, Sen. Barack Obama has scored the biggest legislative victory of his Senate career on a bill to establish federal searchable databases of all government contracts, loans, grants and special-interest spending commonly known as pork. Coburn of Oklahoma and Obama (D-Ill.) overcame the secret opposition of two powerful Senate veterans, Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), partly because Internet bloggers on the left and right tracked down and disclosed that first Stevens and then Byrd had stealthily put holds on the bill

Next step: pressuring U.S. on Sudan

September 4, 2006

N'DJAMENA, Chad -- Sen. Barack Obama departed this capital city Sunday morning on an Army military aircraft to Frankfort, Germany, to catch a commercial flight back to the United States. He leaves with a "great urgency" to pressure the United States and other players to force Sudan to accept a United Nations peacekeeping force in the Darfur region. Obama's last stop was at a refugee camp near the Chad-Sudan border where a total of 15,333 people who fled Janjaweed violence live.

Sudanese refugees tell U.S. senator Darfur needs U.N. force

September 2, 2006

MILE REFUGEE CAMP, Chad (AP) - Thousands of Sudanese refugees crowded U.S. Sen. Barack Obama on Saturday as he visited their camp in eastern Chad and delivered a single message: Bring in the United Nations. The refugees told Obama an international peacekeeping force is the only hope they have of returning to their normal lives in Sudan's western region of Darfur. Some carried banners held up on sticks demanding U.N. action.

Obama Visits Flood-Displaced Ethiopians

August 31, 2006

DIRE DAWA, Ethiopia -- Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., visited a sprawling tent camp in eastern Ethiopia on Thursday for people displaced by devastating floods earlier this month, saying the U.S. military will continue to help the region. U.S. Navy personnel began relief operations two weeks ago in the eastern town of Dire Dawa, where the first flash floods ripped through the town on Aug. 6. In eastern, southern and northeastern Ethiopia, flooding caused by the heavy rains has killed more than 600 people and displaced tens of thousands of people, according to U.N. officials.

The imperfections of man

August 30, 2006

Being Barack Obama means having to dampen expectations at every turn--here and everywhere he goes. Before he was even sworn in to the Senate he got questions about a presidential run in 2008. The question keeps coming up. He keeps denying he will run. That's a burden most politicians would love to share. Obama doesn't chafe under it; he mostly carries it lightly and well. He is humble and self-deprecating but always aware of his star power.

Obama Urges Kenyans to Get Tough on Corruption

August 29, 2006

NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug. 28 - Barack Obama strode into a packed auditorium in Nairobi on Monday and attacked an issue that notoriously bedevils Kenyan society: corruption. He urged people to reject "the insulting idea that corruption is somehow part of Kenyan culture" and "to stand up and speak out against injustices."

Obama Visits Notorious Nairobi Slum

August 28, 2006

AIROBI, Kenya -- Sen. Barack Obama visited one of the world's worst slums Sunday, where he told residents he wants everyone in America to know about their plight and promised to push the U.S. and Kenyan government to help. About a third of Nairobi's total population, at least 700,000 people, are crammed into a single square mile in the slum of Kibera, with little access to running water and other basic services.

Kenyans greet Obama

August 25, 2006

NAIROBI, Kenya -- The sun was falling quickly, and clusters of street salesmen began to abandon their posts in the middle of chaotic roadways. Along a one-block stretch of a neighborhood called Nairobi West, barstools were filling up as beer bottles emptied and after-work conversations flowed. Suddenly, a forceful admonition sounded from a dark corner of the room. "Shhhhh!" shushed Said Nassir, 43, a medical technologist with a bottle of Coca-Cola sitting before him. "If you don't mind, Obama is on the news."

Sen. Obama to take HIV test in Kenya

August 24, 2006

Sen. Barack Obama will take a public HIV test at a remote Kenyan clinic this weekend to promote HIV/AIDS prevention in a country where an average of 700 people die each day from the disease. Obama, the only African-American in the Senate, was to arrive in Kenya Thursday and take the test in the western village of Nyangoma-Kogelo, where his father — a goat herder who went on to study at Harvard — grew up and his grandmother still lives, said Jennifer Barnes, a spokeswoman at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi.

Obama says South Africans' freedom fight inspired political career

August 23, 2006

On a political and sentimental tour of the continent of his father, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama paid tribute Wednesday to South Africans' fight for freedom, saying they taught lessons to the world and helped inspire his own political career. With hand shakes, hugs and his congenial grin, Obama, a Democrat from Illinois who is the U.S. Senate's only black member, toured Soweto, the township where white rulers tried to confine by night the blacks who worked in their homes, offices and mines by day.

Obama visits former Mandela prison

August 21, 2006

Senator Barack Obama started a two-week tour of Africa on Sunday with a visit to Nelson Mandela's former prison island, paying tribute to the "incredible courage, resilience and hopefulness" of the anti-apartheid movement. The only black member of the U.S. Senate and one of the Democratic Party's rising stars, Obama said the two-hour visit to Robben Island made him realize that everyday worries in the United States were "fairly trivial stuff compared to the very elemental, basic struggle" of Mandela and other former inmates.

Sen. Obama addresses Xavier graduates

August 13, 2006

NEW ORLEANS -- Nearly a year after Hurricane Katrina submerged Xavier University's campus under eight feet of water, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama on Saturday joined the school in celebrating one of its largest graduating classes. "Thanks for allowing me to share in your miracle," Obama told the nearly 500 graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Graduate School seated at the New Orleans Arena.

Durbin, Obama visit AFSCME convention

August 8, 2006

The state's two U.S. senators, Dick Durbin and Barack Obama, sought to energize an important base for the Democratic Party during separate appearances at a labor convention Monday. With the 37th annual convention of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees occurring just three months before November's general election, the agenda is heavy on politics.

Exported mercury returns to haunt U.S.

August 8, 2006

Tons of toxic mercury from U.S. recycling programs are funneled each year to loosely regulated industries in developing countries, where much of the hazardous metal is released into the atmosphere. Scientists say some of that air pollution can drift back to this country and contaminate lakes and rivers, undercutting aggressive efforts to keep mercury out of the environment.

Senate OKs gulf drilling

August 2, 2006

WASHINGTON -- For 25 years, Congress has barred oil companies from drilling in U.S. coastal waters. During that time, it had been considered virtually taboo for politicians from affected states to call for as much as a relaxation of the freeze. Now, with control of Congress at stake in a key election year, soaring energy prices have suddenly wiped away that old political calculus.

Obama takes political spotlight on return to Africa

July 23, 2006

WASHINGTON -- When Sen. Barack Obama travels to Africa next month for a five-nation, 15-day tour, he will have one credential no other U.S. senator can claim: He is the son of an African. Twice before, that connection has led Obama to visit Africa and learn more about his late father, a Kenyan goat herder who became a Harvard-educated economist for his own nation's government.

Obama joins parade to see New Orleans

July 22, 2006

With a brush in one hand and a bucket of blue paint in the other, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) climbed a ladder Friday to join the list of those who have rendered a little political sweat, New Orleans style. He came to the same block where President Bush swung a hammer only months ago and a group of Southern governors took their turn last week.

Senators push fuel standard

July 20, 2006

WASHINGTON -- Fuel economy standards for cars and trucks would increase about 1 mile per gallon annually, unless federal regulators could justify smaller increases, under a bill unveiled Wednesday by a bipartisan group of eight senators. The bill, spearheaded by U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., escalates the political pressure on automakers, which have fought any proposal to set targets for fuel economy improvements.

Democrats Press Bush on Voting Rights Act

July 20, 2006

WASHINGTON -- Two Democrats called on President Bush to use his rare appearance before the NAACP's annual conference to renew the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act, arguing that such a step would ensure a basic right for minorities. Signing the legislation, however, would require Bush to pressure the Republican-controlled Senate to act quickly in passing the renewal that the House approved last week. A Senate committee passed the bill on Wednesday and the president is scheduled to address the NAACP on Thursday after rejecting the civil rights group's invitations for five straight years.

Politicians need not abandon religion

July 10, 2006

For some time now, there has been talk among pundits and pollsters that the political divide in this country falls sharply along religious lines. Indeed, the single biggest gap in party affiliation among white Americans today is not between men and women, between red states and blue, but between those who attend church regularly and those who don't.

Obama trip to highlight U.S. interests in Africa

July 10, 2006

Sen. Barack Obama, whose father is from Kenya, travels to Africa -- and the village where his father lived -- in August on a trip designed to highlight the importance of the continent to the United States and the rest of the world. Obama's itinerary for two weeks of travel starting mid-August includes stops in South Africa, Kenya, Sudan and possibly Congo.

Discussing God and government, in good faith

July 9, 2006

If anyone wonders why Illinois Sen. Barack Obama is a breath of fresh air on the national political scene, this is why. A speech Obama gave a few weeks ago to the Sojourners Call to Renewal conference in Washington, D.C. has been getting a lot of attention, not only for its insight and balance, but for its soul-searching honesty.

Obama's Eloquent Faith

June 30, 2006

Like most liberals who are religious, Obama finds a powerful demand for social justice embedded in the great faith traditions. He took a swipe at those who would repeal the estate tax, saying this entailed "a trillion dollars being taken out of social programs to go to a handful of folks who don't need and weren't even asking for it."

Maytag workers may qualify for benefits

June 25, 2006

"Obviously, my hope is that the Maytag plant remains open, but I'm happy that the Department of Labor is prepared to do everything it can to help these workers land on their feet," said Sen. Barack Obama. "The Maytag plant has long been the backbone of Herrin's economy, and if it closes we must all do our part to keep this community intact."

Emergency bill includes Darfur money

June 16, 2006

WASHINGTON - The Senate on Thursday allocated $60 million toward launching a U.N. peacekeeping mission in the Darfur region of Sudan. The money to help stem the brutality and chaos in Darfur is part of the $94.5 billion emergency spending bill to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and aid to Gulf Coast hurricane victims. President Bush has said he will sign it into law.

Wrenching Changes on the Line

June 14, 2006

The road back to prosperity will be a long and hard one for American automakers. Companies like Ford and General Motors groan under the weight of their history, manifested in the legacy costs that are a result of decades of promises to support workers and provide them with health care in their old age.

Obama calls for action against fraud

June 11, 2006

To help shine the spotlight on con artists, the Mortgage Bankers Association and other industry trade groups are backing legislation by Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) that would criminalize mortgage fraud at the federal level. The "STOP FRAUD Act" would expand the suspicious activity reports requirement, establish a database of censured and debarred mortgage professionals and provide funding for enforcement activities.

Obama, Durbin back IL’s pitch for Honda plant

June 7, 2006

Illinois' senators urged Honda on Wednesday to consider their state as a site for a $400 million automobile plant expected to make 200,000 vehicles a year. Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration confirmed Monday that the governor had met with company officials recently about bringing what Honda has described as part of its corporation's "2010 Vision" for North American automobile operations.

Durbin, Obama against wind farm delays

June 3, 2006

WASHINGTON - Sens. Dick Durbin and Barack Obama, D-Ill., joined four other Senate Democrats on Friday to protest a Bush administration decision to shut down wind farms while their potential harmful effect to the nation's military radar is studied.

Has U.S. clock buying gone cuckoo?

June 2, 2006

For many years, a large number of blind people have been able to support themselves in this town by making clocks under the auspices of the Chicago Lighthouse. They have done so with the help of a federal law -- one that first required federal agencies to purchase clocks and other goods made by the blind when they were competitively priced, met quality standards and were punctually delivered. The law later included items made by people with other serious disabilities.

Senate votes to double fines for illegal hiring

May 24, 2006

WASHINGTON -- The Senate voted Tuesday to fine employers who hire illegal immigrants up to $20,000 for each unauthorized worker, providing teeth to a broad immigration bill before sending it to a final vote later this week. Employers would have to check Social Security numbers and the immigration status of all new hires within 18 months after money is provided to the Homeland Security Department to expand the electronic system for screening workers.

Durbin, Obama seek U.S. funds for 'Land Between the Rivers'

May 24, 2006

Sens. Dick Durbin and Barack Obama asked Congress Tuesday for authority that could enable Southern Illinois to win federal grants to boost tourism and historical preservation. Legislation the Democratic lawmakers introduced would designate Illinois' 17 southernmost counties as a National Heritage Area, qualifying the region for Interior Department grants for preservation, education and economic development related to tourism.

Former president says health care cost hurting U.S. competitiveness

May 21, 2006

Democratic Sen. Barack Obama recently introduced legislation in Congress that would help address soaring health care costs for automakers by defraying industry's costs of investment in more fuel-efficient cars. Obama's proposal calls for the federal government to pick up a portion of the costs automakers pay for retiree health care, so long as companies use some of the savings to retool their factories.

Veteran paid for wound from '45

May 18, 2006

In 2003, the error was recognized by the Sangamon County Veterans Assistance Commission, and in June 2005, Hunter received a $22,000 portion of his retroactive pay. Hunter contacted Obama's office in April for help with the final payment. Obama's office discovered that the paperwork for the remaining $12,500 was under a stack of other claims at the Department of Veterans Affairs. The final check was given to Hunter on April 29.

Senators seek help for Maytag workers

May 17, 2006

WASHINGTON -- Senators from Illinois and Arkansas pleaded Wednesday for the Labor Department to come to the aid of 1,700 Maytag workers who have received notice that their plants owned by Whirlpool Corp. will be closing. By year's end, about 1,000 workers are to lose their jobs at the plant in Herrin, Ill., with an additional 700 to become unemployed in Searcy, Ark., because of a similar plant closing.

Illinois lawmakers call for hearings on phone record collections

May 12, 2006

"Congress should investigate these new revelations and Republicans and Democrats should agree that this surveillance program needs to be brought under legal oversight so that someone is watching the watchers and protecting the privacy of innocent Americans."

City gets final payment from FEMA

May 9, 2006

The check arrived within a few weeks of a reporter making an inquiry to Democratic Sen. Barack Obama's office in Chicago about the delay in payment to the Alton Fire Department. The call prompted one of Obama's staff members to call Sowders for details. "Obama's office got involved, and FEMA reimbursed us in a very timely fashion," Sowders said.

Illinois vets can reapply for benefits

May 9, 2006

Wayne Macejak, a gray-haired Vietnam-era veteran, said he has seen it time and again: fellow Illinois veterans fighting for their benefits. "With the VA, everything seems to be about money," said Macejak, chairman of the American Legion's rehabilitation committee in Illinois. "They just sit back and wait for the veterans to come to them."

VA warns Illinois' disabled vets

May 9, 2006

After prodding from the Chicago Sun-Times, veterans and Illinois' two U.S. senators, the Veterans Affairs Department is sending out letters to Illinois vets to address the state's 20-year history of ranking at the bottom of the nation for disability benefits.

VA Informs Veterans On Low Compensation, Appeals

May 8, 2006

The Veterans Affairs Department has begun sending out letters to tens of thousands of disabled Illinois veterans explaining how they can open new claims and appeal decisions if they believe their own disability compensation isn't adequate. The letters -- addressed to more than 62,000 veterans around the state -- also confirm that Illinois has received the lowest average disability compensation in the country, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's office said Monday.

Senate OKs plan to open storm bids

May 3, 2006

In a unanimous vote, the Senate passed an amendment designed to prevent a repeat of what took place in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane last year, when FEMA awarded four $100 million no-bid contracts to four companies.

"Eight months after Katrina, there's no longer any emergency that justifies a no-bid contract that might have been entered into the days after Katrina," said Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), who sponsored the amendment.

D.C. rally condemns Darfur genocide

May 1, 2006

Yesterday, today and tomorrow, there are, have been and will be genocidal murders occurring in the Darfur region of Sudan. On Sunday, thousands gathered on the National Mall to try to do something about the horrors. "We are here because we refuse to be silent," said Elie Wiesel, the author and Nobel Peace Prize winner whose work is rooted in his Holocaust experience.

Obama Joins George Clooney In Plea For Darfur

April 27, 2006

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Actor George Clooney, with Illinois Sen. Barack Obama standing next to him, made a plea for international help in the Darfur region of Sudan. Clooney Thursday told a crowd at the National Press Club in Washington that he wants to use his "credit card" as a Hollywood star to highlight the plight of 2 million refugees.

U.S. senators talk Medicare

April 27, 2006

U.S. Sens. Barack Obama and Dick Durbin visited a group of seniors as part of a sweep through the state to urge people to sign up for the new Medicare prescription drug benefit.

Senator Obama tells BHS students change is needed in government

April 20, 2006

Sen. Barack Obama said he was glad to see so many students attend and ask questions at a town hall meeting held Monday afternoon in the Barrington High School Auditorium. After all, many of the problems currently facing the United States, from its nearly $9 trillion national debt to its ailing health care system, will fall into their laps unless lawmakers and youth start making changes now, Obama said.

Obama discusses state, national issues in Carbondale meeting

April 15, 2006

CARBONDALE - U.S. Sen. Barack Obama fielded the usual questions - health care, gas prices, the Iraq war and education - during a town hall meeting at Southern Illinois University Carbondale Friday. It was his 47th such meeting since taking office last year.

York visit senator's 46th town hall forum

April 14, 2006

He's met with international leaders, visited Hurricane Katrina evacuees and gave the keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention. And the southpaw threw the ceremonial first pitch before a Chicago White Sox playoff game. But U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., who recently finished his first year in national government, spent part of April 12 at York Community High School.

'It was just magical'

April 13, 2006

Up until a day before their home was scheduled to be repossessed, Joseph said, the family was afraid it would lose its home. Then on March 16 they received a $64,342 check in the mail from the Social Security Administration. "It was just out of the sky," Joseph said. "We were overjoyed. God had smiled on us -- and (so had) Sen. Obama."

Obama talks politics, future

April 12, 2006

The Gentile Center opened its doors to Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and the city of Chicago on April 10 as it hosted a town hall meeting with the senator. Obama came to Loyola to participate in an open forum where his constituents asked questions ranging in topic from student loan cuts to the issue of bringing troops home from Iraq.

Obama is right to take Bush to task on energy policy

April 11, 2006

President Bush promised in this year's State of the Union speech to enact policies that would wean America from its "addiction to oil." Skeptics said it was just a speech, that Bush had made similar promises in the past but never followed through. Once again, it appears the skeptics were right.

Beware of where your tax data go

April 10, 2006

According to the IRS, rules in place since 1974 have created a huge loophole in the supposed inviolability of your tax returns: With a taxpayer's consent, a tax preparer can disclose tax information - even your entire return - to any third party for just about any conceivable purpose.

Obama Strikes Out at Bush's Energy Policy

April 3, 2006

CHICAGO -- Sen. Barack Obama accused the Bush administration Monday of a "stubborn refusal" to attack the causes of climate change, and said tougher fuel standards, stricter curbs on oil imports and more investment in cleaner energy are essential to avert global catastrophe.

IRS May Alter Some Privacy Protections

March 22, 2006

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., said in a letter last week to IRS Commissioner Mark Everson that taxpayers often hastily sign documents and tax forms prepared by commercial firms without reading them. With the proposed rule, personal income and demographic data could then be easily sold with that written consent, opening up greater risks for identity theft, he said.

Obama urges more help for homeless vets

March 16, 2006

WASHINGTON - Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and other advocates for homeless veterans on Thursday urged more federal funding to help the needy, including an increasing number of troubled Iraq and Afghanistan vets.

Obama introduces nuke disclosure bill

March 12, 2006

The Nuclear Release Notice Act would require notification of state and local officials simultaneously with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission when any radioactive leak exceeds NRC limits. "It's good for public safety, it's good for the public's right to know, and it's ultimately good for the nuclear power industry," Obama said Thursday

Senate votes to ban free meals from lobbyists

March 9, 2006

The Senate voted Wednesday to ban lobbyist-paid meals for its members and staff, part of broader legislation designed to restore public confidence in Congress in the midst of a lobbying-and-influence scandal. Senators turned aside other proposals to impose tougher restrictions on the relationships between lobbyists and lawmakers, including one that would have banned travel for members of Congress financed by interests that also lobby them.

Senate Considers Independent Ethics Office

March 2, 2006

WASHINGTON -- An independent ethics office is included in a lobbying reform package a Senate committee is taking up, putting on the table the sensitive issue of whether lawmakers are capable of policing themselves. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee votes Thursday on legislation, an outgrowth of recent lobbying and ethics scandals, that would require greater disclosure of lobbyist activities and take steps to end the sometimes too-cozy relations between lawmakers and those representing special interests.

Nuclear spills spur notification legislation

March 1, 2006

Illinois' two Democratic U.S. senators teamed up Wednesday with a Republican congressman to introduce legislation that would require nuclear power companies to tell federal, state and county officials about unplanned releases of radioactive substances. The Nuclear Release Notice Act would require notification when radioactive releases exceed federal limits and when two releases below those limits occur within 2 years from "the same source, process or equipment at a facility."

Obama cites poor security at chemical plants

February 27, 2006

"Safety regulations can be implemented in a way that is flexible enough for the industry yet stringent enough to protect the American people," Obama said. "It is long past time to put the security of our nation ahead of special interests or politics." According to federal environmental regulators, there are four chemical plants within Chicago that, if attacked under a worst-case scenario, could threaten more than a million people. Altogether, Illinois has at least 10 such facilities, with an additional 20 where a chemical release could threaten more than 100,000 people.

House cools on lobbying reform

February 21, 2006

Obama, a top Democratic spokesman on the issue, rejected the argument that Congress has enough rules on the books and that they simply need to be enforced vigorously. "Even if current rules are enforced, there are too many opportunities with lobbyists to influence policy in ways that hurt ordinary citizens," said Obama, who is pushing for an independent panel to investigate ethics complaints against lawmakers.

Hastert, Obama set to collide over ethics panel

February 17, 2006

Obama wants to create a Congressional Ethics Enforcement Commission with subpoena power to probe ethics allegations. Four commissioners would be former federal judges, four former members of Congress and the ninth a wild card.

Transcript of Calls for Action in Darfur - News Hour with Jim Lehrer

February 16, 2006

U.N. officials, U.S. congressmen and even Olympic athletes have called for increased involvement in the Darfur region of Sudan where three years of violence has claimed more than 200,000 lives and displaced millions. Sens. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., and Barack Obama, D-Ill, discuss the political situation in Darfur and what the United States could do to help the suffering.

Obama, Durbin propose federal mortgage reforms

February 15, 2006

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) proposed a sweeping set of federal reforms Tuesday to combat mortgage fraud, ratcheting up enforcement and creating a national database of brokers who have been disciplined.

Obama: The senator with the Midas touch

February 15, 2006

"I've been incredibly blessed," he said in an interview with The Associated Press. "My attitude is as long as I work hard, as long as I operate honestly, with integrity, the worst that can happen to me is that I can lose an election."

E85 interest picks up speed

February 14, 2006

PEORIA -- Things are looking up for E85, said Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. "The President talked about an addiction to oil. All kinds of technology can reduce our reliance on oil but if we want to do something that's fast and effective, ethanol is the way to go," he said.

Morris greets Obama

February 13, 2006

MORRIS -- Sen. Barack Obama is concerned the large issues that affect people in Grundy County are not being dealt with in Washington, he said Friday during his first visit to the area since his November 2004 campaign tour. "There are a lot of good ideas in Washington and a lot of smart people in Washington. It seems like sometimes there is a disconnect between the priorities in Washington and the priorities of the folks I'm meeting back home in Illinois," he said.

'Pen pals' call truce

February 9, 2006

WASHINGTON -- Dueling Senators Barack Obama and John McCain called themselves "pen pals" Wednesday as they worked together again on ethics and lobbying reform legislation. "The witnesses will behave themselves and restrain themselves," joked Senate Rules and Administration Committee Chairman Trent Lott (R-Miss.) as he gaveled to order a hearing where Obama and McCain both testified.

Illinois roads win, farms lose in Bush budget

February 8, 2006

President Bush's proposed budget is a mixed bag for Illinois, offering big boosts for transportation needs and research for alternative fuels coupled with cuts in farm subsidies and a transaction fee for the futures and options markets. Bush's new spending plan unveiled Monday for the year starting Oct. 1 calls for a 5% cut in crop subsidy payments to farmers.

Obama: 'I think his feelings got bruised'

February 8, 2006

"The perception in our office was that this was a very innocuous boilerplate letter," said Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) on Tuesday, the day after Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) wrote a ferocious response to a letter he received from the freshman senator.

Budget a mixed bag for Illinois

February 7, 2006

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Illinois farmers, veterans and schoolchildren would be among those feeling the impact of budget cuts that President Bush proposed Monday. Sending his $2.77 trillion fiscal 2006 budget request to Congress, Bush sought to increase defense spending and tackle the deficit by decreasing money to many popular domestic programs. In the past, Congress has been reluctant to go along - and might be even more so in this election year.

Illinois lagging in veterans benefits

February 5, 2006

"It makes me angry and it's discouraging to thousands of veterans in Illinois who have served their country," said Sen. Barack Obama, (D-Ill.). "We can't afford what appears to be mismanagement of a program that is vital in making sure veterans can support themselves."

Sen. Obama hosts town meeting in South Holland

February 4, 2006

With shaky hands clutching an autographed Polaroid to her chest, Barbara Gordon looked like a woman who had just met her favorite movie star. But it was not a typical celebrity that made the South Holland woman's heart skip a beat -- it was U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, who hosted a town hall meeting Friday at South Suburban College.

State of the Union: McCain and Obama React

February 1, 2006

Last night, President Bush delivered his fifth State of the Union address with a much more reserved and humble tone than his previous ones. He called for a victory in Iraq, an end to the United States' addiction to oil and issued a warning to Iran. "I think the president had an opportunity to set out a bold agenda," Obama said. "But what you didn't see were serious initiatives. Let's take the example of oil, reducing the dependence on oil by 75 percent -- but no concrete initiatives."

Obama has guest for Union speech

February 1, 2006

WASHINGTON - Ever go to Washington seeking time with your congressman or senator and finding yourself getting nowhere? Brian Johnson, president of the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois, had requested a meeting with Illinois Senator Barack Obama. He wanted to discuss issues of interest to his group.

Obama packs 'em in, riffs on Iraq, Alito

January 31, 2006

More than 600 people filled the gym of a northwest suburban middle school Monday to hear U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) answer questions on the conflict in Iraq, bird flu and the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court. Obama's appearance at London Middle School in Wheeling was one in a series of town hall meetings that he has hosted throughout the state.

Bayh, Obama Urge End to Marriage Penalty in Budget Bill

January 30, 2006

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Evan Bayh (D-IN) and Barack Obama (D-IL) today called for the elimination of a "marriage penalty" in the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) portion of the Spending Reconciliation conference agreement. In a letter to the Senate and House leadership and the Chairmen of the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means Committees, Bayh and Obama urged that TANF legislation treat single-parent and two-parent families equitably and that the separate work participation standard for two-parent families be eliminated from the final bill.

FAA and controller union wrangle

January 27, 2006

The Federal Aviation Administration and the nation's air traffic controllers have been in contract talks since last July. So how close to an agreement are they? Not very. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, which represents 15,000 controllers around the country, says talks are going well, and many key issues - with the exception of the crucial one, pay - have been resolved. But the FAA says the talks are stalled.

Answers sought for VA's bad answers

January 27, 2006

WASHINGTON -- Key members of Congress from both major political parties are demanding that the Department of Veterans Affairs explain why its call centers routinely provide veterans with bad information. In response to a Knight Ridder story in December, lawmakers have asked the VA to account for the incorrect answers it gives people who call the department's help lines.

Obama focuses on veterans

January 27, 2006

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., announced that the Department of Veterans Affairs denied health care to 8,944 Illinois veterans last year as part of a Bush administration cost-cutting policy begun in 2003. Nationally, more than 260,000 veterans were denied access to VA hospitals, clinics and medications in fiscal year 2005.

Illinois officials call for ethanol probe

January 27, 2006

SPRINGFIELD -- Illinois officials want the federal government to investigate whether oil companies are keeping gas stations from offering ethanol-based E-85 fuel. Gov. Rod Blagojevich and U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) have both asked for investigations.

Obama: Abramoff woes a Republican scandal

January 23, 2006

CHICAGO (AP) -- U.S. Sen. Barack Obama said Sunday that while the problem of money and politics is bipartisan, the corruption surrounding convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff is a Republican scandal. Appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press," the Illinois Democrat called the Abramoff issue and the K Street Project, an initiative backed by former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, that pressured lobbying firms to hire Republicans and fund GOP causes, a "Republican sin."

Democrats propose U.S. Congress-lobbying reforms

January 18, 2006

WASHINGTON - Democrats Wednesday unveiled their cure for ethics scandals that have engulfed the Republican-controlled Congress, including shutting down "pay-to-play" arrangements that created unusually close ties between lawmakers and lobbyists.

Obama Townhall: Math, science add up

January 18, 2006

GLEN ELLYN -- U.S. Sen. Barack Obama took questions from a crowd of 1,100 on Tuesday at College of DuPage's McAninch Arts Center. At the meeting, Obama stressed the importance of increasing the size of America's well-educated work force. Community colleges such as COD will play an important role in producing those well-educated workers, he said.

Obama wraps up Middle East trip

January 13, 2006

Illinois Senator Barack Obama is wrapping up his journey to the Middle East. One of his final stops in Israel was the Yad Vashem, the country's Holocaust museum and memorial. After 10 days of non-stop talking with government and military leaders in Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan and finally Israel,Senator Barack Obama Friday ended his first Middle Eastern tour with the sound of silence.

Obama meets with Arafat's successor

January 12, 2006

Illinois Senator Barack Obama's journey to the Middle East took him to the West Bank Thursday for a meeting with the man elected to replace Yasser Arafat. Senator Obama will head into the final day of his Middle East tour having met with top leaders of the Israeli government and now with the head of the Palestinian National Authority.

Obama visits remote Israeli town with Chicago ties

January 11, 2006

Illinois Senator Barack Obama flew to areas along the northern border with Lebanon on Wednesday. Obama's first Middle East visit took him to a small village that is well-wired to Chicago.

Obama meets Shalom, offers support for Israel

January 10, 2006

JERUSALEM -- Democratic Sen. Barack Obama met Tuesday with Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and said the United States stood by Israel as its leader, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, lay unconscious in a hospital bed following a massive stroke.

Obama: Obstacles still in Iraq

January 8, 2006

WASHINGTON - In his first 12 hours in Iraq, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., said Saturday he saw or heard little to change his views about the significant obstacles that remain to stabilize that country. While Iraqi President Jalal Talabani predicted that a national unity government could be formed within weeks, Obama said he thought "it may take a little bit longer."

Obama: Involve more minorities in Iraq gov't

January 7, 2006

BAGHDAD -- Sen. Barack Obama on Saturday said the United States will not be successful in Iraq unless the political landscape better represents the country's minorities. Obama, the nation's only black senator, met with U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on Saturday. He said before his two-day trip to Iraq that he wanted to ask U.S. commanders what a realistic time frame was for bringing troops home.

Obama making 1st visit to Iraq

January 5, 2006

The Illinois Democrat, who is joining a congressional delegation led by Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), said he intended to ask U.S. military commanders for a "realistic framework" for reducing the number of American troops in Iraq.

Q&A; with Sen. Barack Obama

December 24, 2005

Q. How do you decide when to use the megaphone that you've been given?

A. If I don't think what needs to be said is being said. I think Katrina was a good example of where I felt the way the issue was being discussed and framed wasn't moving the ball forward.

Q&A; with Michelle Obama

December 24, 2005

Michelle Obama, vice president for community and external affairs at the University of Chicago Hospitals, sat down with the Tribune in her office on Dec. 6. Here is an excerpt from the interview.

Farm relief backers ask 'fair shake'

December 21, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Senate Democrats complained Tuesday that in the final haggling over the $453 billion defense spending bill, family farmers hurt by drought and floods were left to fend for themselves. The Senate had included $1.6 billion in agriculture relief for farmers in counties that had been declared disaster-eligible because of drought, floods and hurricanes. In Illinois, for example, Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns declared every county but one a disaster area.

Democrats assail wiretaps

December 20, 2005

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., also supports congressional hearings. "Once we have more information we'll know to what degree our laws were circumvented," Obama said. "But regardless, I am certain that we can do the intelligence gathering we need to do without eroding the civil liberties our founding fathers intended."

Senators press for judges' safety

December 17, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin and Barack Obama of Illinois met Friday with the head of the U.S. Marshals Service to voice frustration over what they call a lack of progress in establishing new safety measures to protect federal judges. Seven months ago, Congress approved money to provide home security systems for members of the federal judiciary after U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow's husband and mother were slain by a disgruntled litigant in Chicago. But the government has yet to resolve who would pay the monthly fee for the security service.

Obama shuns limelight, builds record

December 17, 2005

On Thursday, as his colleagues scrambled to wrap up legislative loose ends, Sen. Barack Obama met behind closed doors with Sen. Tom Coburn, an archconservative Republican from Oklahoma. The pair scolded the government's top emergency management official over ongoing problems responding to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Immigration issues highlight split among Republicans

December 16, 2005

WASHINGTON -- A heated debate over how to control illegal immigration opened a rift among Republicans on Thursday as the House began considering legislation to impose tough new penalties on those who enter the USA illegally and those who hire them.

Rebids on FEMA contracts in doubt

December 16, 2005

Senators had been pushing for other companies to get a crack at emergency housing contracts. WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn suffered another setback Thursday in his efforts to fight what he considers irresponsible federal spending. The Oklahoma Republican and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., met with David Paulison, acting director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, on their concerns over four $100 million emergency housing contracts the agency awarded without competitive bids following Hurricane Katrina.

Drop in the bucket compared to Iraq, Great Lakes need money

December 15, 2005

This could turn out to be the most important week in Lake Michigan's history since the glaciers left town.

Obama chooses Point engineer

December 15, 2005

The Buffalo, N.Y. District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will serve as the third-party consultant requested by U.S. Sen. Barack Obama in the Promontory Point revetment repair project, a spokesman for the senator told the Herald Monday.

Bush seeking another $1.5 billion for New Orleans levees

December 15, 2005

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration, promising to build the most protective levees that hurricane-ravaged New Orleans has ever seen, announced Thursday it will seek $1.5 billion more from Congress to help the city rebuild its flood defenses.

Obama and Salazar ask administration to correct Medicare Part D

December 12, 2005

WASHINGTON - On the 2nd anniversary of the enactment of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, U.S. Senators Barack Obama (D-IL) and Ken Salazar (D-CO) sent a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Michael O. Leavitt requesting that the Department outline the steps it has taken to correct misinformation it distributed, improve its ability to respond to and answer seniors' questions, and prevent fraud.

Obama plans first trip to Iraq next month

December 8, 2005

PEORIA, Ill. U.S. Senator Barack Obama says he hopes to get a better understanding of when it might be appropriate to decrease the United State's presence in Iraq during his first trip to that country next month. Obama leaves for the ten-day trip January Fourth. It will include stops in Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and Israel, as well as Iraq.

Obama nominated for Grammy

December 8, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) was nominated Thursday for a Grammy Award, joining the ranks of Mariah Carey, Kanye West, Bruce Springsteen and a host of artists recognized for their musical genius. But when the Grammys are handed out early next year, Obama will not be competing against musicians or songwriters. His nomination comes under a different category: Best Spoken Word Album.

Barack Obama in Montgomery to Commemorate Boycott Anniversary

December 4, 2005

Even the rumbling freight trains on the tracks beyond the tent didn't deter the message, delivered to a riveted audience of hundreds. Senator Barack Obama spoke to a crowd at Union Station Saturday. Obama credits much of his ascent to the U.S. Senate to the strides made here in Alabama, but he doesn't want what we've accomplished in 50 years overshadow the challenges that still lie ahead.

Junkyard Dogs of War

December 3, 2005

At a sprawling, run-down industrial complex in Donetsk, Ukraine, weeds grow along a rusty rail spur that winds among World War II-era warehouses and factories. Little security is evident, and the facility looks like a giant junkyard. In a way, it is -- except the "junk" consists of thousands of tons of live military munitions. When we went there last summer, we saw mortar rounds, land mines and artillery shells of all sizes stacked in huge piles and strewn carelessly about.

Senators Seek to Speed Security for Judges

December 3, 2005

Sens. Richard J. Durbin and Barack Obama, both Illinois Democrats, asked Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales yesterday to speed up the distribution of $12 million for security systems for judges, saying they are not getting help fast enough. "Both senators' offices have heard from judges that this money that had been approved in May was not being used," said Joe Shoemaker, a Durbin spokesman. "That's a huge problem for us."

Obama urges quick passage of toy bill

December 2, 2005

PEORIA - As the holiday shopping season really gets revved up, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama is calling on Congress to speedily pass his bill banning children's products containing lead, including lunch boxes, toys and jewelry.

Rosa Parks statue to stand in Capitol

December 2, 2005

WASHINGTON -- President Bush asked Congress Thursday to renew portions of a landmark voting rights act as he signed a measure championed by Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) to erect a statue of civil rights icon Rosa Parks in the Capitol.

Signs of an Iraq Policy

November 27, 2005

...But the outlines of such a position emerged last week in speeches by two respected Democratic members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Joe Biden of Delaware and Barack Obama of Illinois. That they reached almost the same conclusion from opposite sides of the intraparty debate -- Biden an early and consistent supporter of the U.S. intervention against Saddam Hussein, and Obama an equally confirmed skeptic about the invasion -- adds to the significance of their statements.

City must join Obama in attacking lead

November 25, 2005

Peoria's lead paint problem is getting attention, and rightly so. An ongoing Journal Star series about childhood poisoning has caught the eye of a U.S. senator and a state panel. Local leaders should cheer their involvement.

Obama demands answers

November 24, 2005

PEORIA - U.S. Sen. Barack Obama wants accountability within three weeks from HUD regarding what he says was improper and unfair evaluation in the rejection of Peoria's past $3 million grant applications for lead mitigation.

Obama: Pull GIs from Iraq gradually

November 23, 2005

"During the course of the next year, we need to focus our attention on how to reduce the U.S. military footprint in Iraq," Obama said in a luncheon speech to the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, a forum he had requested. "Notice that I say `reduce,' and not `fully withdraw.'"

Illinois vets targeted in legislation

November 22, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Veterans in Illinois and five other states must be told about how to qualify for disability benefits as part of a measure passed Friday by Congress and headed to President Bush for his expected signature.

Obama's national appeal rallies an army of backers

November 21, 2005

"There he is," Buffett says with a wide grin, pulling Obama toward him with a hearty handshake. "You're the hottest ticket in town today." The sage of money and finance, America's second-richest man seldom becomes invested in politicians. But he has made an exception for the junior Democratic senator from Illinois, which is precisely why Obama has arrived here on a frosty fall morning, without an overcoat or an entourage.

Love Is in the Air

November 21, 2005

So I was listening to a Barack Obama podcast the other day, and ... Wait, did I write that? Yup, it's that time again. The 2008 White House campaign is taking off, as media people scan the landscape for would-be, could-be presidents, and see talent everywhere. Even Al Gore is having a micro-comeback.

Obama seeks tax credit for lead mitigation

November 19, 2005

Calling Peoria's childhood lead poisoning rates a "tragedy," U.S. Sen. Barack Obama introduced legislation Friday to protect children and financially assist landlords and homeowners with the cost of lead mitigation.

United States "Feels the Urgency" on Sudan, Official Says

November 18, 2005

Washington -- The United States government does "feel the urgency" of the ongoing situation in Sudan, Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer told the U.S. Senate November 17, just hours before departing for her third trip to that country in the past month.

Spoils Go to Party Most Apt to Adapt

November 14, 2005

Call it intelligent design or survival of the fittest, but between now and next November's midterm elections, the two parties are in a race to evolve. Each appears to have reached the limit of its strategy over the last year. The winner next year may be the side that best adapts to changed circumstances. After Tuesday's election results, the threat is most visible for Republicans.

VA won't review all traumatic-stress cases

November 14, 2005

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has decided not to review the case of 72,000 veterans who are receiving disability payments for post-traumatic stress disorder less than six months after a smaller review found that some veterans' files had insufficient documentation. "The problems with these files appear to be administrative in nature, such as missing documents, and not fraud," Secretary R. James Nicholson said. "In the absence of evidence of fraud, we're not going to put our veterans through the anxiety of a widespread review of their disability claims."

Statue of Parks may join Capitol

November 13, 2005

Saying he wants to honor the contributions of civil-rights leader Rosa Parks in a national display, U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) has proposed legislation that would place a life-size statue of her in the U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall, he said. If passed, the legislation would make Parks the first African-American woman to be represented in the hall.

Project reaps $2.2 million in federal funding

November 13, 2005

BRIGHTON -- More than $2.2 million in federal funding will be used for Macoupin County road improvement and a Staunton health clinic, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., announced Saturday.

A world of thanks

November 12, 2005

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama squinted his eyes in the late-morning sun as the flags of all 50 states snapped in the wind around him. Standing at the village's veterans memorial before more than 300 Orland Park residents and vets, he said he simply wanted to say thanks to the men and women who fought -- and continue to fight -- when their country asked them.

Sen. Obama calls for mortgage fraud investigation

November 8, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) urged the Senate Banking Committee on Monday to launch an investigation into "the growing predatory practice of mortgage fraud," saying Congressional hearings should be held to determine whether new laws are needed to protect society's most vulnerable.

Obama dabbles in a moment of comedy

November 8, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Yes, there were the obligatory questions about Iraq policy and the future of the Democratic Party. But as Sen. Barack Obama made his debut on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," he wisely ducked a far pricklier topic: Who is the worst senator?

Sen. Obama takes a stand on lead paint regulations

November 5, 2005

WASHINGTON - Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., on Friday put a hold on President Bush's nominee to a key Environmental Protection Agency post because the agency has failed to meet a promised deadline for issuing regulations for lead paint exposure from house remodeling.

Obama leads Democrats in efforts on bird flu

November 5, 2005

WASHINGTON - Decades before bird flu outbreaks in Asia triggered worldwide fears of a deadly pandemic, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama saw firsthand how interactions between people and livestock can effect public health. Growing up in Jakarta, Indonesia, Obama recalls, poultry was raised literally "in folks' backyards." The images still live in his mind amid concern about the disease mutating and spreading among humans.

Obama builds foreign policy credentials

November 3, 2005

Although in office for only 10 months, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., who some democrats see as a future presidential prospect, is emerging as a foreign policy wonk in his own right. He is building up his expertise on Russia and other parts of the dangerous world. Helping Obama is a foreign policy elder statesman who himself once tried for his party's presidential nomination, Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana.

Seven-hour funeral pays tribute to Parks

November 3, 2005

"The woman we honored today held no public office; she wasn't a wealthy woman; didn't appear in the society pages," said Sen. Barack Obama, an Illinois Democrat. "And yet when the history of this country is written, it is this small, quiet woman whose name will be remembered long after the names of senators and presidents have been forgotten."

Obama-Lugar proposal targets stockpiles of conventional weapons

November 2, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Two months after walking amid piles of munitions haphazardly scattered at a decrepit plant in Ukraine, two Midwestern senators introduced legislation Tuesday designed to keep conventional weapons from terrorists by eliminating stockpiles throughout the former Soviet Union.

Legislative Watch: Obama supports court ruling

November 2, 2005

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., recently praised a U.S. District Court decision to block enforcement of a Georgia law requiring residents to show a photo identification before voting.

Lawmakers See Katrina Czar As First Step

November 2, 2005

Lawmakers praised the Bush administration's decision Tuesday to appoint a reconstruction czar to oversee recovery efforts in the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast, but many agreed Congress must take additional steps to bring effective management to the operation and protect the interests of taxpayers.

Cost High To Ready Hospitals For Flu Pandemic

November 1, 2005

CBS 2 CHICAGO Reporter- Mary Ann Childers (CBS) CHICAGO Saying that failure to act now could cost many lives, President Bush is proposing a readiness plan to fight bird flu should the worst fear happen and it hits people hard....

Obama uses clout, seeks Cairo solution U.S. senator pulls agencies together to open abandoned hospital dialogue

November 1, 2005

CAIRO - U.S. Sen. Barack Obama has used his clout to pull multiple state and federal agencies together to start finding a solution for Cairo's abandoned hospital, which is filled with asbestos, medical waste, patient records and had been a refuge for homeless people.

Plan to close military bases seems certain to take effect next month

October 27, 2005

"Given the haphazard process by which some of the BRAC commission's decisions appear to have been made, and the unfair treatment I believe the Rock Island Arsenal received in the BRAC process, I cannot support the commission's recommendations," he [Obama] said.

Trouble for the Flu Fighters

October 25, 2005

Last month at the U.N., George W. Bush told "as many leaders as I could find" about the need to track the avian-flu virus so that "the world scientific community can analyze the facts." But the ability of scientists in poorer countries to do just that could suffer when federal funding for the Los Alamos Influenza Sequence Database runs out at the end of the month.

In White Sox Nation, the Borders Are Secure

October 23, 2005

In the next week or so, if God lightens up and lets Chicago win its first World Series since 1917, who knows what else might happen? Last time it was the Russian Revolution, followed by a global flu pandemic. This time might be completely different. Packs of rabid wolves sweeping down from Canada, maybe. Sinkholes swallowing Nebraska. An asteroid.

The Big One?

October 22, 2005

In the United States alone, seasonal influenza each year kills up to 40,000 people, lands about 200,000 people in the hospital, and costs more than $10 billion in lost productivity and direct medical expenses. But that's nothing compared with the flu that may hit the United States as early as this winter. While each century brings several influenza pandemics, rarely is the disease as potent and deadly as avian flu is threatening to be.

Barack Obama on hand to answer questions concerning health, taxes, problems of residents

October 17, 2005

"It doesn't make any sense that Illinois veterans, on average, would be any different than veterans anywhere else," Obama said as he noted Illinois veterans were previously being paid anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000 less than veterans in other areas. Obama noted that he also fought Veterans Affairs over recent attempts to cut disability checks to people who received payment for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Obama sees progress, frustration as senator

October 16, 2005

ANNA - Democrat Barack Obama told local residents he's pleased with the work he has done in nine months as a U.S. senator, but he noted some of it has been frustrating. "Not only am I ranked 99 out of 100 senators; I'm in the minority party," Obama said during a town hall meeting at the Anna Veterans Home Saturday. "But I fully believe if we keep pushing for what we think is important, we're going to make some progress."

Voters give Obama, Durbin good marks

October 16, 2005

More than half of Illinois voters say they approve of the job Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) is doing in office, while 7 in 10 give marks of approval to Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) during his first year in Washington, according to a Tribune/WGN-TV poll.

Obama pushes for mix of taxes, spending cuts to pay for Katrina

October 15, 2005

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Trying to split the difference on a major policy dispute in Washington, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama called Friday for a mixture of taxes and spending cuts to pay the cost of rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina. "There should be some common ground we can arrive at where everybody has to do a little bit that hurts in order to make sure we're not burdening our children," he said.

U.S. not ready for bird flu

October 14, 2005

In the face of an uncertain threat that avian flu could cause a new pandemic, political leaders at every level are grappling with the disquieting fact that the United States has almost no ability to stop an outbreak of the disease if it strikes here soon. No one knows if bird flu, which is more dangerous than ordinary flu because people have no natural immunity to it, will ignite an epidemic like the one that swept the world in 1918.

Strange alliances grow

October 14, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Nearly 1,000 miles away from the Gulf Coast communities that Hurricane Katrina tore apart, the storm created another startling change in the national landscape -- one that many Americans might welcome. Here in the Senate, one of the Republican Party's most outspoken conservatives has joined forces with one of the Democratic Party's rising stars in an effort to keep government funding for storm victims from being wasted.

U.S. State Senator Obama Holds Town Hall Meeting in Cicero

October 13, 2005

U.S. State Senatro Barack Obama visited the town of Cicero this past Monday October 10th, during a town hall meeting at Morton College. The college auditorium was filled with members of the Hispanic community who anxiously awaited to speak to the senator. Many organizations like Latinos United held signs that asked the senator questions or asked him to support bills, like the HR3856 bill that focuses on immigration.

A Capitol Hill Presence in the Blogosphere

October 11, 2005

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) caught some attention on the site last month, when he posted a 2,000-word response there to bloggers' complaints about Democrats who had supported John G. Roberts Jr.'s nomination to the Supreme Court. "It was a good opportunity to engage an activist community in a forum that is rapidly growing," Obama said in an interview. "If you take these blogs seriously, they'll take you seriously."

After Delay, U.S. Faces Line for Flu Drug

October 7, 2005

As concern about a flu pandemic sweeps official Washington, Congress and the Bush administration are considering spending billions to buy the influenza drug Tamiflu. But after months of delay, the United States will now have to wait in line to get the pills.

Hurricane-Relief Contracts to Be Rebid, FEMA's Head Says

October 6, 2005

WASHINGTON - The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said today that millions of dollars worth of federal hurricane-relief contracts that were awarded with little or no competition would be rebid to minimize waste and abuse.

Fear of Flu Outbreak Rattles Washington

October 5, 2005

WASHINGTON - Health officials have warned for years that a virulent bird flu could kill millions of people, but few in Washington have seemed alarmed. After a closed-door briefing last week, however, fear of an outbreak swept official Washington, which was still reeling from the poor response to Hurricane Katrina.

Bush cites U.S. plans against bird flu risk

October 5, 2005

WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush said Tuesday that he was working to prepare the United States for a possible deadly outbreak of avian flu. If an epidemic appears, he said, he has weighed whether to quarantine parts of the country and whether to employ the military to enforce such a quarantine. "I am concerned about what an avian flu outbreak could mean for the United States and the world," he said.

Obama fights review of stress cases

October 3, 2005

Both his grandfather and great uncle served in World War II, said Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., but only his great uncle entered a Nazi death camp as the war came to a close. "According to the story my grandmother told," the senator said, "when he got home, he went up to his parents' house, into the attic, and didn't talk for about six months."

$236 Million Cruise Ship Deal Criticized

September 28, 2005

On Sept. 1, as tens of thousands of desperate Louisianans packed the New Orleans Superdome and convention center, the Federal Emergency Management Agency pleaded with the U.S. Military Sealift Command: The government needed 10,000 berths on full-service cruise ships, FEMA said, and it needed the deal done by noon the next day.

Gas-saving proposals pile up

September 28, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Relief from soaring health care costs in exchange for more fuel-efficient cars. That's what Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, is advocating as one of many new ideas being floated in Congress to improve the gas mileage of America's cars and trucks.

Barack Obama Steps (Carefully) Into the Spotlight

September 28, 2005

For his first eight months in the Senate, if you asked anyone why Barack Obama kept such a low profile, the answer was always the same: "He's taking the Hillary approach." Just as Hillary Clinton kept out of the spotlight after taking office to much fanfare, Obama, a star of last year's Democratic convention, has spent most of his time in Illinois, and out of the headlines.

Cronies at the Till

September 27, 2005

The first results are in on who is set to profit from the Katrina cleanup, and - surprise - many of the firms winning major contracts have big political connections. Congressional investigators are already looking into AshBritt, a Pompano Beach, Fla., company with ties to Mississippi's governor, Haley Barbour - the former chairman of the Republican National Committee.

Wood River refinery trims flow

September 27, 2005

ConocoPhillips said it won't delay a 1 1/2-month-long maintenance outage at its Wood River refinery, a key supplier of fuel to the St. Louis area, despite urging by President George W. Bush and other elected officials that oil refiners put off such projects.

Obama voices opposition to photo voting requirement

September 26, 2005

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) filed a resolution last week opposing a recommendation that would require all eligible voters to show photo identification before casting a vote. Obama reacted to the findings of the Carter-Baker Commission on Federal Election Reform released a week ago. During a teleconference Friday, Obama told reporters there were several good ideas coming from the commission but the call for the photo ID was a really bad one.

Obama dissent gets thumbs up

September 25, 2005

If you were designing another one of those cable TV screamer shows like "Crossfire" or "The Capitol Gang," it seems to me you would never want Sen. Barack Obama as a guest. Too much thinking. Too little yelling. What would be the point? I say this because I've just read and re-read Obama's rationale for voting against John Roberts. I think it should be required reading.

Help may be near for disabled vets

September 24, 2005

Illinois veterans may soon receive letters from the federal VA alerting them that disability pay here ranks lower than most states and informing them how they can appeal for higher benefits, according to a Senate bill that passed unanimously this week.

A foreign classroom for junior senator

September 23, 2005

The junior senator from Illinois had come to this cavernous industrial plant, tucked away in the forests of eastern Ukraine, to see and to learn. He had come to this dilapidated, rusty factory, not far from the Russian border, for a lesson about how weapons of the past can present a danger for the future. He had come here, in his first foreign trip since taking office, as one of the requisite stops in the making of a senator.

Voice of reason emerges from Katrina's chaos

September 23, 2005

Given the indisputable fact that Katrina has had a disproportionate impact on the poor and on African-Americans, I believe it was both prudent and necessary for Obama to step forward. But, more important, the fact that he has shown himself to be a voice of reason and man of judicious temperament in the past makes him the perfect spokesman and conciliator in what might otherwise be an irreparably divisive debate about race relations, wealth disparities and crisis management in America.

Rebuilding with accountability

September 23, 2005

So far, Congress has approved $62 billion for Gulf Coast relief and rebuilding. In the few short weeks since Hurricane Katrina hit, the government already has spent $14 billion, nearly the entire amount spent on the deadly Northridge Earthquake that devastated Los Angeles in 1994. Experts tell us that by the time rebuilding is finished, the price tag could very well total more than $200 billion -- almost the combined costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sen. Obama opposes proposal for voter ID

September 20, 2005

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., on Tuesday introduced a resolution opposing a private commission's recommendation to require all Americans to show photo identification before voting, saying it would create an obstacle for the poor, minorities, disabled and elderly. The private commission, co-chaired by former President Jimmy Carter, recommended on Monday that voters be required to show a free government photo ID.

Obama's interests broad

September 18, 2005

WASHINGTON - In recent weeks, Sen. Barack Obama has inspected nuclear weapons destruction programs in Russia and Ukraine and met with British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Almost immediately upon his return, the freshman Democrat from Illinois was striding alongside two former presidents - Bill Clinton and the current president's father - talking to Hurricane Katrina victims evacuated to Houston.

Oversight of Katrina efforts a must

September 16, 2005

THERE IS a reason that Americans generously give their charitable dollars to groups such as the American Red Cross, but are more guarded about donations to some guy sitting at a table with a handmade sign reading "Hurricane Katrina Relief." Accountability.

Race and poverty are not partisan issues

September 15, 2005

I was not one of those who immediately took my place in line last year to grovel when the Democratic Party decided overnight to anoint Sen. Barack Obama as its savior and golden boy. In fact, I didn't quite understand all the hoopla surrounding the Chicago Democrat. Certainly Obama is articulate, handsome, intelligent and black

Senate Restores Grant Money To Help States Fight Meth

September 15, 2005

WASHINGTON The Senate on Wednesday restored anti-drug spending that law enforcement officials in Missouri and Illinois said was critical to halt the spread of methamphetamine. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., joined a bipartisan group in legislation seeking to save the Byrne grant program, which has been slated for elimination by the Bush administration.

Spending monitor urged

September 14, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Sens. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) are introducing legislation Wednesday to appoint a watchdog to oversee the federal spending in the effort to restore and rebuild the Gulf Coast. Congressional leaders have said they could devote up to $200 billion in hurricane relief. Last week alone, a $51.8 billion plan was approved, which followed an initial investment of $10.5 billion in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Obama can't say no to Farm Aid invite

September 14, 2005

Barack Obama may be no great lover of country music, but when Willie Nelson calls to ask a favor, how can you say no? The junior senator from Illinois is scheduled to appear at Farm Aid's 20th anniversary concert Sunday at the Tweeter Center in Tinley Park. He joins a lineup that includes Nelson, Kenny Chesney and Neil Young.

Floodwaters Lift Poverty Debate Into Political Focus

September 13, 2005

WASHINGTON -- The vivid images of poor residents, most of them African American, stranded across New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina have generated more discussion in the nation's capital about poverty than any event in years. It is too soon to say whether this will lead to a new agenda for either party -- or even remain a focus as the floodwaters recede.

Judicious Obama turns up volume

September 12, 2005

WASHINGTON -- When Hurricane Katrina struck, Sen. Barack Obama was on the other side of the Atlantic, far out of reach of most of his political advisers and well out of earshot of the criticism churning among Democrats in the capital.

Katrina's racial storm

September 8, 2005

The stories of suffering and loss have ricocheted inside Houston's Astrodome since its conversion to a temporary shelter for Hurricane Katrina evacuees. But one poverty-stricken woman's anguish struck U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) with an intense clarity. "We had nothing before the hurricane," she told Obama as he wandered through the crowd there on Labor Day. "Now we got less than nothing."

Obama says hurricane victims will need long-term support

September 5, 2005

CHICAGO - Sen. Barack Obama said Monday that Americans should prepare to support displaced Hurricane Katrina victims for months to come. Obama returned to Chicago Monday after visiting evacuees at the Astrodome in Houston along with former Presidents Bush and Clinton. Obama said the 25,000 evacuees appear to be getting the necessary clothing, food and shelter after suffering in New Orleans last week.

Bush, Clinton Announce Hurricane Fund

September 5, 2005

HOUSTON -- Former Presidents Bush and Clinton said Monday they are ready to help Hurricane Katrina victims through a new fund similar to the one they spearheaded after the Asian tsunami. "We're most anxious to roll up our sleeves and get to work...

U.S., Ukraine sign pact on germ threat

August 30, 2005

Chicago Tribune correspondent By Jeff Zeleny KIEV, Ukraine -- The United States and Ukraine signed a joint agreement here Monday designed to curtail the threat of bioterrorism by placing modern safeguards on deadly pathogens and other material dating from a...

U.S. focuses on Russian WMD

August 27, 2005

Chicago Tribune By Jeff Zeleny Senators to inspect weapons sites MOSCOW -- The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Richard Lugar of Indiana, and its newest member, Barack Obama of Illinois, began a weeklong tour of former Cold War...

Talking to the Senator

August 17, 2005

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama conducted a town hall meeting at Lewis and Clark Community College, and on Tuesday about 430 people showed up. It lasted for an hour, but it was long enough for the recently-elected Democratic Senator to answer such questions as whether it would be a good idea for President Bush to release oil reserves to counter rising gasoline prices...

Meeting the masses

August 17, 2005

QUINCY HERALD WHIG By Doug Wilson, Herald-Whig Senior Writer PITTSFIELD, Ill. Sen. Barack Obama was asked "the question" again Tuesday. An audience member at the Crossroads Center wanted to know if Obama has considered running for president. It's a question...

Sticker shock over shell shock

August 10, 2005

The U.S. government is reviewing 72,000 cases in which veterans have been diagnosed with severe post-traumatic stress disorder, claiming that misdiagnosis and fraud have inflated the numbers. Outraged vets say the plan is a callous attempt to cut the costs of an increasingly expensive war.

Nice to know senators have Twin Cities on map

August 9, 2005

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama is living up to his promise to keep grounded and in touch with his constituents in Illinois. He hasn't been seduced by the spotlight that has shined on him since his stellar speech at the Democratic National Convention a year ago and his election in November.

Federal highway bill gives U.S. 51 big push

August 8, 2005

The excitement Monday was undeniable. The money in the bill for U.S. 51 is terrific news for Decatur, Macon County and all of the communities to the south that will benefit from a four-lane U.S. 51.

Wacker rehab, Part II, announced

August 4, 2005

The first $25 million of an estimated $280 million for the second phase of the Wacker Drive reconstruction in downtown Chicago was announced today. "This is a very good start," said Mayor Richard Daley, who was joined by U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Barack Obama at a news conference to announce the federal funding.

Transportation bill includes major Illinois projects

August 2, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Congress is gearing up to consider a compromise transportation bill that promises $1.23 billion a year, and possibly much more, for Illinois road, bridge and mass transit projects over the next five years.

Evening buses to be tried

August 2, 2005

Springfield will have evening bus service for at least a year thanks to federal funding announced Monday by U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Barack Obama. The $350,000 grant, part of the huge transportation bill passed by Congress last week, will allow for four nighttime routes through a pilot project, said Tim Timoney, secretary of the Springfield Mass Transit District board.

Funds acquired for New Mississipi Bridge

August 2, 2005

U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello announced recently that he was able to secure $150 million in funding for the New Mississippi River Bridge in the bill to reauthorize transportation programs in the nation.

Senators behind Normal

August 2, 2005

Durbin, Obama vow to help with transportation center NORMAL -- U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Barack Obama pledged to help find more money for a planned downtown transportation center only days after earmarking $4 million for it in a 2006 highway bill. "We're going to keep working until the project is done," Durbin said Monday. "I want to be at the ribbon-cutting."

Feisty U.S. attorney's job safe

July 29, 2005

WASHINGTON -- It's his call. Though his term is up this fall, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, the aggressive prosecutor who is investigating Mayor Daley's City Hall, possible illegal White House leaks and who has a former Illinois governor awaiting a corruption trial, is in no danger of losing his job.

Gunmakers may get suit-proof vest

July 29, 2005

WASHINGTON -- After years of battle, gun rights advocates are poised to win one of their biggest victories, as the Senate moves toward shielding makers, dealers, distributors and importers of guns from liability lawsuits. A result of increased Republican majorities in Congress, the passage of legal protection for the gun industry would mark an enormous setback for gun control advocates and for leaders of cities such as Chicago, who have filed suit against gun dealers and manufacturers.

Evergreen summit in D.C.

July 29, 2005

The nation's top housing official met late Thursday with U.S. Rep. Jerry Weller, R-Morris, and Sen. Barack Obama to discuss the fate of Joliet's beleaguered Evergreen Terrace apartment complex.

Bill could benefit SIUC

July 29, 2005

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS - Packaged inside the long-awaited national energy bill passed by the House on Thursday are a handful of clean coal provisions authored by U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Belleville.

Leaders push for I-55 work

July 29, 2005

Almost as sure as the sun will rise, rush-hour motorists are likely to sit in traffic along a two-lane stretch of Interstate 55 south of Weber Road. "It's gotten to the point now where every morning on the traffic reports you hear about the backups between Weber Road and U.S. 30," said Mike Smith, president of the Will County Governmental League and mayor of New Lenox.

Senators get $240 million for bridge

July 29, 2005

U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Belleville, announced Thursday night that Congress would authorize $240 million for a new Mississippi River bridge. Costello said in a news release he secured $150 million for the bridge as part of a national transportation bill. He said Sens. Dick Durbin and Barack Obama secured the other $90 million.

Congress completes highway legislation

July 29, 2005

WASHINGTON - Lawmakers finalized on Thursday a mammoth five-year highway and transit bill that will channel hundreds of millions of dollars to Missouri and Illinois.

Major Springfield projects in road bill

July 29, 2005

WASHINGTON - A $286.5 billion, five-year transportation program headed for approval by Congress includes money to boost two major projects in Springfield: $5 million for a central transportation hub and $4 million for reconstruction of Capitol Avenue from Seventh to 11th streets in the city.

Highway bill has goodies

July 29, 2005

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congress is poised to give final approval to a $286.5 billion, five-year transportation program this week, including more than $1 billion a year for Illinois highway and bridge projects.

Tax credit for E85 fuel in energy bill

July 28, 2005

Legislation proposed by U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., to provide a federal tax credit to build E85 ethanol fueling stations across the country passed out of conference committee Wednesday.

Obama is taking the prudent course

July 25, 2005

A year ago this week, Barack Obama became a political rock star. "I stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger American story, that I owe a debt to all of those who came before me, and that in no other country on earth is my story even possible," Obama said as the keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention.

Officials need to fix I-55 now

July 24, 2005

Tune in to any local traffic report on your way to or from work, and you surely will hear, "I-55 slows at Weber," "Stevenson tight beginning at Weber Road," or "back-ups between Lockport and Weber Road."

Not just a celeb, Obama pays his dues

July 24, 2005

Ill. senator begins to address state, regional concerns When then-Democratic Senate candidate Barack Obama returned to Illinois from the Democratic Convention in Boston a year ago, one of his first stops was at Rockford's Sinnissippi Park.

Obama applauds increase in availability of E85 ethanol fuel in Southern Illinois

July 22, 2005

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) Tuesday praised the Metropolis Citgo station for increasing the availability of E85 ethanol fuel in southern Illinois. Metropolis Citgo is only the 8th station south of I-64 to offer E85 fuel.

Corn-based E85 fuel runs cleaner, cheaper than gas

July 21, 2005

METROPOLIS - It's made from a renewable resource - one of which Illinois has an ample supply. It burns more cleanly and efficiently than gasoline and is a performance enhancer. But probably the best thing about E85 fuel is that it's more than 30 cents cheaper per gallon than gasoline.

Obama's year: Cautious player on Capitol Hill - celebrity everywhere else

July 21, 2005

PEKIN, Ill. - The line forms the moment Sen. Barack Obama is done speaking, a procession of admirers clutching copies of his book, magazines, scraps of paper, disposable cameras and one homemade American flag. It doesn't take long before someone pops the question.

Obama draws on African roots as he steps onto global stage with Sudan

July 18, 2005

Freshman Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) visited the United Nations on Friday, taking his first steps to use his unique position -- the son of a Kenyan, the only African American in the Senate -- to pressure African countries and China to do more to stop the genocide in Sudan.

Shortfall for veterans' services foretold, but House GOP leaders fired the messengers

July 18, 2005

Fellow Republicans warned House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Majority Leader Tom DeLay more than a year ago that the government would come up short - by at least $750 million - for veterans' health care. The leaders' response: Fire the messengers.

State's veterans promised change

July 18, 2005

Leaders from Illinois say they are pushing federal authorities hard to upgrade services for veterans in the state, telling the annual convention of the American Legion of Illinois that some improvements are already in the works.

Obama pledges his support to veterans

July 18, 2005

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama said Saturday that federal Department of Veterans Affairs funding should never be an "afterthought" and promised to keep fighting for Illinois veterans who receive some of the lowest disability benefits in the nation.

House approves new river locks

July 15, 2005

WASHINGTON - Members of the U.S. House overwhelmingly approved a $3.6 billion lock and dam improvement project Thursday to ease shipping on the upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers. The measure now goes to the Senate.

'It seems the VA wants to bury bad news'

July 14, 2005

The federal VA is trying to hide how poorly Illinois' disabled veterans are paid by deleting state rankings in its annual report released this week, say Illinois' two U.S. senators and veterans' advocates.

VA boosts staff in Chicago

July 7, 2005

The number of claims specialists at the regional Veterans Affairs office has been boosted 27 percent to help handle claims, officials said Wednesday.

State senators hear vets' complaints, question VA officials

July 7, 2005

July 6, 2005 - Veterans Affairs officials tried to explain Wednesday why Illinois veterans receive the lowest benefit payments in the nation. Senators Barak Obama and Dick Durbin questioned VA officials about the problems facing vets returning home.

Illinois Senators Hold Hearing On Veterans' Benefits

July 7, 2005

CHICAGO -- Illinois U.S. Sens. Barack Obama and Dick Durbin heard testimony on Wednesday about the benefits for the state's veterans.

Obama listens to residents' concerns

July 7, 2005

PEKIN -- U. S. Sen. Barrack Obama said Tuesday that there are two things that his mother taught him -- there is no such thing as a free lunch and you shouldn't expect something for nothing.

VA director: 12 more workers will help settle claims here

July 7, 2005

The Chicago VA office plans to hire a dozen more employees to settle disability claims of Illinois veterans -- in addition to the squad of five specialists assigned to work here earlier this month, director Michael Olson said Wednesday at a Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing held in Chicago by Senators Barack Obama and Dick Durbin.

Up close and personal

July 6, 2005

PEKIN - Elaine and Daniel Schmidt of Pekin arrived two hours early to get front-row seats at the town hall meeting U.S. Sen. Barack Obama hosted here Tuesday.

Why I oppose CAFTA

June 30, 2005

This week Congress will debate the Central American Free Trade Agreement.

Senate energy bill contains goodies for Illinois

June 29, 2005

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved an energy bill that would dramatically increase the use of ethanol, providing Illinois farmers a steady market for corn and bolstering the growing ethanol industry in the state.

What I See in Lincoln's Eyes

June 27, 2005

He never won Illinois' Senate seat. But in many ways, he paved the way for me.

When it comes to race, Obama makes his point--with subtlety

June 26, 2005

SPRINGFIELD -- The night before the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum was dedicated, Barack Obama sat awake in his room at the Renaissance Hotel, agonizing over a speech he would deliver about a man he calls his political hero.

Obama fears 'Big Brother' over our shoulders

June 26, 2005

If the U.S. government resorts to rifling through library records without a search warrant, libraries will no longer be sanctuaries of learning where people can freely think and read, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama told the American Library Association Saturday.

Obama's Stand Against Patriot Act Cheered

June 26, 2005

CHICAGO -- To the cheers of thousands of librarians, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama on Saturday called for the Senate to rewrite the USA Patriot Act to prevent investigators from scanning library records and bookstore sales slips.

Obama finds job 'exhilarating'

June 25, 2005

NORMAL - Before a standing-room only crowd Friday, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama said he is determined to make positive changes for Illinois in Washington, D.C.

VA revising one-week-old policy of two reviews

June 22, 2005

The VA pulled back a week-old policy Tuesday that required the most seriously disabled veterans to wait for a second review on their cases before the agency would pay any money.

Here's what it takes to be a bona fide `full-grown' man

June 22, 2005

In a Father's Day sermon Sunday at a South Side church, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) appealed to fathers in the black community to begin acting like "full-grown" men in order to earn the devotion and respect of their loved ones. The following is an excerpt of that challenge.

Obama's colorblind words

June 22, 2005

Father's Day invites sermons--not enough of them delivered by fathers telling their families that it's a privilege to be entrusted with children. So most of the sermonizing is left to the clergy. On Sunday, though, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) preached with grace and gratitude about fatherhood to a crowd of 4,000 at Christ Universal Temple, an important church in Chicago's African-American community.

Obama 's church sermon to black dads: Grow up

June 20, 2005

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama on Sunday exhorted fathers in the black community to earn the love and respect of their children by acting like "full-grown" men and living their values.

STUMPED - Barack Star

June 20, 2005

What happens when a prominent political figure who's usually a media star gives a great speech that doesn't get much news coverage? If the pol and the staff are smart, they'll keep using the frame and the phrasings until the news media, political insiders, and, eventually, a national audience start paying attention--and the speech that once was ignored becomes the politician's trademark. That, at any rate, is what happened to Ronald Reagan's case for conservatism, Mario Cuomo's tribute to "the family of America," and John Edwards's populist stump speech.

New benefit delay hits disabled vets

June 19, 2005

The most seriously disabled veterans will now have to wait for their claims to pass a second review before they can receive any disability pay from the federal Veterans Affairs Department, according to a new policy ordered last week.

Illinois officials gearing up for fight over jobs targeted by Pentagon

June 18, 2005

Springfield's mayor envisions thousands of people waving signs and flags in a show of support for the 183rd Fighter Wing on Monday when a member of the federal base closings commission tours the local Air National Guard base.

Senator Seeks Details on Nominee's '87 Speech

June 18, 2005

Senator Barack Obama says he may try to block the confirmation of a high-level nominee to the State Department out of concerns over racially insensitive comments attributed to her in the past.

Bill aims to save woman from deportation

June 14, 2005

Three Illinois congressmen will introduce today in Washington a special bill to keep a local woman whose husband was killed in Iraq from being deported to Kosovo.

Senate apologizes for past failures to pass anti-lynching legislation

June 14, 2005

WASHINGTON - One woman remembered a cousin who had died at the hands of a mob in Kentucky. Another recalled a teenager dragged from a relative's home in Mississippi only to turn up dead in a river.

U.S. Senate apologizes for not enacting anti-lynching legislation

June 14, 2005

Doria Dee Johnson, of Evanston, had waited a long time to see this day. In 1916, her great-great-grandfather Anthony Crawford was lynched by a crowd of nearly 400 - hung and shot 200 times - for arguing with a white man over cotton prices. After his death, the family's land was taken.

U.S. Senate apologizes for 100 years of lynchings

June 14, 2005

WASHINGTON -- The Senate apologized Monday to lynching victims and their descendants, a belated attempt to make amends for what some lawmakers acknowledged was the Senate's shameful 19th and 20th Century history of blocking efforts to end the grisly practice of lynching African-Americans.

What's on road plan menu?

June 13, 2005

A long-overdue federal transportation program that could bring Illinois billions of dollars in transit-related improvements, thousands of new jobs and congestion relief is closer than ever to passage.

Grounding a Pandemic

June 6, 2005

Washington - When we think of the major threats to our national security, the first to come to mind are nuclear proliferation, rogue states and global terrorism. But another kind of threat lurks beyond our shores, one from nature, not humans - an avian flu pandemic. An outbreak could cause millions of deaths, destabilize Southeast Asia (its likely place of origin), and threaten the security of governments around the world.

Chicago VA to get reinforcements

June 6, 2005

A squad of disability specialists has been ordered to the Chicago VA office to settle the disputed claims of Illinois veterans whose disability pay ranks worst in the nation.

Obama big on ceremonies

June 5, 2005

GALESBURG - U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, who delivered the commencement address at Knox College Saturday, said his interest in such events is heightened now that he has two children of his own, ages 4 and 7.

Providing inspiration

June 5, 2005

A historical perspective and hope for the future were both stressed by U.S. Sen. Barack Obama during his commencement speech Saturday at Knox College in Galesburg.

Rituals recognize soldiers' sacrifices

May 31, 2005

When Mildred Taylor of Manteno buried her son James Dean Taylor, 42, six years ago in Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, she was filled with remorse for leaving him where there were only five other tombstones.

Tribute to the fallen

May 31, 2005

Memorial Day: Obama honors war dead, and a man who held them in highest regard

Southlanders remember 'Images of Sacrifice'

May 31, 2005

On Monday afternoon, many Southlanders took time away from their back yard barbecues to remember veterans during Memorial Day ceremonies.

Obama comes to hear from DuPage County

May 28, 2005

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama made a stop in Addison Friday at a town hall meeting to listen to the needs of DuPage County residents.

Youth is served

May 28, 2005

Students from high-poverty south suburban schools asked U.S. Sen. Barack Obama on Friday to send their districts more money for computers, textbooks and after-school activities.

Nicholson promises changes in VA offices

May 23, 2005

CHICAGO - The head of the Department of Veterans Affairs promised Friday he would make changes to a system that grants far lower average disability benefits to Illinois veterans than to their counterparts nationwide.

Veterans extract promises from VA

May 23, 2005

Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson relented to pressure from Illinois veterans and senators Friday and promised to set up a special unit to re-examine old disability claims of veterans here who feel their cases were treated unfairly.

Angry Illinois veterans sneer at VA `snow job'

May 23, 2005

A day after the release of a report showing Illinois has ranked lowest in the country in disability payments for two decades, angry veterans Friday confronted top-ranking government officials with a demand that the system be reformed.

Brazil offers model for ethanol success

May 17, 2005

SAO PAULO, Brazil - It is fitting that Brazil's sugar mills turn out both ethanol for fuel and cane liquor for drinking, because Brazilians like to toast the success of their ethanol industry.

Dinner is served

May 13, 2005

Thanks to some hungry G.I.'s and a U.S. senator, some wounded soldiers will no longer have to dig into their own pockets to pay for their meals at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

New locks would 'help families and farmers'

May 12, 2005

Time is money for farmers relying on an outdated river system and waiting for lawmakers to correct the situation, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama argued last week in Peoria.

Crowd of 400 cheers Obama in Sycamore

May 9, 2005

SYCAMORE - The Mitchell family from DeKalb arrived more than two hours before U.S. Sen. Barack Obama was scheduled to talk Saturday at the Sycamore Public Library.

Obama visits Sycamore

May 8, 2005

Following a few brief remarks, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama opened the floor to more than 350 attendees at Saturday's town hall meeting - his 21st since his election.

Senator challenges Young Americans

May 8, 2005

ROCKFORD - Sen. Barack Obama had a challenge for the recipients of the 2005 Young American award Saturday.

Q & A: Obama answers questions at town meeting

May 6, 2005

OTTAWA - A standing-room-only crowd Thursday cheered U.S. Senator Barack Obama's take on Social Security privatization, treatment of veterans, trade deficits and federal spending.

Obama addresses veterans care, abortion, Social Security

May 6, 2005

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) told a capacity crowd Thursday that Democrats are laying the foundation for future legislation, but currently are having trouble getting bills passed in a Republican controlled Congress.

Obama saying aging river locks stifling grain exports

May 4, 2005

PEORIA, Ill. - Aging locks and dams along the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers are slowing Midwest corn and soybean exports, stifling a farm economy that risks losing ground to Brazil and other agricultural nations, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama said Tuesday.

Building On Hope

May 4, 2005

SENATOR BARACK OBAMA will deliver the keynote address at the Detroit Branch NAACP's 50th annual Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner. NAACP officials said tickets for the event have been going fast in anticipation of Obama�s speech.

Obama Praises U.S. Civil Rights Pioneers

May 2, 2005

DETROIT -- Sen. Barack Obama praised the courage of America's civil rights pioneers Sunday and urged younger generations to find the same boldness in addressing the future of education.

Obama: Bush SS plan dead

April 27, 2005

By Edward Felker Rock Island Argus WASHINGTON -- Freshman Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., said Tuesday that the American public already has rejected President George W. Bush's plan to partially privatize Social Security, in large part because they worry about their...

Sens. Obama, Durbin play key roles in opposing Bush plan

April 27, 2005

As the first congressional hearing on President Bush's Social Security overhaul plan got under way Tuesday, Sen. Barack Obama was at the National Press Club accusing Republicans of creating an ideologically driven, "manufactured panic" to promote the president's plan.

Dems smell win, hold firm: no accounts

April 27, 2005

There they were, some 120 Democrats, House and Senate members, at a rally Tuesday to protest President Bush's plan for retirement investment accounts they say will jeopardize the long-term health of Social Security.

Obama proposes tax credit for E85 refueling stations

April 20, 2005

Legislation proposed Tuesday by U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) would provide a 50 percent tax credit for the cost to build a new E85 vehicle refueling station up to $30,000.

Obama speaks out

April 20, 2005

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama was in Quincy Monday for the first time since taking office in January. The town hall meeting at the Quincy Senior and Family Resource Center drew a standing-room-only crowd as Obama fielded many questions.

Senators press on for vets' benefits

April 15, 2005

CHICAGO TRIBUNE By Rudolph Bush Durbin, Obama decry inaction by VA official WASHINGTON -- Increasingly frustrated at Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson's response to the comparatively low benefits awarded to Illinois' disabled vets, Illinois Sens. Dick Durbin and Barack Obama...

Senators to VA boss: Time's up

April 15, 2005

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES BY CHERYL L. REED Senators Dick Durbin and Barack Obama are tired of waiting. The two Democratic U.S. senators from Illinois issued a terse letter to Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson on Thursday, demanding that he meet with...

Senate panel OKs lock project bill

April 14, 2005

PEORIA JOURNAL STAR By Dori Meinert of Copley News Service WASHINGTON, D.C. - Kicking off the latest round in a long-running battle, a key Senate committee Wednesday approved a bill authorizing a costly and controversial project to lengthen seven locks...

VA here rated among worst in U.S.

April 6, 2005

Illinois veterans have rated the Chicago regional office of Veterans Affairs among the worst in the nation, according to the VA's annual survey of veterans' satisfaction.

Obama, Q-C Marine reunite during education stump at BHC

April 1, 2005

MOLINE -- A Quad-Cities Marine mentioned prominently in Barack Obama's keynote address at the Democratic National Convention enjoyed a happy reunion Thursday with the freshman senator from Illinois.

Silvis Marine greets Obama at Black Hawk

April 1, 2005

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., got a surprise Thursday at Black Hawk College.

Obama visits SIUE to pitch plan to increase student Pell grants

March 30, 2005

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., wants to increase the amounts of Pell grants that help low-income students pay for college.

Obama unveils student loan plan at SIUE

March 30, 2005

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama was at SIUE on Tuesday to announce his first legislation as senator - a bill that would increase the amount students can receive in Pell Grants.

Obama tackles issues in town hall meeting

March 30, 2005

BELLEVILLE - U.S. Sen. Barack Obama stood for more than an hour and a half, tackling issues from stem-cell research to medical liability reform to the future of Scott Air Force Base.

Obama pushes for more affordable education

March 29, 2005

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS - Sen. Barack Obama's first piece of legislation in Washington aims to make college more affordable for students and closes a "loophole" for banks and lenders making education loans.

Obama's 1st bill: raising Pell Grants

March 29, 2005

Freshman Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) said Monday the first bill he will introduce will ask Congress to boost federal grants for needy college students.

Obama wants to raise maximum amount of Pell grants

March 28, 2005

Freshman U.S. Sen. Barack Obama said Monday the first bill he introduces in Congress will be aimed at increasing Pell Grant awards that help lower-income students afford college.

Senator Obama praises ethanol plant in Pekin

March 16, 2005

PEKIN -- U.S. Sen. Barack Obama sent a message to Congress from Aventine Renewable Energy's plant. Obama visited the nation's second-largest ethanol producer Monday. Obama urged increasing ethanol production and reducing the nation's dependence on foreign oil.

Obama touts ethanol's use

March 15, 2005

PEKIN - After a tour of the Aventine Renewable Energy plant Monday, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama called on Congress to pass legislation that has the potential to increase ethanol production and reduce the country's dependence on foreign oil.

Obama pushes for increased ethanol production

March 15, 2005

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama urged Congress Monday to end a two-year stalemate that has stifled production of ethanol, a corn-based fuel additive that he says could create more than 200,000 new jobs and ease the nation's dependance on foreign oil.

Lawmakers walk a thin line on coal issue

March 13, 2005

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS - In Southern Illinois, supporting coal miners is a political no-brainer. While most all talk the talk of helping the coal industry, it is the follow-through that voters curiously watch.

Staying ahead of the avian flu

March 7, 2005

So far the avian flu threat has been a world away, a casual curiosity for most Americans who haven't traveled to Thailand or Vietnam or Cambodia. Chickens and ducks are dying. So are some people who handle those sick birds in Southeast Asia or their uncooked meat

Obama stresses benefits of education

February 25, 2005

LINCOLN - Freshman U.S. Sen. Barack Obama held a town meeting Thursday at Lincoln College, where he emphasized the need for a well-educated work force.

Obama pledges to improve schools, health-care access

February 25, 2005

BLOOMINGTON -- The expectations are high for U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, who's been looked to as a future presidential candidate before he even took office in January.

Obama draws hundreds in Q-C

February 24, 2005

Wallenberg Hall at Augustana College was packed 30 minutes before U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's town hall meeting Wednesday, and the overflow crowd spilled into alternate venues to hear the senator's thoughts on Social Security, the budget and family values.

Obama tells MVCC students to 'set the bar high' in speech

February 19, 2005

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama challenged a group of about 500 people at Moraine Valley Community College to strive for excellence.

Disabled veterans must keep waiting

February 16, 2005

Illinois' wounded veterans will have to wait several months before learning why they've received among the lowest disability pay in the country for the past seven decades.

2 Illinois lawmakers criticize Bush budget plan for veterans

February 15, 2005

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama and U.S. Rep. Lane Evans teamed up Friday to attack President Bush's budget plan for veterans, saying it is irresponsible to keep funding flat at a time when thousands of weary American soldiers continue to return home from battle.

Obama rips Bush on vets' funds

February 15, 2005

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama chided President Bush on Monday for proposing a federal budget that Obama says falls about $4 billion short of honoring the nation's commitment to veterans.

Looking Out For Veterans: Obama Concerned New Budget Would Continue To Hamper Benefits

February 15, 2005

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS -- U.S. Sen. Barack Obama is continuing his effort to protect the benefits of veterans in Illinois and the nation.

Evans, Obama say Bush's proposed budget shortchanges veterans

February 14, 2005

MOLINE -- The number of veterans seeking health and other benefits will grow as soldiers return from Iraq, but President George W. Bush's budget plan won't meet the nation's obligation, U.S. Rep. Lane Evans and U.S. Sen. Barack Obama said Friday.

Obama touches on variety of issues

February 8, 2005

He may not have his own Bobblehead doll yet, but U.S. Sen. Barack Obama appears to have nearly as much support in Naperville as Mayor George Pradel.

Ready For Business: Obama Opens Regional Constituent Office In Marion

February 7, 2005

MARION -- Southern Illinois needs help with its economy, its job growth and with its availability of quality education. To help, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., opened his regional constituent office in Marion on Friday.

Floor Statement from Senator Barack Obama on the Nomination of Alberto Gonzales for Attorney General

February 3, 2005

The President is not the Attorney General's client -- the people are. And so the true test of an Attorney General nominee is whether that person is ready to put the Constitution of the people before the political agenda of the President. As such, I cannot approach this nomination the same way I approached that of Secretary of State Rice or VA Secretary Nicholson or any other Cabinet position. The standard is simply higher.

Voice Of The Southern: Illinois Veterans Deserve Better Treatment From VA

February 1, 2005

"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive the veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation." - George Washington

Obama inspires; can he succeed?

February 1, 2005

"Don't bother going in there," said the older man standing outside the Woodstock Opera House. "They're not letting anyone else in." It was 1:20 p.m., 10 minutes before the scheduled start of a town-hall discussion featuring U.S. Sen. Barack Obama. Dozens of people were being turned away.

Obama gets warm welcome at town hall meeting in Republican stronghold

February 1, 2005

Venturing into what his party not long ago viewed as enemy territory, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama received a star's welcome to McHenry County from a standing-room-only crowd Monday at the Woodstock Opera House.

VA nominee promises to look at alleged disparities

January 24, 2005

Jim Nicholson, President Bush's nominee to head the Veterans Affairs Department, promised Monday to look into reported disparities in disability compensation from state to state.

Obama a big hit in Lockport

January 12, 2005

On Tuesday in Lockport, Barack Obama held his first town hall meeting since being sworn in as a U.S. senator, but for the 500 Will County residents who attended, the event was more like a happening.