(February 28, 2009) -- With U.S. Sen. Roland Burris' appointment already tainted, Illinois officials are now looking into how the son of the embattled senator got a state job during the administration of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, despite the younger Burris’ alleged tax problems and other irregularities.

(February 19, 2009) - CHICAGO (AP) -- U.S. Sen. Roland Burris insisted this week he voluntarily sent state lawmakers an affidavit outlining contacts with ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s brother prior to his Senate appointment and was not prompted by federal agents investigating the former governor.

(February 18, 2009) - The Obama administration announced it would participate in the planning of a United Nations conference on racism, despite concerns that the meeting will promote criticism of Israel by Arab nations, the Associated Press reported.

(February 4, 2009) - As reports circulated that President Obama would choose Republican Sen. Judd Gregg to head the Commerce Department, the Congressional Black Caucus had been lobbying the president to pick African-American technology executive John Thompson.

(February 4, 2009) - In the eyes of some political activists and pundits, Alicia Myers is an African-American woman who could be considered a model Republican. She doesn’t have to work, but is the co-owner with her husband, Floyd, of FAM Enterprises, a company that owns and manages a large number of housing units in the Washington, D.C., area.

(January 31, 2009) - Just days before a $900 billion stimulus plan hits the Senate floor for a vote, Democratic leaders are already predicting a tough fight and late nights in order to get President Obama's plan passed with bipartisan support.

(January 28, 2009) - After weeks of staunch opposition by one of the Republican Party’s most highly-ranked senators, President Barack Obama’s choice for attorney general finally got the thumbs-up for confirmation.

(January 24, 2009) - After suffering major losses in the last two elections, Republicans have a chance to make history as well as inroads with crucial minority voting blocs next weekend when they meet to select their next chairman.

(January 24, 2009) - The political and criminal troubles of the governor who appointed him are far from over, but Roland Burris, the new senator from Illinois has hit the ground running,...

(January 15, 2009) - Civil rights leaders and a leading scholar on Black politics said that if the U.S. Supreme Court rules in favor of a case that challenges a central provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, Blacks will encounter widespread discrimination in trying to assert their political rights.

(January 14, 2009) - As Illinois Senator-designate Roland Burris is set to get President-elect Barack Obama’s seat this week, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus is also making plans to become a senator.

(January 9, 2009) - Days before the first black president takes office, the Supreme Court agreed Friday to consider overturning a key feature of the main federal law that ensures access to the polls by minorities.

(January 7, 2009) - Roland Burris didn’t even make it past the door. In a somewhat inauspicious start to the 111th Congress, the former Illinois attorney general was barred from entering the U.S. Senate chamber Tuesday as he sought to claim the seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.

(January 6, 2009) – As expected, Illinois Senator-designate Roland Burris was denied entry into the U.S. Senate chamber today. Burris appeared before Nancy Erickson, the secretary of the Senate, to present his credentials and she refused to accept them.

(January 4, 2009) - New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has become the first casualty of President-elect Barack Obama's cabinet picks, having made a stunning decision this weekend to withdraw as the nominee for commerce secretary.

(December 30, 2008) - While Illinois lawmakers debate whether to begin the impeachment process for their embattled governor, Rod Blagojevich has tapped former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to fill President-elect Barack Obama’s vacated Senate seat.

(December 24, 2008) - President-elect Barack Obama is working to establish his administrative cabinet and make arrangements for his upcoming inauguration. Towards these ends, Obama has made some decisions that have caused controversy and unsettled parts of his base.

(December 23, 2008) - For centuries, the White House has worked hard to live up to its name. In administration after administration, there has been “a severe paucity of anyone besides White males in the White House,”...

(December 18, 2008) - WASHINGTON (NNPA) – Valerie Jarrett, who will likely become a household name very shortly as she serves as a senior adviser and public liaison for President Barack Obama, says the landscape of activism may drastically change under an Obama administration...

(December 18, 2008) - WASHINGTON (AP) -- Enthusiasm among blacks and Democrats for Barack Obama's candidacy pushed voter turnout in this year's elections to the highest level in 40 years.