January 8, 2008

Daschle Begins Senate Confirmation for Health Post
Former U.S. Senate Majority leader Tom Daschle, President-elect Barack Obama's choice to lead the health and human services agency and a massive health reform effort, faced questions from a Senate confirmation hearing Thursday. Health analysts discuss the road ahead for the Obama team's effort to reform the nation's health care.
Text: Read Daschle's Statement to the Senate Panel [PDF]

January 7, 2008

Presidents Past, Present and Future Meet at the White House
In an image bound to go down in history, every living U.S. president -- George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter -- came together at the White House on Wednesday to meet with President-elect Barack Obama. Historians Richard Norton Smith, Michael Beschloss and Peniel Joseph examine the day.

January 6, 2008

Obama's CIA Pick Stirs Debate in Intel Community
President-elect Barack Obama plans to choose former Clinton White House chief of staff Leon Panetta to run the CIA and retired Adm. Dennis Blair for director of national intelligence, according to major news organizations -- moves that have stirred some debate on Capitol Hill and elsewhere. Intelligence experts examine the picks.
Background: Panetta Discussed the Naming of a U.S. 'War Czar' in a 2007 Interview
Video: Watch Dennis Blair Discuss Discuss Terror Threats in Asia in a 2001 Interview

January 6, 2009

Dennis Blair Tapped for National Intelligence Chief
President-elect Barack Obama plans to choose retired Adm. Dennis Blair to become the next director of national intelligence -- the president's chief intelligence adviser.

January 6, 2009

Obama Selects Leon Panetta to Head CIA
President-elect Barack Obama plans to nominate President Bill Clinton's former chief of staff Leon Panetta to serve as director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

January 5, 2008

Obama Works on Stimulus Plan, Reportedly Picks Panetta for CIA
President-elect Barack Obama met with party leaders on Capitol Hill Monday to discuss an economic stimulus package. Reports also emerged that he selected former White House chief of staff Leon Panetta to lead the CIA. Journalists discuss the latest news.

January 5, 2008

Richardson Withdraws Bid to Become Commerce Chief
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has withdrawn his name as President-elect Obama's nominee to become the next commerce secretary. Richardson abandoned his Cabinet bid Sunday as news emerged that a federal grand jury is investigating how one of his political donors landed a lucrative New Mexico transportation contract.
Profile: Bill Richardson

December 29, 2008

Obama's Foreign Policy Challenges Continue to Grow
The Mumbai terror attacks and this month's Gaza conflict have highlighted the many foreign policy issues President-elect Barack Obama will face as soon as he takes office. Newspaper columnists mull how Mr. Obama and his team may prioritize the problems.

December 22, 2008

Obama Expands Job Growth Goals in Economic Plan
President-elect Barack Obama is planning to create or preserve three million jobs over the next two years and blunt an economic recession through a series of government construction projects and a larger federal stimulus plan. Washington Post reporter Lori Montgomery takes a closer look at Mr. Obama's job growth goals.

December 19, 2008

Obama Names Picks for Transportation, Labor Posts
President-elect Barack Obama tapped Ill. Rep. Ray LaHood for transportation secretary, California Rep. Hilda Solis for labor secretary, former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk for U.S. trade representative and venture capitalist Karen Mills to head the Small Business Administration.
MP3: Obama's Press Conference on the Labor, Transportation Picks

December 19, 2008

Obama Picks Moderate GOP Lawmaker to Oversee Transportation Department
President-elect Barack Obama announced Friday his appointment of Illinois Rep. Ray LaHood to head the nation's Department of Transportation, calling on the Republican's seven terms of congressional experience and six years on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

December 19, 2008

Solis Rounds Out Obama Cabinet as Labor Secretary
President-elect Barack Obama has selected the next labor secretary to be California Rep. Hilda Solis, a liberal representative with plentiful experience on environmental and energy issues.

December 17, 2008

Obama Picks Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar for Interior Secretary
President-elect Barack Obama has selected first-term Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar to serve as secretary of the Department of the Interior, a post that oversees 500 million acres of land, or about a fifth of the country.

December 16, 2008

Obama Names New SEC Chief to Tighten Federal Financial Oversight
President-elect Barack Obama named veteran securities industry regulator Mary Schaprio to head the Securities and Exchange Commission Thursday. Donald Langevoort of Georgetown University Law Center, Robert Kuttner, a co-editor of the American Prospect magazine, and Steve Bartlett of the Financial Services Roundtable asses the picks.

December 16, 2008

Obama Picks Chicago Schools Chief Duncan for Education Secretary
Arne Duncan, the man at the helm of Chicago public schools for the last seven years and a longtime friend of President-elect Barack Obama, has been tapped as secretary of education for the new administration. After a look at Duncan's credentials, analysts examine the task ahead in managing U.S. schools.

December 16, 2008

Obama Picks Chicago Schools Chief Duncan for Education Secretary
Arne Duncan, the man at the helm of Chicago public schools for the last seven years and a longtime friend of President-elect Barack Obama, has been tapped as secretary of education for the new administration.

December 15, 2008

Obama Unveils Environmental, Energy Policy Team
President-elect Barack Obama named a former head of the EPA and a Nobel prize-winning scientist to his energy and environmental policy teams Monday. Analysts discuss how Obama's picks will carry out his agenda.

December 15, 2008

Nobel Laureate Chu Tapped to Head Energy Department
Steven Chu is a professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley, and director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, where he has worked for the past four years on developing alternative energy sources and improving energy efficiency.

December 15, 2008

Browner Named as Newly-created Climate Policy Chief
Carol Browner, a champion of legislation to slow climate growth and an Al Gore ally, is returning to familiar real estate but in a newly created position, as President-elect Barack Obama's climate chief.

December 11, 2008

Obama Names Daschle to Head Health Reform Effort
President-elect Barack Obama announced former Senate Majority leader Tom Daschle as his pick to head the Health and Human Services agency Thursday. Daschle will also oversee a new White House Office of Health Reform and be charged to fulfilling Mr. Obama's campaign pledge to take a fresh look at the nation's health care woes.

December 11, 2008

Daschle Selected as Health and Human Services Secretary
President-elect Barack Obama chose former Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle as Secretary of Health and Human Services, a selection that signals the importance of health care in the next administration.

December 4, 2008

Insider Forum: Obama's Foreign Policy To-Do List
Recent attacks in Mumbai, India, mark the newest foreign policy issue that the incoming Obama administration will face, along with wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and other hotspots. So what are the foreign policy challenges facing the president-elect? Experts answered your questions.

December 4, 2008

Reporter's Notebook: Gwen Ifill on Clinton's Appointment, Obama's Strategy
Senior NewsHour correspondent Gwen Ifill reflected on President-elect Barack Obama's recent nomination of Hillary Clinton as secretary of state and the unfolding of Mr. Obama's transition process in a reporter's notebook.

December 3, 2008

Obama Names Richardson for Commerce Secretary
President-elect Barack Obama named New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to the post of commerce secretary Wednesday, tapping another former political foe for a Cabinet spot. Amy Walter of the Hotline examines the reaction to the Richardson pick.

December 1, 2008

Obama Names Clinton, Jones, Gates to National Security Team
Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former State Department official Philip Zelikow examine Mr. Obama's newly-named national security team and the foreign policy challenges he and his advisers will face.

December 1, 2008

President-elect Obama Retains Gates as Defense Secretary
President-elect Barack Obama has decided to retain Robert Gates as defense secretary, signaling his desire to have operational continuity and stability in the Pentagon as the United States fights two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

December 1, 2008

Obama Taps Former NATO Chief Jones as National Security Adviser
Gen. James L. Jones will bring "the dual experience of serving in uniform and as a diplomat" to the position of national security adviser, President-elect Barack Obama said Monday in appointing the former NATO commander to the top Cabinet post.

December 1, 2008

Obama Nominates Eric Holder as Nation's Top Law Enforcement Official
President-elect Barack Obama has nominated former Justice Department official Eric Holder to be the nation's top law enforcement official.

December 1, 2008

Arizona Gov. Napolitano Nominated to Head Obama's Homeland Security Efforts
President-elect Barack Obama on Monday named Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano -- who has pioneered security efforts along the volatile Arizona-Mexico border -- to head the nation's Department of Homeland Security.

December 1, 2008

Obama Selects Susan Rice as Ambassador to U.N.
When President-elect Barack Obama nominated Susan Rice as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations on Monday, Rice said she could think of "no more important time" to represent the United States to the world body.

November 28, 2008

Shields and Brooks on Challenges Ahead for Obama's Economic Team
Analysts Mark Shields and David Brooks examine President-elect Barack Obama's economic team and the challenges he may face in managing their competing ideas.

November 26, 2008

Obama's Economic Strategy Begins to Emerge as Team Takes Shape
In an attempt to combat the economic crisis, President-elect Barack Obama has appointed key members of his economic team, including former Fed Chair Paul Volcker, to lead an economic advisory panel. Two financial writers assess his team.

November 26, 2008

Gates Likely Re-appointment as Defense Chief Stirs Debate
President-elect Barack Obama will likely ask Defense Secretary Robert Gates to remain as Pentagon Chief when his administration takes over. A retired brigadier general and a former Bush administration official debate the pros and cons of keeping Gates at the helm.

November 25, 2008

Obama Pledges New Effort to Tighten Federal Budget
President-elect Barack Obama named Peter Orszag as his budget director Tuesday and pledged the rein in the federal budget. Financial experts mull his proposals and weigh in on the complex process of trimming federal programs.

November 24, 2008

Obama: Optimistic Fiscal Team Determined to Revive American Economy
President-elect Barack Obama unveiled his top economic advisers Monday, saying they share his desire to fuel long-term economic growth and create jobs. Economic experts examine the challenges that lie ahead for the team.
Read Mr. Obama's remarks on his economic team

November 24, 2008

Obama Reportedly Mulls Keeping Gates as Defense Chief
President-elect Barack Obama is reportedly considering retaining Robert Gates as defense secretary, which has sparked debate among Obama's supporters and others. NewsHour deputy senior producer Dan Sagalyn reports.

November 24, 2008

Obama Taps New York Fed Chair Geithner for Treasury Chief
President-elect Barack Obama has named New York Federal Reserve President Timothy Geithner as his pick to serve as Treasury Secretary in his incoming administration -- a key decision as the United States faces one of the worst economic crisis in decades.

November 24, 2008

Obama Announces Economic Team, Prods New Congress to Pass Stimulus Package
While introducing his team of economic advisors Monday, President-elect Barack Obama urged the incoming Congress to pass an economic stimulus plan "right away" to address the nation's ongoing economic crisis.

November 21, 2008

Obama Poised to Roll Out Bold Picks for Top Cabinet Posts
News reports surfaced Friday that President-elect Barack Obama is poised to name New York Federal Reserve chief Timothy Geithner as Treasury Secretary and that Sen. Hillary Clinton may soon emerge as Mr. Obama's choice for Secretary of State. David Brooks and Ruth Marcus weigh the president-elect's likely Cabinet picks.

November 20, 2008

Obama May Face Uphill Battle in Health Care Reform
Throughout his campaign for the White House, President-elect Barack Obama pledged to lower health care costs and help the uninsured. A panel of domestic and health policy experts examine what the Obama team may face as they endeavor to build health care reforms amid a weakened economy and other factors.

November 19, 2008

Potential Obama Hires May Face Intense Vetting Process
New York Times White House correspondent Peter Baker and political author Paul Light discuss the Obama transition team's vetting strategy.

November 17, 2008

Obama Reflects on Road Ahead in '60 Minutes' Interview
President-elect Barack Obama gave his first media interview since claiming campaign victory Sunday, reflecting on the presidential road ahead and the historic nature of his election on the CBS program "60 Minutes" Sunday.

November 12, 2008

Obama's Transition Team Faces Long List of Policy Priorities
Valerie Jarrett, a top adviser to the Obama-Biden transition team, discusses how the president-elect and his staff are approaching the task of building a new administration.

November 12, 2008

Obama Taps Rahm Emanuel for Chief of Staff
In choosing Illinois Congressman Rahm Emanuel as White House chief of staff, President-elect Barack Obama opted for a tough-talking political power player with a reputation for getting things done.

November 12, 2008

Reporter's Notebook: Gwen Ifill on the Obama Team
Senior NewsHour correspondent Gwen Ifill discusses President-elect Barack Obama's transition to the White House, including some of his early appointments, such as his selection of Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff, in a reporter's notebook.

November 10, 2008

Obama Visits White House for Meeting With President Bush
President-elect Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, arrived at the White House for a visit Monday afternoon, their first since his landslide victory last week.

November 7, 2008

Obama Pledges Quick Action on the Economy
In his first news conference since being elected, President-elect Barack Obama said that the United States is facing the greatest economic challenge in a lifetime and vowed to confront the crisis head-on when he takes office.

November 6, 2008

Obama's White House Transition Strategy Begins to Emerge
President-elect Barack Obama is beginning to name top administration officials as his transfer-of-power plan emerges. Analysts provide insight into how the process works.

November 6, 2008

President-elect Obama Sets About Crafting New Administration
With the U.S. economy likely in recession and the country embroiled in two wars, President-elect Barack Obama and his staff have been quickly transitioning from campaign mode to preparing to govern with little time to celebrate his landmark victory.