Rod Blagojevich

Former Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich, his brother and a former top fundraiser were among six men indicted Thursday on political corruption charges, the U.S. attorney's office in Chicago announced. The sweeping indictment comes four months after Blagojevich was arrested and charged with engaging in pay-to-play politics in a major federal complaint that accused the Democrat of trading state jobs, contracts and regulatory favors for campaign contributions.

Sen. Roland W. Burris (D-Ill.), who was appointed to President Obama's onetime seat by disgraced former Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich, is expected to announce today that he will not seek a full term in 2010, sources close to the lawmaker said. The decision by Burris, 71, is an acknowledgment that the prospects of raising the millions of dollars needed to mount a statewide campaign were dubious in the face of widespread criticism over how he got the job.

Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) has acknowledged that he tried to raise campaign money for then-Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois at the request of the governor's brother at the same time he was making a pitch for the Senate seat previously held by President Obama. Burris' comments Monday night were the first time he publicly said he tried to raise money for Blagojevich.

After days of distracting controversy -- and a quiet request from President-elect Barack Obama -- Senate Democrats opened a path Wednesday toward ushering Roland Burris into the seat vacated by Obama. A top Senate Democratic source said Obama's concerns were among several factors that resulted in an about-face by Senate leaders, who had vowed to reject Burris or anyone else appointed by disgraced Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich. Obama told Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.

His appointment finally endorsed by U.S. Senate leadership, Roland Burris said Monday he expects to be sworn in this week as Barack Obama's replacement. Burris, a former Illinois attorney general, extended an olive branch to the Democrats who had stood in his way after he was nominated by embattled Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich. He singled out for thanks two of his foremost opponents, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Sen. Richard J. Durbin of Illinois.

A giant slaughterhouse in the Illinois river town of East Moline is creating a big stink — and it hasn't even been built yet. Supporters of the proposed facility, which would process thousands of hogs a day, say it would bring jobs and economic revitalization to the Iowa border community. Mayor John Thodos says he thinks it will create 2,500 jobs in an area where unemployment has doubled in five years. The controversy surrounding the project reflects an intensifying national debate over how we should house, raise, slaughter and process the livestock we consume.

After boycotting his impeachment trial for nearly a week, Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich accepted the Illinois Senate's challenge to confront his accusers: With his political life on the line, he will present the closing argument today in his defense. Showing his trademark flair for the dramatic, the two-term Democrat reversed course Wednesday after a multi-day tour of national talk shows, where he branded the impeachment trial a rigged political hanging.

Rod Blagojevich still wants you to watch "I'm a Celebrity . . . Get Me Out of Here!" -- with or without him. The embattled ex-Illinois governor, who has pleaded not guilty to 17 charges, including racketeering and extortion, turned up at NBC's summer press day Friday to support the reality show in which he very nearly got to costar. His dreams had been dashed Tuesday when a federal judge ruled he would not be permitted to go to Costa Rica to film.

Former Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich blames overzealous prosecutors and political enemies for his downfall in a new book that offers glimpses of his rocky six-year tenure and his upcoming defense against federal corruption charges. "The Governor" describes his arrest on charges that included trying to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama last year. In keeping with the governor's long-held position that he's been victimized by rivals and "unethical" prosecutors, Blagojevich writes that his guiding thought in selecting a new senator was, "How much do I love the people of Illinois?"

Roland Burris has changed his story again about what happened before then-Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich appointed the Democrat to the U.S. Senate. State Republican leaders said Saturday that they wanted an investigation into whether Burris perjured himself.