UPDATE from FOX News producer Marla Cichowski in the courtroom:

At Tuesday's sentencing hearing for Rod Blagojevich, more than 100 people and media waited in line for a seat inside the courtroom and a chance to hear the former Illinois governor speak. 

But Blagojevich wasn't the only person in court attracting attention from the media.

Sister Susanne Kullowitch, a nun with the Sisters of Catholic Charity in Chicago, showed up to see Blagojevich and listen to a portion of the hearing. Kullowitch says she's been praying for Blagojevich since his retrial began earlier this year and even sat through several days of his retrial where she met Blagojevich's wife, Patti.

Kullowitch said she's "grateful for what Blagojevich did for seniors" while he was Illinois governor, providing free rides on mass transit. She also said she believes the punishment Blagojevich faces for his conviction is "too harsh and severe." 

Prosecutors want Blagojevich to serve 15 to 20 years.  Kullowitch said Blagojevich has suffered enough through public humiliation and feels he should get probation instead of serving time behind bars.

When Kullowitch saw Rod Blagojevich in court today, she says he told her to continue praying for him.  

Earlier story: (read more)

Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., plans to present an ultimatum of sorts to the Obama administration.

On Wednesday, Kirk will meet with Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough. In that meeting, he will explain that unless the administration produces a written agreement that sensitive U.S. missile defense data will not be provided to Russia, Kirk will block the appointment of the Ambassador-Designate to Russia, Michael McFaul.

"My hope is that we can just work this out where they commit not to deliver classified missile defense data to Russia," said Kirk. "And then I think he (McFaul) should go to Moscow."

The data in question is about the U.S. Navy’s Standard Missile 3, or SM-3. According to Kirk and several reports, the Obama administration was proposing to offer the Russians data on the burnout velocity (VBO) of the SM-3 missile. This is the data about the speed of the missile after it runs out of fuel.  It is very helpful information to an entity that wishes to counter the missile. (read more)

Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich isn't exaggerating when he calls it the "phrase heard round the world." That, of course, is his taped conversation about President Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat.

You can probably repeat it like a verse from an overplayed 80's song. "I've got this thing here and it's f--- ing golden," and "I'm just not giving it up for f---ing nothing."

Two trials and a zillion sound bites later, Blagojevich has finally given his take to jurors about what he meant. He said appointing someone to that seat was "a unique opportunity" and he did not want to give it up without discussing his options.

"I'm stupid here," Blagojevich said. "I'm just talking and being stupid."

The Blagojevich defense team has been attempting to argue that he always thought what he was doing was political "horse trading," and the governor always believed his actions were legal. A history buff, Blagojevich did an eloquent job of citing examples of U.S. presidents who handed out appointments as rewards. The problem for the defense -- he did it without the jury in the room. (read more)

Finally, testimony in the trial of the former Illinois Governor has finally gotten down to the allegation that caused the world to learn how to pronounce Blagojevich: That he tried to sell President Barack Obama's "F-ing Golden," recently vacated Senate seat. It's happening in Blago's own words.

The former governor again took a stab at a joke when he said that he had never picked a Senator before, "I never want to again." He also admitted he wanted to get something in exchange for the appointment, "A horse trade...legal, always interested in a legal horse trade," he testified.

Blagojevich said he wanted President Obama to call him and express interest in appointing Valarie Jarrett to the Senate. He seemed to indicate that would have opened the door for Blagojevich to angle for a position in Health and Human Services Department.  (read more)

Wisconsin's Government Accountability Board has begun the tedious task of recounting ballots cast in the state Supreme Court election that saw record turnout earlier this month, but it's the politics behind the first statewide recount in almost 25 years that is an interesting story.

The official vote tally after the April 5 election declared incumbent conservative Justice David Prosser the winner, getting about 7,000 votes more than liberal challenger Joanne Kloppenburg. The recount, which will cost taxpayers about $1 million at a time when the state is struggling financially, is not expected to change anything.

Still Kloppenburg has the right to ask for a recount, and she is. The question is why? (read more)

Races for State Supreme Court positions generally happen without a great deal of headlines or bitter, partisan politicking. It is different this year in Wisconsin where all the politicking is bitter and even supposed non-partisan races for the bench have gotten caught up in the recent union flap.

"The best is yet to come," says former State Democratic Chair Joe Wineke. "This is only heating up."

The incumbent, David Prosser Jr., is being challenged by JoAnne Kloppenburg in the April 5th election for a seat on the state's highest bench.

Prosser has earned a reputation for letting the law influence his decisions. "[Prosser] is an unpredictable, independent Justice," Michael Brozek, a lobbyist with Midwest Strategy Group of Wisconsin says.

Still, Prosser previously spent time as a Republican and the state's assembly speaker. He ran a campaign ad before Governor Scott Walker jumped into the deep end of the controversy pool, suggesting he would complement Walker if re-elected to the court. (read more)

It's good to be Rahm Emanuel these days.

He beat the residency challenge to his candidacy for Chicago mayor. His lead over opponents in Chicago's Mayoral race -- Gery Chico, Carol Moseley Braun and Miguel del Valle -- is so dominate the question is not whether he will win, but whether he will garner more than 50 percent of the vote and avoid a runoff. And even though President Obama hasn't campaigned for his former chief of staff, Emanuel's got the president's backing.

The downside to his comfy position is that all of the other candidates have their sights set on him.

Carol Moseley Braun recently, with reckless insensitivity to Emanuel's Jewish heritage, compared him to the Hitler character from the famous musical The Producers.

Now rahmstoppers.com headed by outspoken conservative activist and sometime radio host William Kelly put up a new ad targeting Emanuel. The group doesn't have a ton of money, so it's only running on the internet, and it was written by former Clinton staffer turned conservative commentator (and Fox News contributor) Dick Morris. (read more)

Tommy Hanson is lonely. There just aren't many guys like him in Chicago. He's a Republican. There's nobody like him in Chicago's race for mayor. In fact, he's not on the ballot even as he waves around a receipt from the Chicago Board of Elections Commissioners saying he filed all of his nomination papers correctly.

"I got all the signatures. I filed all the documents on November 22," says Hanson. "About a week or so later, I got a letter in the mail from the Chicago Board of Commissioners. Although, they did receive the documents and gave me a receipt, they lost my statement of economic interest."

The letter, signed by chairman Neal Langdon, says, "Although the receipt prepared by the board staff for the filing of your nomination papers did seem to indicate that such a receipt (of economic interest) was filed with your nomination papers...a close examination of your nomination papers reveals no such receipt is contained therein. Therefore, your name will not be certified as a candidate..." (read more)

In the bitter cold of a windy city winter, a warm ray of sunshine has found its way to Rahm Emanuel. Thursday, he beat the residency challenge that briefly took him off the mayoral ballot. Friday, a poll by "We Ask America" shows that he has won the favor of 52 percent of Chicago voters. That 50 percent threshold is key because a clear majority prevents a run off. After February 22nd, he might just be able to move his office furniture into city hall without a second contest.

Opponent Gery Chico is in second place with 14 percent. Former US Senator carol Mosley Braun is in third at 11 percent. City Clerk Miguel del Valle gets 4 percent. (read more)

Immediately upon Monday's appellate court ruling that briefly -- and possibly permanently -- knocked Rahm Emanuel off the ballot in Chicago's mayoral race, the editorial boards at Chicago's two largest newspapers opened up their guns in defense of Emanuel.

The Tribune wrote:" Two appellate Judges ignored more than 100 years of legal precedent, invented a new definition of ‘residency' and ordered Rahm Emanuel off the February 22 mayoral ballot."

The Sun-Times wrote: "If this ruling stands, two appellate court justices, employing a rather narrow view of state law, will have decided that you, the voters, cannot choose Emanuel to be your next mayor - tough luck, folks."

All the way down in Springfield, the state capitol, where citizens don't vote but businessmen view themselves as inextricably tied to Chicago, the State Journal-Register wrote: "A shocking and, in our interpretation, curious ruling by an Illinois appeals court Monday that removes Rahm Emanuel from the ballot could significantly weaken the field in Chicago mayoral election. That's not good for Chicago or the state as a whole." (read more)