"Pass this bill!" was the chorus line, repeated many times before a crowd of more than 3,250 people and dozens of TV cameras, as President Obama took the stage at a school, in Columbus, Ohio Tuesday to sell his nearly $450 billion jobs package to the American people.

It was very much a campaign style event with a rousing speech that got the audience cheering and chanting loudly.

Many in the crowd at the Fort Hayes Arts and Academic High School wore "Obama 2012" t-shirts and took the queue from the President to repeat his phrase "Pass this bill" over and over again in between lines, such as "get those people (Congress) to stop worrying about their jobs and start worrying about your job!"

Columbus is one of the stops on the President's road tour, as he travels the nation trying to drum up support, especially in key battleground states.

Ohio stands to benefit well from the President's deal, with almost $4 billion for things like improvements to highways, airports, and schools, in addition to providing cash for keeping and creating jobs. (read more)

One group hit hardest by the struggling economy is U.S. veterans, who deal with recovering from injuries, trying to find employment when their military service is over and a high home foreclosure rate.

But there's a presidential election coming up in just over a year and veterans are a large voting body, which might be one reason why President Obama chose to speak Tuesday at the American Legion's 93rd National Convention in Minneapolis.

His speech in Minneapolis comes on the heels of complaints by the Veterans of Foreign Wars that the White House declined to send a top level speaker to its convention in San Antonio this week. Vice President Biden spoke there last year and President Obama attended in 2009.

In the prepared speech before nearly five thousand legionnaires, Obama addressed veteran concerns, and got polite applause on several occasions. The loudest reaction came after the president vowed not to "balance the budget on the backs of veterans" and then proposed tax credits for businesses that hire vets to "make sure the private sector is hiring our talented veterans." (read more)

President Obama focused on ways to fix the economy and create jobs Thursday during an enthusiastic speech in Holland, Michigan, but still some remained skeptical about the fanfare surrounding him.

Before a crowd of about 400 people at a facility that makes advanced batteries for hybrid and electric cars, the speech was reminiscent of a campaign event.

This was Obama's first public appearance since the stock market plunged in recent days, and the president took the opportunity to blame partisan politics for the gridlock in Washington and lack of action on the economy and debt crisis.

"Folks are playing political games," he said. "It's time to stop drawing lines in the sand".

Despite suggestions that Obama should call Congress back early from summer recess, he rejected the idea, saying "The last thing we need is people arguing in DC... We need people like you saying we're fed up."

The president promised several times that he had lots of ideas for job creation, although didn't list those ideas in the speech, rather assuring people he would be making proposals to Congress.

"I'm going to keep at it until every single American who wants a job can find one," he said. (read more)

Anyone who wants to live in the much-photographed home of Illinois' infamous former Governor Rod Blagojevich, is in luck. The large, corner lot, Chicago home is for sale.

If the walls of that dwelling could talk, the FBI would probably be listening closely, and recording as well.

While the Blagojevichs look for a buyer, the home, and a condo in Washington DC also owned by Blagojevich, are posted as collateral on a $450,000 bond set by a Federal Judge Friday in Chicago. The bond is meant to keep him coming to court when expected. While some might say Blagojevich can't seem to shut up, he'd better not fail to show up, otherwise he risks losing both properties. "I have no intention of violating the bond," Blagojevich told the judge.

Defense attorney Sheldon Sorosky said neither property has much value over what's due on the mortgages, "About $300,000 each" he said. The DC condo is being rented out.

Blagojevich was found guilty on 17 counts of bribery, wire fraud and conspiracy in connection with trying to sell President Obama's former senate seat.

Blagojevich, who entered the courthouse flanked by his wife Patti, couldn't resist stopping before the cameras before he left. "It's another day in court. Patty and I were here to comply as we always try to do with all the different rules and we signed all the necessary papers to comply with the bond requirements," he said. (read more)

Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has nothing to do but wait. For the second time, a jury is deciding his fate.

How it turns out for him depends on whether the 11-women-and-one-man jury is more convinced of his guilt or innocence. Did Blagojevich plot and plan and scheme to get personal gain? The decisions of the jurors, of course, are completely subjective, because there is no smoking gun. There is no white-hot quid-pro-quo.

"Blagojevich got nothing, nothing, nothing" for himself, "Rod didn't get a dime," defense attorney Aaron Goldstein argued during closing arguments Thursday.

"It's not about the success, it about the attempt," prosecutor Carrie Hamilton reminded jurors during her closing.

Rarely is a jury so empowered to use personal feelings and opinions to determine if one of the most famous governors in recent history committed crimes.

"It's all up to interpretation," Goldstein said.

"Not exactly" said prosecutor Reid Schar. "Listen to the tapes (recordings of phone conversations)... That will show you."

Attorneys on both sides seemed pretty convincing, as they performed for the jury, while taking regular sips from giant water bottles. Both sides played bits of phone recordings to help back up their claims.

"They've both made really good points. When the prosecution was talking, I thought he seemed guilty. When the defense was talking, I thought he seemed not guilty," said one courtroom observer. (read more)

A Chicago jury will soon be deciding the fate of the man known more for reality shows and big hair than for being the governor of Illinois.

Rod Blagojevich spent seven days on the witness stand testifying in his own defense, which was not nearly as entertaining as members of the public who showed up every day at 4am for tickets to the courtroom circus thought it would be.

Many who watched the trial thought Prosecutor Reid Schar was winding up for a big knockout punch, but the former governor accused of selling Barack Obama's Senate seat held his own, for the most part.

In court Tuesday, Blagojevich seemed to be alternating between jovial and frustrated with the questioning. He tried, and succeeded many times, to interject jokes or quips in his answers, probably in an attempt to seem more human to the jury.

Schar got into a back and forth squabble at one time over what to call an offer made to Blagojevich of "campaign cash" in exchange for giving Rep. Jesse Jackson the Senate seat in 2008.

"It's a bribe!" Schar insisted.

"It was illegal and something we were never gonna do," Blagojevich replied.

"It's a bribe, isn't it?" Schar tried again.

"Did you see my law school grades?" Blagojevich said "I'm afraid to give you an answer, if I'm wrong I don't know what you'll do with it". (read more)

It was a day of lectures, warnings and slap downs Wednesday as the judge tightened his fist around attorneys in the retrial of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

The courtroom drama happened after a defense cross examination, during which prosecutors objected, over and over again. Prosecutors then complained to Judge James Zagel that defense questions were improper, and that the jury was writing them down as if they were facts in the corruption case.

The jury was asked to leave the room while Judge Zagel spent several minutes admonishing Blagojevich attorney Sheldon Sorosky about his questioning techniques, calling them "abusive," and saying the questioning must change or he will cut it off.

When Sorosky tried to object, Zagel sternly told him, "I don't want to hear you speak about it, I want to see you do it". "But" Sorosky protested, "if I could just say something," "No!" Zagel firmly responded. "Lawyers make an argument and I make a ruling". Afterwards Zagel reminded the jury that "questions from lawyers are not facts".

That was pretty much how most of the day went, with brief questioning or cross examination of witnesses, followed by several minutes of sidebar "discussion" with the judge and attorneys. (read more)

Shakedowns, bribery and coercion were the focus Monday at the corruption retrial of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, as prosecutors moved from claims that Blagojevich tried to sell the open senate seat to his alleged arm-twisting efforts to get campaign cash from organizations that receive funding or do business with the state.

Blagojevich's former chief of staff and close friend John Wyma was back on the stand, after extensive testimony last week. Wyma, who claimed he begrudgingly agreed to cooperate with the Feds in 2008, became a key source for the government in the undercover investigation of alleged shakedowns. "You elected to be a spy with the government against your friend, didn't you?" defense attorney Sheldon Sorosky asked him.

In one of the most lurid of all allegations, Wyma testified that Blagojevich made promises to Children's Memorial Hospital for state funding, while at the same time demanding campaign contributions. Wyma said there were also efforts to coerce contributions from other organizations. "If they don't perform, f*** ‘em!" Wyma claimed Blagojevich said to him. The comments triggered questioning from Sorosky about the term. "What does 'f*** em' mean?" Sorosky mused. Smirks could be heard through the courtroom. (read more)

Are Indiana lawmakers getting closer to ending their month-long stalemate? The answer to that question depends on whom you ask.

Both sides agree there have been talks, but won't use the word "negotiations." Democrats say the end is nowhere near. Republicans say they've offered up a bunch of options, but without an agreement they're trying to move ahead, as much as they can, without the Democrats.
Either way, the April 29th end-of-session deadline is looming closer, and nothing can get finalized until the two sides get together.

Thirty-nine of the 40 Indiana State Democratic Representatives left the capitol and moved to Illinois in February in order to prevent a vote on labor and budget bills. Democrats say their counterparts are trying to end collective bargaining in Indiana, which could cost jobs. They also want to prevent the addition of school vouchers, which they say would take funding away from public schools.

The missing Democrats have gone for 31 days without a salary while living in a budget hotel just over the border in Urbana, Illinois. They're racking up fines of $350 a day imposed by the Republicans for everyday the House is in session, but Democratic Representative Win Moses insists they're not coming home anytime soon. "There appears to be ongoing conversation" between leaders of the House Democrats and Republicans but they're "not as constructive as they were in the past" he says. (read more)

"I've got this thing and its 'f-ing' golden!" That's what former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich infamously said about Barack Obama's former U.S. Senate seat, according to the government's wiretapped recording.

But you might not hear that and other similar statements again during his retrial in April. Blago's lawyers are trying to throw out all wiretap recordings, according to court documents they filed Monday.

Prosecutors want to use the recordings as evidence for the 23 charges against Blagojevich, including claims that he tried to sell the appointment he would make to the senate seat.

But according to the Monday filing, the defense says it wants to "suppress any and all fruits of the wiretaps, because the government failed to establish a prima facie showing of reasonable minimization. In other words They're saying they don't want any of the wiretaps played because they're not accurate." (read more)