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Obama announces Kaine as new DNC ChairYesterday

President-elect Barack Obama today announced Virginia Governor Tim Kaine as his choice to be the new chair of the Democratic National Committee. The President-elect made the announcement this afternoon at DNC headquarters in Washington, D.C.

See pictures from the announcement below.

Sen. Daschle calls for “paradigm shift” during confirmation hearingYesterday

Health and Human Services Secretary-designate Tom Daschle appeared before a Senate confirmation hearing this morning and called for bold changes in the way Americans and their government think about health care.

"I think we need to change the paradigm in this country on health," Secretary-designate Daschle said. "It starts with that big picture belief. The paradigm needs be changed from illness to wellness."

Sen. Daschle advocated new approaches to the problems facing American families, noting that his charge in leading HHS will require working across governmental lines to fix ailing health care systems.

He noted the importance of "breaking down stovepipes so that the inter-relationship between these agencies can do a better job of coordinating this effort."

When rural health care issues were raised, Sen. Daschle spoke passionately about solutions to the unique problems many communities face.

He emphasized the need for expanded broadband Internet access to facilitate a modernized health care information technology system.

President-elect Obama has repeatedly stressed the vital role of increased broadband penetration in improving the quality of a variety of services across America, including health care.

We'll have more on Secretary-designate Daschle and his Transition health care team coming up soon.

Dramatic action (Update: Photos)Yesterday

"The time has come to build a 21st century economy in which hard work and responsibility are once again rewarded," President-elect Obama said in a speech this morning, making the case for urgent action on an American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan.

The plan will save or create 3 million jobs by doubling the production of alternative energy; weatherizing 75% of federal buildings and two million American homes; computerizing America’s medical records; updating thousands of schools, community colleges, and public universities; expanding broadband; and investing in science, research, and technology.

You can read President-elect Obama's remarks below and view pictures of the event below. We'll have video soon.

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Remarks of President-Elect Barack Obama
As Prepared for Delivery
American Recovery and Reinvestment
Thursday, January 8, 2009

Throughout America’s history, there have been some years that simply rolled into the next without much notice or fanfare.  Then there are the years that come along once in a generation – the kind that mark a clean break from a troubled past, and set a new course for our nation.

This is one of those years. 

We start 2009 in the midst of a crisis unlike any we have seen in our lifetime – a crisis that has only deepened over the last few weeks.  Nearly two million jobs have now been lost, and on Friday we are likely to learn that we lost mo

Presidents past, present, and futureJanuary 7

President-elect Barack Obama met at the White House today with President George W. Bush and former Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.

See pictures from the meeting below.

“New and more efficient ways of getting the job done”January 7

President-elect Obama today announced the creation of a new White House position, Chief Performance Officer, and his intention to nominate Nancy Killefer to fill the post.

"During the campaign, I said that we must scour this budget, line-by-line, eliminating what we don’t need, or what doesn’t work, and improving the things that do," President-elect Obama said. "As the first Chief Performance Officer, working with Peter Orszag and Rob Nabors at the Office of Management and Budget, Nancy Killefer is uniquely qualified to lead that effort."

President-elect Obama also announced he intends to nominate Killefer as Deputy Director for Management at the Office of Management and Budget. You can watch this morning's announcement and read President-elect Obama's full remarks below.