Chicago, Dec. 13: Rahm Emanuel, US President-elect Barack Obama's designated Chief of Staff, is reportedly facing claims that he had repeated conversations with Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who has been accused of trying to sell Obama''s US Senate seat.

Sources close to the investigation were quoted by The Telegraph as saying that Emanuelhad conversations about the issue with both Blagojevich and his chief of staff John Harris, who is also facing corruption charges.

Chicago, Dec. 13: Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has asked the State Supreme Court to grant a temporary restraining order barring Governor Rod Blagojevich from completing state business and declaring him unfit to serve.

Blagojevich faces federal charges of trying to sell President-elect Barack Obamas now-vacant Senate seat, bribing The Chicago Tribune to get rid of an editorial writer who criticized him and participating in other "pay to play" tactics.

Chicago, Dec. 10 : Former US Vice-President Al Gore has ruled himself out of an environment-related job under the Barack Obama administration.

Gore and Obama met in Chicago yesterday and reportedly discussed ways in which the next administration''s environmental policies could be used to create jobs in a crippled US economy.

According to The Independent, there were denials all round that Gore had discussed a job in the new administration.

Democratic officials say Obama is not looking to tap Gore for a cabinet-level post. Nor is Gore interested in such a position.

"Vice-President Gore feels now that his calling really is to educate Americans about the climate crisis," said his spokeswoman Kalee Kreider.

Chicago, Dec. 8: US President-elect Barack Obama has said that he expects the country’s economic performance to worsen before it improves, and has pledged to pursue a recovery plan “equal to the task ahead.”

Talking to Tom Brokaw on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Obama said that the current economic crisis looks nothing like the Great Depression.

“This is a big problem, and it’s going to get worse,” the New York Times quoted him, as saying.

Chicago, Dec. 7 : U. S. Vice President-elect Joe Biden says that he plans on "restoring the Office of the Vice President to its historical role" as adviser to the president and tie-breaker in the Senate.

Politico quoted a Biden aide as saying that the new Congress "will reassert its constitutional independence from the White House by barring the vice president from joining in internal Senate deliberations.

CHICAGO, Dec. 5 -- Workers at a Chicago factory that shut down this week said Friday they will remain in the plant until police throw them out or they get their last paychecks.

A union representative at Republic Windows and Doors blamed Bank of America for the debacle, CBS2 in Chicago reported. Leah Fried of the United Electrical Workers of America accused the bank of forcing the company to close by cutting off credit and then refusing to guarantee payment on its last checks.

Workers said they feel desperate.

"It's just miserable, everything is up in the air," Melvin Maclin, a Republic employee, said. "We don't know anything, no one wants to talk with us."