DETROIT – The former top aide and ex-lover of disgraced ex-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick followed her old boss to jail Tuesday, the last step in a criminal case that shook up Detroit politics for a year after romantic text messages between the pair made headlines. Christine Beatty, once an influential figure at Detroit City Hall, waved goodbye to loved ones as she was ushered from a courtroom to begin a 120-day jail stay for obstruction of justice. She will serve her term in Wayne County jail, where Kilpatrick has been serving an identical sentence since late October.

WASHINGTON (Jan. 5) - The Cabinet that President-elect Barack Obama picked on a fast track has an unexpected opening, with New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Obama's choice for commerce secretary, withdrawing under pressure of a federal investigation into how his political donors landed a lucrative transportation contract.

WASHINGTON (Jan. 5) - The Cabinet that President-elect Barack Obama picked on a fast track has an unexpected opening, with New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Obama's choice for commerce secretary, withdrawing under pressure of a federal investigation into how his political donors landed a lucrative transportation contract.

NEW ORLEANS (Jan. 3) - A man who initially told police gunmen kidnapped his 2 1/2-year-old son was arrested Saturday, accused of committing an "extremely hideous" murder because he was ordered to pay child support, Police Superintendent Warren Riley said.

Danny Platt Apologizes for Killing Son, Ja'Shawn Powell

Ending the uncertainty surrounding General Motors' lending arm, the Treasury Department says it will provide $5 billion from the financial industry's $700 billion bailout to rescue GMAC Financial Services.

WASHINGTON (Dec. 23) - An internal review prepared for Barack Obama found his incoming chief of staff had multiple conversations with the Illinois governor's office, but said the talks did not involve any deal concerning whom the governor would appoint to replace Obama in the Senate.

Labor leaders take aim at Southern senators who denied Detroit's automakers $14 billion in emergency loans, accusing the lawmakers of acting on behalf of foreign car manufacturers who have set up shop across the South.