Obama to tackle foreign, domestic matters

[December 15, 2008]  CHICAGO (AP) -- President-elect Barack Obama is tackling matters both domestic and foreign at the start of what is expected be a jam-packed final workweek before he travels to his home state of Hawaii for the holidays.

Obama is slated to hold a news conference late Monday to formally announce his environmental and natural resources team. It was disclosed last week that he has selected Steven Chu for energy secretary, Lisa Jackson for Environmental Protection Agency administrator, Carol Browner as his energy and climate "czar," and Nancy Sutley to lead the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

An announcement on who will be Obama's interior secretary isn't expected, but other top positions in Obama's administration could come later this week.

Obama will begin the day meeting privately with his national security team, including Vice President-elect Joe Biden, incoming Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Other attendees are to include: Eric Holder, Obama's chosen attorney general; Janet Napolitano, the next Homeland Security secretary; Susan Rice, incoming U.S. ambassador to the United Nations; Obama national security adviser James Jones; and Mike McConnell, the current director of national intelligence.

Obama is planning to leave soon for a more than weeklong trip to Hawaii to celebrate the holidays and relax before his Jan. 20 inauguration.

[Associated Press]

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