WASHINGTON Barack Obama had his eye on Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state for some time, but it took some serious courtship before the two took their relationship to the next level Monday.

NEW YORK Former President Bill Clinton says he's thankful that Barack Obama has chosen his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, to be his secretary of state.

WASHINGTON With two years of experience already on the job, Defense Secretary Robert Gates is expected to provide a steady hand for the first wartime presidential changeover since Vietnam.

MIAMI An armored truck guard was shot to death at a suburban Miami mall Monday while making a cash pickup at a clothing store, and police were searching for two gunmen.

FRANKFORT, Ky. A judge has rejected a proposed sale of the minority interest in reigning Horse of the Year Curlin.

DETROIT Stoic and publicly silent through months of a sex scandal, the woman whose relationship with former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick led to his downfall fought tears Monday as she pleaded guilty and admitted to lying under oath.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. The mayor of Alabama's largest city was arrested Monday on charges of steering millions of dollars of bond work to a friend in exchange for more than $230,000 in bribes to pay for an expensive wardrobe and flashy jewelry.

BOSTON The man who calls himself Clark Rockefeller will get back about half of the gold coins and cash seized by authorities after he was arrested for allegedly kidnapping his 7-year-old daughter.

WASHINGTON President-elect Barack Obama's Cabinet picks Monday are sweet political gifts for the Republican who'll become governor of Arizona and the yet-to-be-named Democrat who'll assume Hillary Rodham Clinton's Senate seat.

SANTA FE, N.M. The New Mexico Health Department says a baby has died and another has been hospitalized due to a rare infection.

CAMDEN, N.J. An FBI informant testified Monday that five men accused of plotting to kill soldiers at Fort Dix shopped for guns and practiced firing them during a trip to Pennsylvania they intended as training for a holy war.

HOUSTON A Houston hospital says former first lady Barbara Bush is in good condition and recovering from ulcer surgery as expected.

CHICAGO Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin asked President Bush on Monday to consider commuting former Gov. George Ryan's 6 1/2-year racketeering sentence to time served, standing firm on his appeal for mercy despite an outpouring of criticism.

LAKE DELTON, Wis. The road is back. The shoreline is reinforced. The dam is stronger. And maybe the dollar signs won't be far behind.

SMITH POINT, Texas A 30-mile scar of debris along the Texas coast stands as a festering testament to what state and local officials say is FEMA's sluggish response to the 2008 hurricane season.

BANGKOK, Thailand Protesters trying to force the prime minister's resignation brought in thousands of reinforcements to occupy Bangkok's two besieged airports Monday, extending the political paralysis that has stranded 300,000 travelers.

UNITED NATIONS Early treatment for babies born with the virus that causes AIDS can significantly increase their chances of survival, according to a report Monday by four U.N. agencies.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. A television anchorwoman killed in her home had been sexually assaulted and beaten so badly in a suspected burglary that her jaw shattered and she broke a hand while trying to fend off her attacker's blows, her parents said Monday.

NEW YORK Police are looking for a man who they say stabbed a New York City bus driver to death after not receiving a free transfer.