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WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama on Wednesday named a third former Democratic presidential rival to his administration with his formal announcement of New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson as his nominee for commerce secretary.

Richardson long has been a strong proponent of free trade agreements. It was unclear how his stance would square with Obama's campaign promises to press to reopen trade agreements to add protections for American labor and the environment, or even how much of a role Richardson would play in those debates.

Obama took just three questions during a news conference with Richardson in Chicago, none on that subject, and did not invite any give-and-take between Richardson and the press. » read more

WASHINGTON — Tobacco giant Philip Morris USA might be partially freed from a $145 million punitive judgment, from the sounds of some Supreme Court justices Wednesday.

In an epic legal dispute pitting one court's will against another, conservative justices made clear their sympathies with Philip Morris and their dismay over seemingly being ignored by the Oregon Supreme Court. The eventual result could save Philip Morris a lot of money and deliver the Oregon court a rebuke.

"Does the state court sit in judgment on whether (our) orders are in error or not?" a clearly perturbed Justice Antonin Scalia asked one attorney skeptically. » read more

WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday approved a last-minute rule change by the Bush administration that will allow coal companies to bury streams under the rocks leftover from mining.

The 1983 rule prohibited dumping the fill from mountaintop removal mining within 100 feet of streams. In practice, the government hadn't been enforcing the rule. Government figures show that 535 miles of streams were buried or diverted from 2001 to 2005, more than half of them in the mountains of Appalachia. Along with the loss of the streams has been an increase of erosion and flooding.

The 11th hour change before President George W. Bush leaves office would eliminate a tool that citizens groups have used in lawsuits to keep mining waste out of streams. Mining companies had been pushing for the change for years. » read more

WASHINGTON — In his first news conference since President-elect Barack Obama asked him to stay on, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that he and Obama agree on the U.S. course in Iraq, but he couldn't commit to Obama's pledge of a 16-month withdrawal.

Instead, Gates said the pace of the drawdown would be one of several discussions in which he'll participate during the new administration.

As Gates answered questions on issues such as Iraq and Guantanamo, he walked a fine line between his role in the current and incoming administrations. He defended stands he'd taken during the Bush administration and at the same said he'd embrace some of Obama's proposed changes. » read more