President Barack Obama has pledged to overhaul the health care system in order to cut down on the 45 million Americans who don't have health insurance -- an initiative that his team once estimated would cost $65 billion but experts predict could run much higher. Meanwhile, Medicare -- the government-run health-care program for seniors -- is increasingly eating up a large chunk of the federal budget. And the trustees who compile an annual report examining the financial solvency of Medicare and Social Security have repeatedly said Medicare can't survive in its current state.

BIO: Robert Gibbs was named President Obama’s press secretary in November 2008, after serving as communications director during Obama’s tenure as a U.S. Senator and his 2008 presidential campaign. He has worked with Obama since 2004, after serving as press secretary for John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign. A graduate of North Carolina State University, Gibbs did serve as communications director for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Gibbs has been credited with guiding Obama through the then-senator’s first years and molding his rise on the national scene.

The international attention on America’s subprime mortgage crisis has not translated into help for homeowners, advocates and experts say. Across the country, distressed borrowers are still losing their homes.

To address the immediate crisis, they say, the Obama administration must impose a moratorium on foreclosures, and then enact a plan to modify existing mortgages and make them affordable for struggling borrowers. But to avoid future crises, they say, the administration must move to prevent the predatory mortgage lending that created the foreclosures in the first place.

Since its passage two years ago, the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement has been stalled in Congress. As the Obama administration takes over, many are watching the agreement’s fate for signs of how trade, foreign policy, and human rights will intersect in a time of fierce economic pressures at home.

Despite a long history of unfulfilled promises of change, American Indians see possibility of greater recognition and reform starting with the transition team.

As Obama takes office, the economic crisis will undoubtedly land at the top of the Democrat’s agenda. But as those priorities push education out of the public eye, higher education is becoming increasingly unaffordable, federal financial aid is weakening in proportion to the cost of college and still-frozen credit markets are limiting loan options for students.

Good morning. I am at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars this morning for an event discussing President-elect Barack Obama's transition and giving advice for journalists on covering this dynamic time.

The panel features speakers such as longtime political journalist David Broder, Lee Hamilton, the president and director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and Jeanne Cummings of the Politico. They'll talk about how much Democrats will be able to get done in the Obama administration and how well the Obama team has conducted its transition, just over two weeks after Election Day.

Stay tuned to Transition Tracker for more updates throughout the day.

John Podesta
Presidential Transition Co-Chairman John Podesta told reporters at a briefing today that the same ethics rules from the Obama campaign will stay in effect during the transition process.

He described the rules as being the toughest of any transition yet, and said they are designed to exclude federal lobbyists from fundraising and planning.

"Barack Obama has pledged to change the way Washington works and curb the way lobbyists operate," Podesta said.

President-elect Barack Obama's transition Web site -- www.change.gov -- went live in the last few hours. It's already populated with content, but is soliciting input from the public. Stylistically, it similar to Obama's campaign Web site. Not surprisingly, and like the campaign and many government agencies, it has a blog too.

Change.gov Screenshot