For generations of Grunwalds, media and politics have been the family business.

Mandy Grunwald is media consultant for the Hillary Clinton campaign. She has previously worked on campaigns for Bill Clinton, Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Patrick Leahy.

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, who quit the presidential race Jan. 10, says Barack Obama calls him every three days or so and that about 10 supporters of Hillary Clinton call him every day.

Their goal: obtain his endorsement for president.

The New York Times calls Richardson one of the biggest prospective endorsers in the Democratic Party because he is a former candidate, Hispanic governor and a superdelegate.

Richardson tells the newspaper that he is “genuinely torn.” He says he may make an endorsement next week, or not at all.

Crime novelist Patricia Cornwell has learned that even generosity can need an explanation.

Cornwell gave $1 million donation to the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City this month.

But worried that some of her remarks about the gift might be read as demeaning police officers, Cornwell last week spent $250,000 to set the record straight.

Even before he gets the presidential nomination, Sen. John McCain has done something presidential.

Like former President Bill Clinton, McCain has hired high-profile lawyer Robert S. Bennett to help him get by a little scandal.

Get that woman an office. She’s earned it.

The New York Times reported yesterday that Julianna Smoot, finance director for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, doesn’t even have an office.

Nonetheless, Smoot has led an effort that has brought in more than $150 million so far, $36 million in January alone, the Times reported.

Britney Spears has yet another new lawyer in the custody battle for sons Sean Preston and Jayden James Federline.

Stacy D. Phillips will represent Spears, facing off against Kevin Federline’s lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan. Phillips previously has represented celebrity clients such as Bobby Brown and Darryl Strawberry, as well as the ex-spouses of Axl Rose, Tori Spelling, and Jean-Claude Van Damme.

The Democratic Party will make history this year, nominating either a woman or an African-American for president.

But there’s speculation that the Republicans could make history, as well, not in nominating Sen. John McCain to run for president, but in choosing a vice presidential candidate.

Some conservative commentators, and at least one website, are urging McCain to select former Oklahoma Congressman J.C. Watts Jr. as his running mate.

Stephen Feinberg, the very private founder of Cerberus Capital Management, hates attention.

He even put it in writing.

Microsoft’s bid to acquire Yahoo has put a harsh spotlight, perhaps too late, on the company’s board.

Kara Swisher, writing on All Things Digital this morning, predicts that the directors’ response to the unsolicited buyout attempt may simply be inertia.

Countrywide Financial reported Friday that its mortgage foreclosure rate doubled last month compared to a year ago.

That prompted the Charlotte Business Journal to ask Bank of America if it was going forward with its roughly $4 billion stock deal to acquire Countrywide, the nation’s largest mortgage lender.