It used to be said that behind every successful man is a woman. In the case of President-elect Barack Obama, add his mother-in-law, Marian Robinson, to the mix.

As the new presidential administration is becoming increasingly loaded with good basketball players, Barack Obama has stressed that court skills are not a requirement for service.

Though Proposition 8 passed in last month’s election, protests of the newly re-instituted ban on gay marriage in California continue.

Penny Pritzker, the billionaire heiress who oversaw Barack Obama’s record-breaking fund-raising efforts, has taken herself out of the mix for U.S. Commerce Secretary.

Barack Obama isn’t the only person in his extended family taking on a big challenge.