BARBARA'S TCHATZKAHS

Even the Narcissist - Blago - had to admit he was shooting off his mouth too much. (In a feeble attempt to rewrite history!) Rod Blagojevich was convicted on one count of making false statements to federal authorities Tuesday, but the jury could not reach a verdict on the 23 other counts facing the former Illinois governor, forcing the judge to declare a mistrial. U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said prosecutors will retry Blagojevich on at least some of the 23 other counts, including extortion, bribery and conspiracy on allegations that he converted his office into what prosecutors called a “corrupt ring” that included an attempt to trade President Barack Obama's old Senate seat in exchange for jobs and money.   Jurors twice told a federal judge over 14 days of deliberation that they were unable to come to a unanimous agreement on the vast majority of the charges against Blagojevich after a two-month trial.   As it stands, the verdict appears to be a big victo...

What goes around comes around, sometimes sooner than later. Wonder how this will affect his book deal? Maybe O.J. Simpson can help. Blagojevich indicted on federal corruption charges by Mike Robinson Ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's plan to auction off President Barack Obama's vacant U.S. Senate seat marked the culmination of years of scheming for personal gain that included trying to extort a congressman and pressuring businesses to hire his wife, prosecutors alleged Thursday. A sweeping 19-count federal indictment alleges that Blagojevich discussed with aides the possibility of getting a Cabinet post in the new president's administration, substantial fundraising assistance or a high-paying job in exchange for the Senate seat. Obama's deputy press secretary, Josh Earnest, said the White House would not comment on the indictment, which does not allege any wrongdoing by Obama or his top aides. Prosecutors also accused Blagojevich and members of his inner circle of...

By Nancy Shute Access to mental-health care should soon be cheaper and easier for millions of Americans, thanks to a "mental-health parity" law signed by President Bush this month. After a 10-year battle by mental-health advocates, depression and bipolar disorder, for example, will reach equal footing with heart disease or cancer on Jan. 1, 2010. The new law doesn't cover everyone; most notably, employees of companies with 50 or fewer workers are excluded, as well as people who buy their own policies. But it comes as a great relief to those who will benefit. "It's really going to affect me when I go out into the workforce," says Marley Prunty-Lara, a 23-year-old graduate student in Minneapolis. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 15. After her parents were unable to find treatment for her in Sioux Falls, S.D., they had to take out a second mortgage in order to afford an out-of-state hospital. As a result of treatment, Prunty-Lara was able to get ...