RALEIGH, N.C.  – North Carolina business recruiters plan a two-week trip to Europe that includes a stop at the Paris air show and an estimated price tag of more than $137,000.

The News & Observer of Raleigh reported Friday that the five-member delegation has meetings scheduled with 27 companies in five countries. Officials say the trip has the potential to bring investment to North Carolina worth $466 million and 2,900 jobs.

Commerce Secretary Keith Crisco says the trip is necessary to continue building the state’s place in the aviation industry.

North Carolina already has attracted HondaJet’s headquarters and planned manufacturing facility to the Greensboro area. Spirit Aerosystems is building a jetliner component plant in Kinston.

DURHAM, N.C.  – North Carolina’s business establishment holds its annual meeting as everyone searches for new ways to stay in the black.

The North Carolina Chamber hosts its 67th annual meeting on Tuesday with about 800 business, government, education and nonprofit leaders on hand.

Former White House economic policy adviser and Harvard economics professor Todd Buchholz will offer his observations about where the U.S. economy is headed.

A panel of experts plans to ponder the potential impact of President Obama’s healthcare proposals on North Carolina employers.

The group is set to honor former BB&T CEO John Allison and former Gov. Mike Easley. New Gov. Beverly Perdue plans to speak in the afternoon.

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama introduced former Washington Gov. Gary Locke as his nominee for Commerce secretary Wednesday, trying a third time to fill a key Cabinet post for a country in recession.

“I’m sure it’s not lost on anyone that we’ve tried this a couple of times. But I’m a big believer in keeping at something until you get it right. And Gary is the right man for this job,” Obama said, standing with the fellow Democrat in the Indian Treaty Room at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building near the White House.

The president’s two top earlier choices for the post dropped out – one a Democrat facing questions about a donor and the other a Republican who had a change of heart about working for a president from the opposite party – well before the Senate had a chance to confirm them.

Obama praised Locke, a Chinese-American, as a man who shares his vision for turning around the moribund economy, and as someone who is committed to doing what it takes to keep the American dream alive.

“Gary will be a trusted voice in my Cabinet, a tireless advocate for our economic competitiveness and an influential ambassador to American industry who will help us do everything we can, especially now, to promote our industry around the globe,” Obama said.

“I’m grateful he’s agreed to leave one Washington for another,” the president added.

In turn, Locke said he was committed to making the sprawling agency an “active and integral partner” in advancing Obama’s economic agenda, as the agency nurtures innovation, expands global markets, protects ocean fisheries and fosters growth.

“The Department of Commerce can and will help create the jobs and the economic vitality our nation needs,” Locke said.

If confirmed by the Senate, Locke would assume control of a large agency with a broad portfolio that includes overseeing many aspects of international trade, oceans policy and the 2010 census.

Prompting outcry from Republicans, the administration recently took steps to assert greater control over the national head count. It has deep political implications because it is used to redraw congressional districts and distribute federal money.

“Who oversees the census won’t change,” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said, adding that the director of it always reports to the Commerce secretary. “I think members of Congress and the White House both have an interest in a fair and accurate census count.”

Locke, 59, was the nation’s first Chinese-American governor, serving two terms in Washington from 1997 to 2005. He currently works for the Seattle-based law firm Davis Wright Tremaine on issues involving China, energy and governmental relations.

Obama initially tapped New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a Democrat, for the Cabinet post, calling him “uniquely suited for this role” and “a leader who shares my values.” But Richardson withdrew in January, before Obama took office, after the disclosure that a grand jury is investigating allegations of wrongdoing in the awarding of contracts in his state.

A month later, Obama announced that Republican Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire had accepted the job. The president said Gregg was “the right person” to lead the agency and someone would be “a trusted voice” in the Cabinet. But a week after that, Gregg stepped down, citing “irresolvable conflicts” with the policies of the Democratic president.”

Even after Obama made Locke’s selection official, his Cabinet still won’t be complete.

He still does not have a health and human services secretary; former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle withdrew his nomination for that post amid a tax controversy. Among those under consideration to replace him is Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.

Locke still must get through Senate confirmation hearings to assume the post, and there are a number of issues over which he may face questions.

He was briefly linked to the scandal over foreign contributions to President Bill Clinton’s 1996 campaign. Locke denied any wrongdoing, and he subsequently returned some checks tied to people implicated in the matter.

In December 1997, Locke’s political committee was fined a maximum $2,500 by state regulators after it admitted breaking campaign finance laws during two out-of-state fundraisers in 1996.

And in March 1998, state investigators cleared Locke of wrongdoing following complaints that he unlawfully took $10,000 in campaign contributions from members of a Buddhist church.

WASHINGTON – Saying, “I made a mistake,” Republican Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire abruptly withdrew as commerce secretary nominee on Thursday and drew a testy reaction from the White House, suddenly coping with the third Cabinet withdrawal of Barack Obama’s young presidency.

Gregg cited “irresolvable conflicts” with Obama’s handling of the economic stimulus and 2010 census in a statement released without warning by his Senate office.

Later, at a news conference in the Capitol, he sounded more contrite.

“The president asked me to do it,” he said of the job offer. “I said, ‘Yes.’ That was my mistake.”

Obama offered a somewhat different account from Gregg.

“It comes as something of a surprise, because the truth, you know, Mr. Gregg approached us with interest and seemed enthusiastic,” Obama said in an interview with the Springfield (Ill.) Journal-Register. “But ultimately, I think, we’re going to just keep on making efforts to build the kind of bipartisan consensus around important issues that I think the American people are looking for.”

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said once it became clear Gregg was not going to support some of Obama’s top economic priorities, it became necessary for Gregg and the administration “to part ways,” Gibbs said. “We regret that he has had a change of heart.”

Gregg said he’d always been a strong fiscal conservative. “It really wasn’t a good pick.” When the Senate voted on the president’s massive stimulus plan earlier this week, Gregg did not vote. The bill passed with all Democratic votes and just three Republican votes.

The unexpected withdrawal marked the latest setback for Obama in his attempt to build a Cabinet. It came as the new president expended political capital in Washington – and around the country – for his economic package.

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner was confirmed despite revelations that he had not paid some of his taxes on time, and former Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle withdrew as nominee as health and human services secretary in a tax controversy.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico was Obama’s first choice as Commerce Secretary. He withdrew several weeks ago following disclosure that a grand jury is investigating allegations of wrongdoing in the awarding of contracts in his state. Richardson has not been implicated personally.

Gregg was one of three Republicans Obama had put in his Cabinet to emphasize his campaign pledge that he would be an agent of bipartisan change.

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said Obama and Gregg met in the Oval Office on Wednesday and there were no hard feelings.

“It’s better we figured this out now than later,” Emanuel said. “It’s unfortunate. … There’s a disappointment.”

In an interview with The Associated Press, Gregg said, “For 30 years, I’ve been my own person in charge of my own views, and I guess I hadn’t really focused on the job of working for somebody else and carrying their views, and so this is basically where it came out.”

Gregg, 61, said he informed the White House “fairly early in the week” about his decision. He said he changed his mind after realizing he wasn’t ready to “trim my sails” to be a part of Obama’s team.

“I just sensed that I was not going to be good at being anything other than myself,” he said.

The New Hampshire senator also said he would probably not run for a new term in 2010.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, said he wished Gregg “had thought through the implications of his nomination more thoroughly before accepting this post.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., called Gregg a friend and said, “I respect his decision.”

In his statement, Gregg said his withdrawal had nothing to do with the vetting into his past that Cabinet officials routinely undergo.

Gregg’s reference to the stimulus underscored the partisan divide over the centerpiece of Obama’s economic recovery plan. Conservatives in both houses have been relentless critics of the plan, arguing it is filled with wasteful spending and won’t create enough jobs. Gregg has refrained from voting on the bill – and on all other matters – while his nomination was pending.

The Commerce Department has jurisdiction over the Census Bureau, and the administration recently took steps to assert greater control. Republicans have harshly criticized the decision, saying it was an attempt to politicize the once-in-a-decade event.

The outcome of the census has deep political implications, since congressional districts are drawn based on population. Many federal funds are distributed on the basis of population, as well.

Both of those factors mean there is a premium on counting as many residents as possible. Historically, the groups believed to be most undercounted are inner-city minorities, who tend to vote Democratic.

Gregg’s announcement also undid a carefully constructed chain of events.

The New Hampshire senator had agreed to join the Cabinet only if his departure from the Senate did not allow Democrats to take control of his seat.

New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch, in turn, pledged to appointed Bonnie Newman, a former interim president of the University of New Hampshire.

She, in turn, had agreed not to run for a full term in 2010, creating an open seat for Democrats to try and claim.

In a statement, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said Gregg “made a principled decision to return and we’re glad to have him.”

Lynch, who spoke to Gregg several hours before the announcement, said he respected Gregg’s decision to withdraw and remain in the Senate. He thanked Newman for her willingness to serve.

A day after Gregg’s nomination had been announced, the AP reported that a former staffer was under criminal investigation for allegedly taking baseball and hockey tickets from a lobbyist in exchange for legislative favors while working for Gregg.

The former staffer, Kevin Koonce, has been identified in court papers only as “Staffer F” in the sprawling corruption probe stemming from disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Gregg said at the time that he had been told he was neither a subject nor target of the investigation, and would cooperate fully.

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama nominated Republican Sen. Judd Gregg to be Commerce secretary on Tuesday, a bipartisan gesture that the Democratic president stressed was necessary with the economy in a virtual free fall.

“Clearly Judd and I don’t agree on every issue, most notably who should have won the election,” Obama said in the White House’s grand foyer with Gregg and Vice President Joe Biden at his side. “But we do agree on the urgent need to get American businesses and families back on their feet. … We know the only way to solve the great challenges of our time is to put aside stale ideology and petty partisanship and embrace what works.”

Gregg, in turn, praised Obama’s $800 billion-plus proposal to stabilize the economic slide and pull the country out of recession as an “extraordinarily bold, aggressive, effective and comprehensive plan.”

“This is not a time for partisanship,” the New Hampshire senator said. “This is not a time when we should stand in our ideological corners and shout. This is a time to govern, and govern well.”

If confirmed by the Senate, Gregg would take over a sprawling Commerce Department tasked not just with job creation, but also with conducting the 2010 Census. The department includes the Patent and Trademark Office, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, whose duties include weather forecasting and climate research.

Gregg would be the third Republican in Obama’s Cabinet, joining Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

The president initially had tapped Bill Richardson for the Commerce job, but the New Mexico governor withdrew his nomination amid a grand jury investigation into a state contract awarded to his political donors.

After a monthlong search, Obama settled on the 61-year-old Gregg, a former New Hampshire governor who previously served in the House. Gregg has been in the Senate since 1993 and currently serves as the top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee.

Gregg said in a conference call with reporters he will remain in the Senate until he is confirmed.
  
Financial records show that in 2007, Gregg was worth between $3.1 million and $10.5 million, not out of line with others in the Senate. He owns stock in blue chip companies such as Verizon, Exxon, drugmaker Bristol Myers, General Electric, Citicorp, Microsoft, Heinz, Capital One and Bank of America. Some of his larger assets include real estate in New Hampshire, Florida, New York and Massachusetts. He also owns stakes in several software makers. And he’s a trustee of the Hugh Gregg Family Foundation, a charitable trust.

New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch, a Democrat, has agreed – in a deal struck with Gregg – to name a Republican to fill the Senate seat.

Democratic officials say Lynch intends to select Bonnie Newman, Gregg’s former chief of staff, and that she intends to step down rather than run in 2010 for a full term. That would create the possibility of a highly competitive race for a seat that long has been in Republican hands.

Choosing a Democrat would have expanded the party’s majority in the Senate, moving it closer to a filibuster-proof majority. Gregg had indicated he wouldn’t leave the Senate if his departure disrupted the balance of power.

The White House’s exact role in the deal that led to Gregg’s nomination is unclear.

In a statement, Lynch said the White House was at least directly aware that a deal had been made: Gregg would only become Commerce secretary if he was replaced by a Republican in the Senate.

Yet before Gregg’s nomination had become official, Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said the White House has no part in “picking senators in states that need new senators.”

Gregg himself mentioned the deal as he stood with Obama on Tuesday, saying: “I also want to thank the governor of New Hampshire for his courtesy and courage in being willing to make this possible through the agreement that we have relative to my successor in the Senate.”

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) won the vote, 137-122, to become the new chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, defeating the legendary Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.).

It’s Washington’s favorite parlor game during a presidential transition: trying to figure out who’ll land a top spot in the new administration. President-elect Barack Obama is weighing an array of Washington insiders and outsiders, including some Republicans, for Cabinet and other top positions, according to Democratic officials.

Just like the stock market, names rise and fall weekly, some zooming to the top, others dropping out of contention. Hillary Rodham Clinton suddenly is considered the top prospect for secretary of state, although other names remain in the mix. It looks like Eric Holder, former deputy attorney general, is on track to become attorney general.

Some of those who are the subject of speculation already have been chosen by Obama to serve as part of his transition team. For example, former Sen. Tom Daschle was picked Wednesday to lead Obama’s working group on health care, the same day word surfaced that he’s accepted Obama’s offer to serve as secretary of health and human services.

Some names being floated are surprising, such as former Bush Secretary of State Colin Powell for education secretary. Others are high-profile governors or members of Congress. Many are also little known to the general public – and may remain so.

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DEFENSE SECRETARY

Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Former Navy Secretary Richard Danzig.

Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., critic of Iraq war, retiring from Senate.

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., member of Senate Armed Services Committee.

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TREASURY SECRETARY

Timothy Geithner, president of Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker.

Lawrence Summers, former treasury secretary and one-time Harvard University president.

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SECRETARY OF STATE

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-NY, former first lady and one-time rival of Obama’s for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Gov. Bill Richardson, D-N.M., former U.N. ambassador and energy secretary.

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., 2004 presidential nominee.

Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., critic of Iraq war, retiring from Senate.

Richard Holbrooke, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

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ATTORNEY GENERAL

Eric Holder, former deputy attorney general.

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HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY

Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D.

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HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY

Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano.

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CIA DIRECTOR

John Brennan, former director of the National Counterterrorism Center

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NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE DIRECTOR

Tim Roemer, former Indiana congressman and member of the 9/11 commission.

Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., chairwoman of House Homeland Security intelligence subcommittee.

Jami Miscik, former head of CIA’s analytical operations.

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NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER

James B. Steinberg, former deputy national security adviser.

Susan Rice, former assistant secretary of state for African affairs.

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ENERGY SECRETARY

Dan Reicher, director of climate change and energy initiatives at Google, former assistant energy secretary in charge of efficiency and renewable energy programs in the Clinton administration.

Former Rep. Philip Sharp, D-Ind., president of Resources for the Future think tank.

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.

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INTERIOR SECRETARY

Former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber.

Former Alaska Gov. Tony Knowles.

Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., former executive director of Colorado Natural Resources Department.

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EPA ADMINISTRATOR

Lisa P. Jackson, commissioner of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

Mary Nichols, head of California Air Resources Board.

Kathleen McGinty, former secretary of Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

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HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT SECRETARY

Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C.

Renee Glover, head of Atlanta’s housing authority

Nicholas Retsinas, director of Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies

Shaun Donovan, commissioner of New York City’s housing department.

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LABOR SECRETARY

Ed McElroy, former president of the American Federation of Teachers

Former Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri

Linda Chavez-Thompson, former AFL-CIO vice president

Former Rep. David Bonior, member of Obama’s Transition Economic Advisory Board.

Maria Echaveste, former Clinton White House adviser.

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COMMERCE SECRETARY

Laura D’Andrea Tyson, former chair of White House Council of Economic Advisers under President Clinton.

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OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET DIRECTOR

Peter Orszag, director of Congressional Budget Office.

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EDUCATION SECRETARY

Colin Powell, former secretary of state, former chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.

Arne Duncan, chief executive officer of Chicago public schools.

Inez Tenenbaum, former South Carolina schools superintendent.

Linda Darling-Hammond, education professor at Stanford University.

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TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY

Jane Garvey, former head of Federal Aviation Administration.

Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., chairman of House Transportation Committee.

Mortimer Downey, former deputy transportation secretary.

Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., member of the House Transportation Committee.

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AGRICULTURE SECRETARY

Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack.

Tom Buis, president of National Farmers Union.

Former Rep. Charles Stenholm, D-Texas.

John W. Boyd Jr. of Virginia, president of National Black Farmers Association.

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VETERANS AFFAIRS

Tammy Duckworth, a disabled Iraq war veteran and Illinois veterans affairs director.

Former Sen. Max Cleland of Georgia, a Vietnam veteran who had three limbs amputated after a grenade blast.

Current VA Secretary James Peake.