Morning line, Dec 19, 2008

Obama is scheduled to speak at a press conference in Chicago today at 2:15 pm Eastern time. He is expected to formally announce yesterday's appointments for Labor, Transportation and U.S. trade representative, reports the Washington Post. (More after the jump.)

The appointment of Rep. Hilda Solis, D-Calif., to be the next Labor secretary is getting praise from organized labor leaders, reports Chicago Tribune's The Swamp, which cites the heads of the AFL-CIO and the Service Employees International Union. The choice of former Dallas mayor Ron Kirk to be trade representative contrasts with the pick of Solis as an appointment that is more friendly to business interests, reports the New York Times, which looks at the differences between the two picks. Meanwhile, picking Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Ill., as head of Transportation is causing environmentalists and others concern, notes environmental news service Grist.