Senator Roland Burris is promising to fully cooperate with a new investigation into his contacts with the administration of now-ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich. But while he may be talking to investigators, he says he'll no longer be talking to reporters. Especially not at the Chicago Tribune. Joining us now is Robert Wildeboer is a criminal justice reporter for Chicago Public Radio.

There’s never a dull moment in Illinois State Politics. Today, Governor Rod Blagojevich will preside over the swearing in of the very same state senators that will later this month decide whether or not to remove him from office. The Takeaway talks to Amanda Vinicky, a statehouse reporter for Illinois Public Radio.

The House Financial Services committee met yesterday to hear testimony to determine whether regulators could have caught on to Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme before he bilked investors out of billions of dollars. Some say that the Securities Exchange Commission may have known what Madoff was up to long before the disgraced investor’s stunning admission of guilt. Stephen Harbeck from Security Investor Protection Corporation, who was among the witnesses who testified yesterday, joins the discussion.

As if Illinois' political crisis wasn't complex enough. Embattled Governor Rod Blagojevich has appointed former Attorney General Roland Burris to President-elect Obama's vacant Senate seat. Joining us to discuss the thorny legal implications of that appointment is Nate Persily, professor of law and political science at Columbia University.

The news of Bernard Madoff and the billions of dollars lost in his worldwide Ponzi scheme reinforces the connection between money and corruption. It’s a relationship that is also evidenced in countries such as Zimbabwe, Somalia and the Congo—in these nations corruption can been seen as a force that’s impeding economic development. For insight into how poverty and global corruption contribute to many of today's international crises The Takeaway turns to economist Edward Miguel. Miguel is the co-author of the new book "Economic Gangsters: Corruption, Violence, and the Poverty of Nations."

Illinois state legislators began impeachment hearings against embattled Governor Rod Blagojevich on Tuesday, but the proceedings were stopped after just one hour. It seems that Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald would like to know who the lawmakers are planning to ask to testify, to make sure that their hearings will not interfere with his case. Amanda Vinicky, Statehouse Reporter for Illinois Public Radio, joins The Takeaway with the latest.

Columnist and commentator Clarence Page is on the editorial board of the Chicago Tribune. That makes him part of the story.

Illinois lawmakers have the power to impeach Governor Blagojevich, call a special election, and more. What will they do next?

How will the Blagojevich indictment impact the choice to fill Obama's seat?