In brief: Ex-Cabinet member Shalala to lead Clinton Foundation

WASHINGTON – Former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala has been tapped to run the Clinton Foundation as Hillary Rodham Clinton prepares for her expected 2016 presidential campaign and the philanthropy faces scrutiny of its fundraising practices.

Former President Bill Clinton said Friday that he had chosen Shalala, the outgoing president of the University of Miami, to serve as the next president and chief executive officer of the sprawling philanthropy.

Shalala served as secretary of Health and Human Services under Bill Clinton for eight years and became the university’s president in 2001. A prodigious fundraiser, she has raised nearly $3 billion during her 14-year tenure and is expected to begin leading the foundation in June.

Shalala’s installation will give the couple another longtime ally serving in a key role as Hillary Clinton builds her campaign organization. John Podesta, a former White House chief of staff under Bill Clinton, is expected to serve in a senior role for the 2016 campaign.

Brazil’s top court stamps OK on corruption investigation

RIO DE JANEIRO – The Supreme Court late Friday approved an investigation of dozens of top politicians, including a former president and leaders of congress, for alleged connections to what prosecutors call the biggest graft scheme ever uncovered in Brazil.

In total, 54 people are to be investigated by the attorney general, including 21 federal deputies and 12 senators – though that figure is expected to grow as evidence is gathered on corruption involving the state energy company Petrobras.

The investigations and any possible trials will take years to play out, but the action throws the young second term of President Dilma Rousseff into further disarray as she faces dueling political and economic crises. She is not being investigated despite serving as chairwoman of the Petrobras board for several years as the kickback scheme played out.