WASHINGTON — Barack Obama announced yesterday that he will help pay off Hillary Rodham Clinton's more than $20 million debt, personally writing a check in a gesture meant to win over her top financial backers.

Obama met with more than 200 of Clinton's biggest fundraisers at Washington's Mayflower Hotel, the first step in a two-day push to bring her supporters onboard his general election campaign. Behind the scenes, the two sides were negotiating her future involvement with the campaign.

Obama received a standing ovation from the crowd of more than 200 when he said he would enlist his supporters to help pay off her debt.

"I'm going to need Hillary by my side campaigning during his election, and I'm going to need all of you," Obama said, according to a report written by the only reporter allowed into the event and shared with other reporters afterward.

OBAMA RECEIVES AFL-CIO SUPPORT

WASHINGTON — The AFL-CIO endorsed Barack Obama for president yesterday, uniting the nation's 15 million union workers behind the Illinois senator and giving him full access to labor's massive bank accounts and political machinery.

As expected, the leaders of the nation's largest labor organization voted unanimously to endorse Obama, freeing the organization and its 56 unions to spend some of its $200 million war chest on his campaign.

MCCAIN TO VISIT MEXICO CITY

WASHINGTON — Republican John McCain will visit Mexico after his trip to Colombia next week.

The GOP nominee-in-waiting is scheduled to spend Tuesday and Wednesday in Cartegena, Colombia. That will be followed by a visit to Mexico City on Thursday, according to his campaign.

McCain said earlier this week that he wanted to make the trip to show support for Colombia's anti-drug efforts and a pending free-trade agreement with the U.S. He said his campaign committee would pay for the trip south.