Topic: U.S. Congressional Black Caucus
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USA Update Obama adds cabinet diversity by picking Anthony Foxx for Transportation
Moving to complete his second-term cabinet, Obama names the youthful mayor of Charlotte, N.C., Anthony Foxx, to the Transportation post. He would be the second African American in the cabinet.
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Good news for Chicago Democrats? Robin Kelly is not Jesse Jackson Jr.
In the election to replace Jesse Jackson Jr., Illinois State Rep. Robin Kelly boasts an endorsement by President Obama, backing from New York Mayor Bloomberg, and a political record that is scandal-free.
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Ann Romney praises Mitt: The 'man America needs' (+video)
At the Republican National Convention on Tuesday in what she called 'the biggest speech' of her life, Mrs. Romney told voters 'you can trust Mitt.' Her husband, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, will speak at the convention on Thursday.
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Opinion: Voter ID laws are inherently reasonable, not racist or Republican
Analogies between voter ID laws and Jim Crow poll taxes are absurd. That pockets of citizens lack ID is a compelling argument for active voter registration drives, not damning attempts to curb fraud. Ensuring the integrity of our electoral process ought not to be a partisan issue.
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House holds Eric Holder in contempt: What happens to him now? (+video)
Republicans say Attorney General Eric Holder is withholding documents that could show a coverup. Democrats say the investigation is a witch hunt. The outcome? Likely, more delay.
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Is Eric Holder contempt vote over Fast and Furious about race?
Eric Holder on Thursday became the first US attorney general to be held in contempt of Congress. The story of how race became entwined in the debate over the Fast and Furious gun-running scandal is a parable of the Obama presidency.
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Why the Simpson-Bowles budget defeat isn't the end of the line
Simpson-Bowles is still the top bipartisan budget deal out there – and Congress may need it when it faces a showdown in December over the expiring Bush tax cuts and mandated spending cuts.
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Trayvon Martin case: Should Sanford police chief be fired?
Late Wednesday, Sanford city commissioners passed a motion of "no confidence" in Police Chief Bill Lee Jr., who has defended his department for not arresting George Zimmerman after he shot Trayvon Martin, a black teenager.
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Why Democrats proposed a 5% surtax on millionaires that won't pass
With Republicans against higher taxes, there's virtually no chance that a surtax on millionaires will pass Congress. But there are strong political reasons for Senate Democrats to put it on the table.
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Congress, spooked by summer town halls, tries jobs fairs instead
The health-care reform protests of 2009 have made members of Congress worried about holding traditional summer town halls. As an alternative, some are holding jobs fairs.
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Philadelphia 'flash mobs': black mayor takes aim at black community
The crackdown on 'flash mobs' by Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter has put him in the center of a debate about how black leaders should respond to violence within their own community.
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Who's who on Congress's debt 'super committee'
Congress has created a special super committee to devise a way to cut at least $1.2 trillion from US spending in coming years. Its real name is the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, and its deadline is Nov. 23. If a majority of the bipartisan, bicameral committee approves the plan, it goes to the House and Senate for a vote, and they must act by Dec. 23. If the plan is voted down, automatic spending cuts are slated to occur. Here are the 12 lawmakers serving on the super committee.
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Debt-ceiling bill clears House. Now, hopes that Round 2 will be better.
With the House passing a debt-ceiling bill Monday, an end to the debt crisis is in sight. But more cutting lies ahead, and both sides are hopeful they'll get more of what they want.
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For debt-ceiling deal to become law, what needs to happen by Tuesday
Selling the debt-ceiling deal to a critical mass of lawmakers is a formidable political reach. Many conservatives say the deal doesn’t go far enough, while some liberals say the richest Americans should have to pay more taxes.
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Recovering US job market is leaving black men behind
The unemployment rate for black men stands at 17 percent, more than double that of white men. An education gap, criminal records, and racial bias all contribute to problems in the job market, experts say. What type of intervention would help?
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Afghanistan troop drawdown: why Congress doesn't like it
In a break with prevailing patterns on Capitol Hill, the response to President Obama’s announcement about a troop drawdown in Afghanistan is not playing out strictly along party lines.
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US credit rating: Congress has many debt plans, but will it heed warning?
US credit rating is still AAA, but Standard & Poor’s added a cautionary note because of the nation’s ‘rising government indebtedness.’ Here's a look at some of the budget plans in Congress.
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Michel 'Sweet Micky' Martelly advances in Haiti election over president's pick
Amid pressure from international observers, Haiti's election commission advanced singer Michel 'Sweet Micky' Martelly into a runoff vote for the presidency against former First Lady Mirlande Manigat.
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Michele Bachmann, Rand Paul, and 8 others shaking up the new Congress
With the Republican takeover of the House, the shortlist of lawmakers on the rise in both houses of Congress flips, too. Notable is the number of younger members to watch, especially those swept into prominence by the tea party surge. Because this House freshman class - 96 strong, including 87 Republicans - is the largest since 1992, those who speak for them, or claim to, have a leg up. So do those Democrats nimble enough to engage them. Here are ten to watch.
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With censure, Charles Rangel joins infamous list in history of Congress
Rep. Charles Rangel becomes the 23rd member of the House to be censured, Congress's harshest punishment short of expulsion. The vote in favor of censure was 333 to 79.
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Charles Rangel guilty of ethics violations: What happens to him now?
Despite his conviction on ethics violations by a jury of his peers, Charles Rangel will likely not be forced out of Congress. But his legacy and clout have been diminished, which is no small thing.
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Midterm elections: 12 House races to watch to judge size of a GOP 'wave'
Midterm elections upon us, most observers expect Republicans to take over the House of Representatives, though projections vary widely as to how many seats they’ll gain, and a massive number of races – more than 100 – are close enough to go either way. The magic number Republicans need to gain to take control: 39. So how can an Election Night observer get a sense of the big picture amid the many returns coming in? Rather than zeroing in on any individual race, look for trends in those expected to be closest. Here are a handful of races to keep an eye on in the states with early-closing polls.
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30 seconds of trash: If we can't regulate political ads, we should ban them entirely
We've tried (and failed) to regulate political ad money. It's time we ban short political ads altogether – getting us back to the First Amendment's free marketplace of ideas, not bumper-sticker slander.
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Ethics charges against Maxine Waters add to Democrats' woes
Rep. Maxine Waters of California is the second Democrat in two weeks to face a trial over alleged ethics violations. Republicans will use the charges to try to gain ground in midterm elections.
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Rangel, Waters, and the perils of Democrats 'draining the swamp'
Democratic Reps. Charles Rangel and Maxine Waters, both members of the Congressional Black Caucus, are poised to have House trials on ethics charges right before midterm elections. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has pledged to 'drain the swamp' of Washington corruption.
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