Topic: U.S. Congressional Black Caucus

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Who's who on Congress's debt 'super committee'

Congress has created a special super committee to find at least $1.2 trillion in US budget cuts. If the plan is voted down, automatic spending cuts are slated to occur. Here are the 12 lawmakers named to the super committee.
Michele Bachmann, Rand Paul, and 8 others shaking up the new Congress

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. Here are ten to watch.
Midterm elections: 12 House races to watch to judge size of a GOP 'wave'

Most observers expect Republicans to take over the House of Representatives, but more than 100 races could go either way. The magic number Republicans need to gain to take control: 39. Here are a handful of races to keep an eye on in the states with early-closing polls.
In Pictures: Michelle Obama's fashion

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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Who's who on Congress's debt 'super committee'

Congress has created a special super committee to find at least $1.2 trillion in US budget cuts. If the plan is voted down, automatic spending cuts are slated to occur. Here are the 12 lawmakers named to the super committee.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
Michele Bachmann, Rand Paul, and 8 others shaking up the new Congress

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. Here are ten to watch.
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.
The Vote
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.
Midterm elections: 12 House races to watch to judge size of a GOP 'wave'

Most observers expect Republicans to take over the House of Representatives, but more than 100 races could go either way. The magic number Republicans need to gain to take control: 39. Here are a handful of races to keep an eye on in the states with early-closing polls.
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.
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.
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.
Charles Rangel careens toward House trial; Democrats keen to avoid it

A hearing by House ethics investigators is expected to convene Thursday for Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel. In an election season, corruption allegations can be toxic for the party in power.
Charles Rangel ethics case tests new Congressional openness

The public airing of Charles Rangel's alleged ethical lapses is the highest profile test of the 2006 Congressional pledge of greater accountability.
Shirley Sherrod, ousted for 'racist' video clip, may not take back job

Shirley Sherrod, who lost her Agricultural Department job after a clip of her admitting to giving unfair racial preference surfaced on a conservative web site, says she isn't sure she'd take back her job.
What's behind yet another summer of racial discontent in America?

President Obama's election spread a balm on America's racial divides. But judging by the flap between the NAACP and the ‘tea party’ movement, its effects were short-lived.
Nancy Pelosi puts her stamp on the House

Nancy Pelosi is a master tactician and the most powerful speaker in a half century. Behind her personal brand of power politics – and whether she will still be speaker after the midterm elections.
Congress can't play favorites with the NRA in campaign reform

An attempt in Congress to carve an exemption for the National Rifle Association (NRA) in a campaign-reform bill only adds to the anti-incumbent mood in America.