Towns
FROM HOUSE OVERSIGHT: “Chairman Ed Towns wrote NHTSA Administrator David Strickland last week seeking answers about its investigation into recalled Toyota vehicles. Specifically, Chairman Towns is interested in recalled Toyota vehicles that were mechanically corrected but continue to experience sudden acceleration problems…”
Monica and John Conyers
Former Detroit City Council member Monica Conyers, who is the wife of House Judiciary Chair John Conyers, will be sentenced for bribery tomorrow. Predictably, Federal prosecutors want her to receive a “substantial” prison sentence of up to 57 months, which woud be close to five years — the maximum. Monica Conyers plead guilty last year to taking $6,000 in bribes. Though the media in Detroit have bent backwards to learn whether John Conyers knew of his wife’s bribe taking no such link has been verified to this point.
REMEMBER ROGER ROSS WILLIAMS, NOT HER. Did documentary director and newly minted Oscar winner Roger Ross Williams need help accepting his award? No, but he got it anyway in the form of an uninvited Kanyesque podium guest in desperate need of attention named Elinor Burkett. Burkett, just like the bottomless self absorbed Kanye West before her, just had to get up there after Williams, who did all the work, was announced as the Oscar winner for “Best Documentary Short” for Music by Prudence based in Zimbabwe. For some reason, don’t aske me why, I need to relive this foolishness.
Click here to see some of the 1,000+ people who attended Rep. Scott’s job fair at the Hampton Roads Convention Center yesterday in this photo gallery at my flickr acccount here. link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7105332@N05/sets/72157623458456779/show/
Rep. Scott at his Hampton Roads job fair yesterday
JOB FAIR. Various ’signs of the times’ continue as over 1,100 people attended a job fair at the Hampton Roads Convention Center hosted by Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia. A very wide range of employers ranging from local, state and federal government to private companies and local colleges attented. Examples include the FBI, the Richmond Police Department, the CENSUS, Walgreens and Canon. Another job fair put on by Sen. Mark Warner in Fredericksburg had to be shut down because people overwhelmed the venue.
Reps. Davis, Clarke, Fudge, Lee, Watt and Jackson-Lee
Gone are the days when a journalist puts in a card for Barbara Lee in the Speaker’s Lobby only to wait forever. Gone are the noncommittal press releases and the fear of saying something negative about the first black President. CBC Chair Lee is comfortably surrounded by reporters all the time now. On the issue of jobs the Black Caucus is more up front and on the record.
Back on December 7, CBC Chair Barbara Lee and Rep. Emanuel Cleaver sent a letter to President Obama regarding jobs. The six page letter outlined what exactly members of the Congressional Black Caucus wanted to see in a jobs bill. None of what was in the letter was new and surprising: jobs training, a summer jobs program money for state and local governments. All the provisions were ignored in the latest jobs bill. The next bill will focus on helping small businesses. Let’s see if the Black Caucus will fight for their provisions in the same tough manner and they fought for them in the last piece of legislation.
Rep. Hank Johnson + the Prez
Today President Obama, in an endless series of campaign-like stops, will be in the congressional district of Rep. Chaka Fattah. I say he spends too much time on the road and secretly misses the adulation of a campaign stop BUT this is a fun time for the Congressional Black Caucus. Last week Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia was on Air Force One. This week two more members of the CBC will be hanging with the President. This is a big change from last year when the level of direct communication between President Obama and members of the CBC was limited.
Geoffrey Fletcher, Kathryn Bigelow and Lee Daniels + Gabby Sidibe
CELLULOID CEILING BROKEN. Kathryn Bigelow made history last night to become the first woman in eighty years of Oscar history to win the director award. Only three other woman have ever been nominated for director: Lina Wertmüller for Seven Beauties (1975); Jane Campion for The Piano (1993); and Sofia Coppola for Lost in Translation (2003). Geoffrey Fletcher became the first African American to win an Oscar for writing for Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire.
Chaka
FATTAH AND OBAMA. The tweets of Congressman Chaka Fattah reveal that YES: He will be with President Obama tomorrow in Philly. This may mean that President Obama will be with two members of the Congressional Black Caucus will get a Presidential visit this week. The President has a stop to make in St. Louis on Wednesday. That may mean he will be with either Lacy Clay or Emanuel Cleaver.
Tweet 3PM SUN: Fattah will appear with President Obama at Arcadia University Mon. March 8th to promote healthcare. Tweet 2PM SUN: Fattah to address National Association of County Officials tonight at 8:30 at Washington DC’s W Hotel.
Fattah on twitter: http://twitter.com/chakafattah
Monday, March 08 —
•• Thirteen legislative days until the black farmers deadline on March 31
•• 10 a.m. to 3 p.m: Rep. Bobby Scott hosts Job Fair at the Hampton Roads Convention Center
•• President Obama: Will go to Philly to talk health insurance (I bet he will hang w Congressman Fattah) then honor the Alabama Crimson Tide at White House. Later: a meeting with El Salvadoran President Funes.
Tuesday, March 09 —
•• President Obama: Will meet with Greek PM Papandreou, host Greek Independence Day reception
Wednesday, March 10 —
•• John Conyers’ wife, former Detroit City Council member Monica Conyers, will be sentenced for bribery
•• President Rene Preval of Haiti will visit Obama at the White House
•• Emancipation Hall in US CAP: Women pilots of WWII to receive Congressional Gold Medal
•• 10:00 a.m: Senate Judiciary has hearing on Citizens United Supreme Court decision
•• Noon: CBC Weekly meeting in HC-6 of the Capitol
•• H.R. 4573 – Maxine Waters’ Debt Relief for Earthquake Recovery in Haiti Act should come up
•• President Obama: Will meet with Haitian Pres. Preval, travel to St Louis (will he be with Emanuel Cleaver)
Thursday, March 11 —
•• President Obama: Will address Export-Import Bank’s Annual Conference
Friday, March 12 —
•• President Obama: Will meet with council of advisors on science and technology @ WH
