Seat savers: Early birds claim their spots for State of the Union
(CNN) - Judging by their early arrivals, today might be the Black Friday of the political world.
But instead of camping out for deals on electronics and toys, they're claiming their seats for the most-watched political event of this year.
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Legislator: Secret Service to change its rules
(CNN) - Secret Service agents on the job will no longer be allowed to go to places of "bad acts" or bring foreigners to their hotel rooms. The new rules come in response to the scandal over alleged hiring of prostitutes in Colombia, a legislator said after speaking to agency Director Mark Sullivan.
"If this is the culture, then they want to immediately put it to rest," Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, said Thursday night on CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront," after meeting with Sullivan about the controversy that has embarrassed the 147-year-old agency and raised questions about possible security breaches.
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CBC members react to Obama's speech on jobs, the black community
Washington (CNN) – In a fiery speech at the Congressional Black Caucus awards dinner, President Obama challenged Republicans in Congress to show they care about job creation and was roundly cheered for showing he’s “going to fight” to fire up his supporters in a battle to “save the country.”
As he has done frequently in the weeks since he introduced the American Jobs Act, the president repeatedly called on Congress to pass the bill.
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Democrat defends cell phone use during town hall
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/08/13/artsjlee.gi.jpg caption=" Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, was caught on camera talking on a cell phone during a town hall meeting on Tuesday."]
WASHINGTON (CNN) - A Democratic congresswoman being criticized for chatting on her cell phone during a health care town hall meeting defended her actions Thursday and suggested that the video of the event may have been doctored.
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, told CNN she had dialed into a Congressional hotline to get more details about a question that was being asked by a constituent at the town hall in Houston on Tuesday. House Democratic aides have set up a health care war room located in Majority Leader Steny Hoyer's, D-Maryland, office that is designed to help lawmakers answer questions about the legislation.
"It appears on the video - maybe it's a doctored video - but how I explain it is this: First of all, I take calls from my constituents, but that was not a call that I took," Jackson-Lee said. "I dialed the hotline number to get a better answer."
"It was not disrespectful because I was seeking information for the very town hall I was in," she said. "No offense was intended."
But Jackson Lee would not elaborate when pressed on whether she believes the YouTube video of her talking on the cell phone had been manipulated.
"I know nothing about the video and I'm not going to comment on it," she said. "All I'm going to say to you is, 'I enjoyed speaking to that young mother.'"
Pelosi: House won't take up Michael Jackson resolution
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/06/18/art.pelosihand0618.gi.jpg caption="Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that the House will not take up a resolution honoring Michael Jackson."]WASHINGTON (CNN) –The House of Representatives will not take up a resolution honoring the late entertainer Michael Jackson, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Thursday.
Pelosi called Jackson "a great, great performer" and acknowledged there is "lots of sadness." But the speaker said at a press conference that while members could express their sympathy on the House floor, she added "I don't think it's necessary" to pass a resolution.
"A resolution, I think, would open up (debate) to contrary views that are not necessary at this time to be expressed in association with a resolution whose purpose is quite different," Pelosi explained.
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, who spoke at the memorial service for Jackson on Tuesday in Los Angeles, has introduced HR 600, "Honoring an American legend and musical icon."
The resolution states, "Whereas Michael Jackson was not only an accomplished recording and performing artist, he was a noted humanitarian."
Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., criticized the media's extensive coverage of Michael Jackson's death earlier this week, calling Jackson a "pervert," a "pedophile," and "child molester."
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