Reese Witherspoon comes to Washington
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/03/10/art.2reese0310.km.jpg caption ="Actress Reese Witherspoon is in Washington today to tackle some tough issues."]
Washington (CNN) - Reese Witherspoon is getting serious.
Witherspoon told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Wednesday about her quest to stop violence against women around the world. She said she isn't alone in her fight.
"I think when you have strong powerful women standing up and speaking out about these issues, not to mention how many women represent us in the Senate and the House of Representatives, you're going to start to see a major change in these areas," stated the actress.
The actress is in town to attend the 2010 International Women of Courage Awards along with First Lady Michelle Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Witherspoon is a representative of the Avon Foundation and is partnering with the non-profit group Vital Voices to shine a light on the difficult issues women face as a result of abuse.
Watch the full interview at 6 p.m. EST on "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer."
Comic book series to feature Franken
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/03/08/art.alfranken.0308.gi.jpg caption ="Sen. Al Franken will appear in an upcoming comic book."]Washington (CNN) - It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Senator Al Franken.
While Sen. Scott Brown, R-Massachusetts, might be able to brag about being featured in "Cosmopolitan" magazine, it is his Minnesota colleague who is getting his own comic book.
Franken, the comedian-turned- liberal radio host-turned U.S. senator, will be featured in an upcoming 22-page color spread as part of the "Political Power" series published by Bluewater Productions.
"We want to tell stories about people who are not the Barack Obama's of the world and Sen. Franken isn't someone people would expect us to cover," publisher Darren Davis said in an interview with CNN. Davis said the May issue of the series will "show his early life as a comedian to modern day. "I don't think anyone knows Sen. Franken co-wrote the movie "When a Man Loves a Woman," said Davis, referring to the 1994 dramatic film starring Andy Garcia and Meg Ryan.
As for Franken, a spokesman said the Democratic senator is "looking forward to reading the comic."
The current issue features George W.Bush.
Bill targets Hill staffers with unpaid taxes
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/02/20/art.chaffetz.cnn.jpg caption=" Rep. Chaffetz to introduce legislation Thursday cracking down on Hill staffers with unpaid taxes "]
Washington (CNN) – A Utah congressman wants delinquent Capitol Hill staffers to settle up.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, is set to introduce a bill Thursday that targets Congressional employees with unpaid taxes.
"It's pretty hard to find anyone who would disagree with this legislation," Chaffetz told CNN. When asked if his own staffers are current in paying their taxes, he indicated he had talked them before putting the bill together. "I hope they are all in compliance."
Rep. Chaffetz also said he wants to "model this after the IRS," which the Utah Republican says has the highest compliance rate in the federal government for employees paying taxes.
Chaffetz told CNN he got the idea for the legislation after he heard President Obama's remarks at the January 20 singing of a directive that blocks tax-delinquent companies from obtaining government contracts. At the time, Obama said "it is simply wrong for companies to take taxpayer dollars and not be taxpayers themselves."
According to Chaffetz, there are currently hundreds of Hill staffers with unpaid taxes. For the 2008 tax year alone, the freshman congressman estimates a total of $8 million in unpaid taxes owed by congressional employees.
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