Politics. On Point.

Civil Rights icon Fred Lee Shuttlesworth passed today. He was reveered as one of the most relentless figures of the Civil Rights Movement  having established the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights (ACMHR) 1956. In December of that year, the United States Supreme Court ruled that bus segregation in Montgomery, Alabama, was illegal. Shuttlesworth, immediately announced that the ACMHR was going to test segregation laws in Birmingham. On Christmas night the Shuttlesworth house was blown up by sixteen sticks of Ku Klux Klan dynamite. Shuttlesworth, who landed in the basement and whose bedroom was blown apart, and visiting Deacon Charles Robinson were unharmed. Shuttlesworth, then, led a rally the very next day. He was beaten by police in 1957 for trying to enroll his daughter in an all white school and that same year joined with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Ralph David Abernathy, and Bayard Rustin to form the Southern Christian Leadership Conference...

First Lady Michelle Obama visited the headquarters of the agency that protects her and her family, the United States Secret Service . The First Lady thanked the agents for their service. "You all have really made us feel at home and safe, and there is no amount of thanks that I could convey that would give you a sense of how important you all are to us", she expressed. After seeing how much goes into their work Mrs. Obama said, "So often the rest of the country, they don’t know what you do, they don’t know how the Secret Service works. How many people are behind what happens, whether it’s filing or looking at terrorists." Apparently the visit into the work of the Secret Service was a bit intimidating, and overwhelming, even for the First Lady. "I mean, the work you do here is pretty scary, let’s just say that. All I can say is, after my little tour is, ignorance is bliss. I just don’t want to know. You all can handle all that; just tell me whe...

Seven Transmission Projects Across 12 States Will Increase Grid Reliability and Integrate Renewable Energies (USDA Press Release) Demonstrating its commitment to job creation and modernizing America's infrastructure, the Obama Administration today announced it would accelerate the permitting and construction of seven proposed electric transmission lines. This move will speed the creation of thousands of construction and operations jobs while transforming the nation's electric system into a modern, 21st century grid that is safer and more secure, and gives consumers more energy choices. "The President wants to get America working again. He is committed to cutting red tape and making immediate investments to put people to work modernizing our roads, bridges, airports, and energy systems," said Nancy Sutley, Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality. "Building a smarter electric grid will create thousands of American jobs and accelerate the growth of do...

Gets Unlikely Call From An (Unlikely) Viewer Reverend Al Sharpton , host of MSNBC's Politics Nation, received a Happy Birthday call from (wait for it), 2012  presidential candidate Newt Gingrich . “ I figured I would be the least likely phone call you ’ ll get tonight, ” said Gingrich. To which the Reverend replied, "Well, you got that right". The good Rev. thanked Gingrich for calling in. "I appreciate you calling me on my birthday." If these two can join forces, even for a moment, then certainly the GOP and President Obama stand a chance of putting their differences behind them to move the country forward. Sharpton, who declined the invitation to participate on the popular TV series Dancing With the Stars last year, turned 58, on October 3rd. He and his National Action Network plan a rally and March for Jobs on October 15th, a day before the rescheduled Martin Luther King, Jr. dedication on October 16 on the National Mall.

President Obama and First Lady Michelle celebrate their 19th wedding anniversary today, October 3rd. The couple dined at Restaurant Eve in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia over the weekend. According to the online web site Irish Central , the owner, Cathal Armstrong is friends with First Lady Michelle and has worked with her on her Let's Move! initiative to help children eat healthier.  Cathal is founder of ‘ Chefs as Parents’ an organization set up with that goal in mind. First Couple Wedding Triva : Michelle and Barack's wedding ceremony was performed on October 3, 1992 by Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, Illinois. Michelle's brother Craig walked her down the aisle. The reception was held at the South Shore Cultural Center. Stevie Wonder's song, "You and I" was Michelle and Obama's wedding song. The two met at a downtown Chicago law firm where Michelle was assigned the role of advisor to ...

Minutes before the president met with his Cabinet members, he addressed the media on his committment to put America back to work.   A full transcript is below. President Obama meets with Cabinet members.  Among them Secretary of Transporation Ray LaHood and Homeland Security Director Janet Napolitano. THE PRESIDENT :  Good morning, everybody.  I am pulling my Cabinet together to talk about the one topic that’s on everybody’s minds, and that is how do we put America back to work.  Each of the Secretaries and heads of agencies have been assigned to look at what we can do administratively to accelerate job growth over the next several months.  And working with the Jobs Council that we’ve set up, working with the private sector, we have been looking for a wide range of ideas of administrative action we can take.  A good example would be, for example, accelerating the payments to small businesses so that they’ve got better cash flow; trying to ...

Delivers Back To School Address President Obama addressed students at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School where he encouraged the students to continue their education after graduating high school. President Obama is greeted by enthusiastic  Banneker High School students during his back-to-school address.   Photo/CD Brown. Looking even more gray haired, the president told the roughly 250 assembled students, "I want all of you to set a goal to continue your education after you graduate. And if that means college for you, just getting into college is not enough.  You also have to graduate." Achieving that goal is what Banneker students thrive on.  Banneker is a top ranking school in the District of Columbia, graduating 100% of its class.  Its students continue that success rate also with a 100% college graduation rate.  The school has been rated one of the top 50 schools in the nation by Newsweek Magazine, and has been given a 10 ...