Before friends and family in a packed chamber, Kamala Harris was sworn in as California’s newest U.S. senator Tuesday morning. She became the first black woman the Golden State has sent to the Senate and the first Indian American to ever serve in the body.
Harris, 52, a Democrat from Los Angeles, was sworn in by Vice President Joe Biden shortly after 9 a.m. PT as Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and her new Senate colleagues looked on. Harris’ husband, Los Angeles attorney Doug Emhoff, her stepchildren, brother-in-law Tony West, sister Maya Harris, extended family as well as several state officials from across the country who traveled to celebrate with the now former state attorney general watched from the gallery.
“Whatever advice she wants, all she has to do is ask,” Feinstein said. “I have said to her that I would like to have a close relationship.”
Feinstein and Harris met repeatedly in the weeks since the election, with Feinstein sharing advice on how to set up the largest Senate office in the country, including how to deal with the up to 100,000 emails, letters and phone calls that can come into a California senator’s office in a given week.
Harris, one of seven new senators, replaces Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, who retired after 24 years in the Senate.
To read full article, go to: Kamala Harris sworn in as first Indian American senator and California’s first black senator – LA Times
Posts tagged as “Democrats”
President Barack Obama is sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. in the Blue Room of the White House during the 57th Presidential Inauguration January 20, 2013 in Washington, D.C. Obama and U.S. Vice President Joe Biden were officially sworn in a day before the ceremonial inaugural swearing-in. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski-Pool/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Stepping into his second term, President Barack Obama took the oath of office Sunday in an intimate swearing-in ceremony at the White House, the leader of a nation no longer in the throes of the recession he inherited four years ago but still deeply divided.
The president, surrounded by family in the ornate White House Blue Room, was administered the brief oath of office by Chief Justice John Roberts. With Obama’s hand resting on a Bible used for years by Michelle Obama’s family, the president vowed “to support and defend the Constitution of the United States,” echoing the same words spoken by the 43 men who held the office before him.
President Barack Obama promised swift action on immigration reform after the fiscal cliff deal passed the House. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
WASHINGTON — Despite a bruising fiscal cliff battle that managed to set the stage for an even more heated showdown that will likely take place in a matter of months, President Barack Obama is planning to move full steam ahead with the rest of his domestic policy agenda.
An Obama administration official said the president plans to push for immigration reform this January. The official, who spoke about legislative plans only on condition of anonymity, said that coming standoffs over deficit reduction are unlikely to drain momentum from other priorities. The White House plans to push forward quickly, not just on immigration reform but gun control laws as well.
CHARLES SYKES/INVISION/AP Mayor Booker’s latest heroic exploits came to light when a constituent asked him on Twitter if that was him assisting at the scene of an auto accident on Newark’s Clinton Ave. Despite his “hunger pains,” he admitted to being on the scene to help.
His hunger and caffeine withdrawal haven’t dulled his superhero reflexes. Already famous for carrying a neighbor out of a raging kitchen fire in April, Newark Mayor Cory Booker snapped into action at the scene of an injury car accident on Thursday, a witness told the Daily News.
The hometown heroics came just minutes after the 43-year-old Democrat recorded a video blog about the difficulty of his weeklong, $4-per-day food stamp challenge, which has him subsisting on beans, rice, vegetables — and no coffee.
“I heard a crashing sound outside. I looked out my window and there were two sedans that collided. Within a few minutes, a big black car stopped near the site and two men got out. I recognized the mayor’s posture,” a 36-year-old witness who gave her name as Dydy told The News.
This morning, the Commander-in-Chief and First Lady graced the set of “The View” to talk about all those super cute things we love about them, like where they shared their first kiss, how the President tucks Michelle in at night, and how they want to retrace their honeymoon voyage once they leave the White House (in 2016 hopefully).
The mood was definitely light, despite the fast-approaching election day. The president did briefly address his opponent Mitt Romney and his plans for the country over the next four years, but the highlight of their appearance was definitely the Barack-Michelle love fest. See a clip below:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4tb0L0eg5M&w=853&h=480]
This morning, the Commander-in-Chief and First Lady graced the set of “The View” to talk about all those super cute things we love about them, like where they shared their first kiss, how the President tucks Michelle in at night, and how they want to retrace their honeymoon voyage once they leave the White House (in 2016 hopefully).
The mood was definitely light, despite the fast-approaching election day. The president did briefly address his opponent Mitt Romney and his plans for the country over the next four years, but the highlight of their appearance was definitely the Barack-Michelle love fest. See a clip below:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4tb0L0eg5M&w=853&h=480]
WASHINGTON (AP) — California Democratic congresswoman Maxine Waters will not be charged with ethics violations.
At a meeting Friday, House Ethics Committee members said they found no violations in their investigation of allegations she steered a $12 million federal bailout to a bank where her husband owns stock. Waters is a senior Democrat on the Financial Services Committee.
At a meeting Friday, House Ethics Committee members said they found no violations in their investigation of allegations she steered a $12 million federal bailout to a bank where her husband owns stock. Waters is a senior Democrat on the Financial Services Committee.
By JEFF ZELENY and MEGAN THEE-BRENAN
President Obama has taken away Mitt Romney’s longstanding advantage as the candidate voters say is most likely to restore the economy and create jobs, according to the latest poll by The New York Times and CBS News, which found a modest sense of optimism among Americans that White House policies are working.
By JEFF ZELENY and MEGAN THEE-BRENAN
President Obama has taken away Mitt Romney’s longstanding advantage as the candidate voters say is most likely to restore the economy and create jobs, according to the latest poll by The New York Times and CBS News, which found a modest sense of optimism among Americans that White House policies are working.
Newark Mayor Cory Booker wowed ‘em at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday when he offered the party’s 2012 platform to delegates. Here are a few excerpts:
“Our platform emphasizes that a vibrant, free, and fair market is essential to economic growth. We also must pull from our highest ideals of justice and protect against those ills that destabilized our economy – like predatory lending, over-leveraged financial institutions, and the unchecked avarice of the past that trumped fairness and common sense.”
“When your country is in a costly war, with our soldiers sacrificing abroad and our nation facing a debt crisis at home, being asked to pay your fair share isn’t class warfare — it’s patriotism. But we all know – it’s common sense – that for an economy built to last we must invest in what will power us for generations to come.”
“This is our American mission. These are the dreams of our fathers and mothers. This is the demand from the next generation, who call to our conscience in a chorus of conviction, in classrooms from coast to coast, north to south, when they proudly proclaim with those sacred words from our most profound pledge, that we are a nation with liberty, and justice, for all. And this November, with the reelection of President Barack Obama, this generation of Americans will ever expand upon the hope, the truth, and the promise of America.”
He got a standing ovation and there were people wiping tears from their eyes. Booker clearly liked being in the spotlight.
by Bob Ingle via blogs.app.com