Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), no stranger to passive resistance, was arrested Monday as part of a protest against the Sudanese government’s humanitarian policies in that nation’s Darfur region. Arrested along with Lewis during a rally staged by the Save Darfur Coalition were Reps. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Donna Edwards (D-Md.), Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) and Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.). They were taken into custody after crossing a police line and refusing to leave the area in front of the Sudanese Embassy in Washington. Read the rest.

Abortion clinic protester was arrested in Oakland. A California man who wanted to intervene on behalf of Black women seeking abortions could get jail time this week. Oakland pastor Walter Hoye was charged with unlawful intimidation of visitors to a medical clinic last summer when he stood on a sidewalk with a sign that read “Jesus Loves You and Your Baby. Can We Help You?” Lawyers for Hoye say that he offers to help Black women, in particular, because they form a majority of the more than 1 million annually who get abortions in America. Though a witness testified that he used no force, the pastor will go before a judge this week to be sentenced for allegedly violating statute. Supporters are rallying behind the pastor, who they say only exercised his free speech.

White House will review GM, Chrysler plans. Two of the former “Big Three” auto companies are expected to present their business plans for restructuring and longevity today in Washington. General Motors and Chrysler execs seeking government assistance in turning around their corporations will offer formal pitches to the Obama administration. “We’re anxious to look at the plans,” says Robert Gibbs, a White House spokesman. Hindered by slow car sales and bleeding from worker layoffs, American automakers are another tender spot in the struggling economy. A boost in the form of government aid is sought by GM and Chrysler, in order to prevent the car industry from further collapsing. The companies will likely ask for billions in financial help.

 Former NFL running back David Meggett has been arrested on charges that he raped a South Carolina woman because she owed him $200, The Associated Press reports. The woman, who was not identified because she is allegedly the victim of a sexual assault, says that when she woke up at about 1 a.m. Tuesday, she found Meggett, a man she knew as “Mike,” sitting on her bed, according to AP. He demanded that she repay $200 she owed him and raped her when she said she didn’t have the money, she said. Read the rest here.

 As prosecutors in Oakland, Calif., ponder whether to file criminal charges against the 27-year-old White transit cop who shot to death a handcuffed young Black man on New Year’s Day, officials for the agency that employed the officer say they’re perturbed by his attitude. “Nobody’s been able to talk to [Johannes Mehserle],” Linton Johnson, a spokesman for the Bay Area Rapid Transit, said of the BART officer who fired the fatal shot. “We’ve been trying aggressively to get him to come in, but he hasn’t. It’s been very frustrating.” Read more here.

 Rapper DMX, shackled and garbed in true jailbird attire in an Arizona courtroom Tuesday, pleaded guilty to animal cruelty, theft and drug possession. The 38-year-old rapper (whose real name is Earl Simmons) sat quietly in his Black-and-white-striped prison uniform as the official charges were read into the record: one misdemeanor count of animal cruelty, one felony count of theft, and one count each of felony possession of marijuana and a narcotic drug. If the case had gone to trial and Simmons had been convicted, he would now be looking at a possible 10-year sentence. Under Tuesday’s plea deal, he is expected to get the minimum 90-day jail sentence, plus probation. The agreement precludes him from owning any animals and possessing any weapons; in addition, he is required to attend an animal-offender treatment program. Violating probation could have him looking again at those 10 years. DMX’s albums include “It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot” and “Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood” and “Year of the Dog … Again.”

Muslims are angry over headscarf ruling. Muslim rights activists are outraged at an Atlanta judge who ordered a 40-year-old Muslim woman to serve 10 days in jail for refusing to remove her headscarf before attending a hearing in his courtroom. Although she was released before serving a full day, critics want the Justice Department to look into what sparked the incident in the Atlanta suburb of Douglasville, Ga., a community of about 20,000 people.  We can deal with whether people knew about policies or whether they handled things correctly, but the bottom line is, can a Muslim woman walk into this courtroom wearing religious attire?” said Council on American-Islamic Relations spokesman Ibrahim. City court workers will now be required to undergo sensitivity training and post courtroom dress code signs.

N.Y. Pastor celebrates his 106^th birthday. The Rev. Charles Leonard, pastor of Mount Zion Church of Christ, celebrated his 106^th birthday on Christmas Day. He said that his friends, family and God has been the source of his longevity. “My generation coming up, young people, they were brought up in church,” said Leonard, who was born in Philadelphia in 1902. “This is the way it was with me. The secret is God. He keeps me alert. He keeps me active.” Leonard’s grandmother lived to be 108. He was reared in segregated North Carolina and Georgia. In 1933, he moved to New York, where he landed a job as a high-steam engineer for the Washington Heights Laundry Co. Leonard began preaching more than 50 years ago. “He travels by himself, he goes out on his own, he’s totally independent,” said his 48-year-old great-niece, Brenda Greene. “If he doesn’t hear from us, he calls and checks on us. Sometimes he’s more alert than we are.”

Rev. Jackson makes Christmas jail visit. On Christmas Day, the Rev. Jesse Jackson did what he has done for the past two decades – visited inmates in Chicago’s Cook County Jail. During his visit, he described U.S. corrections facilities as “Jail hotels” and said that people must stop thinking of prison as “free meals, medicine, heat and recreational activities.” It’s time to vote and get tested for HIV, he told the 500 inmates who gathered to hear him speak. Jackson, whose Rainbow PUSH Coalition turned 43 on Christmas, urged his audience to “make better choices.”

Former NBA player arrested after marijuana mail delivery. A former NBA player could face up to five years in prison after he was reportedly caught picking up a postal package that carried marijuana. Corey Blount, 39, was arrested Friday after he was followed to his home near Cincinnati, where two other packages, totaling 18 pounds of weed were found, cops say. Blount’s Cadillac Escalade, a 2000 Chevy Suburban, three guns and almost $30,000 in cash were confiscated. The former University of Cincinnati center went on to play for the Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors, among other teams. He earned a criminal justice degree this year.

Ken Norton Jr. won’t lead New Mexico State University football squad. The son of former hard-hitting heavyweight boxer Ken Norton has turned down a chance to coach New Mexico State University’s football team. Ken Norton Jr., an ex-NFL standout, has reportedly declined the job offer out West. New Mexico’s assistant coach has been added to the list of candidates.

Birmingham mayor is arrested for alleged misdeeds. Federal agents arrested Birmingham Mayor Larry P. Langford, on Monday, charging him with taking bribes in exchange for doling out county financial business to a favored firm when he led the Jefferson County Commission from 2002 to 2006, reports The New York Times. Langford, 60, was charged in the 101-count indictment with taking over $230,000 in cash, clothing and jewelry for making sure that a well known Alabama investment banker and bond company owner, William B. Blount, got a portion of lucrative bond deals related to the financing of improvements to Jefferson County’s failing sewer system. Read the rest here.

Jennifer Hudson’s bro-in-law awaits formal charges. The estranged brother-in-law of Jennifer Hudson, arrested Monday, is in a Chicago jail this morning, awaiting formal charges in the slaying of the singer/actress’s mother, brother and nephew. William Balfour went from person of interest to prime suspect Monday when police arrested him in connection with the Oct. 24 shooting deaths of the Dreamgirls star’s relatives. Read the rest here.

Police arrested Comedian Kat Williams this past Thursday on gun charges for weapons found in his vehicle, reports MTV.com.  Police first noticed that Williams’ vehicle, a Cadillac Escalade that was parked along Broadway, had no license plate. They also noticed that there were firearms in the vehicle.  Minutes later, as Williams left a building nearby, police asked him if the Escalade was his.  Williams admitted it was and he was arrested.  Hours later, he posted a $25,000 bond and was released. The comedian was scheduled to perform that night at Carnegie Hall.  He did make his way there, but was extremely late due to the eighteen hours he spent in jail.  Williams apologized to the audience after he arrived, telling them all about what happened that day.