With Bill Passed, Tough Part Begins for Obama Turns out that convincing Congress to go along with a nearly $800 billion recovery plan – at a time when the American public has little reason to trust government – was the easy part. Now, President Obama must figure out how to deliver on the promises embodied in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which he signed into law Tuesday. “Today does not mark the end of our economic troubles,” Obama said before signing the bill at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. “But it does mark the beginning of the end – the beginning of what we need to do to create jobs for Americans scrambling in the wake of layoffs; to provide relief for families worried they won’t be able to pay next month’s bills; and to set our economy on a firmer foundation.” Read the rest here.

Washington passes stimulus bill. The long-debated economic stimulus bill has passed. Legislators in Washington agreed Friday on a plan of well over $700 billion dollars that is designed to turn around the American financial crisis. President Barack Obama is expected to sign the bill into law next week. The passage of the plan marks Obama’s biggest successful initiative since he took office last month. The president went round after round with Republicans who argued that earlier versions of the proposal involved unnecessary spending that would only make things worse. Obama consistently argued that action was necessary sooner than later.Bill would reform police procedures. A man whose rape conviction was reversed years after he died in prison is having an impact from beyond the grave. Tim Cole was recently exonerated of sexual assault by a Texas judge for the first time in the state’s history that a conviction was reversed post mortem. Now Texas Sen. Rodney Ellis has introduced reform bills that will keep cops from wrongly influencing witnesses in identifying suspects. Cole rejected plea deals he was offered to serve a lighter sentence in the 1985 rape of a college student. He said he wouldn’t plead guilty to a crime he didn’t commit. The woman identified him as her attacker, but a different man later confessed to the crime and was proven guilty through DNA tests. But Cole died of an asthma attack while picking cotton on a prison farm before the evidence surfaced.

Congress passes bill to issue civil rights coin. The United Negro College Fund commends Congress for the bipartisan passage of the Commemorative Civil Rights Coin Bill, of which President-elect Barack Obama was lead sponsor. The commemorative coin raises funds for UNCF, the nation’s largest minority education organization. The coin is to be issued in 2014 and will mark the 50^th anniversary of the passage of the Civil Rights Bill of 1964, which outlawed discrimination in employment and public accommodations such as hotels and restaurants. “UNCF is excited about the passing of the commemorative coin bill and proud to receive the proceeds from sales of the coin, which pays tribute to civil rights pioneers who were instrumental in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” said Michael L. Lomax, Ph.D., president and CEO of UNCF. “We are honored that the proceeds from the coin will carry on the legacy by helping UNCF continue to support the 60,000 students who depend on UNCF each year for the support that enables them to attend college and get the education they need to launch their careers and contribute to their communities.”  Proceeds for the sale of the coins will support scholarships at UNCF member schools. 

Spike Lee says actor would “kill” as James Brown

If he can resolve his legal issues in an appeal of this spring’s verdict convicting him of tax violations, Wesley Snipes has a big role waiting for him. Director Spike Lee wants to produce a film based on the life of music legend James Brown, and says Snipes is the man to lead it. “He’s a phenomenal actor, and I truly feel that he’ll regain that power he once had,” Lee tells King magazine. “If my James Brown picture ever gets made, he’ll be playing James, and he’d kill in that, without a doubt. He still has chops.”

Michael Jackson’s underwear up for sale

Now you can know Michael Jackson like few fans have ever known him before: On-line shoppers who visit e-Bay may come across his Calvin Klein underwear. Though reportedly unwashed, the briefs come in a freshly sealed bag: They were taken as evidence by the Santa Barbara district attorney in 2003 when the singer faced child molestation charges. New Jersey businessman Henry Vacarro bought the unmentionables in a bankruptcy-related sale. No word on whether Vacarro called Mike to be sure he owns another pair.

“Lady T” honored along with Chaka Khan, Bill Withers.

Singer Teena Marie (above), long-time collaborator with the late Rick James, has been recognized by Philadelphia’s Rhythm & Blues Foundation for her 30-year career as an artist. Marie was one of nine artists who received a Pioneer Award Tuesday, along with singers Chaka Khan and Bill Withers, plus others. Grammy-winner Marie, whose first album cover featured no photo to keep secret the fact that she is White, still credits James with much of her success. Duets between the pair include the R&B classics “Fire and Desire” and “Love Them and Leave Them.”

Congressional Democrats drop child health bill. Congressional Democrats have scrapped plans for another vote on expansion of the Children’s Health Insurance Program. The move spares Republicans from a politically difficult vote just weeks before elections this fall, the Washington Post reports. Before the summer recess, Democrats had vowed repeatedly to force another vote on the popular program. But Democrats say they have shifted course, after concluding that President Bush would not sign their legislation and that they didn’t have the votes to override a veto. Mr. Bush vetoed two earlier versions of the legislation, which he denounced as a dangerous step toward “government-run health care for every American,” and the House sustained those vetoes.  The move effectively shelves the legislation, which was aimed at expanding state health care coverage for  poor and middle-income families, is effectively dead for now. “We are not going to change any votes on the children’s health insurance bill. We still don’t have enough to override a veto,” said Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. “Those who opposed this bill can face the voters and explain why they believe 10 million kids should not get health coverage.” 

Free drug samples could cost uninsured more. Free drug samples provided to physicians by pharmaceutical companies could actually be costing uninsured patients more in the long run, according to a study done by researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and colleagues. The retrospective study looked at the prescribing habits of more than 70 physicians in a university-affiliated internal medicine practice in the months immediately before and after the closing of their drug sample closet. The results indicate that the availability of free samples from pharmaceutical companies greatly impacts whether an uninsured patient is given a prescription for a generic or a brand-name drug. The complete findings can be found in the September issue of Southern Medical Journal. “It’s true that samples can save patients money in the short-run,” said David P. Miller, M.D., lead researcher and internal medicine physician at Wake Forest Baptist. “But our study shows that they may end up paying more in the long run when they are given prescriptions for brand-name only drugs.” After looking at 2,000 cases, researchers found that, for uninsured patients, the percentage of medications prescribed as generics rose from 12 percent to 30 percent after the clinic closed its drug sample closet. For Medicaid patients, however, there was no significant change in generic prescribing.
Natural label is no guarantee. The word “natural” on a food label sounds like it might mean the food is better for you, but a University of Missouri nutritionist says that isn’t necessarily the case. “The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sets standards for the nutrition information and health claims that can be made on a food label,” said Tammy Roberts, nutrition and health education specialist with University of Missouri Extension. “Claims made on food labels are to be truthful and not misleading. Still, it’s easy for some claims to be confusing.” The three terms that many people are confused about are “natural,” “healthy” and “organic,” Roberts said. “Many people think they all mean about the same thing, but there are different specific meanings for all of these terms,” Roberts told U.S. News & World Report. When a food is labeled as “natural,” it means that the product does not contain any synthetic or artificial ingredients or is minimally processed. According to Roberts, the food label should explain how the producer is using terms such as “no added colorings” or “no added artificial ingredients” along with the “natural” claim. For a food to be labeled as “healthy,” it must meet certain criteria for the amount of fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium and have specific minimum amounts of vitamins, minerals or other beneficial nutrients. If a food is labeled as “organic,” it must meet standards set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the way the food is grown or produced. “It is important to note that USDA makes no claims that organically grown food is more nutritious or safer than other non-organically produced food,” said Roberts.

Is the GOP concerned that its own candidate can’t stand up to the standard?

Pamela On Politics: Republicans appeared to have disserted the platform of family values for the 2008 presidential race, and no doubt it’s because their nominee’s checkered record might not stand up to the scrutiny of his challenger. Read more at Pamela On Politics.

Lawmaker: Bill Clinton’s faltering image in Black society is his own fault.

Rep. Jim Clyburn, the third-highest-ranking member of Congress and a member of the Black Caucus, said that former President Bill Clinton ought to look in the mirror if he wants to see who’s responsible for his falling out with Black America. Speaking to ABC News last week, Clinton said that the South Carolina Democrat was once a friend of his, but that he “was not Hillary’s supporter. Never. Not ever. Not for a day.” Find out what else he said and how Clyburn responded at BET.com/News.

Cigarette Bill clears the U.S. House.

The U.S. House of Representatives approved by a veto-proof 326-102 vote legislation (HR 1108) that would give FDA the authority to regulate tobacco products, The New York Times reports. The measure, introduced by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and approved on Wednesday, would allow the FDA to ban flavored additives, with an exemption for menthol flavoring, The Wall Street Journal, reported Friday. Some Black anti-smoking advocates criticized the exemption, noting that as many as three-quarters of Black smokers use mentholated cigarettes. The National African American Tobacco Prevention Network withdrew its support for the bill because of the menthol exemption. Menthol brands account for about 28 percent of the $70 billion U.S. cigarette market. Scientists believe menthol and other additives might mask the harshness of tobacco, which could make it easier for teenagers to begin smoking. Researchers also have questioned whether menthol plays a role in disproportionate rates of cancer related to smoking among Blacks. A recent study from Harvard University found that some cigarette makers intentionally “manipulated menthol levels to attract young people.”

The UNCF praises Congress. The United Negro College Fund on Friday praised Congress for working across party lines to reauthorize the Higher Education Opportunity Act, which it said will enable more African Americans to get a higher education at a time when a degree is more important than ever for getting a leg up in society. “This reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965, the first in ten years, could not have come at a more critical time,” UNCF officials said in a statement. ”Getting a college education is more important than ever.  This legislation will enable more students to attend college, graduate and launch their careers, and will thus take the country an important step closer to realizing the ideal expressed in UNCF’s motto, ‘A mind is a terrible thing to waste.’”  Currently, there are about 8,000 students who attend 900 colleges and universities with UNCF scholarships, and 39 historically Black colleges and universities comprise UNCF and their 55,000 students. Where does higher education rank among the nation’s priorities? Why?

Cigarette legislation clears the house.

Legislation that gives the U.S. Food and Drug Administration broad authority to regulate cigarettes and other forms of tobacco cleared the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday. The White House issued a statement voicing “serious concerns” about the bill and said advisers would recommend a presidential veto. Backers, including public health groups and many Democrats, said the measure would help curtail youth smoking, prevent heart disease and reduce rising health-care costs. “With this legislation, we will place sharp and sorely needed limits on access to tobacco products and on tobacco advertising and marketing,” said Rep. John Dingell, a Michigan Democrat who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The White House, however, said the legislation would “put an enormous burden on the FDA” that could detract from other public health responsibilities. Requiring the FDA to oversee tobacco products also “could be perceived by the public as an endorsement that these products are safe, resulting in more people smoking,” the White House said. The bill, which cleared the House in a 326-102 vote, would authorize the FDA to police cigarette labeling and recall tobacco products seen as unreasonably harmful. The FDA also would have to approve all new cigarettes and other tobacco products, and set standards for so-called reduced-risk products. The agency would not be empowered to ban cigarettes or require nicotine levels of zero.

Republicans said they will not support it until an energy bill has been passed

The move to seek justice for Civil Rights Era lynching victims came to a screeching halt Monday as Republican members of the U.S. Senate said they will not support any legislation until they can get a vote on an energy bill. The Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act would give the U.S. Justice Department $10 million per year to prosecute those responsible for killing Blacks and supporters of civil rights initiatives. In addition, the bill called for $3.5 to aid local law-enforcement agencies involved in the investigations. The bill was among about three dozen pieces of legislation aimed at helping mentally ill people, homeless youths, stroke victims and child-porn prosecutors. Leading the charge against the measure was Sen. Tom Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican, who consistently fights new spending measures. He was joined by 39 colleagues. The 52 votes in favor were eight short of the number needed to force a final vote on the bill bundle. Democrats argue that the Republicans want to keep the money on hand for the war in Iraq. “History will tell whether this is a setback or a setup for ultimate victory of the Till bill,” Alvin Sykes of Kansas City, president of the Emmett Till Justice Campaign and drafter of the bill, told The Clarion Ledger newspaper in Mississippi. “Every justice-seeking American should be calling and e-mailing their U.S. senators, strongly urging the passage of the bill.” The “Till bill” is named after Emmett Till, the Black teen from Chicago who was kidnapped and brutally beaten before being shot to death by the Ku Klux Klan in Mississippi in 1955. Why do you think the bill didn’t pass?

Two cops are accused of cruising Harlem with a Black doll head on their antenna.

A prominent New York state Senator is wondering why New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg hasn’t spoken out against two White cops who rode around Harlem with the head of a human-sized Black doll impaled on their antenna. New Yorkers “deserve to hear from their mayor,” State Sen. Bill Perkins, a Democrat who represents Harlem, said outside the 25th Precinct station, where the officers were assigned. “The deafening silence speaks volumes.” Witnesses told authorities that they approached the officers and asked why they had the doll’s head on their antenna, but they merely laughed and threw it in the trunk. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly says there is an investigation underway. Earlier, he said the officers were unaware that the head was there. Bloomberg has mentioned the investigation but called any conversations about the matter are counterproductive until all the facts are in. “I think we’re doing the right thing and stirring things up doesn’t add a heck of a lot,” Bloomberg said at City Hall. “We take any kind of racial slur very seriously.” Activists are demanding that police release any surveillance footage that may show how the doll head ended up on the car. Clarence Jones, a 27-year-old Black man, was arrested Sunday after trying to take pictures of the doll head with his camera phone. He was with Perkins during the protest. “I called them racist and they pointed at the doll head and laughed,” said Jones. Police alleged that they arrested him for driving away in an illegally parked car while he was being ticketed. His tooth was broken and arm was hurt during his arrest, he said. “This isn’t about a traffic ticket; this is about a baby doll head,” Jones’ attorney, Roger Wareham, said.