Wisconsin Democrats file complaint against Republican vote on anti-union measure

Democrats in Wisconsin are challenging last night’s vote by Republicans on a standalone measure to pull the right of collective bargaining from state workers. GOPers stripped anti-union provisions out of Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s Budget Repair Bill and quickly passed them by an 18-to-1 vote. But as Greg Sargent at the Washington Post reports, Democrats are asking the Dane County district attorney to look into whether the Republican maneuver violated the state’s Open Meetings Law.

Transcript: Rep. Keith Ellison’s testimony before the Muslim-American ‘radicalization’ hearing

Congressman Keith Ellison (MN-05)
Testimony Before The House Homeland Security Committee
The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community’s Response
March 10, 2011
Thank you Chairman King for allowing me to testify today. Though the Chairman

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Ellison offers emotional testimony during Muslim ‘radicalization’ hearing

Rep. Keith Ellison is known for his impassioned speeches, especially when it comes to religion. At last summer’s General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association in Minneapolis, his fiery speech about Christianity touched on themes of unity and love. But today he testified not with bravado but through tears at New York Republican Rep. Peter King’s controversial Homeland Security Committee hearings on Muslim-American radicalization. Ellison, Congress’ first Muslim member, broke down while telling the story of 23-year-old Muslim American paramedic Mohammad Salman Hamdani, who died in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

Live video: Wisconsin protests Walker’s plan to cut union rights

As protests continue into a second week against Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s plan to remove state employees’ ability to collectively bargain, The UpTake is there capturing live video. Watch it here:

McCollum ‘undeterred’ after death threat, failure of amendment to bar taxpayer funds to NASCAR

Seeking to stop the Pentagon from using taxpayer funds to sponsor NASCAR — and earning a death threat along the way — Rep. Betty McCollum sponsored an amendment to ban such funding. By a House vote of 148 to 281, that measure failed on Friday afternoon.

DNC video highlights Pawlenty, Bachmann CPAC speeches

“We do big things,” President Barack Obama says in a clip from the State of the Union that closes a new Democratic National Committee video. The 90-second video, “Past Versus Future,” splices Obama’s message with the “big things” planned by…

Ellison, calling protesters’ grievances ‘legitimate,’ urges Egypt to stop using violence

With violence escalating in Egypt, where protesters are taking to the street in opposition to government corruption, unemployment and poverty, Rep. Keith Ellison has released a statement urging Egyptian authorities to stop using force against its citizenry, which the Minnesota Democrat says have “legitimate grievances.”

Video: The State of the Union 2011

The White House will be live streaming President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address. Watch here, starting at 8 pm CST; transcript of the address inside.

President Obama speaks in Tucson

Here is the video and full text of President Obama’s speech Wednesday night in Tucson, Ariz. to memorialize the victims of Saturday’s shootings:

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you very much. Please, please be seated. (Applause.)
To the…

Peterson backs partial repeal of health care reform

House Republicans say they’ll hold a vote to repeal the federal health care reform law on Jan. 12, and Rep. Michele Bachmann tweets that she’ll vote to pull the plug on “Obamacare.” She and congressional Republicans may have an ally in Rep. Collin Peterson — at least partially: The Minnesota Democrat will back a repeal of elements of the federal law, but he won’t support a full repeal of what Republicans call “the job-killing health care law.”