Political Capital: Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) (Bloomberg, repeats throughout weekend)

Chris Matthews 4/21-4/22: Howard Fineman, David Brooks, Katty Kay and Kelly O'Donnell discuss "Is the rage of alienated young men a continuing threat in American schools? Does the future of the right to abortion hang on who wins the White House in 2008?" Quotes here.

White House Correspondents Dinner on 4/21, 9:30pm on CSPAN

BookTV (C-SPAN2): John Kerry & Teresa Heinz Kerry on 4/22 at 9:30am

Newsmakers (C-SPAN, 10am): Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) on 4/22

Road to the White House: Barack Obama (D-IL) at National Action Network dinner on 4/22

60 Minutes: Mind of an Assassin on 4/22; Life in Baghdad on 4/22; Hip Hop & Not Snitchin' on 4/22

Letterman: Brian Williams on 4/23; Frank Caliendo as President George W. Bush on 4/27

The Daily Show: Matt Cooper on 4/23; Garry Shandling on 4/25; Richard Gere on 4/26

The Colbert Report: Russell Simmons on 4/23; Dr. Andrew Weil on 4/24; David Walker on 4/25; Tom Wolfe on 4/26; Bill Bradley on 4/30

Tavis Smiley: Bill Moyers on 4/23

Leno: Bill Maher on 4/24;

Craig Ferguson Show: Jerry Springer on 4/25

VA Tech Tragedy
The NYT has an interactive feature with profiles of those killed in the shootings. Link.

Gov. Tim Kaine (D-VA) gave a heartfelt speech at the VT convocation.

Coming Up in Congress (a.k.a. Why It Is Way Cooler That Dems Are In Charge)

4/23: Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee holds hearing on College Campus Security in 342 Dirksen at 2:30pm. (A House cmte is holding a similar hearing on 4/26)
4/23: House Oversight & Government Reform Cmte. Government Management, Organization, and Procurement Subcommittee field hearing on "9/11 Health Effects: Environmental Impacts for Residents and Responders." Will be held in Brooklyn Borough Hall in Brooklyn, NY at 10am. (Field hearing)
4/24: House Education & Labor Cmte on Gender Pay Gap. Official title of hearing: "Strengthening the Middle Class: Ensuring Equal Pay for Women". Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) will be testifying.
4/24: House Energy & Commerce Cmte oversight hearing on "Diminished Capacity: Can the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) Assure the Safety and Security of the Nation's Food Supply?" at 9:30am. Americablog has been covering FDA issues a lot lately
4/24: House Oversight & Government Reform Cmte hearing on Census 2010 preparation at 1pm
4/24: House Oversight & Government Reform Cmte hearing on "Misleading Information from the Battlefield," focusing on the death of Army Ranger Specialist Pat Tillman in Afghanistan and the capture and rescue of Army Private Jessica Lynch in Iraq. Witnesses include Jessica Lynch, Mary Tillman, Kevin Tillman, and Thomas Gimble (acting inspector general for Def. Dept.) Hearing starts at 10am.
4/24: Senate Env & Public Works Cmte hearing on implications of SCOTUS decision re: EPA authorities w/ respect to greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.
4/24: Disaster Recovery Subcommittee hearing on "Beyond Trailers, Part I: Creating a More Flexible, Efficient, and Cost-Effective Federal Disaster Housing Program." at 9:30am
4/24: Senate Judiciary Cmte hearing on Child Soldiers & the Law at 10am
4/24: House Veterans Affairs Cmte hearing on "Helping Those Left Behind: Are We Doing Enough for the Parents, Spouses and Children of Veterans?" at 10am.
4/25: Senate Judiciary Cmte hearing on "Rising Crime in the United States: Examining the Federal Role in Helping Communities Prevent and Respond to Violent Crime" at 2pm
4/25: Senate Judiciary Cmte. scheduled to vote on authorization of subpoenas in connection to US atty purge. Also, vote on the nominations of Robert Howard Jr. to be U.S. Marshall for the Eastern District of Arkansas; Frederick Kapala to be U.S. district judge for the Northern District of Illinois; and Benjamin Settle to be U.S. district judge for the Western District of Washington. Hearing starts at 10am.
4/25: Senate Veterans Affairs Cmte hearing on Veterans Mental Health Issues at 2pm
4/25: House Armed Services Cmte on Iraqi Security Forces Contracting at 9am. Dems doing the oversight that the Republicans didn't do when they were in charge
4/25: House Education & Labor Cmte hearing on student loan industry ethics. NY State AG Andrew Cuomo (D) testifies at 10:30am.
House Energy & Commerce Cmte hearing on "Living Without Health Insurance: Why Every American Needs Coverage." at 10am
4/25: House Homeland Security Cmte hearing on military's civil authority disaster support at 10am. Witnesses include folks from the National Guard and FEMA.
4/25: House Oversight & Government Reform Cmte hearing "to consider issuing subpoenas for the testimony of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice regarding the administration's claims that Iraq sought uranium from Niger; the testimony of former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card regarding the leak of Valerie Plame Wilson's covert identity and White House security procedures; Republican National Committee documents related to possible violations of the Presidential Records Act and the Hatch Act by White House officials; and contacts between the White House and MSM, a federal contractor implicated in bribery charges." Fireworks start at 10am.
4/26: Senate Health, Edu., Labor & Pensions Cmte on "Is OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) Working for Working People?" at 10am Seriously, would the Senate GOP even bother holding hearings on this sort of thing?
4/26: House Transportation & Infrastructure Cmte hearing on FEMA preparedness at 10am.
4/26: House Ways & Means Cmte on "Proposals for Reducing Poverty" at 1pm.
Also scheduled this week are multiple hearings on energy use and FY2008 defense spending. FY2008 spending for all sorts of government agencies are being looked at by committees this week. Also, hearings on US image abroad, credit card company practices, education, and intelligence sharing.

Awesome Name for a Congressional Hearing

4/26 House Science & Tech Cmte hearing on "Amending Executive Order 12866: Good Governance or Regulatory Usurpation? Part II"

If you're choking, hope that someone like Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA) is around
link

At Charlie Palmer Steak on Monday night, Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) performed the Heimlich maneuver on a woman who was choking on her steak. [...]

the Congressman was enjoying a quiet dinner at the swank Capitol Hill steakhouse when he noticed a commotion at a nearby table. A woman had jumped up from her table, clearly in distress, the Congressman told HOH, while her dining companion was slumped in the booth. The Congressman promptly swung into action.

"I asked her if she was choking and she indicated she was," Thompson told HOH. He estimates it took about three or four Heimlich maneuvers to dislodge the misguided food. [...]

Though the scene was dramatic, for Thompson, it was been there, done that. He recalled how he performed the Heimlich on a choking woman at the Napa Valley Wine Auction event in his district in the mid-1990s. Thompson credits his wife, Janet, a nurse practitioner, with teaching him the technique.

And in a side note, Janet Thompson once herself performed the Heimlich during a speech her husband was giving ("We’re good dinner guests," the Congressman says).

Stephen Colbert '08!

Great photos of Colbert in GQ. The above is just one of them, so make sure to click on the link for the slideshow! Just absolutely hilarious. Colbert filled out a WH candidate questionnaire. Hotline had more highlights:

Under "Please list four jobs prior to current position," Colbert writes: "1. Correspondent/Whipping Boy, The 'Daily Show' with Jon Stewart. Duties included: carrying water for Jon Stewart's liberal agenda. 2. Investigative reporter WKJC-Raleigh. Blew the lid off the 'Yield' sign controversy on Maple Street, just past the Arby's. 3. Male prostitute -- but 'classy.' In fact, that was my street name -- Butt Classy. 4. Arby's."

Under ever been arrested: "Refused to leave George H.W.'s victory party on Election Night 1992 until every vote was counted -- Hilton staff wrestled me from Bush suite after attempt to hug Barbara."

[...]

Asked any other situations that could embarrass his campaign: "1. Once treated Wolf Blitzer as peer. 2. Tongued Jane Fonda. 3. Totalitarian ruler of Malawi, 1982-84."

The three greatest threats to America: "1. Bears. 2. Clive Owen. 3. Other countries."

[...]

His campaign slogan: "Don't get mad, get Stephen."

Heh.
Jokes

Leno: "Scary moment yesterday for Newt Gingrich. First, Newt got worried when he heard the IRS said they were cracking down on cheaters. Then he realized it was guys who cheated on their taxes, not their wives."
Leno: "Today on Capitol Hill, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales raised his right hand, swore to tell the truth, and then had a good laugh. He testified that he had nothing to hide. Well, not anymore ... he deleted everything."

In Case You Missed It
Gotta love Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA): "Parliamentary Inquiry Mr. Speaker. Does whining come out of my time?"

And from January of this year, Barney Frank smacks down Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC).

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