The following is political activity going on in Washington and across the nation. It is courtesy of Scott Wilk, Community Organizer, and Anchor Consulting group. The Beacon will be posting these daily as they become available.

IN THE HOUSE

• The House is not in session.
• In Colorado, health-care debate reverberates in congressional race  -  Rep. Betsy Markey, a first-term Democrat in a Republican district, was one of just eight House members who switched their votes from “no” to “yes” when President Obama’s health-care bill finally passed Congress. Her vote left the endangered incumbent in an even more precarious position. (Wash Post)

IN THE SENATE

• The Senate is not in session.
• Senator to Stevens: 2010 retirement would lead to ‘gridlock’  -  As Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens continues to weigh a possible retirement, Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter said Sunday that he thinks President Obama’s choice of a successor could trigger a GOP filibuster in the Senate. (USA Today)

OTHER NEWS

• New Health Initiatives Put Spotlight on Prevention  -  Amid all the rancor leading up to passage of the new health care law, Congress with little fanfare approved a set of wide-ranging public initiatives to prevent disease and encourage healthy behavior. (NY Times)
• Obama’s nuclear agenda, front and center  -  Questions and answers about a series of events in the coming weeks devoted to nuclear arms control, including a new treaty with Russia and a security summit in Washington. (LA Times)
• Summers Predicts Job Growth  -  A top Obama economic adviser predicted that the U.S. labor market would continue to grow and create jobs, marking a turn in the economy, but warned that there was still “a long way to go.” (WSJ)
• Republicans dispute course of financial overhaul  -  End the public lifeline for large financial institutions, Republicans are demanding as they push back against Democratic efforts to set new rules for the financial industry. (USA Today)
• Drilling Plan May Buoy Efforts on Energy Policy  -  Mr. Carville has seized on the transformation of America’s energy system, which simultaneously touches voter concerns about the economy, national security and the environment. But he acknowledges that “energy independence” has lately lost political altitude. (NY Times)
• Senate challenges signal deep unrest  -  How deep does the anti-Washington sentiment run? The number of senators in both parties facing serious primary challenges this year — a figure that has grown in the past six weeks — offers a clue. (Politico)

FEDERAL GRANT OF THE DAY

Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools: Emergency Management for Higher Education Grant Program- EMHE grants support efforts by institutions of higher education (IHEs) to develop, or review and improve, and fully integrate, campus-based all-hazards emergency management planning efforts within the framework of the four phases of emergency management (Prevention-Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery).  For a list of eligible applicants and more information, see full grant announcement. Application deadline: May 12, 2010

TODAY IN HISTORY

• April 5, 1984- On this day, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar became the highest-scoring player in NBA history with 31,421 career points. (He still holds the career record with 38,387 points.)

Source and thanks to www.anchor-consult.com / For more information or to opt-out of this list, contact Anchor Consulting at 703-333-6013 or beacon@anchor-consult.com