The Norman Transcript

Nation/World

Discussion

March 11, 2013

Obama poised to pick Perez for Labor

By Jim Kuhnhenn and Sam Hananel Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is close to naming Thomas Perez, a civil rights official in the Justice Department, as his choice to head the Department of Labor, two people familiar with the process say.

His nomination could come as early as today, the people familiar with the process said Saturday.

If confirmed, Perez would replace Hilda Solis, who resigned in January.

Perez, 51, has led the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division since 2009 and previously served as Maryland’s labor secretary. He is expected to have solid support from organized labor as well as the Hispanic community, which is eager to have representation in Obama’s second-term Cabinet.

Solis was the first Hispanic woman to head an agency at the Cabinet level. Perez was the first Latino elected to the Montgomery County Council in Maryland, where he served from 2002 to 2006.

Perez would come to the Labor Department as Obama pushes a major immigration overhaul, which could include changes in how employers hire guest workers. Labor Department officials have also taken a prominent role in supporting Obama’s effort to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $9 an hour.

For local news and more, subscribe to The Norman Transcript Smart Edition, or our print edition.

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Nation/World
  • Investors push stocks higher

    NEW YORK — Investors on Wall Street are playing a guessing game with the Federal Reserve. On Monday, they guessed that the central bank will continue trying to prop up the economy and sent stocks higher....

    June 18, 2013

  • Federal agents search land linked to Jimmy Hoffa case

    OAKLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Federal agents revived the hunt for the remains of Jimmy Hoffa on Monday, bringing excavation equipment to a field in suburban Detroit where a reputed Mafia captain says the Teamsters boss’ body was buried....

    June 18, 2013

  • Investigators ‘zeroing in’ on Colorado wildfire start

    COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Rain helped firefighters douse Colorado’s most destructive wildfire in state history, while a new wind-whipped blaze in California forced evacuations and threatened homes Monday near Yosemite National Park. ...

    June 18, 2013

  • Chaos as gunfire erupts at Utah Father’s Day Mass

    OGDEN, Utah — It was a quiet part of the Father’s Day Mass as about 300 people stood up in preparation for communion. A parishioner, known by many at the church as Ricky Jennings, entered through the glass doors in back, holding his wife ...

    June 18, 2013

  • IRS supervisor in DC scrutinized tea party cases

    WASHINGTON — An Internal Revenue Service supervisor in Washington says she was personally involved in scrutinizing some of the earliest applications from tea party groups seeking tax-exempt status, including some requests that languished ...

    June 17, 2013

  • international briefs

    More Turkey unrest ISTANBUL — Riot police firing tear gas and water cannons repelled thousands of anti-government protesters attempting to converge on Istanbul’s central Taksim Square on Sunday, unbowed even as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ...

    June 17, 2013

  • Affirmative action ruling contest pits race vs. class

    In post-Great Recession America, which is the bigger barrier to opportunity — race or class? A decade ago, the U.S. Supreme Court kept the focus on race as a barrier, upholding the right of colleges to make limited use of racial ...

    June 17, 2013

  • Beyond NYC: Other places adapting to climate

    BONN, Germany — From Bangkok to Miami, cities and coastal areas across the globe are already building or planning defenses to protect millions of people and key infrastructure from more powerful storm surges and other effects of global ...

    June 17, 2013

  • Crews putting out Colo. hot spots

    COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — With evacuees anxious to return, firefighters worked Sunday to dig up and extinguish hot spots to protect homes spared by the most destructive wildfire in Colorado’s history....

    June 17, 2013

  • Even bigger data seizure

    WASHINGTON — In the months and early years after 9/11, FBI agents began showing up at Microsoft Corp. more frequently than before, armed with court orders demanding information on customers....

    June 16, 2013