Phillip M. Bailey

Congressman John Yarmuth presented two local members of the Montford Point Marines with the Congressional Gold Medal on Wednesday.

The Montford Point Marines are the first African-Americans to enlist and serve in the United States Marine Corps. Approximately 20,000 black recruits were trained for combat in World War II, breaking the armed services color barrier.

Yarmuth says the men who enlisted in the Montford Point Marines deserve to be honored for their military service, but also for breaking Jim Crow segregation.

"The Montford Point Marines changed the course of history and their story continues to inspire all of us in the fight for racial equality to do more. What happened at Montford Point was a key moment of progress in U.S. history with 20,000 unique stories of triumph," he says.

Anti-tax activist Grover Norquist predicts Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., will use the same tactics that the GOP criticized Democrats for using if he is elevated to majority leader.

McConnell needs either three of four Republican victories this fall depending on the outcome of the presidential race and even with the Todd Akin controversy there's still a "50-50" shot, he believes.

Norquist provides a teaser that could lead to procedural reforms.

The Louisville Metro Ethics Commission has tapped two local attorneys to serve as the judge and prosecutor in the hearing against Councilwoman Barbara Shanklin, D-2.

Former Assistant Kentucky Attorney General Ann Sheadel will serve as the hearing officer and preside over the proceedings as a judge.

In a surprise move, the commission has re-hired Louisville attorney James Earhart as the investigative officer who will prosecute the case. Last year, Earhart led the proceedings against former Councilwoman Judy Green that ultimately resulted in her removal from office.

Deborah Kent is legal counsel for the ethics commission. She says the board chose Earhart due in part to his experience in the Green case.

"My understanding is the commission was very pleased with his work last year. But secondly, that his experience in understanding the issues and the mechanics of Metro Government will be invaluable. He won’t have the learning curve this time around," she says.

In Indiana's Ninth Congressional District race, Democrat Shelli Yoder is calling on Republican incumbent Todd Young to get serious about a series of debates she has proposed.

Last month, Yoder challenged Young to 13 town-hall-style debates, one in each county in the southern Indiana district. In response, the Young campaign called the request a political stunt meant to gain media attention because Yoder's staff delivered a letter requesting the debates only 15 minutes before sending it to the press.

Yoder told WFPL in a recent interview that the two camps met since her initial request, but she now accuses Young's campaign of "stalling" and "wasting time" while voters want to hear the issues.

The Republican National Convention has been postponed Monday due to tropical storm Isaac, but Kentucky delegates are still headed to Tampa, Florida to support presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

A new documentary on the late civil rights icon Anne Braden is coming out.

The Louisville social justice advocate died in 2006 at the age of 81 and dedicated her life to civil rights. Braden gained notoriety as an affluent southern white woman who led many campaigns against Jim Crow laws at the height of segregation.

Check out the trailer:

I talked with Braden biographer and historian Cate Fosl, who is the director of the Anne Braden Institute at the University of Louisville. We talked about Braden’s legacy, the new film and if her brand of social justice still matters in a so-called post-racial America.

Days before his speech at the Republican National Convention, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is warning Americans about a "war going on" between those who respect the Constitution and those who do not.

Paul delivered the message in the GOP weekly address on Friday, and says many of the country's problems could have been resolved over the past two years if President Obama had worked with congressional Republicans.

In Indiana’s Ninth Congressional District race, Democratic challenger Shelli Yoder is calling on Republican incumbent Todd Young to denounce Missouri Congressman Todd Akin’s controversial comments.

But the GOP lawmaker has already spoken out against the recent statements in a televised interview earlier this week.

Akin made national headlines for saying that women who are "legitimately raped" rarely get pregnant. Other Republicans have urged him to drop out, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who said Akin’s Senate campaign "has no future."

Yoder says Hoosiers of all political backgrounds have come up to her on the campaign trail and are disgusted with Akin's remarks.

"I want to know why hasn’t Todd Young come out with a statement on something that’s really deplorable in thought," she says.

A Louisville doctor running for president as a write-in candidate is aligning with the so-called "birther" movement in a lawsuit questioning President Obama's citizenship.

Anesthesiologist Todd House is running on a ticket with his wife, and according to The Courier-Journal's Joe Gerth, he filed a suit on August 10 alleging Mr. Obama is not a "natural born" citizen and is therefore unqualified to run for president.

From The C-J:

About 20 similar cases have been filed across the country. All of the cases that have come to a conclusion have been rejected by judges — both in federal and state courts — and most have failed on technical reasons. Courts have rejected several of the cases, ruling that those who filed the suits didn’t have “standing” to bring them.

Embattled Louisville Metro Councilwoman Barbara Shanklin, D-2, will face an ethics hearing.

The city Ethics Commission voted unanimously on Wednesday to hold a trial-like proceeding on October 25 in response to a complaint filed by a state watchdog group.

It took the panel over an hour in private session to rule that it will hold a hearing to determine if the city lawmaker violated six separate provisions of the city’s code of ethics. Common Cause of Kentucky filed charges last month claiming that Shanklin used her office to benefit herself and her relatives.

Attorney Aubrey Williams is representing Shanklin in the case and objected to the commission deliberating in secret. He says the ethics panel has failed to properly explain its procedures, and is denying his client due process.

"In a court of justice—unless this is something other than that—when one party makes allegations, the court of justice allows the parties to debate and argue those questions," he says. "Why it is that the commission cannot allow argument and make rulings openly on those motions without going into executive session makes no sense."