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In an column in today's issue of Politico, Wade Henderson, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, urged Congress to equalize the federal sentences for crack cocaine and powder cocaine.

"Most Americans want to enforce tough laws against big-time drug dealers, and rightly so. But discriminatory laws do nothing to protect young people against dangerous drugs, diminish respect for the legal system and exacerbate the racial and economic inequalities that are fraying our social fabric," said Henderson.

Under current law, people convicted of possessing five grams of crack, the size of two sugar packets, will receive a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison.  To get the same penalty for powder cocaine, a person would have to possess 500 grams of powder -100 times the amount of crack - despite the fact that the drugs are pharmacologically the same.  More than 80 percent of the defendants in federal crack prosecutions are African American, and the law has convicted more low-level offenders than the so-called drug kingpins it was designed to capture.

Yesterday, a House subcommittee unanimously approved a bill (H.R. 3245) sponsored by Rep. Bobby Scott, D. Va., that will equalize the federal sentences for crack and cocaine by requiring at least 500 grams of either kind of cocaine to trigger the mandatory minimum sentence of five years of prison time. A companion bill with bipartisan support is expected to be introduced soon in the Senate.

Nearly seven million Americans, primarily people in working families, will lose their health coverage by the end of 2010 if no major policy changes take place before then, according to a new report by Families USA, (PDF) a progressive health care advocacy group. In 2007, the year with the latest available figures, the Census Bureau found that the nearly 46 million people do not have health insurance.

The report said that the nation's health care crisis has deepened due to sharp increases in unemployment rates, overwhelmed employers, and struggling families trying to keep pace with rising health insurance premiums. According to the report:

• Average annual family health insurance premiums rose by 119 percent between 1999 and 2008, from $5,791 to $12,680;
• Employers offering any health care coverage at all from 2000 to 2008 declined by 6 percent;
• An estimated 2.3 million people are losing their coverage each year, or more than 190,000 a month 

This Friday, the federal minimum wage will increase from $6.55 an hour to $7.25 an hour.  The change is the last of three increases over the past two years as mandated by the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007.

The increase comes at a time a time when many Americans need it the most.  More than 2.8 million workers will receive a pay increase due to the new minimum wage. 

But even with the increase, many of these workers who struggle to support families with their incomes will still fall below the poverty line. An individual earning $7.25 an hour in a 2,000-hour work year would earn an annual income of $14,500, a number still below the 2009 federal poverty level of $18,310 for a family of three.

The raise in the minimum wage is expected to increase consumer spending, which would be an important stimulus to the economy.  According to Kai Filion, policy analyst for the Economic Policy Institute, the upcoming increase will generate $5.5 billion in consumer spending over the next 12 months.

All this week, people all over the nation have been glued to their television sets watching one of the most historic moments our judiciary system and our nation has seen to date—confirmation hearings of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor.

Sotomayor supporters held hearing watch parties throughout the country to support Sotomayor's confirmation and listen to her speak about her personal experiences, professional achievements, and views on the role of judges. From law students and elected officials, to social activists and everyday, average Americans, Sotomayor supporters from all walks of life gathered in restaurants, law firm offices, places of worship, community centers, and homes to watch the hearings. 

"It was the opportunity to watch a little bit of history in the making while sharing the moment with members of the local Pittsburgh community. It is important to have pride and seek to highlight those members of the Hispanic community because, by doing so, we are encouraging the accomplishments of future leaders and diversity in leadership," said Ximena Marinero, law student and host of a watch party in Pittsburgh, Pa.

If confirmed, Judge Sotomayor will serve as the first Hispanic and only the third woman on the Supreme Court.

In the third day of her confirmation hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee, Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor continued to successfully answer tough questions from senators on issues that may come before the Court.  If you missed today's session, the Los Angeles Times blog, Top of the Ticket, has transcripts from today's session.  You can also view video on C-SPAN.

Tomorrow will be the last day of questions from senators.  After questioning concludes, senators will hear testimony from a diverse group of witnesses, including Wade Henderson, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. 

The witness testimony will likely start in the afternoon.

The hearing will resume tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. You can watch live on C-SPAN and PBS or you can watch live streaming video online at PBS.org/newshour or C-SPAN.org.