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While Dodd-Frank opponents will attempt to make "technical" corrections to the legislation, they may encounter fierce resistance from Rep. Maxine Waters, the 12-term California Democrat recently appointed as the ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee.

Waters is the most senior African-American female in Congress and one of the architects of legislation that established the Office of Minority Inclusion, which is responsible for overseeing federal agencies, Politic365 reports.

Partisan rancor presides over Washington, but for a few fleeting hours on Inauguration Day, bipartisan comity takes over as official Washington breaks bread — literally, as Vice President Biden would say — for the inaugural luncheon held for more than a century.

"I recognize democracy is not always easy," President Obama said . "I recognize there are profound differences in this room." But, he added: "I'm confident we can act in a way that makes a difference for our children."

African-American leaders praised President Obama's second inaugural address for its bold, inclusive language about poverty, climate change and civil rights.

Obama, America's first black president, was inaugurated for a second term in an historic ceremony Monday. The occasion coincided with Martin Luther King Jr. Day, adding to its meaning, particularly for black leaders.

Efforts by House Republicans to turn back the landmark Dodd-Frank banking law will meet with staunch resistance from Rep. Maxine Waters.

The 12-term California Democrat was just appointed as the Ranking Member on the U.S. House Financial Service Committee. She is the most senior Black female in Congress and clearly the most powerful given her senior role on the Committee. As the architect of legislation that created the new Offices of Minority Inclusion that will oversee federal financial services agencies, Waters is focused on what she can get done in the 113th Congress.

The multimillion-dollar expansion and facelift of Los Angeles International Airport is running into resistance from some residents.

People who live in the shadow of the airport are speaking out against plans to relocate a runway even closer to their homes.

They aired their concerns at a public meeting on Tuesday night.

"The people who are here today would be willing to go so far as to handcuff themselves to a bulldozer if necessary," declared Westchester resident Dana Cope.

Neighbors of Los Angeles International Airport turned out in force at a public hearing Tuesday night to protest plans to separate the two northern runways by 260 feet for safety and efficiency reasons.

Scores of residents from Westchester and Playa del Rey said the new runways, if built, would increase noise, air pollution and traffic congestion in nearby neighborhoods, further degrading a quality of life that is already heavily impacted by airport operations.

As the board of the American International Group weighs whether to join a shareholder lawsuit against the United States government, several lawmakers have a simple message for the bailed-out insurer.

Don't do it. Don't even think about it.

With A.I.G. having fully repaid its $182 billion bailout only weeks ago, the prospect of the company trying to claw back some of the $22 billion in profit that its rescue generated for shareholders doesn't sit right with several members of Congress.