Monday in politics: Obama to nominate Perez to head Labor, and more

Phil Pruitt

President Barack Obama is expected to nominate Thomas Perez, head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division for 3½ years, to be the next secretary of labor.

Before taking the job at the Justice Department, Perez, 51, was secretary of Maryland's Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, which enforces state consumer rights, workplace safety and wage and hour laws.

Perez, the son of immigrants from the Dominican Republic, would replace Hilda Solis, a former California congresswoman and the nation's first Hispanic labor secretary.

Obama also is scheduled to deliver remarks Monday afternoon at a Women's History Month Reception at the White House.

Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus will be at the National Press Club on Monday morning to discuss the party’s “forward strategy.” The GOP releases its post-election review Monday.

Also worth noting on Monday: Vice President Joe Biden will meet with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano and Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti. Biden is in Rome for the inauguration of Pope Francis, which is Tuesday.

And then there is this: President Obama departs late Tuesday for his first trip to Israel as president. The Heritage Foundation has an event Monday pegged to the trip titled “President Obama's Middle East Trip: Are the Lights Blinking Red?”

Sources: Yahoo News’ The Ticket, ABC News, Associated Press and Reuters.