And the Center for American Progress has announced former White House green jobs czar Van Jones will head the think tank’s new “Green Opportunity Initiative.” Jones resigned from his White House job five months ago after becoming the target of what he described as a “vicious smear campaign.” On Friday, Jones made one of his first public appearances since his resignation. He spoke at the NAACP Image Awards.

Van Jones: “And I know one thing. We have people in every community in America, right now, watching this program, who don’t have jobs, who are suffering, who are afraid, living in economic uncertainty. And I know there’s a future out there for them, where they get a chance to make the products of tomorrow. If we want the jobs of tomorrow, we must make the products of tomorrow. There’s somebody right now who’s in Detroit, and they know how to make cars. There are skilled machinists, but they’re idle. Let them make the wind turbines and the smart batteries and the solar panels to re-empower this country. Let them work. Give them hope. Give them the opportunity.”