Links after lunch by Paul Blumenthal Mar 11, 2010 2:23 pm 1) Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick and a member of her staff are being called before a grand jury in Michigan. Details are not known, but her son, former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, has faced a series of criminal charges over the past few years. 2) The House Appropriations Committee banned earmarks to for-profit companies. 3) A Washington Examiner editorial calls for more transparency, particularly around campaign contributions, from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. 4) ProPublica has a terrific run-down on how the House Ethics Committee operates (or doesn’t).