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It has happened again. An unarmed Black man was shot by a police officer because she "guessed" he had a gun. He didn't. She got acquitted by a Tulsa, Oklahoma jury. Maybe it's all part of a witch hunt?! Oh, right. That honor goes to former FBI Director Robert Mueller who will oversee the special investigation into the Trump administration’s ties to Russia. Trump, who called this "the single greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history!," seems to be forgetting, oh you know, a certain birth certificate or McCarthyism. WaPo reports that House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) were caught going back and forth about Donald Trump and Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) being on Vladimir Putin's payroll. And the NYT reports that Michael Flynn told Trump's transition team weeks before the inauguration that he was under federal investigation for secretly working as a paid lobbyist for Turkey during the campaign. Here's what's happening:- More than a thousand people gathered last night to bid The Leadership Conference's Wade Henderson a farewell as they celebrated his decades of service to civil rights.
- An Obama appointee heads to the Leadership Conference.
- Barack Obama calls Trump on his BS.
- There's a new sheriff in town ... and it's David Clarke.
- Arrests of undocumented immigrants without criminal records spike150%.
- If the Tri-Caucus were a band, they'd be Earth, Wind, & Fire. They rock with Mother Earth.
- The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs advances economic development for Native Americans.
- NC Republicans are hard headed. They're pursuing voter suppression efforts again.
- The Root 100 wants your noms.
- They're trying to say DC isn't fit -- clearly they haven't seen us waiting 40 mins for a treadmill at Vida.
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The Joint Center's Spencer Overton celebrating The Leadership Conference's outgoing president Wade Henderson. | |  |
Latino Justice President Juan Cartagena, NCLR President Janet Murguía, and HACR's President Cid Wilson at last night's LCCHR dinner. | |
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Led by Cummings and Conyers, Dems Demand Investigation of Trump, Sessions, top WH aides -- DOJ Appoints Mueller to Lead Investigation
Led by ranking members Congressmen Elijah Cummings (D-MD) and John Conyers (D-MI), all 33 Democratic members of the House Oversight Committee and House Judiciary Committee sent a seven-page letter Tuesday demanding an "immediate" investigation of Donald Trump, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and top WH aides, following a week of bombshell reports on the Trump administration. Looks like their demands will be met. On Wednesday, the DOJ decided to appoint a special counsel to investigate possible coordination between Trump associates and Russian officials seeking to meddle in last year’s election. Robert Mueller, a former prosecutor who served as the FBI director from 2001 to 2013, has agreed to serve in the role. More here.
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There’s a New Sheriff in Town -- And He’s Headed to DHS
The Hill reports that Sheriff David Clarke of Milwaukee County, WI, has accepted a job in the Department of Homeland Security. Clarke told a conservative radio host during an interview that he will leave his post as sheriff to serve as a Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security. “I’m both honored and humbled to be appointed to this position by Secretary Kelly, working for the Trump administration,” he said. Clarke added he will leave his position as sheriff in June to work in the Office of Partnership and Programs as a liaison with state, local and tribal law enforcement. More here.
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The Leadership Conference's incoming President Vantita Gupta with Valerie Jarrett at last night's annual dinner. | |  |
Global Policy Solutions' Maya Rockeymoore with former WHIEEAA Executive Director David Johns at The Leadership Conference dinner Wednesday night. | |
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| FCC Votes Today on Rolling Back Obama-era Net Neutrality Regulations
The FCC today is expected to also decide on returning online privacy oversight to the Federal Trade Commission, where rules are less onerous than the FCC’s which require Internet service providers to obtain permission in advance before selling customers’ personal data to advertisers. Ahead of the vote that will rollback Obama-era net neutrality regulations that treat Internet traffic equally, Roll Call reports that battle lines are being drawn between Internet service providers and giants such as Google and Amazon. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and Internet providers including Comcast and Verizon say net neutrality crimped broadband investment after it took effect two years ago. But the Internet Association, a trade group representing Amazon, Facebook, Google and other big Internet firms ranging from Airbnb to Zynga, rebutted those arguments Wednesday by issuing preliminary economic findings that the group says show healthy growth for online providers. More here.
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Birth Certificate This...
People Magazine reports that former President Barack Obama said of Donald Trump that, “He’s nothing but a bullsh–ter.” Obama allegedly made the statement to two friends early last November, describing an election night phone call with Trump, in which the businessman suddenly professed his “respect” and “admiration” for Obama -- after years of hectoring. And how has Obama’s opinion changed since Trump been in office? “Well,” said one of the sources, “it hasn’t gotten any better.” Is it news when a former president says something that everyone else is thinking? More here.
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|  | Justin Trinidad, Rebecca Lee, Jason Tengco, Bessie Chan, and Kalwis Lo at Tuesday night's APAICS gala. | |  |
CAPAC members take the stage at the APAICS gala on Tuesday night. | |
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Castro Ready to Impeach
Congressman Joaquín Castro (D-TX) joined a chorus of those calling for the impeachment of Donald Trump. He said on Monday that Congress would likely "go down the road of impeachment" if the evidence bears out that Trump asked then-FBI Director James Comey to shut down an investigation into former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and his possible ties to Russia while he was a member of the Trump campaign."I believe that the events of this past week, if they're confirmed, have really opened people's eyes...you hear more Republican members of Congress even commenting that we need to get to the bottom of this, request for independent prosecutors, requests for subpoenas, so I think we're finally turning a corner." More here.
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Key Indian Country Economic Development Legislation Approved in Senate
On Wednesday, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs reintroduced S. 1116, the Indian Community Economic Enhancement Act of 2017, which focuses on improving economic opportunity and access to capital in Indian country. Highlights of the legislation include: elevating the Director for Indian programs to report directly to the Secretary of Commerce; promoting consultation on Securities and Exchange Commission regulations to move toward treating Indian tribes as accredited investors; studying the application of, and ways to enhance, various federal loan guarantee and other economic development programs and incentives to improve delivery to and support for Indian communities; and reauthorization the Native American Programs Act and enhance its socioeconomic development grant program. More here.
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|  | Joint Center's Richard Clemmons and Stephanie Wong at Tuesday night's APAICS gala. | |  |
An attendee at Tuesday night's APAICS gala grabbed Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), who delivered the keynote address, for a quick photo. | |
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Arrests of Undocumented Immigrants Without Criminal Records Spikes 150%
Turns out that some of the “bad hombres” may actually be in the White House. Nonetheless, Trump's rush to remove any and all undocumented immigrants has resulted in an almost 40 percent increase in immigration arrests -- with the largest arrest spike being in undocumented immigrants with no criminal offense (being in the country without papers is a civil, not criminal, offense), according to a new government report released Wednesday. NBC Latino reports that since being given the green light to ramp up its pursuit of undocumented immigrants under a presidential executive order, ICE officers have arrested more than 41,000 individuals since January -- at an average of 400 arrests per day. That's an increase of 37 percent over the 30,028 immigration arrests made during the same period last year under the Obama administration. More here.
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Obama Appointee Joins the Leadership Conference
Former Obama appointee Ashley Allison has been named a Senior Advisor at The Leadership Conference. A graduate of Ohio State University and Brooklyn Law School, she will bring her advocacy skills to the organization as they welcome new leadership. Wade Henderson will pass the torch to another Obama alumna, Vanita Gupta. Allison, a member of Delta Sigma Theta, has her work cut out for her. She is charged with charting a course forward in the era of Trump and helping to impact both immediate and long-term solutions. More about Ashley here.
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Tri-Caucus Receives Near-Perfect Scores on Environmental Voting Record
The League of Conservation Voters released its first-ever environmental scorecard on Tuesday and it examined the voting records of members of the Tri-Caucus. The main finding? Representatives of color are leading the way in environmental protection. The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) received a near-perfect score of 98 percent. Next came the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) with 90 percent, and the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) close behind at 89 percent. The Republican Congressional Hispanic Conference, however, earned a mere 10 percent, despite the fact that nine in 10 Latinos want action on climate, while 97 percent of Latino voters agree we have a moral obligation to take care of our environment. Just sayin’. Check out the full scorecard here.
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Congressman Al Green (D-TX) on the House floor on Wednesday calling for Donald Trump to be impeached. | |  |
NEA's Lily Eskelsen García at a labor diversity event on Wednesday. | |
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Scott and Conyers Introduce Bill to Address Racial Inequities in Public Education
On Wednesday, Congressmen Bobby Scott (D-VA) and John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) introduced the Equity and Inclusion Enforcement Act (EIEA). This legislation would empower parents and communities to address -- through robust enforcement -- racial inequities, including inequities in access to educational resources in public education. Organizations supporting the EIEA include the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund (LDF), Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC), the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the Advancement Project, NAACP, and Teach Plus. More here.
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Both Parties Unite Against Sessions Resurgence of Mandatory Minimums
After AG Jeff Sessions released his new policy directing federal prosecutors to pursue the most severe penalties possible for defendants, including mandatory minimum sentences, and introducing legislation to give federal judges more discretion to impose lower sentences, it drew bipartisan criticism that the policy would mark a return to mass incarceration, especially of people of color. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Rand Paul (R-KY)l introduced the Justice Safety Valve Act and Congressmen Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) are introducing a companion bill in the House. Their proposed legislation would allow federal judges to tailor sentences on a case-by-case basis. It would also reduce correctional spending, which accounts for nearly one-third of the Justice Department’s budget. “Attorney General Sessions’s directive to all federal prosecutors to charge the most serious offenses, including [those that trigger] mandatory minimums, ignores the fact that mandatory minimum sentences have been studied extensively and have been found to distort rational sentencing systems, discriminate against minorities, waste money and often require a judge to impose sentences that violate common sense,” Scott said. More here.
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Members Hosts Conversation on Middle Neighborhoods Today -- And You're Invited
Today, Congressmen Dwight Evans (D-PA), Elijah Cummings (D-MD), and Dan Kildee (D-MI) host a conversation about “Middle Neighborhoods” from 3-4P in 2360 Rayburn HOB. Middle neighborhoods are community areas on the edge between growth and decline. These are neighborhoods where housing is typically affordable and where the quality of life -- measured by employment rates, crime rates, and school performance -- is sufficiently good so that new homebuyers are willing to play the odds and choose these neighborhoods over others in hopes they will improve rather than decline. To attend, RSVP here or you can livestream the conversation here.
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Jack & Jill's Dy Brown, Christopher Cobbs, and AFT's LaToia Jones on Tuesday. | |  |
Congressman Rubén Kihuen (D-NV) delivered the commencement address at the College of Southern Nevada on Monday night. | |
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NM AG Decides Against Run for Governor
Former U.S. Senate candidate and New Mexico Attorney General Héctor Balderas announced Tuesday he will not be entering the race for governor and instead focus on his own re-election campaign. Balderas, a Democrat and former state auditor, said in a statement that he felt he could have a more significant impact by staying in his current position as the state’s top prosecutor for another four-year term. “It’s been an honor to serve New Mexico and I plan on running for re-election next year in order to continue to fight for our state,” Balderas said. New Mexico recently filed against Trump’s travel ban and is opposed to the sale of federal coal leases. Balderas sitting this one out may clear the path for CHC Chair Congresswoman Michelle Luján Grisham (D-NM) who announced her candidacy last year. More here from the Albuquerque Journal.
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Tar Heel Republicans Try Again on Voter IDs
Undeterred by the SCOTUS decision on Monday to let stand a lower court decision striking down a controversial North Carolina voter ID law, Republican legislators in the state are working on a new version that basically mirrors the old, unlawful one. Slate reports that Democratic Governor Roy Cooper says he expects the GOP to pass the bill within ten days. While Cooper would likely veto such a measure, Republicans dominate the state legislature and would likely override a gubernatorial veto. A court in NC had ruled that the state’s voter ID law discriminated against African American voters “with almost surgical precision” by allowing IDs such as passports and driver’s licenses at the polls and excluding government employee IDs and public assistance IDs. The court not only ruled that practice was discriminatory but also said that the state was unable to provide any evidence of voter fraud to show the law was necessary in the first place. More here.
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Florida gubernatorial candidate and Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum spends every Thursday ringing the office of Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) to ask him to protect healthcare for people with pre-exisiting conditions. | |  |
Latino USA's María Hinojosa with actress Gina Rodríguez on Tuesday at Ballet Hispánico in NYC. | |
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White Tulsa Officer Is Acquitted in Fatal Shooting of Black Driver
Jurors on Wednesday found a white police officer not guilty in the fatal shooting of an unarmed Black man last year, one in a string of law enforcement killings of Black men that have prompted a national debate about race relations and the use of force. Like several other recent cases, the trial of Officer Betty Jo Shelby in the death of Terence Crutcher demonstrated both the increased pressure to hold officers responsible for using lethal force and the difficulty of convicting them of a crime. In a 60 Minutes interview (click image to play), Officer Shelby said Crutcher caused his own death and she complained about the treatment she received following the shooting, describing it as a "lynching." More here.
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The Root 100
Every year The Root pays tribute to Black innovators, leaders and world changers with The Root 100, their annual list of the most influential African Americans aged 25 to 45. They’re asking the public to help shape the list by nominating the people who represent the best and brightest in the fields of social justice, politics, entertainment, sports, media, the arts, science/technology and business who caught your attention this year. Fill out the nomination form here.
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Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (D-OH) wishing Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) a happy birthday. | |  | Solidarity Strategies' Melissa Guzmán and Vanessa Moyonero at Tuesday night's CNN Town Hall Debate with Bernie Sanders and John Kasich. | |
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Philippines President Attacks Neuroscientist Carl Hart
Carl Hart, Ph.D., one of the world’s leading neuroscientists and chair of the psychology department at Columbia University, was forced to cut short a trip to the Philippines earlier this month due to death threats sparked, in part, by propaganda disguised as media. He was in the Philippines participating in a policy forum on the drug war at the University of the Philippines, and he did not shy away from fiercely criticizing Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, known for spearheading a deadly war on drugs in his country. Duterte became furious when reporters asked him about Hart’s statements, calling Hart a “fool” and rejecting his research as nothing more than American “bullshit.” More here.
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You All Soul Cycled Us to Second Place?!
So Michelle Obama leaves the White House and you guys decide to stop getting fit?? Unacceptable. Minneapolis has overtaken DC as the nation's fittest city, according to an annual list released by The American College of Sports Medicine and the Anthem Foundation. Their yearly rankings of the fittest metropolitan areas in the U.S. put an end to DC's three-year streak at the No. 1 spot. The nation's capital now ranks second, followed by the San Francisco metropolitan area in third place. So do some jumping jacks while you’re in line at DCity Smokehouse. Nobody puts DC in a corner! More here.
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Peek a boo! That precious little face belongs to Congressman Ro Khanna (D-CA). | |  |
Cuteness times two! Those gorgeous smiles belong to the Castro brothers. Julián and Joaquín. Or is it Joaquín and Julián?? We can't tell. | |
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| FOMO Today, 3P: A congressional briefing on "Middle Neighborhoods," community areas on the edge between growth and decline. 2360 Rayburn. Click here to register. Wednesday, May 24th, 9A: The Raben Group hosts a policy breakfast with Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA). 1341 G Street, NW. Click here to RSVP.
Wednesday, May 24th, 6:45P: CAMBA sponsors an Asian Pacific American Heritage Month event at the Washington office of Hogan Lovells, featuring Khizr Khan, noted speaker at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. The event will also feature a panel discussion focusing on the challenges facing the Asian American community. Click here to register. Thursday, May 25th: Vote It Loud sponsors the second annual Multicultural Media Correspondents Dinner at the National Press Club. By invitation only. Friday, May 26th - Sunday, May 28th: The Raben Group and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation host Latino Legacy Weekend. 1341 G Street, NW. Click here for more details.
Thursday, June 8th, 6P: The Harvard Kennedy School's Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation and the school's Washington Alumni Council sponsor a panel, "Black America in the Era of Trump." 1725 I Street, NW, Suite 100. Click here to purchase tickets. Tuesday, June 12th, 7:15P: A reception honoring Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) to benefit Booker Senate Victory. Click here to RSVP.
Thursday, June 15th, 8A: The Hill sponsors a Latina Leaders Summit. Participants include Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL). Click here to RSVP.
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