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The week of confirmation hearings in the Senate continues. Mike Pompeo, Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State, is in the hot seat today. Pompeo won votes from 15 Senate Dems last year for his nomination as CIA Director and will need similar bipartisan buy-in this time to clear the narrowly divided Senate. According to reports, he intends to acknowledge widespread morale issues at the State Department under former Secretary Rex Tillerson and to promise lawmakers he'll revive its 'swagger' if confirmed. During her confirmation hearing yesterday, judicial nominee Wendy Vitter refused to affirm whether she's opposed to school segregation, during a congressional hearing Wednesday. True story. And, off the Hill, criminal justice reform advocates have a new ally. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, a Donald Trump supporter, visited rapper Meek Mill at a Pennsylvania state prison this week. Kraft echoed the sentiments of many who have decried Mill’s imprisonment -- a two- to four-year sentence for parole violations -- and called for his release. “Every time I see him, I just come away more impressed. It makes it clear to me we have to do something with criminal justice reform,” the NFL team owner said. We’re bidding a farewell to the spring winter and kicking off a warm Thursday with this...
- Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and colleagues renew bipartisan push to protect Robert Mueller.
- Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-NY) urges DOJ to continue program that offers legal assistance to detained immigrants facing deportation.
- CBC members press Mark Zuckerberg on diversity.
- Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) and colleagues want to designate April 11-17, 2018 as Black Maternal Health Week.
- Eric Holder sues the Trump administration over 2020 Census.
- Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD) will get an Oversight hearing on 2020 Census citizenship question.
- Congressman Al Lawson (D-FL) hires “hip-hop” lobbyist for re-elect.
- Dems lose two in race to succeed retiring Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL).
- April Ryan is receiving death threats after asking if Donald Trump had considered resigning.
- Chan Zuckerberg Initiative brings on a new Comms Manager.
- LA Times underpaid people of color and women.
- NAHJ has its highest number of members in seven years.
- Meet the new member of the NYT’s editorial board.
- Hasan Minhaj will host the Peabody Awards.
- The only place in the U.S. where women make more than men? Find out in Blogs!
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NBC's Jacque Reid on-set Wednesday rocking an Eliza J. Taylor dress. | |  |
NBC's Kristen Welker with The Wing’s Giovanna Gray Lockhart on Tuesday at the grand opening of The Wing in DC, a women-only co-working space and social club. | |
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Booker and Colleagues Merge Bills to Protect Robert Mueller
Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and a group of bipartisan colleagues have merged two separate bills to protect Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Together with Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Chris Coons (D-DE), and Thom Tillis (R-NC), Booker yesterday introduced the Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act. The new legislation merges Booker and Graham’s Special Counsel Independence Protection Act with Tillis and Coons’ Special Counsel Integrity Act. The legislation codifies existing DOJ regulations to ensure that the Special Counsel can only be fired for good cause by a senior Justice Department official, and the reason must be provided in writing. It also provides the Special Counsel a 10-day window in which he can seek expedited judicial review of his removal to determine whether the firing was for good cause. If the firing is ultimately determined to have violated the good-cause requirement, the removal will not take effect. "A nation of laws cannot exist if the people tasked with enforcing them are subjected to political interference or intimidation from the President,” said Booker. “The Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act will install a needed check and ensure that Special Counsel Mueller and his team – and any future special counsels -- are able to follow the facts and the law wherever they lead. Congress must act to advance this bipartisan legislation as soon as possible without any further delay.” More here.
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Grace Meng Urges Jeff Sessions to Continue Legal Orientation Program for Detained Foreign National
Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-NY), a member of the House Appropriations Committee, sent a letter to AG Jeff Sessions urging him to continue the Legal Orientation Program, a DOJ initiative that offers legal assistance to detained foreign nationals facing deportation. In her correspondence, the Congresswoman also demanded answers should the program be suspended, asking Sessions for all documents and communications ahead of his planned testimony before Meng and other members of the Appropriations Committee on April 26th. “I am deeply troubled to see reports that the Department of Justice is planning to suspend this important program that has been critical to ensuring that detainees know their rights, and understand the immigration court process,” said Meng. “This decision is part of a larger pattern of attacks by this Administration on immigrant communities. According to the Justice Department, the Legal Orientation Program has been a success. Its own website highlights that the program has helped detained individuals, and that it has had positive effects on the immigration court process. Ending this critical program would be extremely misguided. I urge Attorney General Sessions to continue it.” See the full letter here.
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CBC Members Press Zuckerberg on Diversity
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg came under fire on Wednesday from Congressional Black Caucus members for his company’s lack of diversity and its connection to the spread of misleading ads targeting Black activist group at a hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY), a member of the newly formed Tech Accountability Caucus, asked about Russian hackers using some 3,000 ads on the platform to inflame racial tensions, with some of the ads suggesting that racial justice groups like Black Lives Matter were a political threat. She asked Zuckerberg if Facebook’s lack of diversity affected Facebook’s ability or willingness to look into this. “I’m concerned that there are not eyes that are culturally competent looking at these things,” she said. Zuckerberg acknowledged that racial diversity was something the company needed to improve on. Congressman G.K. Butterfield (D-NC) also asked about Facebook’s diversity, saying that the racial makeup of the company’s leadership team “does not reflect America.” According to Facebook’s 2017 diversity report, last year the company increased its share of black and Hispanic employees by 1% each, to 3 and 5% respectively. Black and Hispanic employees each account for 3% of Facebook’s senior leadership. Meanwhile, numerous Republicans brought up the case of Diamond and Silk, the Madea-style Trump supporters whose videos, the members said, had been restricted by Facebook. “In that specific case, our team made an enforcement error, and we have already gotten in touch with them to reverse it,” Zuckerberg said. More here.
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Birmingham, AL Mayor Randall Woodfin (D) on Monday getting ready to skydive with the Navy Leap Frogs in celebration of Navy Week. | |  |
The Hill Latino Director Diana Marrero with Latina leaders at the #OwnIt Summit in March. | |
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Eric Holder Sues the Trump Admin
The National Democratic Redistricting Committee, headed by Eric Holder, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Wednesday in an attempt to block the plans to add a last-minute citizenship question to the 2020 Census. The WaPo reports that the federal lawsuit was filed on behalf of seven residents of Maryland and Arizona and contends that the question is at odds with the constitutional requirement that the Census count every person residing in the United States, including noncitizens. “Coming amidst what the Bureau itself has identified as a widespread climate of fear among citizen and noncitizen immigrants, the belated addition of a citizenship question will significantly depress response rates in certain communities, thereby undermining the completeness and the accuracy of the 2020 census,” the lawsuit states. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced the addition of the question last month, triggering an outcry from immigrant advocacy groups and Democratic lawmakers, who stand to lose political power if undocumented immigrants and their families don't respond to the survey. More here.
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Cummings Gets Oversight Hearing on 2020 Census Citizenship Question
Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD), the top Dem of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, announced that Oversight Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-SC) would hold a hearing -- at the urging of the Committee’s Democrats -- on the 2020 Census on May 8th. The hearing will center on the Trump administration’s refusal to provide documents about adding a citizenship question. “I’m very pleased that Chairman Gowdy has now Heeded Our Calls (sic) for a public hearing to understand why the Trump Administration disregarded serious concerns expressed by career experts at the Census Bureau about adding a citizenship question. Democrats have asked for documents relating to this decision, and it’s unacceptable that the Administration is refusing to produce them because of ongoing litigation. We are a separate branch of government, we have our own duty to conduct oversight, and we do independent investigations all the time even when there are outside disputes among the parties. If they continue to withhold these documents from us, we hope Chairman Gowdy will issue a subpoena to obtain them as soon as possible.” See the previous call from Cummings for a hearing here.
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Kamala Harris and Colleagues Intro Resolution for Black Maternal Health Week
On Wednesday, International Maternal Health and Rights Day, in an effort to raise awareness about the Black maternal health crisis, Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), Congresswoman Alma Adams (D-NC), and their colleagues introduced a resolution to designate April 11-17, 2018 as Black Maternal Health Week. Harris was joined by Senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and others on this resolution. According to the Centers for Disease Control, Black mothers in the U.S. die at a staggering three to four times the rate of white mothers. “The maternal mortality rate of Black women is a public health crisis that must be addressed,” said Harris. “We must recognize that Black mothers need more resources and support to ensure their lives are not cut short, and they be able to raise their children to fulfill their potential. The designation of Black Maternal Health week is a step toward the recognition that more must be done to reduce the rate of maternal mortality and morbidity among Black women.” See the resolution here.
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NM congressional candidate Deb Haaland on Sunday with students at the Fight For Our Lives town hall on gun violence and gun safety. | |  |
Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL), Senator Doug Jones (D-AL), and Congressman Gary Palmer (R-AL) on Tuesday at the White House honoring the 2017 National Champions, the University of Alabama. | |
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Hasan Minhaj to Host Peabody Awards
Comedian Hasan Minhaj will host this year’s coveted Peabody Awards, which honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and online media. The ceremony will take place in NYC on May 19th. Winners will be announced over the next few weeks. Not only is Minhaj hosting, but The Daily Show Correspondent’s Netflix comedy special, Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King, has also been nominated in the Entertainment category. Issa Rae’s Insecure, which also stars Sujata Day, has scored a nomination in the same category. In the news HBO’s VICE Media special Charlottesville: Race & Terror is nominated as well as CNN’s Leyla Santiago’s Hurricane Maria Coverage. In the documentary category JAY-Z’s Time: The Kalief Browder Story is nominated as well as PBS’ Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise. Winners will be announced over the next several weeks by category: Documentary on April 17th; Entertainment/Children’s & Youth on April 19th; and News/Radio/Public Service programming on April 24th. The first-ever Peabody Career Achievement Award (presented by Mercedes-Benz) will be announced on April 12th. See the full list of the nominees here.
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Scientist Joins NYT Editorial Board
Jeneen Interlandi is joining the NYT Editorial Board to write on health, science, and education. Interlandi has been a contributor to the Times Magazine since 2006 and will continue to write there, too. She was most recently the lead health reporter at Consumer Reports. Jeneen got her start studying biology and environmental science. She has done immunology research in both academic and pharmaceutical labs. She also studied climate change in the Arctic and co-wrote a college textbook on the subject, now in its third edition. She spent four years as a staff writer at Newsweek. Her more recent work has appeared in the NYT Magazine, Scientific American, and Smithsonian, among others. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in biology from Rutgers University and dual Master’s degrees, in environmental science and journalism, both from Columbia University. Jeneen was also a 2013 Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, where she studied global health and the history of medicine. The native of Columbia will be based in NYC. More here.
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Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) last week meeting with student leaders who participated in the March For Our Lives in Honolulu, HI. | |  |
U.S. Senate candidate and CA state Senator Kevin de León (D-CA) on Monday at a Moms Demand Action rally. | |
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April Ryan Receiving Death Threats After Asking if Trump Considered Resigning
White House Correspondent April Ryan said Wednesday that she has gotten death threats after asking WH Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders if Donald Trump had ever considered resigning. Sanders dismissed Ryan's question as "ridiculous” and Ryan told CNN that the president's supporters have been outraged. "They're angry. I've been getting death threats and we've been calling the FBI and I mean, I put one on social media and this is real. I asked a simple question ... I did not point a finger, I asked a question and now my life is in jeopardy because of a question. But I'm going to continue to do my job," Ryan said. April said on Wednesday that sources have told her the possibility of Trump resigning has been “on the table.” More here.
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Report Finds Tronc Underpaid POC and Women at LA Times
A report by the L.A. Times Guild analyzing newsroom salary data at the Los Angeles Times found that Tronc, the LAT’s parent company, has underpaid women and journalists of color by thousands of dollars a year, “suggesting systemic salary gaps by race and gender.” The report is based on pay data for roughly 320 full-time journalists in the paper’s collective bargaining unit, which includes reporters, photographers, copy editors, designers, and other newsroom workers. The Guild says the data does not include workers such as line editors or managers. The report finds that among unionized journalists of all ages and job titles, women and people of color make less than white men. On average, women of color in the LAT’s bargaining unit make less than 70 cents for every dollar earned by a white man. The average salary for people of color is $85,622, and the average for white reporters is $100,398. While the gaps can partly be explained by the fact that many of the most senior, best-paid journalists are white men, a detailed analysis conducted by the Guild also found “scores of individual women and journalists of color who, on average, make thousands of dollars less than white and male co-workers of similar ages and job titles.” The Guild requested this data from Tronc as part of the collective-bargaining process. See the full report here.
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BET Chairwoman and CEO Debra Lee in high school in Greensboro, NC in 1972. | |  |
That's Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) pioneering #normcore fashion in the 80's. | |
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FL State Senator Drops Out of Race to Replace Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
Democratic Florida state Senator José Javier Rodríguez yesterday announced that he was dropping out of the race to succeed retiring Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) in FL’s 17th Congressional District. The Senator said that he is staying in the race to help Democrats take the Florida Senate. “I reaffirm to constituents here in District 37 that I will continue to serve as their State Senator and battle the status quo of Tallahassee politics,” Rodríguez said. “To do this I will formally end my candidacy for Congress. Instead our efforts will focus on helping elect progressive allies here in Miami-Dade and all over Florida that can bring that desperately needed action to Tallahassee." Miami Commissioner Ken Russell also announced that he was dropping out of the race. This leaves former HHS Secretary Donna Shalala, Miami Beach Commissioner Kristen Rosen González -- who filed a lawsuit challenging a newly expanded state law that would force her to give up her city position to run for this seat, former Federal Judge Mary Barzee Flores, Marvin Dunn, Michael Hepburn, Mark Anthony Person, state Representative David Richardson, and former Knight Foundation Director Matt Haggman in the August 28th primary. More here.
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Al Lawson Hires “Hip Hop Lobbyist”
Congressman Al Lawson (D-FL) has hired self-styled “hip-hop lobbyist” as a Senior Advisor for his re-election campaign. Phillip Singleton will be handling the campaign’s fundraising and outreach. “I am ready to hit-the-ground-running and re-energize our donor and voter base,” said Singleton. “Congressman Lawson has the credentials and insight needed to put politics aside and bring the necessary resources back to Florida’s 5th Congressional District.” Singleton attended FAMU for six years and was a Fellow with the Congressional Black Caucus Political Education and Leadership Institute. He spent five years as the Government Affairs Director for Pittman Law Group before launching his own firm and dawned himself the “hip-hop lobbyist.” Lawson will face former Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown and lobbyist Rontel Batie in the August 18th Democratic primary. More here.
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Matter of Fact host Soledad O’Brien yesterday shooting her show at the Newseum in DC in honor of the museum’s 10th anniversary. | |  |
Congresswoman Michelle Luján Grisham (D-NM) and her dog, Kiwi, yesterday posing for #NationalPetDay. | |
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New Comms Manager at Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
Dakarai Aarons has joined the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative as the Communications Manager for their education practice. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln grad was previously Vice President of Strategic Communications for the Data Quality Campaign. Prior to that, Dakarai was Director of Education Outreach and Policy for CommunicationWorks. He has also been a reporter for Education Week and The Commercial Appeal, and his work has also appeared in The Washington Post, The Miami Herald, The Des Moines Register, and The Dallas Morning News, among others. The DC native is an active member and officer of DC’s historic Metropolitan AME Church, a Vice President of the Education Writers Association’s Board, as well as a Board Member of the American Youth Policy Forum and the Wayfinder Foundation. He is based in the Initiative’s Palo Alto, CA office. Congrats, Dakarai! More about him here.
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| FOMO Today, 3P: The U.S. House of Representatives will hold a ceremony to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The ceremony will take place in Statuary Hall at 3:00 p.m. RSVP to SpeakerRSVP@mail.house.gov.
Today, 7P: The GW LULAC Student Chapter and the GW Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute host “Latinos and the Future of Constructive Politics.” Speakers will include Congresswoman Jenniffer González Colón (R-PR) and Congressman Darren Soto (D-FL), moderated by Laura Maristany, Associate Director, Constructive Politics, Democracy Fund. Marvin Center Amphitheater, 800 21st Street. RSVP here.
Today - Friday, April 13th: The 2018 Advancing Justice Conference, at the Hyatt Regency in Washington, D.C. The conference brings together Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders from across the U.S. to address issues facing these fast-growing communities. Click here for more information and to register.
Today - Saturday, April 14th: The 9th Annual Women in the World Summit, at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York City. The event is presented and co-hosted by Toyota. Click here for more information.
Friday, April 13th 5P: Congressional Black Associates hosts “Meet our Executive Board” happy hour. 201 Bar, 201 Massachusetts Ave NE.
Tuesday, April 17th, 8A: The Hill Latino hosts "Latinos in College: Closing the Graduation Gap." The program will feature lawmakers, university presidents, education officials, and students in a series of conversations exploring strategies to boost Hispanic college completion rates. The event is sponsored by Excelencia in Education and Gallup. 901 F Street, N.W. RSVP to events@thehill.com.
Wednesday, April 18th, 6P: The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) 2018 Gala and Awards. Mayflower Hotel, 1127 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. To purchase tickets, contact Heaven Ocampo, hocampo@maldef.org or 213.629.2512 ext. 143.
Wednesday, April 18th - Saturday, April 21st: The National Action Network hosts its annual conference, this year commemorating the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Sheraton Times Square, NYC. Click here for more information. Thursday, April 19th, 12P: The California Endowment hosts “Twenty Years of Life: Challenging Health Disparities and Inequities by Investing in Communities.” The Aspen Institute, 2300 N Street, NW, Suite 700. Click here to RSVP. Thursday, April 19th: The University of North Dakota sponsors a conference on the Dakota Access Pipeline and the Standing Rock protests. Click here for more information. Wednesday, April 25th - Friday, April 27th: The African American Mayor Association 2018 Annual Conference. DoubleTree Hotel, 300 Army Navy Drive, Arlington, VA.
Click here to purchase tickets. Wednesday, May 2nd, 6P: The Latino Victory Fund hosts Latino Talks 2018, on how Latinos are changing America. Special guests include former Univisión anchor
María Elena Salinas. Click here to purchase tickets. Friday, May 11th, 9A: The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights holds a public briefing on hate crimes and bias-related incidents. The Commission will examine best practices for local law enforcement on collecting and reporting data, and the role of the Education and Justice Departments in prevention and prosecution. USCCR, 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 1150. RSVP to publicaffairs@usccr.gov. Click here to watch a livestream of the briefing. Monday, May 21st - Tuesday, May 22nd: Common Cause Pennsylvania will host their Democracy Works Summit. Sheraton Downtown Hotel on 201 N. 17th Street in Philadelphia, PA. Click here for more information. Thursday, June 21st - Sunday, June 24th: The Black Millennial Political Convention, which aims to increase engagement of Black millennials in the political sphere and shed a light on policy issues impacting black communities. This year’s theme is The Advocacy of Policy, Pipeline
and Power for the People. Hyatt Regency, Crystal City, VA. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.
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