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Congress is out. Trump is back. Signaling what shake-ups lie ahead, Axios is reporting that WH Communications Director Mike Dubke has tendered his resignation. And scandal continues to rock this White House as the Kushner web unravels and reports surface that Russian government officials discussed having potentially 'derogatory' info on Trump during the 2016 election. Speaking of unraveling ... in one tweet, Donald Trump is complaining that the media is making up sources. In the next tweet, he is criticizing sources leaking to the media. Throwback to last week when someone must have held Trump's phone under lock and key to keep those Twitter fingers occupied with world diplomacy. Meanwhile, part of The Beat team is hitting send from a remote location where the weather is warm, the water is blue, there’s no CNN -- what’s a DC insider to do? Here's what's up on this post-Memorial Day Tuesday kickoff to a week of recess:- Congressman Joaquín Castro (D-TX) takes CHC to Mexico.
- Love is in the air! A DC political couple celebrated their second ceremony in Mexico over the weekend.
- NMAAHC knighted in the UK.
- A message from Solidarity Strategies.
- A Republican TX state rep threatened to put a bullet in the head of his Democratic colleague. True story.
- Manuel Noriega dies.
- Howard University President names Obama alumnus as Chief of Staff.
- WSJ profiles DNC Treasurer Bill Derrough.
- Colin Powell criticizes Trump admin.
- Eric Holder could issue a statement on Uber sexual harassment charges as soon as tomorrow.
- Harvard gets lit with Black grad ceremony.
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Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) is joined by his brother Cary to wish their cousin Natalie best wishes as she graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point over the weekend. | |  |
Congresswoman Robin Kelly (D-IL) joined Chicago area youth on Friday to speak out against gun violence. | |
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Castro Leading the CHC to Mexico to Visit Deported Vets
This coming weekend, Congressman Joaquín Castro (D-TX) plans to lead a delegation of Congressional Hispanic Caucus members across the border into Mexico to meet with deported U.S. veterans. Suzanne Gamboa from NBC Latino reports that the visit is intended to focus attention on the more than 230 military veterans estimated to have been deported from the United States and on the need for a more rigorous process to ensure legal residents recruited with promises of citizenship are naturalized. The Caucus plans to meet the veterans at the Deported Veterans Support House, the "Bunker," in Tijuana, Mexico. "Many of us believe that they should be allowed to become citizens," Castro told NBC Latino in a telephone interview on Friday. "Many, if not most, were legal permanent residents, who were eligible to become citizens and perhaps never applied -- they stood up for their country and put their lives on the line," he said. More here.
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A President and a Prince
On Saturday, former president Barack Obama met up with Prince Harry at Kensington Palace to discuss the recent terrorist attack in Manchester, as well as support for veterans, mental health, conservation, empowering young people, and the work of their respective foundations. This isn't the first time we've seen them hang out. Remember Obama's last visit to Kensington Palace, which featured a scene-stealing Prince George in a very adorable bathrobe? This time around, Obama tweeted a post from the palace and noted that the pair talked about their charity work. “Good to see my friend Prince Harry in London to discuss the work of our foundations & offer condolences to victims of the Manchester attack,” Obama wrote on Twitter. More here.
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Mike Strautmanis enjoying a day at the Chicago Sky Game with his daughter and wife, Lia. | |  |
Power couple Podesta Group's Oscar Ramírez and Google's Stephanie Valencia enjoyed the weekend in Napa for Bottle Rock. | |
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| Solidarity Strategies is a 100% minority-owned firm fighting for diversity in the political and nonprofit sectors. We believe consultants should reflect your values, voters, and the progressive movement. If you’ve had enough of the same old consultants using cookie-cutter strategies for people of color, talk to Solidarity Strategies. #BrownConsultantsMatter
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Obama Alumnus Named Chief of Staff to Howard University President
Howard University President Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick named D. Paul Monteiro, Jr. as the new Chief of Staff for the Office of the President. He will begin his duties on June 5th. Monteiro will be responsible for directing the overall operations of the Office of the President and will interface with Cabinet members, Board of Trustees, and University stakeholders. Monteiro has worked across all branches of the federal government in several key roles. Most recently, he led the Community Relations Service at the DOJ. He also joined another Obama alumnus, Josh DuBois, working at Value Partnerships. Prior to that, Monteiro led White House engagement with Arab Americans, a broad range of faith communities, anti-poverty groups, and gun safety organizations. He will be returning to familiar terrain in this latest role. Monteiro graduated from Howard Law in 2007. More here.
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Two Weddings for DC Lovebirds
A big love requires two ceremonies. Diane Elizabeth Padilla and Eduardo Cisneros were married May 23rd at DC Superior Court. Karima Azzouz, an authorized volunteer of the court, officiated. Then on May 28th, Obama alumna Julie Chávez Rodríguez, a friend of the couple, led them in a non-denominational ceremony at a beachfront villa in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Mrs. Cisneros, 32, is the Press Secretary for Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ). Mr. Cisneros, 33, is a healthcare program coordinator for the SEIU. Both graduated from Cal State. The couple met in 2013 at an inaugural ball given by the California Democratic Party in Washington. Congrats love birds! ¡Que vivan los novios! More here.
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Cree Summer (aka Freddie from A Different World) joined Obama alumnus David Johns for a wedding in NYC on Saturday. | |  |
Javier Bardem sat down for an interview with Jorge Ramos on Sunday. | |
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NMAAHC Architect Knighted at Buckingham Palace
Renowned Ghanaian-British architect David Adjaye has been honored with a knighthood for his service to architecture, as part of Queen Elizabeth’s bi-annual honors program. Sir David Adjaye received his award from Prince William, Duke of Cambridge at an official ceremony held at Buckingham Palace. The past twelve months saw Adjaye make history with the opening of his Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. He is also working on the Latvian Museum of Contemporary Art, the Ghana National Museum on Slavery and Freedom, and a new home for the Studio Museum in Harlem. Adjaye was born in Tanzania to Ghanaian parents. In 1994, he set up his first office, where his ingenious use of materials and his sculptural ability established him as an architect with an artist’s sensibility and vision. He has since gone on to achieve global architectural fame. More here.
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Survey Looks at Education Attitudes Among Minority Families
Today at 1P, the Leadership Conference Education Fund and Anzalone Liszt Grove Research will host a one-hour telephone press briefing to discuss the second-annual “New Education Majority” poll that captures the views of parents and families of color on education. The poll finds that perceptions of racial disparities “remain strong” and that the lack of funding for students of color is the biggest cause of racial disparities in education. The study also finds that “racism” is the second-biggest driver among African American and Latino parents and families. Click here for more info or to RSVP for the call.
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Former Panamanian Dictator Manuel Noriega Dies
“Military commander, drug trafficker, CIA informant, dictator, convicted murderer: The strongman Gen. Manuel Noriega wore many labels during his tortuous path to -- and fall from -- the heights of power in Panama,” writes NPR. Announcing Noriega's death at age 83 Tuesday, Panama's president says it "closes a chapter in our history." The era in which Noriega exercised absolute control over Panama is long past -- but his ill-fated reign continues to cast a long shadow both in his home country and the United States, with whom he had a complex relationship. At the time of his death in a Panama City hospital, Noriega was serving a prison sentence for corruption and having opponents killed. Allegedly, he owed Rick Ross “a hundred favors.” More here.
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NEA President Lily Eskelsen García addresses the School of Education graduates at San Jose State University on Sunday. | |  |
HUD Secretary Dr. Ben Carson accepted a POW flag in Miami in honor of Memorial Day. | |
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Charm City Thinking of Removing Confederate Monuments
Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh says she wants to look into removing the city’s Confederate monuments, telling The Baltimore Sun that the city will “take a closer look about how we go about following in the footsteps of New Orleans. New Orleans recently removed three Confederate statues and a monument touting white supremacy. Baltimore has several Confederate statues, including of Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. A commission appointed by former mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake recommended removing them but did not move forward. More here.
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State of Black America Airs on TV One
Set your DVRs. Tomorrow at 8P, TV One will air the National Urban League’s State of Black America. Leading commentators challenge one another on topics such as job creation, voting rights, and criminal justice reform during the televised special. Roland Martin will moderate a discussion with Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, Angela Rye, Touré, Paris Dennard, Symone Sanders, Jeff Johnson, and Angela Sailor. The State of Black America, the National Urban League’s seminal yearly publication, now in its 41st edition, has become one of the most highly anticipated benchmarks and sources for thought leadership around racial equality in the United States across economics, employment, education, health, housing, criminal justice and civic participation. More here.
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Trumped by a Fox
Former Mexican President Vicente Fox posted a video accusing Donald Trump of being president “for the wrong reason.” “Amigo, you have a ton of flaws,” Fox said in a Super Deluxe video. “But in my opinion, the one underlying problem with your presidency is you’re doing it for the wrong reason. A presidency is not measured in praise or loyalty or lavish gifts,” Fox added. “It is measured in the amount of lives it improves ... If everything you do is only designed to make life better for millionaires or billionaires, your presidency will be infamous.” He clowned Trump for focusing on his inauguration crowd size, calling it an example of Trump's misplaced priorities. Fox told Trump that former President Obama's crowd size was larger and that it shouldn't be something he cares about. See the full video here.
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CAPAC's Alton Wang with journalist Helen Zia at last week's Multicultural Media Correspondents Dinner. | |  |
Ana Navarro caught up with tennis icon Martina Navratilova over lunch last week. | |
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WSJ Profiles DNC Treasurer
DNC Treasurer Bill Derrough, who co-heads the restructuring practice at boutique investment bank Moelis & Co., is known for taking bold, unorthodox steps to break logjams that emerge in large corporate restructuring situations. WSJ reports that when American Airlines filed for bankruptcy, Derrough represented the company’s three large unions, bondholders, and suppliers. He was also instrumental in keeping merger talks alive with US Airways, hammering out a road map that allowed the unions and other large creditors to participate in deal talks as American hashed out the merger with the smaller carrier. But as the son of a Guatemalan immigrant who grew up in a union household and the father of two young sons with his husband, the work he’s leading at the DNC is personal. On the top of the agenda is developing a long-range vision for the party, including an effort to funnel resources to state legislative races. He talks this and more in the WSJ.
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Colin Powell Criticizes the Trump Administration
The idea that putting Americans “first” requires a withdrawal from the world is simply wrongheaded. That’s what Colin Powell writes in an op-ed for the NYT. Criticizing the Trump administration, Powell says that the administration’s proposal to slash approximately 30 percent from the State Department and foreign assistance budget signals an American retreat, leaving a vacuum that would make the U.S. far less safe and prosperous. “While it may sound penny-wise, it is pound-foolish.” One of his chief criticisms is the Trump administration's plan to slash the U.S.A.I.D. “Throughout my career, I learned plenty about war on the battlefield, but I learned even more about the importance of finding peace. And that is what the State Department and U.S.A.I.D. do: prevent the wars that we can avoid, so that we fight only the ones we must.” Read the piece in its entirety here.
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Activist Catalina Velázquez, former Nevada Assemblywoman Lucy Flores, and commentator Nina Turner leaving an "Our Revolution" conference earlier this month. | |  |
Congressman Ami Bera (D-CA) caught up with California vets over the weekend. | |
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Texas Republican Threatens to Shoot Dem Over Sanctuary City Bill and a Melee Ensues
The last day of the regular session of the Texas legislature can be summed up with one word: drama. Hundreds filled the capitol rotunda in protest of SB4, Texas' tough new anti-"sanctuary cities" law. Dems said Republican Rep. Matt Rinaldi repeatedly got in people’s faces and cursed at them. As if that wasn’t enough, he also nearly came to blows with Democratic colleagues and then threatened to "put a bullet in the head" of Rep. Alfonso "Poncho" Nevarez. Rinaldi’s actions enraged Hispanic legislators and several Democrats said Rinaldi also bragged about “calling Ice” on protesters who interrupted a floor session, leading to a near-scuffle between Rinaldi and Democrat César Blanco. In the chamber, representatives argued and jostled. More here.
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Dem Asked to Leave Race After Racist Black “Jokes” Surface on FB
House Dems in Virginia are trying to push Tom Brock, a first-time candidate, out of a primary contest for a House of Delegates seat after learning he made sexist and racist comments online. “Q: Why do kids prefer white teachers over black teachers? A: It is easier to bring an apple than a watermelon,” Brock posted in a 2011 Facebook exchange with his son. When his son set up a joke asking why blind musician Stevie Wonder can’t read, Brock responded “cause he’s BL......ACK!!!!” He also made sexist comments calling former First Daughter Jenna Bush Hager a “slut.” Brock has since apologized for the post. Here’s one -- what do you call the candidate who makes racist statements and lewd comments about women? A loser. Unless, of course, he goes on to be President of the United States. More here.
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The DC Official Who Let Trump Keep His Lease
Donald Trump broke with tradition and the advice of the government’s top ethics official by declining to divest from the hotel. Foreign governments and lobbyists book rooms and meetings there, prompting lawsuits claiming that the president uses the hotel to unfairly capitalize on his office. Many were critical of this conflict, including Denise Turner Roth, the top federal official at the agency overseeing the Old Post Office Pavilion. But when the former General Services Administration -- the federal government’s chief landlord -- left office, she also left Trump’s lease agreement with the city firmly intact. In her first public remarks since leaving office, Roth told the WaPo that she personally thinks Donald Trump should divest from the property but that the lease offered no valid reason to force him to do so, and she didn’t want to be perceived as making a political decision. Read more here.
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|  | Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) with Joseph Vidaña at Garfield High School to view the Vietnam Era Monument, which honors alums who served in the military during during Vietnam. | |  |
Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN) speaks during last week's call to increase the minimum wage. | |
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Holder to Issue Uber Sexual Harassment Report Wednesday
Former AG Eric Holder is expected to present the conclusions of his investigation into Uber’s workplace environment, including sexual harassment claims, this week, according to a report by Axios. “An all-hands meeting is then scheduled for June 6th to discuss the findings with employees, although the full report is unlikely to be disseminated either internally or externally (in large part to protect the confidentiality of those who spoke with Holder and his fellow investigators),” the Axios report said. It noted that the schedule for the report delivery could change, due to the sudden death of Uber CEO Travis Kalanick’s mother Bonnie in a boating accident on Friday. More here.
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Harvard Hosts First Graduation Ceremony for Black Students
Last week, the Black Graduate Student Alliance held its inaugural Black Commencement at Harvard Law School’s Holmes Field this morning, a ceremony honoring Black graduates from across Harvard’s graduate schools. There was no keynote speaker; instead, the event featured four student orators, each reflecting a different dimension of the Black student experience. Near the end of the ceremony, the deans of each school presented their graduates with stoles of bright kente, a fabric of interwoven geometric patterns from West Africa, as they walked across the stage in front of the law school library. The ceremony was organized this year “against a backdrop of renewed racial-justice activism at Harvard and in the nation in general: Last year, under pressure from students, the law school abandoned its official seal because it represented the crest of a slave-owning family, and, later, President Drew Faust publicly recognized Harvard’s links to slavery. More here.
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Students Say No to House Speaker
Close to 100 eighth graders on a school trip to DC refused to pose with House Speaker Paul Ryan on Friday, saying they were protesting his policies. One of the students told ABC News “It’s not just a picture. It’s being associated with a person who puts his party before his country.” Parents were split on the decision, with some saying the kids should respect the office even if they disagree, while others commended the students. More here.
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| FOMOToday, 12:30P: The Center for Advancing Opportunity sponsors a forum, "A Promise Fulfilled? Examining Brown v. Board of Education On Its 63rd Anniversary." Thurgood Marshall College Fund Headquarters, 901 F Street, NW. Click here to RSVP.
Today, 1P: The Leadership Conference Education Fund and Anzalone Liszt Grove Research host a telephonic briefing on the second-annual "New Education Majority Poll." Dial-in information: 888.632.3384. Conference ID: NEMPOLL
Wednesday, May 31st, 9A: The Raben Group hosts a policy breakfast with former Obama senior advisor Valerie Jarrett.1341 G Street, NW. Click here to RSVP.
Wednesday, May 31st, 6P: Reception in support of Marilyn Mosby for Baltimore City State's Attorney. City Center, 875 10th Street, NW. RSVP to: mariko@marilynmosby.com
Wednesday, May 31st, 7P: The National Urban League sponsors a State of Black America Town Hall Watch Party. United Negro College Fund, 1805 7th Street, NW. Click here to RSVP.
Thursday, June 8th, 7P: STARZ sponsors the DC premiere of Season 4 of the series Power. Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. By invitation only.
Friday, June 9th, 6P: BET Farewell DC party. 1235 W Street, NE. By invitation only.
Monday, June 12th, 6:30P: Author Sheryll Cashin reads from her new book, Loving: Interracial Intimacy in America and the Threat to White Supremacy. Busboys & Poets, 14th & V streets, NW. Click here for more information.
Wednesday, June 14th, 9A: The Raben Group sponsors a policy breakfast with Vanita Gupta, incoming President and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. 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.
Wednesday, June 21st, 6P: Reception and fundraiser for Kia Hamadanchy for Congress. 408 East Capitol Street, NE, RSVP at: info@KiaForOrangeCounty.com
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