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What’s buzzing in the Beltway this morning? James Comey. The former FBI Director, who Donald Trump ousted last year, kicked off his media tour this morning on ABC’s Good Morning America in an interview with George Stephanopoulos. Comey details everything from the trickle down (the rumored pee tape) to the loyalty dinner with POTUS45. Trump’s response? “He is a weak and untruthful slime ball … it was my great honor to fire James Comey.” Stay tuned for more of these interviews (and tweets) as Comey makes the rounds promoting his highly anticipated tell-all memoir, A Higher Loyalty. Meanwhile, Donald Trump is expected to grant a pardon to Scooter Libby, who was the Chief of Staff to former VP Dick Cheney. Libby had been convicted of perjury in the investigation into who leaked the identity of CIA Officer Valerie Plame. Many worry that this could signal to anyone working with Special Counsel Robert Mueller that pardons could be on the horizon. The weather is finally breaking. Time for some flip-flops. Trump said on Thursday that the U.S. is looking into rejoining the trade deal known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which he pulled out of days after taking office. On Capitol Hill, retiring House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) flexed on his colleagues when suggestions came from some rank-and-file Republicans that he step aside as Speaker now and let a successor take over. In a “come at me bro” response, Ryan touted his successes and stated, unequivocally, that he would serve in his post until retiring at the end of this term. In sports news, after arranging for Colin Kaepernick to work out for the Seattle Seahawks this week, team officials postponed the trip when the quarterback declined to say he would stop kneeling during the national anthem next season to peacefully protest the criminal justice system which disproportionately impacts Black men. And what happens when NBA star Steph Curry teams up with former President Barack Obama? Men of color and sneakerheads win. Curry’s MBK Alliance sneaker, plus five others, are now being raffled off, with all proceeds of the raffle tickets benefitting the MBK Alliance. We’re kicking off Friday the 13th with this...
- Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) hits the world stage.
- Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD) returns to Capitol Hill amid whistleblower allegations against EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt.
- Barack and Michelle Obama are the second most admired man and woman in the world, first in the U.S.
- Mike Pompeo faces questions from Senators Bob Menéndez (D-NJ), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Marco Rubio (R-FL).
- Tri-Caucus members demand that Secretary Ryan Zinke and Interior prioritize diversity.
- Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy’s (D-FL) cyberstalking bill gets a thumbs up in the House.
- Capitol Hill pay gap: white staff make thousands a year more than their non-white colleagues. True story.
- Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) Links with largest and oldest African American volunteer organization for women.
- Meet the new members of the Biden Foundation Board.
- Super PAC goes on the air for CA State Senator Kevin de León in his bid challenging Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).
- Congressman Ami Bera (D-CA) gets a challenger in California’s 7th Congressional District.
- FCC Chair Ajit Pai rejects Senate call to investigate Sinclair.
- NAHJ boasts a seven-year high in membership.
- LA takes a W against AG Jeff Sessions in ‘sanctuary city’ funding battle.
- Georgia gets its first Hispanic Serving Institution.
- HUD Secretary Ben Carson will visit U.S. Virgin Islands as it continues to rebuild following devastating hurricanes.
- The Beat DC’s Tiffany D. Cross will join Joy-Ann Reid on Sunday’s edition of AM Joy on MSNBC. Be sure to tune in!
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Valerie Jarrett celebrating the 35th anniversary of Leadership Greater Chicago with Board Chair Connie Lindsey and CEO Maria Wynne. | |  |
Roland Martin on Tuesday on-set with Survivor’s Remorse stars Erica Ash and Jessie T. Usher for the show’s premiere. | |
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Marco Rubio on the World Stage
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) will be rubbing elbows with heads of state as they gather this week in Peru at the Summit of the Americas. Trump was slated to attend but canceled what would've been his first presidential visit to Latin America because, according to the White House, he will be focused on a possible U.S. military strike in Syria in retaliation for an apparent chemical attack on civilians. He is sending VP Mike Pence instead. However, many of the attendees may be more excited to see Rubio who arrives in Lima today and will meet one-on-one with about a half-dozen heads of state -- around the same number as Pence himself. Rubio called Trump's absence understandable but a nonetheless disappointing example of how Latin America often takes a backseat to more pressing national security challenges. As a member of the Senate Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committees, Rubio has taken a deep interest in Venezuela's vast criminal underworld and its potential links to Middle Eastern terrorist groups. He will work with leaders to take tougher action on the country’s President Nicolas Maduro. More here.
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Senators of Color Question Secretary of State Nominee
Mike Pompeo, Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State, faced the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday, where Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) zeroed in on Pompeo’s past statement that Muslims who do not condemn terrorist attacks in the United States are “complicit” in them. Booker specifically asked Pompeo if he had ever condemned Frank Gaffney, an anti-Muslim extremist who has said that Muslims who “abide by the adherence of their faith should be tried for acts of sedition and should be prosecuted.” The Senator asked, “Did you remain silent? Were you silent in your position of authority against these words?” Pompeo tried to insist that he believed in treating people of all faiths equally, but Booker hammered him for refusing to answer his question. Congressmen Keith Ellison (D-MN) and André Carson (D-IN) -- the only two Muslim members of Congress -- called on the Committee leaders to oppose the confirmation of Pompeo, citing his "history of anti-Muslim sentiment and discrimination." Carson served on the House Intelligence Committee with Pompeo when Pompeo was a member in the House. Booker referenced letters the two penned to him during his remarks. Booker also pressed Pompeo on his stance on same-sex marriage to which the nominee maintained his stance that it’s wrong. Senator Bob Menéndez (D-NJ), the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, asked, "Will you enable President Trump’s worst instincts? Will you stand up to President Trump and say: ‘No, you are wrong in that view’? Or will you be a yes man?" Menéndez asked. Menéndez also got Pompeo to say, for the first time publicly, that he was questioned by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Pushed by Menéndez to detail what he told Mueller and other investigators, Pompeo demurred. “As long as these investigations continue, I will not speak about the conversations I’ve had,” he said. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) asked Pompeo a series of questions about human rights and referenced Syria and Russia. He also asked if he still agreed that Vladimir Putin interfered with U.S. elections to which the former CIA director replied, “Yes, Senator. I believe that’s correct.” And remember Mary Elizabeth Taylor? She was the Black woman seated behind Justice Neil Gorsuch during his confirmation hearing? She resurfaced in Pompeo’s hearing seated, again, behind the nominee. She works for the Trump administration in the WH Legislative Affairs office. More here.
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Tri-Caucus Members Demand Interior Focus on Diversity
Congresswomen Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA), with Congressman Donald McEachin (D-VA), led 28 of their colleagues in a letter slamming Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke for his comments that "diversity isn't important," "I don't care about diversity," and "I don't really think that's important anymore." In the letter, they urged Zinke to rethink his comments and focus his efforts on increasing diversity to keep up with the rapidly changing demographics of the nation. “Rather than moving away from encouraging diversity, you should be working to recruit and hire individuals from all background in compliance with DOI’s Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan. Additional efforts should be made to fully implement this plan at all of DOI’s various bureaus. ... We urge you to use such resources to champion diversity at DOI including by growing park visitation and expanding efforts to increase access to public lands for historically underrepresented communities.” Jayapal, McEachin, and Barragán are Co-Chairs of the United for Climate and Environmental Justice Task Force, which works to address the disproportionate impact of climate change on communities of color and other marginalized groups. See the full letter here.
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Former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara and former Acting AG Sally Yates in NYC at the Women In The World Summit at Lincoln Center on Thursday. | |  |
Congresswoman Mia Love (R-UT) on Wednesday with House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) during a Facebook live event on poverty. | |
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House Passes Stephanie Murphy’s Bipartisan Bill on Cyberstalking
This week, the House passed a bipartisan measure from Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy (D-FL) and Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) cracking down on stalkers targeting minors with overwhelming support from both sides of the aisle. The duo introduced the Combat Online Predators Act, in the fall. The bill increases criminal penalties on stalkers going after minors including those that take part in cyberstalking. Their bill also mandates the DOJ study federal, state and local laws targeting stalkers and reviewing the best practices to share with law enforcement agencies across the nation. “Cyberstalking is a serious threat to the safety of our children and, as a parent, I believe we must do everything we can to stop it,” said Murphy. “Our bipartisan bill will increase the maximum criminal penalty for stalking and cyberstalking of minors to send a clear signal that this atrocious crime will not be tolerated. It will also enhance the ability of law enforcement agencies to better identify and respond to cyberstalking so that parents can have greater peace of mind that their children are safe from predators. I’m encouraged that the House approved our bill today with overwhelming bipartisan support, and I urge the Senate to take it up immediately.” So far, there is no sponsor in the Senate. More here.
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Analysis Exposes Pay Gap Between Staff of Color and White Colleagues on Capitol Hill
A new LegiStorm analysis of congressional salaries found that white Capitol Hill staff make thousands a year more than their non-white colleagues. In the House, white staffers take home an annual salary that is, on average, $900 more than Asian aides, $2,000 more than Hispanic aides, and $3,500 more than Black aides. In the Senate, white staffers make about $4,800 more than Asian aides, $1,800 more than Hispanic aides, and a stunning $7,000 more than Black aides. These numbers include bonuses, if any. Legistorm found that many of Congress's top-paying job titles illustrate a job disparity -- non-white Chiefs of Staff make an average of $7,580 less in the House and $2,330 less in the Senate compared to their white counterparts. Non-white Legislative Directors make $1,630 less in the House and $5,690 less in the Senate. Overall, non-white staffers across Congress are paid less for jobs in policy, in communications, and in miscellaneous other jobs. The only place where this trend is actually the reverse? Constituent service jobs. Racial minorities who work in constituent service positions make $500 more in the House and $1,838 more in the Senate than their white peers. More here.
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Elijah Cummings Returns to the Hill
Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD) returned to Capitol Hill this week, after a three-month absence while recovering from an infection in his left knee caused by a ruptured cyst and gout. The 67-year-old was admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital in December and underwent two surgeries and intensive physical therapy. He has dropped a few pounds and is riding a scooter to get around for now. “I am excited to be back at work, and I am fueled by the outpouring of support I have received from my constituents and colleagues,” he said through a spokeswoman Thursday. “Now more than ever, we must defend our values and our democracy, and I am eager to continue this critical fight.” Beat DC readers may not have realized the Congressman’s absence. Though Cummings was not physically on the Hill, his staff continued to pressure the GOP-controlled House for oversight on Donald Trump. In February, Cummings filed paperwork to seek a 13th term in Congress. More here.
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Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms last week speaking at her ‘Fight the Blight’ initiative, a commitment to improving Atlanta’s economic development and public safety. | |  |
Kristen Brengel, National Park Conservation Association VP of Government Affairs, on the Hill with Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI) on Tuesday to advocate for park preservation. | |
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Barack and Michelle Obama Top Most Admired List
Barack and Michelle Obama are the second most admired man and woman in the world, based on polling from YouGov. The data analytics firm YouGov interviewed more than 37,000 people in 35 countries, asking them, “Thinking about people alive in the world today, which [man or woman] do you most admire?” Microsoft Founder Bill Gates is the number one most admired man, with 9.9% of those polled putting him at the top. Barack Obama nabbed the top spot in the survey among U.S. citizens with 24% of the vote. Highlighting the political divide in the country, Donald Trump took the second spot with 10%. On a country-by-country basis, Obama finished ahead of Trump in all of the surveyed nations except one: Russia. On the women’s side of the survey, former First Lady Michelle Obama ranked first, followed by Oprah. Globally, actress Angelina Jolie topped the “most admired” women’s list. More here.
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Kamala Harris Inducted into The Links
Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) has been inducted into The Links -- one of the nation’s oldest and largest volunteer service organizations of extraordinary women who are committed to enriching, sustaining and ensuring the culture and economic survival of African Americans and other persons of African ancestry. During a ceremony in downtown Los Angeles on April 6th, Dr. Glenda Newell-Harris, The Links national President, joined with nearly 300 Links from throughout the country to welcome Harris as one of the group’s 15,000+ members. “This is a true honor. This is an organization that for decades has been dedicated to Black women and Black professional women and dedicated to service and the service to others,” Harris said. “When I think of [being] a Link, [I think of] so many amazing women. I stand on their shoulders and I can’t wait to work in service with you. When we are connected together, we are stronger as individuals, we are stronger as a community and we are stronger as a country.” More here.
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Biden Foundation Board Adds Three
The Biden Foundation has named three more women to its Board. Micaela Fernández Allen (pictured) is Director of Global Public Policy at Walmart. Before she joined Walmart, the Ohio University grad was a Special Assistant to President Barack Obama in the Office of Legislative Affairs at the White House. Prior to that, Fernández Allen served as an Advisor to then–Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and also served as the Assistant Sergeant at Arms for the U.S. House of Representatives. She began her career in the office of former Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-CA). Nicole Isaac (pictured)is the Director of U.S. Public Policy and Government Affairs at LinkedIn. The Brown University grad -- who is also a graduate of UPenn’s School of Law and has Master’s degrees from both Columbia University and Oxford -- is responsible for LinkedIn’s day-to-day policy and government affairs portfolio, and engages with the Administration, Congress, and policy-oriented NGOs on issues ranging from privacy and security to workforce policy issues. Isaac previously served as Principal at theGROUP, taught at Georgetown University, and founded a social impact accelerator, Code the Streets, to increase resources to inner city communities. Isaac was previously a Special Assistant to President Barack Obama for Legislative Affairs. Before that, Isaac was Deputy Legislative Director for the VP Joe Biden. Darla Pomeroy, Manager of Pomeroy Investments, LLC. Fernández Allen, Isaac, and Pomeroy join existing Board Members former Senator Ted Kaufman, former Ambassador Mark Gitenstein, Valerie Biden Owens, Jeff Peck, and Mark Angelson. “Micaela, Nicole, and Darla’s considerable policy expertise from inside and outside Washington, and their demonstrated commitment to protecting and advancing dignity and equality for all people, will make a key addition to the Foundation’s board,” said Senator Ted Kaufman, Board Chair of the Biden Foundation. More here.
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First Black Woman Nominated to Serve as Brigadier General in the Marine Corps
Donald Trump has nominated the first African American woman for promotion to General. Marine Corps Col. Lorna M. Mahlock will be promoted to the rank of Brigadier General, if confirmed. She is currently the Deputy Director of Operations, Plans, Policies, and Operations Directorate at Marine Corps Headquarters in Washington. She previously served as the Commanding Officer of Marine Air Control Group 18 in Okinawa, Japan, overseeing 1,300 military and civilian personnel and was responsible for equipment and infrastructure worth $250 million. She also leads, maintains, and operates a unit with 400 marines, and $60 million in commercial network and satellite equipment in over 15 sovereign countries. The Marine Corps has a historically poor track record in attracting African American and female applicants to its ranks, and in 2012, launched a campaign to increase its diversity. Mahlock appears to be a well-suited face to reverse the trend. She previously worked with lawmakers as the Chief Information Officer of G6, engaging members in support of key Defense Department legislation in the 2014 National Defense Authorization Bill. She also coordinated with industry leaders like Sheryl Sandberg and Simon Sinek on human capital and talent management strategies. For a year, she worked at the Office of Legislative Affairs, managing the Marines’ manpower legislative portfolio for the CEO of the Marine Corps. She spent three years serving in the European Command in Germany, coordinating the activities of several arms of the military and Special Operations activities across 50 countries, including Turkey and Israel. The 1991 Marquette University graduate, who went on to earn a graduate degree in Adult and Higher Education from the University of Oklahoma, also has a Master's in Military Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. More here.
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Commentator Angela Rye on Wednesday in Philadelphia, PA with the obligatory cheesesteak. | |  |
Actor Richard Gere with RJ Reynolds' Lakeitha Anderson and Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute CEO Mary Ann Gómez Orta at their gala in DC on Wednesday. | |
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Super PAC Gives de León a Boost
State Senator Kevin de León just got a boost from the super PAC A Progressive California in his race to unseat Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). The boost came in the form of a 60-second spot and a five-figure buy designed to run over one day in LA media. It introduces de León by way of his speech at the California Democratic Convention -- where Feinstein’s failure to win the official party endorsement made national news. Backed by the California Nurses Association, one of the state’s largest unions, the PAC’s first buy is designed to show that there will be enough money to promote de León into the June 5th primary and beyond. California’s primary will set up a November runoff between the two top finishers. And De León can use the help. He ended 2017 with less than $400,000 in the bank; Feinstein ended with $9.8 million. See the ad here.
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Sacramento Man Challenges Ami Bera
Reginald Claytor, an aerospace mechanical worker, will challenge Congressman Ami Bera (D-CA) in California’s 7th Congressional District election. The 30-year-old credits former President Barack Obama with the decision to run. “I remember President Obama saying that if we had a problem with the way politics were going, to grab a clipboard and get some signatures and get involved,” he said. “So, me being just a regular person, I went for it. You can wear a suit, and you could look the part, but if you don’t have the heart for the people, then it doesn’t matter how you look.” Claytor earned his B.S. from the University of Phoenix and has worked at Aerojet Rocketdyne -- a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader -- since 2012. "I think it’s just time for regular people to run this country – regular people who go through regular problems, who have regular issues and who aren’t overly rich, who aren’t lifetime, career politicians,” he said. “It’s time for us to get more involved.” Claytor is not politically affiliated with any political party. Hence, he will face no one in the June 5th primary. More here.
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Congresswoman Linda Sánchez (D-CA) on Wednesday meeting with UK Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry. | |  |
Celebrity hairstylist Anthony Dickey, BET's Debra Lee and Naomi Campbell at the Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda Fashion Show in New York last weekend. | |
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Ajit Pai Rejects Senate Request to Investigate Sinclair
In a letter to Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai yesterday rejected a call from 12 Senators -- including Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) -- to investigate the Sinclair Broadcast Group for its "news distortion operation." The Senators has asked the FCC to review Sinclair’s license and pause its proposed merger with Tribune Media after it had anchors across the country read scripted promos warning of "fake news" and media bias. In his letter, Pai said an investigation would conflict with his commitment to the First Amendment and freedom of the press. "I understand that you disliked or disagreed with the content of particular broadcasts, but I can hardly think of an action more chilling of free speech than the federal government investigating a broadcast station because of disagreement with its news coverage," Pai wrote. The FCC’s Inspector General is investigating whether Pai improperly used his power to benefit Sinclair. More here.
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NAHJ Boasts Booming Membership
The National Association of Hispanic Journalists is boasting a seven-year high in membership. Executive Director Alberto B. Mendoza announced that the organization now has 2,227 members. Asked what factors contributed to the increase, NAHJ spokeswoman B.A. Snyder told Journal-isms, “The pillars of NAHJ focus on our Next Generation Initiatives, Training, Partnerships and Leadership. These areas are what bring the most value to current and potential members. We are very intentional with our approach on how to support these pillars and uphold the mission of NAHJ, both on a short term and long term basis.” The National Association of Black Journalists has 3,754 members. The Asian American Journalists Association has over 1,300 members, and the Native American Journalists Association have over 500 members.
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Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-CA) last week with former President Barack Obama. | |  |
White House Correspondent April Ryan yesterday joking with House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) about their surnames. | |
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LA Wins Suit Against Sessions Over Immigration Policy
A federal judge sided with the city of Los Angeles this week in ruling that the AG Jeff Sessions’ DOJ can’t make cooperation with federal immigration policies a consideration in awarding grants to local law enforcement agencies for community-oriented policing. U.S. District Judge Manuel Real deemed that the Justice Department had abused its power by awarding bonus points to grant applicants that commit to cooperating with federal immigration authorities and policies. The grant program was created to help local police departments hire officers for community-oriented policing, or COPS. Judges in San Francisco, Chicago, and Philadelphia also ruled against Trump over the administration’s attempt to make funding conditional on cooperation with its crackdown on undocumented immigrants. More here.
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Georgia Gets First Hispanic Serving Institution
Dalton State College is now the first Hispanic Serving Institution in Georgia.
The Department of Education confirmed the school was eligible for federal grants under the special designation, said Quincy Jenkins, Director of Dalton State's Hispanic/Latino outreach. The school will hold a celebration of the designation on April 26. To qualify as a Hispanic Serving Institution, at least 25% of a college's full-time equivalent undergraduate students must be Latino. The designation opens a college up for certain grant programs which can run from $500,000 to a couple million. As of December 2016, there were 416 Hispanic Serving Institutions across the country. Most are in California, Florida, Puerto Rico, and Texas. More here.
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Ben Carson Announces Visit to USVI and $1.6 Billion in Aid
HUD Secretary Ben Carson announced $1.6 billion in aid to the U.S. Virgin Islands as part of a $28 billion federal effort to support states and territories that were affected by natural disasters. He also committed to visiting the territory as they rebuild. “I have certainly been there in the past, and will be there during the building process,” Carson said during an interview. He also said the total investment in the U.S.V.I. this year of $1.8 billion, would not only harden the territory’s infrastructure and prepare it for a solid future, the funds would also help the territory better compete against its Caribbean counterparts. Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett (D-USVI) said, "It is pretty broad funding which can be used for quite a number of things, broadly in three areas: housing, economic revitalization and infrastructure." She says its successful administration will depend on how well and how quickly a comprehensive action plan can be put together and approved by HUD. "Basically the real purpose of this is to put the U.S. Virgin Islands in a very strong position for the future, as they compete with other entities in the Caribbean." More here.
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CBS This Morning’s Gayle King Wednesday enjoying a walk through DC’s beautiful cherry blossom trees. | |  |
Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA) on Wednesday with California State University at Long Beach President Jane Close Conoley and Student Government President Joe Nino supporting #CSU Hill Day. | |
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66 Young Black Elected Officials Release Letter To Combat Police Brutality
The National Black Caucus of the Young Elected Officials Network published an open letter to the Trump administration calling for an end violence and police brutality against Black communities. Key demands include a national push at all levels of government to prosecute police misconduct, systemic investigations when agencies are suspected of engaging in “pattern or practice” violations and discrimination, and an end to “broken windows” policing and “stop and frisk” policies that endanger the lives of young men of color. “We as members of the National Black Caucus of the Young Elected Officials Network (NBC YEO) stand together to call for immediate actions that lead our nation to ending police violence and state-supported violence on black people,” the letter reads. This step was sparked by the police killing of Stephon Clark, an issue White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders called a “local matter, and ... something that we feel should be left up to the local authorities at this point and time.” The letter, which was published on April 5th, was signed by 66 elected officials including State Representatives Jewell Jones (D-MI), David F. Bowen (D-WI), Shevrin D. Jones (D-FL), and Kamia L. Brown (D-FL). Read the full letter here.
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EPA Whistleblower Talks to Cummings and Other Top Dems
Congressmen Elijah Cummings (D-MD), Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA), and Donald S. Beyer, Jr. (D-VA), with Senators Tom Carper (D-DE) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), sent a letter to Donald Trump and a letter to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt expressing grave concerns about stunning new revelations they received this week from Kevin Chmielewski -- a long-time supporter and campaign aide of Trump who served as Pruitt’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations at EPA. In their letter to Trump, the members detailed the meeting with the whistleblower earlier this week and called on the 45 to finally hold Pruitt accountable. “While Mr. Chmielewski described himself as a lifelong Republican and a strong supporter of yours and the Vice President, he painted an extremely troubling picture of wasteful spending, unethical behavior, and improper retaliation against EPA staff on the part of EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. ... Given your recent statements about Administrator Pruitt’s ethical troubles, it appears that you may not have not received all the facts surrounding Administrator Pruitt’s spending, security arrangements, travel, living arrangements, and personnel actions, among other things.” In their letter to Pruitt, they set forth a lengthy set of specific allegations made by the whistleblower and made requests for multiple broad categories of documents based on the Chmielewski’s disclosures. “Mr. Chmielewski described an environment in which you sought to marginalize, remove or otherwise retaliate against agency employees who advised you not to take these troubling actions, or refused to take or justify such actions at your direction. ... The new information provided by Mr. Chmielewski, if accurate, leaves us certain that your leadership at EPA has been fraught with numerous and repeated unethical and potentially illegal actions on a wide range of consequential matters that you and some members of your staff directed.” Read more about the allegations here.
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| FOMO
Today, 5P: Congressional Black Associates hosts “Meet our Executive Board” happy hour. 201 Bar, 201 Massachusetts Ave NE.
Today: 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.
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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