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Another trip around the sun brings fresh problems for the administration. Jared Kushner is now a “person of interest” in the Russia investigation, bringing the circle of scrutiny close to Donald Trump. Speaking of 45, he’s having quite the international tour. From shoving aside a prime minister to get to the front of the photo to being dodged by a fellow president, you would think he was in adversarial waters -- not meeting with our NATO allies. He’s been treating our friends like our enemies and vice-versa, sending shock waves through the international scene. Trump also had a private lunch with new French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday, which prompted a widely mocked photograph of the pair shaking hands, where death grips were on display evidenced by Trump’s knuckles turning white. To be fair, the president is a tad bit sensitive about hand-holding these days. The good news? It’s a long weekend leading to recess next week! We’ve got lots for you to read this weekend:- President Obama tees off in Scotland.
- Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD) is recovering from heart surgery.
- There's trouble with the Puerto Rican Day Parade.
- The place to be last night was the Multicultural Media Correspondents Dinner. We've got pics!
- Meet the people of color who just joined the Trump administration.
- An Obama alumnus joins the Board of Edison.
- The CBC asks "What did Trump do?"
- Eugene Robinson chairs the Pulitzer.
- Congresswoman Linda Sánchez (D-CA) joins the Latino Leaders Summit. Want to go? RSVP below in FOMO!
- The Beat is taking a rest on Monday. See y'all on Tuesday!
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Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) on Wednesday participated in Fostering Youth Voices on Capitol Hill. | |  |
Congresswomen Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and Grace Meng (D-NY) join protestors to speak out against the WH budget. | |
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| Obama Touches Down in Scotland
President Barack Obama arrived in Edinburgh this morning by private jet ahead of a charity event where he will address philanthropy and business leaders. The dinner at the EICC -- one of the ex-President's first addresses since he left office -- was organized by The Hunter Foundation, the charity set up by leading businessman and philanthropist Sir Tom Hunter. Guests will get the chance to take part in an auction event -- with two great prizes on offer. Two winners will get walk-in parts in the next JK Rowling's Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them movie. But first: golf. Obama headed straight to St. Andrews for a round where was joined by Hunter. After completing the third hole, Obama spoke to the crowd, who had been following him around the course. He shook hands with people and asked them how they were doing before heading back to play golf. More here.
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Cummings Recovering from Heart Surgery
On Wednesday, Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD) underwent “minimally invasive” heart surgery and will be recovering in a Baltimore hospital for the next few days, the lawmaker’s office said in a statement Thursday. The procedure, called Trans Arterial Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR), was to correct a narrowing of the aortic valve. Cummings, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, will recover at Johns Hopkins Hospital before returning “to his normal schedule,” the statement said. More here.
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Maxine Waters Wants Answers -- You Can Take that to the Bank
Democrats on the House Financial Services Committee are asking Deutsche Bank to hand over any information that could shed light on Trump’s special relationship with Russia. In a letter to the bank signed by Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) and four other Democratic members of the committee, the lawmakers wrote: “We (are) seeking information relating to two internal reviews reportedly conducted by Deutsche Bank (“Bank”): one regarding its 2011 Russian mirror trading scandal and the other regarding its review of the personal accounts of President Donald Trump and his family members held at the Bank.” Read the full letter here.
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Congressman André Carson (D-IN) joined the entire Indiana delegation for dinner with VP Mike Pence and his family on Monday night. | |  |
Michael Eric Dyson with Ludacris on Thursday. | |
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DNC Launches Voter Fraud Commission
The Democratic National Committee is launching a new voting commission to combat a recently announced Trump administration effort -- to investigate voter fraud -- which Democrats fear will lead to voter suppression in poor and minority communities. The commission will work to counter the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity by debunking the myth of widespread voter fraud in the United States and demonstrating the difficulty of voting in areas affected by voter suppression. Jason Kander, President of Let America Vote and a former Missouri Secretary of State, will chair the commission with Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL) serving as vice-chair. More here.
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Ex-Clinton Aide Feels Violated After Russia Used Her Identity to Influence Election
Amanda Rentería, the former National Political Director for the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, says she feels "deeply" personally violated by reports that Russians used her identity to spread misinformation during the 2016 election. Rentería, the highest ranking Latina in the campaign, was reacting to a WaPo report that FBI Director James Comey relied on a document considered unreliable and possibly fake by the FBI during his probe of Hillary Clinton's use of a private e-mail server while she was Secretary of State. According to the Post, FBI officials became more certain late last summer that there was nothing to substantiate the Russian document, which described a supposed email suggesting then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch had told Rentería privately that she would not let the FBI investigation go too far into Clinton. More here.
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Brookings Institution's Dr. Nicole Turner Lee discussing Internet access and connectivity for all. | |  |
Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) with an Air Force graduate and his family. She had nominated him to the Air Force Academy. | |
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Blown by the Fourth Circuit -- Next Stop SCOTUS
In another blow to the administration, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a ban on enforcing one of Trump's key executive orders. The federal appeals court in Richmond, VA, on Thursday refused to reinstate the Trump administration’s revised travel ban, saying it discriminated on the basis of religion. The decision was a fresh setback for the administration’s efforts to limit travel from several predominantly Muslim countries. The case is now likely to go to the Supreme Court. More here.
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| Groups Push Against Expanding Offshore Drilling
A broad group of 38 Latino, African American, Asian American, and indigenous groups yesterday sent a letter to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke urging him to stop Trump administration plans to expand offshore drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic, among other waters.“Communities in the United States and around the world are directly suffering the impacts of climate change on their health, security, and way of life, and want action. Our communities cannot wait,” says the letter. “Not only are we more likely to experience asthma, sea-level rise, and other negative health impacts due to the pollution driven by carbon and other fossil fuels, millions in our communities rely on healthy oceans to sustain our economies and feed our families.” Read the entire letter here.
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Dr. Ben Chavis, Kevonne Small, dinner organizer David Morgan, and Congressman Tony Cárdenas (D-CA), | |  |
CNN commentator María Cardona from the Dewey Group, Rosa Mendoza from Hispanic Technology & Telecommunications Partnership, and AT&T's Susie Santana. | |
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Diversity in Media Celebrated
The second annual Multicultural Media Correspondents Dinner was held last night at the National Press Club, with honorees including Suzanne Gamboa from NBC Latino, director Robert Rodríguez, and Congressman Tony Cárdenas (D-CA), founder of the Multicultural Media Caucus, who was recognized as a champion of diversity in the media. Throughout my career, I’ve strived to be a voice for diversity and inclusion,” said Cárdenas. “A diverse media in front of and behind the camera is not just a way to ensure all Americans are heard and represented -- it’s also good for business. I will not stop fighting for these issues until our media fully represents the diverse voices of America.” Honorees also included Juan Williams, radio broadcaster Joe Madison, and Dr. Ben Chavis of the National Newspaper Publishers Association. More here.
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Danny Vargas, with son Daniel and movie director Robert Rodríguez. | |  |
Congresswoman Yvette Clark (D-NY) addresses the crowd. | |
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Obama Alumnus Elected to Board of Directors for Edison
Edison International and Southern California Edison announced that Michael C. Camuñez has been elected to the board of directors of each company, effective June 15th. Camuñez, 48, is President & CEO of ManattJones Global Strategies, LLC. Prior to joining ManattJones Global Strategies in 2013, Camuñez served in the Department of Commerce as Assistant Secretary for Market Access and Compliance. He also previously served as Special Counsel to President Obama in the Office of the White House Counsel, where he helped manage senior appointments to the Cabinet. Camuñez currently serves on the boards of the Pacific Council on International Policy and the U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a J.D. from Stanford Law School. More here.
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Visas to Muslim Majority Countries Down
Donald Trump's 'Muslim ban' may be tied up in court, but Politico reports that newly released figures show his administration is issuing fewer visas to visitors from Arab and Muslim-majority countries. Data posted online this week by the State Department showed that non-immigrant visas granted to people from nearly 50 Muslim-majority countries were down almost 20 percent in April compared to the 2016 monthly average. When only Arab countries were considered, non-immigrant visas were down nearly 30 percent in April compared to the 2016 monthly average. Visas issued to the six countries targeted by Trump's March 6 travel ban -- Iran, Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Libya and Yemen -- declined even further, down 55 percent compared to the 2016 monthly average. More here.
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Onslaught of Scandals Hurt Diversity Efforts
Below, we highlight some diverse hires at the SBA. But that does not negate the many Black and Latino staffers and aides throughout DC who worry that the increasing complications, scandal, and scrutiny surrounding the Trump White House will mean even less diversity. That situation could have enormous consequences when it comes to the implementation of policy issues like immigration and criminal justice -- places where Donald Trump and AG Jeff Sessions diverge from even some in their own party. Since temporary appointments eventually expire, an administration source said it seemed possible that the administration could lose as many as three-fourths of its Black, non-White House appointees. On May 4th, a handful of Hispanic leaders met at the WH to discuss DACA, as well as the economy and wages among Hispanic workers. In the meeting, chief strategist Steve Bannon stunned the group with a request: "We need more Hispanics in this administration," he said, according to three sources familiar with his comments, and asked the Hispanic leaders to flood the zone and get back to the administration with qualified candidates. But then yet another scandal struck. More here.
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María Hinojosa working out with a friend. We see those guns! | |  |
The Joint Center's Spencer Overton joining a panel on TV One's News Now with Roland Martin. | |
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CBC Asks Again -- What Did Trump Do?
On Thursday, the CBC released their sixth installment of their “What Did Trump Do?” short, which informs audiences about Trump administration policies and programs and how they impact the African American community. This installment focuses on Trump’s first budget proposal, which proposes to eliminate or significantly decrease funding for several programs that benefit African Americans. This particular document highlights cuts to Medicaid, Pell Grants, and the Federal Work Study Program. The CBC points out that Trump’s budget would eliminate programs like the Minority Business Development Agency, Low-income Home Energy Assistance Program, and National Infrastructure Investments. Click here to see the program specifics and how eliminating them will impact you.
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Bennie Thompson Says No to Trump Surrogate Sheriff David Clarke
On Thursday, Congressman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) joined 11 other House Homeland Security Committee Dems and signed a letter to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly urging him not to appoint Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke to a post at his agency. “We understand that the Department [of Homeland Security] has yet to make an announcement about this position and strongly urge you not to consider Sheriff Clarke as candidate for this important office or any other within DHS,” they wrote in a letter to Kelly. The group said that Clarke’s “troubling record” includes plagiarism allegations and “multiple inmate deaths” under his watch in Milwaukee County. More here.
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Congressman Tim Scott (R-SC) with students from Wright Middle School in South Carolina at Joint Base Myer-Henderson. | |  |
Trans activist Janet Mock interviews Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) for her podcast. | |
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Sponsors Hightail It From Puerto Rican Parade
Goya, AT&T, Jet Blue, and the New York Yankees are among several well-known sponsors of New York City’s annual Puerto Rican Day parade that have pulled their support amid growing controversy over the decision by parade organizers to honor Puerto Rican nationalist Oscar López Rivera with “Prócer de la Libertad,” or “National Freedom Hero” and lead the parade down Fifth Avenue on June 11th. López Rivera was recently freed after serving more than 35 years in prison. He was a leader of a Puerto Rican pro-independence group responsible for more than 100 bombings across the United States during the 1970s and early ‘80s that killed six people and injured many others, although he was never accused nor convicted in any bombings and has maintained he never participated in any illegal activities. More here from the WaPo.
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Alabama Governor Signs Law Giving Thousands of Felons Their Right to Vote Back
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has signed a bill restoring the voting rights to thousands of Alabama felons. Voting rights were granted to some felons after the Definition of Moral Turpitude Act was approved. Though no official definition was given, crimes of “moral turpitude” were commonly understood as crimes more frequently committed by Black citizens. Reportedly, the purpose of the disenfranchisement provision was to “establish white supremacy in this state.” And that’s exactly what the law did. Under the new bill, less than 50 specific “felonies that involve moral turpitude” will disqualify a person from exercising his or her right to vote. More here.
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Congressman Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) meets with the mother of a murdered child as he works with the Navajo to improve the Amber Alert System. | |  |
Chris Lu joined AAPI Dems in Virginia on Wednesday and was presented an award by the parents of Joe Montano -- a staffer for Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) who passed away. | |
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Journalists from Hispanic Serving Institutions and HBCUs Selected for Dow Jones News Fund Multimedia Training Academy
Twelve journalism instructors from Hispanic Serving Institutions and HBCUs have been selected to participate in the eighth-annual Dow Jones News Fund Multimedia Training Academy in June at the University of Texas at El Paso. Thanks to a grant provided by the Dow Jones News Fund, Borderzine organizes this annual workshop training geared to multimedia journalism instructors who teach in institutions with a large minority population. The week-long multimedia-journalism academy helps journalism educators acquire new skills in digital storytelling that they can use to help prepare the next generation of Latino and African American college journalists. See the chosen few here.
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Eugene Robinson Chairs Pulitzer Prize Board
Columbia University announced that Eugene Robinson, Associate Editor and columnist for the WaPo, has been elected chair of the Pulitzer Prize Board. The chair serves a one-year appointment, while board members serve a maximum of nine years. Robinson succeeds the trio of board chairs for 2016-17: Randell Beck, retired president and publisher of Argus Leader Media in Sioux Falls, S.D.; Joyce Dehli, a fellow at the Edmund J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University; and Keven Ann Willey, VP and Editorial Page Editor of The Dallas Morning News. A member of the National Association of Black Journalists, Robinson was elected to the organization’s Hall of Fame. Robinson is the author of three books: Coal to Cream: A Black Man’s Journey Beyond Color to an Affirmation of Race; Last Dance in Havana; and Disintegration: The Splintering of Black America. More here.
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Richard Prince Asks News NYT Editor: Where Are Your Reporters of Color Covering this Admin
Richard Prince writes that much is being made of the rivalry between the NYT and the WaPo that resulted in a dizzying series of scoops in the two papers last week about Donald Trump and his associates’ ties to Russia. Such investigative revelations can have not only far-reaching consequences for the nation but also career-enhancing rewards for the journalists who break the stories. In the case of the Times and Post, however, none of those journalists is African American or Hispanic. Prince asked NYT Executive Editor Dean Baquet, who attributed the low representation to an industry-wide problem. “There are not enough investigative reporters who happen to be African American or Latino,” Baquet said by email. See other responses here.
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APALA's Greg Cendana with the unofficial Fillipino caucus. | |  | NBC Asian America's Traci Lee and NBC Latino's Suzanne Gamboa, honorees at last night's second-annual Multicultural Media Correspondents Dinner at the National Press Club. | |
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Diverse Hires at the SBA
The Small Business Administration has made some diverse hires. On Thursday, Administrator Linda McMahon announced the appointment of Peter Cazamias for the Office of International Trade; Robb Wong for the Office of Government Contracting and Business Development; and Allen Gutierréz for the Office of Entrepreneurial Development.
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Peter Cazamias is responsible for administrating the newly reorganized department with oversight and execution of four program divisions: (1) The Federal & State Trade Development Division, (2) The International Trade Finance Division, (3) The International Affairs & Trade Policy Division, and (4) Administration & Operations with focus on Budget, Human Resources, and Management. Prior to joining the SBA, Cazamias consulted with an entrepreneurial partnership on a real estate private equity fund. He also spent seven years in the energy industry and served as a Marine officer on active duty until October 2002. He received a BA from Yale University, a law degree from The University of Texas, and an MBA in finance from The University of Pennsylvania. Cazamias is fluent in Spanish, Italian and French, and speaks some Mandarin.
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Robb Wong advocates for small businesses in federal government contracting across government. Wong started his career as an SBA attorney in the Office of General Counsel; then was a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Houston District Office; and later was the SBA Acting District Director/Counsel in the Lubbock District Office. From 1996 to 2017, Wong held several leadership positions in several small businesses that successfully used the SBA's products and programs to enhance their growth. He is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center.
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Allen Gutiérrez oversees a nationwide network of offices, business executives, and mentors that support current and aspiring business owners as they start, grow, and compete in today's global market. Most recently, Gutierrez served as the national Executive Director of the Latino Coalition. Gutiérrez previously served in the SBA as Senior Advisor to the Chief Operating Officer, as well as Senior Advisor to the Office of International Trade. Born in San José, Costa Rica, Gutiérrez immigrated to California in 1974. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in political science with a minor in business administration from the University of Southern California.
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HACR's Cid Wilson with CHCI Alumni President Amilcar Guzmán at the Public Policy Fellows graduation ceremony on Wednesday. | |  |
TV personality Jawn Murray with event planner and celeb connector Bobette Gilette at The Source on Thursday night. | |
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Struck By a Car and Policeman Asks About Papers
A 31-year-old undocumented Honduran bicyclist, Marcos Antonio Huete, was hit by a car in Key West, FL on his way to work. The policeman's camera shows him inquiring about the victim's immigration status before offering medical assistance. Still on the ground, Huete answers with monosyllables before using a cell phone to call his sister, who arrived at the scene soon after. Hours after the accident, Huete left the hospital on crutches and was sent to the Krome Detention Center near Miami, where he has spent almost a month in detention pending possible deportation. More here.
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Gerrymandering Back in Front of SCOTUS
Racial gerrymanders have been undone many times, most recently when SCOTUS ruled against a pair of North Carolina congressional districts this week. But another case from that same state, heading into federal court next month, has a shot at eventually persuading the justices to do what they’ve never done before: strike down an election map as an unconstitutionally partisan gerrymander. Roll Call reports that the new lawsuit involving NC congressional districts stands to provide just such a rationale. That’s especially true if it ends up getting paired with a similar case involving Wisconsin’s state legislature districts, which the Supreme Court seems virtually certain to consider in its term beginning this fall. Plaintiffs in both cases say the maps tilt election outcomes so much in favor of Republicans as to violate Democratic voters’ rights of free expression and equal protection. More here.
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| FOMOTuesday, May 30th, 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.
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 Congresswomen Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), and Linda Sánchez (D-CA). 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
Sunday, June 25th - 26th: The 25th-annual Mervyn and Stephanie Tubbs Jones Memorial Scholarship Classic. Click here to register.
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