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| This week brings an inevitable showdown in the Senate with SCOTUS nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch’s confirmation hanging in the balance. The GOP has intimated it will go nuclear and do away with the 60-vote threshold Senate rule to ensure their nominee is confirmed. What’s happening in Congress? The House meets at 12P with votes at 6:30P. The Senate convenes at 3P with a roll call vote at 5:30P. Meanwhile, Obama's 2008 DNC speech hits the auction block, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) has conflicting accounts with SCOTUS nominee, the FCC chair aims to unplug a Lifeline, and a Latino San Antonio councilman was called "boy" by the mayor -- we've got the video. Here's your Monday morning read...
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Gorsuch: The Senators are Judging You
Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) both say that they will oppose SCOTUS nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch’s confirmation, largely based on his record, but the senators also criticized him for not sitting down with them. His team denies that he refused to meet with them. More here.
How Trump is Rolling Back Obama’s Legacy
During Donald Trump’s first year in office, Congress and his administration plan to review, revoke and overwrite key parts of his predecessor’s domestic legacy. The WaPo takes a look at the Obama-era rules and regulations impacted by the current administration. More here.
Obama’s DNC Speech Expected to Sell for A Million Bucks
Yet here’s one way his legacy lives on. An auctioneer says a copy of former President Barack Obama’s 2008 DNC speech could command more than $1 million when it hits the auction block today. The 54 printed pages are inside a black binder that Obama had at the podium with him; he turned the pages as he read from a teleprompter in case the prompter went down. Bidding starts at $100K. We inquired how much it would be for just one half a page. No response. More here.
New Poll Shows GOP Has Record Low Opinions of African Americans
A new poll finds that a majority -- 55 percent -- of white Republicans believe that African Americans are worse off economically because most just don't have the motivation or will power to pull themselves up out of poverty. According to the General Social Survey, there has never been a bigger divide between white Republicans and Democrats when it comes to views of the intelligence and work ethic of African Americans. More here.
Actor George Takei Announces Congressional Run
Well…not really. He pranked us for April Fool’s Day. The "Star Trek" star sent Twitter into a frenzy on Saturday after retweeting a "bombshell" announcement: He's running for Congress in 2018 to unseat embattled California representative and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes. "Well, the cat's out of the bag it seems," Takei posted on Twitter with the hashtag #Takei2018. It was all just a prank. Oh my! More here.
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Obama Talked Jarrett Out of Running for Senate
On Friday, Valerie Jarrett revealed how close she came in 2008 to seeking an appointment to President Barack Obama's old Senate seat. "I did give it a lot of thought and I talked about it with both the president and the first lady.” She said Michelle Obama asked her to join them in DC. “The president…'I've thought about it and I think you need to come with us ... I know you and I know the U.S. Senate, and I think that you will be a part of something very important in this White House, where you can continue to advocate for the things you care most about...so why wouldn't you want to do that?” Jarrett conceded, “He was very right.” And she is still a faithful friend, as she has joined the Obama Foundation as an unpaid advisor. More here.
WH Gig Offered Steady Paycheck For Omarosa
For many making the decision to work in the WH, it comes at the cost of a healthy salary cut. But for Omarosa, it looks like it was her financial saving grace. Trump staffers released their financial disclosures and it looks like this is the 43-year-old’s first steady paycheck in a while. After losing her fiancée, Michael Clarke Duncan in 2012, he left her with a one-third share of a trust fund that could be worth between $1 million and $5 million. But since, Omarosa’s finances have been spotty at best, as her disclosures show she was paid $400 as a substitute teacher in Los Angeles. More here.
GOP Propose Funding Border Wall with Money Immigrants Send Back Home
A group of House Republicans on Thursday introduced the first major bill to fund President Trump’s border wall, saying the government could collect billions of dollars by imposing a two percent fee on all the money Mexicans and other immigrants send back home in remittances. Two PA Republican MOCs, Congressmen Mike Rogers and Lou Barletta, are leading the effort. More here.
Native Americans in Coal Country
When thousands of Native Americans converged near the Standing Rock Indian Reservation last year, their stance against the Dakota Access oil pipeline became a global symbol of indigenous opposition to the pro-drilling, pro-mining agenda that Trump adopted. But some of the country’s largest tribes derive their budgets from the very fossil fuels that Trump has pledged to promote. Several Indian nations are looking to the president’s promises to nix Obama-era coal rules, pull back on regulations, or approve new oil and gas wells to help them lift their economies and wrest control from a federal bureaucracy they have often seen as burdensome. More here.
CBC Heads to Howard
The CBC today will head to Howard University to participate in a student town hall. MoCs attending include CBC Chair Cedric Richmond (D-LA), Bobby Scott (D-VA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Greg Meeks (D-NY), and Hank Johnson (D-GA). More here.
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Race to Replace Becerra is Tomorrow
The special election for the 34th congressional district to fill the seat left by Xavier Becerra is tomorrow. There are 24 candidates vying to fill the vacancy in the central Los Angeles district. The LA Times tells you what you should know if you’re one of the 305,000 voters in the district, and why you should care even if you aren’t. More here.
FCC Chair Aims to Unplug the Lifeline
Ajit Pai, the FCC's Republican chairman, wants to block requests by dozens of small and rural Internet providers hoping to offer subsidized broadband connections to low-income Americans nationwide, saying that state officials should decide whether to allow those companies to participate in the federal program known as Lifeline. More here.
Black PACs Bypass DNC and Ready for Next Election Cycle
As the Democratic Party rebuilds, a set of Black-led PACs have begun carving out their own lane for fundraising and for their advocacy priorities. By quickly moving to support Black candidates, organize Black donors, and lock into a tailored progressive agenda, the various orgs have some lofty goals. BuzzFeed’s Darren Sands speaks with Collective PAC’s Quentin James, Black Youth Project’s Jessica Pierce, and strategist Jamal Simmons. Read his piece here.
Judge Rules Trump Incited Violence Against African American Protestors
A federal judge in Kentucky ruled against efforts by Trump's attorneys to throw out a lawsuit accusing him of inciting violence against protesters at a March 2016 campaign rally in Louisville. At the rally, Trump repeatedly said “get 'em out of here” before -- according to the protesters, some of whom were African American -- they were shoved and punched by his supporters. Apparently his supporters, and this judge, take Donald Trump literally and seriously. More here.
DOJ Fights Back Against HI Judge
Looks like this administration may frequently bounce between the White House and the courthouse. On Thursday, the DOJ filed its notice of appeal to the freeze on Trump’s revised travel ban imposed by a federal judge in Hawaii. The move means that the case will once again head to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, which upheld the court-imposed suspension of Trump’s first travel ban before the president revoked and rewrote the executive order. More here.
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Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) speaking against SCOTUS nominee Neil Gorsuch in DC on Saturday. | |  |
Eleven presidents, chancellors and administrators from 19 HBCUs specializing in agriculture met with the HBCU Caucus on Thursday. Their goal was to figure out how to encourage states to meet matching fund requirements so HBCUs don't end up having to leave millions of federal dollars on the table. | |  |
Congressman Tony Cárdenas (D-CA) celebrates his birthday on Friday. | |
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Joyce Beatty Has Request for Ben Carson
Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (D-OH), joined by Congressman Steve Stivers (D-OH), sent a letter to HUD Secretary Dr. Ben Carson requesting the agency conduct a study to determine if local, community-led surveys can better help the federal government address homeless issues in the United States. The letter requests the study be conducted in HUD Region Five, which includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. More here.
Silicon Valley Congressman’s Bill Would Actually Benefit Trump Country
Obama alumnus Congressman Ro Khanna (D-CA) is preparing to introduce a bill that proposes a $1 trillion expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit, which would roughly double the amount of money going into the pockets of low-income families. And here’s the kicker -- the biggest beneficiaries wouldn’t be Khanna’s well-heeled constituents in Cupertino or Santa Clara. It’s Trump’s core supporters in rural America who would have the most to gain. More here.
Mexico Gets $17 Billion Windfall on Trump-Driven Peso Drop
The Mexican government received $17.1 billion from its central bank’s yearly profits, driven in large part by a Trump-triggered plunge in the peso’s value. Mexico's central bank, Banco de México, or Banxico, reported record-breaking profits, which by law are shared with the Secretariat of Finance and Public Credit, the country's equivalent of the Treasury Department. Banxico's record-breaking surplus is more than $4 billion higher than last year's. More here.
April’s Reign
One of the few Black journalists in the WH press corps, April Ryan has covered presidents and clashed with press secretaries for 20 years. But her encounters with the Trump administration are propelling the 49-year-old, Baltimore-bred journalist to a new level of prominence -- and into a contentious debate over this White House’s attitudes toward gender and race. She was just named to CNN as a contributor. She is profiled in the NY Times here.
April Ryan Breaks it Down with Jacque Reid
April Ryan also spoke with Tom Joyner Morning Show correspondent Jacque Reid about her week in the headlines and testy relationship with WH Press Secretary Sean Spicer. “I believe that we are under attack. The media. Journalism. We are under attack. When you try to diminish and suppress the press it becomes a dictatorship,” Ryan said to Reid. Listen to the entire interview here.
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FL GOP Targets State’s Atty for Refusing to Pursue Death Penalty
FL State Attorney Aramis Ayala refused to seek the death penalty for a man accused of killing a police officer. Hence, after refusing to resign, Gov. Rick Scott removed her from the case. Now, a GOP budget proposal is seeking to slash more than $1.4 million and 21 positions from Ayala’s office, a move that her spokeswoman, Eryka Washington, has decried as “political posturing” that would cripple its ability to prosecute cases. More here.
Muslim Immigrant Running for CA Lt. Governor
A Pakistani-born doctor, Asif Mahmood, announced that he is joining the 2018 race for California’s Lieutenant Governor on a platform of saving the Affordable Care Act, providing free community college education, and fighting what he termed "Donald Trump's hate." "I am a proud Muslim and I love America," he said on Wednesday at a news conference in front of the downtown federal building that houses a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office. More here.
VA Gubernatorial Candidate’s Rally Gets Shut Down for Anti-Immigration Rhetoric
VA gubernatorial candidate Corey Stewart’s campaign originally booked a Harrisonburg restaurant for his “Rally to End Illegal Immigration.” But the restaurant canceled last week after receiving phone calls and emails from members of Harrisonburg Indivisible and other local activists. Complaining about Stewart’s “divisive rhetoric,” they told restaurant managers they would no longer patronize the eatery if it hosted the rally. More here.
MD Black Caucus Fight to Change Criminal Justice System
Maryland’s legislative Black Caucus has added its influential voice to that of the state attorney general and Maryland’s highest court about the inequities of a bail system that is tilted against poor people. What the court understood, and what the Black Caucus endorsed, is that decisions about who should be jailed should be tied to a defendant’s flight risk and threat to public safety, and not to their bank accounts. Cash bail disproportionately affects minorities who, locked up as they await trial (often for minor offenses), often lose jobs and homes and even see their families break apart. More here.
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Angela Rye snaps a selfie before participating in Twitter's social media influencers panel. She is joined by Jamilah Lemieux, April Reign, Brittany Packnett, and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. | |  |
CBC Members met with civil rights leaders last week on Capitol Hill. | |  |
CBCF's Tasha Cole speaking at Spelman College in Atlanta on Saturday as part of Running Start's efforts to encourage young women to run for office. | |
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| Beyonce’s Lemonade Inspires Week-Long College Course
Now that we've spilled all the tea, let us pour you some lemonade. Starting today, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) announced seven days of lectures, events and programming based on Beyoncé's visual album "Lemonade." The syllabus will orchestrate discussions such as the lives, loves and pain of Black women. Faculty and students in UTC's English, Art, Theater, History, and Exercise Science departments, and Women's Studies program will come together to delve more deeply into these topics during daily events. More here.
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CBC Members talk education at the CBC Institute's 21st Century Council meeting on Saturday. | |  |
Congresswoman Nanette Barragán (D-CA) introduces her two interns to LA Mayor Eric Garcetti. | |  |
Congressman Ro Khana (D-CA) before appearing on Bloomberg TV. | |
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Historic African American Officer Dies
William T. Coleman Jr., who helped draft the landmark 1954 legal case in which the Supreme Court ruled that segregation in public schools was illegal, and who later became the country’s second Black Cabinet officer after President Gerald Ford named him Transportation Secretary, died March 31st at his home in Alexandria, Va. He was 96. More here.
Diversity in March for Science
One month and four diversity statements after its launch, the March for Science is announcing three new figureheads. Two are prominent scientists and vocal advocates for diversity in science: Mona Hanna-Attisha, the pediatrician who first exposed dangerous lead poisoning among the mostly poor Black kids in Flint, Michigan, and Lydia Villa-Komaroff, a molecular biologist famous for helping to figure out how to get bacteria to make insulin. The march’s third leader is the only bona fide celebrity: ‘90s pop-science phenomenon Bill Nye. More here.
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Underground Unearthed
An old photo album containing a rare portrait of the legendary Underground Railroad conductor Harriet Tubman has been jointly acquired by the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. The new image of Tubman is among 44 rare images in the album, including the only known photograph of John Willis Menard, the first African American man elected to the U.S. Congress. More here.
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The Milk River PAC hosted GOP commentator Ana Navarro and Congresswoman Yvette Clark (D-NY) for an interactive dialogue on women in politics. | |  |
María Hinojosa with actor John Leguizamo at the NY Public Theater on Saturday. | |  |
Obama alumnus David Johns speaking at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government on Saturday. | |
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Congressman Joe Crawley (D-NY), Jehmu Green, Ken Mehlman, and Anna Palmer. |
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All In Together
Mastercards’s Nichole Francis Reynolds, former DNC Chair candidate Jehmu Green, former senator Bob Kerrey, Ken Mehlman of KKR, and Gretchen Carlson and Sallie Krawcheck of Ellevest, spoke at the All In Together Campaign's Women in Financial Services Policy Forum on Friday in NYC.
The All In Together Campaign (AIT), co-founded by Edda Collins Coleman, Courtney Emerson, and Lauren Leader-Chivee, is a non-partisan women’s organization committed to delivering cross-sector, innovative solutions to advance the progress of women's political, civic and professional leadership. More on the event here.
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| VIDEOS
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DNC Chair Tom Pérez referencing the GOP at a rally in NJ: “They don’t give a sh*t about people.” | |  |
A San Antonio councilman who happens to be Latino, must keep his cool after being called "boy" by the mayor. #PeopleOfColorAtWork | |  |
Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) talks about what’s happening in Congress and the work of the CHC to protect children and families. | |
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(Fear of Missing Out) Have any receptions, fundraisers, policy roundtables happening? Send us the deets. We'll include. If it's invite only, we'll give just enough to inspire a few hundred cases of FOMO. Hit us at info@TheBeatDC.
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