|
|
IT’S A REPEAT… Donald Trump kicked off his 2020 campaign last night in Orlando with old material: Hillary’s emails, demonizing immigrants, and bused-in sycophants chanting CNN sucks. WHEN THEY SEE US… Trump on Tuesday doubled down on his comments about the five teens-now adults who were wrongly convicted for the rape of a jogger in Central Park in 1989, saying they had "admitted their guilt." He used them to advocate for bringing back the death penalty in 1989 in NY. NO DEFENSE… Trump lost his acting secretary of defense, Patrick Shanahan, after a WaPo report detailed a violent incident from 2011, in which Shanahan’s son attacked his mother with a baseball bat. Trump tapped Mark Esper, a former Raytheon lobbyist, as acting defense secretary Tuesday afternoon. M’s BS… New details have surfaced on exactly how journalist Jamal Khashoggi died. Brutally. ICE COLD… ICE is reportedly preparing for mass arrests of undocumented immigrants in the coming weeks. The news comes as the president will sit for his first Spanish-language interview since taking office with Noticias Telemundo’s José Díaz-Balart, which will air Thursday. HICKS ON THE HILL… Former Trump confidant Hope Hicks, whose name appears 184 times in the Mueller report, will face lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee for the first time today since the report became public. JUNETEENTH… The first Congressional hearing on reparations is taking place this morning. Actor Danny Glover and writer Ta-Nehisi Coates will testify. Watch live. REPARATIONS HAPPENED ALREADY? Yep. According to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) who said the Civil War, civil rights legislation, and the election of President Barack Obama pretty much leveled the playing field. A tad more complicated than that, but just for fun, maybe after today’s hearing we message the Senator and say... MITCH BETTA HAVE MY MONEY! We’re kicking off your Wednesday with this...
- Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) says it’s time for energy-efficient schools.
- Morehouse grad launches a Senate bid.
- Congressman Donald McEachin (D-VA) wants robocallers prosecuted.
- California Governor apologizes to Native Americans.
- Former Congressman Keith Elison is back with a word for his former colleagues.
- Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) called detention centers concentration camps. Check it out in Blogs.
| |
|  |
Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL) and Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin in Alabama last week at the A.G. Gaston Motel in AL, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once stayed and strategized.
| |  |
Political commentator Kurt Bardella with singer Carrie Underwood in Indianapolis over the weekend.
| |
| | |
Catherine Cortez Masto Says It’s Time for Energy Efficient Schools
There is currently a $46 billion annual shortfall in funding for public school infrastructure. In schools throughout the country, buildings often lack proper heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) is hoping to change that. She introduced the Renew America’s Schools Act on Tuesday, legislation that would provide crucial support to schools to make critical infrastructure upgrades that she said would improve energy efficiency and reduce costs. Energy costs for K-12 schools total approximately $8 billion annually nationwide, but according to the Environmental Protection Agency, $2 billion of those dollars can be saved by improving energy efficiency. This cost is equivalent to about 40 million new textbooks or hiring an additional 50,000 teachers at current salaries. Cortez Masto’s bill, which she introduced with Congressman Dave Loebsack (D-IA), would create a federal grant program through the Department of Energy that would provide $100 million annually for five years to provide funding to K-12 schools to make eligible energy efficiency improvements. This would include things like ventilation, lighting upgrades, and zero-emissions vehicles as well as the installation of necessary infrastructure for those vehicles. “Nevada is a leader in the use of energy efficient technologies and with this legislation we can bring that innovation into our schools nationally, reduce costs for our school districts and improve the health of our communities by using more zero-emission school buses to safely transport our kids,” Cortez Masto said. More here.
| |
Donald McEachin Wants Robocallers Locked Up
No matter where you fall on the political divide, most can agree on one thing: robocalls are super annoying. Now, the folks behind them could be prosecuted thanks to legislation introduced on Tuesday by Congressman Donald McEachin (D-VA). The Locking Up Robocallers Act, which McEachin introduced with Congressman Pete Olson (R-TX), would direct the FCC to provide evidence of unlawful robocall violations to the attorney general. This would strengthen enforcement of current robocall laws aimed at ending the scourge of predatory robocalls and allow the DOJ to prosecute criminals who engage in deceptive and illegal robocall practices. “Robocalls can be a nuisance or even predatory,” said McEachin. “This bill will allow for greater transparency and oversight over the enforcement of robocaller infractions which is desperately needed at a time when robocalls are on the rise.” According to the FCC, they receive over 200,000 complaints a year from residents receiving predatory robocalls. Another FCC report shows that an estimated 26.3 billion robocalls were made to mobile phones and more than 47 billion were made in total to phones in the U.S. in 2018. This May alone, robocallers rang Americans’ smartphones an estimated 4.7 billion times, according to YouMail. That’s nearly double the amount from two years ago. More here.
| |
Ro Khanna Launches War Powers Caucus
Congressman Ro Khanna (D-CA) just launched the bipartisan War Powers Caucus with Congressman Andy Biggs (R-AZ). The unlikely duo said the Caucus is “dedicated to restoring Congress’s constitutionally-mandated authority over matters of war and peace.” Khanna said it should be a bipartisan priority to redirect military spending toward “priorities here at home.” The group, who will be debating the nation’s role in global affairs, has good timing. Worries about a confrontation between Iran and the U.S. have mounted since attacks last week on two oil tankers near the entrance to the Gulf. DC blamed long-time foe Iran for the incidents. Donald Trump said he was prepared to take military action to stop Tehran from getting a nuclear bomb but left open whether he would back the use of force to protect the Gulf oil supplies that American officials fear may be under threat by Iran. Khanna said his goal is removing the U.S. from “endless wars as the pillars of our foreign policy.” He also added that they encourage their colleagues to join the Caucus and “help us in our pursuit to make sure Congress remains a co-equal branch of government and has a say in matters of war and peace.” Joining them as original members of the Caucus are Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Congressman Ken Buck (R-CO). More here.
| |
|  |
Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-MA) and Colonel Meyers delivering the Seal of the Marines last week for display in the lawmaker's Capitol Hill office.
| |  |
San Juan, PR Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz with human rights activist Pedro Julio Serrano earlier this month at the Pride festival in San Juan.
| |
| | |
Maxine Waters Wants Facebook to Pause Cryptocurrency
Facebook and a consortium of partners on Tuesday unveiled Libra, the blockchain project that the social media giant has been working on over the past year. Libra is an open-source digital currency that people will be able to use to transfer money to peers or merchants over the internet. Facebook is also introducing a digital wallet, Calibra, for users to store and exchange the currency. But Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) wants the company to slow its roll. “Given the company’s troubled past, I am requesting that Facebook agree to a moratorium on any movement forward on developing a cryptocurrency until Congress and regulators have the opportunity to examine these issues and take action,” said Waters, chair of House Financial Services. “Facebook has data on billions of people and has repeatedly shown a disregard for the protection and careful use of this data. It has also exposed Americans to malicious and fake accounts from bad actors, including Russian intelligence and transnational traffickers. Facebook has also been fined large sums and remains under a Federal Trade Commission consent order for deceiving consumers and failing to keep consumer data private, and has also been sued by the government for violating fair housing laws on its advertising platform.” She said that Facebook is continuing its unchecked expansion and extending its reach into the lives of its users adding that the cryptocurrency market currently lacks a clear regulatory framework to provide strong protections for investors, consumers, and the economy. “Regulators should see this as a wake-up call to get serious about the privacy and national security concerns, cybersecurity risks, and trading risks that are posed by cryptocurrencies. Read her full statement here.
| |
Vicente González Calls for Study to Help Lower Prescription Drug Costs
As a growing number of people grapple with the rising cost of medicines, lawmakers want the controversial role that pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) play in prescription drug pricing studied. PBMs are a third-party administrator of prescription-drug programs for end payers, such as private insurers and Medicare Part D plans. Congressman Vicente González (D-TX) introduced the Pharmacy Benefit Manager Accountability Study Act last week, which would direct the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study on the role pharmaceutical benefit managers play in the pharmaceutical supply chain. He was joined by Congressmen Dr. Roger Marshall (R-KS), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Buddy Carter (R-GA). They said the study would equip lawmakers to provide realistic recommendations for legislative action to lower the cost of prescription drugs for consumers and payers, improve the efficiency of the pharmaceutical supply chain by lowering intermediary costs, increase competition, and provide transparency in pharmacy benefit management. “This bipartisan legislation will give us greater insight on how to more effectively conduct oversight and hold all major healthcare industry stakeholders accountable while lowering the prices of prescription drugs so no person is forced to choose between putting food on the table, paying their bills or buying necessary medications,” said Gonzáles. The U.S. boasts some of the highest prescription drug prices of any developed country. One in 10 Americans skips doses to save money, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More here.
| |
Judy Chu Brings PRIDE to Tax Code for LGBTQ Couples
Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-CA) announced legislation Tuesday designed to give same-sex couples a chance to go back and refile tax returns from before 2013, making them eligible for back-refunds from before the IRS recognized same-sex marriages. The Promoting Respect for Individuals’ Dignity and Equality (PRIDE) Act, which Chu introduced with Congressman Andy Levin (D-MI), would also remove gendered language like “husband” and “wife” from the tax code to accommodate same-sex couples. Instead, tax filings will use “spouses” and “married couple.” Chu said that Pride Month is a chance for everyone to celebrate equality. “However, that is not the case in our tax code where discriminatory language and restrictions are still intact,” she added. “We know that families come in all forms and it’s time our federal paperwork reflect that.” More here.
| |
|  |
CBS News correspondent Errol Barnett and bride Ariana Tolbert following their nuptials in Jamaica last month.
| |  |
The Daily Show's Ronny Chieng and Trevor Noah last week on set in NYC during rehearsal.
| |
| | |
Democrat Eric Mansfield on Tuesday officially launched a challenge to incumbent Republican Senator Thom Tillis. Mansfield is a physician and a former Democratic member of the North Carolina Senate. He told Morning Consult that he favors an “evolution” toward “Medicare for All,” beginning with expanding Medicaid in every state, over an immediate “revolution” toward a single-payer health care system. He said he is not in favor of the House launching impeachment proceedings. Instead, he said, Democrats should focus on defeating the incumbent in 2020 by talking about what they’re for rather than what they’re against. The Louisiana native, who is a graduate of Howard University and the Morehouse School of Medicine, served as a medical officer in the Army and was stationed at Fort Bragg; he also later received a Master’s in Public Health from the University of North Carolina in the summer of 2010. He stayed in NC after his military service, opening up his own practice before being elected to the state Senate in 2010. Mansfield unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor in 2012. He was ordained as a minister in the Union Baptist Association in 2001 and is now an associate minister at Mount Peace Baptist Church in Raleigh, NC. “My experience as a leader — be it in the military, in the pulpit, in the NC Senate, or in the operating room — has shown me that there are so many ways and places for each of us to work for other people,” Mansfield said in a statement. “I have decided that the best place for me to do that is in the United States Senate.” View his campaign launch video here.
| |
NYC School Principal Launches Congressional Bid
New York City middle school principal Jamaal Bowman on Tuesday announced that he would jump into the Democratic primary race to oust 16-term incumbent Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY). In his announcement, Bowman pledged to fight for Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, universal childcare, and criminal justice reform. He said he will also focus on education and children. "We need to nurture the future of America by investing in our schools," Bowman said. "It's time to build a new America, a new America that taps into its unlimited potential. A new America that leverages the brilliance of children and people from diverse backgrounds. That's the America I want to be a part of." Bowman is the founding principal of Cornerstone Academy for Social Action Middle School and has worked as an educator for over 15 years. He was trained to be a school leader by New Leaders for New Schools in 2008 -- the organization is a national principal recruitment and training program. Before joining New Leaders, the 43-year-old NYC native served as a guidance counselor, teacher, and dean of students at The High School of Art and Technology at the Martin Luther King Jr. Campus. Bowman was also an elementary school teacher at P.S. 90 in the Bronx for 5 years. The 1999 University of New Haven grad, who earned his Master’s from Mercy College and EdD from Manhattanville College, has the backing of Justice Democrats -- the group that helped launch the campaign of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) last year. We recently told you that special education teacher Andom Ghebreghiorgis had also jumped into the primary race against Engel. Watch Bowman's launch video here.
| |
|  |
Korey Wise of the Central Park Five with Rev. Al Sharpton at the House of Justice in NYC last week.
| |  |
San Francisco Mayor London Breed centered by attendees of the Bay Area Women's Summit last week.
| |
| | |
Keith Ellison Leads 22 State AGs in Pressing Congress on Election Security
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison led 22 fellow Democratic state attorneys general in a letter to the leaders from each party of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Senate Rules Committee, begging them to work together to bolster election security in the states, including passing legislation. “Our state and local election officials are on the front-lines of the fight to protect our election infrastructure, but they lack the resources necessary to combat a sophisticated foreign adversary like Russia,” they wrote. The attorneys general cited reports that Russia researched and targeted election infrastructure in all 50 states, including installing malware on a voting systems software company used in eight states, as justification for the additional focus on security. “Securing our election systems is a matter of national security and we hope that you will take immediate action to protect our election infrastructure and restore Americans’ trust in our election systems,” the group wrote. Senate Democrats are trying to push through election security legislation, but Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has refused to allow a vote on legislation related to the issue. Donald Trump said in a TV interview last week that he would be willing to accept information on a campaign opponent from a foreign government. "Our democracy works only if we can trust the integrity of our elections — and that integrity was breached in 2016," said Ellison, a former Congressman. "I put together this coalition of attorneys general because as the chief legal officers of our states, we know it is past time for Congress to act." Read the full letter here.
| |
Julián Castro’s Housing Plan, Part Deux
Presidential contender Julián Castro on Tuesday released the second portion of his housing plan, which focuses on environmentally sustainable housing. The plan would establish a $200 billion Green Infrastructure Fund to expand and improve public transportation, make buildings more energy efficient, improve climate resilience, modernize the grid, and create public electric vehicle charging stations. Castro's plan describes the investments as part of an effort to achieve net-zero global greenhouse emissions by 2050 and "meet the promise of the Green New Deal." He also called for stronger enforcement of rules designed to curb housing discrimination. Castro said the federal government should also play a larger role in desegregating neighborhoods and protecting them from gentrification and displacement. His plan would provide $75 billion in aid to small businesses to boost struggling communities. That amount would be separate from the $200 billion fund. More here.
| |
|  |
Hamilton's Marc delaCruz and Eddy Lee backstage on Broadway getting ready for showtime.
| |  |
Democrat Andrew Gillam with his wife, R. Jai, last month celebrating their tenth anniversary in Paris.
| |
| | |
California Governor Issues Apology to the State’s Native Americans
California Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday issued an executive order apologizing for the past violence against Native Americans on behalf of the state and its citizens, making him the first to do so. Hundreds of thousands of Native Americans speaking up to 80 languages populated California for thousands of years. But when California became the property of the U.S. as one of the spoils of the Mexican-American War in 1848, the federal government had to make room for white settlers and to lay claim to gold on traditional tribal lands. The government, with a vengeance, armed local militias to rid the state of Native Americans. In just 20 years, 80% of California’s Native Americans were wiped out. California’s genocide is one of the most heinous chapters in the state’s troubled racial history, which also includes forced sterilizations of people of Mexican descent and the internment of up to 120,000 people of Japanese descent during World War II. “We can never undo the wrongs inflicted on the peoples who have lived on this land that we now call California since time immemorial, but we can work together to build bridges, tell the truth about our past and begin to heal deep wounds,” Newsom said. The executive order came as more than 100 tribal leaders met in Sacramento for an annual meeting. More here.
| |
Indiana AG Sued for Sexual Misconduct
Four women have filed a lawsuit alleging that Indiana state Attorney General Curtis Hill (R) groped them at a party last year. The women include IN state Rep. Mara Candelaria Reardon (D) as well as Niki DaSilva, Samantha Lozano, and Gabrielle McLemore -- state legislative staffers. They allege the incidents occurred at an Indianapolis party celebrating the end of the legislative session last year. They all said that they have tried to “comply with the existing reporting procedures and systems in place to address sexual harassment in their workplace,” but that the existing systems do not adequately protect state employees. IN Special Prosecutor Daniel Sigler refused to bring charges against Hill last year, saying that while he found the women’s stories to be “true and credible,” he did not have the evidence for prosecution. The lawsuit includes allegations that Hill put his hands under Representative Candelaria Reardon’s clothes and grabbed her behind; grabbed a legislative employee’s behind; and inappropriately touched two of the other staffers. “I want him to know how profoundly he’s affected all of our lives,” Reardon tearfully told The Daily Beast. “This isn’t a game.” Hill has denied the allegations. More here.
| |
|  |
Texas Democratic Congresswomen Verónica Escobar and Sylvia García in DC last week, stuck at the airport during a 4-hour delay.
| |  |
Race and ethnicity-in-film scholar Nancy Yuen donning the Angry Asian blogger garb.
| |
| | |
Herro Mustafa Nominated as Ambassador to Bulgaria
Herro Mustafa has been nominated to become the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States to Bulgaria. She is currently deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Portugal; was political minister counselor at the U.S. Embassy in India; and also served as Iran desk officer at the National Security Council. While in DC, she was an advisor to former VP Joe Biden; Deputy Director of the Office of Afghanistan in the Department of State; the Chief of Staff/Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs; and also served as a Director at the National Security Council. The Georgetown University graduate holds a Master’s from Princeton University. Her life is the subject of the documentary American Herro, which covers Herro's early childhood as a Kurdish-Muslim refugee from Iraq. She fled with her family from Iraqi Kurdistan while under Saddam Hussein's regime to Minot, North Dakota. The film also looks at her career as a diplomat stationed in Bosnia, Turkey, Iraq, and elsewhere. She speaks nine languages, including Arabic, Russian, Hindi, and Farsi. More here.
| |
Ajit Pai Forms Agricultural Task Force
The FCC announced on Monday that Chairman Ajit Pai is forming an advisory task force to identify gaps in broadband internet access on farmland and recommend policies to expand access to unserved farmlands. Pai said the task force would focus on fostering precision agriculture technologies, such as crop-monitoring drones. “As I’ve traveled the country, I’ve seen the amazing efficiencies, innovations, and improvements that high-speed Internet brings to today’s farms and ranches,” said Pai. “I’ve seen other farms and ranches from Virginia to California that are using technology to put more and better food on our tables. This is the present and the future of American agriculture, and we must do whatever we can to support these producers and enhance precision Agriculture.” The task force will work the Department of Agriculture and public and private stakeholders, according to an announcement. The FCC is seeking nominations to participate on this 15-member task force -- officially called the Task Force for Reviewing the Connectivity and Technology Needs of Precision Agriculture in the United States -- including “representatives of Tribal agriculture,” among others. We’ll keep you posted on its diversity. More here.
| |
| FOMO
Today: LatinoJustice PRLDEF hosts their 10th annual Latina Trailblazers Breakfast to honor the achievements of Latina women who have paved the way for future Latina leaders. Tribeca Rooftop, 2 Desbrosses St, NY. Click here for more information.
Today, 6P: Muslim Public Affairs Council hosts its 6th Annual Empowering Voices Awards. This year's honorees include political commentator Mehdi Hasan, Yemeni American educator and activist Dr. Debbie Almontaser, and the Department of Justice's Eric Treene. Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill, 400 New Jersey Ave, N.W., DC. Click here for more information.
Wednesday, June 26th - Sunday, June 30th: The National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women's Annual Legislative Conference, bringing together policymakers, industry leaders, and stakeholders for thought-provoking conversation around real issues that directly affect Black women and their families. Chicago, IL. Click here for more information.
Thursday, June 27th, 7P: Management Leadership for Tomorrow’s 15th Anniversary Awards Gala Dinner, celebrating underrepresented minorities who are advancing to senior leadership roles in their organizations and communities. The evening honors those working to advance African American, Latinx, and Native American women and men. Grand Hyatt, 109 E 42nd Street, NYC. Click here for more information.
Tuesday, July 9th, 6:30P: The Multicultural Media Correspondents Dinner. Honorees include Congresswoman Val Demings (D-FL). National Press Club, 529 14th St N.W., DC. Click here for more information.
Saturday, July 20th - Wednesday, July 24th: The 110th NAACP Annual Convention, convening policymakers, activists, and organizers to strategize about the work NAACP has to do to ensure that the integrity of our democracy and shape the wellbeing of our communities. Cobo Center, 1 Washington Blvd, Detroit, MI. Click here for more information.
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
