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Much of the globe breathed a heavy sigh of relief as Marine Le Pen (known as the Donald Trump of France) was defeated by Emmanuel Macron in the Frech elections on Sunday. Back in the states, former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates is in the spotlight today as she heads to the Hill to talk about what she told the administration about former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn's communication with Russia. She appears before the Senate Judiciary panel at 2:30P. Over the weekend, there was more fallout from the public over the controversial bill to repeal the ACA. Now that the bill made it out of the House, all eyes are on the Senate to see if the legislation is dead on arrival. Given the blowback House Republicans faced from angry constituents, it is highly unlikely that the bill -- as it is currently written -- will become the law of the land. For an idiot's guide to what's in and what's out of the new bill, click here. Here's what's up for the week:- Barack Obama receives Profile in Courage award.
- There's a new Standing Rock, and it's called Bears Ears.
- FLOTUS44 Michelle Obama hosted college signing day.
- Congressman Raúl Labrador (R-ID) gets shut down at townhall.
- More people watch Joy Ann Reid than Morning Joe.
- Ajit Pai is moving his agenda -- whether you like it or not.
- Puerto Rico is closing 184 public schools.
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Rosalía Fajardo with CHCI's Eleazar Gutierrez at Friday's Cinco De Mayo celebration at the Mexican Embassy. | |  |
The Raben Group's Zuraya Tapia-Hadley, Rosa Mendoza from Hispanic Technology & Telecommunications Partnership, and AT&T's Susie Santana at Friday's Cinco De Mayo celebration at the Mexican Embassy. | |
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Obama Asks Congress for Courage on Healthcare
Former President Barack Obama pulled no punches on Sunday evening, coming out in defense of his legacy Sunday night as he accepted the Profile in Courage award from the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston (click the image to watch the full speech). Obama defended his administration’s signature legislation, the Affordable Care Act, just days after House Republicans passed a plan to replace it. “It actually doesn’t take a lot of courage to aid those who are already powerful,” Obama said. “It does take courage to champion the vulnerable, and the sick and the infirm.” Obama also spoke of having optimism in the face of what he called “a time of great cynicism about our institutions.” POTUS44 was presented with the award by JFK daughter Caroline Kennedy, who was Obama’s ambassador to Japan. More here from ABC News.
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Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) with a constituent at a townhall on Saturday. | |  |
Feminist Chimamanda Adichie having some laughs with The Daily Show's Trevor Noah on Friday. | |
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Michelle Obama Hosts College Signing Day
On Friday, former First Lady Michelle Obama hosted the fourth-annual MTV College Signing Day at the Public Theater in New York City. Mrs. Obama, who graduated from Princeton undergrad/Harvard Law School, was accompanied by models Ashley Graham and Bella Hadid, Nick Cannon, Jaimie Alexander, Olivia Palmero, The Roots musicians Black Thought and Questlove, Robin Roberts, Tamron Hall, and others. The event encourages students as they make the commitment to continue their higher education after high school by attending a four-year university, community college, vocational or technical school, or by joining the military. “I might not live in the White House anymore, but Barack and I are going to keep on celebrating you all and supporting you and lifting you up no matter what house we live in,” she said. “Our belief in the power of education to transform your lives is real and it’s going to be at the core of everything that we do going forward.” More here.
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PODER PAC's Delia García with FiveThirtyEight's Perry Bacon at Friday's Latino VIP soirée. | |  | Virginia consultant Danny Vargas and his wife Arlene Quiñones Vargas at Friday's Latino VIP party. | |
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Labrador: “No one dies because they don’t have access to health care”
After the House GOP passed the unpopular legislation to reform and replace the ACA with no sense of how much it would cost or how many Americans it would (or won't) cover, or whether the Senate will even act on it, it was time to go home and face constituents. At a town hall in Lewiston, ID, a woman said that Trumpcare's major cuts to Medicaid would lead to people dying. Congressman Raúl Labrador (R-ID), a member of the House Freedom Caucus, responded by stating, “That line is so indefensible. Nobody dies because they don’t have access to health care.” He was calling HER statement indefensible?? The audience was not happy. Click on the video to see their response.
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Bobby Scott’s Chief of Staff Retires
No one has been with Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA) longer than Joni Ivey. She started with the congressman when he was just 24 years old, going back to his initial election to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1977. She eventually became his CoS in his congressional office, and after four decades on the Hill, is stepping down. Last week, Congressman Scott paid homage to Ivey on the House floor, noting that "her passion in this regard is what helped ground me and our staff to focus on what we can do every day." More here.
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Harris and Feinstein Introduce Resolution Commemorating LA Unrest
California Democratic senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris recently introduced a resolution commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Los Angeles civil unrest. “While this anniversary is a painful reminder of a dark period in our nation’s history, it should also serve as a moment for us to reflect on and acknowledge the strides made within the community and the Los Angeles Police Department,” Harris said in a statement. “This community has organized to improve conditions while the department has made important strides to prevent civil unrest of that magnitude, but there is still much more to do to strengthen the bonds of trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.” More here.
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| On our inaugural podcast, we caught up with activist and political commentator Jeff Johnson. The media personality is launching a new TV show on BET Networks with Executive Producer Steve Harvey called The Man Cave. The Beat’s Jamal Simmons talks to Jeff about the show, Donald Trump, his relationship with Omarosa, and his journey back to BET. The full episode will be available tomorrow. Until then, here’s a sneak peek.
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More Viewers Seek AM Joy than Morning Joe
An MSNBC press release boasting about ratings gains put Morning Joe on the top, noting it had 849,000 total viewers. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the release, and you’ll find that more people are watching AM Joy. On Saturdays, 981,000 people watched the program, and 810,000 tuned in on Sundays. The press release came out in February. The AM Joy upward trend has continued in the months since, according to Nielsen data. AM Joy had 87,000 more total viewers than Morning Joe in April. Joy-Ann Reid celebrated her one-year anniversary with MSNBC on Sunday. More here.
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California love: Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), and Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-CA) locked in West Coast unison. | |  |
MSNBC's Joy Reid interviews House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Sunday. | |
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FCC Chair Ajit Pai Got More Accomplished Than His Boss -- That May Not be a Good Thing
WaPo profiles Ajit Pai, the Republican chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Elevated by Trump to the role in January, the Indian American telecom regulator has worked to reduce his agency's profile. He has proposed transferring some of the FCC's authority over Internet providers to other regulators, for example, and has questioned the need for key policies enacted under the Obama administration. Facing scant organized resistance, Pai is establishing himself as the vanguard of a wave of deregulation that could set the tone for the industry for years. With a 2-to-1 majority at the commission, Republicans can ram through their preferred policies with ease. Before a Senate committee in March, Pai repeatedly declined to reject the notion -- advanced by Trump in a tweet -- that the mainstream media are the “enemy of the people.” Pai eventually noted that Trump had been referring to “fake news,” which the chairman said was a “political debate into which I will not be wading.” Read the full profile here.
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Trump Questions Whether Key Funding Source for HBCUs is Constitutional
Trump staffer Omarosa has touted her position as one that would protect and advance protection for HBCUs. For everyone who cast doubtful side-eyes her way, it looks like it may have been with good reason. Time will tell, but on Friday the White House released a signing statement connected to the recently approved federal funding measure. WaPo reports that tucked away in the last paragraph, the WH announced that it would treat a program that helps HBCUs get low-cost construction loans “in a manner consistent with the (Constitutional) requirement to afford equal protection of the laws.” Trump’s signing statement was blasted by Congressman John Conyers Jr. (D-MI), the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, and CBC Chair Congressman Cedric L. Richmond (D-LA). Higher education circles worried that the statement meant that the president was planning to get rid of a capital financing program that helps HBCUs repair, renovate, and build new facilities. Congress approved the program in 1992 after finding that “HBCUs often face significant challenges in accessing traditional funding resources at reasonable rates,” according to the Education Department. More here from April Ryan.
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Congressman Joyce Beatty (D-OH) is presented with the 2017 Women Heart Wenger Award for Excellence in Public Policy on Friday. | |  |
Congressman Don Evans (D-PA) at DC's Broccoli City festival on Friday. | |
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WH Fires First Black Woman Chief Usher
WaPo reports that the White House has fired its chief usher, Angella Reid, the first woman and second African American to hold the position. When the WH residence staff arrived at work Friday morning, they were told that Reid was no longer employed. Reached by phone, Reid declined to comment, saying only, “I think it’s best if the White House explains.” During Friday’s daily briefing with reporters, Deputy WH Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that the deputy usher will serve as the acting usher. “We left on very good terms and wish her the very best and certainly hope for great things for her in the future. However, it’s not uncommon you might have a transition of staff when a new administration comes in. It’s nothing more than that.” The job is one that typically involves a long tenure -- there have been just nine since the beginning of the 20th century. The White House declined to provide any specific reasons behind Reid's departure. More here.
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AIPAC's Darius Jones bids farewell to his colleague Jenny Feuer, whose last day with the organization was Friday. They were joined by Trump appointee Ashley Bell. | |  |
NAN's Dr. Marcus Bright, Judge Greg Mathis, and Congresswoman Fredricka Wilson (D-FL), with students participating in College Singing Day in Miami on Friday. | |
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Latino Leaders Weigh In on Trump
With Trump’s 100 days in the rear view mirror, several Latino groups are still wondering when they’ll be meeting with him. "We are a bipartisan group and he hasn't once reached out to us for a meeting even though we have requested it," says Héctor Sánchez, president of the National Hispanic Leadership Association, or NHLA. National Council of La Raza (NCLR) CEO and President Janet Murguía says his policies leave much to be desired and his outreach to the community has been weak. I've never seen anything like this. It's a new low in the relationship that the president's office has had with the Latino community," said Murguía. But his supporters disagree. “You have high-ranking officials coming to talk with us and paying attention to us immediately. If we didn't matter they wouldn't be talking with us," says Manny Rosales of the Latino Coalition. "The president is interested in the community and what we have to say." More here from NBC Latino.
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#NoMuslimBanEver National Week of Resistance
Today at 1P, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Amnesty International, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the DC Justice for Muslims Coalition, South Asian Americans Leading Together, and other organizations are hosting a rally against the Muslim travel ban outside of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Virginia. Judges on that court will today hear the administration’s appeal to reinstate the ban. This rally is part of the #NoMuslimBanEver National Week of Resistance. More information her
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First African American Librarian of Congress Throws Out Opening Pitch at Nats Game
This evening, Carla Hayden, the first woman and first African American Librarian of Congress, will throw out the first pitch at a Major League baseball game. Roll Call reports that Hayden has the honor as the Washington Nationals face the Baltimore Orioles in Baltimore. Hayden was sworn in as the 14th head of the Library of Congress in September. In her previous career, she worked to keep a Baltimore library branch open when riots rocked the city in 2015 after Freddie Gray died in police custody. She started her career in the Chicago Public Library system. Tonight’s game starts at 7:05P. More here.
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Rev. Al Sharpton talking healthcare with Ali Velshi in the NBC green room on Friday. | |  |
Rodney Shelton, MGM's Malik Husser, and Cornell Belcher at dinner at Union Market on Friday. | |
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Black and Hispanic Unemployment Numbers Above National Figure
On Friday, the Department of Labor (DOL) announced that the national unemployment rate had dropped to 4.4 percent, the lowest figure in almost exactly ten years, since shortly before the onset of the recession. WaPo reports that there’s a division in the numbers that’s worth pointing out. While the unemployment rate for whites was below the national figure, at 3.8 percent, the figures for Black and Hispanic Americans were both above that. The rate for Hispanics was 5.2 percent -- and for Blacks, 7.9 percent. Since the DOL began breaking out unemployment numbers by race and ethnicity, the unemployment rates for Black and Hispanic Americans have never been below that for whites. Not in any single month. What’s more, the rate for Black Americans has never been less than 66 percent higher than that for whites -- and since January 1974, it has been at least twice the rate for whites 80 percent of the time. More here.
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Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-NY) sat down with Flippable's Catherine Vaughan and Joseph Bandera. | |  |
Maryland State Delegate Nick Mosby (D) with Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby, actor Charles S. Dutton, and friends in Baltimore on Friday. | |
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Desiree Rogers Exits Ebony
Former Obama White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers, CEO of Johnson Publishing, will exit the Chicago company next month. With her departure, Chairman Linda Johnson Rice will reclaim both titles of her namesake firm, the former parent of Ebony and Jet magazines. Rogers, who led Johnson cosmetics unit Fashion Fair, will leave the company on June 2nd, Johnson Publishing said in a statement. The news comes as the Ebony and Jet operations wind down in the city after nearly all its local employees were dismissed this week. Those operations were sold to a Texas investment firm last year. The Chicago Tribune reported the magazines will move to California. More here.
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Rice Calls Slavery an American Birth Defect
During an interview yesterday on the CBS show Sunday Morning, former Secretary of State and ex-National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice compared slavery to a birth defect (click image to play video). We forget in the United States how long it has taken us to make 'We the People' mean people like me. And indeed, I do think that America was born with a birth defect; it was slavery,” said the Alabama native and first African American woman to be the country’s top diplomat. Rice mentioned that the United States was a completely different place before the civil rights movement and compared that era to “the second founding of America,” adding that “I do think that when we were finally able to deliver the promise of the Constitution to people like me, little girls growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, when finally my father was able to vote without difficulty, yes, it's the second founding of America. The first founding wasn't quite complete.” More here from CBS News.
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Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino Executive Director Estuardo Rodríguez, The Beat's Tiffany D. Cross and artist Maricela Lechuga at Friday's Latin VIP Cinco de Mayo party. | |  |
The Raben Group's Daniel Herrera (on the violin) performing with Los Gallos Negros at the Latin VIP Cinco de Mayo celebration in downtown DC. | |
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The New Standing Rock
After seven years of organizing, the Bears Ears Inter-tribal coalition -- made up of the Hopi, Navajo, Uintah and Ouray Ute, Ute Mountain Ute and Zuni Nations -- played a key role in securing the protection of 1.35 million acres surrounding Bears Ears from development and resource extraction just before President Barack Obama left office. But Donald Trump recently ordered the Interior Department to review the size and scope of national monuments larger than 100,000 acres created since 1996. He complained that these designations “unilaterally put millions of acres of land and water under strict federal control,” called them a “massive federal land grab,” and directed Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to review and reverse some of them. A recent NYT op-ed asks will this issue become the new Standing Rock. Click here to read.
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The Acting U.S. Surgeon General
Rear Admiral Sylvia Trent-Adams was named acting U.S. Surgeon General swiftly after the Trump administration asked General Vivek Murthy to resign in April. Murthy had two years left on his four-year appointment, and Trent-Adams was serving as his deputy. Trent-Adams still has to be confirmed by the Senate before assuming the position officially. According to reports, Murthy refused to resign and was fired. Trent-Adams has not made any public appearances or statements since her appointment as acting U.S. Surgeon General. NBCBLK offers five things you need to know about the third African American to hold this position. More here.
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Congressman Rubén Kihuen (D-NV) delivered the keynote speech during UNLV's School of Social Work pinning ceremony. | |  |
April Ryan with her two daughters seeing Hamilton on Broadway on Saturday. | |
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Police Chiefs Decry Sanctuary City Legislation in Texas
Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott last night signed into law legislation that would ban "sanctuary cities" in the state, forcing officers to ask the immigration status of every individual they detain, while enacting fines on police that refuse to comply with the law. Abbott signed it via Facebook Live on Sunday evening without previous notice and without the press or the bill's authors present. The police chiefs of the state's two largest cities, Houston and Dallas, published an op-ed in the Dallas Morning News last week, calling immigration enforcement a "burden" on local law enforcement agencies. They say it will drive a wedge between law enforcement and immigrant communities. Click here to read their concerns. Democrats have promised a legal challenge to the law, which goes into effect September 1st.
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Cincinnati May Get Black Woman Mayor
Cincinnati Councilwoman Yvette Simpson upset incumbent Mayor John Cranley by more than 2,000 votes in last week’s mayoral primary. The two will face off again in November. After graduating from Miami University in 2004, Simpson received her law degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law. She practiced law at several firms before developing and directing Miami University’s first Pre-Law Program. In 2014, Simpson received her M.B.A. degree from Xavier University. She currently serves as Counsel at Ulmer & Berne LLP. She was endorsed by Quentin and Stefanie James’ Collective PAC, a group dedicated to helping Black candidates. A member of Delta Sigma Theta, Simpson's race has earned national attention, as the number of women running for office has increased since the election of Donald Trump. More about her here.
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Puerto Rico To Close 184 Public Schools
The AP reports that Puerto Rico is closing 184 public schools in a move expected to save millions of dollars amid a deep economic crisis that has sparked an exodus to the U.S. mainland in the past decade. Education Department spokeswoman Yolanda Rosaly said that officials will relocate 27,000 students and more than 2,000 teachers to other schools. The closures will occur once the school year ends this month. The island has seen school enrollment drop 42 percent in the past three decades, and an additional 22 percent drop is expected in upcoming years. Nearly half a million island residents have moved to the states in the past decade. More here.
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Walgreen's Alethia Jackson with Keegan-Michael Key of comedy duo Key & Peele. | |  |
Congressman Ami Bera (D-CA) standing with Planned Parenthood protesting the vote to repeal the ACA on Thursday. | |
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Angela Rye Offers Word of Advice for Tomi Lahren in Defense of Maxine Waters
Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) called Donald Trump a “disgusting, poor excuse of a man” and slammed his Cabinet as “ill-prepared, right-wing billionaires" -- which was tweeted out by The Hill. Former Blaze host Tomi Lahren replied via Twitter, “Damn, I wonder what that makes you Maxine.” Enter Angela Rye who clapped back on Auntie Maxine’s behalf. “So first of all, don’t you ever call -- Tomi -- an older Black woman by her first name. Get it right," Rye began. Click the image to play the video.
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|  | Korn Ferry's Conrad Woody, a Howard University alumni, served as MC for the HBCUs alumni dinner on Friday. | |  |
Wilberforce University President Dr. Herman Felton presents Women's March organizer Tamika D. Mallory with an honorary doctorate on Saturday. | |
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Scared by Trump Policies, More Central Americans Turn to Mexico
The Trump administration has pointed to a sharp decline in immigrant detentions in the first few months of this year as a vindication for the president's tough immigration policies, which have sent shudders through immigrant communities across the continent. Reuters reports that Mexican asylum data and testimony from migrants in the southern Mexican city of Tenosique suggest that although fewer Central Americans are trying to enter the United States, plenty are still fleeing their poor, violent home countries, with many deciding to stay longer in Mexico, which has traditionally been a transit country. The number of people applying for asylum in Mexico has soared by more than 150 percent since Donald Trump was elected president, Reuters reported last month, while some Mexican immigrants would rather set up in Canada than the United States. Between Trump's election in November and March, 5421 people applied for asylum in Mexico, up from 2148 people in the same period a year earlier, Mexican government data shows. More here.
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Former Education Secretary Dr. John King at the Education Leaders of Color meeting. | |  |
Participants at the Education Leaders of Color gathering. | |  |
Investment advisor Mellody Hobson speaks during the Education Leaders of Color convening. | |
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Education Leaders Meet to Elevate Voices
Education Leaders of Color (EdLoC), an invitation-only network of leaders, convened more than 200 leaders from across the country -- who are working in education and the related fields of housing, healthcare, and social welfare policy -- for their third-annual national convening, Advancing an Equity Agenda in Today’s America. The gathering focused on the organization’s national and regional work on protecting and advancing education and other social policies and practices designed to close the academic achievement and opportunity gaps, and lift families out of poverty. Featured speakers included Mellody Hobson, President of Ariel Investments; former U.S. Secretary of Education Dr. John King; Vicky Colbert, Founder and Director of Fundación Escuela Nueva in Colombia; current school Camden, NJ Schools Superintendent Paymon Rouhanifard, Dorsey Hopson of Shelby County Schools in Tennessee; and Dr. José Leyba, Director and Superintendent of the Leadership Academy, Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents. More about the organization here.
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| VIDEOS
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Trevor Noah offers his take on the ACA repeal vote. | |  |
Congressman Ted Lieu (D-CA) celebrates AAPI History Month. | |
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| FOMO Today, May 8th, 7P: Black44 members across the nation have been hosting and attending small dinners based on common geography, industry, and interests. Registration is required and is limited to Black44 members only. The next gathering takes place in Cambridge, MA. Click here to RSVP. Tuesday, May 9th, 3P: The Center for Strategic and International Studies hosts New Voices in Foreign Affairs: 40 Under 40 Latinos in Foreign Policy. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Click here to register.
Wednesday, May 10th, 12P: The Raben Group hosts a meet-and-greet with Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL). By invitation only.
Friday, May 12th, 7:30P: The Esperanza Education Fund holds its annual benefit concert and honors former Obama administration official Cecilia Muñoz. The Mexican Cultural Institute, 2829 16th St., NW. Click here to purchase tickets. Wednesday, May 24th, 9A: A policy breakfast with Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA). The Raben Group, 1341 G St, NW. Click here to RSVP.
Wednesday, May 24th, 6:45P: CAMBA sponsors an Asian Pacific American Heritage Month event at the Washington office of Hogan Lovells, featuring Khizr Khan, noted speaker at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. The event will also feature a panel discussion focusing on the challenges facing the Asian American community. Click here to register. Thursday, May 25th: Vote It Loud sponsors the second annual Multicultural Media Correspondents Dinner at the National Press Club. By invitation only.
Thursday, June 15th, 8A: The Hill sponsors a Latina Leaders Summit. Participants include Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL). Click here to RSVP.
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