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Last night, the NYT reported that Trump asked FBI Director James Comey to drop the investigation into former national security advisor Michael Flynn's ties to Russia, according to a memo Comey drafted immediately after a February meeting with Trump in the Oval Office. Per Comey's memo, Trump said: “I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go." The WH has denied this account. Today is Donald Trump’s 117th day in office. Here's what else is happening:- The CBC urges the private sector to do better with diversity efforts.
- Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) battles kidney cancer.
- Actors and policymakers take over Capitol Hill today to celebrate AAPI Heritage Month.
- Dave Chappelle walks back his "give Trump a chance" monologue.
- The Latino Victory Fund president just dissed the leader of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in such a way it should go down in history with rap battles.
- Haiti hosts large tech conference.
- Latino media outlets go dark.
- Tribes unite against the Keystone Pipeline.
- The Louisiana State House votes to halt removal of confederate monuments.
- Harvard Kennedy School will host a discussion in DC, Black America in the Era of Trump." Want to go? Be sure to RSVP below in FOMO.
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| The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and The Leadership Conference Education Fund thanks
Wade Henderson for 21 amazing years of tireless service.
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Hirono To Undergo Treatment for Kidney Cancer
Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) announced on Tuesday morning that she has been diagnosed with kidney cancer and is undergoing treatment at Medstar Georgetown University Hospital. She released a statement saying an abnormality was detected in a recent chest X-ray, and she was later diagnosed with kidney cancer, which was also present in a rib. Her treatment will include surgery to remove her right kidney and an outpatient procedure to eradicate the lesion on her rib. She said she is expected to make a full recovery. In a separate email to supporters, Hirono also said she plans to run for reelection in 2018. More here.
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CBC Delivers Letter to Private Sector Urging Them to “Do Better” on Diversity
The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) -- led by Chairman Cedric Richmond (D-LA), Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA), and Congressman G. K. Butterfield (D-NC) -- on Tuesday sent a letter to the private sector urging them to “do better” when it comes to board, C-suite, government affairs, trade associations, and supplier diversity. The letter was sent to board chairs and CEOs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Business Roundtable, Investment Company Institute, and the Organization for International Investment and includes a request for a meeting with these organizations. The letter also addresses the same issue at advocacy organizations. There is growing concern in the advocacy community that organizations are less committed to diversity under the Trump administration because leadership at the White House and executive branch agencies is less diverse than it was under the Obama administration. In addition to Richmond, Lee, and Butterfield, the letter was signed by 44 other CBC members. Lee and Butterfield are co-chairs of the CBC Diversity Taskforce. Read the full letter here.
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| The Beat DC Podcast:
So what really happened that day Bill Clinton Got on Loretta Lynch's plane?
Former DOJ Public Affairs Director Melanie Newman tells the real story on what happened that day Bill Clinton got on AG Loretta Lynch's airplane and why Trump World is crazy. Download the full podcast here.
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Cristóbal Alex Clowns Javier Palomarez --And It’s Bad
It may be a sunny day but some serious shade is being thrown by the president of the Latino Victory Fund, Cristóbal J. Alex. Javier Palomarez, leader of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, was once a vocal critic of Trump. In one interview he said, “I don’t know if you guys speak Spanish, but I want you to remember this one word “payaso,” it means clown and (Trump) is a complete payaso.” But just a few days ago, Palomarez wrote an op-ed in the LA Times calling for Latinos to not resist Trump, but instead engage him. This, Alex writes, on the very same day that Trump named Kris Kobach, one of the nation’s most virulent anti-immigrant crusaders, to lead his “voter fraud” commission. In biting diatribe, Alex calls Palomarez out with the same passion as Remy Ma when she clowned Nikki Minaj. Alex says Palomarez brags about his access to this White House. “If photo ops and name-dropping are a measure of success in dealing with this White House, you are a winner. But what have you actually done for the 4 million Latino business owners you claim to represent?” And this isn’t even where the gloves come off. It gets worse. Read the full dis track here.
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Happening Today: Actors and Policy Makers Kick Off Capitol Hill Take Over for AAPI Heritage Month -- Join!
Today at 1P, members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) and congressional leadership will gather to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month for 2017. Click here to RSVP. At 2:30P, NCAPA hosts a panel on emerging threats to the AAPI community. Panelists will discuss pressing civil rights and immigration issues. They will be joined by Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Tina Tchen, Former Assistant to President Obama and Chief of Staff to First Lady Michelle Obama, and Eddy Zheng from the Asian Prisoner Support Committee. Click here to RSVP. At 4:30P, Mnet America hosts Hollywood, Networks, and Beyond: The Expanding Platform for Asian American Entertainment. This panel, moderated by NBC Asian America's Traci Lee, will include actors Daniel Dae Kim and Arden Cho, Mnet America President Sang H. Cho, and AAJC Executive Director John C. Yang. This will be followed by a reception in the Capitol Visitors Center, where CAPAC Chair Judy Chu (D-CA) will deliver remarks. More info on all of these events here.
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Linda Sarsour, Carmen Pérez, and Van Jones were honored at the 21st-annual Webby Awards on Monday night. | |  |
Solange was also honored as artist of the year at the Webby Awards in NYC on Monday night. | |
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Kamala Harris Says It’s Time to Fight a War on Drugs, Not Drug Addiction
Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) delivered remarks on Tuesday at the Center for American Progress Ideas Conference. During her remarks, Senator Harris discussed how Attorney General Jeff Sessions' revival of the War on Drugs threatens the justice system. After calling for Sessions’ resignation over his role in the firing of FBI Director James Comey, Harris accused the AG of holding “outdated and out-of-touch views” that will “take us back to the dark ages.” She argued that instead of pursuing harsh sentencing policies that will disproportionately hurt communities of color, the administration should put its resources toward addressing addiction and combatting the opioid crisis. See the full video here or click the image to play.
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Bill to Form Commission on African American History Moves to the Senate
In a rare display of bipartisanship in Congress, the House of Representatives voted to establish a commission to examine 400 years of African American history. H.R. 1242 is designed “to develop and carry out activities throughout the United States to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Africans in the English colonies at Point Comfort, Virginia, in 1619.” Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA) sponsored the bill in the House and Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Mark Warner (D-VA) sponsored the bill in the Senate, where it’s expected to pass. The legislation would authorize the commission to create grants to communities, nonprofits, and other groups to hold events that would commemorate the anniversary of slaves arriving in the United States. The commission would be required to submit a report to Congress and terminate in July of 2020. More here from NNPA’s Lauren Victoria Burke.
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Leah Daughtry in Jerusalem praying at the Western Wall. | |  |
CAPAC Chair Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-CA) speaking at MBDA's AAPI Business Leaders Summitt on Tuesday. | |
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Booker Introduces Legislation to Kill the CRA
On Tuesday, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), introduced legislation to kill the Congressional Review Act (CRA), a law Republicans used over the span of three months this year to repeal 14 regulations enacted by former President Barack Obama. Booker, Reuters reports, says that rate shows the CRA is prone to abuse, and the law helps special interests sabotage thoroughly vetted rules they do not like. Booker's bill, co-sponsored by Senator Tom Udall (D-NM), would give future administrations the ability to resurrect the 14 annulled regulations on broadband, contraception, guns, the environment, education, and other areas. More here.
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Wilson Questions Trump’s Mental Faculties While House Dems Push Independent Panel to Investigate Ties to Russia
House Dems will today unveil a discharge petition designed to force a vote on legislation creating an independent panel to look into the White House ties to Russia. The strategy faces a high bar, requiring more than 20 Republicans to buck their leadership and sign on. Congresswoman Frederica Wilson (D-FL) said Monday’s revelation that Trump’s disclosure to the adversarial Russians “makes him guilty of the very accusations he made against (Clinton),” and suggested he see a doctor. “I believe that the president is desperate for attention and needs psychological help,” she said in a statement. More here.
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Michael Eric Dyson with Harris-Stowe State University President Dr. Dwaun Warmack on Saturday after Dyson delivered the commencement address. | |  |
NY Daily News' Shaun King in the Grand Canyon with his two little ones on Sunday. | |
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#UnDiaSinPeriodismo
Wondering why the Latino news services were quieter than normal yesterday? Fusion en Español and others joined the protest known in Mexico as #UnDiaSinPeriodismo (A Day Without Journalism). Several Mexican news websites and other outlets shut down Tuesday to honor Javier Valdez Cárdenas, a renowned reporter who specialized in covering organized crime and drug trafficking and who was killed on Monday in the northern state of Sinaloa. Valdez is at least the sixth journalist to be murdered in Mexico in just over two months, and the second high-profile reporter to be slain in the country this decade after Regina Martínez Pérez, who was killed in 2012. More here.
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Tribes Unite Against Keystone Pipeline
Tribes in the United States and First Nations in Canada are uniting to fight the Keystone XL Pipeline. Today, the Ponca Tribe, the Great Sioux Nation, and the Blackfoot Confederacy will come together to sign the declaration in Alberta, Canada. The ceremony takes place in the city of Calgary -- where TransCanada, the firm behind the controversial project, is based. "Greed knows no limits, and those in the way are simply collateral damage to corporate profits," Chairman Brandon Sazue of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe told the AP. Indian Country thought Keystone XL was dead after former president Barack Obama rejected a necessary permit back in November 2015. But everything changed once Donald Trump came to power. More here.
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Louisiana State House Votes to Block Removal of New Orleans Monuments
On Monday, the Louisiana State House approved legislation aimed at blocking the removal of Confederate monuments, causing the 24-member Legislative Black Caucus to walk out. After two hours of furious debate, the House overwhelmingly voted 65-31 for H.B. 71, which forbids the altering, removal or renaming of any “structure, plaque, monument or statue” related to the Civil War. The bill now moves to a state Senate vote. It was New Orleans and four Confederate statues at the center of the debate. A marker commemorating the Battle of Liberty Place was taken down in the middle of the night on April 24th. A memorial to Jefferson Davis was removed Thursday. The remaining two statues memorialize Robert E. Lee and P.G.T. Beauregard. More here.
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Congresswoman Nanette Barragán (D-CA) holding a town hall in Compton on Monday night. | |  |
On Monday night, a peaceful disability rally took place in front of the home of Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. | |
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Dave Chappelle is No Longer Giving Trump a Chance
Days after Donald Trump was elected president, Dave Chappelle made his much-anticipated appearance hosting Saturday Night Live. Over eight million people watched as Chappelle spent more than 11 minutes on his monologue. After describing the hope he felt on a recent visit to the White House, he told the audience, “I’m wishing Donald Trump luck. And I’m going to give him a chance, and we, the historically disenfranchised, demand that he give us one too. Thank you very much.” Six months later, Chappelle is taking it back. During his set at the Robin Hood Gala in New York on Monday, he offered up an apology for those choice words during his monologue, according to NBC’s Willie Geist, who was in the audience. “I was the first guy on TV to say ‘Give Trump a chance,’” he told the crowd. “I f--ed up. Sorry.” More here.
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Valerie Jarrett Joins ATTN:
Valerie Jarrett announced on Tuesday that she is joining a Los Angeles-based media startup firm called ATTN: as a senior advisor. She wrote in a blog post that she will work to advance positions she supports, such as "gender equity, criminal justice reform, and engaging citizens to protect our civil rights and advocate for positive change." Additionally, she praised ATTN: for having a "fresh and unique perspective" on the news of the day, rather than a "regurgitation of cable news." She writes, “We must showcase the importance of new media to key leaders in government, business, and the non-profit world. Ordinary people can do extraordinary things to help improve and strengthen our democracy when they are armed with accurate facts and motivated to act.” Read her full piece here.
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ABA’s Patrice Webb Promoted to VP
The American Beverage Association (ABA) has promoted Patrice Webb to Vice President of Social Commitment for the association. In this new position, Webb will foster relationships with elected officials, community leaders and others who believe that the business community is a vital partner for change. Prior to this promotion, Webb served at ABA as Senior Director of Partnerships and Community Outreach. Previously, she was a Principal at The Webb + Flow Group, a public affairs and organizational management consulting firm that serves non-profit organizations, and she also served as Director of External Affairs for Heineken USA. Congrats, Patrice! More here.
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NBC's Kristen Welker with Delegate Stacey Plaskett (D-USVI) doing a live shot on Tuesday afternoon. | |  |
Congressman Salud Carbajal (D-CA) joined bipartisan local leaders on Tuesday for National Infrastructure Week to discuss the California Highway 101 expansion project and investing in transportation. | |
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Haiti to Host Largest Tech Summit Festival in History
The Global Startup Ecosystem is an organization with the goal of accelerating startups from emerging markets. They will be hosting major summits in developing countries across the globe over the next 13 years, and Haiti will be first. Ben Horowitz (co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz) will kick off the summit and will be followed by a series of panel speakers from influencers who have launched startups in Haiti, the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa, Asia and Europe. Other noteworthy speakers will include Vicky Jeudy from Netflix's Orange is the New Black and President Jovenel Moïse of Haiti. The summit has attracted 100 global speakers from over 18 different countries. Speakers will represent top companies, including Google, Airbnb, Tech Stars, Singularity, MasterCard, Github, Dropbox, and more. More here from Blavity.
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|  | Obama alumna Caya Lewis jumped the broom with Jamal K. Atkins on May 6th. Jamal is a partner at Avencion Limited in Lusaka, Zambia. Caya plans to work as a global health strategy and policy consultant based in Zambia in the near future. Congrats! | |  |
Commentator Tara Setmayer is joined by her husband and members of the Paramus (NJ) Police Department on Monday as they honor her late grandfather Captain Emil Setmayer. | |
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Thousands in Flint to Receive Food Aid to Limit Lead Exposure, Those Who Left Not Qualified
Thousands of children in the city of Flint, MI, will receive additional money for nutritional foods that can help limit the effects of lead exposure, but those whose families left the city amid the water contamination crisis are no longer eligible for the subsidy, even though they may still suffer the effects of lead poisoning. Among those who no longer qualify for the food subsidy is 4-year-old Sincere Smith, whose face appeared on the cover of Time magazine. The Detroit Free Press reports that since Smith’s family moved away from Flint last year, they are not among the 15,000 families who qualify to receive part of the $7 million in additional food assistance. More here.
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Clyburn’s Faith in the ACA
Congressman James E. Clyburn (D-SC) is Chair of the Democratic Faith Working Group (DFWG) in the House of Representatives. The group works with faith communities on common values, such as fighting poverty, improving schools, speaking out against materialism and greed, providing better housing, and fighting for social and economic justice. The DFWG is actively opposing Republican efforts to “repeal and replace” the ACA. Clyburn writes in an op-ed for the Black Press, “repealing the Affordable Care Act would have devastating effects on “the least of these.” It would violate the golden rule of “do(ing) unto others as you would have them do unto you.” All eyes are on the Senate to see if the repeal will pass. Let us pray. To read Clyburn’s full op-ed, click here.
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Last Saturday, Congressman Bobby Rush (D-IL) received an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from the Illinois Institute of Technology. | |  |
Congresswoman Linda Sánchez (D-CA) with her son at a baseball game on Sunday. | |
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Homegoing Service for Former Joint Center President This Saturday
Eddie Williams, who served as President of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies from 1972-2004, passed on Monday, May 8th, at the age of 84. “On behalf of the Joint Center and our community of elected officials and policy experts who serve communities of color, I want to express our sorrow upon learning of the passing of Eddie N. Williams,” said Joint Center President Spencer Overton. His memorial service will be held this Saturday, May 20th, at 11A, at the Howard University School of Law. Click here for more info.
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| FOMO
Today, 5P: The Host Committee to Elect Mo Ivory to the Atlantic City Council holds a DC Kickoff Reception. 1350 I St. NW. Click here to RSVP.
Tonight, 6:30P: The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights will come together for the 41st annual Hubert H. Humphrey Civil and Human Rights Award Dinner at the Washington Hilton. This will also serve as outgoing President Wade Henderson’s final awards dinner. More information here.
Thursday, May 18th, 3P: A congressional briefing on "Middle Neighborhoods," community areas on the edge between growth and decline. 2360 Rayburn. Click here to register.
Wednesday, May 24th, 9A: The Raben Group hosts a policy breakfast with Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA). 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 8th, 6P: The Harvard Kennedy School's Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation and the school's Washington Alumni Council sponsor a panel, "Black America in the Era of Trump." 1725 I Street, NW, Suite 100. Click here to purchase tickets.
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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