|
|
- Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) questions Cambridge Analytica whistleblower on suppressing the Black vote.
- Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) wants to hold fraudulent substance abuse treatment programs and recovery centers accountable.
- The Young Turks head to YouTube.
- Congressman José E. Serrano (D-NY) and Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-NY) attempt to restrict funding for citizenship question on 2020 Census.
- Google taps veteran lobbyist to lead global public policy on cloud services.
- Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA) leads Congressional Hispanic Caucus push to meet with Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.
- The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus officially launches a new publication of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in Congress.
- Tune into MSNBC’s AM Joy on Sunday to catch The Beat DC’s Tiffany D. Cross and host Joy-Ann Reid take on the latest news.
| |
|  |
CNN’s Jim Acosta backstage with Jimmy Kimmel on Wednesday night. | |  |
Congresswoman Mia Love (R-UT) last week welcoming educators from Utah. | |
| | |
Catherine Cortez Masto Intros Bill to Fight Fraudulent Substance Abuse Treatment Programs
Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) crossed the aisle to team up with Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) earlier this week to introduce the Opioid Addiction Recovery Fraud Prevention Act of 2018. The bipartisan bill would hold fraudulent substance abuse treatment programs and recovery centers accountable by empowering the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general to bring enforcement actions to combat such scams. “Individuals taking brave steps to overcome addiction should not be met with fake recovery programs and harmful treatment scams,” said Cortez Masto. “We must do everything we can to stop fraudulent and deceptive treatment providers from taking advantage of those suffering from addiction in their time of need. By empowering the FTC and state attorneys general to effectively punish and deter bad actors, we can help ensure that addiction victims and their families have access to safe, effective treatments that put them on the road to recovery.” More here.
| |
Lawmakers Oppose Hakeem Jeffries’ Prison Reform Bill
The bipartisan legislation addressing prison reform, The First Step Act introduced by Congressmen Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Doug Collins (R-GA), is slated to go to the House floor for a vote next week. But opponents of the bill -- including Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Congressman John Lewis (D-GA), and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) -- sent a five-page letter to colleagues expressing their opposition. They say that the bill, which would provide training programs for prisoners that are aimed at reducing repeat offenses, could actually have the opposite effect by putting in place policies that are more discriminatory toward inmates of color. The letter takes several shots at the bill, saying that it doesn’t provide enough funding to be effective. They also flag that AG Jeff Sessions, a vocal opponent of criminal justice reform, would have far too much autonomy over the new programs. “We are unwilling to support flawed prison reform legislation that does not include sentencing reform,” they write. Read the full letter here.
| |
Val Demings' Protect and Serve Passes in the House
The House overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan bill Wednesday that would toughen federal penalties against people who intentionally target law enforcement officers in attacks. The Protect and Serve Act was introduced by CBC member Congresswoman Val Demings (D-FL), a former Orlando Police Chief, and Congressman John Rutherford (R-FL). The controversial legislation also mandates that if the crime results in the death of a law enforcement officer, or the crime involves kidnapping or the attempt to kidnap or kill a law enforcement officer, then the sentence can be up to life in prison. A similar measure proposed by Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) would make it a hate crime. "We cannot ask our officers to do this work while failing to cope with the consequences,'' Demings tweeted. "We must take care of them so they can take care of us." We checked. There are no studies or statistics to show that police are in any more danger now than they have previously been. In fact, evidence shows that violence against law enforcement has been in overall decline for 25 years. Opponents of the legislation argue there should be more efforts to improve relations between law enforcement and communities of color. As video documentation of police brutality increases, the legislation is seen by many as a disconnected policy choice that disregards grassroots movements that demand fair and constitutional policing. Additionally, many civil rights groups say the law is unnecessary and duplicates measures that are already in place. More here.
| |
|  |
Former President Barack Obama meeting with Obama Foundation Fellows on Wednesday at the Stony Island Arts Bank in Chicago. | |  |
Author and professor Roxane Gay with actress Geena Davis on Wednesday at the Women’s Fund Keyholder panel in Ohio. | |
| | |
Tammy Duckworth Wants to Protect Rail Crewmembers
Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and John Hoeven (R-ND) introduced bipartisan legislation to improve public safety and discourage violence aboard passenger trains. The Passenger Rail Crew Protection Parity Act would provide the same federal protections for airline crewmembers to passenger rail crewmembers, so that any assault or intimidation of a rail crewmember, including engineers, conductors, and on-board service personnel, will be charged under federal law. Currently, any assault against a rail crewmember is adjudicated under the laws of the local jurisdiction where it is committed. “No one in America should experience what Amtrak Conductor Michael Case endured while just doing his job. We are all entitled to work in a safe environment, one that is free from violence, harassment and intimidation,” Duckworth said. “I’m proud to be working with Senator Hoeven on this bipartisan legislation that will help better protect rail crewmembers and improve public safety.” The bill was introduced on the one-year anniversary of the shooting of an Amtrak conductor in Naperville, IL. More here.
| |
Grace Meng and José Serrano Aim to Restrict Funding for the Citizenship Question on the 2020 Census
Lawmakers are set to question the Justice Department today about why it requested the 2020 Census to ask about citizenship. Calls to boycott the Census have been circulating on social media since the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 Census form was announced in late March. The boycott calls come despite warnings from lawmakers and civil rights groups about the long-term consequences of a Census boycott on public policy, federal funding, and health research. Congressman José E. Serrano (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee, which funds the U.S. Census Bureau, and Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-NY), a member of the Subcommittee, on Thursday introduced an amendment restricting funding for the inclusion of a question about citizenship status in the 2020 Census. “The inclusion of a citizenship question is unnecessary, unsupported, and a clear attack on our immigrant communities. Its inclusion will make people afraid to fill out the form, undermine the count, raise costs, and have a detrimental effect on the distribution of formula funding. As a result, states will receive less funding for education, infrastructure and other important services,” said Serrano. Meng continued: “It will have a devastating impact on the billions of dollars in federal aid that is distributed for schools, infrastructure, social services and other critical resources.” The acting head of the DOJ's civil rights division, John Gore, will testify about the issue today before the House Committee on Government Oversight. More here.
| |
Greg Meeks Wants SNAP Contractors to Open Data to Fintechs
Government contractors running the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) -- the nation’s low-income food assistance program -- are proving reticent to open up their data and share information on their users. Congressman Gregory Meeks (D-NY), a member of the House Financial Services Committee, wants the U.S. Department of Agriculture to have food aid contractors open data for fintechs. “Innovations in financial services -- including within the data aggregation space -- have provided consumers convenient ways of managing their finances,” Meeks wrote this week in a letter to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue. “Millions of SNAP recipients today are using emerging mobile platforms to better manage their SNAP benefits and do a lot more: save money on groceries, find jobs, and build their careers.” The letter comes in response to an NYT story on one of SNAP’s servicers, Conduent, which runs the food stamp network in 25 states and Propel, a Brooklyn-based startup that launched an app to help assistance recipients more easily track their food budget and account funds delivered via electronic benefit transfer (EBT). Conduent’s spokesman told Bloomberg Law that it viewed Propel as having “discreetly launched FreshEBT, an unregulated app, without the input, knowledge and consent of our clients/states and enticed SNAP recipients to provide highly confidential, personal information, enabling Propel to enter the otherwise secure environment and screen scrape data about the recipient and his/her purchases.” More here.
| |
Graphic Designer (Boston, MA)
Senator Elizabeth Warren, a champion for working families, is looking for a Graphic Designer to join her 2018 re-election campaign. The Graphic Designer will work with the digital team to create social media graphics, digital ads, email images, website landing pages, and more.
Click here to learn more and apply!
| |
Update the LinkedIn, He’s Headed to Google
Pablo Chávez, a former aide to Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and a veteran DC lobbyist, is heading to lead Alphabet Inc. to lead Google’s global public policy for cloud services. This is Chávez’s second stint at Google. He spent seven years as the search giant's Senior Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs before heading to LinkedIn. After Microsoft Corp. purchased LinkedIn in 2016, he became General Manager for U.S. Public Policy for Microsoft and Global Public Policy for LinkedIn. The Princeton graduate, who completed law school at Stanford, began his career as the Senior Corporate Counsel and Director of Strategic Development for RealNames Corporation in Redwood Shores, CA. He will be based in DC. The hire comes as Google is among the companies -- including Microsoft, Amazon.com Inc, International Business Machines Corp., and Oracle Corp. -- vying to win a piece of the Pentagon’s multi-year cloud services contract. More about Chávez here.
| |
Backstage Capital Taps Lolita Taub as Investment Principal
Backstage Capital, a venture capital fund that invests in companies led by underrepresented founders, has added Lolita Taub as an Investment Principal. She joins from Portfolio, where she was an Enterprise Fund Investment Partner. Prior to joining the venture capital world, Taub spent the early stages of her career as a Sales Account Executive for IBM and Cisco, selling enterprise B2B tech solutions to Fortune 500 companies and Silicon Valley and NYC startups. The USC grad, who also earned an MBA from IE Business School in Madrid, founded The F Show, a women empowerment online show, as well as Glassbreakers, an enterprise software company focused on diversity and inclusion. Fluent in English and Spanish, Taub is also a contributor to Huffington Post and has been recognized for her work in Forbes, Inc.com, Entrepreneur.com, and the LA Times. More about her here.
| |
Miss America Announces New Board Chair and All-Female Leadership
Marjorie Vincent-Tripp has been named the new Chair of the Board of Trustees of Miss America Foundation. The DePaul University grad, who completed law school at Duke, is re-joining the organization after briefly serving on the Miss America Board of Trustees. Vincent-Tripp is currently an Assistant Attorney General at the Florida Office of the Attorney General. The former TV news anchor was crowned Miss America in 1991. “I am honored to lead the Miss America Foundation as we begin a new chapter of the Foundation,” said Vincent-Tripp. “It is my hope to continue the mission of expanding the reach of the Foundation to provide scholarship opportunities for young women across the board.” Miss America also announced that Regina Hopper will serve as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Miss America Organization. Earlier this year, former Fox News host, Gretchen Carlson, was named Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Miss America Organization. This is the first time in the pageant’s history that all of its leaders are women. The new leadership comes after an investigation by HuffPost unearthed three years worth of emails in which several high-ranking officials exchanged denigrating messages about the sex lives, weight gain, and intellect of past Miss Americas. More here.
| |
|  | Former Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards, President & CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights Vanita Gupta, and analyst Maya Harris on Wednesday at The Leadership Conference dinner. | |  |
Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) speaking to the class of Early College High School at Delaware State University this weekend. | |
| | |
Young Turks Heads to YouTube
YouTube TV is adding TYT Network to it’s slate. Along with existing shows like The Young Turks, TYT Interviews, NerdAlert, What The Flick?!, Think Tank, and Pop Trigger, TYT Network will be introducing The Damage Report, a morning show that covers current U.S. issues. “Arriving on YouTube TV is a monumental step for TYT and a fantastic partnership for both sides,” Steve Oh, Chief Business Officer at TYT, said in the statement. “OTT platforms like YouTube TV are the perfect solution for cord-cutters and cord-nevers, the very same people who make up a huge percentage of TYT’s enormous fanbase. We are thrilled to partner with YouTube TV to super serve our audiences.” TYT generates more than 200 million views a month and ranks number one in News and Politics on all digital platforms in the 18-24 demographic. More here.
| |
Reporters Committee Honors Journo Leaders
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press will honor Executive Editor of the NYT, Dean Baquet, next week with its Freedom of the Press Award which recognizes leaders in journalism and media law who have dedicated their lives to practicing and protecting the rights embodied in the First Amendment. Dean got his start as a journalist for The Times-Picayune in the late 1970s and then produced and oversaw reporting at The Chicago Tribune, NYT, and the LA Times. The 61-year-old has been at the helm of the Old Gray Lady since 2014. The Reporters Committee will also recognize BuzzFeed VP of Legal and Associate General Counsel Nabiha Syed. The Johns Hopkins University and Yale Law School grad has been described as “one of the best emerging free speech lawyers” by Forbes. Prior to BuzzFeed, Nabiha was an Associate at Levine Sullivan Koch & Schulz, a leading First Amendment law firm, and was named the First Amendment Fellow at the NYT. She is the Co-Founder of the Media Freedom and Information Access legal clinic at Yale Law School. Nabiha is a non-resident Fellow at both Stanford Law School and Yale Law School. In addition to Dean and Nabiha, the Reporters Committee will honor Florentine Films documentary filmmaker Lynn Novick and former Senior Host of All Things Considered Robert Siegel on May 22nd, at the Freedom of the Press Awards. More here.
| |
|  |
Former First Lady Michelle Obama meeting with Fellows of the Obama Foundation on Wednesday at the Stony Island Arts Bank in Chicago, IL. | |  |
Members Keith Ellison (D-MN), Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA), Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), and Ro Khanna (D-CA) on Tuesday at a dinner. | |
| | |
Will Georgia Make History Next Week? Black Voters Will Decide
The Georgia primary is just days away and after Idaho made history with Paulette Jordan, the first Native American woman in the state to advance to the general election in the Gubernatorial race, will the peach state do the same? Stacey Abrams, the first Black Speaker of the GA State Legislature, is in a nail-biting contest with Stacey Evans and both women are desperately depending on Black voters to help them clinch the Democratic nomination. Some Black voters, who make up the party’s biggest voting bloc in the state, have planted themselves firmly in Evans’ camp, who happens to be white. Abrams has brought in big name star power including Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), actresses Rashida Jones and Tracee Ellis Ross, and others. Evans has responded with a slate of lower-key rallies and a heavier blitz of TV airtime. She has vastly outspent Abrams on TV ads and, on the campaign trail, Evans is relying on local validators and supporters. The Abrams campaign said in an internal memo that it expects Black voters to make up at least 65% of the vote on Tuesday and Black women to make up roughly 45% of the total. The Abrams-Evans contest puts Georgia Democrats in an unusual position. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution points out that the party has largely avoided fierce primary battles between Black and white candidates for Governor since the 1990 vote when then-Lt. Gov. Zell Miller trounced former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young. The two are competing for an increasingly diverse electorate. More here.
| |
She’s In -- Valerie Ervin Announces Candidacy and Running Mate in MD Governor's Race
Earlier this week, we told you that Valerie Ervin -- the running mate of the late Maryland gubernatorial candidate Kevin Kamenetz, who died unexpectedly last week of a heart attack -- had until May 17th to decide if she would continue the campaign at the top of the ticket. The University of Maryland grad and former labor organizer announced yesterday that she would continue the campaign and run for Governor. Ervin's running mate will be Marisol Johnson of Baltimore County. Born in war-torn El Salvador during the Salvadorian Civil War, Marisol was rescued by a nun who worked at a local orphanage; she was adopted by a young couple and brought to Baltimore. The Towson University last year resigned from the Baltimore County School Board to run for County Council but later withdrew from the race. Johnson runs her own insurance company and is known for being an outspoken advocate for minority students. Ervin said the “Brown and Black woman team” should appeal to the Democratic Party’s base. More here.
| |
Harris Questions Cambridge Analytica Whistleblower on Stolen Data used to Suppress African American Votes
Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) on Wednesday questioned former Cambridge Analytica employee and whistleblower Christopher Wylie on reports that the data firm may have used the misappropriated data from 87 million Facebook users to target African Americans to suppress their votes. Specifically, Harris asked Wylie if Steve Bannon, who was VP of the firm's Board before joining the Trump campaign, or anyone else had decided what motivates or demotivates African Americans to vote. She also asked about the methodology used to identify African American voters. "So it’s not just focusing on racial characteristics of people," Wylie replied. "When you pull a random sample of African Americans, they’re not all the same people. Oftentimes they’re very different, have very different lives and different motivators. So when you’re looking at any program, whether it is motivating or demotivating someone, understanding their internal characteristics is a very powerful thing because you don’t treat them just as a Black person, you treat them as who they are. That can be used to encourage people to vote or discourage people to vote." Cambridge Analytica, which still denies any wrongdoing, announced earlier this month it was shutting down operations. More here.
| |
|  |
Joint Center President Spencer Overton, African American Mayors Association ED Stephanie Mash Sykes, and Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA) on Wednesday at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights Awards Dinner. | |  |
Alencia Johnson, NBC New York’s Stacey Bell and Jummy Olabanji, and Google’s Valeisha Butterfield Jones on Tuesday at the New York Urban League's Frederick Douglass Dinner. | |
| | |
Pai Cleared By FCC Ethics Office
The Office of Special Counsel (OSC) earlier this week informed FCC Chairman Ajit Pai that it had ruled he did not violate the ethics laws by participating in a panel discussion at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February. The Hill obtained a letter from the OSC to Pai which said that he had not violated the Hatch Act -- ethics laws that prohibit federal officials from engaging in partisan activity -- by appearing at the conservative conference, but that the government watchdog would be conducting standards training with agency employees in the coming months nonetheless. More here.
| |
Nanette Diaz Barragán Leads CHC And Requests Meeting with DHS Secretary
Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA) joined Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) leadership and sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen requesting she meet with members of the CHC to discuss pressing issues impacting the Latino community. The invite follows an exchange between Barragán and Nielsen during a recent House Homeland Security Committee hearing when the Congresswoman asked the Secretary if she would commit to meet with the CHC regularly as her predecessor did. Nielsen agreed, and the letter is in follow-up to that commitment. “Based on our Caucus’ interest in these areas and given many concerning actions by DHS, it is imperative that we now meet with you to discuss recent policy changes that DHS has undertaken, including family separation, detainment of pregnant immigrants, the termination of the Temporary Protected Status program for hundreds of thousands of recipients and troubling immigration enforcement tactics,” the members wrote,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter. “At a time when many Latinos are living in fear and feeling targeted by this Administration, the Secretary should meet in person with members of the CHC to answer questions about troubling enforcement actions and the impact of recent DHS policy changes,” said Barragán. We’ll keep you posted on if and when this meeting happens. More here.
| |
Emanuel Cleaver Wants White House to Publicly Apologize to John McCain
Congressman Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) has issued a resolution calling for the White House to issue a public apology to Senator John McCain (R-AZ) for comments made by Communication’s Aide Kelly Sadler, who said in a private meeting that the Maverick's opposition to CIA Director Gina Haspel’s nomination "doesn't matter" because "he's dying anyway." Joined in the bipartisan effort by Congressman Walter Jones (R-NC), Cleaver said McCain served honorably in the United States Navy and deserves dignity and respect. “The President, perhaps more so than any elected official in this great country, should practice the politics of decency,” said Cleaver. “It’s a sad day in this country when White House officials are mocking a man who, while serving his country, was tortured as a prisoner of war. He’s more than earned the right to speak out on these matters. A public apology should be issued immediately.” Cleaver is the Co-Chair of the Civility Caucus and has joined other members in a movement to revive civility on Capitol Hill. More here.
| |
|  | Columbia, SC Mayor Steve Benjamin last week taking the gavel from U.S. Conference of Mayors CEO and ED Tom Cochran as Benjamin became its new President. | |  |
BET's ManCave host Jeff Johnson, Open Society Foundations’ Alex T. Johnson, and Maurice Owens of The Libra Group on Tuesday at the European Union’s People of African Descent Week in Brussels, Germany. | |
| | |
CAPAC Launches Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in Congress Publication
Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) officially launched the publication of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in Congress -- the first publication of its kind to highlight the full history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) in Congress. The publication is produced at a time when a record 18 AAPI members occupy the halls of Congress and CAPAC boasts 63 Caucus members. “As Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, I am so thrilled by the launch of this historic publication, which chronicles the rich history and contribution of the 60 Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders who have served in the U.S. Congress since 1900 ... In just over a century, we have gone from nearly complete exclusion and marginalization at the hands of the U.S. government to now being an integral part of the diversity that makes our nation great,” Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-CA) said. “My own grandfather was forced to carry a certificate of registration at all times or risk deportation due to discriminatory anti-Asian laws pass[ed] by the federal government. To be able to serve as the first Chinese American woman elected to Congress just two generations later alongside a record number of 18 AAPI elected officials in Congress is truly a testament to how far we have come.” See the publication here.
| |
| FOMO Today - Saturday, May 19th: The National Black Child Development Institute hosts National Black Child Development Week: The Movement Continues. Click here for more information.
Saturday, May 19th, 10A: Congressman Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) hosts the 2018 National Summit of the League of Dominican-American Elected Officials. Vivian and Seymour Milstein Family Heart Center, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Riverview Terrace.173 Fort Washington Avenue, NYC. RSVP to Aneiry Batista at aneiry.batista@mail.house.gov or (212) 663-3900.
Monday, May 21st - Tuesday, May 22nd: Common Cause Pennsylvania will host their Democracy Works Summit. The Beat DC's Tiffany D. Cross will be a panelist. Sheraton Downtown Hotel on 201 N. 17th Street in Philadelphia, PA. Click here for more information.
Thursday, May 24th 6P: Third Annual Multicultural Media Correspondents’ Dinner. The National Press Club. 529 14th Street NW, Washington, DC. Invite only.
Sunday, June 10th - Tuesday, June 12th: The ACLU Membership Conference. Speakers include Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors, Congressman John Lewis (D-GA), and founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, AL Bryan Stevenson. Walter E. Washington Convention Center (801 Mount Vernon Place NW) and Marriott Marquis Washington D.C. (901 Massachusetts Avenue NW). Click here for more information.
Saturday, June 16th, 6:30P: The March On Washington Festival hosts a fundraiser celebrating Black trailblazers in entertainment featuring acclaimed actress, singer, and philanthropist Sheryl Lee Ralph in a one-woman show of storytelling and song. Studio Theatre. 1501 14th Street Northwest. Click here for more information.
Thursday, June 21st - Sunday, June 24th: The Black Millennial Political Convention, which aims to increase engagement of Black millennials in the political sphere and shed a light on policy issues impacting black communities. This year’s theme is The Advocacy of Policy, Pipeline and Power for the People. Hyatt Regency, Crystal City, VA. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.
Friday, July 20 - Sunday, July 22nd: The 2nd Annual Black Campaign School, hosted by The Collective. Atlanta, GA. Click here for information.
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
