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Days before he was fired, FBI Director James Comey requested more resources for the bureau’s investigation into Russian interference in the presidential election. Trump insists that the firing has nothing to do with Russia. Okay. Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe will testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee today. But the Intel panel still wants to hear from Comey. He has been invited to testify next Tuesday in a closed-door session. The Beat’s Jamal Simmons breaks all this down with former Deputy AG Elliott Williams below. Check out the video. Meanwhile, the battle over healthcare is still brewing. We’ll keep our eyes on the Senate as the bill heads to the upper chamber. Here's what's up for today:- Bethune-Cookman was not having any of Betsy DeVos. Check out the video below.
- The John Oliver vs. the FCC battle heats up.
- Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) wants farmworkers to gain legal status.
- Want to have breakfast with Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA)? RSVP below in FOMO.
- The Trump admin just hired a Sharia Law crusader.
- TBT to VRA -- it may be making a comeback.
- Black grad students at Harvard are doing their own thing.
- Now that the country seems to have a scandal every day, there's really no need for a TV show of the same name. Prepare to say farewell to Olivia Pope.
- What do Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) have in common? Both could potentially end up in the White House. Read on...
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| Now that Comey is out, what's next in this house
of cards? A former DOJ Deputy AG breaks it down.
So now that FBI Director James Comey is fired -- in the middle of investigating associates of the president and their ties to Russia -- what does it mean for the investigation, the FBI and the Department of Justice? Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General Elliot Williams breaks it down with Jamal Simmons and talks how the investigation may move forward. Click the image to play the video.
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Bethune-Cookman Students Boo Betsy DeVos
On Wednesday, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos delivered the commencement speech at Bethune-Cookman University. But graduating students at the HBCU were not having any of it. The secretary struggled to be heard over a wave of boos as soon as she hit the podium. Some students even rose to their feet to turn their backs on DeVos in protest. In the week and a half since BCU announced DeVos would be delivering the address, protest petitions drew thousands of signatures, and calls for the school president's resignation have cropped up. Boos grew to shouts when DeVos promised to go to the gravesite of Mary McLeod Bethune later in the day to pay her respects. More here.
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Legislators Introduce Farmworker Legislation
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and several of her colleagues introduced a bill that would grant legal status to foreign agricultural workers. The legislation would give the workers a “blue card” -- temporary residency and a work permit as long as they had worked in the industry for at least 100 days over the past two years. The workers would also have to a pay a fine and pass a background check. The workers and their families would be eligible for a “green card” and permanent residency after three years. Feinstein told The Hill that she’s introducing the bill because farmworkers in California are having a hard time finding workers because of the Trump’s administration’s stance on immigration. More here.
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Congressman Tony Cárdenas (D-CA) wishing his wife Norma a happy birthday on Wednesday. | |  |
Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL) with Alabama Governor Kay Ivey on Tuesday. | |
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Harris for 46?
Now's the time prospective presidential candidates start taking the subtle but crucial behind-the-scenes steps that get them noticed by the political intelligentsia, and Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) is quietly following the script. She’s making speeches to key national constituencies. She’s due for an appearance on a panel at a Washington think tank full of chattering-class presidential favorites. She’s been fundraising for colleagues and making sure that she is forming relationships with key national reporters. We see you, KH. Read more here.
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Voting Rights Act May Be Coming Back from the Dead
On June 25, 2013, the SCOTUS killed the core provision of the Voting Rights Act. Four years later, a Mother Jones article says it may be coming back from the dead. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that "Coverage today is based on decades-old data and eradicated practices," adding, "'current burdens' must be justified by 'current needs.'" Freed by the court's ruling from oversight for the first time in decades, many of the formerly constrained state and local governments quickly began imposing new restrictions on voting. But by passing measures that curtail voting by people of color, these jurisdictions are essentially calling Roberts' bluff -- and could force the Supreme Court to consider restoring pre-clearance, with Texas being the likeliest of jurisdictions. More here.
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Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. | |  |
Congressman André Carson (D-IN) at the MLK Community Center in his district on Wednesday discussing healthcare. | |
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Forum Hosts Two Congressional Candidates
Telemundo 52 in Los Angeles and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund are among several groups sponsoring a candidate forum on May 31st at Occidental College in LA, hosting state Assemblyman Jimmy Gómez and former LA city planning commissioner Robert Lee Ahn, as both seek the congressional seat once held by now-California AG Xavier Becerra. Gómez and Ahn were the top finishers in a recent special election, and they face each other in a June 6th runoff. Both are in a tight race in the remaining weeks before the election, although Gómez is ahead in the race for endorsements: nine of his primary opponents are backing him, as is the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Click here to RSVP for the candidate forum.
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Sharia Law Crusader Joins Trump Admin
Remember the Texas mayor best known for crusading against Sharia law and being sued by the family of “clock boy” Ahmed Mohamed? Well, she started a new gig this week. Where? You guessed it. Working for Donald Trump at HUD. As the Southwest regional HUD administrator, Mayor Beth Van Duyne will oversee operations in Texas and its adjacent states of New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. In March of 2015, she backed a controversial state bill barring judges from using “foreign law” -- an initiative Muslims in the city of Irving saw as a vehicle for Islamophobia. More here.
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AP's Errin Whack with NPR's Joshua Johnson at a panel on "fake news" in Philadelphia on Wednesday. | |  |
Congressman Will Hurd (R-TX) held a teletown hall from his office last week. | |
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Another Obama Alum Heads to the Valley
Former Obama appointee Nate Yohannes is bidding farewell to the Beltway and heading to the Bay. The SUNY Buffalo Law School graduate will be the Director of Strategy and Business Development at Microsoft. He previously served as Senior Advisor to the Head of the Office of Investment and Innovation for President Obama. The son of political refugees (his parents fled Eritrea -- a country known for having some of the worst human rights conditions in the world), he was previously Associate General Counsel at the Money Management Institute (MMI) and earlier in his career he clerked for Chief Justice Paula Feroleto of the NY State Supreme Court. More about Yohannes here.
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Debate Over Bears Ears Highlights Entitlement and Racism Toward Native Americans
This week, as Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke conducts a “listening tour” of the region to decide whether to reverse the designation of Bears Ears National Monument or reduce its size from the 1.35 million acres of ancestral Native American lands that President Obama set aside when he created the monument on Dec. 28th, the depth and delicate nature of racial tension between many Native Americans and non-natives has quickly become apparent. Racial tension in the region dates at least to the end of the 19th century, when Mormon settlers spread south from Salt Lake into a region occupied by Native Americans for thousands of years. The LA Times examines tensions here.
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Pine Street Names Morehouse Grad to Lead Campaign Work
Pine Street Strategies announced that Van Freeman has joined the team as chair of the campaign group where he will lead all engagement for political candidates and issue campaigns. Van previously served as senior advisor to the national director at the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA). Prior to that, the Morehouse College graduate was appointed by President Obama to serve as Deputy Director of the Office of the Secretary at Department of Commerce. Van received his law degree from Southern University Law Center and is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. More about him here.
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Congressman Darren Soto (D-FL) thanking supporters on Tuesday for National Public Service week. | |  |
Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) questioning James Clapper and former Acting AG Sally Yates on Monday. | |
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Trump Administration Cites Jim Crow Ruling to Defend Its Travel Ban
In a brief defending its ban on citizens from six Muslim-majority countries, Donald Trump’s Justice Department approvingly cited a segregation-era Supreme Court decision that allowed Jackson, Mississippi, to close public pools rather than integrate them. There’s a clear reason why the Trump administration doesn’t want the courts to consider potential motivations for Trump’s revised travel ban: the idea that the president’s intent was to discriminate against Muslims has come up in prior rulings against his executive order. More here.
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Condi Believes Vladi’s Interference in 2016 Was "Personal"
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told The View that she believes Russian President Vladimir Putin's interference was personal. "He likes to intimidate," Rice said of his possible reasons for interfering (click image to play). She called him "an eye-for-an-eye kind of person." Rice, who was George W. Bush's National Security Advisor during his first term before serving as his Secretary of State, suggested that Putin may have interfered because Hillary Clinton questioned his 2012 electoral victory. "Now he's saying, 'I'm going to question the legitimacy of your election by hacking into it' and so forth," Rice said. Read more.
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Puerto Rico’s Drinking Water is at Brink of Crisis
NBC Latino reports that Puerto Rico's drinking water system is on the brink of crisis. Elevated lead levels, bacteria, chemicals and lax adherence to regulations have created a toxic mix of the American territory's three million-plus citizens, according to Natural Resources Defense Council Health Director Erik Olson. The drinking water fails lead safety regulations, while 70 percent of the island is served by water that violates federal health standards. The government-run water utility also routinely fails to conduct the required safety tests, while failing the safety tests they do conduct. Olson said he expects the situation to deteriorate further because Donald Trump has proposed big cuts to EPA programs that fund the Puerto Rican water system and federal safety enforcement mechanisms. More here.
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The Beat's Tiffany D. Cross moderated a 50/50 Day screening discussion on Wednesday with panelists including the Secretary General of the Council of Women World Leaders Laura Liswood, March on Washington Film Festival ED Isisara Bey, Global Fund for Women's Leila Hessini, and students Carly Gamson and Olivia Trice. | |  |
Macy's CEO Ted Lundgren with Soledad O'Brien on Wednesday. | |
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Between the Rock and the White House
Can you smell what The Rock is cooking? Turns out it might be a presidential run. Though he’s still wrestling with the idea, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson now says there’s a “real possibility” that he will throw his body in the ring as a White House hopeful. “A year ago, it started coming up more and more,” the Fate of the Furious star tells GQ. “There was a real sense of earnestness, which made me go home and think ‘Let me really rethink my answer and make sure I am giving an answer that is truthful and also respectful.'” Johnson, who spoke at the Republican National Convention in 2000 and attended the Democratic National Convention that same year, says he’s registered as an independent. More here.
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Black Students at Harvard Host Their Own Graduation Ceremony
Black graduate students completing their studies at Harvard in 2017 will host their own ceremony. The event, which took nearly a year to plan, is scheduled for the morning of May 23rd. Students say it is an effort to acknowledge the struggles and resilience that Black students possess in order to thrive in higher education, an environment where people of color are typically underrepresented. More here.
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It’s a Scandal!
Who’s set to have that glass of red and curl up on the couch and watch Scandal tonight? Well, enjoy it while it lasts. It appears the that Shonda Rhimes’ run with the rating grabber is set to conclude. TV Line is reporting from their exclusive sources that the show's seventh season, set to air in 2017-18, will be its last. ABC is expected to make an official network announcement next week at upfronts. In an interview with NPR a while back, Rhimes said, "I feel like there is a finite amount of Scandal to be told. So I know what the end of Scandal will be, and I feel really good about that. And I can see where the endpoint is. And I don’t think I’m going to change that.” A cultural phenomenon, Scandal arguably was the first show to spawn live-tweeting on Black Twitter. More here from Blavity.
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Congressman Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) went on a ride along with FL EMTs and witnessed them triage an accident scene on Monday. | |  |
Congressman Rubén Kihuen (D-NV) wishing his mother a Happy Mother's Day on Wednesday. | |
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Trolls Target AU Student President
After American University elected the first African American woman to lead its student body, the white supremacist leader who founded one of the largest hate sites on the Internet began an online campaign to troll her and her sorority with racist taunts. That's right: a grown “man” asked his legion of racist trolls to go after a college student. Read more.
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After Oliver told Ajit Pai to “Go FCC Yourself,” Things Crashed
The feud between HBO star John Oliver and the FCC is heating up. After Oliver roasted FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s plan to roll back net neutrality rules during Sunday’s episode of Last Week Tonight, thousands of viewers did as they were directed and went to the site to complain.Viewers were told to take action by visiting the page, Gofccyourself.com, which directly linked to the FCC’s net neutrality comment page and then crashed the site. The FCC blamed the slowness on a cyberattack, not Oliver. Hmm. Now the Internets are really mad. Get the rest of this story in The Hill.
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Obama Foundation Names Chief Digital Officer
The Obama Foundation announced that Glenn Brown will serve as Chief Digital Officer. Glenn worked at Twitter from 2011 to 2015, where he co-founded Twitter Amplify, a premium video program featuring hundreds of partnerships with major sports leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, UEFA, EPL, etc.), broadcasters, and live events around the world. Before that, Glenn was head of U.S. music partnerships at YouTube. More about Glenn here.
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Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA) breaking ground in West Sacramento on Tuesday at the Southport Levee Improvement Project. | |  |
Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) getting schooled. The congressman was surrounded by teachers for Teacher Appreciation Day on Monday. | |
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No LGBT Data in the Census
In March, the Census Bureau said that it had “inadvertently listed sexual orientation and gender identity as a proposed topic” and made changes to an online document within hours. During the same month, DHS eliminated questions about LGBT people from the National Survey of Older Americans Act Participants and the Centers for Independent Living Annual Program Performance Report. The Raben Group’s Praveen Fernandes says this is concerning because sound policy relies on good data, which in turn relies on robust data collection. “The federal government needs to understand the American public if it is to devise policy that directly affects it. Such understanding is impossible without data collection,” he writes in an op-ed for the NYT. Click here to read the entire piece.
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The Raben Group hosted Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) at a meet-and-greet on Wednesday. | |  |
It was a packed house as many crowded the reception area to meet Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL). | |
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Tri-Caucus Members Demands Answers on Animal Cruelty
Roll Call reports that several members of Congress sent a letter to the Department of Veterans Affairs asking for more information on the department's experiments on dogs. “We are concerned that the VA’s description of these experiments as ‘observational’ is inaccurate and misleads Congress and taxpayers to believe that the studies are harmless,” the letter reads. The letter was addressed to VA Inspector General Michael Missal about experiments on dogs being conducted in the VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care System and signed by Dina Titus (D-NV), Lou Correa (D-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Norma Torres (D-CA), Tony Cárdenas (D-CA), Ted Lieu (D-CA), and Nanette Barragán (D-CA). More here.
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Payne’s Plea for an Infrastructure Investment
Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office have come and gone. Yet the country is no closer to an infrastructure package. “The dire infrastructure needs of our country, particularly in the Northeast, are glaring, and unless the president gets serious about the problem, things will only get worse,” writes Congressman Donald Payne, Jr. (D-NJ) in an op-ed for Roll Call. “For too long, the federal government has been unwilling to put up the funds needed to modernize our infrastructure.” Read the entire piece here.
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| #ThrowBackThursday Want to include a #TBT pic? Hit us at info@TheBeatDC.com
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Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) with her mom and her first-grade teacher, Mrs. Wilson, at the future senator's graduation from law school. | |  |
That little face belongs to TV One's Roland Martin. | |
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| FOMO
Have an event you want us to include? Hit us at info@TheBeatDC.com
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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