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DEUCES! The president on Tuesday undid former President Barack Obama’s signature foreign policy decision when Donald Trump announced he was pulling the U.S. from the Iran Nuclear Deal, prompting POTUS44 to weigh in calling the decision misguided. While Iranian officials, including the parliament speaker, say they hope Europe will work with them to preserve the deal, many are pessimistic. SPY GAMES. Gina Haspel, Trump’s pick to lead the CIA, will go before the Senate Intelligence Committee for her confirmation hearing today at 9:30A, where she will be asked about her years as a spy and her role in torture programs. A notable absence from today’s hearing? Senator John McCain (R-AZ). CASH ME OUTSIDE HOW BOW DAT? Congressmen Joe Crowley (D-NY) and Tom MacArthur (R-NJ) got in each other’s faces on the House floor yesterday over the merits of a special investigation into House Speaker Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) dismissal of the House Chaplain. The exchange was so heated that some witnesses worried the two would come to blows. They didn't. PUFF PUFF PASS … this legislation. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said he has no plan to support the legalization of marijuana, as he pushes an effort to legalize hemp. He said they are “two entirely separate plants.” BRUH. VP Mike Pence’s brother and first-time politician, businessman Greg Pence, easily won Indiana’s sixth Congressional District primary last night -- largely because of the VEEP, who represented the District for a dozen years before becoming Indiana’s Governor. MONEY, CASH, WOES. Financial records show that Michael Cohen, Trump’s personal lawyer, used a shell company for an array of business activities. Among the payments were more than $1 million from an American company linked to a Russian oligarch, as well as money from several corporations with business before the Trump administration. WESTWORLD IN THE WEST WING. The White House plans to convene execs from Amazon, Facebook, Google, Intel, and 34 other companies on Thursday as it seeks to supercharge the deployment of powerful robots, algorithms, and the broader field of artificial intelligence. SPEAKING OF AI… Google unveiled six new voices for its Google Assistant, including that of entertainer John Legend. Why not just use Ordinary People? Okay, we’re kicking off Wednesday with this...
- Congressman Ted Lieu (D-CA) teams with Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) to ban trophy hunting.
- Former Barack Obama spokesperson joins Dem firm.
- Congressman Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) intros bill to combat opioid addiction.
- Diddy’s Revolt lays off a third of the staff.
- A former Trump supporting Army Vet of Mexican descent clenches Dem nomination in WV primary.
- Texas elects a gay Latino Mayor.
- Native American journo launches a new TV show.
- Uber taps Obama appointee to help with autonomous vehicles.
- Jonathan Capehart talks to Senate candidate Kevin de León (D-CA), and Susan Rice weighs in on the Iran Nuclear Deal. Check it out in Blogs.
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Congressmen Cedric Richmond (D-LA) and Darren Soto (D-FL) at a town hall meeting in Haines City, FL last week discussing civil rights and voting rights restoration. | |  |
Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX) with Cynthia M. Sakulenzki, President and CEO of the Rio Grande Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, meeting on NAFTA and the importance of the Census Bureau last week. | |
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Ted Lieu and Sheila Jackson Lee Intro Bill to Ban Trophy Hunting
Congressman Ted Lieu (D-CA) and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) introduced the Prohibiting Threatened and Endangered Creature Trophies (ProTECT) Act. This legislation would amend the Endangered Species Act to prohibit the taking of any endangered or threatened species in the United States as a trophy and the importation of any such trophy into the United States. “Fueling the trade of trophies, ivory, and horns is selfish as much as it is cruel. Efforts to conserve wildlife and combat wildlife trafficking must remain a priority in Congress,” said Lieu. Jackson Lee continued saying, “I was in Africa when the iconic Cecil the Lion, was murdered for sport. It is a disgrace that this act was committed by an American – with his lack of respect for these wondrous animals and the preservation of our wildlife reverberating across the world. With growing support and awareness of the need to protect ecosystem and a greater need for compassion of animal welfare issues, we hope that this legislative effort will be signed into law by the President, rescinding his pro-trophy hunting directive from March of this year.” Under then-President Obama, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a final rule revising the African Elephant rule which prohibited the export and import of African elephant ivory with exceptions and limited the number of sport-hunted African elephant trophies imported into the U.S. The Trump administration lifted this near-complete ban earlier this year. More here.
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Linda Sánchez Teams with GOP to Intro Bill Making Access to Mental Health Services Easier
House Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Linda Sánchez (D-CA) and Congressman H. Morgan Griffith (R-VA) on Tuesday introduced the Improving Access to Mental Health Services Act. The bipartisan legislation would bring mental health professionals who currently work in the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) into the homes, schools, and community-based organizations that desperately need their services. Right now, NHSC professionals can only provide care at certain approved clinics and are limited in the care they can provide off-site. The same bill was introduced in the Senate by Tina Smith (D-MN) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). The lawmakers say this legislation would particularly help young people in underserved areas who often lack adequate access to these vital services. “There are underserved communities in my district and across the country that desperately need the mental health services National Health Service Corps members can provide,” said Sánchez. “By making our NHSC members more available to schools and other community-based settings, we can help young people get the care they need, when and where they need it. This is a common sense, bipartisan bill that needs to be passed into law.” More here.
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Catherine Cortez Masto Raises Concerns Over USCIS Plan for New Oversight Division
Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) led her colleagues in sending a letter to the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen expressing concerns about the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) plan to establish an internal oversight division to supervise the agency’s caseworkers and reports that such a unit may be used to discourage caseworkers from using discretion when deciding immigration cases. “While robust oversight to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse is a wholly appropriate duty for any federal government agency, we are troubled by the suggestion that USCIS’ new division will instead be devoted to the surveillance of USCIS caseworkers in order to discourage from using discretion in adjudication of immigration benefits,” said the Senators. “Given the absence of significant concerns in the 2016 Inspector General report, we are concerned this new unit could send the message that USCIS leadership believes its officers and adjudicators are not doing their jobs appropriately or professionally, and are placing the legal immigration system at grave imminent risk.” Senators Bob Menéndez (D-NJ), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) were among the signatories on the letter. Read the full letter here.
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Carlos Curbelo Intros Bipartisan Bill to Address Opioid Epidemic
Congressman Carlos Curbelo (R-FL), a member of the House Ways and Means Committee which has jurisdiction over healthcare policy joined forces with Congresswoman Annie Kuster (D-NH), the Founder and Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Heroin Task Force, to introduce legislation that would require the Department of Health and Human Services to develop an evidence-based best practices toolkit for hospitals to reduce opioid misuse. The lawmakers say the Hospital Opioid Solutions Toolkit (HOST) Act will provide comprehensive and consistent resources for the screening of opioid-use disorder, as well as education for providers and beneficiaries regarding associated risks and evidence-based pain management alternatives. “American families deserve medical providers that have reliable, evidence-based resources to encourage smart, safe use of prescription opioids. This bipartisan legislation will offer an additional tool for American hospital systems to mitigate some of the unnecessary prescribing that has trapped thousands of Americans in the dangerous cycle of addiction,” said Curbelo. More here.
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Congresswomen Karen Bass (D-CA) and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) meeting with Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) in DC last week to work on criminal justice reform initiatives for women. | |  |
ID gubernatorial candidate Paulette Jordan (D) on Monday casting her vote at the Benewah County Courthouse in St. Maries, ID. | |
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Former Trump Supporting Army Vet of Mexican Descent Clenches Dem Nomination in WV Primary
State Senator Richard Ojeda claimed victory in Tuesday night’s primary for West Virginia’s Third Congressional District, giving Democrats their best chance to flip a congressional seat in November in the state, which Trump won in 2016 by 40 points. Ojeda had raised the most money and snagged the endorsement of the state’s powerful coal miners union and the state’s teachers union, the American Federation of Teachers of West Virginia. The former Army Paratrooper is vying for the seat left open by Congressman Evan Jenkins (R-WV), who lost his bid for Senate. The tattooed vet is pro-gun rights and a pro-labor candidate who, despite being a Democrat, voted for Donald Trump (and now regrets it). The state’s coal miners have aligned themselves with him, but it was his vocal support of West Virginia’s teachers that turned him into a working-class hero. The 47-year-old West Virginia State College grad, who earned his Master's from Webster University, served 25 years in the Army rising to the rank of major. He earned two Bronze Stars and during his service, he spent time in Korea, Honduras, Jordan, Haiti, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Ojeda’s grandfather illegally immigrated from the Mexican state of Jalisco, and his father was born in the U.S. He will go on to face Republican Carol Miller in November. More here.
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There’s a New Mayor in Town
Air Force veteran Bruno “Ralphy” Lozano was elected Mayor of Del Rio, TX last weekend, securing 62% of the vote. The 35-year-old Lozano is both the town’s youngest Mayor and first openly gay official. He previously served as a security law enforcement officer in the Air Force. When he served in the military, he was tasked with the enforcement of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The responsibility of sending home troops who just wanted their partners to be able to visit them at the base was “heartbreaking,” he says. “I am not ashamed of who I am, so I chose not to reenlist,” Lozano says. Despite the red state being known for its conservative politics and Republicans dominating statewide offices, Lozano’s sexual orientation bucked the trend and was not an issue during the mayoral campaign in the city of about 41,000 people. In fact, he wore high heels to march in the city’s Veterans Day parade last year -- and there was hardly a peep about it. Lozano ran on a campaign of generational change, government accountability, and promising to help restore the city’s flagging winter-season tourism. More here.
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CNN’s Ana Navarro after attending actress and activist Eva Longoria’s baby shower on Saturday. | |  |
Former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara with Women in the World Founder Tina Brown and President and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights Vanita Gupta at the CAFE Change Summit in New York last weekend. | |
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Native American Journalist Launches New TV Show
Mark Trahant, perhaps one of the nation's best known Native American journalists, is launching his own national television show. The show will begin airing at the end of May on FNX, the First Nations Experience Network, a subchannel of PBS. The program is called Wassaja, an Apache word that means "signal." One of his first shows took him to the Caribbean island of Dominica, home to the Kalinago, a group of indigenous people devastated by Hurricane Maria. "Through all the turmoil and all of this change, people are still there, living on subsistence," Trahant said, "still looking for ways to live off the land." Another episode will profile Alaska Native women in politics and another will look at Alaska Pacific University's transformation into a tribal college. The newly appointed Editor of Indian Country Today says this work is important to him "to inspire people, to let them know they have a place in the media landscape." More here.
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USA Today Names New Publisher
Maribel Pérez Wadsworth has become the publisher of USA TODAY. Pérez Wadsworth, a two-decade veteran of the company, was previously named President of the entire USA Today network in 2017, in addition to overseeing its content strategy. She’ll continue leading those efforts in her new role. Pérez Wadsworth is the second woman to hold the title and the first person of color to serve as Publisher -- she is Cuban American. The University of Miami grad joined Gannett more than 20 years ago, when she worked as an Agriculture Beat Reporter at the Rockford Register Star. She went on to work for The News-Press in Fort Myers and joined the corporate team in 2009, leading digital strategy for all of Gannett’s local newsrooms. In 2015, Pérez Wadsworth became Gannett’s first Chief Strategy Officer before becoming President in November. She joins USA Today’s newly appointed Editor-In-Chief, Nicole Carroll, in a move that puts women in three of the company’s top leadership positions, including Executive Editor Patty Michalski. “I am so proud and honored to lead such an iconic brand as USA TODAY, building upon its core commitments to trusted, award-winning journalism and role as an industry innovator,” said Pérez Wadsworth. More here.
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Amanpour Brings Company to New PBS Program
Christiane Amanpour will anchor a new late-night public affairs program on PBS starting in July. Amanpour & Company will feature interviews with global leaders and will replace the current simulcast of Amanpour, CNN International's flagship program. The show had been an interim placeholder on PBS since December, when public television severed its relationship with Charlie Rose in the wake of sexual harassment allegations against the host. Amanpour will continue to air weekdays on CNN International. The new program will have four contributors; NPR’s Michel Martin, Time’s Walter Isaacson, Bustle’s Alicia Menéndez (also the daughter of NJ’s Dem Senator Bob Menéndez), and NPR’s Hari Sreenivasan. The show will be produced in NYC, while Amanpour will continue to be based in London. More here.
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National Urban League SVP Donald Cravins on-set with Great Day Washington hosts Kristen Berset-Harris and Markette Sheppard to discuss the #StateofBlackAmerica. | |  |
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai meeting with Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) in Oldsmar, FL last week to discuss internet regulation and FCC initiatives. | |
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Diddy’s Revolt Media Lays Off a Third of Its Staff
Sean Combs’ Revolt Media laid off about a third of its staff on Tuesday as it restructures and focuses on producing more lifestyle content. The company, which launched in 2013, said it would lay off about 50 people at its offices in LA and NY and concentrate production in Southern California. CEO Roma Khanna, in a memo to staff, said she is repositioning the company to become a leader in hip-hop culture and realigning its content and brand strategy to match the new vision. “Change can be difficult. This move is about strength and growth. As one of a very small handful of networks owned and controlled by the African-American community, we need to ensure we remain fiscally strong so that we can continue to authentically represent the culture,” she said. The Revolt TV channel is available in some 50 million homes. Revolt said it plans to maintain its linear cable distribution despite the challenging business environment for stand-alone channels. More here.
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YouTube Announces 2018 Creators for Change
YouTube yesterday welcomed 47 creators to their Creators for Change program as the 2018 class of Ambassadors. This global initiative, which they kicked off in 2016, spotlights inspirational creators who use YouTube’s global reach to change conversations around tough issues and make a truly positive impact on the world. This year’s YouTube Creators come from over 16 countries and represent a combined audience of 26 million fans. The U.S. Creators are Jouelzy, who looks at the intersection of pop culture, history, and politics; Yasmany Del Real, who looks at beauty treatments for people of color; Beleaf in Fatherhood, whose mission is to equip fathers, give hope to mothers, and inspire children; Subhi Taha, who look at Muslim American issues; Jubilee Project, which bridges people together and inspire love through compelling stories; and Hallease, a video producer, editor, and photographer who produces documentary-style vlogs. The 2018 class features 31 new creators as well as 16 creators from last year’s program. Meet them here.
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TX gubernatorial candidate Lupe Valdez (D) greeting voters in Houston last week during the city’s Cinco de Mayo parade. | |  |
Former WH Social Secretary Deesha Dyer on Monday in Brooklyn, NY. | |
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Former Obama Spokesperson Joins Blue Engine Media
Blue Engine Message & Media announced the addition of Kevin Lewis. The former spokesperson at the Department of Justice, who served two Attorneys General -- Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch -- and worked at the White House Press Shop, most recently worked at Barack Obama’s post-presidency office as POTUS44’s Chief Spokesperson. Kevin will join Blue Engine as a Senior Strategist on the heels of helping Obama establish his public post-presidency profile and navigating a demanding media environment. The Brooklyn native and NYU graduate was one of the first Obama campaign staffers in Chicago in 2007. He served as a Press Aide on the exploratory committee just five days before then-Senator Obama announced his historic run for president. He went on to serve as Deputy Press Secretary on the Obama campaign’s staff in Michigan for the 2008 General Election and later a spokesman on the 2009 Inaugural Committee before ultimately joining the Obama administration. At Blue Engine, Kevin will help clients build brands and protect their reputations. He will be based in D.C. More here.
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Uber Taps Obama Appointee to Advise on Safety After Self-Driving Vehicle Kills Pedestrian
After an Uber self-driving vehicle struck and killed a 49-year-old woman who was walking across a street in the Phoenix suburb of Tempe, Uber suspended testing of autonomous vehicles and retained the services of former NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart. The Barack Obama appointee was brought on to advise on overall safety culture. “Our review is looking at everything from the safety of our system to our training processes for vehicle operators, and we hope to have more to say soon,” said an Uber spokesperson. The Princeton University graduate, who completed law school at Harvard, was named the Chairman of the Washington-area Metrorail safety commission in March. Hart, who was chairman of the NTSB when it opened a probe into a fatal Tesla crash involving a driver using the vehicle’s Autopilot system, in 2016 said that self-driving cars will not be perfect. More here.
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National Urban League’s Marc Morial and wife, CBS News’ Michelle Miller, on Saturday at the Kentucky Derby races. | |  |
Members Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), and Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) in Brooklyn on Saturday denouncing rent increases proposed by HUD Secretary Ben Carson. | |
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AIDS United Announces New Board Members
AIDS United announced the election of two new members of color -- Cecilia Chung and Dr. June Gipson -- to its Board of Trustees. In a release, the organization said: “Their appointments bring the total number of Trustees to 17 and significantly broadens the diversity and representation of communities most affected by HIV.” Cecilia Chung is Senior Director of Strategic Projects for the Transgender Law Center and a Health Commissioner of San Francisco. She is the first person of trans experience to serve on AIDS United’s Board. Chung is an internationally recognized human rights leader who advocates for HIV/AIDS awareness and treatment access, as well as LGBT equality, and social justice broadly. She is a Founder of Positively Trans, a project focused on trans leaders with HIV. Dr. June Gipson is the President/CEO of My Brother’s Keeper, Inc., located in Ridgeland, MS. The organization is a leading provider of HIV care and support in the South and is run by and for people of color. Gipson has worked in the public health arena for over 14 years and guided the establishment of Mississippi’s first LGBTI primary healthcare clinic. Dr. David Holtgrave, a global leader in HIV prevention research and the new Dean of the School of Public Health, University at Albany, State University of New York, was also elected to the Board. More here.
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Meet the New Staff at The Leadership Conference
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and its sister organization, The Leadership Conference Education Fund, yesterday announced the addition of new staff members including Lynda García and LaGloria Wheatfall. Lynda García is the Director of The Leadership Conference’s Policing Campaign Director. Before joining The Leadership Conference, the Hunter College grad, who has a law degree from Fordham Law School, served as a Trial Attorney in the Special Litigation Section in the Civil Rights Division of the DOJ. Prior to the Civil Rights Division, García was a Soros Justice Fellow at the ACLU national office and the ACLU of New Jersey and also served as a Law Clerk to Judge John Gleeson in the Eastern District of New York. LaGloria Wheatfall is the new Communications Manager. Prior to joining the organizations, the Clark Atlanta University grad, who has a Master’s from the University of St. Thomas-Houston, served as a Digital Communications Associate for the National Association of Elementary School Principals. Before that, the Houston native supported the PICO National Network communications team and served as Multimedia and Digital Editor for The Defender Newspaper, a Houston-based African American publication. “We are thrilled to welcome these new faces to our dedicated team,” said Vanita Gupta, President and CEO of The Leadership Conference. “As we continue to grow, this expansion will allow more hands-on-deck to support our organization’s ongoing work in the fight for justice, equality, and inclusion for all.” They also announced Sarah Edwards was hired as a Senior Writer and Kristen Voorhees has joined as a Communications Manager. More here.
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| FOMO Today, 10:30A: National Urban League 15th Annual Legislative Policy Conference presents Cry Alabama! The Nuts and Bolts of Black Voter Turnout Panel. The panel, moderated by
The Beat DC’s Tiffany D. Cross, will include Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL), LaTosha Brown (Black Votes Matter), and Roy S. Johnson (Columnist, Alabama Media Group on the record Black voter turnout in Alabama’s special Senate election in 2017. Click here for more info.
Today - Thursday, May 10th: The Wall Street Journal's The Future of Everything Festival. Speakers include Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund Leader Tina Tchen, WSJ Editors, and more. Spring Studios, 50 Varick St, NYC. Click here for more information.
Thursday, May 10th, 6P: Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, DC hosts Cherry Blossoms for Choice with special guest Raffi Freedman-Gurspan, an American transgender rights activist and the first openly transgender person to work as a White House staffer under then-President Barack Obama. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.
Friday, May 11th, 9A: The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights holds a public briefing on hate crimes and bias-related incidents. The Commission will examine best practices for local law enforcement on collecting and reporting data, and the role of the Education and Justice Departments in prevention and prosecution. USCCR, 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 1150. RSVP to publicaffairs@usccr.gov. Click here to watch a livestream of the briefing.
Monday, May 14th - Thursday, May 17th: Federal Asian Pacific America Council's 33rd National Leadership Training Program. Keynote address by U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao. Sheraton Pentagon City, 900 South Orme Street, Arlington, VA. Click here for more information.
Tuesday, May 15th, 6:30P: MD gubernatorial candidate Ben Jealous (D) will host a fundraising reception. La Vie. 88 District Square S.W., DC. Click here for more information.
Wednesday, May 16th, 12P: The 2018 CAPAC congressional ceremony for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Kennedy Caucus Room, 325 Russell Senate Office Building. Click here to RSVP.
Wednesday, May 16th, 5P: The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights hosts the 42nd annual Hubert H. Humphrey Civil and Human Rights Award Dinner. This year’s honorees include Tarana Burke, Founder of the #MeToo movement; “Dreamers,” the brave immigrant youth who are inspiring a country; and Cecile Richards, outgoing President of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Washington Hilton, 1919 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Click here to learn more and buy tickets.
Wednesday, May 16th, 5:30P: 2018 Mission Forward Spring Reception: “Building Equity and Breaking Bias,” a powerful conversation on equity, diversity, and inclusion. Speakers include Ed Yong, science writer for The Atlantic, and Liz Neeley, Executive Director of The Story Collider. Mission Partners, 7201 Wisconsin Ave, Suite 780, Bethesda, MD. RSVP here.
Thursday, May 17th, 9A: In celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders hosts a Community Leaders Forum, an opportunity to engage with senior level federal officials to discuss issues impacting the AAPI community. U.S. Department of Education, Barnard Auditorium. 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W.Click here to learn more and RSVP.
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.
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.
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